> Office of Business Opportunity > H-Town Rewards Shop Local Program
Office of Business Opportunity
H-Town Rewards Shop Local Program
EARN REWARDS!
Shop Local – Build Complete Communities
About the Program App
The City of Houston is excited to launch the pilot of the H-Town Rewards Program, a six-month “Shop Local” program intended to spur economic development for local small businesses, with a focus on businesses in select historically under-resourced neighborhoods in Houston.
This innovative economic incentive mobile app is designed to afford Houston-area residents the opportunity to earn rewards while shopping and dining at local small businesses across the Houston Metropolitan area.
Each H-Town Point = $1. Earned rewards are easily redeemable on purchases at local Redeeming Businesses.
The City of Houston will fully fund the rewards redeemed as a part of the H-Town Rewards Program and there is absolutely no cost for businesses to participate! As an added incentive for businesses to enroll in the program either as a Participating Business or a Redeeming Business, the app, developed and powered by Colu Technologies, also provides a platform to market their products and services.
FOR USERS
The H-Town Rewards mobile app is available to download by Houston area residents and businesses on Apple’s App Store and on Android’s Google Play. Users only need to search for “H-Town Rewards”. The app is FREE of charge to both users, who would like to collect rewards, and business owners, who would like to promote their businesses on the app. All that is required of users to begin collecting H-Points is to link either a credit or debit card to their account. The H-Town Rewards application utilizes Plaid which is the same trusted financial services company that operates products such as Venmo and Robinhood.
FOR BUSINESSES: HOW TO APPLY
Businesses can participate in the following ways:
PARTICIPATING BUSINESS
“Participating Businesses” are merchants located within the city of Houston where customers earn H-Points when they shop at their business. A Participating Business is not required to enroll in the program for customers to earn H-Points when shopping at their location. However, in order to take advantage of the benefits offered by the H-Town Rewards Shop Local Program on the app, the onboarding form should be completed.
REDEEMING BUSINESS
A "Redeeming Business" is a business located within one of six targeted Houston-area communities (Acres Homes, Alief-Westwood, Fort Bend-Houston, Gulfton, Second Ward, and Kashmere Gardens) that has agreed to participate in the H-Town Rewards Program; AND they accept H-Points from customers as a form of payment. These Points (discounts) will be reimbursed to the business by the City of Houston.
By accepting H-Points as a payment from customers at NO cost to their business, redeeming businesses will benefit from being featured more prominently in the mobile app as a place where customers can spend their H-Points, boosted revenues, attracting new customers, and generating awareness about Houston’s culturally diverse neighborhoods.
BENEFITS OF PARTICIPATION:
All businesses onboarded in the H-Town Rewards Program will enjoy the following benefits:
- Access to a user-friendly marketing tool through the mobile app that boosts business visibility.
- Attract more customers by showcasing its products or services to a wider audience of Houston residents and visitors.
- Attract new customers and retain loyal ones by offering exclusive deals, discounts, and promotions directly through the app.
- Keep customers engaged and informed about latest offerings, events, and updates through the app.
BUSINESS ELIGIBILTY REQUIREMENTS:
- Must be in good standing with the City of Houston (no liens or judges or outstanding code enforcement violations).
- Must be a legally operated for-profit business located within the Houston city limits.
- Independently owned and operated franchise businesses and small to medium-sized corporate-owned regional chains are eligible to participate. Corporate-owned national chains are not eligible.
- Businesses must accept credit cards or debit cards.
- Businesses should contribute to the overall quality and well-being of the community.
- Only businesses located in one of the six targeted Houston-area communities are eligible to be Redeeming Businesses.
- Acres Home (Zip Codes 77088, 77091)
- Alief-Westwood (Zip Codes 77036, 77072, 77074, 77083, 77099, 77498)
- Fort-Bend Houston (Zip Codes 77053, 77085, 77489)
- Gulfton (Zip Codes 77056, 77057, 77074, 77081)
- Kashmere Gardens (Zip Codes 77009, 77026, 77028)
- Second Ward (Zip Codes 77003, 77011)
3 Easy Steps to Participate
Step 1: Complete the Application - APPLY NOW
Step 2: If qualified, you will receive an email from us indicating next steps.
Step 3: Once your app profile is finished, an H-Town Rewards app liaison will visit your business to drop off branded flyers and other promotional items, if you wish to receive them.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Have questions or need assistance? Contact us at H-Town Rewards, or download the Shop Local FAQs (.pdf, English), or Spanish FAQs (.pdf).