To provide consumers with more ways to save money at neighborhood restaurants, Groupon has added American Express to its Groupon+ platform. The free-to-claim, cash-back deals program is now available in about 25 U.S. markets, the company said in an announcement.
Once the partnership is fully in place, offers at thousands of participating restaurants in Groupon+ cities will be available for American Express Card Members — without the need for paper vouchers or even handing over their phones.
Aaron Cooper, Groupon’s president of North America, said the announcement,“We’re thrilled to add American Express to our growing Groupon+ program — giving us the three largest payment networks in North America. Groupon+ removes the hassles associated with using a Groupon voucher at local restaurants and makes it super easy for people to take advantage of great offers when they use their enrolled card to dine out in their neighborhood.”
Groupon+ deals work by offering free-to-claim cash back deals at no cost, without the need to pre-pay. Consumers do not need to use printouts to take advantage of the program, and there are no blackout dates. And the offers are good every time consumers purchase something from participating restaurants for the duration of the promotion.
The program is growing fast: By the end of 2017, 2.7 million cards were enrolled in the program and Groupon+ nearly doubled consumer and merchant participation during the two previous quarters.
The announcement comes after Groupon announced on Tuesday (May 1) its purchase of Cloud Savings Company Limited, the parent company of discount code platform vouchercloud and brand loyalty provider Giftcloud. The company said in a press release that it acquired Cloud Savings Company at an enterprise value of $65 million. According to Groupon, the acquisition will enable vouchercloud and Giftcloud to continue their business development — both in growth mode — and, at the same time, take advantage of Groupon’s expertise in the local markets as well as its customer and merchant knowledge.
