Please note that these FAQ are subject, but not intended to modify the terms of the Reimbursement Agreement entered between you and the County of Saline.
Rewards/Saline Stars
How does the Saline Stars program work?
Your customers can earn Saline Stars by making Qualifying Purchases which they can then spend at Redeeming businesses, like yours, through the Choose Saline County app. Earning those Saline Stars will encourage them to purchase locally and strengthen the Saline County community and its businesses.
What are Saline Stars?
Choose Saline County offers customers the opportunity to be rewarded with Saline Stars (Saline County's exclusive local point system) for supporting participating local businesses. Users can earn Saline Stars upon completion of Qualifying Purchases included in the reward offers published on Choose Saline County, and exchange Saline Stars for goods and services at Redeeming businesses, like yours. The redemption value of each Saline Star equals to one U.S. dollar ($1.00).
What are reward offers?
Reward offers are concurrent campaigns that are published on Choose Saline County in cycles, to empower community members (your customers) to shop local and support local businesses. Each reward offer will focus on an initiative that the County of Saline wishes to promote. Reward offers change over time, and you will be notified if your business is included in one or more. Each reward offer will have its own terms and conditions by which a user may be rewarded with Saline Stars. To earn Saline Stars, Users of the app can join reward offers published on Choose Saline County by linking their credit/debit card and hitting the “Join reward offer” button for a specific reward offer that interests them.
What is a qualifying purchase?
Generally speaking, a Qualifying Purchase would be made through a linked payment card at a business that is participating in an ongoing reward offer. Each reward offer has its own terms defining a Qualifying Purchase. For example, a requirement for one reward offer might be a minimum of a $1 purchase at a participating business and for another, it could be a minimum of a $5 purchase. The terms will always be specified on the App in the “How it works” section of each reward offer.
Who’s initiating the reward offers/who funds them?
Choose Saline County is brought to you by the County of Saline, which is also funding the Saline Stars earned from reward offers.
In addition to redeeming Saline Stars, will Users earn Saline Stars when shopping at my business?
They might; we will let you know if your business is included in one of the active reward offers on Choose Saline County and give you details of the reward offer terms. Note that only purchases through a User’s linked card may be eligible for earning Saline Stars, according to the reward terms which the User has joined. Saline Stars cannot be earned on Saline Stars redemption transactions.
When will my customers receive Saline Stars for shopping at my business?
If your business is included in an active reward offer on Choose Saline County, Users that make Qualifying Purchases at your business will be awarded with Saline Stars. Saline Stars will automatically be added to a User’s balance in the app once the transaction is confirmed through the third-party vendor, ‘Plaid’, and determined to be a Qualifying Purchase under the terms of that reward offer. This process can take up to 10 business days and the Saline Stars should appear in their Choose Saline County account once the process is complete.
Redeeming Saline Stars
How do my customers redeem Saline Stars in my business?
They should inform you that they will be paying by redeeming Saline Stars. Once a User redeems a selected amount of Saline Stars, a notification screen will appear on the User’s app confirming the Saline Star redemption. As a final step, ask Choose Saline County app. Additionally, you will receive a confirmation email with the details of the Saline Stars redemption and your updated balance.
What if I want to cancel a purchase that was paid for with redeemed Saline Stars?
All redemptions of Saline Stars are final and irrevocable. The terms of the cancellation and any refund are agreed upon directly between you and the customer. If your customer wants to return purchased goods and get a refund, you can cancel the transaction, but your customer’s Saline Stars will not be returned to their account. Since you will be fully reimbursed for the Saline Stars redeemed by the customer, you can choose to refund the customer in dollars. Please note that The County of Saline is not responsible for crediting or debiting Saline Stars to the customer’s account or yours in connection with such a cancellation.
How do I receive payment for the Saline Stars that were redeemed at my business into my bank account?
The payment for the Saline Stars you’ve accumulated will be made to your bank account in dollars, via the Tipalti portal you’ve registered with in your onboarding process. The payments will be processed every 1st of the month, the process can take up to 10 business days.
You can track and monitor your payments via the Tipalti portal through this link: [pending tipalti account setup]
For any assistance on this matter please contact us at choosesaline@colu.com.
How can I make sure my customer has paid with Saline Stars?
Make sure the customer shows you or your staff member the confirmation screen on their phone. In addition, you will receive an email immediately upon redemption with the details of the redemption transaction and an indication of your updated redeemed Saline Stars balance.
How do I enter a purchase with Saline Stars into my POS?
During your onboarding process, your Choose Saline County representative likely guided you through the process of configuring your POS. In most cases, you can simply enter a purchase with Saline Stars by selecting 'Other' as the payment option in your POS or by creating a new tender type named 'Saline Stars' and selecting this as the payment option.
Need a refresher? We’re happy to help. Just reach out to us at choosesaline@colu.com and mention the POS system that you use.
Do I need to give a receipt for Saline Stars’ redemption?
Yes. Redemption of Saline Stars in your business requires a receipt from you to your customer because an exchange of goods was made between you and your customer, and the Saline Stars are a form of payment.
Can customers pay with Saline Stars online?
No, a customer can currently redeem Saline Stars only in the store itself.
Are there limitations of what goods Saline Stars may be redeemed on?
There may be laws limiting the use of Saline Stars to purchase certain goods, like alcohol, tobacco, lottery and pharmaceuticals. The County of Saline makes no representations with regards to those types of redemptions. If your business sells those types of goods, it is your responsibility to be familiar with and follow any applicable laws.
What to do if a customer has a problem paying with Saline Stars (technical issues)?
In this case, the customer can reach out to Choose Saline County’s support team at chooseSaline@colu.com.
How do I check my account balance?
Each time a redemption of Saline Stars is made in your business, you’ll receive a confirmation email with the amount you’ve received for that transaction and your current balance of Saline Stars.
I have a question about my account balance/redemption payment - who do I talk to?
For any questions or assistance, please contact chooseSaline@colu.com. You can also track and monitor your payments via the Tipalti portal through this link: [pending tipalti account setup]
For any questions or assistance, please send an email to chooseSaline@colu.com. A Choose Saline County representative will reply to your inquiry within 2-3 business days. Some exceptions may apply.
What email will the Saline Stars transaction notifications go to?
The confirmation notification will be sent to the email address you have provided us on the application form. For any issues or questions, please send an email to chooseSaline@colu.com.