Seoul City "Consumer Coupons with Seoul Love Gift Certificates"... Zero Payment Fees, Double Usage Locations

[Financial News] Seoul City has started promoting a policy to allow the receipt of the 'National Consumer Coupons' as 'Seoul Love Gift Certificates'. It can boost consumption towards traditional markets and small businesses, and from the business owner's perspective, there are no payment fees, reducing additional burdens. Various follow-up measures will be implemented, such as doubling the number of affiliated stores to secure users and strengthening guidance.
Seoul City announced on the 14th that it will promote various follow-up measures to maximize the policy effect if the civil recovery consumer coupons, which start applications on the 21st, are issued as the local currency Seoul Love Gift Certificates.
Seoul Love Gift Certificates do not require separate payment fees, reducing the burden on business owners. When applying for civil recovery consumer coupons through card companies, a merchant burden fee of 0.15% to 1.15% is imposed based on the annual sales scale of the affiliated store, reducing the store's profit.
From the user's perspective, it can be widely used not only in affiliated stores throughout Seoul but also in the public delivery app 'Seoul Delivery+Danggeoyo' and the small business online exclusive shop 'eSeoulLoveShop'. Seoul City explained, "Both small business owners and consumers can enjoy benefits, and a practical regional economic recovery effect is expected."
The usage locations for Seoul Love Gift Certificates will significantly increase. By cooperating with credit card companies, an additional 240,000 small business credit card affiliated stores with annual sales of less than 3 billion KRW will be registered, expanding to a total of 480,000. The newly registered affiliated stores can use consumer coupons without separate applications, and payment methods can be barcode or touch payment.
Seoul City plans to guide the payment methods of civil recovery consumer coupons and the application methods for Seoul Pay affiliated store mode through the resident centers of the relevant autonomous districts for the newly added affiliated stores.
If consumer coupons are issued with Seoul Love Gift Certificates, they can be used not only in 480,000 affiliated stores throughout Seoul but also by selecting the gift certificate as a payment method in Seoul City's public delivery app 'Seoul Delivery+Danggeoyo'. Adding the 'Public Delivery App Activation Consumer Coupon', which refunds 10,000 KRW for orders of 20,000 KRW or more three times, increases the discount benefits. Payments can also be made in the small business online exclusive shop 'eSeoulLoveShop' within Post Office Shopping.
Guidance and promotion of affiliated stores will also be strengthened. Dedicated stickers will be produced and distributed to affiliated stores where consumer coupons can be used, and the affiliated store inquiry function will be expanded. In addition to the existing Seoul Pay Plus app, the Seoul City website will also provide a 'Find Affiliated Store' function to help citizens more easily identify stores where Seoul Love Gift Certificates can be used.
The application for the 'Civil Recovery Consumer Coupon' with Seoul Love Gift Certificates can be made from the 21st through the Seoul Pay Plus app. To prevent congestion and system overload during the first week of applications, a '5-day system' based on the last digit of the birth year will be operated, and from the 26th, anyone can apply regardless of the birth year.
The issued civil recovery consumer coupons must be used by November 30. Any unused balance by the deadline will be automatically collected. Unlike existing Seoul Love Gift Certificates, the civil recovery consumer coupons received through Seoul Pay Plus cannot be transferred as the 'gift' function is restricted.
Lee Hae-sun, Director of the Seoul City Civil Labor Bureau, said, "Using consumer coupons through Seoul Love Gift Certificates will reduce the fee burden on small business owners and provide tangible consumer benefits to citizens," adding, "We hope many citizens will apply through the Seoul Pay Plus app and participate in the virtuous cycle structure that leads to local consumption."

chlee1@fnnews.com Lee Chang-hoon Reporter