Coinks is a loyalty network, developed and managed by Hive Asia-Pacific. Brands use coinks to provide extra benefits and value to their customers.

Every time you buy a product from one of these brands with a unique coinks code you can enter your code and get points and competition points.

You can then use these points to take up rewards to earn extra cash, and the competition points for participation in the competition(s) of your choice.

Here's the sort of thing you can get, and more is being added each month.

• Cash! (see the section on CashPot™for more information)
• Discounts and free tickets for many offers across Australia
• Discounts on fashion, books and magazines
• Discounts and offers on gifts and health

In addition, brands may offer additional rewards and merchandise when you collect points from their products

Plus you can enter competitions with a range of big prizes.

Please note, that while we want to encourage you to collect points to enjoy the benefits of this service we actively discourage "over-consumption". DO NOT purchase more product that you can reasonably use, just to take up a reward or to try and win a competition. Suspected over consumption, will also trigger some of our security checks, requiring you to provide additional proof of purchase, such as the physical codes and till receipts.

Points are valuable! So make sure your bank them! The monetary value of your points is as follows:-

• Discounts: Every 10 points provides a minimum $1 saving on rewards that offer a discount. So, 1 point is worth at least 10 cents! For example, if a voucher for a great day out, costs 30 points, then you will receive a minimum $3 discount( we go to great lengths to check that these are genuine discounts and are better than those freely available elsewhere )
• Cash: You can usually convert your points directly into cash. See the CashPot™ section for more details. A typical cash exchange rate is 1 cent per point.

Behind the scenes each point you collect belongs to a specific "type" of point. If you collect points from different brands you'll end up owning different "types" of points.

For example, if you collected 100 points, 50 from brand A and 50 from brand B, you would own 100 points in total. The system knows that this consists of 50 'type' A points and 50 'type' B points.

Your statement in "Your Account" page will give you full breakdown about the different "types" of points you own.

So, why is this significant? Most rewards and competitions accept ANY type of points, but sometimes you will find rewards that require a specific type of point.

Different 'types' of points may also have different cash exchange rates. This will become more evident when you want to exchange your points for cash.

If you've collected different types of points, how does the system know which of your points to deduct, when you take up a reward that accepts ANY type of point? The system will deduct points in this order:-

• First, it will try and deduct the points depending on the branding of the website that you are on. For example, if you are on the Tetleys Billy Tea site, then it will deduct Billy points first.
• Then it will try and deduct points, according to the amount you have of each type. Starting with the highest amount first.

Go the Sign Up page and complete the form. Make sure you enter your current email address correctly.

We will send you a welcome message by email. The email will contain a web link. You will need to click on the link in order to complete the registration process. If, for whatever reason, you do not receive the welcome message then please send an email to support@coinks.com.au, stating your username and we will complete your registration process, within 24 hours.

Click on the "login" button at the top of the screen. You will be presented with a login screen. Scroll down and enter your email address, we will then email you with a link that allows you to reset your password.

Once you have registered, then you can log into your account at any time by entering your user name and password in the small boxes at the top right hand corner of any page.

You get points from entering valid coink codes. The 'type' of points you get, depends on where you got the code (see the section on "types of points" for more information).

Coink codes are new to the market, in the future we expect our codes to be published on a wide range of products and be readily available.

Go to "Enter Codes", and enter the unique codes. The points and competition points will then be added into your personal account. The points will appear in your account balance which you can find under the "Your Account" page.

Go to the "Your Account" page. You will be able to see how many points and competition points you own and what you have spent them on.

When you are in the "Your Account" page you can also edit your personal details.

Each code is unique, please keep your codes in a safe place. In taking up some rewards, and in converting points to cash you may be asked to send us one or more codes as proof of purchase.

We take the security of our codes seriously, so please do not distribute codes to others. Codes are non-transferable and it may jeopardize your account.

Please note: We actively discourage "over-consumption". DO NOT purchase more product that you can reasonable use, just to take up a reward or to try and win a competition. Over consumption, will also trigger some of our security checks, requiring you to provide additional proof of purchase, such as the physical codes and till receipts.

We try our utmost to ensure that all rewards that offer discounts provide a genuine discount or benefit over any other freely available offer. In fact, our goal is to ensure that for every 10 points spent you get a minimum saving of $1.

If you don't feel that you are getting a geniune $1 saving per 10 points, please let us know. We will investigate and if the offer is not better than anything freely available by at least $1 we will reimburse your points. Keeping track of hundreds of offers is sometimes a challenge, so we welcome your comments and input.

It's easy. Just click on "rewards" in the menu bar above. You'll find the different categories of rewards. On each reward we try to give you all the information you'll need, so you can decide whether it is worth taking up. The vast majority of rewards accept all 'types' of points. A small minority may require you to collect points from specific products in order to take them up.

New rewards are being added all the time, so visit regularly

Most of these rewards are given to you by the companies themselves as an extra incentive negotiated for you specially by Coinks. So you get special discounts and so on. You usually still have to pay something yourself.

But you don't have to pay for everything. Watch out for the special offers that are completely free but are limited in number, and try to get in there quick!

All the Great Days Out rewards are also shown on a map. Each pin on the map is colour coded, so you can easily see the type of attraction across the country and all the attractions that are local to you. When you click on a pin, you'll be provided with the information you need about the reward.

For many rewards, such as "Great Days Out", you'll be able to print out a voucher that you can take to the attraction or shop. Each voucher is unique and traceable and can only be used once. You are prohibited by law to try and change the voucher in anyway.

The vouchers are supplied as 'PDF' documents. Most modern computers already have 'ADOBE PDF reader' from Adobe installed. You will need version 7 or greater in order to view and print out our vouchers. If you do not have the software you can download it for free from Adobe's website or search Google for "Adobe pdf reader" and you'll be sure to find one.

