Grocery rewards loyalty programs?

[QuarterMillionMan]

What does your grocery loyalty rewards program entail, other than the obvious discounts or savings it provides at the cash register?


I have Ralphs/Food 4 Less. After spending $100 in one months time frame the rewards program activates a reward of 10 cents off per gallon to use at any participating Shell gas station. Having the highest gasoline prices in America, 10 cents off the current price of $3.19 per gallon in Los Angeles helps. However, some months I have difficulty spending $100 or more on groceries. And I hate when I end up with $98 or $99 worth of groceries at the end of the month and missing the 10 cents off per gallon which equates to about $1 off per fill up (.10 cents x 10 gallons = $1 in savings).


I was curious what other grocery loyalty rewards programs might offer.

[disneysteve]

Ours (Wegmans) just gives sale prices. And we also get a quarterly magazine with recipes and coupons. They sell the magazine in the stores but you get it free if you have a card.

[snafu]

Quarter MM If you wish to make certain you've spent the required $100. to qualify for $ 1. gas discount, it's fast and easy to note 'R4L' on your cell phone's 'Reminder' app [or whatever app you use] & add in/type in sum spent to maintain the month's running balance.

As you get to the last grocery shop for the month, you can decide if you're close enough to your $ 100. target to buy something extra to reach the goal. Will you need to show the actual receipts to access the discount or is the loyalty card adequate?

BTW, do you have the 'Gas Buddy' app on your phone? It gives the up-to-date costs for the outlets in your community. If you check prices, for outlets on your common routes you'll likely identify 'best buy.' We've an outlet that does a non advertised discount every Wednesday and Sunday. I've changed my routine and make it a point to top up on my return from activities each Sunday

[QuarterMillionMan]

This was my August fuel reward for 10 cents off per gallon which is good towards gasoline purchase which expires in September. To use the 10 cents off per gallon I just need to swipe my Ralphs rewards card at the gas pump before swiping my credit card and the price per gallon then drops by 10 cents and the LCD display at the gas pump says something like, "congratulations you've just earned 10 cents off per gallon." To maximize the 10 cents off per gallon I usually wait until my gas gauge goes as low as possible but I rarely let it go below 1/4 tank.


And another benefit of using a grocery rewards loyalty card that just came to mind is that the grocery store notifies me whenever an item has a recall. I received an automated voice message once that a plum that I bought had a possible salmonella problem and to throw out the plum or to bring it back to the store for a full refund.

[FLA]

Mine just "let" you get the sale prices, so you have to carry it around when everyone and their brother has one, so why bother with a card? I'm sure it's because it's for data collection. We have one store chain that does a gas thing. Several times I have read how it isn't worth it for x, y and z reasons that I cannot remember now. One was that the place where you had to get gas was more expensive than other stations.

some reward card seem useful, like CVS, you can do well there with sales, coupons, their coupons and Extra bucks. CVS blatantly uses your data because the coupons you get are related to recent purchases, I don't mind this as much as a store card that does nothing except allow you to have the sale price. I'm likely to use the coupon CVS pumps out. They send tons of emails with 30% off reg prices, which is nice for when you need something but forgot to get it on sale.

Oh how I miss Wegmans, had it in college. I go to it when I visit a friend. I don't know what exactly, but that store is doing something right.

[phantom]

We have two grocery stores with rewards programs that I use.

Giant Eagle has a gas rewards program called Fuel Perks. They give $0.10 off up to 30 gallons of gas at Get Go (a gas station they own) for every $50 spent. Progress towards the $50 mark rolls over from month to month. A few times a year, gift cards earn double Fuel Perks. If you swipe your card and choose not to redeem, you save $0.03/gallon. Giant Eagle's regular prices are higher than a lot of stores in the area, so shopping there just for the gas discount can backfire. But, their sale prices are as good as anyone's, so shopping sales there works out to be a good deal.

Shop 'n Save has a gas rewards program called Pump Perks. They pay out at the same ratio, but every $5 spent earns $0.01 right away, and the discount is good at Sunoco. They also do a promo around Thanksgiving where if you spend enough, you get a free turkey. My husband and I share a Shop 'n Save card with my sister, because we never drive past a Sunoco, and she goes there often. So, she gets the gas discount we earn there.