As an HR professional, you know the problem all too well: employee satisfaction is rising, but payroll costs are exploding. Traditional salary increases are expensive and often don't resonate with your workforce the way you'd hoped. The solution? Employee benefits. But which platform is right for your company?
Today, we're taking a closer look at two providers: Bonago, the established player from Munich, and HelloBonnie, the new generation of flexible benefits. Spoiler alert: one of them is revolutionizing how modern companies engage their employees.
Bonago: The Traditional Approach
Bonago has been around since 2010 and has established itself as a leading provider of incentive and reward marketing. The Munich-based company offers customizable campaign solutions with vouchers, rewards, and bonus programs.
What Bonago does well:
- Large selection of voucher partners across various sectors (shopping, travel, lifestyle)
- Established platform solutions like the "BenefitsCard"
- Award-winning HR software, recognized with the DRX Award 2023
- Apple Pay integration
So far, so solid. But here's where it gets interesting: Bonago works primarily with traditional voucher systems and predefined partnerships. This means for your employees: they can only shop where Bonago has already signed contracts.
HelloBonnie: The Flexible Alternative
HelloBonnie takes a completely different approach. Instead of relying on limited voucher partnerships, HelloBonnie uses a smart Mastercard-based solution that offers genuine flexibility.
The Crucial Difference: Real Freedom of Choice
While Bonago requires your employees to choose from a predefined catalog of partners, they can use the HelloBonnie Smartcard to pay anywhere Mastercard is accepted. This is a paradigm shift:
With Bonago: "You can shop at these 50 partners." With HelloBonnie: "You can shop anywhere in your area, wherever you want."
Brand Spaces vs. Limited Partnerships
HelloBonnie offers both Brand Spaces (similar to Bonago's voucher partners) and Regional Spaces. In the Brand Spaces, you'll find all the major brands:
- Beauty: dm, ROSSMANN, DOUGLAS
- Entertainment: Netflix, Spotify, Steam
- Food: REWE, Lidl, McDonald's
- Fashion: Zalando, H&M, Adidas
- Technology: Apple, Google, Microsoft
- Sports: Urban Sports Club, FREELETICS
But here's the kicker: in addition to these Brand Spaces, your employees can also use their budget regionally—at the local hair salon, their favorite café, or the physiotherapy practice around the corner.
Tax Optimization on a New Level
Both providers promise tax law compliance, but HelloBonnie goes a step further. The system was developed in collaboration with the renowned tax consultancy Möhrle Happ Luther and has been reviewed and approved by the Hamburg-Oberalster tax office through an advance ruling.
The numbers speak for themselves: assume 100 employees each receive €50 in monthly benefit budget. This costs you €5,000 per month. Traditional salary increases of the same amount would cost €11,667 monthly for someone with an annual gross salary of €40,000. Savings: €6,667 per month.
Why HelloBonnie is the Better Choice
1. Maximum Flexibility Instead of Restrictions
With Bonago, your employees are limited to available partners. HelloBonnie enables true freedom of choice: Brand Spaces AND regional use everywhere Mastercard is accepted.
2. Simplest Operation
No complicated voucher codes or separate apps for each partner. The HelloBonnie Smartcard works like a regular bank card—online, in apps, and at all card readers.
3. Individual Budget Distribution
Decide anew each month: maybe €30 for Netflix and €20 regionally at your favorite restaurant. Next month €50 at Zalando. Your employees have full control.
4. Transparent Pricing Structure
HelloBonnie costs €1.90 per employee per month (up to 200 employees) plus 2.5% of the loaded amount and €12.90 per company monthly. Clear calculation, no hidden costs.
5. Modern Integration
Apple Pay and Google Pay are integrated from the start. The virtual card is available immediately after registration.
What Customers Say
Lena Dietrich from Namox puts it perfectly: "I love giving our employees the flexibility to use their credit differently each month—one month regionally at the supermarket, the next online for concert tickets."
Clemens Müller from LCMD adds: "With HelloBonnie, we finally have a benefit solution that truly reaches everyone. The card's flexibility allows us to cater to individual preferences."
Conclusion: The Future of Employee Benefits
Bonago has done good work over the years and created established solutions. But the working world has evolved. Modern employees expect flexibility, not restrictions.
HelloBonnie represents the next generation of employee benefits:
- Maximally flexible instead of catalog-based
- User-friendly instead of complicated
- Cost-efficient with transparent pricing
- Future-proof through modern technology
If you really want to do something good for your employees while optimizing payroll costs, there's no way around HelloBonnie. The question is no longer whether you'll introduce employee benefits, but which solution you'll choose.
Ready for the next step? Schedule a 15-minute conversation and find out how HelloBonnie can make your team happier.
