Leverage Offers Gift Cards Tied to NCAA Tourney

As teams advanced through the National Collegiate Athletic Association Men’s Basketball Tournament brackets, Leverage Inc. has been offering free gift cards in graduating values for active LeverageCard.com users.

After the initial round of the tourney, Leverage randomly awarded 32 gift cards worth $10 each. Corresponding to the remaining teams in each succeeding round, it subsequently awarded 16 $25 cards, eight $50 cards and four $100 cards. The championship will yield two $250 cards with one $500 card awarded after the NCAA champ is crowned on April 7.

Leverage is a free Web application that enables consumers to buy gift cards from retailers, restaurants and travel providers. LeverageCard.com users can earn interest on gift card balances and also can trade gift cards with other Leverage.com users.

Users are automatically registered for the NCAA sweepstakes when they register on the LeverageCard.com site. Registering additional gift cards or swapping cards earns people new entries.

“We’re a relatively new Web site. We thought that it would be a really fun way to build awareness of our site for people to come and check us out,” said Jennifer Mathe, Leverage COO.

The NCAA gift card contest was promoted among current members and also publicized on sweepstakes blogs, Mathe said.

Leverage had 5,000 entries as the tournament moved toward the Final Four.

The objectives of the NCAA Tourney promotion were “multi-faceted,” according to Leverage spokeswoman Leonora Stevens. She said Leverage was aiming at signing up new customers and also to encourage people with existing accounts to become more active.