PLAYING YOUR CARDS RIGHT

Here's how to get the most out of loyalty cards.

- SYLVIA WALKER

South Africans have more than 100 loyalty programmes to choose from, and 76% of us use at least one. We prefer cashback rewards.

‘Wealthier consumers belong to 9.4 programmes on average,’ says Amanda Cromhout, the founder and CEO of Truth. ‘And they’re using loyalty programmes where it counts: to save money on day-to-day living expenses like fuel and groceries.’

As consumers, we’ve come to expect to be rewarded when we shell out our hard-earned cash. Technology makes it easier to earn and spend loyalty rewards, and companies are able to track how you spend money, giving you personalised experiences that they reward accordingly. This influences where we shop.

The numbers tell the story. Clicks ClubCard members spend an average of 85% more than non-members, according to Dr Melanie van Rooy, head of Clicks Marketing. More than 80% of sales are contributed by ClubCard members. ‘ClubCard is also one of the most generous loyaltyprogrammes,’ she says. ‘In the past year alone, it put more than R713 million in cashback rewards into the pockets of consumers.’

Zamabomvu Ngubane, the head of FNB eBucks Rewards, agrees: ‘Air tickets that were fully paid in eBucks grew by 23% per year, and Slow Lounge visits have increased by 16% per year over the past few years.’

SAVINGS ON GROCERIES

Checkers and Shoprite Xtra Savings, Pick n Pay Smart Shopper and Woolworths WRewards are the most popular grocery loyalty programmes, with SPAR Rewards following closely behind, according to the Truth and BrandMapp 2023/4 Loyalty Whitepaper. These programmes are all free and provide discounts or cashback points that can be redeemed with the retailer or its partners in the loyalty scheme.

Xtra Savings and WRewards provide members with instant discounts in-store and online. WRewards also offers additional discounts if shoppers pay with a Woolworths credit or store card, as well as ad-hoc vouchers and a weekly prize of R50000.