Loyalty/rewards/points cards

[Miss Chicken]

Do you bother with them? If you do, with what retailers etc?

Myself, I use a card when I am buying groceries though I have only traded my points in once (for a gift card). I also use the loyalty card at the cinema because I get a $9 ticket every 5th visit and a free ticket every 10th visit. I also have a card from one clothing store and ever so often I get a $5 discount voucher from them.

 

[Mr. Laser Beam]

I use the loyalty card from my store (Kroger), but mainly because I get my employee discount that way. If I didn't have that, I wouldn't bother.

Also I have my airline frequent flier program, though I don't use it for free trips. I did use the miles to buy a yearly membership to the United Club though.

I also have a reward program to Marriott hotels. I get some perks that way (such as free Internet in hotels that normally don't offer it). Plus I earn air miles that way too.

 

[Starbreaker]

I have one to the local Mapco convenience stores. I get 3 cents off per gallon and can get free drinks and Little Debbies.

Also have one I use for Red Robin. Every so often I get a free appetizer or something. I like eating there because it's quiet.

 

[RoJoHen]

There are some places that I wish I had rewards cards for, but I don't.

I get coupons for Kohls every month. I peel the thing back and either get 15, 20, or 30% off. Kohls has learned that I only use the 30% off. If I get the 15 or 20, I throw it away. They have stopped sending me anything other than 30% off.

 

[Admiral_Young]

I have point cards for two supermarket stores that I frequent...and I occasionally use my Scene card at the theater which gives free movies when you reach a certain amount of points. Those are the only three that I really use.

 

[propita]

Loyalty cards: I have the Vons/Safeway card. Sticking to what's on sale, I usually save quite a bit. I bought $50 of stuff for $25 by sticking to items on regular sales and specials as a "Vons Club" member. Would I buy the stuff anyway? Sometimes, but we eat what's on sale. Oh, and they have points that will reduce the price of gas (accruing 10 cents/gallon)--when we use my in-law's points, we've dropped the price 50 cents or more. They don't use them as they won't drive to the only store in the area that has the gas station. We prefer that store--it's nicer than the closer one.

Rewards cards: Unocal gives the cash price for their card. That's about a dime a gallon. Amex Optima gives points which we exchange for gift cards. USAA gives money back at the end of the year, like Costco does.

We don't have cards with annual dues, aside from the Costco membership that is, and we pay in full each month.

 

[Amaris]

I use a Kroger card for groceries and gas. That's about it.

 

[Captain Ice]

I use the Kroger and Basha's cards for special prices and gasoline savings. Like today, when I got to the register, had I bought all the stuff I had at regular prices, I would have spent $25 more. My mechanic does a "buy 4, get the 5th free" oil change service. I participate in a frequent flier program, but doubt that will yield anything anytime soon.

While the movie theater I go to most here doesn't have a rewards card, I like what they do a lot better than a rewards card. At Harkins' Theaters, at the beginning of the year you buy a refillable plastic cup and a t-shirt for $30. The cup and t-shirt entitle you to free popcorn at every movie you go to and $1 refills for the cup for a year. Somewhere around the third or fourth movie you go to in that year, the cup and shirt have paid for themselves. But, the best part of this program is that the proceeds from the sale of the shirts ($25 of the $30 spent) go to the local children's hospital or another charity.

 

[Amaris]

I use the Kroger and Basha's cards for special prices and gasoline savings. Like today, when I got to the register, had I bought all the stuff I had at regular prices, I would have spent $25 more. My mechanic does a "buy 4, get the 5th free" oil change service. I participate in a frequent flier program, but doubt that will yield anything anytime soon.

While the movie theater I go to most here doesn't have a rewards card, I like what they do a lot better than a rewards card. At Harkins' Theaters, at the beginning of the year you buy a refillable plastic cup and a t-shirt for $30. The cup and t-shirt entitle you to free popcorn at every movie you go to and $1 refills for the cup for a year. Somewhere around the third or fourth movie you go to in that year, the cup and shirt have paid for themselves. But, the best part of this program is that the proceeds from the sale of the shirts ($25 of the $30 spent) go to the local children's hospital or another charity.

