by PointsGuru | Mar 18, 2015 | Points
Plenti is a new rewards program that will bring in several big brands together to earn and redeem points. This will be a game-changer for American Retail because you will be able to earn points across a variety of merchants. Macy’s, Rite Aid, ExxonMobile, Nationwide Insurance, AT&T and several other brands have all come together to be apart of the first U.S. based coalition loyalty program of its kind with American Express.
There’s no need to use an AMEX card to participate in the rewards program although you can get a bonus of 2,500 points if you sign up for the official card of the program. They are most likely using the same model as used in other countries with Payback rewards program. The program will launch this May and unfortunately there’s no way to sign up yet. I am curious how this will change Macy’s Star Rewards program if any.
UPDATE: The Plenti loyalty program from American Express is now open for enrollment. Head over to plenti.com to sign up.
Participating in the program with Plenti so far I am most excited about is Nationwide Insurance. Imagine earning points for paying huge homeowner’s and auto insurance bills. Earn 1 point per $1 spent of your monthly phone bill at AT&T is one example. Other partners they have signed up include Hulu and Direct Energy.
Earning Plenti points will not be in place of earning a 5x category bonus with say a Chase Freedom or a Discover IT. You can basically have your cake and eat it too with these stackable points say at an Exxon station or AT&T with cards such as the Chase Ink Card.
The benefit for the customer of course will be the ability to earn rewards more quickly and to have far more flexibility in redeeming them. One study has found that the average American is a member of 29 loyalty programs but only uses 8 actively.
The coalition also plans to double or even triple the number of members in the coming years by adding a national restaurant chain, a grocer and a do-it-yourself retailer possibly Home Depot or Lowe’s. It would be great to see them partner with an Airline or Hotel Chain on top of these! Competitors to the partners listed such as Nordstroms, J.C. Penney or CVS, or a major competitor will not be added to the group.
Every 1,000 points will yield at least $10 in savings, and members will get additional special offers. People can use whatever debit or credit card they choose when the program launches. Keep your eyes open for the launch of a new AMEX Plenti branded credit card that will offer additional rewards and benefits.
by PointsGuru | Mar 14, 2015 | Points
In the past few years retailers have been offering incentives to fill prescriptions at their pharmacies instead of the competition. It has been heating up dramatically especially with CVS and Walgreens the two major pharmacies.
When you fill prescriptions each month why not get some benefit from the pharmacy you choose to fill it at? You’re getting the same prescription regardless of which pharmacy fills it. But who has the best pharmacy rewards program? We shall take a look deeper into CVS, Walgreens, and big retailers such as Target.
CVS ExtraCare Rewards.
For the pharmacy benefits of ExtraCare Rewards every time you fill a prescription, you get 1 credit. If you fill a 90-day online prescription, you get 3 credits. When you have 10 credits, you get $5 ExtraBucks Rewards that can be redeemed at CVS. You need to fill 10 prescriptions to earn $5 ExtraBucks.
Additional ways to earn credits:
1 credit each time you get a flu shot or vaccination from a CVS pharmacist which you can get yearly
3 credits when you add prescription management to your CVS.com account
1 credit when you sign up for Refill Reminder emails in the Online Prescription Center
1 credit when you sign up for prescription text alerts in the Online Prescription Center
Walgreens Balance Rewards.
Balance Rewards provides you with 500 points each time you fill a prescription. You can start redeeming points for actual rewards once you reach 5,000 points. 5,000 points can be redeemed for $5 that can be spent at Walgreen’s. Walgreens rewards 500 points for each flu shot or immunization yearly like its rival CVS.
Most do not know that if you save your points you can get a better point to dollar redemption ratio.
10,000 points – $10
18,000 points – $20
30,000 points – $35
40,000 points – $50
Target’s reward program is very straightforward: fill five prescriptions, get a certificate for 5% off a day of shopping. The certificate comes in the mail and can be used on as many purchases as you want, as long as it’s within the same day. That means they can be used on as many transactions as you want. When you get your 5% off certificate it then comes with a coupon code that can be used online as well. This amounts to a full day of saving 5%. The 5% savings can be stacked with the standard 5% you save when you use your Target REDcard. Target has had double months where you get 2 credits for each Rx filled which is another benefit. Other rewards programs you may try are Kroger and your local grocery store may offer an RX Program.
