by Andre Westphal Jan 31, 2022 | 32 Comments
According to the Payback Group, points worth 5 billion euros have already been earned in Germany through the company’s bonus program, Payback. euros have been collected. Payback started in this country as one of the first customer loyalty programs of its kind – more than 20 years ago. By now you probably all have it in your ears, the question asked at almost every supermarket checkout: "Do you have a Payback card?"
In my student days, in my mini-job, I myself was the "culprit" who had to confront every customer with that existential question. By the way, I don’t have a Payback card myself, because I wanted to save myself at least this avoidable step on the way to becoming a transparent customer. But as you can see, many other people are going the same way as Payback. Especially since the redemption rate of the bonus points stands at 95. The system works.
In the meantime, Payback points can be collected and redeemed not only in stationary retail at chains such as Rewe, dm or Jysk, but also online at Otto, Saturn and Conrad, for example. 680 partners can show Payback meanwhile according to own statements. In Germany, Payback earns approx. 4.3 million times – that is approx. 50 times a second. About 31 million. active customers use Payback. Increasingly, in the meantime, the mobile app on the smartphone is used instead of the classic plastic card for this purpose. About 10 million. App users could be recorded.
Also in the pandemic could be added new partners in the process. Specifically named: C&A, Globus, Nahkauf, Euromaster, home24, Farfetch and Lands’ End. In 2021 alone, points worth 500 million would be earned by customers via Payback. Euro have been collected. If you compare this with the previous year 2020, there was even an increase of 30 Mio. Euro yielded.
It should be clear to every user: You just exchange your shopping data for small change there. Everybody should decide for himself, how high he estimates the value of his information. How about you? Do you use a Payback card or have you remained abstinent so far?
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32 comments
Am usually quite sparing with my data. However, we have in the family a Payback card that all use. Roughly estimated we come there on approx. 200-300€ payback. We use this amount at regular intervals again directly in the trade, preferably directly at Rewe.
The system works and in the form of coupons this can already mean several percent discount.
In the year? In the 36 months the points hold according to website?
I am always surprised how much people spend like this. And also where there are points.
200 € are 20.000 points when I see the right (Payback FAQ). And for 2 € purchase you get one point at REWE. Elsewhere, however, already 1 € = 1 point. So 1% "cash back" so to speak.
200 € = 1 % → 20.000 € purchase.
WTF? That is then but a family of six or so?
You forget the x-fold coupons, which are a multiplier of points. Especially Rewe throws with such coupons really around, so that I constantly get at least 10% on each purchase.
With targeted use of these coupons and planned purchases, I come to 1000-2000€ cashback annually when paid out in "cash". Who likes to fly Business/First, can get counter values in multiple amounts.
"Forget" is not the right word. I am not in the Payback.World. But if I look at the prices at REWE, then I come to the 10% by not buying there but elsewhere And I do not fly, so it does not matter.
Which doesn’t mean that it’s nonsense to shop there – if it’s the closest supermarket that suits you best, then of course that’s a sensible reason and if you can balance it out, then so much the better.
20.000 € purchase in 36 months is now truly no 6-headed family.
That is about 555 € / month, d.h. 138 € / week. Would you supply with it a 6 kopfige family are that arithmetically 23 € / week / head with Rewe. And that with a supermarket which is on average 25% more expensive than e.g. an Aldi South. There was an interesting test on this by chip (sic!) from 2020. Only 2 discounters (Aldi South, Lidl) managed to map a weekly shopping under 40 €. Both however far away from the 23 €. The same purchases at Rewe were on average at 45.31 € / week / head. And this model was extremely frugal, which does not necessarily reflect the average shopping behavior in Germany (especially who already habitually goes to REWE, instead of Aldi).
My guess: The 20.000 € shopping cart value at Rewe in 3 years rather correspond to the consumption of a 2 – 2.family of 5 than that of a family of 6.
I think I am never asked about it. Just never buy at Rewe or Penny. Edeka/Netto asks for Germany card, Lidl, Kaufland have their own cards. Aldi, Netto/Scotti has nothing? Real I think was Payback, but is gone.
Real is still available at various places. But it is also quite expensive. REWE is already quite violent with the prices, at least with us here around to Oldenburg.
I myself only get small amounts, but I usually redeem the points when I have two or three euros together. But I know people, there are hundreds of euros in the form of points on their Payback accounts around.
It would be interesting to know how many points (i.e. ultimately money) have been stolen from users by fraud. There’s probably no statistics&
That is true. There are certainly more have come up with the idea, at checkout z.B. to deposit the own card. But as far as I know there have already been reports that people have been busted.
Having the cash register scanned several times a day, if necessary. even in short minute distance, falls I think for certain time in all brevity on.
I meant also rather the case that one suddenly several thousand points on the account are missing, because the somewhere were redeemed, where one was never.
Aluhut wearers do not love. And I do not love Aluhut wearers. Therefore: Happy Birthday, PAYBACK!
I collect the points and then exchange them 1 to 2 times a year with 25% bonus in Miles& More miles around.
