Get your loyalty cards ready.... The giant British retailer, Tesco, who runs the leading loyalty card in Europe, just doubled their points program!  Coming to a store near you soon!

Tesco steps up supermarket war by doubling loyalty card points

By Sean Poulter

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1206564/Tesco-steps-supermarket-war-doubling-loyalty-card-points.html#

Last updated at 6:31 PM on 14th August 2009

Tesco has doubled the loyalty card rewards on its Clubcard in a bid to grab customers as it opens a new front in the supermarket wars.

Sales growth at Britain's biggest retailer has been outpaced by its rivals at Sainsbury's, Asda and Morrisons in the past year.

It is now spending millions of pounds to reverse this trend by doubling the rewards offered to every shopper using its ClubCard.

Supermarket war: Tesco has doubled the rewards offered to shoppers

Industry watchers said the deal could offer significant savings on rewards purchased with loyalty card points, such as days out at theme parks..

From Monday, card holders will get two points for every £1 they spend across the store and online.

A family spending £90 a week at Tesco between now and Christmas could now earn £34 in Clubcard vouchers instead of £17.

Vouchers can then be spent in store or online or exchanged for up to four times this face value figure - a potential maximum benefit of £136.

Under the Tesco scheme, £34 in Clubcard vouchers would be enough to buy a return flight to Paris.

There are currently over 15million active Clubcard members. Some 13million of these are due to receive money-off  vouchers in their August statement.

The MoneySavingExpert.com website said there are a number of loopholes with the Tesco Clubcard which shoppers can take advantage of to boost the value of the rewards.

Rewards: Tesco is offering Clubcard savings in a bid to outpace its rivals

Site founder Martin Lewis said: 'Tesco is really aiming to drive new custom through its loyalty cards.

'The Clubcard system has loopholes which mean that people who play the system correctly can get some serious rewards.'

He added: 'The real key is not to redeem points in store, where 500 points are worth £5. Instead use them on deals from the Tesco Rewards Brochure, where their value is quadrupled to £20.'

The brochure includes treats like days out at Alton Towers, magazine subscriptions and RAC membership.

He said it is possible to play the Tesco system. Recently, an £8 bottle of aftershave had 500 bonus points, convertible into £20 of rewards vouchers.

That means buying the product could net £12 profit even if you don't like the aftershave.

Mr Lewis said Tesco also offers a number of 'double-up' vouchers in stores to double the face value of the rewards given out under the scheme.

'Here, if you select specific goods such as wine or cosmetics, you can swap a normal £5 in-store voucher for a £10 one to use on these products,' he said.

Carolyn Bradley, Tesco's UK Marketing Director said:  'Clubcard is our unique way of rewarding customers for their loyalty and our latest research tells us that it is more important to them than ever before. As the rewards just got even bigger with Double Points we expect more customers will see the no catch money saving advantages of Clubcard and sign up.'

'The UK’s biggest and best loyalty scheme just got even better for customers who stand to double their rewards simply by continuing to shop at Tesco. No other supermarket offers customers the low prices and great promotions they want as well as a big thank you for shopping.'

"Just when the sluggish economy made us start clipping coupons again coupons can now be selected online and linked to shopper discount cards!  Read on.

A&P Shoppers Can Digitally Link Savings to Loyalty Card

A&P Shoppers Can Digitally Link Savings to Loyalty Card

Aug 7, 2009 6:00 AM

Safeway online coupon program coming to all stores

Retail Customer Experience Magazine reports

by James Bickers * • 14 Jul 2009

Drug Store News reports that Safeway is expanding its couponLink program, an interesting and innovative take on online coupons.

Shoppers visit the Safeway Web site to browse available coupon offers. After selecting the ones they want, they can then transfer them to their loyalty card; at checkout, the POS recognizes and automatically applies all eligible coupons on the card.

"This takes the hassle out of shopping with coupons," stated Mike Minasi, Safeway president of marketing. "There is no paging through newspapers and no clipping and carrying coupons. Customers don’t even have to remember to bring coupons with them to the store."

The system is powered by Shortcuts.com, which is owned by AOL and also provides online coupons to Kroger, Smith's and a number of regional grocers.

Coupons have been a source of concern and frustration for some time, with fraud easier to commit than ever thanks to easy-to-use image manipulation tools and inexpensive, high-quality printers. In a now-famous incident, Purina issued 250 coupons in 2008 for free dog food; within a few months that coupon was redeemed 2,500 times.

