Frequently Asked Questions (and how it all works)

We have put together a page by page description of how to use the site, followed by a list of frequently asked questions, that should help you get a better undertanding of BetchaIcan works, and answer any queries you may have. Please click on any of the headings below to jump straight to that section :

An Overview - What's it all about?
Login Page
Set A Challenge Page
Rewards Page
Charities Page
My Challenges Page
Challenge Details Page
Completed Challenge Page
My Profile Page
Useful Resourses Page
Other Questions

»An Overview - What's it all about?

BetchaIcan is a free site that allows registered users to set themselves, or someone else,a challenge. Whether this be to lose a specific amount of weight, exercise more regularly, stop smoking or drinking for a specific period of time or any challenge or goal that you care to think about.

Challenging Yourself:

The idea is to give yourself a measurable goal in a specific time-frame, and then agree with yourself that if you achieve the goal you will reward yourself, and if you are unsuccessful, then instead of being upset, you make someone else's day by giving to charity, (and you can therefore feel all warm and fuzzy even if you did sneak one cigarette when you shouldn't have).

You can keep a log of how you are getting on throughout the challenge, and when the challenge is done record your success or failure and then log into the relevant site to buy your special treat, or give to some worthy cause.

You can even ask up to two people to become your 'bet buddies' to help motivate you achieve your goal. They will be able to view your challenge when they register with the site, and help confirm whether or not you have achieved your goal at the end.

When you have reached the end of your challenge date, you can confirm the completed challenge and claim your reward or give to your chosen charity!

Challenging Someone Else:

Alternatively, you can challenge a friend, colleague, member of your family, or anyone else you know to achieve a goal. In this case you are promising to reward them if they achieve the goal, or give some money to charity if they fail. You can effectively dangle the carrot of a gift to spur them to reaching a goal they may have otherwise been avoiding!

As with setting your own challenge, the person you have challenged can keep a log of how they are getting on throughout the challenge, and when the challenge is done record their success or failure. They can also nominate bet buddies as described above.

When they have recorded the completion of their challenge, you get the opportunity to agree or disagree, by giving your own verdict, along with any bet-buddies, and then log into the relevant site to buy your special treat, or give to some worthy cause.

»Login Page

There are three options on the Login Page:

'I am an existing user'

This is for existing users to log in, or request a new password if it has been forgotten.

'I want to join and set, accept or referee a challenge'

If you are not a registered user, you can register your details here. Please read the terms and conditions before completing registration.

'I am a viewer'

If you have been given a valid viewing passcode for a particular challenge, enter it here and you will be able to view the details of that challenge.

»Set A Challenge Page

When you set up the challenge, there are 4 simple steps to complete:

1. Choose a Target or Goal

This is broken down into :

Who you are challenging - this can be yourself or someone else. If it is someone else you can either enter their BetchaIcan nickname, or their e-mail address, and they will be e-mailed to invite them to accept your challenge (and register with BetchaIcan if they are not already registered).

What the Challenge is - pick from a dropdown list or choose your own specific challenge.

Description of your Challenge - here you can be more specific about what you are planning to do, (or what you are challenging someone else to do).

Measurable Challenges - if your challenge or goal can be measured (ie the number of miles you are running per week, or the amount of weight you will be losing per month, or a limit to the number of chocolates you have per day), then you can specify that here. If not, then ignore these three lines.

2. Decide on a Timescale

Choose the start date and end date of your challenge.

3. Choose A Reward To Inspire You

Here you can enter the details of what you will reward yourself with, and from which partner store.

4. Select a Charity to Benefit if you Fail

Here you can enter the details of how much you will give to charity and which charity will benefit if you (or the person you are challenging) does not succed in the challenge.

»Rewards Page

We have selected a number of partner stores to offer you a wide range of possible rewards to treat yourself to, whether these be small rewards, like a CD or DVD, or larger rewards such as a holiday or weekend break away.

If there is a product or service that you particularly wish to reward yourself with that is on a website that is not yet a partner store, please e-mail us at feedback@BetchaIcan.com for US users or feedback@BetchaIcan.co.uk for UK users, and we will contact the site and see if they will agree to become a partner store within our standard terms.

»Charities Page

We have listed a number of registered charities, for you to choose to donate to, if you fail in your challenge.

If you have a particular charity that you support and would like us to add them to our list of selected charities, please e-mail us at charities@BetchaIcan.com for US users or charities@BetchaIcan.co.uk for UK users, and we will endeavour to add the charity's details.

»My Challenges Page

This lists all of your current and past challenges, giving an overview of each challenge. There are 3 separate headings :

My Current Challenges

Any challenges that you have chosen to undertake, or been challenged by someone else, are listed here.

Other Peoples Current Challenges

If you are a bet buddy or have challenged someone else, then these challenges will be listed here.

Past Challenges

All challenges that have passed their end date, whether yours or someone elses, are listed here.

- To see more detail for a specfic challenge, click on the 'More' button to go to the Challenge Details page for that challenge.

»Challenge Details Page

The challenge details page for each challenge is where you can record your progress, add and remove bet buddies, see and change the viewing passcode.

