Myles Illidge - MyBroadband

Checkers recently expanded its Xtra Savings rewards programme, letting customers pay R99.00 per month for additional benefits through Checkers Xtra Savings Plus.

It is the only major grocery retailer that offers a subscription programme. MyBroadband compared the Xtra Savings Plus offering to the base programme, Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper, WRewards, and Spar Rewards.

Checkers launched Xtra Savings Plus in September and highlighted several benefits, including unlimited Sixty60 grocery deliveries, extra in-store savings, and personalised deals.

However, there are some caveats. Checkers Xtra Savings Plus customers must spend at least R350 for their Sixty60 delivery fee to be waived, and the 10% discount in-store has a maximum of R200 in monthly savings.

Without the subscription, customers are charged a flat R35 delivery fee per order, excluding the driver’s tip.

Spar’s Rewards programme is the only one of the lot that doesn’t apply to its delivery app, Spar2U.

The benefits of each rewards programme are summarised in the table below, followed by additional details.

Checkers Xtra Savings and Xtra Savings Plus

Checker’s Xtra Savings programme lets cardholders access exclusive deals — or “Xtra Cash Savings” — on selected products.

Xtra Savings members can link their cards to the Checkers Sixty60 app to access these deals through online grocery deliveries.

It also generates customer-specific offers through the app based on frequently purchased products.

For R99 per month, cardholders can sign up for Checkers Xtra Savings Plus, which offers the following benefits:

• Unlimited free Sixty60 deliveries, provided they reach the minimum spend threshold of R350
• A 10% discount on in-store purchases up to a maximum of R200 in savings
• Double personalised offers in-app and in-store
• No long-term commitments, with subscribers able to pause or cancel their subscription at any time with a money-back guarantee

Pick n Pay Smart Shopper

Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper rewards members with discounts on various products, personalised deals on frequently bought products, and Smart Shopper points on purchases.

The rewards programme also applies to Pick n Pay’s delivery service asap!, allowing customers to accumulate points and receive discounts on purchases through the app.

Pick n Pay Smart Shopper cardholders can join clubs, including Cheers! (Wine Club), Hey, Brew (Coffee Club), Oh baby! (Baby club), and Im-paw-tant news (Pet Club) for additional deals on these products.

The retailer has partnered with several companies in South Africa, enabling cardholders to receive additional benefits, including:

• BP — earn 10 points per litre of duel and bonus points. Use R20 or more of your points towards fuel purchases.
• Tymebank — earn double points when you use your smartshopper card and pay with your Tymebank card at Pick n Pay.
• Netflorist — Earn 5x points on your order. Cardholders can switch R50 in points for a R200 NetFlorist voucher.
• Europcar — Earn up to 15,000 points with your car rental.
• Planet Fitness — earn 1,000 points for joining and 100 points per visit (max 20/month)
• Spur — Switch R40 in Smart Shopper points for R50 Spur gift voucher
• Ster-Kinekor — Switch R40 worth of Smart Shopper points for a Ster-Kinekor 2D ticket valued at over R84.
• Intercape — Switch R50 worth of Smart Shopper points for a R100 Intercape voucher.

WRewards

Woolworths’ WRewards programme lets cardholders save up to 10% at checkout on selected items, while those who pay with a Woolworths store card or credit card get an additional 5% saving.

Additional benefits include:

• The allocation of store vouchers, which Woolworths says it issues “from time to time”
• Prizes, including gift cards and cash.
• R50,000 is up for grabs each week of the year.

Store vouchers can also be used for discounts when making grocery and clothing purchases online through the Woolworths app.

The retailer also offers a VIP membership to customers who spend more than R30,000 a year at Woolworths.

“Get even more benefits when you spend R30 000 or more annually,” says Woolworths.

“Our VIP membership gets you a celebratory welcome voucher of R75 off R350 on your next shop, as well as a 10% off birthday voucher, first peek at launches and promos, exclusive invites to events, and surprise VIP-only offers.”

Spar Rewards

Spar notes that currently, its rewards programme doesn’t apply to its Spar2U delivery service and that only standard store promotions are available on the app.

The retailer also offers a virtual Spar Rewards Card, accessible through the “My Account” tab of the Spar SA app, for occasions customers find themselves at a store without their physical card.

Spar says deals through its rewards programme span from “discounts on groceries to exclusive deals on household items and special offers on popular brands”.