Note: The following giveaway is open to Canadians only.
It may have already happened before your very eyes.
Here’s the scenario: You’re in a checkout line, and the person ahead of you is waiting to pay for her purchases.
“That’ll be $37.50,” the cashier says.
The woman reaches into her wallet, and pulls out her trusted Visa. Then, instead of swiping her credit card or inserting one end into the chip reader, she simply waves the card over the terminal and “BEEP!” – her card is authenticated and her purchase is complete. No secret codes, no wobbly signature, no hassle.
Of course, if you have a Visa card with the payWave feature… perhaps that woman is YOU.
Here’s the deal. Go hunt up your Visa card. (It’s okay, I’ll wait.) Now take a look at it. If you see this symbol (pictured right) on the front of the card, great news! You’re already eligible to pay with Visa payWave for transactions of $50 or less, including taxes. So it’s ideal for places like fast food restaurants, gas stations, movie theatres, pharmacies and convenience stores.
And now, you can shop and be charitable at the same time with Visa Canada’s payWave It Forward program.
The fact is, many of us donate to charities quite often throughout the year. However, according to a survey commissioned by Visa Canada, 71 per cent of Canadians donated money to charity last year, but over half (56 per cent) wish they could have given more.
To help Canadians contribute to important causes, Visa Canada and key retailers are teaming up to support charities with the Visa payWave It Forward program. For a set period at participating retailers, for every payment made with Visa payWave, Visa will donate one dollar to the retailer’s charity of choice (up to a maximum donation amount). With Visa payWave It Forward, cardholders can simply “wave and go” to make their payment and the associated donation, without needing to key in a PIN, sign a receipt or look for change.
Canadians can join the Visa payWave It Forward movement at the following participating retailers:
ESSO (in-store) – August 19th to September 1st. Charity: United Way
Marshalls – August 19th to September 15th. Charity: Kids Help Phone
Metro (ON) - August 19th to September 8th. Charity: Green Apple School Program
Metro: (QC) – August 19th to September 8th. Charity: Food Banks of Quebec
So… of course I had to lend my support to a good cause… and if the cause just happened to involve a little shopping, how could I say no? Off I went to Marshalls… I was feeling particularly charitable!
I was greeted by a gorgeous display of furniture and decor inspired from India -
As tempting as it was to add a little intricate styling to my mostly modern and minimalist decor, I came to Marshalls in the hopes of finding two things: a) a black blouse to pair with my blue skinny jeans and short, high-heeled boots, and b) a denim shirt to pair with my black leggings and riding boots. Now I’ve been fortunate enough to uncover random, great finds at Marshalls in the past, but because I was looking for two things in particular, I wasn’t holding my breath.
Ding-ding-ding! It was my lucky day. Because stationed directly behind the furniture display? That’s right – a black blouse! And not just any black blouse… a Calvin Klein number that normally retails for $70.00, marked down to $39.99. It hung perfectly at the shoulders and was made from the softest, silkiest material. My first score – and I had been in the store for less than 5 minutes!
Well, based on my fast success, I decided to scour the racks for my coveted blue denim shirt. And you won’t believe this, but I honest-to-goodness found the perfect shirt in seconds – a lightly faded, subtly striped shirt from Seven Jeans. I loved the masculine edge and the fact that it’s long enough to be belted or simply left loose over leggings. The list price was $50.00; Marshalls price – $29.99.
And just like that, I powershopped my way to two items in less than 10 minutes. Of course, even though I should have simply checked out at that point, one can never leave Marshalls without doing a necessary walk through. Points of interest:
1. The Betsey Johnson handbags. Super fun and flirty, I wish I had more of a Paris Hilton-circa-2005 vibe going on, because she instantly came to mind when I saw the handbags. Alas, the style is too “bubblegum princess” for me… I’d take the same silhouette in a more refined kate spade any day of the week.
2. The Walter Baker Jean Jacket. Technically, I don’t need yet another fall jacket… but I was nevertheless intrigued by this artfully stone- and acid-washed jean jacket. It had an interesting cut and just the right mix of preppy and grunge – making it perfect for layering over short, floral dresses or paired with a white t-shirt and slim black pants.
Even more intriguing? The price! The item still had its original price tag: regularly $138.00, it was marked down to $29.99! Sigh – this *almost* became an impulse purchase, but I eventually passed.
3. The Adidas Track Suits for Toddlers. Not going to lie: I bought this track suit for Reid. Hey, he’s definitely the athletic type! He loves to run around and he’s been known to work on his dance moves. And, it’s just so darned cute.
4. The India-themed Decor. Rounding the corner, I found yet another display fashioned to look like the interior of a condo in Mumbai. I’ve often wondered where Marshalls buyers find their inspiration for trends and relevant pieces; in the case of the Bollywood-styled decor, I’m quite loving it.
I finally made it to the checkout, and ta-da! Found point-of-sale information about the payWave It Forward program. Since my total purchase was over $50, I asked the cashier to separate the transactions so that I could wave my Visa three times… and earn $3.00 for Kids Help Phone.
Shopping at one of my favourite retailers… using my favourite method of payment… AND donating to a worthy cause? It’s a WIN-WIN-WIN! Actually, I should really add a fourth WIN… because this one’s for my amazing readers!
WIN IT!
One lucky reader will win a $50 Visa Gift Card. And, you’ll also have a chance to payWave It Forward: you’ll be asked to choose which one of the participating charities above will receive an additional $50 donation from Visa Canada. Simply fill the form below with your qualifying entries. Good luck everybody!