Loyalty Card Benefits
Nowadays it seems every establishment has a loyalty card. Retailers, Restaurants, Drugstores and Grocery stores. In this case, the plastic doesn't mean credit, it means a benefit.
CVS has their own loyalty card program (Extra Care Bucks), and many retail stores offer benefits if you have a loyalty card (Maurice's, Children's Place, Family Christian, to name a few). And, of course restaurants have their own slew of benefits if you either have a card or are registered for a newsletter.
Read more about Dining Freebies, Clubs and Rewards.
Specific to promotions and grocery shopping, the loyalty card is about paying you to be a loyal shopper. However, in most cases, you can't get the discount if you don't have the card. Yes, it's rather annoying if you ask me. But, at least some stores offer additional benefits that goes along with the annoyance of scanning a card during each shopping trip.
A few benefits of loyalty cards and rewards:
- General discounts and sale prices.
Not truly a benefit IMO, but they consider it one so I'm listing it. - Many of the other Store Specific Benefits previously shared.
- Receive home mailer coupons.
Register your cards at the retailer site to receive these (Kroger Loyalty Card here). - Receive custom coupon booklets.
These coupon booklets are specific to your actual purchases so they are actually more useful in saving.
In general, I think loyalty cards for stores are so much alike. The Drugstores are a bit different so definitely check out Learn to Play the Drugstores to understand how to get the most out of your planning and budget! Either way you go, you need a card for the majority of places you show nowadays it seems. I almost feel like telling the stores to “be weird” and not require the use of a card for the discount. And, ya never know, if I meet up with some store bigwigs one day, I . just . might :)
As I mentioned in Maximixing Store Specific Benefits, you receive other store benefits and your loyalty card is typically how those are tracked. However, there are times when the loyalty card is doing more than just rewarding you. There are some cool benefits in that you can tie your loyalty card to a school, or non-profit, to raise funds. Typically a percentage of your purchase goes to the organization you designate.
This benefit is much like the Subway School Rewards Card. You are spending money on things you are gonna use anyway. You may as well get some sort of loyalty benefit for doing that, right? And, if you don’t think you need to do it for yourself, it can’t hurt to at least sign up for another organization like your school or church that needs it, right…right?? :)
Just for kicks, leave the names of the loyalty cards you have in your wallet now.
I have quite a few! I’ll drop mine in the comments too.
See more shared on the Value of Store Benefits + Promotions!
Photo Credit: HyperQuake
I just have the basics ~ Staples Rewards, Speedway, CVS, Kroger , Gas America ~ but I really love your keychain idea in the pic for grouping them all together, I think that’s a really innovative idea to keep them all in one place instead of digging them out of the wallet :-)
Sheryl, I can’t take credit for that pic, but my husband has his on a keychain. I actually keep mine in my “loyalty card folder” rather than my wallet since I have so many!
Just in pocket of where I keep my cards, I have my:
Panera Card
Coffee Cards (for local coffee houses)
Children’s Place Cards
CVS
Kroger
Subway Card
Sephora Beauty Insiders
I think that’s enough to show you that, while having to have cards for benefits is somewhat annoying and painful, I obviously will do the annoying and painful when it comes to saving a buck :)
Just in my wallet/purse:
Panera
CVS
Kroger
City BBQ
Ulta
Graeters
Big Lots
Staples
Gas America
Store Credit Cards I obtained just for the points: Victoria’s Secret, NY&Co, Elder Beerman, Ann Taylor
Yep, I’m addicted ….
CVS, Speedway, Babies R Us, Gymboree, Family Christian Store, Ulta, Kmart, Hallmark, Build-a-Bear, TGI Fridays…
the companies use or sell your purchasing information to get you to buy more of what you don’t need…
Ya know with todays card technology they could easily combine all this plastic into one card…. one loyalty card you carry and which all companies place your account number on.
Eliminating the waste of millions of plastic cards being thrown out… and making your wallet/purse a whole lot lighter.
Same as the others, but also Saks Fifth Avenue OFF 5TH MORE! card…
great extra savings (the outlet in Monroe off I-75)…something different each week
I also heard there’s a new app that let’s you scan your cards and carries them electronically so you don’t have to carry the actual plastic
Does anyone use the iphone app that lets you put all of your barcodes for rewards cards into your phone? They simply scan your phone. Library cards, ycards, etc.
Kimm, I have that app installed but have never taken the time to actually use it. Hopefully someone else will comment and share their experience.