On Thursday, Saline County received word from Colu, the Choose Saline County app developer, that the Choose Saline County app will be discontinued June 1, 2024.
"There'll be some changes, but at the end of the day, our goal is to encourage people to support local businesses," said Melissa McCoy, Saline County Public Information Officer. "People have loved the Choose Saline County app they love earning cashback on local purpose purchases and while that will change while it will look a little bit differently, that will still occur."
With the announcement, many are sure to have questions about what this means for their Saline Stars. Here are some important dates to keep in mind to make the most of the time we have left with the Choose Saline County app.
Friday, May 17 will be the final day to earn Saline Stars by making purchases with your linked cards at participating local merchants
Friday, May 31 will be the final day to redeem Saline Stars for free-to-you goods and services at redeeming merchants. Remember, your redemptions allow those businesses to be reimbursed using the County's American Rescue Plan Act funds. Any unused Stars in your wallet will expire at midnight
Saturday, June 1 the Choose Saline County app will be removed from the app store
Users currently have over $93,000 worth of Stars in their wallets. This program has a lot of benefits left to give and only one month to give it. If Saline County residents find themselves at the end of the month with dollars in their wallets, please consider donating them to one of the nonprofits on the app.
"We are so proud of what this app has been able to accomplish over the last two years," McCoy said. "Users have earned more than $300,000 worth of stars by shopping at local businesses generating an estimated economic impact of over $5.6 million. This success is exactly what this app set out to achieve and why we are committed to bringing a similar program in to fill the void."
Saline County Commission Chairman Joe Hay Jr. announced on social media that the commission will discuss this at their weekly commission meeting on May 14