M&S reveals new SUPER loyalty card (but it costs £120 a year)
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M&S is trialling premium version of its Sparks loyalty card with benefits including unlimited free next day delivery (but it costs £120 a year)
- As well as extra benefits a £10 monthly voucher and a free coffee every month
- Other benefits include customized weekly offers through the app, donations to a charity of your choice every time you shop, and free M&S food magazines
- The trial is rolling out to existing Sparks customers
Marks & Spencer is testing a premium version of its Sparks loyalty card with a £120 prepayment.
Members of the new Sparks Plus program get additional benefits for regular Sparks customers, including a £10 monthly voucher, free coffee every month at any M&S café and unlimited free next-day M&S delivery.
M&S told Money Mail that the trial is being rolled out to existing Sparks customers and will await the outcome before launching at full scale.
Premium Sparks Customer Card: The trial is rolling out to existing Sparks customers
Experts say the move would guarantee M&S cash upfront from regular customers.
Every week Sparks customers have the chance to win their purchases for free in all 1,487 stores.
M&S has over 16 million Sparks members, of which there will be approximately 77,000 winners each year.
Other benefits include customized weekly offers via the app, donations to a charity of your choice every time you shop, and free M&S food magazines, which usually cost £2.
Sparks customers can also claim one free drink for every six they purchase from the store.
Achille Traore, CEO of customer retention firm White Label Loyalty, says the timing of the trial may raise eyebrows as households struggle to pay the bills, but from a business standpoint it makes sense.
He says: ‘It is an interesting step to launch an expensive subscription in the current climate.
‘But M&S has a loyal customer base and it is precisely those people that it wants to appeal to.
“It’s smart because this way M&S secures investments upfront and collects new customer data at the same time.”
You can’t earn points to spend in-store with Sparks or Sparks Plus like many loyalty programs. Unless you have an old Sparks card, you’ll need to download the M&S app on your smartphone to access the loyalty program – it went app-based two years ago.
The retailer says it has had 4.6 million app downloads to date.
Sparks customers can claim one free drink for every six purchased in store
The latest trial comes after M&S rolled out its direct credit account, Sparks Pay, last October. This allows Sparks customers to borrow up to £500 to spend online or via the app, with 45 days interest free.
M&S plans to extend the service to the High Street later this year.
It’s not the first supermarket to go the premium loyalty route, with Tesco launching Clubcard Plus in November 2019 to help those doing big mainstream stores.
At £7.99 per month, benefits include 10 per cent off two stores of up to £200 per month, as well as 10 per cent off Tesco brands, such as the F&F clothing range.
The Co-op also offers a £1 paid loyalty scheme. Members get 2p for every £1 spent on selected products and 50p for every £20 spent on branded food.
Customers also receive discounts on other services, such as a 5 percent discount on life insurance.
M&S’s competitor Waitrose doesn’t have a premium version of its loyalty program, but its regular MyWaitrose card offers a range of freebies, including a hot drink with every purchase, weekly personalized vouchers and free Waitrose Food magazines.