Kroger: the end of double/triple coupons, changes to the fuel rewards program

Wednesday (4/13) marks the end of the double and triple coupons program at Kroger stores in the Houston area.  Kroger has also announced “changes” to their fuel rewards program.

For  as long as I can remember, you have been able to earn fuel rewards points as follows:

-Earn 1 point for every $1 spent on groceries (this has been based on the pre-coupon total and I am hoping this will stay the same)

-Earn 50 points for every non-federally funded prescription filled

-Earn double points per dollar on gift card purchases (for example, you would earn 100 points if you purchase a $50 gift card) – this does not apply to the purchase of Kroger gift cards and pre-paid debit/credit cards.

Several months ago, they also announced that you could begin using your Kroger fuel rewards at Shell gas stations.  You can scan your Kroger Plus card or enter your Kroger card number at participating Shell locations.

In the past, you would earn a 10 cents off fuel reward for every 100 points earned.  You could only redeem one fuel reward each time you fill up your vehicle.  The points have always “expired” at the end of the month after they are earned.  For example, if you earned a 10 cents off reward in February, you would have until March 31st to redeem it.

The “big” change that Kroger has announced to their fuel rewards program is that you can now redeem multiple “cents off” rewards in one fill-up. For example, if you have earned 3 rewards in a month, you can receive 30 cents off your fill-up.  You can redeem up to 1,000 points at once (or $1 off per gallon).

Here are my thoughts on these changes:

-Kroger is spinning this as a “big” change which will better meet the needs of their customers in the Houston market when in fact the only real change (at least from what I can tell) is that you can now redeem more than one fuel reward in one visit.

-I used to earn 3-5 fuel rewards per month because they were based on pre-coupon totals.  My typical out of pocket spending to earn these rewards was $50-100.  Now that double and triple coupons are ending, I would imagine that I will be spending significantly less at Kroger in the near future.

-My car holds 20 gallons of gas, so a 10 cent fuel reward will save me $2 on average per fill up.  I’m not convinced that $2 saved on fuel will balance out the money I would save if I shopped elsewhere (Target or Walmart, for example), especially given that I have to spend $100 just to earn this reward and also given that Kroger’s fuel prices are not always competitive to begin with.

What are your thoughts on Kroger’s changes in policy?  Is their new and improved (at least according to them) fuel rewards program enough to make you stick around or will you be taking your business elsewhere?

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please refer to my disclosure policy for more information

 

Comments

  1. If they have a great deal and it’s convenient to stop I will. I don’t use the fuel rewards program anyway, because it is often still more expensive for the gas than the walmart down the street. Every company is trying to lower costs….it’s just a shame that they ended their program. Now any other company who is doubling in the Houston area will also end their program, since they won’t be in competition with Kroger any more.

Trackbacks

  1. the end of double/triple coupons, changes to the fuel rewards … - - Money On Demand says:

    […] See original here: the end of double/triple coupons, changes to the fuel rewards … […]

  2. […] As I was putting together my match-ups this morning, I couldn’t help put thinking multiple times, this would have been a good deal if we could still use double/triple coupons.  This will definitely take some getting used to!  You can find more about changes to the Kroger double/triple coupon policy here.  The two biggest changes are that they will no longer allow you to “stack” paper manufacturer’s coupons with loadable coupons and they will no longer double/triple coupons.  From what I understand, the registers are now programmed to deduct your digital coupon first, when applicable. I have heard from multiple people that there are glitches with this new program and even when you are buying multiple items and should be able to use a digital and manufacturer’s coupon, the register will not allow it.  Kroger has made some changes to their fuel rewards program:  you can read more about that here. […]

  3. […]  You can read the full updated coupon policy here (I recommend printing it to take with you!)  You can find more about changes to the Kroger double/triple coupon policy here.  The two biggest changes are that they will no longer allow you to “stack” paper […]

  4. […]  You can read the full updated coupon policy here (I recommend printing it to take with you!)  You can find more about changes to the Kroger double/triple coupon policy here.  The two biggest changes are that they will no longer allow you to “stack” paper […]