Repegs is a new locals-first payment app that works to revitalize local economies by keeping your money within your home community. Here’s how it works.
By Nathan Myers
Standing in line at the local coffee shop, the woman in front of you does something unique. “I’d like to pay in Repegs,” she says.
The cashier produces a QR code. The woman scans it with her phone, accepts her order number, and moves on. So what just happened? What is Repegs? Or better question: why is Repegs?
Maybe you’ve already seen their signage at local registers. NOW ACCEPTING REPEGS. And maybe you’ve thought, “Oh gawd, not another thingy!”
Every month, something new. The world, changing beneath our scrolling fingertips. Faster. Easier. More more more.
And the more “connected” we become, the less connected we feel. Alone on the freeway.
Have you heard of Blue Zones? Places on earth where the life expectancy exceeds the rest of humanity. They’ve studied these areas and discovered that the most important factor for health and longevity – even more than things like diet, exercise and genetics – is actually community. A sense of belonging.
Studies around happiness have yielded similar findings. Ask yourself, you’d probably agree. When you’re with your people… when you’re supporting local business… when you’re being of service… that’s when you tend to feel best. Right?
This is why we love frequenting our local coffee shop, dining at the neighborhood restaurant, and strolling the vendors at local markets and street fairs. These are your people. This is your community. And it feels like Home.
Which brings us back to Repegs, a digital wallet designed to connect locals with their favorite neighborhood businesses. Repegs offers a subtle system for keeping currency within your own community, simply by supporting small business with every transaction. Locals supporting locals.
It works like this: small businesses sign up for the app (no cost, no obligation) and offer special pricing for their loyal locals. These locals – vetted in the app – use Repegs to pay, saving money and even making a small donation to a local charity. Everyone wins.
Repegs founder and tech pioneer Adam Russell developed Repegs three years ago in Byron Bay, Australia, to support the local economy, where residents were being priced out by tourism and small businesses were struggling during economic downturns. Since then, Repegs has grown throughout Australia, and is now subsidized by the government for its proven ability to stimulate local economies.
Now, Repegs is taking root in the fertile grounds of San Diego, with its similar cultural DNA to Byron Bay: local, healthy, and well-touristed.
This is how it starts. Just saving you money. Lowering your cost of living. Venmo meets Instagram, with a localized kicker. Repegs isn’t just a digital wallet with local perks, it’s a glimpse into a future where locals shape their own economy.
Where it goes from here — creating connections, stimulating local business, and welcoming you to participate in your community – is something you’ll have to experience for yourself.
Scan the QR code to find out where you can save with Repegs near you. They’ll also put $5 into your digital wallet to try it out with code “repegsofficial” when prompted who referred you.
