With cost of living pressures continuing to bear down on household budgets, I thought now would be a good time to start a thread on loyalty programs, including which ones offer good perks and which ones only serve to weigh down your wallet or purse.
Before we talk about value though, we should point out that some loyalty programs serve to function primarily as data collection. Previously CHOICE has investigated the popular supermarket rewards programs with this in mind.
For the purpose of this thread, letās focus on the non-supermarket everyday loyalty programs.
For example, a lot of restaurant chains are now offering free burritos or burgers for joining their loyalty clubs, or ongoing discounts for regular customers. Cinema chains offer similar discounts and perks, and their are a variety of interest-based clubs (e.g. wine, books) attempting their own enticements. Even small local businesses like hair dressers or cafes might hand out a loyalty stamp card that rewards your regular business.
Is there a particular loyalty program that delivers excellent value for you? Alternatively, a loyalty program that became more of a punishment? Please share your experiences with the CHOICE Community so we can all save time and money.
Some thoughts to consider:
Is the data privacy/data collection of a given program acceptable?
Are the follow up ads/marketing too much, or within reason?
How is the value, initial and ongoing?
Does everything work as intended (e.g. card scans correctly, deals are available)
The one I like is the Coffee card at one of the local coffee shops. A free coffee after every 10. $5.50 for a large coffee double shot.
All they require is a name, first only, although I add an extra letter to avoid a clash. The staff are stable and learn faces plus preferences readily. Iām not a daily customer, but purchase for 2, plus often fresh bread rolls if not sold out. Itās close to home. Itās one little treat to pick up on the way home before lunch.
Yes, I also make coffee at home. Those from The big capitals might suggest whether Iām paying too much for the coffee up the road. I was paying 50c to $1.00 more in Newcastle last week and no loyalty card.
The local Coop, Mitre 10 also has a discount card based on accumulated purchases over a certain value. They only need your name on a printed card which they mark off as you go. 5% and 10% off once the threshold is reached. The regular prices are per the Mitre10 catalogue. I hold off until there is a special on a stocked item that I need and is of suitable quality. Itās worth looking to Bunnings etc for their prices to be sure the special is competitive.
The only card I have is the Myer One and it hasnāt been used in years!
Iām hesitant to trade off my private information to any store and be exposed to having my spending behaviour tracked and probably shared with same group companies which can even be global.
Iām not satisfied my data is securely held, the risk isnāt worth the rewards they offer. The advantages are all on the businesses side, my privacy is worth more than that.
Thatās a really costly cup of coffee, that price covers for the free one every 10
Youāre contributing to a lot of money by being loyal to that shop, you should expect more rewards: maybe a croissant with that
$5.50 for a regular Cap in Newcastle. $6.50 with a double shot.
Perhaps itās expensive, but then when one needs to stand in a queue and wait 5 minutes or more for the product it needs to be very very good.
We were paying $3.00 to $3.50 for a regular size, Campoās or Merlot beans in Queen St Brisbane circa 2014 when I worked in town.
One of the loyalty bonuses of shopping local in rural communities is that one can shop local, but only for as long as the business is a business. Itās difficult to say whether paying a small premium or taking your custom miles and miles away with added costs in fuel and time pays. I think it does for some needs, but not for all.
I was going to say the coffee shop - a cardboard business card, you clip it for each coffee purchased and either keep it, or leave it in the box at the shop. No data is required, just a mark you remember is yours if you leave it at the shop. Recently the price went up, but they reduced the freebie to every 6th. You can have the most expensive free, or if buying more, the cheapest is free. The barista knows us and our āusualā even though we visit less than once a month.
Mosaic brands - I wanted a winter vest, which was half price if I signed up to a Noni B card. Ever after I got emails, several times a day, from all the Brands - Autograph, Liz Jordan, Noni B etc. Half my inbox is from Mosaics. I get messages on my mobile. I take it as a strong incentive to Never shop there again.
I donāt usually join any non-supermarket loyalty programmes as I donāt like the idea of being influenced to visit anywhere over somewhere else that may give me a different experience and especially at restaurants, I prefer not to visit the same place more than once.
An exception is the 7-eleven app which is scanned at those stores when I visit. I donāt mind as I usually buy slurpees or coffee melts which are extremely cheap. On every 7th visit I get a free coffee melt and there is no time limit to build up the 7 visits and my total outlay is pretty much small change.
I use a number of loyalty cards to my advantage, especially Woolworths Rewards. I donāt mind receiving emails (never sign up for SMS) and make sure I boost my specials and look for whatās on special. Every few weeks I get $10 off my bill. I used to transfer them to Qantas points but found that wasnāt good value. Iāve received more than $1000 worth of $10 over a few years.
I also regularly go to a coffee shop with friends, and get a free coffee fairly regularly. I even get a discount for showing my Seniors Card.
I also have a Myer one card - not that I shop there much but have received a number of $ rewards over the years - it was especially good when I got points for flying with Air NZ - not sure if they do that anymore.
For the coffee shop and Myer, I donāt get emails or text messages as I cancelled these. If I need to check anything, I do it on my phone apps.
You really have to evaluate each program e.g. with Coles. if you want to buy a $450 watch from them you need 77,000 (approx) points = purchases of $77,000. That equates to a discount on your purchases of 0.006%, hardly a sign of thanks for your loyalty.
One of these days weāre going to wake up to the real value of our loyalty, and of our personal details, and demand more than the peanuts weāre given in return now
The best rewards are those you collect as you engage in normal purchasing, and the coffee card is hard to beat as an example. If you are buying to get the rewards it is doubtful youāre winning. A local bakery runs an plastic card and I get points on all purchases, not just my coffee. Their coffee is great (Iām a barista myself), their bakery range is vast, good quality, and prices are competitive. In almost 10 years Iāve had no emails or texts. They simply reply on their reputation. I make some use of my Myer card, usually online, and when I do, the service is excellent. My Mitre-10 card now accumulates points instead of giving a membersā discount. As a result I rarely go there now. However, I find their assistance easier to get and more helpful than Bunnings and that can sway where I go.
All that said, I find the greatest hassle is from internet companies who demand copious amounts of personal data and rarely offer any rewards program. These are the pushers of email and texts with endless offers to meet my āmust haveā need.
Youāve been going to that same place for 10 Years? Thatās being very loyal.
I hope the reward at the end of the accumulated points make it worth while for you, having given them your email address and your phone numberš
Yes Gaby, thatās so - no emails, no texts, not even to tell me of āspecialsā. And prices are competitive. Other bakeries exist - two are patronised to a lesser degree. For me, the remainder either donāt make the cut (price, service or quality) or they donāt last. It seems those that bake on the premises have a variety, quality and price advantage over those who are āsuppliedā. But that may just be a local experience. Yes, I deem it āworth my whileā.