Safeway joins a growing number of retailers that are subverting fraudsters by literally taking the coupon out of the couponing process.

Author and Professional Organizer Monica Ricci reviews the Keyfobber on her professional Blog!   Check out what she has to say.  

Monday, June 15, 2009

The Check-Out Line: Keyfobber

Welcome to The Check-Out Line, where I review products (and services) that are designed to make your life easier. I give you my opinion and my opinion only. You decide for yourself. You can see my past product reviews. This week, I'm reviewing the Keyfobber...

Everyone likes to save money, and some retailers (ok, a LOT of 'em) offer you the opportunity to get coupons, save at the checkout, and accrue points by enrolling in their loyalty programs. Typically the process involves forking over a little bit of personal information and in exchange you get a little barcoded key tag that you keep on your keyring so it's always handy when you're shopping. Cool, right? Sure, it makes sense.

Until you collect so many of the key tags that your keys start looking like a sea urchin and the tags begin getting in the way of accessing the keys. Mmmm... not so good.

Purpose: The simple little Keyfobber corrals all your pesky key tags and locks them up tight until you need one. Makes your keyring a lot less bulky and unwieldy. I love the word UNWIELDY.

Pros:  First, your key tags are transformed from a bunch of "loose ends" into a single unit that hangs from your key ring. Second, it's easy to access the tag you want when you need it at the checkout counter. 

Cons: I can't think of any at this time. If I do, I'll be sure to make an addendum here, but I can't imagine what it would be. It's a simple solution to an aggravating issue, so what's not to love about that?

Suggested Retail:  $3.99!  Seriously. Four bucks! They come in black, pink or grey and there are a few specialty designs for a little more.

Value: I think it's a GREAT value. I've been using mine for quite a while (I have NINE key tags) and everyone remarks about it when they see it. Just this week, the lady at my mechanic shop asked me where she could get one. Als0, as a personal aside, I totally dig that they're made in America.   :)

Where to Buy: You can buy directly from the Keyfobber website.
Overall Score Out of Five Stars: 

 

Balancing Discount Cards - Find Out Which Retailers' Customer Loyalty Programs Offer the Most in Return

April 6, 2009 —

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=7263778&page=1


Retailers advertise store loyalty cards as a great way to save, but just how effective and efficient are these key-chain staples?

ShopSmart magazine editor in chief Lisa Lee Freeman dropped by "Good Morning America" to uncover the secrets to getting the most for your money with the club cards. Check out her tips below.

Grocery Stores

Supermarkets are known for their circulars filled with discount coupons, but customers should check out shortcuts.com before they go food shopping.

It lets you download electronic coupons right onto your grocery loyalty or frequent shopper savings card. There are no paper coupons to clip and it's free.

You can look at what items are being discounted and plan your meals around them. You also can stock up on some things that are on sale. And coupons you don't use stay on your card and you can use them any time until they expire.

Out of all the grocery store chains the best discount card comes from Kroger.

Most supermarket cards offer the same things, which are discounts on in-store items and coupons on the receipts when you're checking out. But the Kroger Plus Card also gives you discounts on gas at affiliated gas stations.

For every $100 you spend you save 10 cents a gallon on gas. One thing ShopSmart magazine thinks is really great is that the Kroger card will alert you to recalled items it sees that you've purchased.

Also, you should remember that wherever you shop, you should always go to that supermarket's Web site to see what's on sale and check out the circulars.

Drugstores

One of the most expensive necessities today are prescription drugs, but there are two big drugstore chains where customers can save the most money on them.

Yes, with CVS Extra Care customers get a 2 percent rebate on every in-store and online purchase and $1 for every two prescriptions filled.

They also get discounts on items featured in weekly circulars and there are kiosks in some of the stores now where customers can get coupons before they shop.

With The Rite Aid RX Savings Card you get generics for $9 for 30-day supplies and $15.99 for 90 days. You also save 20 percent on other name brand and generic prescription medications and save 10 percent on Rite Aid brand products every day.

Of all the cards ShopSmart magazine looked at, these are really the most valuable because you don't have to spend a lot to get a lot.

Office Supply Stores

Both Office Depot and Staples have very similar programs. You get a 10 percent rebate on ink, toner and paper and design, print and shipping services. This can be really helpful if you need to run off a lot of resumes or you're starting a business at home.

And at Office Depot you get 1 percent back on all other items -- that is everything else you buy as well.

