Vouchers
Safe voucher issuing and tracking
A voucher that is only a number is very risky, because nothing stops the same number from being used twice. Each Bullmark voucher has its own serial number and QR code, and depending on the option you choose, double spending is prevented. Vouchers come in three kinds: public, bearer and personal.
Why a voucher that is only a number is risky
A voucher that is only a number is very risky, because nothing stops the same number from being used twice. A coupon code that everyone shares has the same problem, and you cannot count it either. You do not know who has it, how many are in use, whether it has leaked, or which of your marketers really made the sale. Once it is out, there is no way to find out.
Issuing on Bullmark is more than writing a quantity on a listing. It creates one separate record for each voucher, and that record cannot be changed afterwards. So every question above has an answer: who holds this voucher, how much it is worth, when it expires and whether it has been used. Every change of owner is on record too. And depending on the option you choose, double spending is prevented.
What the locked record holds
Who holds it, what it is worth, when it expires, its serial number and whether it has been used. A fingerprint of this record (a hash) is also kept at Axowl, a separate system. Change any of these in our database and the fingerprints stop matching. Each record is linked to the one before it, so one row cannot be fixed quietly either.
It cannot change owner quietly
The holder is part of the locked record, so a voucher is not passed on by editing a name. The giver's voucher is closed for good and a new one is issued to the receiver. Both stay on record with the same serial number.
Anyone can check it
Scanning a voucher's QR compares two separate records: Bullmark's and the fingerprint kept at Axowl. You do not have to take our database's word for it. How the records are kept safe →
It is bought with credit, not cash
Vouchers are always issued from Brand Credit, never straight from cash. Value moves one way only, so every step can be checked later. What is Brand Credit →
Three kinds: public, bearer and personal
Depending on the option, you issue a voucher as public, bearer or personal.
Public
The code is posted openly, for example on LinkedIn. Anyone who registers it before the deadline gets the reward.
Bearer
Whoever holds it can use it, and it can be given to someone else.
Personal
Only the named person can use it, confirmed by phone number.
Coupons and vouchers: how they differ
Bullmark has both coupons and vouchers.
Coupon
A coupon takes money off the price. You usually get it for free, and you pay the rest yourself when you use it. Example: a 40% off coupon.
Voucher
A voucher holds value in itself. Because it is worth something, it can be bought, sold and passed on to someone else. Example: a voucher for one year of a service.
On Bullmark you can issue either one: a coupon you give away for free, or a voucher that is bought with Brand Credit and can be traded on the Voucher Market.
Buying in packs or one at a time
A voucher can be used at the brand, or put up on the Voucher Market for someone else to buy. There is one market for everyone. Whether you pay the pack price or the single price depends only on how many you buy.
Wholesale
Sold in packs of 10: 10, 20 or 30, but not 7. Open to registered companies. The discount runs 20–50% off your consumer price, and the issuance form suggests 40%.
Retail
Singles: 1–9 at a time, open to anyone signed in. The price uses the voucher's own retail discount, the same number shown on the voucher, which starts at 10%.
One voucher is never cheaper than a pack
The retail discount must stay below wholesale, and this is checked on both the wholesale and the retail side. Otherwise buying one voucher could be cheaper than buying ten, and the pack price would have no meaning.
The exact limits
These are the limits the system (the API) actually enforces. They are listed here so you know them before you issue.
Vouchers per issuance
To make more, issue again. Each voucher is a real record and holds real credit.
$500
Minimum listing
Counted at consumer price: number of vouchers × price.
90 days
Shortest validity
You can set it longer, but not shorter.
15 min
Checkout time limit
When you use a voucher, it is held for that one checkout. The voucher is locked during that time, so the limit is kept short on purpose.
Read first
What is Brand Credit →
The points vouchers are bought with, and why their value never changes.
Next
What is a referrer →
Who can promote a brand, and how they are paid for each new sign-in.
See the vouchers on sale now.
The Voucher Market is public. You can see what brands are offering before you sign up.
Open the Voucher Market → Discover brands