When it comes to redeeming supermarket rewards for money off your shop, Coles has been a little behind the line. Previously, no matter how many Flybuys points a member had banked, they could only take $10 off a single in-store shop.
Flybuys members can now redeem between $10 and $100 off their in-store Coles shop in a single transaction, based on their points balance — a significant step up from the flat $10 cap that applied regardless of how many points a member had accumulated.
What is actually changing?
The amount of Flybuys points you earn and how you earn them isn’t changing. What’s changing is how many points you can redeem in one go. Previously, shoppers choosing money off their shop for their Flybuys redemption were locked into at $10 off per shop, no matter how many points you had.
Now, members with at least 2,000 points can redeem in tiers, scaling up to $100 off for members with 20,000 points or more:
New Flybuys points balance and spend options | |
|---|---|
Your points balance | Money off your shop |
2,000 | $10 |
4,000 | $20 |
6,000 | $30 |
10,000 | $50 |
14,000 | $70 |
20,000 | $100 |
How do I redeem my points?
How you redeem your Flybuys points isn’t changing, but if you don’t know how, it’s pretty easy. Here's what you need to do:
- Log into the Flybuys app or website and set your reward preference to ‘pay with points’.
- Head into Coles to do your shopping and scan your Flybuys card at the checkout.
- You’ll be given the option to select the amount of points you want to redeem, based on the balance of your points and shop value.
- Success! You’ve now got money off your shop!
Why is this such a win for shoppers?
For anyone sitting on a decent Flybuys balance who's felt like their points were accumulating faster than they could use them, this is a great upgrade. While it doesn't make points worth more, it does make them usable in a way that matches how people want to shop.
This major upgrade in flexibility gives customers the choice in how they want to spend their points, instead of the rigidity of the old points system.
Whether this is a genuine bet on customer loyalty or a response to competitive pressure from Woolworths is hard to say. But taken at face value, it's a rare instance of a supermarket loyalty scheme making itself simpler and more generous to use, rather than adding new hoops or fine print.