Nominating Bet Buddies

If you'd like to get other people involved in motivating you to achieve your goal, you can nominate up to two bet buddies to help keep an eye on your progress. When you nominate them, they will be e-mailed the details of your challenge and will invite them to view your challenge log through their own registration. At the end of the challenge, the bet buddies will also need give their verdict as to how they feel you have done, and when all verdicts agree, you can then click through to buy your reward or give to your charity.

You can change or remove bet buddies at any time, by using the 'submit' button. This will send an e-mail out to the new bet buddies, inviting them to become a bet buddy. Any removed bet buddies will no longer be able to access your challenge log from their log-in.

Using the Viewing Passcode

If you're really brave, and want to tell the whole world about your challenge, each challenge is given a unique passcode, and anyone with that code can look at your challenge details and challenge log.

Simply e-mail the viewing passcode to anyone you wish to see how you are getting on with your challenge, and they can enter the passcode details into the bottom of the login page to view your passcode.

If you change your mind and want to stop the old passcode working, simply press the button and a new passcode will be randomly generated.

Keeping A Log of Your Progress

So that you can keep a log of your progress, with any successes or failures along the way, the 'Add a New Event' section allows to put in a date and description of the log for you and anyone else involved in your challenge to see.

For instance, you may wish to record the amount of weight you have lost that week, or the fact that you have had no cigarettes or alcohol, or the number of miles you have run that day.

This will help you see how you are getting on with your goal, and help others see if you are on target, or off track.

Finishing The Challenge

When you reach the end date of the challenge, click the 'I Have Finished' button, the challenge will be registered as completed, and you will be taken through to the Completed Challenge Page.

»Completed Challenge Page

Here is where you (and if relevant, the person who has challenged you and/or any bet buddies) will need to complete the verdict on whether you have succeeded in your challenge.

When you have completed your own verdict, and e-mail will be sent out to any challenger and/or bet buddies to ask them to add their verdict.

Once all the verdicts agree (or you have confirmed your own verdict if it is only you), then the 'Finalise Challenge' button will go green and you will be directed to a page allowing you to click on to your chosen reward or charity site and splash out on your deserved gift, or give generously to a needy charity.

»My Profile Page

This page allows you to change and update any of your details, including your password.

»Useful Resources Page

For some of the more common challenges, such as around stopping smoking, losing weight or exercising more, we have built a list of useful resources to help you reach your goal. These may be books, dvd's or other websites that have useful information.

The Useful Resources Page, lists the pages currently available (and is accessed at any time via the link at the bottom of the page), otherwise the 3 main pages are alsocurrently accessed at any time from the links on the Home Page.

We will be expanding these pages, as time goes on, to add more resources for different challenges or goals. If you have any specific challenge that you'd like added to the list, or want to have a resource page for itself, please email us at feedback@BetchaIcan.com for US users or feedback@BetchaIcan.co.uk for UK users.

We may also send you occasional motivational e-mails, if we have any other resources or useful information that may help you in your challenge.

»Other Questions

Does it cost anything to use the site?

No. Using BetchaIcan is completely free.

How do BetchaIcan make money?

BetchaIcan earns revenue for introducing you to our partner stores. If you buy from one of our partner stores, they pay us for introducing you.....all at no additional cost to you.......Brilliant!

It is important to stress that BetchaIcan does not earn any income when you donate to one of the charities on the site. If you fail in your challenge and are generous enough to honour your commitment to give money to the charity of your choice then we want the whole amount of your donation to go to the charity for the benefit of others.

What are BetchaIcan Nicknames?

Each user chooses a nickname when they register. This is so that if you know the nickname of another user you can use the nickname when challenging someone or choosing bet buddies, rather than have to type out their full e-mail address.

How do I allow other people to view my challenges?

Give them the viewing passcode, located in the challenge detail page for the specific challenge you want to let them see.

How do I stop other people from viewing my challenges?

Request a change of passcode using the button located in the challenge detail page for the specific challenge.

What are Bet Buddies?

Bet Buddies are people you can choose to add to your challenge to help motivate you in achieving your goal, by having access to view your challenge log, and make a final verdict on the success or failure of your goal at the end of the challenge date.

They are completely optional and there to help give you some extra motivation by involving other people in your personal quest.

How do I add Bet Buddies?

Type in the e-mail address or BetchaIcan nickname of the proposed Bet-Buddy(ies) and click 'Submit'. They will be added to the

How do I change or remove Bet Buddies?

To change a bet buddy, type in the details of the new bet buddy in the relevant box and click 'Submit'.

To remove a bet buddy, delete the relevant name from the box and click 'Submit'.

Can I choose a different site to select my Reward?

If you would like us to add a new website to our list of partner stores, please e-mail us at feedback@BetchaIcan.com for US users or feedback@BetchaIcan.co.uk for UK users, and we will contact the site and see if they will agree to become a partner store within our standard terms.

Can I choose a different Charity to give to?

If you would like us to add a new charity to our list of selected charities, please e-mail us at charities@BetchaIcan.com for US users or charities@BetchaIcan.co.uk for UK users, and we will see if we can add the charity's details.

How do I unregister from BetchaIcan?

Please email us at help@BetchaIcan.com for US users or help@BetchaIcan.co.uk for UK users, and we will un-register you so that you no longer have access to the site.