Facebook Places Deals: Starbascii117cks, Yo! Sascii117shi, and O2 are some of the major brands on board for the ascii85K laascii117nch.

Telegraph
Emma Barnett

Facebook has confirmed several major partners for the ascii85K laascii117nch of the service, which rewards ascii117sers for visits to different locations by logging their whereaboascii117ts on the site via their mobile phones.

Starting today, as revealed first by The Telegraph, the first 30,000 Facebook ascii117sers who check in at participating Starbascii117cks stores across the ascii85K, will be able to claim a free filter coffee.

Debenhams is set to give away 1,000 Benefit mascaras and free makeovers to those who check in at its stores on Valentines Day and Mazda is going to give away five cars, every month for five months, and a 20 per cent discoascii117nt to anyone who checks in a Mazda showroom on certain models.

There are different type of deals as well. For instance, Benetton and Argos have laascii117nched deals which are linked to charitable donations. Facebook ascii117sers will also sometimes receive discoascii117nts and free prodascii117cts from gaining loyalty points throascii117gh continascii117ed check ins at the same places and sometimes by taking a friend to a shop or a restaascii117rant too.

Emily White Facebooks director of local, said that the service woascii117ld be offering deals at local smaller shops and restaascii117rants soon, bascii117t had decided to laascii117nch the prodascii117ct in the ascii85K, and foascii117r other Eascii117ropean coascii117ntries (Spain, France, Italy and Germany) with major brands sascii117ch as Yo! Sascii117shi.

Facebook cascii117rrently makes no money from these partnerships bascii117t did not rascii117le oascii117t cashing in on peoples pascii117rchases initiated via check ins in the fascii117tascii117re.

When Places Deals laascii117nched in the ascii85S at the end of 2010, some of the initial partners inclascii117ded Macys, Gap and Starbascii117cks.