3 cards that will save your life

5/20/2016


No, it's not your SSS, Philhealth or Pag-IBIG card (although they will save you too)

My whole family teases me cause I like collecting membership/rewards cards. It's gotten to the point of every-time-we-go-to-a-store-I-have-a-card-for-one kind of bad. But, these cards really help bail me out every time I'm in a pinch. I want to share some of them with you, like the truly worthwhile (sulit) ones.
1) HappyPlus card



This is a card you can use for Jollibee, Greenwich, Chowking and Red Ribbon. You can buy the card at any of these places for Php 100, and is valid for 3 years. I don't know the procedure on how to renew it since I just got one a few months ago. When you buy a card, you get four (4) coupons that are Php 50 off for every Php 250 purchase, one each for the fast food chains I mentioned. For Red Ribbon, it's Php 100 off for a Php 500 purchase. I think dun palang, sulit na.

To use the card, you have to load it. You can do so at any of the fast food chains, and you can only load up in Php 100 denominations. Then you use the money in the card to pay for your food. You earn 1 point for every Php 50 purchase, which you can use later on to pay for your purchases. As an affordable and well-loved brand that is found anywhere, I'm sure we go to a Jollibee store at least once or twice a month. And when we do, we don't just go alone, we go in groups pa! So if you have a card, it's super sulit because not only is the cash-to-points conversion rate (Php 50 to 1 point) higher than others, having some money left in your card ensures that when a day comes that you don't have money, you get to eat. =))



2) Starbucks card



The Starbucks Rewards card is a card you can purchase at the counter and load up for a minimum of Php 300. They also have limited edition cards sometimes, which you can get for 500-1000 Php. These are usually collectibles for Starbucks lovers (see what I did there? LOL) and loyal fans.
What you do is you load up the card with a minimum of Php 300 and use the card to pay for your purchases, kind of like a debit card for coffee. And for every beverage you buy, you get one (1) beverage star. When you get 12 Beverage stars, you get a free Grande beverage with up to 2 add-ons.
Starbucks encourages its users to register the card/s on their website to help keep track of lost cards or multiple cards. If you have multiple cards, you can register them under one name so no matter which card you use (maybe you have tons of different wallets), you can still earn a beverage star or use your balance. I know some people with multiple email addresses that register different cards under different email addresses though, because registering your card entitles you to a free drink, and a free cake on your birthday. Sneaky, sneaky.
While you can pay for your purchases fully with the amount on your card, what I do though is tell the baristas to subtract a small amount (between 10-20php) and then pay for the rest in cash. It's so that I don't have to keep loading 300php, can control my spending on coffee (If I loaded my card with a significant amount of money to pay for my purchases using the card, then I would be going to Starbucks more often than necessary. So I just go when I have extra money, cause like I said on this post, you can do away with overpriced coffee naman. It really is a luxury) yet still earn beverage stars. Mehe. You can also earn stars for VIA brew and stuff but I just use my Starbucks card for the beverages.

3) SM Advantage Card




I think there is an SM mall in almost every major city in the country. If not, there's an SM supermarket, hypermarket or whatnot affiliate of SM present. The company has definitely changed the retail landscape of the Philippines by shaping and marketing itself as the country's go-to for consumer products, fashion and a lot more. Plus, I think they were the ones who helped make malling a Filipino pasttime. So, if you are someone who continually finds herself/himself at an SM (and buying), you should go get yourself an SM Advantage card. 
You can get an SM Advantage Card (SMAC) kit from department stores or supermarkets for Php 150. Membership is good for 2 years, and after that expires, there's a renewal fee of Php 100 (good for 2 years). You earn 1 point for every Php 200 purchase in department stores, Ace Hardware, Watsons, Toy Kingdom, Forever 21 and other SM affiliates, and 1 point for every Php 400 purchase from the supermarket. When you gas up at Shell, you can also earn 1 point for every Php 250 worth of fuel. You can also get discounts at partner establishments, up to 50% off in some hotels, even! SM also gives perks to SMAC card holders like special additional discounts during their sales.

I've been able to use my points to buy stuff from the grocery or Watson in cases I didn't have cash, so it's really helpful.

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I say that these cards are the most worthwhile because these are places I frequent. I've had so many cards but I cut them down to only these 3 cause the "rewards" I got are of much less value than the money I used to pay for the membership fee.

NOTE: It's nice to be able to get rebates on your shopping but remember, some companies can also use these loyalty cards as a moneymaking scheme for people like me who love the idea of having tons of cards in their wallet but don't need them. Don't fall victim. Be smart about it :))
 

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3 comments

  1. I AGREE!!!! I have the two except for the Starbucks card since I don't drink Starbucks coffee that often. I love the Happyplus card kasi nagagamit mo sya in 4 fast food restaurants so mas madali mag earn ng points! And for the SM Advantage, I just renewed mine last Feb and I did not pay Php 100 nalang and had 80 points deducted. Hehehe. I have the Metro reward card as well.

    xx, Janine | Wandering Ella

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Ella! I just read your comment! Wow, you found me after I just asked you about branding. Thank you for dropping by! :)

      I don't have a Metro Card though, what's that for?

      Delete
  2. Thank you for dropping by Fanny :)

    ReplyDelete

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