Bottom Line
While Target Pharmacy Rewards has no cap on your savings CVS seems to give more discounts in their ExtraCare Rewards program in general. You will get emails for random $2 off Bonus Bucks or 20% off all purchases that day. Although you only have to spend $50 at Target with your 5% off certificate to match the savings you’d receive at CVS or Walgreens. While CVS would normally be more expensive than Target I think I would go with a 20% than a 5% off. You also need to consider how much time you will spend in the drive-thru at CVS and Walgreens as I know the one near me takes forever. I like to get everything shipped to me and still reap the rewards benefits. Which one of these benefits you the most? Comment below if we need to add a pharmacy.
by PointsGuru | Feb 14, 2015 | Points
Swagbucks, the popular online rewards site has a new card with a sign-up bonus and you know we are always looking for those over $50. If you aren’t familiar with how Swagbucks work you can read about it here.
You’ll receive 1,000 Swag Bucks points just for using your card within the first 3 billing cycles after your account is opened, which is good for a $10 gift card to a variety of merchants including Whole Foods and Amazon. You can then earn 2,500 points when you spend $1,000 within the first 6 billing cycles after account opening, which is redeemable for another $25 worth of gift cards.
This new rewards card also offers 1.25 Swag Bucks points per $1 on all of your purchases. So after you meet all the minimum spending of $1,000, you get a total of 4,750 points from bonuses and spending. This gives you enough for 10 Amazon cards at $5 each totaling $50. You would have 250 remaining Swag Bucks leftover.
$1,000 minimum spending requirement = 4,750 or more Swag Bucks points
The Bucks add up to a $50 Gift Card and points left over:
1,000 first purchase bonus points
2,500 bonus points after $1,000 in purchases
1,250 points from the actual $1,000 in purchases (1.25x points per $1).
by PointsGuru | Jan 29, 2015 | Points, US Bank
U.S. Bank has introduced 2 new American Express FlexPerks cards that offer up to 20,000 bonus FlexPerks. In the past the bank offered only a Visa version of the card but now you can get the American Express version. We like this version better mainly because of AMEX Twitter offers where you can save $50 right now from booking a Hilton Hotel or discounts at places such as NewEgg.
The U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Travel Rewards American Express® Card has a $49 annual fee that is waived for the first year with 20,000 bonus points after $3,500 in purchases within the first 4 months. You’ll also receive 3,500 bonus FlexPoints each card member year when you spend $24,000 in net purchases, which can be redeemed for your annual fee or toward other rewards of your choice. You’ll earn 2 FlexPoints per $1 spent at restaurants and on fast food as well as on most cell phone expenses. You’ll also earn 2 FlexPoints per $1 spent on gas, groceries, OR airfare, whichever you spend the most on each monthly billing cycle.
Donate to charity and you can get 3 FlexPoints per $1 spent. Another benefit of this card is that it provides reimbursement for up to $25 per air travel award ticket toward baggage fees or in-flight food and drinks. You can even earn frequent flyer miles on the airline you fly for your award travel flights.
The U.S. Bank FlexPerks® Select+ American Express® Card is the no annual fee version with 10,000 bonus points after $1,000 in purchases within the first 4 months. With this card you will earn 1 FlexPoint per $1 in purchases and there are no limits on points. This card comes with Smart Chip Technology to give better security and convenience on spending worldwide.
Existing and previous FlexPerks Select+ accounts do not qualify for bonus FlexPoints for a similar account type so make sure you choose which one you want right the first time! Although if you own a business or a work-at-home mom you might consider applying for a Business Credit Card in 4 months or so after you get approved for this card and score more points. You can double up and earn business and personal at once.
You can redeem the FlexPoints that you earn with your FlexPerks card for airline tickets, statement credits, gift cards, and merchandise rewards. 10,000 bonus FlexPoints for a $100 statement credit or your 20,000 bonus FlexPoints for a $200 statement credit toward any purchase that you make on the card.
Redeem FlexPoints for award travel, which starts at 20,000 FlexPoints for up to a $400 ticket value on over 150 airlines with no blackout dates or redemption fees. You just need 5,000 points to start redeeming for gift cards.
