On a recent shopping trip to Jewel, my wife gave the cashier our Jewel Loyalty card to swipe for product discounts and the card died, apparently from old age and overuse. So, we had to re-apply for a new card and found out that they have a new rewards program. After entering a bit of information into a computer kiosk at the Customer Service desk, we were provided a “MyJewel Osco Rewards” card.
Like most customer loyalty programs, each time you purchase products, you earn points. The Jewel rewards points can be redeemed at the Osco Pharmacy at Jewel. What we found most interesting is that the points can also be used to reduce the price of gas at Shell gas stations or the Mobil station near downtown Huntley. For each $50 of purchases at Jewel, you can get 5 cents off per gallon, up to 20 gallons. That is enough to fill our car’s gas tank and a can of gas for the snowblower as well.
The only catch is that you have to use the points by the end of the next month or they expire. We used them on our next fill up and saved 20 cents per gallon. This was the first time we have seen a situation where retailers have “partnered” together to enable points to be redeemed at another unrelated vendor. We have since noticed that the Mobil station at Drendel’s Corner has partnered with Dominick’s under a similar program.
Kudos to our retailers for providing us with such creative discounts, especially during this time when gas prices are skyrocketing again.
Post Script on previous columns:
In my previous couple of columns, I discussed the continual increase in rates from service providers like Comcast. I floated the idea of having our Sun City community organize to negotiate discounts or reduced rates with providers of products and services in our area. I had planned to coordinate a meeting so interested members of the community could brainstorm our options.
Subsequently, I attended the Village Hall meeting on Feb. 13. A member of the community made a similar suggestion to the board. I later contacted Bonnie Bayser, our board chair, to see how the Sun City board viewed the idea. According to Bonnie, some discussions have been held with Comcast already and options are being looked at from several angles. Bonnie asserted, “No promises, but it is being looked into and is a great idea.” Stay tuned for further information from the board.
• Send your questions and ideas to: Sun Day, Frugal Forum Column, P.O. Box 7505, Algonquin, IL 60102, or, by email to: thefrugalforum@gmail.com