That is cool! I wish Danbarry cinemas would do something like that. Then I'd find an excuse to go see more movies!

 

[JoeZhang]

I have a Holiday Inn credit card - I rack up about five free rooms a year by putting all my bug spending through it (and then paying the balance instantly so I don't pay any charges or interest).

 

[trekkiebaggio]

I have one for the cinema I go to. Should have got on ages ago really. It's come in handy though, I've seen a few free films because of it.

 

[lurok]

I'm averse to anything that gives anyone or any institution more information about myself than I wish to divulge, regardless of the 'benefits'. And yeah, I know I'm on the internet.

 

[Pingfah]

Absolutely, using my Tesco rewards card with my weekly shopping for the last 2 years I have accrued enough British Airways airmiles for 8 return flights to Europe from the UK.

 

[Tora Ziyal]

I use a Giant Food card, which gives me discounts both there and at Shell (making it the cheapest gas in town instead of one of the most expensive).

I dislike them on principle, though. I don't like businesses having that much info about me -- it's bad enough on the internet! And I'm not convinced the discounts are real -- they seem to inflate the regular prices because they expect and want everyone to use the cards.

I have a few other cards, but I rarely use them.

 

[Gil T.Azell]

No
And I wish they'd quit asking at Wally World, Canadian Tire, etc, if I wanted a third credit card I'd ask you, so politely Fuck off. and thank you.

I haven't even used the points/rewards on the card I've had the longest.
As for Air miles you have to send so much to get 1 mile its not worth it.

 

[Shazam!]

Absolutely, using my Tesco rewards card with my weekly shopping for the last 2 years I have accrued enough British Airways airmiles for 8 return flights to Europe from the UK.

Yeah, I've loads of points on mine. I used a bunch to buy some Star Wars figures quite recently.

 

[pigletsgiblets]

I have a Kroger's,CVS,K-mart and Food City cards.

 

[OmahaStar]

all my bug spending through it

Do you buy a lot of insects?

And let's see ... I have rewards cards for two theater chains. Neither has my phone number or home address. The only contact information they have is an email address I have set aside for that purpose. (for companies that require an email address, that is, not just for those two chains) I then check it about once a month to see if there's anything interesting.

The other one is one for Bakers/Krogers/Dillons/Kwik Shop (can't they all just use the same name? It's the same store, c'mon people!). They do not have my name or address ... didn't ask for one when I got it, they just handed over a packet and asked me to fill out my info and bring it in the next time I come in. That was about a decade ago, and I never did. Sure, they know what I'm buying and getting discounts on, but they don't know who I actually am.

It also adds up quickly when they're running "points sales" ... Each dollar you spend is one point. For each 100 points you have, the next month, you get 10 cents off per gallon of gas. When they run one of their sales, like they're doing now, you can buy a gift card and get four times the points, and anything else is three times points. It brings the price of gas down to a reasonable amount.

 

[wissaboo]

I've got one for the grocery store and my debit card racks up points towards free movies.

I've got others stuck away but those are the only two I use. The other ones I shop at so rarely it isn't worth having them in my wallet.

 

[Holdfast]

Absolutely, using my Tesco rewards card with my weekly shopping for the last 2 years I have accrued enough British Airways airmiles for 8 return flights to Europe from the UK.

Yeah, I've loads of points on mine. I used a bunch to buy some Star Wars figures quite recently.

Yep, lots of Airmiles/Avios points here too from the shared Tesco/Shell/Lloyds/Southern Electric collecting scheme through their various loyalty schemes. Definitely worth it, considering I would use all those institutions anyway. I usually collect enough points for free flights to somewhere sunny in the southern hemisphere most winters. I haven't used them for a couple of years though, so it'll be free business class flights next time.

I also get a few extra discounts elsewhere due to purchase regularity, but those are unofficial arrangements.