Rewards Programme For Groceries: Which Supermarket Gives The Highest Rebates?
Supermarket reward systems can be downright complicated.
But nothing can stand in our way to stretch every dollar we spend on something as essential as groceries!
Ways To Save Money When Getting Your Groceries And Daily Expenses At Supermarkets
- Signing up for the right membership
- Using the best credit card when it comes to groceries shopping
- Taking advantage of promotions to help you save money on groceries
Pro tip: there are also on-going senior citizen promotions make grocery shopping more affordable for them.
Which Supermarket Membership Should I Get?
For regular grocery shoppers, you should already have a preferred supermarket in mind.
Here are some of the most common factors affecting the supermarket shoppers usually go to:
- Convenience – near where they live
- Variety – has the best selection of groceries according to their needs
- Quality – has the freshest selection of vegetables, poultry, and more
- Price – is the cheapest as compared to other supermarkets nearby
Or even simpler: wherever the wife says to go to.
Keeping all these factors in mind, it should help you quickly make a decision on the membership to apply if you are looking to move into a new neighbourhood or just want to maximise your savings.
| Membership and rewards programme | Applicable for which supermarket? | How are Points awarded? | Conversion rate of rewards | Percentage of rewards to amount spent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NTUC LinkPoints | NTUC FairPrice, Unity Pharmacy | 2 LinkPoints for every $1 spent | 100 Points for $1 worth of rewards | 1.3% |
| TapForMore (PAssion Card) | Giants, Cold Storage, Guardian, Market Place, Jasons | 1 TapForMore Points for every $1 spent | 150 Points for $1 worth of rewards | 0.67% |
| Prime Supermarket Membership | Prime Supermarkets | 1 Fresh Points for every $1 spent | 100 Points for $1 worth of rewards | 1% |
| HAO Friends | HAO Group outlets | Up to 8 points for every $1 spent | 100 HAO Points for $1 worth of rewards | 8% |
| Don Don Donki Membership | Don Don Donki Outlets | Up to 4 dMiles for every $1 spent | 100 dMiles for $1 worth of rewards | 4% |
To help Singaporeans make smarter personal finance decision, we unleashed the inner uncles and aunties in us, to find the benefits of ALL the supermarkets’ memberships in Singapore.
NTUC LinkPoints With Plus! Membership
Plus! Rewards Programme is a loyalty programme that was introduced in the year 1998, to help Singaporeans make the best out of every dollar spent on their daily expenses. As NTUC members are automatically under the Plus! Rewards Programme, it is often mistaken as NTUC membership itself.
As the benefits of NTUC membership too lengthy to get into, we’ll leave it for a separate article in the future.
As of now, we dive deep into all of the benefits of accruing LinkPoints.
Benefits Of Plus! Membership
If you are a frequent shopper at NTUC FairPrice, it makes the most sense to get a Plus! Membership.
Here are some benefits of Plus! members, that has a direct impact on our groceries and daily expenses:
| Plus! Rewards Card | NTUC Plus! Rewards Card | Plus! Visa Card | NTUC Plus! Visa Card | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Discount at FairPrice | 1.3% | 5.3% | 7% | Up to 12% |
| Discount at Unity Pharmacy | 1.3% | 5.3% | 7% | Up to 12% |
| Discount at Popular | - | - | 3% | 3% |
| Discount at Esso | - | - | Up to 18.5% | Up to 18.5% |
| Discount at Caltex | - | - | Up to 18% | Up to 18% |
There are a lot more perks which can be found on Plus!’s website, we are focusing more on the ones without an expiry date.
How To Earn And Redeem Linkpoints?
With each dollar spent with each Plus! Partner, you will be awarded LinkPoints.
For NTUC members, 2 LinkPoints are awarded for every $1 spent at NTUC FairPrice. For every 150 LinkPoints accumulated, it can be redeemed for $1 worth of rewards.
Based on the above example, if you spent $1,200 on grocery shopping (on God knows what, maybe 300 loaves of bread?) You’ll get $16 worth of rewards back. That works out to be about 1.3% rewards earned.
| How much you spend? | Number of LinkPoints awarded? | Conversion | Percentage of rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,200 | 2,400 LinkPoints | $16 worth of rewards | 1.3% |
The exact number of LinkPoints varies with each Plus! Partner.
