Anyone else disappointed by the new M&S Sparks rewards changes?

[Nikki3009]

Hi,

Has anyone else noticed the change to the M&S Sparks Cards Rewards? I've previously often had 20% off clothing etc, but under the new system you have to spend money on certain items to earn money off future spends.

Before anyone comes at me, I know M&S don't have to offer a reward card in any shape or form. But the way the new rewards are going to operate seem highly biaised towards high-spending customers rather than all customers.

As an example...under the previous rewards I might have had 20% off dresses which, if I bought a dress for £50 would mean £10 off. Under the new scheme, I may get a £6 reward for spending £30 on a dress. So, as a customer I'm not really gaining anything - in fact, it'll end up costing me more, because I will no doubt have to top up that £6 reward in order to buy anything!

Obviously this has been done to be beneficial to M&S and it's a business decision but does anyone else feel it's a bit of a shame as a loyal customer?

Also, the influencers shilling this as a 'Fantastic Upgrade', need to start being transparent about their partnerships with M&S. You only have to do the maths to realise for the average customer, it's anything but 🙄

I think their rewards have always been pretty crap, apart from the cafe related ones. We do spend a decent amount of money in there but never seem to gain any useful rewards so maybe this will help. We'll have to see

I've always found Sparks rewards crap. I also spend a fair bit of money in there but it doesn't seem to benefit me.

It sucks. Definitely preferred the old version.

I would normally agree with you, although did love this reward, which seemed to be new, and made me smile. Just need to decide whether I prefer Colin’s or Percy Pigs …..

I agree - I used to like the 20% off on women’s and kids clothes, so you would still save a few pounds even if you didn’t spend loads. Now you’ll have to spend quite a bit in a short period to get any benefit - and I bet the rewards expire as well, although I’ve not checked.

Only once ever have the stars aligned for me and I’ve had a 20% off womenswear at the point where I wanted to buy something. Otherwise (before the recent changes) they perversely seemed to pop up with an offer relating to recent purchases, which is useless - if I’ve just spent £80 on clothes I’m unlikely to do the same the following week. And I always, always forget to log in and load up the offers before I go shopping, and because I don’t manage things like that on my phone, I can’t do it on the move. It would make much more sense if they just loaded the offers to your card automatically,

My earn cash rewards are pretty good this first time - all things I’ll buy anyway and therefore easy for me to earn the £. We’ll see if it stays like that though….. my money off offers were always pretty random.

do you remember the days of getting a free treat, my best ever was a free cucumber (we eat a lot of cucumber and I’m still delighted with that one 12 yrs on!)

Sparks had always been thr most disappointing loyalty scheme. Always offers when I don’t need them and they never once had stock of those little free gifts.

I’ve got a £12 off £60 one on clothing and I’m pleased to see that I don’t need to spend £60 all in one go during the qualifying period, and lingerie and school uniform all seem to count towards it.

Yes really rubbish. I logged in and had terrible ones. I had money back when I spend a certain amount in the food hall….I don’t have one to shop in.

I preferred the 20% off trousers or pyjamas and so on. I normally wait until I have one to buy the basics I need.

I’ve used one on the day it changed from the ones I have and earnt a £5 reward and don’t like that I have to use it by 2 months time.

I will probably be shopping elsewhere.

That’s a good one. Mine I have to spend £100.

Most of my wardrobe consists of clothes bought with M&S 20% off sparks offers…not any more!

I quite liked it. I returned full price things that I’d literally just unpacked and sent them back because I reordered at 20% off. Now I have to buy a skirt to get points? I don’t want any skirts right now so I guess my purchases won’t count for anything! It feels meagre.

And mine..... I have to spend £120. No kids, and no local shop, so unlikely to reach that amount any time soon

I used to like the advent offers and free items.

Its rubbish - for example it states spend £150 and get £30 rewards. I would never spend £150 - all the well off people that think nothing of spending £150 in one go don't need to £30 off - whereas when the Sparks offers came ip say 20% off jeans and jumpers I had purchased due to the 20% offer - would not buy otherwise - ah well will be buying from Zara now! Goodbye Marks and Spencers!

Thanks for pointing this out.I loved the 20per cent discount , just availed of it on summer blouses a few months ago. Loved when it was on shoes too.
The new one sounds like the h&m one. I initially liked the novelty of that but began to find it pushy. I've gotten pretty jaded with a lot of loyalty schemes as found I was purchasing more and thinking I was saving. I'll probably spend less in marks with this.

Sigh just went into my sparks for a look and you have to join the scheme, additionally to having the app.Eff that for now.

Yes I am disappointed. The consumer loses out under the new rewards.

For example I have a new reward which is £10 when I spend £50. I have to spend £50 to get £10 back. So 20%.

But before I would get rewards like 20% off womens, bras, jeans etc, which would be applied no matter how much I spent. So £20% off if I spent £10 or if I spent £200.

Now I can only get 20% off if I spend £50, no more, no less

All seems over complicated for the sake of it. I like Nectar points and Boots Advantage Card. You just earn Points / money and it soon adds up. The you get the adhoc discounts on top. I hardly spend any money with M&S since they shut my towns store so probably won’t bother anymore.

It's like a complicated clunky version of clubcard now, which in recent years is itself already complicated and clunky. I think I'll just ignore it and buy what I want when I want rather than do mental gymnastics and possibly spend more than I intended to "save" a fiver, which I guess is what they're after. Fuck em.

I’m another who is disappointed. I often used the 20% offers but the rewards I’ve been allocated aren’t things I’d use. For the clothing ones I need to purchase Whistles and Calvin Klein.

i was stopped by an assistant in a store yesterday who was promoting the new changes and told her that I was disappointed with it.

Yeah they were crappy before and they're crappier now.

I actually think I'm going to like this new version more.

I'm always popping in to buy bits in the food hall, never clothes or homewards so those 20% vouchers were pointless for me.

I have a spending £35 on food get a £10 voucher - I that suits my normal spending habits. I'll spend £35 in a week anyway, so an extra £10 voucher can go towards a treat!

I think you also have over a year to use the vouchers, so I will be saving mine for Xmas.

Another one who is very disappointed. I have to spend £140 in the food hall to get £14. And there’s a time limit. The old scheme wasn’t great this seems worse.

I hate any card where I have to go in and add the offers.