TROY, Mich. — GalaxyPlus Credit Union Systems is offering its more than 300 client credit unions the chance to treat their members like S.T.A.R.S.

S.T.A.R.S. stands for Special Thanks and Recognition System, an online rewards program in which members earn points for using CU products and services that they then can redeem for a variety of rewards.

Ten credit unions already have signed up for the program from the Fiserv core processing unit. "We wanted to be able to reward our members for their loyalty as well as retain and expand their business," said Gina Tatkus, CEO at $23 million Parkview Community Credit Union in McKeesport, Pa. "But we didn't want to reward them with items that they didn't value. We found that S.T.A.R.S. allowed us to reward different members in ways that would satisfy them." The credit union chooses which products and activities it wants to promote with rewards–such as referring a new member, opening a new account or using a new service–and members can visit a point history screen on their CU's Web site to see how many points they have and to redeem their points for prizes that can range from gift cards to digital cameras to lower fees and preferred interest rates.