A new unified rewards program named Plenti was recently introduced by a number of retailers. The concept is simple, and actually kind of smart on the face of it: instead of separate loyalty programs, these stores use the same card to allow shoppers to earn points that get deposited into a single account. Then, the points can be redeemed at participating members’ stores for discounts.
But wait, there was some almost illegible fine print on the screen for a mere three seconds.
*MOUSE PRINT:
“You cannot use points with all participating partners or at all locations.”
Huh? Isn’t that the point of the program to earn points at member stores and then be able to redeem there?
For example, here is AT&T’s Plenti ad.
*MOUSE PRINT:
In case you can’t read that, it says that you can’t currently use points at AT&T.
*MOUSE PRINT:
In fact, according to the Plenti site, you can only redeem Plenti points at Macy’s, Rite Aid and participating Exxon and Mobil stations.
So, if you like to collect points just for the sake of collecting them because you don’t shop at the above retailers, knock yourself out at AT&T, Nationwide Insurance, Direct Energy, Enterprise, National, Alamo, and Hulu.
And as with any discounts, there are “plenti” of other earning and redeeming exclusions.
Whenever Macy’s prints percent-off coupons, they are usually loaded with exclusions for product categories and brands to which the advertised discount does not apply. But according to their latest circular for Memorial Day, there are no exclusions for their 15% coupon.
