Woolworths Rewards and Qantas Frequent Flyer members will be able to convert Woolworths Dollars into Qantas Points, continuing the six year association between Australia’s largest supermarket chain and the national carrier for at least another three years.
The new agreement will give customers the choice to convert their Woolworths Dollars, earned through buying orange ticket products, into Qantas Points at a conversion rate of 870 Qantas Points for every 10 Woolworths Dollars.
Woolworths and Qantas Frequent Flyer will now work on implementation of the Qantas Points option, including necessary IT and systems changes, with a full launch expected in the first half of 2016.
Between 1 January 2016 and the launch of the new option, customers who previously earned Qantas Points via Woolworths Rewards will receive regular bonus Qantas Points offers, ensuring shopping at Woolworths remains the best option for Qantas Frequent Flyers during the implementation period. Those with a Qantas Frequent Flyer-linked credit card will continue to earn points each time they shop at Woolworths.
Woolworths’ Food Group Managing Director, Brad Banducci, said: “Our revamped Woolworths Rewards program is delivering for our customers. We are seeing encouraging results, with strong member growth and increased scan rates at the checkout.
“This new agreement means our customers can choose from two great options. Those who prefer cash back can continue to use Woolworths Dollars to get money off their shopping, while avid points collectors will have the option to convert their Woolworths Dollars into Qantas Points at a very attractive rate and with no minimum spend.
“This fantastic outcome means Woolworths Rewards is 100% relevant to all Woolworths customers, while also offering the best frequent flyer partnership in Australian supermarkets,” said Mr Banducci.
CEO of Qantas Loyalty, Lesley Grant, said: “Qantas is very pleased to be continuing its long association with Woolworths and we believe our Frequent Flyer members will feel the same way,” said Ms Grant.
“We know Qantas Points are a very popular choice for a lot of people, particularly those who are earning them in several ways. Those customers tend to preference brands that offer Qantas Points because it helps them reach their goals faster, which can mean upgrades on flights or taking the family on an overseas holiday each year,” said Ms Grant.
Woolworths is keeping a close eye on the number of Woolworths Dollars customers are earning and the program includes a range of options to make absolutely sure all loyal customers achieve an attractive reward.
Woolworths is currently increasing the number of orange tickets in store on fresh and high demand products and implementing a Woolworths Dollars ‘top-up’ campaign. As part of this process, Woolworths will ensure active members have earned at least ten Woolworths Dollars in the first seven weeks of the program.
Woolworths Rewards members previously linked to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program have continued to earn Qantas Points on their shopping in addition to Woolworths Dollars and will continue to do so until 31 December.
Around half of all Everyday Rewards members were linked to the Qantas Frequent Flyer Program and of those around 32% had not redeemed points for flights or other goods during the life of the program. However, the relationship has helped avid points collectors to reach their goals.
Over the first six years of the Woolworths-Qantas relationship, around 9.4 million flights were redeemed using points earned at Woolworths. About 80 per cent of points redeemed by Woolworths shoppers were on flights and the remainder were for items in the Qantas store (where the most popular items are gift cards, household appliances and personal electronic devices).
KEY FEATURES – QANTAS POINTS OPTION FOR WOOLWORTHS REWARDS MEMBERS
· Minimum $30 spend to earn Qantas Points removed.
· Customers earn Woolworths Dollars as a default option of the Woolworths Rewards (rather than Qantas Points).
· Customers selecting the Qantas Points option will nominate to automatically convert their Woolworths Dollars into Qantas Points at a rate of 870 points for every 10 Woolworths Dollars.
· Applies to Woolworths Dollars earnt at Woolworths Supermarkets and BWS stores.
· As previously announced, Woolworths customers will continue to automatically earn Qantas Points until 31 December 2015, when current agreement expires.
· New scheme will take effect during the first half of 2016, with more information provided to members before it goes live.
· Between 1 January and the new scheme taking effect, customers who previously earned Qantas Points via Woolworths Rewards will receive bonus earn offers, so they can continue to grow their points balance when shopping at Woolworths.