Pet Stores

You still have to feed Fido, even when times are rough. At PETCO you get a free bag of food for every 10 bags of natural or premium food you buy. You also get one free grooming, bath or wash for every eight you buy within a 12-month period.

Movies

With AMC with MovieWatcher you earn two points for every movie ticket you buy; redeem 10 points for a small popcorn or 30 points for a free movie ticket.

Yes, loyalty cards save you money

The Daily Dispatch, June 26, 2008

By Stephanie Nelson Coupon Mom

Even though supermarket and drugstore loyalty cards have been around for years, I’m amazed at the number of times journalists ask me whether it’s really worth using them. I always tell reporters that I believe loyalty cards offer far more benefits than privacy risks to shoppers. First, I’ve never quite understood the privacy concern regarding loyalty cards. Supermarkets do not share their databases with other parties without permission. Shoppers concerned about this tell me that they don’t like the idea of “big brother” paying attention to what they are buying. Since we all buy our groceries in public, in plain view of other shoppers and store employees, this makes no sense to me at all.

Rather than debate the privacy-risk issue, I sat down and made a list of all the ways my store’s loyalty card has helped me save money and time over the past few weeks.

It’s easy to remember my card because I moved from the credit card-sized card to the keychain card a few months ago. I will never forget to bring my card as long as I have it on my key chain, because I never walk the two miles to my grocery store!

Some of the easy savings I’ve realized with my loyalty cards in the past month include:

— Automatic sale prices and bonus coupon values. Without a loyalty card, the store would charge me full price and my grocery coupons would not be doubled. If I were opposed to using a loyalty card, then I should shop at a store that does not have a loyalty card. Otherwise, the additional cost of paying full price for everything would be a hardship on our grocery budget.

— Customized coupons generated by the cash register. Because the loyalty card data tracks what I’ve purchased, the system can generate coupons that I would be very likely to use. I purchased a two-liter bottle of diet lemonade, so the register generated a coupon for a free two-liter bottle of Diet 7-Up (value $1.59). I used that coupon on my next visit, and the register generated a coupon for a free two-liter bottle of Diet Sunkist soda (value $1.39). I used that coupon the following week and received another coupon for a free two-liter bottle of Diet 7-Up. Free items are good for my budget.

— Loyalty-card member coupon mailings. Every month, I get a spring in my step when my store’s coupon mailing arrives. It has several coupons for items I use because it is based on my loyalty card data. I average $25 of additional savings each month with these coupons on items I would be purchasing already. That’s free money!

— Electronic coupons. Many grocery-store chains are adding electronic coupons to their Web sites. You sign up for the program on their Web site, select coupon offers and then have your selections downloaded to your store loyalty card. When you purchase the product the coupon value is automatically deducted from your total. In past columns, I’ve written about Kroger and Procter & Gamble’s eSaver electronic coupon. Kroger now has more electronic coupons available through their Shortcuts.com program from AOL.com and eCoupons from Unilever. Watch for these programs to expand to other store chains over the year. You can go to www.Kroger.com or www.ShortCuts.com to sign up.

— Automatic promotions. Last week, I took advantage of a loyalty card promotion that gave me a free carton of Edy’s ice cream (value $3.99 that week) when I purchased two DiGiorno frozen pizzas. The pizzas were on sale and had coupons available from the Sunday newspaper, so I would have purchased them based on those savings alone. The free ice cream sweetened the deal, but only if I had a loyalty card.

Stephanie Nelson shares her savings tips as a regular contributor on ABC News’ “Good Morning America.” You can find more of her savings tips in her book  “The Greatest Secrets of the Coupon Mom” and on her Web site at www.couponmom.com. She can be reached at shoppingmom@unitedmedia.com.

Stores’ loyalty cards offer more savings online

Sunday, Jun. 22, 2008 3:00 am  by Lanita Withers – Savvy shopper

 

I call it my disloyalty ring: the circle on my keys so loaded with store "loyalty" cards it's laughable to think I only shop at one place. The retailer with the best deal on things that I need is usually the one that gets my dollars any given week.

But for me, it's still worth it to have the cards — 14 and counting — because at many stores, you can't take advantage of in-store sale prices and other promotions without them.

If you're looking for a better deal, take your cards online. Harris Teeter and Food Lion offer additional savings to folks who sign up for weekly e-mails or online programs.

