How To Make Money While Spending Money

Spending money is something we’re all pretty good at. Even if we don’t always like spending it, as it gets less and less, I’m certain we’re pretty much level: EXPERT. (At least that what my husband believes about me!)

But I always believe there should be a way we could make money while we’re spending it, too. This is so much more relevant now with most of us having to make some serious choice whilst in lockdown. And while most stores offer this in one way or another (explained below), I also wanted to share with you my favourite way to earn money by doing absolutely nothing more and nothing different than my normal shopping.

Let’s Look At Reward Cards

Most of our local grocery stores offer some kind of reward program. Some of them are easy enough to understand, but some feel a little more complicated than it is worth. And with so many you have to be ultra patient to accumulate points which you can use again to shop at a later stage. What are my rewards really worth? How much am I spending to get a certain amount of cash back? Let go through some of the ones you probably already use.

I’ll start with my favourite because I can use it at ALL of the other stores, and I do not have to earn OR spend my rewards at just one place. In fact, I can get the cash paid back into my own bank account.

SNAPnSAVE

This is a shopping app that gives you cash back when you stop in-store. No paper coupons, no loyalty points etc. Just real cash back on items that you buy everyday. Every week it loads “offers” that you can book. (bread, milk, eggs, chocolates, vegetables, toothpaste, and even wholesale items). SNAPnSAVE accepts valid till slips from most leading national retailers. That means YOU choose where to shop! When you book an offer, it is reserved for 48hours. You can purchase it at any major retailer, open your app, snap a photo of your till slip at home, and wait for your ka-ching! I currently have R494.37 in my SnapnSave account from shopping as I normally do.

(Use the code promo code Simonev639 to start earning) (iStore or Playstore)

Once you’ve accumulated cash in your SnapnSave wallet (R50 minimum) you can cashout using various methods. EFT your cash directly into any South African bank account, or request an instant cash ATM code whereby you can then draw cash from any Standard Bank ATM, or you can link to one of their partners and transfer your funds to the partners digital wallet.

PICK N PAY SMART SHOPPER

100 points = R 1.00

For every R2 you are spending at Pick n Pay, you earn one Smart Shopper point. You can also earn 10 points for every one litre of fuel you buy at a BP station. You get personalised discounts, based on items you buy frequently, that you load onto your Smart Shopper card using the Pick ‘n Pay app. Your points are valid for only 12 months, and will expire if not used, leaving you little time to save enough points to buy something big.

CHECKERS XTRA SAVINGS

Checkers is trying to differentiate itself from its rivals loyalty cards, saying, “There are no Points. No Tiers. No Levels. Just instant cash savings on your groceries and drinks.”

The Checkers Xtra Savings Programme gives customers extra cash savings on more than 1 000 products every month. Simply swipe your card and save at the till. Discounts are clearly marked in store, and every saving automatically reflects on your till slip. (Up to 50% off!) No points to accumulate. Instant saving. No drama.

WOOLWORTHS WREWARD

Swipe your WRewards card every time you shop at Woolies for instant savings on specially selected items. Again, no points. No waiting. No fuss.

To fall within the VIP bracket, you have to spend R30,000 or more a year, an average of R2,500 per month. The standard benefits of being a VIP are: a once-off discount of R75 for spending up to R350 (which equates to a discount of a little over 20%) and a 10%-off birthday voucher.

This loyalty scheme probably can save you some money if you shop regularly at Woolworths but more than R24 000 a year seems like an awful lot of money to spend so that you can sample new food products and receive a 10% shopping voucher.

DIS-CHEM BENEFIT CARD

100 points = R1

At Dischem, you earn points with every purchase, provided the purchase is at least R10. The minimum purchase earns you 15 points. You can use your accumulated points to receive discounts at the till, as long as you have a minimum point balance of 675. For every 100 points, you receive R1 off your purchase at the till. You can also earn when putting petrol in your car at any Total Garage – every 1 litre of fuel you will receive 10 Dis-Chem Loyalty Benefit Points

CLICKS CLUBCARD

100 points = R 1

For every R5 you spend at Clicks, Claire’s, or The Body Shop, you get one point; the more you spend, the more points you accumulate. You need to accumulate at least 100 points within a two-month period, after which your points are converted to money and loaded onto your card. The points are valid for only 12 months, so depending on how much you spend, you might not be able to collect enough points to save for something big.

Spending Money Wisely

Ideally, you should belong to rewards or loyalty programmes that you can use in different industries. For example, identify one programme that you can use to reduce your pharmacy costs and stick to it. Use a different one for groceries, one for fuel rewards and another for gym benefits. If you can find one loyalty programme that offers you more than one area of benefits, that’s a keeper!

If you are spending more money at a certain store just to accumulate points, you might not be using your money wisely. Decide beforehand how much you want, where you want to spend it, and find a rewards program that fits into your plan.

Please let me know if you found this beneficial and which other programs you using in the comments below. We’d love to know and save on our spending too! Happy shopping!

Love,

Simone