What is "PORTERS Points"?

PORTERS Points is PWRS's new "frequent buyer program" that rewards customers for making product purchases using their on-line PWRS PORTERS Account.

 

How do I earn or get PORTERS points?

You will receive PORTERS Points when you pay for qualifying purchases that are ordered using your PORTERS Account. The number of PORTERS Points you earn is based upon the dollar value of your purchase, the manufacturer of the product(s) you buy and the size of the discount you receive on your purchase(s).

 

When do I start earning PORTERS Points?

If you are a new PORTERS Account holder, you start earning PORTERS Points on your first purchase. If you already have a PORTERS Account, you have already earned PORTERS Points on all qualifying purchases you made on or after February 1, 2009.

 

What can I use PORTERS Points for?

PORTERS Points can be used in two ways:

1. They can be used like "cash" to purchase any product PWRS offers for sale; or
2. They can be used to qualify for and acquire special, limited-edition products from selected manufacturers that are only available to PWRS customers who have enough PORTERS Points.

 

How many PORTERS Points will I earn when I make a purchase?

Here's how it works: the number of PORTERS Points you earn for purchase of a particular product will be calculated by multiplying the Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of the purchased product times a "PORTERS Points Factor" (PPF) based upon the manufacturer of the product and the price discount you receive on the product purchase using the following table:

PORTERS Points Factor (PPF) Equal to

	Product Manufacturer
Price Discount On Purchase:	North American Railcar Corp	PWRS/IMRC Limited Runs	All Other
0%	4.0	4.0	3.0
0.1% to 5.0%	NA	3.0	2.0
5.1% to 10.0%	NA	2.0	1.0
10.1% to 15.0%	NA	1.0	0.75
15.1% to 20.0%	NA	1.0	0.5
More than 20%	0.0 *	0.0	0.0

* No price discounts are given on NARCorp products. This applies to the 25th SGCC car which was given as a gift to purchasers of 24 regular SGCC cars. Formulaically, for any purchases you make through PORTERS, you will earn the following number of points:

PORTERS Points Earned = MSRP x PPF (x number of units)
(rounded to the nearest whole number/integer - no fractions of points)

 

This seems kind of confusing. Can you show me some examples?

Sure.

Example 1: Let's say that you bought 13 North American Railcar Corp's green N-scale Saskatchewan Grain hoppers (12 regular numbers plus the special 25th car). For that purchase, you earned 1401 PORTERS Points, calculated as follows:

PORTERS Points Earned = MSRP x PPF (x number of units)
PORTERS Points Earned = 26.95 x 4.0** x 13
PORTERS Points Earned = 1401

(** Since no one received a discount on these cars. Note that if you bought all 24 cars and got the 25th car for free as our gift, you earned PORTERS Points only on the 24 cars that you paid for.)

Example 2: Let's say that you bought 2 Kato HO-scale AC4400CW locomotives at a 10% discount. For this purchase, you earned 300 PORTERS Points, calculated as follows:

PORTERS Points Earned = MSRP x PPF (x number of units)
PORTERS Points Earned = 150.00 x 1.0 x 2
PORTERS Points Earned = 300

 

Do I have to use my PORTERS Account to earn PORTERS Points?

Yes, only purchases made through your PORTERS account will earn you PORTERS Points.

 

How do I know how many PORTERS Points I have?

When you sign on to your PORTERS Account, your Account Home Page will contain a display box indicating how many PORTERS Points you have. If you click the PORTERS Points History link in this box, you will be able to see the history of all your purchases for which you earned PORTERS Points and all your redemptions of your PORTERS Points.

 

How do I use my PORTERS Points like "cash"?

Just sign into your PORTERS Account as you normally do and order products as you normally do. When you have finished selecting products to purchase, and are completing your order, you will be asked whether you wish to use your PORTERS Points to "pay" for your purchase or whether you wish to use your normal means of payment. Just select the PORTERS Points option and your PORTERS Points will be used as cash to pay for your purchase. Your PORTERS Points balance will be reduced by the number of Points required to pay for the purchase.

Note that you may not use both PORTERS Points and your normal means of payment to pay for an order: you must pay for 100% of any order with either PORTERS Points or your normal means of payment.

 

Do I use PORTERS Points to pay for the shipping of products I pay for with PORTERS Points?

No, any order you place that you pay for with PORTERS Points will automatically be put in your Goodie Box. If you want to have these items shipped immediately, you should then request to have items in your Goodie Box shipped - which will generate a separate invoice for shipping which is paid for using your normal means of payment. (We handle shipping on PORTERS Points purchases in this way to preserve your Points for product purchases.)

 

What is the cash value of PORTERS Points?

PORTERS Points have a cash value of $0.01 per PORTERS Point.

 

Will I earn PORTERS Points on purchases I pay for with PORTERS Points?

No, you will earn PORTERS Points only on purchases you pay for using your normal means of payment (cash, credit card or check).

 

What else can I use my PORTERS Points for?

PWRS has worked with a number of manufacturers to create special, limited-edition products that can only be acquired by accumulating sufficient PORTERS Points. These unique products can be viewed in the PORTERS Club Lounge, a special members-only area of the PORTERS system.

