Check-In Specials from Foursquare: Deal Me In

I’ve been checking in periodically with Gowalla for a year or more, but I recently made the switch to Foursquare. One benefit I see right out of the shoot is Foursquare has an active Deals Dept.

According to San Francisco Chronicle, more than 600,000 merchants are using Foursquare to offer deals to people who check in.

As you can see from the screen capture, I visited one such merchant in Oregon City on Monday. Had I been an American Express member, I could have saved $10 on our ticket. Unlike Groupon or Living Social, Foursquare delivers a much more relevant, immediate offer.

I recently wrote a post here called “I Check In, Therefore I Am An Asshole” where I called for better reasons to check in than one’s narcissistic habit.

So put a coupon in there, or a special deal that only superconnecteds get.

In short, save him from himself.

Foursquare is already there, so the challenge is one its competition must meet.

Usability is another issue. I stopped using Gowalla (now owned by Facebook) because their latest update makes checking in a mystery and a chore. Mobile utility has to be there, or I, like you, am on the to the next thing.