Groupon is launching a new premium service for its “best customers” called Groupon VIP. Basically it just gives users access to deals early and later after they’ve expired for everyone else. It costs $30 a year .

BusinessInsider has a screen cap of an email from CEO Andrew Mason introducing the program. It says:

I’m excited to tell you about our newest innovation – we’re calling it Groupon VIP. We got here by asking our customers, “If you could wave a magic wand over Groupon, what would you change?”

Three ideas came up again and again, so we built the VIP program around them:

– Book First: Get early access to deals and first dibs on making reservations.

– Buy Past Deals: Get exclusive access to our Deal Vault to grab previously closed and sold-out deals.

– Anytime Refunds: Swap any deal for Groupon Bucks — even after it’s expired.

That’s Groupon VIP in a nutshell.

Because you’re one of our best customers, I want you to be among the first to give VIP a try. Membership is only $29.99/year, but you’re invited to take it for a spin with a 3-month trial on us. If you don’t love it, just cancel.

Groupon is doing more to make the experience better for non-VIP members too. For example, they’re testing a system to make deals more personalized and relevant to users.