U.S. Bank, in partnership with FreeMonee Network, is the first bank to offer FreeMonee Gifts – cash incentives from popular national merchants that are generated automatically and relevant to U.S. Bank Check Card customers.

“U.S. Bank is continually looking for ways to reward our loyal cardholders,” said Clifford Cook, chief marketing officer for U.S. Bank Retail Payment Solutions. “FreeMonee Gifts are a simple and safe way for us to give free cash incentives to our cardholders to use at their favorite major retailers.”

U.S. Bank awards FreeMonee Gifts several times a month to select check card customers through an email from U.S. Bank that alerts them of their new, customized FreeMonee Gifts, which range from $2 to $50, depending on the merchant.

The FreeMonee Gifts are targeted to ensure they are relevant and valuable to customers. Cardholders redeem their gift by simply using their U.S. Bank Check Card when they shop at the specific retail store, website or restaurant named in their gift message. Once the purchase is completed, U.S. Bank automatically credits the cardholder’s account with the specified gift amount.

“FreeMonee is a powerful new way for banks to positively engage their customers and for merchants to drive incremental, profitable sales,” said Jim Taschetta, chief marketing officer for FreeMonee Network. “Consumers love receiving a cash gift that is directly linked to their card and can be spent at relevant merchants, with no strings attached. We believe FreeMonee Gifts will change the face of card loyalty programs. We are pleased to formally announce our expanded program with U.S. Bank to provide their customers with another reason to love their bank.”

About FreeMonee Network
FreeMonee (www.freemonee.com) is the world’s first and only gift network – connecting millions of credit and debit cardholders from the world’s largest financial institutions with national and local merchants. Merchants offer FreeMonee Gifts – cash incentives – to individual cardholders through their financial institutions. FreeMonee Gifts function like a gift card on an individual’s debit or credit card, allowing consumers to purchase anything they want with the designated merchant, with no strings attached. Through continued partnerships with top U.S. financial institutions, the company expects 50 million households to have access to FreeMonee Gifts by the end of 2012.

About U.S. Bancorp
U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $340 billion in assets as of Dec. 31, 2011, is the parent company of U.S. Bank, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States. The company operates 3,085 banking offices in 25 states and 5,053 ATMs, and provides a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mortgage, trust and payment services products to consumers, businesses and institutions. U.S. Bancorp and its employees are dedicated to improving the communities they serve, for which the company earned the 2011 Spirit of America Award, the highest honor bestowed on a company by United Way. Visit U.S. Bancorp on the web at www.usbank.com.

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