Amy thought that the AMC Stubs rewards program was pretty great, back when the discount passes that she bought at Costco counted toward earning rewards. The Stubs program isn’t free (it costs $12 a year) and she was exchanging money for movie tickets and perhaps buying some snacks, after all. Then AMC suddenly stopped counting Gold and Silver passes toward the program. [More]
rewards programs
Hey, I'm Missing A Lot Of Starbucks Free Drink Coupons
By 8.20.12
Laird feels deprived. Well, maybe that’s not quite true. But the Starbucks rewards program owes him at least seven free drink coupons over the years that he hasn’t received. The horror! The sadness! The caffeine deprivation! He blames the U.S. Postal Service for, perhaps, not forwarding on his coupons. Or for losing them. He wonders, are there any other Starbucks fans out there missing their coupons, too? [More]
J. Crew Divides Rewards Points Between Me And Evil Twin
By 4.18.12
Julie has a secret evil twin with the same name. That’s the only possible explanation for why her favorite store, J. Crew, has decided to split her reward points between two different accounts, neither of which receives enough points to get actual rewards. She wrote to Consumerist not only to complain, but to find out whether there are other customers experiencing the same problem. [More]
Toys 'R' Us Rewards Program: Where A $5 Certificate Isn't Quite $5
By 1.25.12
Toys ‘R’ Us should want to reward Dustin handsomely. He has five kids, and his family buys an awful lot of toys there. It’s not the store itself but its rewards program that’s giving him problems. He used rewards certificates and $34.88 in cash to buy a toy, but when he went to return that toy, he learned that the rewards program is less straightforward than it seems when you need to return something. [More]
Rack Up Travel Rewards Without Going Crazy With Credit Cards
By 1.11.12
Everyone who signs up for airlines’ frequent flyer programs dreams of cashing in their miles for amazing vacations. Credit card companies are counting on you being so enamored with that vision that you’ll relax your spending discipline in pursuit of the goal. [More]
Stores Partnering With Banks To Give New Kind Of Debit Rewards
By 7.20.11
Most debit rewards programs are gone or largely neutered, a retaliation by the banking industry in response to pending caps on transaction swipe fees. Now merchants are coming to fill the void. Stores are partnering with banks to experiment with “merchant debit rewards” which give shoppers discounts for shopping at their establishments. Here’s how it will work. [More]
Unorthodox Ways To Rack Up Airline Miles
By 7.15.11
Sure, you can rack up airline miles the boring way, by flying or using your credit card. But there are more creative methods to build up miles for free trips down the line. [More]
Chase Redeems Your Rewards Points Via 19 $50 Checks
By 6.21.11
Summer and her fiancee returned from an out of town trip this weekend to find that the Stupid Shipping Gang had paid them a visit while they were away. But instead of a tiny thing packed in a giant box, it’s several tiny things packed into an excessive number of envelopes. [More]
Wells Fargo & SunTrust Cancel Debit Rewards Programs
By 3.28.11
Last week, we wrote about JPMorgan Chase’s decision to get rid of rewards programs for debit card users in response to a new law that will slash the amount of money banks receive per debit card transaction. Now comes news that at least two other banks — Wells Fargo and SunTrust — have followed suit. [More]
Chase Chokes Off Enrollment In Debit Rewards
By 1.28.11
After February 8th, Chase isn’t letting any more people into the debit rewards program. Citing shrinking margins due to recent legislation, Chase is closing off all new enrollment. [More]
Xbox Rewards Program Offers Online Currency For Online Activity
By 12.2.10
Whenever a monolithic company concocts a rewards program, the inclination is to view it with a skeptical eye, as a Trojan Horse that will surely lead to exploitation. But at first glance, it’s tough to find fault with Microsoft’s seemingly benevolent Xbox Live Rewards program. [More]
Reader's 323,000 Hilton Points Zapped Out Of Existence
By 12.2.10
Due to the nature of Craig’s work, he spends about half of his nights sleeping in hotels. If you’re a hotel chain, he’s the kind of customer you would want to work hard to keep. However, Hilton doesn’t think so: since his work didn’t bring him near any Hilton properties in the last year, they canceled his rewards account and purged all 323,000 of his HHonors points. [More]
Get The Most Out Of Your Frequent Flyer Miles
By 11.24.10
Lifehacker has some good reminder tips about how to get the most mileage out of your frequent flyer miles. Just like how you book a regular ticket, being flexible about your airports, adding connections, and flying on slow travel days can help you stretch their miles to their max. What frequent flyer mile strategies do you use? Sound off in the comments. [More]
The New GameStop Rewards Card Isn't Worth Your Time Or Privacy
By 10.27.10
Last week, we learned that at least one Gamestop employee won’t even sell to you unless you sign up for a rewards card. Why might that be? Reader Dragonfire81 has mysterious inside knowledge, and warns all good Consumerists to stay far, far away from the new rewards program that Gamestop is pushing. [More]
To Sell You A Used Game, This GameStop Requires Your Phone Number
By 10.20.10
Did you know that GameStop is a membership-only establishment, like a warehouse club? You’re only allowed to shop there if you have their rewards card. I didn’t know that, and neither did Jeff. He tells Consumerist that he foolishly tried to purchase a game, but refused to join the rewards program or give the cashier his phone number. The cashier, in turn, refused to sell anything to him. [More]
Will New Owners Reduce The Schwab Visa Card's 2% Cashback?
By 9.23.10
Popular cashback choice Schwab 2% Visa card is getting taken over by FIA card services September 30th, and customers fret that the new owners will kick the rewards down to 1%. [More]
Duane Reade Deploys Rewards Program Shrink Ray
By 8.13.10
Even retailer rewards programs can fall victim to the Shrink Ray. The latest victim? Duane Reade. Reader RC was saddened to learn of he change, and lays it out for us. [More]
Starwood American Express Card Hikes Annual Fee To $65
By 8.6.10
The annual fee for the Starwood American Express card is going up from $45 to $65. Is it worth the price to pay for the right to use a credit card? [More]
