... After stocking up with toiletries in Boots I noticed a display at the door as I was leaving. At first glance I thought it was a promotion for their Advantage Card that all Boots fans know and love!
On closer inspection I noticed the promotion was infact for a Christmas Bonus Card. There ... Read review
...stocking up with toiletries in Boots I noticed a display at the door as I was leaving. At first glance I thought it was a promotion for their Advantage Card that all Boots fans know and love!
On closer inspection I noticed the promotion was infact for a Christmas Bonus Card. There was a lovely display of little purple cards with a credit card size bonus card stuck to them. Without further ado I lifted about a dozen! Well I was thinking ... ...Boots Advantage Card is so great it was without doubt this would be just as good I thought. I stuffed them in my bag and off I went.
It wasn’t until the next day at work that I found all these cards in my bag and decided to distribute them at work! The usual questions were asked. “What’s this?” and “What do I do with it?”. Silly me didn’t have a clue, well that’s until I read all the small print.
One cold Thursday night a few weeks ago I was out late night shopping. After stocking up with toiletries in Boots I noticed a display at the door as I was leaving. At first glance I thought it was a promotion for their Advantage Card that all Boots fans know and love!
On closer inspection I noticed the promotion was infact for a Christmas Bonus Card. There was a lovely display of little purple cards with a credit card size bonus card stuck to them. Without further ado I lifted about a dozen! Well I was thinking of my friends and work colleagues wasn’t I! Well the Boots Advantage Card is so great it was without doubt this would be just as good I thought. I stuffed them in my bag and off I went.
It wasn’t until the next day at work that I found all these cards in my bag and decided to distribute them at work! The usual questions were asked. “What’s this?” and “What do I do with it?”. Silly me didn’t have a clue, well that’s until I read all the small print.
Right then folks, you are probably asking the same questions my colleagues’ did so let me tell you more!
This card is the same size as your average credit card or advantage card. The card has pictures of two colourful Christmas baubles which I find hard to get excited about in February but the idea is for Christmas! It also sports the Boots famous logo.
The first thing you have to do is remove the card from the purple cardboard which is pretty easy as its stuck down with a blob of that clear sticky stuff. On the reverse of your card is a long serial number of 17 digits. This serial number is also printed on the purple card. All the rules of the scheme are printed on the back of the card so I wouldn’t recommend throwing that away! You are actually advised to keep it because if you loose your bonus card then this is the only record you have of the serial number.
The card does not need to be signed and you can simply pop it in your purse straight away. So you’ve got the card, you’ve kept the purple card with your serial number so what next?
Well the sole idea of this card is to save money for Christmas to spend at Boots. So anytime you have some spare cash you can visit any till in Boots and produce this card with your cash and ask for it to be added to your card. It really is as simple as that. Once the cashier has added your designated amount to your card he/she will give you a receipt showing your total on the card. If you are ever in a store and wish to have your balance checked this can be done at any till.
So are there any limits on this card? ============================
Yes there is I’m afraid. There is a maximum limit of £500 that can be added to this card.
What are the advantages of using this card? ==================================
Well this is an easy way to see small deposits of cash grow to help you with your Christmas shopping.
Boots give you a bonus for when you save past a certain amount! For example if you save £49 you will receive £1 bonus. If you manage to save £97 or more then you will be awarded a £3 bonus and for the big savers out there who manage to save £144 or more you will be awarded £6 bonus. These bonuses might sounds small but if you see what you would get at a high street bank for saving these amounts then I am sure you will agree they are pretty generous.
The amount saved on your card can be used to purchase ANYTHING in the store.
Are there any disadvantages? ========================
Well I reckon there might be I’m afraid it just depends on what you think personally! The main thing is that all money saved has to be spent at Boots.
In order to qualify for the bonus payment you must leave the cash on your card until 1st October 2004 when the bonuses are applied. Please note that only one bonus is applied. They are not accumulative. You will not be able to have a £6 bonus and a £1 bonus. If you are not fussed for the bonus or won’t qualify you can redeem your cash at any time.
What happens if you save loads of money on your card but don’t manage to spend it? ================================
No worries about this one. Any monies left on your card will be shown on your till receipt and Boots will let you spent this amount the next time you visit their store.
My thoughts about this card =====================
Well folks, I was mighty impressed when Boots launched their Advantage Card all those years ago. My thoughts on this Christmas Bonus Card are mixed though. I have come to the conclusion that it isn’t suitable for me personally. I do see the logic behind the idea and think it’s a great for teenagers or the elderly to save with. A couple of pounds here and there is bound to help out at Christmas time.
Then there are folks like me who shop at Boots a lot and accumulate a mass of Advantage points that you can spend at any time of the year! Not just at Christmas. The bonus payments are an incentive but to all us regular Boots shoppers you can quite often pick up better offers in store. i.e 200 points if you buy a particular product.
So I won’t be using the card for Christmas. I’ll just stick with the faithful Advantage Card!!
Extra Info ========
For help using the card you can call 0845 120 5677 or write to The Boots Company PLC, Nottingham NG2 3AA
One word of warning! Boots cannot replace or reimburse you if the card is lost or stolen or damaged. You are advised to look after the card and treat it like cash!
