Points Magnet Part 3

Groceries My Way 

As a fan of the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program, it’s no surprise that I’m going to tell you to sign up (if you haven’t already) to Woolworths Rewards.

If you shop at Woolies and AREN’T signed up, then you’re crazy. Like it or not, those loyalty points are factored into the price of everything you buy – so you may as well collect the points! If you don’t, it’s like giving Woolworths a tip, or saying “keep the change” every time you shop. 

Great, you’ve got a Woolworths Rewards Card. Set it up to transfer points to your QFF account. Now… get another Woolworths Rewards Card. And keep a regular check on your email account.

Whilst WR is a loyalty rewards program, the irony is that Woolworths is more likely to reward disloyalty. Stop using Card A for a while and watch the special bonus offers start to appear in your inbox (they think you’ve gone to Coles). Activate them. Use them if they make sense to you (but don’t buy stuff you don’t need just to get the points). 

While you’re happily collecting bonus points on Card A, pretty soon you’ll be getting similar offers on Card B. 

If the bonus offers dry up, consider getting another card.

Make sure everyone in your family is shopping on one of your cards to maximise your points. You can also collect WR points at fuel and bottle shop outlets, and Big W. 

Notwithstanding those special offers, you’ll get 1 Woolworths Reward point for every $1 spent. Each WR point converts to 0.43 QFF points (2000 WR points converts to 870 QFF points, transferred to your Qantas account quarterly)

Let’s compare value: 

2000 Woolworths points buys a $10 voucher/discount when used at Woolworths. 1 point is worth half a cent! 

870 Qantas Frequent Flyer points is worth approximately $26 when used for points upgrades or awards flights at Qantas, based on my 3 cents per point valuation. 

The Woolworths award can be used on life’s essentials, and is easily cashed in. The Qantas award is a lifestyle choice and is a little bit more difficult to cash – but so much more fun than buying toilet paper. It’s up to you, be sensible or be self-indulgent, but don’t miss out on the points! 

Now, how many QFF points could you collect in a year from grocery shopping? Let’s say you spend $250 a week at Woolworths (not a stretch for family of four). And you activate and exploit all of those bonus offers. And you pay on a points earning credit card like the American Express Ultimate card that I have recommended previously. 

• Table 1 – $250 Weekly Grocery Bill
  • WR points: 13,000 converts to 5590 QFF points 
  • Bonus Points: 40,000* converts to 17200 QFF points 
  • (*based on 4 x 10,000 bonus offer for 4-weekly shopping targets)
  • Amex 1.25 points for spend 16,250 QFF points

Congratulations, you’ve just banked 39,040 QFF points towards your next award. 

Now let’s put the icing on that cake:

Shopping at Woolworths ONLINE via the Qantas Mall can increase your points yield even further, AND save you time in the supermarket.

It takes some planning and organisation, but I think it’s worth the effort. I use Woolworths online (via Qantas Mall) to buy the things I know I’m going to need for the coming week. It’s also a great way to browse the half-price specials and snap up those things you regularly use at a ‘bargain’ price. It won’t replace that dash to the shops for the bread and milk that you just ran out of, but if you can get into a routine you can easily get most of your groceries this way. 

They pick and pack the groceries for you, so you save time in store. I also find that I am less prone to impulse buys (usually chocolate), so it’s arguably good for wallet and waist as well! 

But back to the points… every time you shop at Woolworths online via the Qantas Mall, your spend is tracked by Qantas and they will reward you with 2 points (standard, sometimes up to 4 points) for every $1 spent. That’s 4 times the standard earn rate in store!

For example: 

• Table 2 Points Yield on $200 Online Grocery Shop
  • 200 standard Woolworths rewards points (converts to 87 QFF points) 
  • 250 QFF points from your points earning credit card 
  • 400 QFF points from the Qantas Mall 

If you were able to do $200 of your weekly family-of-four grocery shop online instead of instore, you’ll collect at least a further 20,800 QFF in a year.  

Add that to the points from Table 1 and you are at around 60,000 QFF points – not for buying more stuff, just from buying the same stuff in a different way.

You could look at this as a $360 cash back on your groceries, or up to $1800 to spend at Qantas. (I’ll cover points valuations in more detail in another instalment)

Or you could let Woolworths and Qantas keep the points – it’s up to you!