Plenti Loyalty Program
Earlier this month we gave you guys a heads up that a big change was coming in the Rite Aid UP Reward Program. The rumor involved complete elimination of the program as we know it today. We have confirmed from looking at preview ads, that effective the week of 3/29 there will be no UP Reward offers advertised in the 3/29 weekly ad and UP Rewards will be coming to an end on 3/28.
Today it has been announced that the country’s first-ever cross-brand loyalty program for shoppers called Plenti will be replacing Rite Aid’s UP Rewards. In addition to Rite Aid, AT&T, ExxonMobil, Macy’s, Nationwide, Direct Energy and Hulu are joining with American Express to launch Plenti. This is the first U.S.-based coalition loyalty program with well-known brands where consumers can earn and use Plenti points for purchasing a wide range of products, regardless of the payment method consumers choose to use. The program will officially launch this spring and is expected to include more brands in additional categories.
According to Rite Aid, UP rewards will become Plenti points, members of wellness+ with Plenti can earn Plenti points when they make eligible purchases at Rite Aid and all other Plenti partners. Plenti points hold the same value as +UPs and offer even more value to customers since they can be used for savings at Rite Aid as well as certain other Plenti partners listed above. Plus customers have at least two years to use them.
The Plenti program is not connected to a credit card, and there is no cost sign up. Customers can use any payment method they want. As reported in the U.S. Today, “buying a pair of shoes at Macy’s will give you points you could use toward your AT&T bill; buying a tank of gas will help earn cash toward your next insurance payment.” According to Abeer Bhatia, head of U.S. Loyalty for American Express, “the fact that I can get Band-Aids and get points for that and then buy myself a dress, that alone, I think, will be attractive to a lot of consumers.”
Rite Aid shoppers will still get Wellness Plus points on every purchase. Here is a breakdown:
- 1 wellness+ point for one dollar spent on eligible purchases they make at RA when they scan their new plenti card at the register,
- 25 wellness+ points for every non-government funded prescription purchased when using their plenti card,
- and 1 wellness+ point for every dollar spent on copays (not to exceed 25 points per prescription) for government funded prescriptions.
What are your thoughts on Plenti?
Source: USAToday and American Express