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 🙄

A hat! A HAT?! That’s hilarious 🤣

I have £2 in my "wallet" and then there's another £1 for something underneath, but I can't add it to the wallet until I've spent what's in there...eh??

Well I spent my rewards on food yesterday and then promptly returned the qualifying clothing items (though not the other equally qualifying items I purchased in the same offer period, so M&S have still got their money's worth out of me 😀) and as of yet no SWAT team has crashed through my window like the ending of an embassy siege to claim their £7 back...

This is the same for me. We live very near an M&S food hall and I’m in there every other day or so. I’ve “earned” £1 since the new Sparks came in. It’s shite

I spent £100 on two dinner sets. M&S has now said I can get £10 of points if I buy… a dinner set.

I really don’t need a third dinner set thanks 😂

I always used to get 20% off dresses when I’d bought a dress, or 20% off bras after I’d bought a bra. It was not a reward - it just used to piss me off knowing they'd ripped me off the week before.

Can you imagine: "Buy a new straw boater, a summer Fedora and a baseball cap and receive the equivalent of a free single slice of cheesecake..." 😀

I’ve just completed a feedback survey on the new Sparks and gave it a slating

Well done! Every time I’m in store and a member of staff is promoting it, I tell them how useless it is for me and how much better the old system was. They always try and placate me by telling me that I have 14 days to buy £15 worth of their ready meals, and I patiently explain that I never buy ready meals and don’t intend to start now! The last assistant quietly admitted to me that lots of customers had said the same.

The staff agree when I say it to them.

I did a very large food hall shop yesterday, but had no food offers - only hats and flowers etc. Today - “Earn £15 when you spend £150 in the food hall.” The last straw - I’m deleting this bloody app. It’s exactly what happened last time - you’d buy jeans then get a 20% off voucher for jeans the next day. It’s infuriated me for the last time!

I think this is a silly decision from M&S. I used to buy from them because of discounts. Now I just wont bother. Only thing I buy from them is emergency food. Their veggie selection is really bad in my branch and their own brand veggie stuff isnt good

I've just received the opportunity to 'earn' £7 when I spend £35 on women's knitwear (like another poster upthread the language really annoys me, like I have to work to be remunerated by M&S 🙄)

It's now 30+ days since I spent £35 on women's knitwear, so I can't even re-buy that item and return it with the original receipt to get this reward. There's nothing else I want.

In Sainsburys I often get an offer on something I've bought recently or regularly buy. That makes sense for a supermarket - it's an algorithm picking up on my usual shopping, rewarding me for it and incentivising me to keep doing it. It works on Taste The Difference cheese scones and grapefruits, not on cardigans. Do M&S seem to think when you buy a pair of their jeans they wear out within a week and you need another pair to replace them?

I got a £4 reward if I bought a bra from the Body range. I have big boobs so thought I’d give the Body Flexifit minimiser bra a go. Ordered the bra. Got the reward in ‘pending’.

Picked up bra, tired it on. Too small. Surprise, surprise no bigger sizes in store. Helpful lady on the till offered to order it online for me. Hurrah! But after a quick conflab with the manager she told me they won’t honour the £4 reward as it’s now ‘expired’. So even though it was a straight exchange, they wouldn’t give me the £4 reward. I told them to keep their bra.

So their reward system almost worked. I actually considered buying something I wouldn’t have ordinarily bought (M&S bras never fit me, but I keep trying!) but due to their lack of actually giving me the reward they got no sale. Bonkers!

Where’s the survey? I’d like to fill it in!

They emailed it to me. I think I signed up to some feedback forum ages ago. I get asked what I think of various products, if I’d buy them and how much I’d spend

I’ve just had another email (about hot chocolate!), it’s called M&S Collective. They ask for feedback, usually on random products, but recently on Sparks

Another cracking Sparks offer landed here this week - earn £5 with a £25 spend on women's dressing gowns 😀

Maybe I should buy them now in the middle of a heatwave and put them away for Christmas 😆

I have dressing gowns, cushions - nope and active wear and food - yes.
am up to £23 in rewards so far

Well if the aim is incentivising people to spend, it’s had the reverse effect on me. I never really bothered about the food discounts but the 20% off home or women’s coats/shoes/clothing type deals were my biggest reason for spending in M&S. I might then pop into the food hall and pick up some wine and nice bits for the weekend on the basis I’d saved money on clothes (that I probably didn’t need, but 20% can’t be missed) 😂 I was never bothered about food discounts as none of them made much sense - like save a £1 on lamb or smoked fish, a £1 saving isn’t going to cut it for me. I can honestly say I have saved a fortune since the new scheme because I am spending less, so that is the only reward for me.

My ghast is flabbered. I received a mystery package today and opened it up to find some gifts from Sparks for being such a good customer! Hand cream, sweets and a very nice, roomy canvas bag with pockets! I also managed to accumulate £11 on my card. I still don’t like it 😆

Wowzers! You clearly spend a lot in M&S 😁

As for me, I haven’t even bothered to select even one of my current 8 offers as there’s no way I’ll spend the amount I need just to earn a £1!

@Davros Are you a high spender at M&S?

I’m so interested in how you’ve achieved this survey and special customer status 😂

I have had a Sparks card for years and love M&S but I never seem to bother to redeem any Sparks rewards and would much prefer money off vouchers like at Tesco's.
This change also sounds like more trouble than it's worth. I think loyalty schemes should keep it simple. We consumers don't have the headspace for all the ins and outs.