Under the slogan "Every kilowatt hour counts," German Economics Minister Robert Habeck has called on private households to save energy – an appeal that numerous energy suppliers nationwide want to support with their own campaigns. Whether it's an energy-saving bonus, CO2 offsetting or an eco-rebate: With uncomplicated money-back campaigns, companies reward their customers specifically for saving energy. But be careful: A BaFin license is required to process such promotions in a legally compliant manner. The payment service provider secupay presents its uncomplicated solution, which can be used very easily without any integration effort.
How do money-back promotions work?
Example: Customers who manage to reduce their consumption by at least ten or 20 percent compared with the previous year receive an additional bonus from their electricity or gas supplier, which is credited either to the customer's account or to their bank account. Energy-saving competitions are currently a particularly useful and sustainable customer loyalty tool for the energy industry. Customers save money, and municipal utilities set themselves apart as reliable and customer-oriented suppliers that take climate protection and social responsibility seriously. Money-back campaigns are also possible in other industries: Car dealerships, for example, can pay "mileage allowances" to anyone buying an e-car or fuel-efficient new car. Marketplaces or online retailers can reward those who avoid climate-damaging returns or set targeted purchase incentives for regional or energy-saving products. Please note: To ensure that the campaign does not turn into a marketing flop, the process must be uncomplicated, error-free and, above all, legally compliant.
Money-back promotions are subject to financial supervision
Important to know: Money-back campaigns, also known as cashback in the trade or for branded products, are usually so-called financial transfer transactions. As such, they are subject to control by the Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (Bafin). According to the Payment Services Supervision Act (Zahlungsdiensteaufsichtsgesetz, ZAG), money transfers to third parties with "other people's money" may only be carried out by bafin-licensed payment service providers. Those who do not abide by the rules when carrying out money-back actions must expect harsh consequences: BaFin can impose fines or, in the worst case, even demand the cessation of business operations. This is also a risk for the marketing service providers commissioned.
"Ready-to-use" solution from secupay
Involving a licensed payment service provider, especially in the energy industry, often represents a considerable effort in terms of process technology and time. This is where secupay comes in. The German payment specialist supports companies from all sectors with a simple, ready-to-use payout solution for ZAG-compliant money-back campaigns. Complex IT integration is not required; instead, the onboarding of new contractual partners is carried out very quickly via the secuOffice online portal. Billing is exclusively based on the number and amount of transactions without basic fees. We offer municipal utilities that are faced with the challenge of "ZAG-compliant money repayment" personal contacts and fast, uncomplicated assistance, regardless of their location.
