Tips for a Compelling MCard Discount Submission

This article outlines how to create a great listing for your discount that includes clear and concise discount details, making it easy to understand the offering and how to redeem it.

What Makes a Strong Discount Submission?

A great listing includes clear, concise discount details. Make it immediately obvious what the discount is, what products or services it applies to, and what the user needs to do to redeem it.

• Use easy-to-read formatting with short sentences or paragraphs so users can scan quickly.

• Provide straightforward redemption instructions such as “Use code…,” “Show your MCard,” or “Mention that you are a U-M employee.”

• Include a compelling provider profile that briefly describes who you are, your credentials or background, and what makes your business unique. This helps MCard holders understand why they can trust your brand.

• Use “MCard” (not Mcard) and “U-M” (not UofM)

Examples of Effective Submissions

Below are real examples that demonstrate strong tone and content. Use them as models when creating your own submission.

Example 1

Discount Details

Enjoy all-in-one vacations featuring the best hotels, tours and activities,
designed exclusively for you. Save up to $300 per flight + hotel experience:

• $300 off bookings of $7,500 or more
• $150 off bookings of $4,500 - $7,499
• $100 off bookings of $3,000 - $4,499
• $50 off bookings of $1,500 - $2,999

Plus, SkyMiles® Members earn bonus miles in addition to flight miles on every package.

Before making a reservation:

1. Locate the Before You Book box

2. In the first field, enter the Corporate Promo Code: 6SC60

3. In the second field, enter your U-M email. Use @umich.edu format (not @med.umich.edu, @umd.edu or @umflint.edu)

4. Delta will email a certificate to use as as the actual discount code

   1. *Check your spam folder if email not received

SkyMiles®, Delta's Frequent Flyer Program

Delta will provide status matches for passengers that lost their status, or have status with another carrier.  Link:  https://www.delta.com/us/en/skymiles/medallion-program/

Sky Club Memberships (personal use only)

To join SkyMiles® visit the Discounted Sky Club Membership page to learn more.

Provider Profile

Welcome University of Michigan Employees! Delta Vacations® has partnered with University of Michigan to offer you an exclusive travel discount program when purchasing a vacation to ANY Delta Vacations destination.

Example 2

Discount Details

U-M Employees are eligible to receive the following discounts:

• 10% discount on Daycare Packages

• 10% discount on overnight boarding

• First day of daycare free and first night of boarding free on a 2+ night stay. 

To redeem your discount:

1. Click Get Discount [provided in the “Discount Code” field of the submission form] 

2. Mention that you are a U-M employee to receive your discount.

Provider Profile

Canine to Five has been around since 2005 -- it’s practically ancient viewed through the prism of “New Detroit.” At the time it opened, premium canine care in the Cass Corridor was something so speculative as to be considered ludicrous by some. But founder and owner Liz Blondy made a plan, threw some cash and hope at it, and went for it.

Here we are now, 16 years later, and her vision appears to have paid off: Canine to Five Detroit completed an expansion, Canine to Five Ferndale (est. 2013) is thriving, and in 2021 we purchased Dog City Daycare in Commerce Township and made it Canine to Five Commerce!

Visual Elements Guide

Including a logo in your Discount Submission is strongly encouraged. When choosing your logo file to upload keep in mind the following requirements:

• Use a transparent PNG with dimensions from 1x1 (square) to 1x4 (horizontal). 

• Ensure your logo remains visible on a white background. 

  • If it has lighter elements that may not be legible, submit a version with a dark, solid background instead.

If you have other visuals (images, photographs, etc) please ensure that they meet the following digital accessibility guidelines.

Images

• Add alternative text (alt text) to images in your document. Alt text is:

  • A short description of an image.

  • Makes images (photos, diagrams, logos) accessible by providing a meaningful text alternative for people who can’t see, access, or process the original image. Alt text is not the same as an image caption, but is added in the code and usually not displayed.

  • Used by people using screen readers, and by people who turn off images in their email or browser. This includes people who are blind, have low vision, are neurodivergent, use older technology, or have low internet bandwidth.

• Learn more about alt text

If you’d like to include images that include text (PDFs, flyers, etc), please ensure that they meet the following digital accessibility guidelines.

Understand Best Practices for Accessible PDFs

The best practices below apply to PDFs in general. More information about how to achieve them is provided in PDF training resources.

Text and Reading Order

• Include “machine readable text” that can be read out loud by assistive technology tools

  • For PDFs created from scans, use OCR (optical character recognition) to turn text into machine-readable text

• Make sure text elements are in the right order

• Use headings to identify document sections

Tagged PDF

• Make sure the PDF has tags

• Use tags correctly to identify headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, and images

Title

• Make sure the PDF has a meaningful title

Alternative Text (Alt Text)

• Describe images in alt text

Tables

• Use tags correctly in tables to identify table headers

Color Contrast

• Use font colors that have enough contrast to background color (dark text on light background)