Review of the multi-retailers Canadian loyalty program: DROP
Today, we feature Pointshogger contributor, Jean-Francois Pratt, who will share with us his experience with Drop. Thank you Jean-Francois!
A Toronto-based start-up launched a multi-retailer loyalty program called DROP. Each 10 points is worth 1 cent, so 2,000 sign up bonus points is $2 that you can use at partner programs.
List of Partners
DROP’s current list of partners include:
- Apple
- Aerie
- Best Buy
- Cineplex
- Foodora
- Forever 21
- Hotels.com
- McDonald’s
- Old Navy
- Shoppers
- SAQ
- Under Armor
- Wal-Mart
As well as other occasional offers.
How it works
Drop is free to sign up, with 3 simple steps to keep in mind: (1) link your debit and credit cards; (2) earn points; and (3) redeem points.
Also, points never expire!
Personal Experience
What I find innovative about DROP is the ability to link credit or debit cards so that you can earn points without having to register each retailers’ program or send pictures of receipts. It’s a neat solution for retailers who want a loyalty program without having to manage it.
I’ve been using it for several weeks now and I earned points at places like McDonald’s and Wal-Mart who do not have a loyalty program themselves. I also double dipped at SAQ, Shoppers Drug Mart and Cineplex, as they have their own loyalty programs. The points add up every transaction, and takes about 5 business days to show up on my account, so no need to wait until the next monthly statement. You can redeem for starting from 5,000 points ($5) for gift cards at:
- Apple
- Amazon
- Cineplex
- Gap
- Indigo
- Lululemon
- MEC
- Tim Horton’s
- Starbucks
- etc.
The App is still in its early stages of development as it is only available to Canadians, but the program has plans to expand to the United States and beyond. Looking forward to it!
Referral
There is currently a referral program in place. Currently, there is a double the sign up bonus promotion with referral codes, so you can earn 2,000 sign up bonus points (if you sign up before April 25, 2017) as a new member. The usual referral bonus is 1,000 points.
My referral code is: d5ykc
I have been using it for almost 6 months now. Pros and Cons. Like the idea of it but long way to go in terms of engaging the customers customers. Points value isn’t that great but then you are not doing anything extra for this. Also, once chosen, you can’t change the retailers you want to get points for. The gaming aspect is good but takes forever to play and get points. But there are other cool things in there. I redeemed it for a $10 gift card but it comes 2 days later and that too in 2 separate $5 ones!
Neat idea but not there yet!
Thanks for sharing your experience!
Thanks for the post. I went to their website, and – they want financial institution website login information! Similar programs in the US (the airline dining programs, for example) just require your name and a card number – not your login information. I am not comfortable with the setup of Drop.
Only do what you are comfortable with, or risk tolerance level. Either way, thank you for sharing your thoughts with us!