Best Buy's New Rewards Program...thoughts? (1 Viewer)

[Brian E]

The $10 fee is being used to pay for their new corporate campus in Richfield, MN.

It's certainly big enough. They paid mucho bucks to build that place.

 

[John Berggren]

My coupons indicate I'll get a $5 certificate for signing up. I intend to buy a $179 DVD player today, so I'll break even today. Sounds like a good gamble to me.

 

[DeborahK]

I got a free Zoner card last year and just received another free one in the mail. I am not a person who goes to Best Buy every week, yet I managed to earn 4 or 5 of the $5 coupons last year.

This weekend I am going to buy a Toshiba SD 3900 DVD player to replace a player that went belly-up on me last last weekend. Both Target and Best Buy list this player at $99, but Best Buy will get my business because I will earn points on the $99 I spend there. Seems like a no-brainer for both me and Best Buy.

Deborah

 

[Chazz_S]

I got $90 worth of coupons in the first year (trial year). And remember, the trial run ONLY applied to media purchases- dvds, cds, etc. Now it seems like anything you buy, you get points for.

And they just sent me another free year membership card since this program went 'national'.

I got $90 for shopping the way I normally do, and I didn't pay one red cent for it. Pretty much a no-brainer to me. Even if I had to pay, I would still renew. Seems like I'll be getting at least twice as many points this year with the new rules.

 

[Carlo_M]

$90 in the first year on media purchases only?!?!

Man thank goodness we aren't roommates. We'd be feeding each others' addiction so badly I would just have to sign over my paycheck to BB...

 

[Chazz_S]

Well I suppose that seems like a lot but you have to remember that this included video games which is $40/$50 a pop.

 

[Bruce_S]

It's just another way for retailers to keep track of their customers buying habits. Just like those of the groceries stores (Safeway, Albertsons, Vons, Ralphes, etc...) I got my RZ card last month for free and I don't see anything special since about the it. Usually, I can find better deals elsewhere.

-bruce

 

[DeborahK]

I had a free Zoner card last year and I got points for everything I bought, not just media.



Lots of times deals at retailers are very similar and in a market as competitive as the one I live in, this gives Best Buy and edge, I think. As I said above, if Target and Best Buy have the exact same price for an item I am buying (and they often do), I will go to Best Buy because I can use the card there. If Target or some other retailer has a better price than BB, then they get my business, obviously.

Deborah

 

[Dome Vongvises]

I've probably already said this before, but this deal works out sweet for me, well, at least the first year. Considering I'll be making some big purchases within the next few months, I'm easily passing the 375 barrier in the next two months.

 

[Scott Merryfield]

Please allow 6-8 weeks for delivery of Certificates. Certificates may be used in conjunction with other discounts or offers towards the purchase of products not to exceed purchase amount. Each Certificate must be redeemed within 90 days from the date it is issued.

Per these disclaimers, you actually only have about 30-45 days to redeem the coupons. You have 90 days to redeem "from the date it is issued", yet it takes 6-8 weeks for delivery of the coupons.

I've never been a fan of these types of programs, but I am not a big retail shopper, so I am not really part of their target market anyway.

 

[ShanonS]

I just wish I got this card before my son was born, with the wife not working, my purchases are going to slow down considerably. Plus we were on a buying frenzy with him on the way since we knew the income was going to be considerably reduced.

With that said, I got the card for free, and I probably average 3 purchases from BB per month, so it's a no-brainer for me. I don't let it influence my purchase decisions at only 4%. Now, if they raised it to 7-10%, they'd get a lot more of my business.

 

[Malcolm R]

"earn points on nearly every purchase"
"points on everything except certain products and services"

Has anyone figured out what, specifically, the exclusions are? I've looked over all the info they sent me and I can't seem to find anywhere that clearly spells out what items/services are excluded from the program.

 

[DeborahK]

Malcolm,

There is a phone number on the back of the card. Why don't you just call and ask them?

Deborah

 

[JustinCleveland]

Malcolm,

Gift cards are excluded. Makes sense, since you could (feasibly) get double points.

I bought a gift card for my brother for his birthday, a 20 dollar game, and a 10 dollar movie, and got 30 dollars worth of points. Makes sense, really.

 

[Malcolm R]

According to Best Buy, these are the exclusions:

Currently Reward Zone points are not added to your account for the following: tax, Performance Service Plans, Product Replacent Plans, restocking fees, gift cards, delivery, exchanges, online purchases, open boxed item, shipping costs, and repair.

 

[Dick White]

I'm amazed at so much negative reaction to this card. Sure, it's a marketing tool, and I'm sure there are those who buy there just to get the points when they could do better shopping elsewhere, but we're all smarter than that, aren't we?

For those of us who shop there regularly, it's a no-brainer. You have to spend only $250 a year to break even (actually, $200 the first year, since they give you 5,000 points for signing up), and everything over that is extra savings. If you don't spend that much with them, then the card is obviously not for you. I bought one and was close to the first certificate with the stuff that I bought that day. (My wife gets the Preferred Customer mailings, and they sent her one for free.)

I don't buy anything there that I can find cheaper somewhere else, although I have made them match prices a little more. I have already earned three or four certificates. If I'm being screwed, it sure feels good.

My only complaint is the 6 - 8 weeks delay in sending certificates (I haven't received one yet). And it would be nice if you could just let the points accumulate and request certificates larger than the $5.

 

[TonyD]

I bought one and was close to the first certificate with the stuff that I bought that day. (My wife gets the Preferred Customer mailings, and they sent her one for free.)

why did you buy one? couldnt you use the one your wife got free?

 

[Mark Zimmer]

Has anyone actually received any gift cards from their Reward Zone programs yet since the rollout? What's the time delay expected on these? It'd be nice to start seeing the rewards come flowing back....I figure I've probably got $40 in cards coming back already--the bonus 5000 points every time you spent $25 each day of the holiday weekend really added up in a hurry, and I just spread my usual shopping out over a couple days instead of one trip. Since Best Buy's right near the dog park where we go every day anyway, it was no hardship at all.

 

[DonRoeber]

I enrolled the first week it was public here, and got two $5 coupons in the mail near the end of last week.

 

[Dah-Dee]

I enrolled and made qualifying purchases near the beginning of the program and received my first coupon yesterday.