On Tuesday, a new rebate site was launched called MyTroops.com. It was founded by an Army Reserve soldier formerly deployed to Iraq. The idea is that any military personnel can sign up to the service (you have to have a .mil email address and provide a picture). Then, friends and family can shop through the site and their designated troop will receive the rebate. If you don’t have a military person in your circle of friends or family but would just like to support one, you can choose from one of their Featured Troops.
Rebates are paid in the form of points, and rewards are all online gift certificates — the idea being that the soldier can use these to buy things for their family back home.
They started with 17 merchants but will be expanding this as they can. Shoppers don’t have to register to support their troop; they just have to be sure to click through the site’s link to the merchant to be sure their troop’s account is credited. While they’re in beta, individual troops must email them if they’re interested in creating an account.
The MyTroops.com FAQ did a great job of answering my questions about the program. The site also has a blog.
Rebate/rewards programs are nothing new…but what is unique about this program is that it allows the combined purchasing power of many people to accrue rewards into one person’s account. Very few programs allow this (the kids’ education rewards programs like Upromise do, and Greenpoints…but their rebate percentages are low and their rewards are mostly merchandise), and when they do, they require all parties to register for an account with the site.
This is simple, it’s streamlined, and it’s for a good cause — supporting the guys who are out there giving their all for our country. Good luck, MyTroops!
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