By Todd Ceisner
BassFan Editor

Just about every national retailer nowadays has some sort of loyalty or incentive program that rewards customers for their business. A simple card swipe or a wave of a key tag at the register logs your purchase and sometimes will trigger discounts that can't be had at a competing store down the road. It's a way to keep you coming back for more. It's brilliant, simple marketing (aside from the wad of key tags we carry around).

Boat companies and anglers are also big on loyalty and just about every major bass boat maker now has an incentive program to not only attract new customers, but to keep existing customers, especially those who use their boats in tournaments. The incentive programs are nothing new – anglers fishing out of Rangers have been cashing Ranger Cup checks since 2000 – but across the eight brands that BassFan examined for this article, the contingency programs have become almost as competitive as the action on the water.

Like the boats each company produces, each program is different from the others either in payout amounts or strict requirements to qualify. Some require registrants to jump through more hoops than others. Some require special logo decals be placed on certain locations on the boat and/or tow vehicle in order to qualify. Some programs are exclusive to a certain model year window and original retail owners while others are free and allow non-original retail owners to participate.

The programs cater to small, local tournaments all the way up to the national pro circuits and are graduated to take horsepower and field size into account.

At the end of the day, the principle behind all of them is the same – if you're properly enrolled in a boat manufacturer's contingency program and you win a tournament out of that boat, your bottom line could see a healthy boost. In some ways, the contingency programs have helped offset the decrease in payouts from the tournament organizations in recent years.

Below is a quick (alphabetical) breakdown of the contingency programs offered by eight major bass boat companies, including a look at what it costs to participate, what the earning potential is and links to the respective companies' requirements and sanctioned tournaments.

Bass Cat Quest
> 2013 fee: None for owners of 2000 models or newer (one-time fee of $100 for pre-2000 models if original owners; orig. owners enrolled automatically)
> What's included: No apparel
> Model years: All
> Top potential prize: $2,000
> Requirements: Click here
> Eligible tournaments: Click here
> Bass Cat says: The Bass Cat Quest program is free to owners of boats from the 2000 model year or newer and also welcomes those who've bought their Bass Cat used.

"That's a step out to keep that ownership base loyal and it has worked well for us," said Rick Pierce, Bass Cat president. "We tried to look at overall angler expectations and satisfy them. Our program is a lot different from anybody else's."

The lack of a model year requirement, Pierce says, is geared toward customer retention.

"Before the recession, the average owner of a retail product had it for 7 to 12 years," Pierce said. "After the recession, the numbers are different. We'd prefer to keep that owner at the front of our thrust and want to reward them for retention. The average guy will not buy a new boat every 2 or 3 years and we want to keep them around forever."

Bass Cat has also extended the Quest program to college anglers, who can see the double benefit of fishing local tournaments near school or home and also earn contingency bonuses in sanctioned college events. Qualification for the college Quest program is tied to grade point average.

"It really opens up the broad spectrum for college anglers," Pierce added. "We want them to have good grades, too."

Legend Advantage
> 2013 fee: $199
> What's included: Advantage program decals (required on console and 14" decal on tow vehicle.)
> Model year: 2008 or newer
> Top potential prize: $10,000
> Requirements: Click here
> Eligible tournaments: Click here
> Legend says: When Legend started its Advantage program in 2008, the earning potential topped out at $1,500 for a tournament victory. Now, it’s climbed to five figures.

"We really kicked it up for 2013 and it's made a big difference for guys who already have a Legend," said brand manager Kody Bradbury. "It's also driven some new sales as well."

Of the companies surveyed, Legend has the highest enrollment fee at $199. Bradbury explains that where some companies build the costs of their contingency programs into the price of a new boat, Legend opts not to.

"We feel like the boat is more a selling feature than the contingency program," he said. "Lowering it is definitely a consideration, but we also have to keep in mind that not all of our buyers are tournament fishermen."

He said changes of note for 2014 include: A move away from qualification based on when a boat was purchased during the calendar year to a system that is tied just to the model year of the boat; the $10,000 top prize potential will remain in place all next year after it was used this year mainly as a boat show sales promotion.

"The biggest thing about the Advantage program is it's ever-evolving and changing," he said. "Every year, we take feedback from our owners and try to implement the changes that make the most sense."

