By Jill Jaracz

2015-02-17

5 Min. To Read

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MasterCard is continuing its Priceless promotional program, and this year's it's teamed up with entertainer Gwen Stefani to bring surprise into MasterCard users lives.

This year the program is called Priceless Surprises, and instead of previous iterations of the program where cardholders could get access to special events and experiences, this version is built around the element of surprise. Use your card and you have a chance to be surprised with a unique experience. Or you could surprise one of your friends or family by sending them a gift through the Priceless Surprises website.

The new promotion kicked off in December with a commercial featuring Stefani using a "Surprise Launcher" to give gifts to random cardholders who used their MasterCard to pay with Apple Pay's payment service. The program itself incorporates all types of ways cardholders can pay with MasterCard, including credit, debit or prepaid cards, as well as through non-traditional ways of making payments, such as through mobile phones and devices.

“I’m excited to be part of a collaboration that offers me the opportunity to connect and engage with fans through amazing surprises when they least expect it,” said Stefani in a statement. “MasterCard is a respected global brand and I look forward to working with them to bring something truly unique to fans.”

Stefani will work with MasterCard on developing some of the program's unique experiences, including private performances, exclusive access to specialized content and more. The first offering of this partnership will be the opportunity to purchase tickets to a special cardholder-only intimate performance with the singer in Los Angeles during the weekend of the Grammy Awards.

“MasterCard has created a movement that is cutting through the predictability of everyday life to deliver something special to people – something priceless – and I’m excited to be a part of that,” said Stefani. “We are working together on some amazing surprises for the L.A. show.”

The concert is not the only surprise the collaboration is working on. Select cardholders may also be surprised with a chance to meet Stefani and spend the day with her. “We’ve all got that thrill-seeker in us, the one who thrives on those unexpected moments in life,” said Raja Rajamannar, chief marketing officer, MasterCard, in a statement. “At MasterCard, we’ve turned that into an opportunity to deliver something extra to our cardholders through our always-on Priceless Surprises platform. And we’re partnering with premiere artists like Gwen Stefani to help us deliver the unexpected for those who have a passion for music.”

On its Priceless Surprises website, MasterCard says it has surprised over 72,000 cardholders with things seat upgrades at baseball games, backstage passes to see Justin Timberlake perform live and $500 vouchers to Gilt.

MasterCard also encourages its cardholders to get in on the fun of creating surprises for others through one of the sections of its website. It's partnered with Yiftee, a website and mobile app, to let people buy virtual gift vouchers and send them to others. Vouchers are available for a number of shops and restaurants in different cities around the country and online retailers. You can send the virtual voucher to someone else, and they go into the store to redeem it by showing the merchant their phone, and the voucher amount can be applied toward their purchase.

While the Gwen Stefani concert is only one of MasterCard's current promotions, it's also holding a monthly sweepstakes through the end of March that people can enter either by using their MasterCard or by mailing in an entry. Monthly prizes include a trip to the Grammy Awards, a trip to the Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament, a trip to Hawaii and a trip to New York. MasterCard may also have other promotions through Twitter and Instagram throughout the year.

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