Key Points
- AI-generated content
- M&S revamped its Sparks loyalty card, now offering real money rewards for purchases.
- The new Sparks app includes a wallet for rewards, AI-driven personalisation, and Virgin Red partnership perks.
- Original Sparks benefits like birthday treats, coffee stamps, and baby club discounts remain intact.
- Created with AI assistance. Quality assured by editors.
A New Era for M&S Sparks
For years, shoppers have been asking for one thing – a better loyalty scheme. The Sparks Card was launched in 2015, but unlike Tesco Clubcard or Nectar, you weren’t able to collect points to redeem against your shop in-store or online. Instead, it offered personalised deals and discounts and the occasional treat – such as birthday freebies, and the chance to win your shopping each week.
However, as of today (April 15), that’s all about to change. M&S has just revamped Sparks, and as part of the new loyalty programme, customers can now earn money when they buy things.
M&S CEO Stuart Machin said: “Customers told us they want Sparks to be simple, rewarding and personalised, and we listened. New Sparks is built around a much more personalised experience, no tricksy pricing and real money rewards to thank our customers for shopping with us. A stronger Sparks is another step forward on our journey as we invest for future growth.”
Here’s a look at all the major changes being made and how they will benefit you when you shop.
What’s New with the M&S Sparks Card?
The biggest change is the addition of a new digital Sparks wallet in the app, where customers can ‘earn real money rewards to spend across any part of M&S’, including food, fashion, home and beauty. The money in your wallet can be spent on anything you like, at any time, so if you want to use it instantly to treat yourself, you can. Alternatively, you can save it up to use towards the big Christmas shop.
There’s also a brand-new Sparks hub on the M&S app, which brings together offers that M&S say should ‘feel genuinely personalised’. These will be based on the preferences you share (such as dietary choices) and what you’ve shopped for before. Every time you open the M&S app, you should see offers and ways to earn rewards that are relevant to you.
M&S has also revealed that the new Sparks will be powered by the use of AI and data. The retailer says it will use a suite of transformed AI and data capabilities, including machine learning and advanced generative AI models to deliver more personalised offers and rewards. They claim that the more customers shop with Sparks, the ‘better and more personalised’ their experience will be.
How Will Spark Customers Earn Money in Their Wallets?
Customers will earn £10 in their wallet for spending £50 on Fashion, Home, and Beauty products. For those spending £30 on nightwear, you’ll earn £6 in your wallet. You’ll earn £5 when you spend £35 in the Foodhall. And there’s another £1 added to your digital wallet when you spend £10 on fresh fruit.
Shoppers are also rewarded for ‘trying something new’ and ‘discovering a part of M&S they don’t usually shop’. For instance, if you don’t normally buy bedding from M&S, you could earn £6 for spending £30 on bedding. And there will be ‘buy & bundle’ rewards. Picking up selected items in a bundle will earn you more for your digital wallet, too. For example, if you buy a bra and knickers together, that’s £5 in the wallet.
M&S is also partnering with Virgin Red, Virgin’s Rewards Club, as its first-ever Sparks partner, to allow customers to collect rewards in other ways. This will include:
- Up to £130 into your digital Sparks wallet when you book a Virgin Atlantic Holiday.
- An £80 reward into your digital Sparks wallet when you switch to Virgin Media.
- Earn an £8 reward into your digital Sparks wallet for every £100 spent at Virgin Voyages.
- And you can get a £4 reward into your digital Sparks wallet on every £20 spent on Virgin Experience Days.
What’s Remaining the Same with the Sparks Scheme?
While there are several new perks for Sparks members, M&S says it’s keeping some of the OG benefits you already know and love. Free birthday treats will remain, which sees a free packet of sweets/cookies/chocolate/or fruit added to your Sparks account at the start of your birthday month, for you to claim in-store.
Similarly, Coffee Stamps aren’t going anywhere, so you’ll still be able to buy six hot drinks and claim the seventh one for free. The Parent Hood, a baby club with over 350,000 members, is sticking around. As part of this, parents can claim 10% off babygrows until their child turns two, plus monthly rewards, and join baby and parent mornings at M&S Cafes across the UK, where you’ll enjoy a free slice of cake, pastry or a fruit pot, every week when you buy a hot drink, between 9.30-11.30 am.
Charity donations aren’t going anywhere either, with customers able to choose from 37 charities to support and M&S giving 1p per Sparks transaction. Preferential rates on Travel Money, and discounts on insurance policies with M&S Pet and M&S Travel Insurance are still included in Sparks.
Changes for M&S Credit Card Customers
The final change is that M&S Credit Card customers will be able to ‘supercharge’ their Sparks rewards by connecting their credit card to their Sparks Card. Existing customers can do this by signing up for Digital Rewards via M&S.com, while new credit card customers can do this when they apply for the card directly.
The perks for Credit Card customers include exclusive offers, more chances to earn rewards on shopping, an annual discount in Fashion, Home and Beauty to celebrate their credit card anniversary, and a choice of our top Sparks birthday treats each year.
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