Nitro Tournament Rewards
> 2013 fee: $99 ($89 plus $10 s+h)
> What's included: Bass Pro Shops Rewards/membership card (pre-loaded with 1,000 Rewards Points/$20),
automatic enrollment in Bass Pro Shops' “Preferred Rewards” program, hat, visor, Tournament Rewards shirt with boat brand/program logos, truck decal (must be displayed on tow vehicle), boat decal (must be displayed on boat windshield), 15% discount on fishing team apparel.
> Model years: 2011 or newer (Nitro, Tracker, Mako brands)
> Top potential prize: $7,000 ($6,500 cash, $500 Bass Pro Shops Rewards points)
> Requirements: Click here
> Eligbile tournaments: Click here
> Nitro says: The $7,000 max payout puts the Nitro Tournament Rewards program near the top of the list, but the backbone of the program is the more than 200 sanctioned tournament circuits in which anglers are eligible.

"We offer contingency bonuses not only for wins, but if there's more than 60 boats in a tournament, we'll pay a Top-10 finisher," said Rick Emmitt, marketing manager for angler programs/pro staff at Tracker Marine.

According to Emmitt, the program has paid out $1.3 million to more than 350 people since its introduction in the mid-2000s.

"The thing with bass fishermen is a lot of them are confident they're going to win tournaments," he said. "They look at incentive programs and who has the better ones and it helps make their boat-buying decision for them. It seems to be a big key in their buying decision and also customer retention."

Phoenix First Flight
> 2013 fee: $75
> What's included: Browning/Phoenix edition polarized sunglasses with case, two Phoenix hats, two tow vehicle decals, boat decal
> Model years: 2011 or newer in Tier 1, all model years for Tier 2
> Top potential prize: $7,000
> Requirements: Click here
> Eligible tournaments: Click here
> Phoenix says: The Phoenix First Flight program is broken down into two tiers based on the boat's model year – Tier One cover the last 3 years while Tier Two covers all previous model years – so there's no restriction on the boat's age in order to qualify. However, an owner/angler can only claim two tournament rewards in one calendar year.

"We want to reward guys and have them be proud to be a part of the Phoenix family," said Chris Dutton, marketing manager.

Ranger Cup
> 2013 fee: $19.99
> What's included: Ranger Cup card, Ranger Cup decal
> Model years: Varies by tournament circuit
> Top potential prize: $25,000 (FLW Tour), Ranger Z518 with 200-hp motor (EverStart Series)
> Requirements: Boat, clothing, college program
> Eligible tournaments/circuits: Click here
> Ranger says: The Ranger Cup has been around the longest of the major incentive programs and has paid out more than $15 million since it was started in 2000. It's also one of the few programs that extends into multi-species and saltwater tournaments.

"The Ranger Cup has been a great recipe for success for us and we hope to see it continue," said Bart Schad, vice president of marketing. "It's a multi-fold philosophy in that it's a great way to reward owners for buying our products and using them in tournaments. Second, it helps grow the business because we're putting incentives out there for anglers who fish competitively. Third, in our minds, we feel like we have the best product and customer service in the industry and the Ranger Cup has worked very well for us."

Skeeter Real Money
> 2013 fee: $25
> What's included: Real Money Membership card, Skeeter tow vehicle decal, Real Money boat decal, hat, complimentary boat inspection at select events.
> Model years: All
> Top potential prize: $3,000
> Requirements: Click here
> Eligible tournaments: Click here

Stratos 2X Rewards
> 2013 fee: None
> What's included: N/A
> Model years: 2011 or newer
> Top potential prize: $10,000
> Requirements: Click here
> Eligible tournaments: Click here
> Stratos says: Stratos is the only company that offered free enrollment – no hoops! – in its 2X Rewards program in 2013. However, its model year requirement window is only 3 years. Still, the strength of the program lies in its matching of tournament winnings up to $10,000.

"If you're in a big tournament and win a boat and it's something we sponsor, you'll win an extra 10 grand," said Jason Bragg, brand manager. "We've taken the approach of helping the grass-roots angler to grow and prosper because that's where we see more bass fishing. It's a simple program in nature. If you own a Stratos that's 3 years old or newer, you're qualified, period. When we looked at a lot of the competition out there and their programs, it looks like gold, but you have make the stars line up just right to do it. We didn't want to do that."

Bragg said four different anglers have won the $10,000 top prize this year.

Triton Gold
> 2013 fee: $100
> What's included: Customized tournament jersey, hat, visor, two decals
> Model years: 1997 and newer
> Top potential prize: $7,000
> Requirements: Click here
> Eligible tournaments/circuits: Click here