Gave me 2 business class flights to Canada now. I do not always collect, but only when there is a good bonus points. Am therefore only "half" glass&
Oh, I never thought of that idea. Is it worth it? We fly in Feb 2023 to Iceland with Lufthansa, and have not yet booked because the flights are not yet listed ^^
There I must make myself probably times smartly like that goes&
It’s worth it under the following conditions:
1. Transfer from Payback to Miles&More 1-2 times a year with 25% bonus.
2. The Praeminflug is on long-haul (Iceland does not belong to it)
3. Travel class is Business or First (not Economy/Premium Economy).
4. One looks at the relevant travel deal blogs if there is not a good Ca$h fare for the route on the desired date.
5. You can also book partner airlines of Lufthansa, there the additional fees are lower. In the direction of the USA z.B. with SAS via Scandinavia. Direction Asia with ANA, Thai or EVA.
6. The monthly mileage bargains in longhaul business class are also useful.
I do it also in such a way. That comes alone by Payback always 1-2 Business Class flights with LH in the year together. Rounded off by Revolut and discreet MS and many credit card payments, the whole family can fly to the USA every year relaxed. And Corona added even more miles.. win win for all … except aluhutrager . &
With the data I do not worry there. Payback is an exception. Activate coupons, go shopping and sometimes the entire purchase at dm or Rewe free of charge.
I use Payback via app at the checkout when shopping offline and where possible I also use Payback online. Whether I thereby allegedly become a "transparent customer"? I do not worry about that. Lately I also use PaypbackPAY, especially for paying directly at the gas pump of ARAL. Since the fuel prices even at the sog. free gas stations are sometimes higher than at the "Brandentanke" you can take the discount already.
I used to exchange the points for rewards from the Payback rewards store. But I got away from that, because often the price/performance ratio of the premiums was not coherent. Now I get the equivalent of the points, if the score> 2000 is transferred to the bank account. Paying with points at the checkout? Nope, I don’t like that. Even if this means that. an additional discount slips through the cracks. I have not yet come across any incidents of fraud. All in all I get a few hundred Euro per year by using Payback. I am satisfied!
I only use my Payback card for special promotions when there is effectively a 10-20 percent discount and I want to buy something anyway.
I don’t use the card for the usual 0.5 percent discount without any promotions.
What many do not know by the way, the Payback points are quasi cash which one can be paid out also. You don’t necessarily have to buy anything with it.
Just for the release of the Pixel 6 I got a discount of approx. 125€ received. I was able to get this paid off a few days ago. There I am gladly the transparent customer, if even other authorities sell personal data.
The data is sold anyway or information is obtained via cookies. In former times one could protect oneself better than today. So if I can benefit from it, why not.
I have registered with a false name and address, have been collecting coupons for years and am occasionally happy about 15 or 20 euros credit at Rewe. Then there’s to celebrate times what special from the spirits or the cheese counter
"you exchange your data for small change" – no. Due to the smart savers who use it, all products simply become more expensive. The fees for this service, which retailers have to pay, are of course added to the prices. The fact that the participants, who finance their rewards themselves with the higher price of the products, also give away their data, is only a minor matter in this case.
Rewe is not interested in the fact that you don’t use it. So you pay the Payback membership on your purchase as well as those who get credited a cent per euro
I did not claim that Rewe would be interested in it. But it would be interesting to know how many customers occasionally prefer to go to the store where they are not bothered at the checkout every time with the question of this card. The loss for the "Rewes" may be in the per mille range, but still.
>>The fees for this service, which retailers have to pay, are of course added to the prices.
Is there any sustainable evidence for this? If that were the case, then the products of companies that do not participate in cashback systems would have to be a lot cheaper. Unfortunately, I personally have never noticed this.
The statement that the retail trade passes on the Payback costs directly to its customers via the prices is certainly not true. The motives of merchants to participate in the Payback process and to pay for it are multidimensional. First, they hope for a larger market share, second, they hope for higher shopping cart sales per customer. And thirdly, they hope that the points system will make customers willing to pay higher prices for some products. The calculation is made from all dimensions and therefore leads only partially and only indirectly to higher prices for the consumer.
You are absolutely right that one can look at it in a more differentiated way. But the bottom line is that prices go up when a parasite joins the value chain. Fortunately, there is competition in the retail sector that cushions this a bit&
That’s quite a lot to "hope for" though. I see the participation in such cashback programs more as advertising. This increases the number of customers, the turnover and ultimately the profit. If one would continue the parasitic train of thought, then the entire advertising industry would be a parasite and would have to exert a damaging effect on the value chain. I think, rather the opposite is the case.
One hopes evenly, which one cannot exactly quantify. And you are right, with Payback a large part is a simple advertising effect. Instead of classic product advertising, you link your own brand with a benefit. Here the collection of points. However, it is difficult to quantify how much larger your market share has become since you decided to use Payback with your chain of stores. Payback certainly has documents with great arguments for the partner business. However, these can hardly be checked, which is why I wrote here of "hope".
And with the advertising industry, it is no different than other products on the market. Some are more worth their money than others. For D customers to recommend glossy brochures, I think in most cases rather "parasitic". On the other hand, customer segmentation to identify A-customers, combined with an individual approach, can be useful because it is worthwhile.
I got now even extra the American Express from Payback and make so again ca. 500-600 points per month. Here I try even for friends and relatives bigger things like laptops etc. to buy and get out so for me even more points.
Then I still use the App "ECM" (Android/iOS) with which one can screw very well the points with coupons of others further upwards.
I also take Payback points wherever possible. The points are redeemed during percentage campaigns, which are often available at DM and which many may not know about. There is at ARAL a payback wash (the basic care) for 300 points + 2 euros co-payment or. for 500 points without additional payment.
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