 

How do I see what's in the PORTERS Club Lounge?

Access to the Club Lounge is only available to PORTERS Account holders. However, you may see what's in the Club Lounge by clicking on this link LINK (or by clicking on the "Visit the PORTERS Club Lounge" link on the PWRS Home Page). When you are visiting the Club Lounge, you will see the number of PORTERS Points needed to acquire each of the products kept there.

 

How do I use my PORTERS Points to acquire products shown in the PORTERS Club Lounge?

You may visit the PORTERS Club Lounge any time you wish. If you have a sufficient number of Points, you will be asked when you are visiting the Club Lounge whether you wish to use your PORTERS Points to acquire any of the products contained there. If you want to acquire a particular product, simply click "Acquire This Product Now" for that product and you will begin the process of securing that product for yourself. If you do not have sufficient PORTERS Points to acquire a product, you can see how many PORTERS Points are needed to acquire the product but you will not be given the option to "Acquire This Product Now". Your PORTERS Points balance will be reduced by the number of Points required to acquire the product(s) you select and order.

 

Some products in the PORTERS Club Lounge require that I have a sufficient number of PORTERS Points and Manufacturer Credits. What are Manufacturer Credits and how do I get them?

Manufacturer Credits are earned like PORTERS Points, except that you get them only for purchases you make with your PORTERS Account of that Manufacturer's products. When you make a purchase of selected manufacturers' products, you will earn Manufacturer Credits for that manufacturer with the number of Credits you earn for that purchase equal to the number of PORTERS Points you earn for that purchase.

 

How do I see how many Manufacturer Credits I have for a particular product manufacturer?

You can see your accumulated, unused Manufacturer Credits by clicking on the "Manufacturer Credits" link on your PORTERS Account Home Page (or by clicking on this link: LINK). You can see your transaction history for all Manufacturers Credits by clicking on the Manufacturer Credits History link on the Manufacturer Credits Detail page.

 

If a particular product in the PORTERS Club Lounge requires a sufficient number of PORTERS Points and Manufacturer Credits to be acquired, do I have to have enough Points and Credits to order it?

Yes, you will only be given the option to acquire a particular product in the PORTERS Club Lounge if you have the required number of PORTERS Points and the required number of Manufacturer Credits. If you have enough Points and Credits to acquire a particular product and click on the "Acquire This Product Now" button, you will begin the checkout process to acquire the product. After your order has been placed, both your PORTERS Points and your Manufacturer Credits for that manufacturer will be reduced by the Points and Credits required for the product(s) you select.

 

Can I reserve a product in the PORTERS Club Lounge until I have enough PORTERS Points (and Manufacturer Credits) to acquire it?

No, the special limited-edition products in the Club Lounge may not reserved and are only available on a first come, first served basis.

 

There's a product in the PORTERS Club Lounge that I really want but I don't have enough PORTERS Points (and/or Manufacturer Credits). Can I earn PORTERS Points (and Manufacturer Credits) faster than I normally would on a particular purchase by lowering my price discount to increase my PORTERS Points Factor (PPF) and therefore earning more PORTERS Points (and Manufacturer Credits) on that purchase?

Yes. Just call or e-mail the Sales Support Team (866-840-7777; [email protected]) or indicate in the Notes Box on your order that you wish for the price discount on a particular product or products be reduced (and specify the lower price discount you want) and the price discount, PPF and resulting number of PORTERS Points earned by your purchase(s) will be adjusted as you wish.

 

Will my PORTERS Points ever expire?

No, your PORTERS Points will never expire. You can let your PORTERS Points accumulate in your PORTERS account for as long as you want until you decide to redeem them (as long as your account is in good standing). Note that these rules also apply to Manufacturer Credits.

 

Are PORTERS Points transferable?

No, your PORTERS Points are yours and may not be transferred to or aggregated with those of another PORTERS Account holder. (Again, note that these rules also apply to Manufacturer Credits.)

 

Can I purchase PORTERS Points?

No, currently PORTERS Points can only be earned based upon purchases made through your PORTERS Account.

 

Can I redeem PORTERS Points for cash?

No, PORTERS Points can only be used to make purchases or acquire special PORTERS Club Lounge products using your PORTERS Account.

 

When will my PORTERS Points transactions appear on my account?

PORTERS Points earned on eligible purchases for invoices fully paid each day and/or redeemed for purchases/PORTERS Club Lounge acquisitions ordered each day will be posted to your PORTERS Account each evening. (Manufacturer Credits will be posted at the same time.)

 

Is there a limit on how many orders/purchases I can make each day using PORTERS Points?

Yes, currently you may place only one order - either using PORTERS Points as cash or to acquire exclusive products from the PORTERS Club Lounge - per day. Why? Because your PORTERS Points balance is updated each night and this limit of one purchase order per day using PORTERS Points prevents the possibility of someone accidentally using the same Points more than once in a day.

 

Can I use my PORTERS Points for anything else?

Not at this time - but stay tuned: we are working to add other products and services that are of interest to model railroaders that can be paid for or acquired with PORTERS Points.