To redeem your link points, simply login to your Plus! account online to do so.
Some of the more popular redemptions include:
- $20 Metro Shoppers’ cheque
- $20 Swensen’s dining voucher
- $20 JP Pepperdine dining voucher
- $10 Polar Puffs and Cakes dining voucher
How To Apply For Plus! Membership?
There are a few ways you can apply for a Plus! membership.
The first is to apply for a Plus! card, here’s a range of cards you can choose from:
| Type of Plus! Card | Fees and charges | Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
| Plus! Card | One-time $10 membership fee | No age restrictions No minimum income required |
| NTUC Plus! Card | NTUC Membership fee of $117 per annum. | Above 16 years old. Except personnel from Singapore Police Force, Singapore Prisons, Auxiliary Police bodies, foreign domestic workers and full-time students. |
| Plus! Visa Credit Card | $107 per annum | Age 21 and above $30,000 and above for Singaporeans and Singaporean PRs $45,000 and above for foreigners |
| NTUC Plus! Visa Credit Card | Free | NTUC Plus! Members only Age 21 and above $30,000 and above for Singaporeans and Singaporean PRs $45,000 and above for foreigners |
| Plus! Visa Debit Card | $24 per annum | Age 16 and above No minimum income required Singaporeans, Singaporean PRs and foreigners |
| NTUC Plus! Visa Debit Card | Free (prevailing NTUC Membership fee applies) | NTUC membership benefits and privileges NTUC Plus! Members only Age 16 and above No minimum income required Singaporeans, Singapore PRs and foreigners |
Alternatively, you can also apply for one, for free on the Plus! App.
TapForMore Rewards Programme
TapForMore Rewards Programme was launched in April 2010. The objective is to allow members to earn and redeem points from their purchases at selected partners (like Cold Storage) in order to stretch every dollar they spend.
This programme is tied to your PAssion card, so all you have to do is simply tap your PAssion card every time you shop to collect points.
Benefits Of TapForMore Rewards Programme
If you are a frequent shopper at:
- Cold Storage
- Giant
- Guardian
- Jasons
- Market Place
then the TapForMore Rewards Programme makes the most sense.
Here are some benefits of TapForMore, that has a direct impact on our groceries and daily expenses:
| PAssion Card Members | PAssion Silver Card Members | |
|---|---|---|
| Discount at Giant Outlets (on Tuesday) | Collect TapForMore Points | 3% Off Collect TapForMore Points |
| Discount at Cold Storage Outlets (On Wednesday) | Collect TapForMore Points | 3% Off Collect TapForMore Points |
One main benefit for TapForMore Points is that you can convert them to KrisFlyer Miles and vice versa.
How To Earn And Redeem TapForMore?
With every dollar spent at a TapForMore Partner, one will be awarded one point. For every 150 LinkPoints accumulated, it can be redeemed for $1 worth of reward.
For example $1,500 of grocery shopping (if you’re feeding an army each time you go shopping…) gets you $10 worth of rewards back. That works out to be about 0.67% rewards earned.
| How much you spend? | Number of TapForMore Points awarded? | Conversion | Percentage of rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,500 | 1,500 points | $10 worth of rewards (150 points for $1) | 0.67% |
The number of points accumulated can be used to offset your future expenses at participating stores. But take note! The points issued have an 18-month validity.
How To Apply For TapForMore Membership?
You will need a PAssion card to collect TapForMore rewards.
The Passion Card Membership comes with a membership fee of $12 for a five-year membership.
Prime Supermarket Membership
Prime Supermarket was established way back in 1984. It is also one of the largest family-owned supermarket chains in Singapore.
With about 20 outlets islandwide, a Prime Supermarket Membership can save you tonnes if you’re a frequent shopper with them.
Benefits Of Prime Supermarket Membership Programme
If you are a frequent shopper at Prime Supermarket, their membership programme allows you to accumulate Fresh Points when you spend a minimum of $10 in a single receipt with them.
How To Earn And Redeem Prime Supermarket Fresh Points?
With each dollar spent at any Prime Supermarket, you will be awarded one Fresh Point. You have to ensure that you spend a minimum of $10 in a single receipt though.
For every 100 Fresh Points accumulated, it can be redeemed for $1 worth of reward.