Harris Teeter's eVIC program gives members a special sale offer when they scan their card at the register. You'll be alerted to the new weekly offer when it prints on the bottom of your receipt, or you can opt to receive a Wednesday e-mail touting the grocery's specials.

The offer is automatically loaded on the loyalty card of eVIC members. There's no need to clip anything.

A few weeks ago, the special offer was $2 off of the store's brand of premium orange juice. It happened to fall on a week when the juice was on sale for $2.50, which meant eVIC customers could grab a carton for 50 cents.

Food Lion offers in-store coupons for customers who sign up for the company's Shopping Companion, an e-mail that's sent out on Wednesdays highlighting the store's weekly sales. Usually included in the e-mail is a link to the Food Lion Web site, where you can print and clip store coupons for selected items.

Much like the eVIC promotions, Food Lion store coupons give savvy shoppers a chance to save more.

A few weeks ago, one of the Food Lion in-store coupons was for English muffins. Soon after, the store ran the muffins on sale. Combining the sale price with the coupon, a package of muffins ended up costing about 50 cents.

If you have a favorite store, it can be worth your time to check its Web site to see if it is offering coupons and special deals.

For instance, although Target doesn't have a loyalty card, you can find store coupons online at Target.com. Scroll to the bottom of the page and look under the "Target Stores" heading for Super Target coupons and specials.

Walgreens also doesn't have a store loyalty card, but the retailer sends out special store coupons every couple of weeks to those on their e-mail list.

Savvy Shoppers unite at the Bargain Blog at News-Record.com. Contact Lanita Withers at 373-7071 or e-mail lanita.withers@news-record.com

 

 

Reward cards are being used to notify grocery customers of food products on the FDA safety recall list that they may have purchased in their stores.

Costco, Wegmans and Price Chopper among others are notifying customers of possibly tainted purchases utilizing the purchase history linked to reward loyalty cards.  Read this "life saving" news how Keyfobber can help you get all the health hazard alerts available to you.


Center for Science in the Public Interest

For Immediate Release: February 3, 2009

Supermarkets Urged to Use Loyalty Card Info to Notify Consumers Who Purchased Recalled Products

Chains Have Obligation to Help Contain Outbreak, Says CSPI

WASHINGTON—Besides helping consumers save a little money on their grocery purchases, retail loyalty card programs help supermarket and drugstore chains assemble gigantic databases on the shopping preferences of their customers. The nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest is urging retailers that collect this kind of information to use it to notify consumers when they purchased tainted peanut-butter products or other items subject to a food safety recall.

Costco, which requires a membership, and Wegmans Food Markets and Price Chopper, which run bonus card programs, have all used their data to notify consumers who purchased recalled items. In fact, Costco made over 1.5 million automated phone calls and mailed even more letters to customers in the current recall alone. But most chains, including CVS, Food Lion and Safeway, that collect purchasing data do not notify their customers.

"Supermarkets enjoy using purchasing data for marketing purposes," said CSPI staff attorney Sarah Klein. "We're calling on supermarkets to also use that information to protect their customers' health by alerting them to identify and return tainted foods. Several major chains are already doing that, and every other chain should do the same."

In a letter to retailers that use bonus cards, CSPI said that the companies have a responsibility to assist their customers in returning contaminated foods. The current outbreak due to Salmonella-tainted peanut-butter products, which have killed eight and sickened well over 500 people, makes a compelling case for a bonus-card recall notification system, the group says. Peanut butter is an inexpensive ingredient used in thousands of products, and peanut butter's long shelf life means many such products might linger on supermarket shelves and in kitchen cupboards for many weeks or months. The Food and Drug Administration's list of recalled peanut products has grown to nearly 900.

"Peanut butter is obviously popular with children, including very young children who are particularly at risk of serious complications or death if they contract a foodborne Salmonella infection,"said Klein. "It would be outrageous if some of the deaths in this latest outbreak could have been prevented had a supermarket just used the phone numbers and addresses in its database to notify its customers."

Of those sickened in the current Salmonella outbreak, 20 percent are under age five and 50 percent are younger than 16. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 76 million people are hospitalized each year due to foodborne illnesses and 5,000 die.

"It's not enough just to take the tainted products off the supermarket shelf," Klein said. "Wherever possible, supermarkets should reach out to their customers and help get contaminated food products out of their homes."

For more information, contact:

Center for Science in the Public Interest
1875 Connecticut Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009

phone 202.332.9110
fax 202.265.4954

 

http://www.shortcuts.com/