On Tuesday this week, both Coop and Norgesgruppen came up with figures on how much customers have saved and earned in dividends and bonus points in 2022.
Coop’s customer club receives a purchase dividend of at least one percent on everything they buy in the grocery stores and hardware stores. These days, the chain pays out NOK 1.3 billion in dividends.
In Norgesgruppen’s customer club Trumf, you save up a bonus when you shop in their stores. On average, Trumf customers have NOK 600 available in bonus, states the Norgesgruppen. Trump members saved 1.44 billion in bonus in 2022.
Communications manager Kine Søyland tells Nettavisen that out of 2.5 million members, 2.3 million actively use the Trumf scheme.
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For you as a consumer, there is one message to take home
Has over DKK 4,000 in balance
Several members have large bonuses in their accounts.
– Our figures show that 65,000 of the Trumf memberships have over NOK 4,000 in balance. The average for these is NOK 6,700, says Søyland to Nettavisen.
Customers do not receive interest on accumulated bonus points.
– We encourage customers to withdraw their Trumf bonus, and remind them of this at regular intervals. Customers can withdraw the bonus as often as they want, and they can use it on new grocery stores or they can transfer it to their own bank account, they can donate to charity and they can convert the bonus into flights and hotel stays, says Søyland.
– We also know that many members see their Trumf bonus as a reserve and use it for unforeseen costs, or for holidays and experiences, she adds.
In conclusion, Søyland emphasizes that the bonus does not expire, and that there are no upper limits on how much bonus members can save up.
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– Withdraw the money
Magne Gundersen is a consumer economist at Sparebank 1. He has clear advice for members.
– Withdraw the money. It’s a very good time to withdraw the money to save a little extra for the electricity bill, and for the food prices that rise in February, he says to Nettavisen.
The consumer economist believes it is fine to withdraw the money once a year. But Gundersen also recommends familiarizing yourself with the other bonus schemes the trump money can be transferred to.
– I have an automatic transfer to Eurobonus. It can be good to have if you are flying home on holidays or other occasions, he says.
The grocery chains have various bonus programs. In addition to Coop’s customer club and Norgesgruppen’s Trump scheme, Norwegian consumers can also be members of REMA 1000’s bonus program Æ.
– Free discounts
The consumer economist believes that the grocery industry’s bonus schemes are beneficial for consumers, and has a clear call:
– All consumers should be members of Trumf, Coop and Æ. If you are not a member, you pay for the discount others receive. What’s more, it’s free, he says.
Gundersen believes it is unimportant that the chains get to know a little more about you and your shopping habits through the bonus programmes.
– I can’t see that it is particularly revealing. It is more interesting for the chains to study the big numbers, he says.
