The Best Store Rewards Cards

US News recommends five ways to save $20 or more each week. One of their tips is as follows:

Sign Up for Store Rewards Cards

Most major grocery stores and drugstores have their own rewards card, which you can use to get access to the sales and special discounts. Some stores, like CVS Pharmacy, also let you earn points with every purchase. Once a month or so, you can cash in those points for gift certificates at the store. Between the sales and other rewards, you can save up to $200 a month. I typically save around $20 a week by using the rewards card at my grocery store.

Better yet, find a dual purpose rewards card and make most of your purchases at that store. Several grocery stores, including Winn Dixie, Tom Thumb, and Kroger, also give you gas discounts. At Winn Dixie, for example, I earn $0.50 off a gallon for every $50 I spend on groceries. The program doesn't have a cap and I've had discounts on gas when I went to fill up on more than one occasion.

I have a few store rewards cards, but the ones that seem to work best (from what I heard) are for drug stores (where we don't shop much) or grocery stores (which don't have rewards in our area because Meijer has a lock on the market.) But maybe there's something I'm missing...

So my question is: what store rewards cards do you use and what makes them so great?

Comments

[Matt]

Kroger and I am not sure what we get over above the kroger plus card rate for groceries. Othe than that we just use rewards CC like Am Ex.

We got a Bestwestern rewards card because we will be staying at the BW by my sons college whenever we visit but I am even getting diappointed with that one. You really have to actively try to use the system in order to maximize the rewards. Plus it takes so long in order to get enough for a free stay if you don't work the system.

[Jim]

-- Kroger [Fred Meyer] for Reward Points [1 point for every $1.00, or basically 1% cash value back] and Gas Discount [for every 100 points and 10 cents/per gallon discount] at their Stations and Shell. If you have 500 points and fill up on gas, you still have 500 points, but only 400 points to use for future gas. Can also earn reward points good towards gas by filling prescriptions.

Rewards are by quarter and they send out a mailer with the total Rewards and coupons that are like cash [$3.00 off produce, when over $3.00 purchased or office supplies or whatever.]

-- Costco - Executive Business Member, 2% back on purchases for Cash/Debit other than American Express. Paid at time of membership renewal.

The extra $50.00 in membership is offset many times by the cash back and the other business services my business has used since 1987.

[jim]

I think they made a typo. It should be 5¢ per gallon at Winn Dixie not 50¢.

http://www.winndixie.com/Fuelperks/About-fuelperks.asp
"Every time you spend $50 at any participating Winn-Dixie and use your new Customer Reward Card, you earn a 5¢ per gallon discount on gasoline (up to 20 gallons) at participating gas stations."

[jim]

Around here Fred Meyer (part of Kroger) will give you 10¢ per gallon after you spend $100.

[KaseyD]

For grocery stores in Northern Calif:

Safeway has good deals, but they makes you jump thru hoops to get them. You need to either clip coupons or go to an overly complex website on a weekly basis and load the discounts to your card; the coupon discounts are not automatic but the sale prices are. Makes you have to behave somewhat like the extreme couponers. I usually don't have the time or energy for their games, but I feel forced to because their store is within a mile of my house. Earning gas discounts is only occassional.

At Raley's you get $0.10/gal off if you spend $50 in one trip or $0.25/gal if you spend $100. It's a great deal, but their grocery prices are on the high side except for weekly sales.

For drugstores:

CVS seems to have the better rewards card as you get weekly discounts like 30% off or $5 off a $25 purchase. For $1.00 I bought a "green tag" which give me a $1.00 credit for every 4 times I bring in my own shopping bag. It adds up. On the other hand Walgreens, which doesn't have a discount program, has better prices. So I shop both stores.

Ace Hardware let's you earn store credits, as does Office Depot. Both programs, however, are subpar as it seems the points go away each quarter if you didn't earn enough.

[KT]

I have a banana republic rewards card. Not only do they have tons of exclusive discounts, they do free alterations. Great for someone short like me that always need to get pants tailored!

[Raj]

I use teh CVS card. I normally combine coupons with their 25% discount coupon to stock up on items. Then I get 2% back every quarter, which I use again during the 25% coupon. They also provide a lot of coupons and promotions. I usually get $25-30 every quarter.

[Sunil from The Extra Money Blog]

Kroger (cheap gas) and CVS

[No Debt MBA]

CVS, seconding the green bag tag benefits. I also subscribe to a deal blog that lists things that are very cheap or free with your card and cherry pick what I need.

[Benquo]

Giant has a good rewards card. In-store discounts, plus 10 cents off the per gallon gas price at Shell stations for each $100 you spend at Giant (though you lose the points once you buy the gas). I don't drive very often, so I usually end up with 30-40 cents off per gallon. And the nearest gas station is a Shell, so it works out pretty well.

[Brad]

Target. They give 5% off at the register. No gimmicks or delays. Don't care about the interest since it gets paid in full each month.

Plus, you get amazing coupon booklets and coupons for the stuff you actually use.

[Sharon Jones]

I wonder why is a credit check required for a rewards card at department stores. If you're shopping their store already, where's the reward if I've got to meet the same requirement as applying for their credit card. Interesting at the least.

[Dave K]

Rewards cards are the carrot before the jackass...Shell charges 5 cents more per gallon then surrounding gas stations, so there is NO savings. Most discounted items can be found at other locations at the discounted price.