A new banking program is creating a lot of "Buzz" In Lackawanna County.
It allows you to get paid each time you use a fidelity bank debit card at a locally owned business.
If you go out for lunch at Carl Von Luger's restaurant in downtown Scranton, you may now want to use a debit card instead of cash.
It all started at another locally owned business. Fidelity bank was looking for a debit rewards program for its customers. The bank settled on the "Buzz Points" Program, it works like most reward programs but here's the catch, you only earn points when your money is spent locally.
"We're here to support the community, the community supports us in return. It's a big circle, and when we're successful they're successful. If it doesn't work for both of us it doesn't work at all," said Joann Marsili of Fidelity Bank.
The whole program is web-based. Fidelity bank customers can go onto the buzz points website to see how many points they've racked up. Once you hit 5,000 points you can start cashing them in.
5,000 points gets you 25 dollars in cash. If you buy from a business that's also signed up for the buzz points program, you can get perks there too.
La Cucina in Dunmore is one of about 30 businesses signed up so far. The owner says it helps them compete with big chain restaurants.
Fidelity Bank says since it started the Buzz Points Program at the beginning of the month. They say about ten percent of its debit card users have already signed up.