Coles’ Flybuys loyalty program is trialling a new paid subscription service for Flybuys members. For $10 per month, Flybuys members would have access to additional benefits if they opt-in to “Flybuys Max”.
A trial of the new program is currently taking place among Coles employees. It’s also open to family and friends of Coles staff. If successful, the Flybuys Max model would be expanded and offered to the general public within the next couple of months. But what exactly is Flybuys Max, and how does it work?
For $10 per month, or $99 per year, Flybuys Max subscribers would receive benefits including:
- 10x Flybuys points (or a 5% discount) on fresh produce purchases at Coles
- 10 Flybuys points per dollar spent at Coles Express petrol stations (up to 250 litres of fuel per week)
- Free delivery on Coles Online orders over $50
- Access to MuviNow online streaming content
- Various other discounts through the Flybuys travel portal
This appears to be a clever model for Coles. Of course, Flybuys would earn additional revenue from the subscription fees. But it’s also a way to keep customers loyal to Coles – similar to the way airline status can place “golden handcuffs” around frequent flyers.
So, would Flybuys Max be worth paying for? That would depend how often you shop at Coles. But it wouldn’t take long for the benefits to add up.
10 Flybuys points are worth 5 cents (though they can be worth more if you transfer them to Velocity Frequent Flyer). To earn back your $10 worth, you would need to spend at least $200 per month on meat, fruit, vegetables and petrol from Coles.
Free delivery on Coles Online orders could be useful if you use Coles Online. Free Coles Online delivery is already a benefit of the Coles Rewards MasterCard.
The access to MuviNow content is another added bonus. It normally costs between $1 and $6 per movie to stream films on MuviNow.
It’s already possible to get 5% off shopping from Woolworths by purchasing discounted e-gift cards from Entertainment Book or a website like Cashrewards.
Would you pay $10/month to join Flybuys Max? Join the discussion on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum: Flybuys subscription service trial: “Flybuys Max”
