Petrol, groceries, travel, eating out. Everything, it seems, is getting more expensive. Rapidly rising prices have seen many consumers tighten the purse strings – we’re eating in more, buying supermarket brands, or simply shopping less as we look for ways to save.
One novel way to make the dollar go further is through gift cards, with savings of up to 10% from some of Australia’s biggest brands – and for Australian Retirement Trust (ART) members, they’re more popular than ever.
And while gift cards have been traditionally used as a gift for others, they’re increasingly bought for personal use, whether it’s everyday shopping, a one-off purchase, or just those moments when you want to treat yourself.
A new way to pay
Consumers seeking respite from high inflation has seen a jump in the use of electronic gift cards since 2021. This, however, is a part of a longer-term trend of rising electronic payments that has seen the use of cash in transactions plummet to just 16% in 2022.2
This familiarity with new forms of payments has made consumers increasingly confident with adopting gift cards as another way to pay. And even though the purchase of gift cards does contain a processing fee, these are in many cases, offset by saving on the merchant fees associated with debit and credit card use.
How ART Rewards gift cards work
Delivered straight to your inbox, gift cards offer discounts on the regular purchase amount. Here’s how they work:
- Through Member Online choose ‘Rewards’, and head to the “Redeem Your Gift Card” offer page. Pick the retailer you’re interested in (there are over 100 to choose from!)
- Select the amount of the gift card using the preset options or $ amount slider.
- Proceed to the checkout and the discount will be applied to the face value of the gift card – so if you want a $100 gift card, and the retailer is offering a 7% discount, you’ll pay $93 (+ processing fee).
- At the checkout scan your emailed gift card and take $100 off the till price. Gift cards are just as easy for online purchases – just apply the code at the checkout
How are other members of ART using electronic gift cards?
We’ve looked at how other Australian Retirement Trust members are using gift cards to bring you these top tips.
- One of our most popular cards is the Woolworths gift card, with members using them for a discount on their weekly shop. Some members even use Woolies gift cards as a form of budgeting, so they know how much they’re spending.
- Most of our gift cards let you choose a specific amount – right down the dollar. So if you know the price for a specific item you’re buying, you can choose that amount get an instant discount.
- One popular time of year for gift cards are the Black Friday sales. That’s because, by using offer stacking, gift cards can offer a further discount on the retailers’ discounts. Of course, it doesn’t have to be just in November – any time you see a product on sale, using a gift card can bring the price down a little more.
Get started today
Unlike other Rewards programs, there are no ‘points’ to earn to get a gift card. You’re free to purchase gift cards as soon as you are an ART member!
Some of our other bestselling cards include Amazon, eBay, Uber (yes – Uber!), Airbnb and EB Games. To explore all our gift cards for Health & Beauty, Electronic Goods, Fashion, Sports gear, Restaurants and many more, download the Australian Retirement Trust app or log in to Member Online today!
Find out more at art.com.au/rewards
1. Australian Retirement Trust Pty Ltd ABN 88 010 720 840, the trustee of Australian Retirement Trust ABN (Australian Retirement Trust) does not endorse these products or services. It is providing this information to members for their benefit and members should undertake their own inquiries in relation to the products and/or services offered. Australian Retirement Trust is not an agent, dealer or promoter of the products and/or services offered. Australian Retirement Trust is not liable for any representations made by the suppliers in relation to these products and services. Australian Retirement Trust respects your privacy and does not supply your personal details to these or any other third-party supplier. Please contact Australian Retirement Trust on 13 11 84 or write to GPO Box 2924, Brisbane QLD 4001 if you have any questions, concerns or suggestions.