Cheonan Love Card, the regional gift certificate program of Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, is evolving into a daily life platform through service overhauls including private point conversion and expanded simple payment options as it marks its sixth anniversary since launch.
The city announced on the 31st that it will introduce a "point integrated inquiry and conversion system" in April that allows users to instantly convert unused private loyalty points into Cheonan Love Card points.
The service will start with NH Nonghyup Card (NH Points) and expand sequentially to KB Kookmin Card (Pointree) in June. The measure aims to redirect private points that might otherwise expire toward local consumption, preserving household income and strengthening the virtuous cycle of the regional economy.
Simple payment options for user convenience are also diversifying. Following existing support for Samsung Pay, KB Pay and Kakao Pay, Naver Pay will be linked to Cheonan Love Card for payments in April.
The city is also building a system targeting the introduction of "mobile card and QR payment" in October, enabling payments with only a smartphone and no physical card.
Once QR payment is introduced, merchants will benefit from reduced card processing fees, and visitors from outside the region will be able to instantly issue and use a mobile card through the app.
These service overhauls were driven by the operational track record Cheonan Love Card has achieved. Last year, the city boosted small business sales by a total of 441.9 billion won through measures including a record-high 18% cashback and returned 48.3 billion won in cashback to residents.
As of the end of March this year, Cheonan Love Card has secured approximately 439,000 members and around 26,800 affiliated merchants, establishing itself as a core foundation of the regional economy.
Acting Mayor Kim Seok-pil, the deputy mayor serving as acting mayor of Cheonan, said, "As Cheonan Love Card plays a pivotal role in revitalizing the regional economy, we will do our best to continue providing tangible services that serve as real support for residents and small business owners."