Programs that reward consumer loyalty
Retail rewards programs are hugely valuable to businesses in keeping customers coming back regularly, and they can be worthwhile for consumers as well. Common membership benefits include cash back, coupons, members-only sales and other special promotions. As long as you’re comfortable registering information with a company such as your name, address and email, it’s worth checking if the stores you frequent offer a rewards program.
Here’s a look at 15 popular retailer programs to consider, along with the benefits and perks they offer members. Most of these programs are free to join.
Best Buy
If you join the My Best Buy rewards program, for every $1 you spend, you’ll get 1% back in rewards (0.5 points per $1 spent). If you use a Best Buy credit card, you’ll receive 5% back in rewards points.
For every 250 points you receive, you’ll get a $5 reward certificate. You will also receive exclusive access to member-only offers, which would give you extra savings.
Burger King
At Burger King, you’ll earn 10 crowns for each dollar spent. You then can redeem your crowns for anything on the menu.
During your birthday month, you’ll earn double the crowns on all eligible transactions. As a member, you also get free upsizes. So you can order a small fry or drink, for instance, but get a medium.
CVS
CVS has a rewards program called ExtraCare, in which you’ll receive ExtraBucks Rewards. When you sign up, you will get an ExtraCare card. This is not a credit card; it’s just a plastic card with a bar code that can be scanned at the register, or you can use the CVS app and create a scannable ExtraCare “card” on that.
Every time you shop and use your card, you’ll earn 2% back on every purchase (with some exceptions like alcohol, lottery, prescriptions and money orders). You’ll also get ExtraBucks Rewards for certain items, which means you can use them to lower your CVS bill.
You can also earn up to $50 Pharmacy & Health ExtraBucks Rewards for doing things like filling prescriptions and getting vaccines.
That said, it isn’t like you get 2% cash back at the register. The money goes back to your card, so when you’re shopping at CVS, remember to use your ExtraCare card or the app to get those savings.
GameStop
With the GameStop Powerup Rewards program, you’ll receive 20 GameStop rewards points for every dollar you spend at the retailer. You’ll also get a $10 welcome reward for signing up, which can be used the next time you shop.
If you frequent GameStop, you may be interested in paying $14.99 or $19.99 to join GameStop’s Powerup Rewards Pro. With that program, you’ll get a digital subscription (or a print subscription if you paid $19.99) to Game Informer magazine. You’ll also receive 20 GameStop rewards points for every dollar spent at GameStop, and other things like a monthly reward certificate good for $5 toward GameStop merchandise and exclusive early access to merchandise like new console drops, graphic cards and collectibles.
JCPenney
As with all of these programs, the JCPenney Rewards program is free to join. You’ll get 30% off your first purchase as a member, and you can earn one point for every $2 spent on qualifying JCPenney purchases.
If you pay with a JCPenney credit card, you’ll get one point back for every $1 spent on qualifying JCPenney purchases (so you earn points twice as fast). As those points add up, you can get a $10 off reward certificate for every 200 points earned. There are other offers, bonus points and perks along those lines that members receive throughout the year.
Kohl’s
If you join the rewards program at the department store Kohl’s, you’ll earn 5% Kohl’s Rewards on every purchase. Kohl’s tracks that and alerts you every time you have $5 in Kohl’s Cash to spend. You’ll receive a Kohl’s Cash coupon on the first day of the following month that is valid for 30 days.
Whether you’re a Kohl’s Rewards member or not, you’ll receive $10 Kohl’s Cash for every $50 you spend, which you can redeem during specific time periods. The rewards program can be a little hard to follow in terms of remembering dates, but if you follow it, you can get some pretty good deals.
McDonald’s
McDonald’s rewards program, MyMcDonald’s Rewards, launched in the summer of 2021.
Members who sign up will earn 100 points for every dollar spent at McDonald’s and can redeem the points for free food. For example, a hash brown is 2,000 points. A cheeseburger is 4,000 points. A Big Mac is 10,000.
It’s also worth noting that users can only sign up for the rewards program on the McDonald’s app. If you do, you’ll get a free large French fries; after your first order, you’ll receive 1,500 bonus points.
Petco
Shopping for your favorite furry friend? You might consider signing up for Petco Pals Rewards. You’ll get one point for every dollar you spend at Petco. After you earn 100 points, you’ll get a $5 reward.
There are other opportunities to earn rewards, including a free birthday gift for your pet.
Pizza Hut
If you join Pizza Hut’s rewards program, you’ll earn two points for every $1 you spend.
You can put those points toward free food. If you collect 75 points, you can get bread sticks. If you collect 125 points, you could get eight boneless wings. For a large pizza, you’ll need 300 points. You’ll also get access to exclusive offers and discounts for joining the rewards program.
REI
The outdoor gear giant REI has a popular rewards program, REI Co-Op. Users pay $30 to join, but it’s a lifetime membership, and so the more you buy and the longer you’re a member, the more use you’ll get out of the membership.
REI Co-Op members receive special discounts as well as free shipping. Among other things, members also get 20% off bike and snow shop services and early access to curated products and limited-edition gear.
Sephora
With Sephora’s Beauty Insider Program, members spend money and earn points on beauty products and then redeem those points for rewards.
For every dollar you spend on Sephora merchandise at its online or physical stores, you’ll receive points. Sephora has three tiers: Insiders, VIB and Rouge. (VIB stands for Very Important Beauty Insider.)
All three tiers get the same point for a dollar spent, but if you’re a VIB or Rouge member, you’ll get steeper discounts and less of a minimum or no minimum to receive free shipping on online orders. To be a VIB, you must spend $350 on Sephora products in a calendar year, and a Rouge member must spend $1,000 in a calendar year.
Starbucks
Starbucks regulars can create an account on the website, app or in the store. With each purchase, you collect “stars.”
You’ll collect one star for every dollar you spend, two stars for every dollar if you use the Starbucks’ digital app, and three stars for every dollar if you use a Starbucks credit card.
You can redeem stars for rewards, such as free drinks and food. There are also “double star days” during which you can earn twice the stars on almost anything in the store.
Target
If you sign up for the Target Circle rewards program, you’ll get 1% cash back to redeem later. You’ll also get 5% off purchases for your birthday as well as discounts specifically for members.
If you get the Target RedCard credit card, you’ll save 5% on purchases.
Walgreens
With the myWalgreens rewards program, you’ll get 1% back in Walgreens Cash, including when you pay for prescriptions. And if you buy Walgreens-branded products, you will receive 5% Walgreens cash back. Either way, as you accumulate cash back, you can redeem it at checkout and see a lower bill.
There are some other perks, too: If you’re picking up a purchase from Walgreens with curbside service, it will be ready for you within 30 minutes if you’re a myWalgreens member.
Wendy’s
With this program, you earn 10 points for every dollar you spend at Wendy’s. If you’re a regular, it may work out well. For instance, 150 points (earned after spending $15) will net you a small Frosty or an order of four chicken nuggets. When you hit 450 points (after spending $45), you’ll get a Dave’s Single.
You can join by downloading the Wendy’s app or creating a MyWendy’s account online at the Wendy’s website.
15 rewards and loyalty programs worth joining:
— BestBuy.
— Burger King.
— CVS.
— Gamestop.
— JCPenney.
— Kohl’s.
— McDonald’s.
— Petco.
— Pizza Hut.
— REI.
— Sephora.
— Starbucks.
— Target.
— Walgreens.
— Wendy’s.
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15 Retail Rewards and Loyalty Programs Worth Joining originally appeared on usnews.com
Update 06/15/22: This story was previously published at an earlier date and has been updated with new information.
