Everything You Need to Know

You sign up online, choose your membership type, agree T&C’s and then you add your digital card to your Apple or Google Wallet.

When you visit a participating business, simply show the card. They’ll check your name and expiry date and apply the agreed offer.

Some businesses offer a unique discount code for online-only purchases or booking workshops in advance online. These codes can be found within the membership platform. Visit the ‘POSTS’ section on the members portal to view and copy the discount codes. These are available to find through separate categories, e.g. Outdoor Activities, Health and Wellbeing, Cafés and Coffee or via the post ‘Online Discounts and Codes Only’.

Over 150 independent businesses across Edinburgh and the Lothians. You can browse the full list in our Business Directory.

We add new partners regularly, so the Directory keeps growing and evolving. We will update you regularly about these. Keep an eye on socials for updates.

Look out for the Keep Edinburgh Thriving logo within affiliated shops and premises across the city.

Offers vary by business. The most common are a percentage off your bill (typically 10-20%), a freebie with a purchase (for example, a free cake with your coffee), or member-only specials.

Every offer is set independently by each business. We never tell partners what to offer; they choose what works for them. You’ll see the specific offer for each business listed on the Directory page. These offers will often be updated seasonally or may include special promotions for potential new products. Be sure to keep checking our Directory. We will also highlight businesses and their offers through the newsletter and on socials.

For most members, yes. The Annual Membership pays for itself after a handful of visits. If you enjoy a coffee with friends, lunch out, or buy a gift at any of our partners, you’ll typically recoup the cost within the first couple of uses.

The Annual Card costs £59 per year. Less than £5 per month. Visit a few local businesses and you will enjoy significant savings.

That said, the Thriving Card is also about supporting independents, not just bargain-hunting. Even if you broke even, your membership directly contributes to the businesses you love.

Cancellation is as simple as signing up. You can cancel your membership via your account online or by emailing hi@keepedinburghthriving.com. Your membership will stay active until the end of your current billing period, i.e. the end of that month or year.

Annual, Founding Member and Monthly memberships: you have a 14-day cooling-off period from sign-up to cancel and receive a full refund. If you use your card to claim a Member Offer during this period, a proportionate charge will apply for services already used.

Tourist Memberships: by completing your purchase you consent to immediate delivery of your digital card and waive your right to the 14-day cooling-off period.

It’s quick and easy. Open your wallet on your phone, show the card and the staff member will check your name and that the card is ACTIVE. They will apply the offer. That’s it. No need to swipe or scan. Simple!

No signal, no worries! The digital card can always be shown via the wallet, even if you find yourself in a black hole!

We collect the minimum we need to manage your membership: your name, date of birth, email and payment details. We use Join It (membership management) and Stripe (secure payments), both of which are reputable, GDPR-compliant providers.

Full details are in our Privacy Policy and T&C’s.

Nothing. There’s no fee to be listed in our Business Directory. We don’t charge our partners for this service. We believe local businesses already pay enough in rent, rates and the rest! We’re not here to add another bill.

Our income comes from member subscriptions, which lets us keep partner participation completely free.

Get in touch here or email hi@keepedinburghthriving.com. We’ll have a chat about your business, agree the offer with you, send you our registration form and terms, then we will add you to the site.

Most new partners are live on the platform within a week of getting in touch.

Just email us at hi@keepedinburghthriving.com with at least 30 days’ notice if you want to change your offer or pause your participation. We’ll update your listing accordingly.

Seasonal businesses, festival-period operators and anyone with capacity constraints can absolutely adapt or change their offer anytime.

You’re listed in our Business Directory (which gets steady traffic), can be featured in our newsletter (sent weekly to thousands of subscribers) and exposed to our 80,000+ social media community. We highlight new partners, run features and bring real footfall through your door.

You become part of the Keep Edinburgh Thriving community and shared on socials. The kind of community marketing that’s hard to do alone. Looking for a collab or fancy running an event together, get in touch! We’re open to ideas!

Three quick checks:

(1) The card is unmistakable in hot pink with the ‘Keep Edinburgh Thriving’ logo on the top left corner.

(2) The card states ACTIVE in the top right corner. Super important! The expiry date is displayed clearly on the card, bottom left, below their name. If both check out, apply the agreed offer.

(3) The name on the card matches the name on the customer’s payment card.

It takes seconds. We provide every partner with an info card and brief your staff doc before you go live. The digital card sits within the owner’s Apple or Google wallet and can be presented even if there is no signal.

That’s entirely up to you. Most partners offer 10-20% off, a free item with purchase, or a member-only special. The offer just needs to be meaningful enough to feel like genuine value to a member.

You can refresh or change your offer over time. Seasonal specials, event-specific deals and limited-time promotions all work well. Just let us know so we can update your listing.