Rewe, Lidl and other supermarkets like to advertise with supposedly attractive savings programs, customers could get discounts on all groceries. In times of high inflation, these offers appear to be quite useful.
However, a new analysis by the company Smhaggle shows that the savings effect is not that great, reports the “Handelsblatt”.
Overall, customers save only 0.14 percent with the Deutschlandcard. This makes it the worst of the discount programs. One of the winners is Lidl Plus, with which customers can save 1.6 percent on their purchases.
Supermarkets like Rewe or Lidl like to advertise with attractive payback cards that promise discounts on groceries. These bonus programs give the impression that they are more profitable compared to a normal purchase. In times of high inflation, the offer appears to be quite useful. But a new study shows that behind these savings programs is just a big marketing strategy that doesn’t offer any significant added value for buyers.
The “Handelsblatt” reported from an analysis by the company Smhaggle, which examined the savings effect of the programs Payback, Deutschlandcard, Lidl Plus and Kaufland Card. To do this, the Smhaggle analyzed how much customers actually saved through benefit programs in the first seven weeks of 2023. They took into account all grocery purchases made in the eight largest supermarkets in Germany.
Deutschlandcard performs worst
The Deutschlandcard has the advantage that it can be used at Netto and Edeka. But according to the results of the comparison, this benefit program is not worth it. Overall, customers save only 0.14 percent with the Deutschlandcard. This makes it the worst of the savings programs examined.
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The Payback bonus program was also not convincing. Customers who use the Payback card or app only saved around 0.39 percent.
Lidl Plus is at the top of the list
One of the winners is Lidl Plus, with which consumers were able to save up to 1.6 percent on their purchases. The Kaufland Card followed closely, with savings of 1.1 percent. The two supermarkets that are part of the Schwarz Group therefore have the most effective savings programs.
However, according to Smhaggle founder Reuter, due to the current high rate of inflation, these programs are not effective enough to help people who urgently need to save. “For the people who really need to save, the customer loyalty programs are of no help,” he says. “The leverage is too small for that.”
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