Hidden gems to be found amid junk mail

Soon enough the summer vacation and Thai New Year, Songkran, will arrive. Everyone is looking forward to the long holiday, as it’s a time to breath and recharge.  

Yet, this long break can be a dilemma for some parents as they have to either find activities to occupy their kids or plan a family getaway.  

Summer is a special time for everyone. But families with kids, newlywed couples, buddies or groups of friends all have different wishes.

It is, therefore, quite difficult to find a suitable holiday solution –one that best fits your time, your preferences, your loved ones and, most importantly, your budget.

Working from 9 to 5 might not allow you to go to travel fairs to hunt for the best deals. Internet searches, though convenient and full of options, can be too time consuming, and sometimes you may be overwhelmed by too much information and still end up with no guaranteed best offer.

Time is of the essence. What is the best source of information – valid, vetted and valuable to you?

You might be surprised to know that it’s been there all along.  

Have you ever glanced at the thick newsletter that accompanies your monthly credit-card statement? You might often use that good-quality paper to line the bottom of the garbage bin. That could be a huge loss.

At first glance, it might look like junk mail. But it is not even close to being junk. Don’t underestimate the value of the information inside.

Looking closely, you’ll find a variety of offers ranging from an attractive 20-per cent discount at a fine restaurant, a painting class for your children, a pilates course for your girlfriend, a family package to a theme park in Singapore, a romantic honeymoon to Paris, or even a dream safari. 

Because of high competition, every credit-card marketing team has to put a lot of effort into catching customers’ interest, hence the these often irresistible offers. 

The card’s newsletter is used to advertise the best deals from partner-merchants, with an extra effort from the provider’s own pocket to lure customers, with tangible investments like on-top discounts, extra bonus rewards or free merchandise.

There are other partnering options, too. If, for example, you own a medium-sized retail store, instead of paying for the advertising and postage to mail brochures to a list of your customers – which may not be as large as that of a credit-card member base – why not partner with the credit-card operator and let them do the rest, while you use your budget to improve your stock?  

Card operators can present their partner-merchants’ privileges as customised services to their members just by printing the deals on their regular credit-card newsletters.

So don’t throw that “junk” away just yet. There really could be a gem to be discovered there.

 

Janejit Ladpli is vice president of Travel & Leisure Marketing at Krungthai Card Public Company Limited.