When you take up a reward, all the details and any vouchers are also sent to your email address. So don't feel the need to print out a voucher immediately, you can do so at your convenience.

Some rewards may be claimed by calling a telephone number. You will be given a telephone number and a unique code to quote to the operator.

Other rewards may require you to visit another website. In this case we will supply you with the web address and often a unique code to enter into that web address.

Finally, some rewards may require take up by post. In these cases we will send you a form to your email address. Each form will have a unique serial number and payment and postal details. Simply complete the form and post it off. Expect to pay the postal charge, unless stated otherwise within the details of the reward. The form is non-transferable and can only be used once.

Dated rewards are often used when we have a limited number of FREEBIES to give away. A dated reward gives everyone an equal chance to claim a FREEBIE, even new members, rather than only favouring those who have already banked a number of points.

To take up a dated reward, you need to have gained the requested number of points, from the date specified. For example, if a reward costs 40 points and is "dated" 1st June 2008 the system will calculate how many points you have gained since the 1st of June, 2008 when you try and take up the reward. If you have gained less than 40 since the 1st June, then you will be given a message saying you haven't gained enough points from the date and you won't be allowed to take up the reward.

If the reward is "dated" then the details are provided in the overview of a reward.

Sometimes, you may be given a choice of rewards. If you take up one then you are prevented from taking up the other and vice-versa. This is an example of a DEPENDANT reward

Another type of dependent reward is one that requires you to take up one or more other offers first.

Details of any dependency are provided in the overview of a reward.

If you have any problem in claiming a reward, please let us know as soon as possible. We will investigate and come back to you. A link to our contact details can be found at the bottom of every page.

competitions on the service are unique, because the more points you have in your account, the higher your chances of winning. You can also use points to buy extra entries and improve your chances further. Here's what you have to do ….

Choose a competition and spend the entry price, using the relevant type of points

You should enter the competition as soon as you can, because the price in points will go up nearer the date of the draw.

You will immediately see your chances of winning at the moment you enter. But they won't just stay the same. If you look again later, you'll probably see your chances have changed, as more people enter the competition.

If the competition uses all types of points, you can increase you chances of winning by simply adding any points to your account. You don't spend them they just have to be in your account at the time of the prize draw.

The amount of additional entries you get per point depends on the competition, but is typically 10 entries per point. So, 200 points would give you 2000 entries. That's why collecting points is such an effective way to increase your chances of winning.

While we want to encourage you to collect points to help win competitions, we discourage "over-consumption". DO NOT purchase more product that you can reasonable use, just to try and win a competition. High over consumption, will also trigger some of our security checks, requiring you to provide additional proof of purchase, such as the physical codes and till receipts.

The single most effective way to increase your chances of winning is to use your points to BUY additional entries. The amount of additional entries you get per point depends on the competition, but you'll typically get 30 more entries for each point you spend.

Don't delay. Enter the competition early because the cost of entering a competition goes up as the draw date approaches.

If you can, spend some points on buying extra entries. You can get alot of extra entries this way, so it will improve your chances dramatically. The amount of extra entries you receive for each point you spend goes down as the draw date approaches - so it also worth buying additional entries as early as possible.

Just keep collecting the same type of points that are used by the competition - once you've entered all the points in your account of that type, will give you extra entries

Each competition has a 'calculator', you can use this to see how your chances will change if you buy or collect more points. Just plug in the numbers and the calculator will give you the effect on your odds. Have fun and good luck!

The CashPot™ allows you to convert your points into cash.

Remember every 10 points will provide you with at least $1 of value towards a reward. However, if you can't find a reward or competition that you like then you can convert your points to cash.

You simply swap your points for cash. Once your 'cash balance' reaches $5 you can make a payment request and get paid. You don't have to stop when you get to $5, just start earning your next $5!

If you can't find a reward on the service, then CashPot™ is the perfect way to earn extra whenever you collect coink codes.

A common exchange rate is 1 point = 1 cent. However, each 'type' of point has its own exchange rate that might be higher or lower. For example, points you collect from Brand A might have an exchange rate of 1 point = 2 cents and points you collect from Brand B might have an exchange rate of 1 point = 0.5 cent.

The exchange rates for each 'type' of point are reset at midday every Monday (except Holidays) and are guaranteed until midday the following Monday.

Why do the exchange rates vary? Well, for a bunch of reasons. Here's some of them:-

• Brands may want to provide extra incentives for you to purchase their products and therefore offer a high exchange rate on their points
• In the same way, brands may want to influence the exchange rate week on week - to fit in with short term promotional campaigns
• Security of the codes is also taken into account. Codes which are printed on the outside of a pack are likely to have a lower exchange value then codes that are printed on the inside of the pack.

Once your CashPot™ has reached $5, you can elect to get paid.

Make a "Payment Request" via the CashPot™ area and the system will ask whether you want to be paid by Cheque or by BACS (automated bank transfer). If you choose to be paid by Cheque there will be an adminstrative fee $1.50, which will be deducted from any payment we make to you. You will be asked to provide the relevant details, so we can pay you. If you give us any bank details, these are encrypted and held securely on our systems.

We will process your payment request, normally within 1 business day and let you know whether it has been accepted or whether it has been placed on hold. The majority of requests are accepted automatically.

If your request has failed our security analysis, or perhaps because of a random check your request may be placed on hold. In this case, you will then be asked to send one or more codes from the packaging as proof of purchase.As long as we receive the codes that we require within 90 days, then we will continue to process your payment request. So don't throw away your codes, just in case!

Full details and the latest terms can be found under the "Terms & Conditions" section within the CashPot™ area of this site.