Almost every store in South Africa has a loyalty program/rewards card for their consumers but the question is, do we really need them all?
No, you don’t.
Be selective. Become a smart shopper and read the fine print. Don’t just sign up for every loyalty program you come across.
I absolutely love the loyalty programs I’ve signed up with because I get rewarded often for supporting the brand and purchasing from their stores. Recently, I ended up using the points on my Dis-Chem benefit card to get nappies and formula for FREE!
With many rewards programs you either:
- Have to be patient to accumulate points which you can use to shop at a later stage.
- Get an immediate discount at the till with selected products.
How would I know which is the best rewards program for my family?
Think about the top 3 stores you shop at regularly and look at their rewards program benefits. You should consider registering to a rewards program that gives you points every time you shop for groceries, toiletries/baby items, fuel or clothes.
The Best Rewards Programs based on value:
I compiled this list (no specific order) based on perks of the rewards card and how quickly you would be able to reap the benefits of owning one of these cards.
1. MomSays Rewards
MomSays will be launching a rewards program for moms in South Africa mid-year. Want to work with the best baby brands, get invited to exclusive events and get baby products for free? Sign up here.
2. Clicks ClubCard
Clicks definitely have one of the best loyalty programs in South Africa.
Every time you swipe your ClubCard when you shop in-store or online, you earn points. For every R5 spent at Clicks, Claire’s or The Body Shop you earn 1 point.
The BabyClub benefit is for members who are pregnant or have children up to the age of 36 months.
Some Benefits of the Clicks ClubCard:
• Earn Double Points 365 days a year on selected baby products* and selected Clinic services** for babies.
• Cashback can be used for purchases in a Clicks, Claire’s or The Body Shop stores.
• PaedIQ website access with expert advice from Paediatricians.
• Vaccination reminder service.
• Free baby clinic services at Clicks Helping Hand clinics for those moms whose babies were born in state hospitals without medical aid.
You can also earn points on your Clubcard by swiping it at any of their partner stores like Musica, Shell service stations, Sorbet, Courtyard, City Lodge and Town Lodge hotels, Netflorist, Nu Metro etc. Find out more here.
I ended up purchasing a Christmas gift for a family member in December using my points!
3. Dis-Chem Benefit card
With Dis-Chem, you can earn Loyalty Points on qualifying purchases every time you swipe your card in-store or online.
Some Benefits of the Dis-Chem Benefit card:
• You can redeem your Loyalty Points against your purchase at any time.
• If you have Discovery medical aid, you can get cashback on certain purchases.
• The Dis-Chem baby program which allows you to receive a FREE nappy bag. Find out more info here.
You can also earn points on your benefit card by swiping it at any Total service station. Find out more here.
Dis-Chem also has a school bursary rewards program, read more about it here.
4. Your Medical aid
Your medical aid most probably has a rewards program. The best perks I’ve found is with Discovery’s Vitality card.
The benefits of the Vitality Rewards card:
• You can save up to 100% savings on your monthly gym fees by achieving your weekly Vitality Active Rewards goals.
• You can get up to R1 000 cash back per family per month for buying Healthy Food at Pick n Pay or Woolworths.
• You can get up to R2 000 back per family per month for buying personal care items at Clicks or Dis-Chem and fitness gear at Sportsmans Warehouse or Totalsports.
• You can earn weekly rewards like coffees, smoothies, and popcorn for achieving your Vitality Active Rewards fitness goals. Plus, activate a booster benefit to enjoy cash back on a new pair of running shoes, a heart rate fitness device or a bike.
• Half price movies at Ster-Kinekor PLUS kids watch for FREE before 7 pm, on completion of a Kids Vitality Health Review.
• Up to 35% savings on flights, holiday accommodation, and car rental. Plus, save up to 100% on two local kulula.com flight bookings (base fare) per year.
5. Your Bank
Your bank most probably has a rewards program too. The popular ones are UCount/EBucks which has done extremely well mainly because their benefits are worth it.
I shop at Makro often for FREE because of my UCount points.
Some benefits of UCount:
• You can redeem your points for fuel at any participating Caltex. All you need is your UCount Rewards card and your PIN.
• You can redeem your points conveniently in-store or online at Standard Bank Rewards Retailers using your activated UCount Rewards card and PIN.
• You are sure to find a great deal at the UCount Rewards Travel Mall when it comes to flights, accommodation etc.!
• From kitchen appliances and electronics to spa treatments, airtime or magazine subscriptions, you’ll get it all at the Online Mall!
EBucks offers very similar benefits to UCount, find out more here. I redeemed my EBucks last year during Black Friday.
6. Pick n Pay Smart Shopper
The only downfall with the PNP smart shopper card is it takes you a very long time to accumulate points however they do give you opportunities to double your points and get an instant 10% discount on selected products.
Some benefits of the Pick n Pay rewards card:
• Get 10% discount on selected products.
• Double your points during promotions.
• Once you have accumulated points, you can use it to shop at Pick n Pay.
7. Woolworths/MySchool card
Woolworths rewards program is more valuable to me than the Pick n Pay one mainly because of their daily deals and weekly vouchers.
Some benefits of the Woolworths rewards card:
• You get 10% instantly on selected items.
• If you shop after 2pm, you can save up to 30% on the meat, chicken etc. in their daily specials section.
• You get weekly vouchers with gives you an opportunity to save on your favourite items or score something for free! I once received 2 reusable shopping bags for FREE because of this perk.
8. Edgars Thank U card
You’ll earn points every time you use your thank U card on items from the latest fashion brands, cosmetics, stationery, fabulous kids wear to home décor!
Some Benefits of the Edgar’s Rewards card:
• You can earn 10 points for every R1 spent, when swiping your thank U account card at any of their partners which includes Engen Quickshop, Dream nails, Greyhound, Mangwanani Spa, NHC Medical and Dental centre, Placecol, and Mango airlines.
• You can also earn 150 points for every litre of fuel when filling up at Engen Quickshop Sites.
• You can redeem your points at any Edgars or partner store like Boardmans.
9. Spar Rewards
With SPAR Rewards you get an instant rand value off at the end of your purchase and you can also redeem your points at the store.
10. Cotton On
Cotton On & Co. Perks members can enjoy earning perks across seven brands – Cotton On, Cotton On Body, Cotton On Kids, Rubi, Typo, Supré and Factorie.
Some benefits of the Cotton On rewards card:
• Exclusive Preview event invitations.
• Presents on special occasions.
• R100 Payday vouchers you can earn for every R1000 spent in-store or online across any of their brands.
11. Snap and save rewards app
Snap and Save isn’t a rewards card but it is a rewards app that gives you cashback on promotional items! If you are going to buy the product anyway, why not earn something on it? Sign up here and use the promo code Shanv315 to start earning.
12. Wuhu deals rewards site
Wuhu is a mobile coupon and rewards site where you can get up to 40% off your monthly shop or get the value back in real-time rewards. Find out more here.