This means that $1,000 worth of grocery shopping (I don’t think anybody REALLY spends that much at one go, so relax, this is just accumulated spending) gets you $10 worth of rewards back. And that works out to be about 1% rewards earned.
| How much you spend? | Number of Fresh Points awarded? | Conversion | Percentage of rewards |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | 1,000 points | $10 worth of rewards (100 Fresh Points for $1) | 1% |
The number of points accumulated can be used to offset your total future expense at any Prime Supermarket.
How To Apply For Prime Membership?
To get Prime Membership, simply spend $20 in a single receipt to qualify for free! You can sign up for your Prime Membership at any Prime Supermarkets’ in-store cashiers to receive your Prime Membership Card.
Hao Friends Hao Mart Membership
HAO Mart Group’s loyalty membership programme, HAO Friends, is a free groceries loyalty programme, where you can use points to offset purchases across all HAO group stores.
Benefits of HAO Friends Membership
- Allows you to earn direct rebates of up to 8x points in a single receipt
- The more you spend in a single receipt, the more points you earn per dollar.
- It’s completely FREE to join, and the points you collect can be used to offset your purchase.
How To Earn and Redeem HAO Mart HAO Friends Points?
With this membership, the more you spend on a single receipt, the more points you earn per dollar, with the maximum multiplier of 8x/$ in a single receipt.
| Minimum purchase amount (MPA) in single transaction | Conversion to HAO points |
|---|---|
| $10 | $1 = 1 pt |
| $50 | $1 = 2 pts |
| $100 | $1 = 3 pts |
| $200 | $1 = 4 pts |
| $300 | $1 = 5 pts |
| $400 | $1 = 6 pts |
| $500 | $1 = 7 pts |
| $600 | $1 = 8 pts |
For points Redemption, points can be redeemed in any denomination
- 1 HAO point can be redeemed for 1 cent off
- 1000 HAO points can be redeemed for $10 off
However, certain products like tobacco and newspapers are not eligible for points accumulation. Secondly, promotional items help add to your minimum purchases account BUT will not be concerted into HAO points
How To Apply For HAO Friends Membership?
- Sign up for a free account at their website
- While making purchases, show your mobile e-card, a one-time barcode will appear.
- Scan it before your purchase and immediately collect your HAO points.
Don Don Donki Membership
Yes, your favourite vibrant Japanese grocer has its own membership loyalty programme too. Best of all, it’s free.
Benefits of Don Don Donki Membership
- Earn points called dMiles with your purchases
- Exchange your dMiles with a variety of rewards in the Don Don Donki App including coupons that can help you discounts on selected items.
How To Earn and Redeem Don Don Donki Points, dMiles?
Similar to HAO mart, the more you spend, the more the multiplier effect on your points.
The multiplier effect will depend on which tier you’re on: Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.
The tiers are based on your total accumulated spend in Donki.
The point rewards system and minimum spend for each rank are as follows:
| Rank | dMiles Grant Rate | Rank Up Base Amount |
|---|---|---|
| BRONZE | 1x | $0 - $1,999 |
| SILVER | 2x | $2,000 - $4,999 |
| GOLD | 3x | $5,000 - $14,999 |
| PLATINUM | 4x | $15,000 ~ |
To check how many points you can earn according to your total spend and membership tier, refer to this table below.
| USAGE AMOUNT | BRONZE | SILVER | GOLD | PLATINUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $ | 1x | 2x | 3x | 4x |
| $1.00 | 1 dMiles | 2 dMiles | 3 dMiles | 4 dMiles |
| $10.00 | 10 dMiles | 20 dMiles | 30 dMiles | 40 dMiles |
| $100.00 | 100 dMiles | 200 dMiles | 300 dMiles | 400 dMiles |
| $1,000.00 | 1,000 dMiles | 2,000 dMiles | 3,000 dMiles | 4,000 dMiles |
How To Apply For Don Don Donki Membership?
- Download the Donki App from your respective mobile apps stores
- Create and register for a free account
- Present your membership barcode at the cashiers during check out and start earning dMiles
Do note that total spend accumulated expires one year from registration. This means you have to graduate from each tier within the year and maintain a minimum spend to hold your tier level.
Go on and unleash the inner auntie and uncle in you. We promise we won’t judge!
Which supermarket membership do you have or will you be getting? Let us know in the comments below!
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