Shop at Meijer? Here’s How to Make the Most of Your Money With mPerks
No matter where you fall on the couponing spectrum, it’s always nice when a store makes saving money a little bit easier.
So we love Midwestern superstore Meijer’s mPerks, which tracks in-store rewards, coupons and savings with just the click of a mouse or flick of a smartphone screen.
Let’s start saving.
How to Use Meijer mPerks to Save Money
First, you’ll need a Meijer in your area to shop in store or have your purchase delivered. There are more than 240 stores spread across Michigan(where the company started, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and Wisconsin.
Meijer has begun rolling out a home delivery program through a partnership with Shipt, so you can even save when shopping from home. (Just enter your mPerks info on the Shipt app or website.)
Here’s our Penny Hoarder guide to using Meijer mPerks:
1. Create a Meijer mPerks Login
Signing up is quick and easy — just input your name, email address, password and zip code.
You’ll give the system your phone number and create a PIN to make it easy to access rewards in store — no complicated password memorization necessary!
You’ll then have the option to receive email newsletters and/or sign up to be alerted to exclusive savings, deals and freebies.
2. Clip Coupons — Digitally
Put the scissors down.
Using mPerks, you can now digitally clip coupons. When you enter your mPerks rewards number in the store, the coupons automatically apply to your order.
The digital clipping system itself is awesome — the site recommends coupons based on your shopping habits, and you can also search for coupons by name.
If you see a coupon that you won’t use, you can let the system know it’s not for you with the “Not Interested” button.
So, you’ll optimize which coupons you see and save time you would’ve spent raking through extraneous deals you don’t want to clip.
You can choose up to three rewards categories, which span everything from electronics to brand-specific rewards — current campaigns include Purina and Unilever.
There’s even a “total purchase” reward: Spend $200 in four weeks to get $7 back.
You spend $50 per week on groceries, right?
Bam. Free money.
3. Fill Your Prescriptions
Under the “Rewards” category of mPerks, you’ll notice a pharmacy sub-tab.
If you regularly fill prescriptions, you’ll definitely want to click on that to get more free stuff.
If you fill prescriptions on a frequent basis, consider downloading the Meijer Pharmacy app, which lets you manage and track your prescriptions by family member and set reminders and alerts.
When you fill five prescriptions at Meijer, you earn a credit you can apply toward a variety of valuable rewards. Two credits are good for $10 off your entire shopping total next time you come into the store.
Looks like your medicine is good for you… and your wallet.
4. Pay the Smart Way
Penny Hoarding advice worth repeating: You can make any deal better by stacking it.
Even if you don’t hold Meijer’s proprietary credit card, pay for your groceries with a cash-back rewards credit card to automatically make back a fraction of each dollar you spend.
You can also use sites like Raise to find discounted gift cards that shave just a little bit more off your total purchase price.
But if you are a Meijer credit card holder, you’re in luck.
Cardholders get $10 off a total purchase each time they spend $750 on their card and 10 cents off every gallon at Meijer Gas Stations, along with exclusive savings events.
5. Stay Organized and Up to Date
Since you’ve already set aside the scissors, it’s time to wave goodbye to the coupon binder, too. And your clunky handwritten shopping list, while you’re at it.
Keep track of your clipped coupons, rewards you’ve earned and rewards in progress in your mPerks digital wallet.
By entering your mPerks ID at checkout, the app tracks when you earn rewards, so all you need to do is enter your mPerks ID at checkout to cash in.
There’s also a built-in shopping list feature, so you can either print your list or share it via email.
You can even enable digital receipts to generate digital copies of the shopping receipts you accrue over time, so you can keep tabs on your spending without accumulating a bunch of paper.
The system will also track your total Meijer spending — and savings — in an easy-to-understand graphic that breaks down savings by mPerks, coupons and specials.
6. Save Money… and Time
Meijer mPerks makes it easy to save money every time you shop there — and you don’t have to factor in an extra hour a week to search the circular and cut along the dotted lines.
Heck, you can even retroactively apply your mPerks rewards toward purchases if you accidentally forget your rewards number in the store. Just scan or manually enter info from your receipt.
Clearly, Meijer WANTS to help you save…
And why should you deny them?
Jamie Cattanach (@jamiecattanach) is a contributor to The Penny Hoarder
