Experience Columbus and Downtown Columbus, Inc. announced a new programme on September 23 that uses merchant gift cards to encourage visits to 20 businesses in the city’s Gay Street District. The free Downtown Discovery Pass is scheduled to run through September 30, 2027. [S01]
Users who check in at eight participating businesses earn a USD25 gift card to a participating Gay Street business, together with an art print. The reward connects repeated visits across the district with value redeemable at a local merchant. The announcement does not establish a card that can be spent across all 20 businesses.
Supporting trade through construction
The launch names every participating business and places them in six groups. Counting those published records gives eight restaurants and dining businesses, two bars or wine venues, three galleries, four retailers, one entertainment business and two wellness or beauty businesses. The wider district directory includes additional businesses and is not substituted for this programme list. [S01] [S03]
The 20-business pass covers six types of local trade
All businesses named in the September 23 launch, grouped using the organisers’ own categories.
businesses
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
Editorial count of every named launch participant, not transaction volume or a census of all Gay Street businesses. Programme check-in participation does not establish a single gift card accepted at every listed venue.
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| Category | Named participating businesses |
|---|---|
| Restaurants and dining | 8 businesses |
| Bars, wine and cocktails | 2 businesses |
| Galleries and art | 3 businesses |
| Retail and shopping | 4 businesses |
| Entertainment and experiences | 1 businesses |
| Wellness and beauty | 2 businesses |
The two organizations describe the pass as support for businesses during construction of the Capital Line, a pedestrian and bicycle route through downtown Columbus. Shops and restaurants remain accessible while work progresses, according to the joint release. [S01] [S03]
The programme’s first-year participants include restaurants, shops, galleries, beauty and wellness businesses, and an escape room. Experience Columbus is the region’s destination marketing organization; Downtown Columbus, Inc. is a private nonprofit focused on downtown development and collaboration.
Their stated aim is to encourage residents and visitors to discover businesses or return to places they have not recently visited. The announcement provides no participation, gift-card redemption or incremental-spending results.
An earned reward and a separate drawing
Earned and chance-based gift-card rewards have different face values
The programme specifies a USD25 card after eight participating-business check-ins and a separate USD50 card for one randomly selected eligible user each month.
USD
Tap or hover for details. All values are also available in the data table.
Source
These are different eligibility paths, not guaranteed USD75 per user. One monthly check-in earns entry to the drawing, not a USD50 card. No win probability, total programme budget, issued value or actual redemption rate is supplied.
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| Category | Specified gift-card face value |
|---|---|
| Earned card after eight check-ins | 25 USD |
| Monthly drawing: one selected winner | 50 USD |
The USD25 card follows eight business check-ins. A separate monthly drawing gives one eligible user a USD50 merchant gift card after at least one check-in during that month. That drawing is a chance-based benefit, rather than another guaranteed reward. Twelve check-ins earn a tote bag. [S02]
Prizes are collected at the Columbus Welcome Center, according to the release. It does not identify the card issuer, a technology vendor, whether the cards are physical or digital, or a purchase threshold for check-ins.
The launch establishes a new local rewards programme with merchant gift cards as one incentive. Its commercial effect will depend on participation and subsequent spending, neither of which was measured in the announcement.
In this article
Maya Bennett
Maya Bennett covers customer loyalty, employee rewards and incentive programmes for Gift Card News.