Perkler – a unique new loyalty program community

Can't keep track of all your loyalty cards? Get a Perkler account, an online community that lets people manage their loyalty programs and earn benefits from them easily.

Many Australians aren’t making the most of their loyalty programs, with a wallet full of loyalty cards that they rarely use, missing out on loads of rewards and perks.

Recent research shows that 82% of Aussies are members of loyalty programs, but shockingly the average family misses out on a whopping $4,000 every year by not claiming their rewards.

This inspired two Canberra friends, Dan Bisa and Justin Barrie, to come up with the idea for Perkler.com, which  was stumbled upon on a business trip when Barrie realised just how many potential offers and discounts he was missing out on because the market was so difficult to navigate.

To find out more about this revolutionary online community, we interviewed Justin Barrie, Perkler’s Chief Marketing Officer and Co-Founder.

So for those that didn’t have the privilege of seeing you on National TV, what is Perkler?

Perkler.com is a unique new online community that allows people to organise all their loyalty programs in one place, making it easier to receive perks, earn points and ultimately save money.

Perkler.com is the world’s largest loyalty program community, with over 1,800 programs and 280,000 individual perks listed on the site – a figure that is growing by the day. From airline frequent flyer programs and restaurant discounts to retailer rewards and free coffees at your local cafe, the site provides information on perks from both national and local companies including Qantas, Coles, Myer, KFC and Cinebuzz, to name just a few.

How does Perkler work?

Perkler works by allowing consumers to keep track of ALL their loyalty programs in one virtual wallet to stay on top of the latest discounts and rewards. Members can even receive tailored updates on perks that match their interests and location – reducing the noise they receive through their inbox and reminding them of offers they might have forgotten.

It’s free to join and members can talk to other members about the newest and best perks as well as search for new programs based on their likes and location, for example where to get the best coffee discount in Bondi or the best boutique offer in Melbourne. The site tells consumers everything they need to know about a particular loyalty or reward program and contains ratings, reviews and a run-down on the perks you can get from each one..

How can Australian credit card users benefit from using Perkler?

Perkler.com caters for all loyalty programs, from the smallest local retailer to the largest bank or credit card program. The site supports credit card users in several ways. Users search across all of their benefits in Perkler in their virtual wallet, so they can see and compare benefits between programs – this allows credit card users to not only be aware of everything in the card program but balance that with alternatives at the national retail and local level.

With Perkler.com you don’t need to be a member to list a program in your virtual wallet so credit card users can also load up their wallet with competing programs and search and compare products brands and earn and burn qualifications. We also send out an email each week that informs members about new or interesting perks in amongst the thousands on offer, based on their likes and location. Finally Perkler draws together information on credit card programs from across the web, from blogs to twitter so members can have a one-stop index of all of their favourite programs.

From your research, how many rewards programs do you find have a drop off, where people aren’t taking advantage of their rewards? What would say is the main reason people aren’t taking advantage of their loyalty programs?

The level of participation or awareness of programs sits at about 30%. This is in line with international findings. Basically people average about 16 programs in their wallets and are aware or use no more than five (women) or three (men).

Also there is a significant failure to get the most from loyalty. We calculated that simply by using loyalty cards for average household spending, savings of over $4000.00 per year were attainable (when a loyalty credit card was used in conjunction with purchases). Yet our research showed that 56% of people save only around $100.00.

We think the reasons for the drop-off are unawareness of the potential benefits caused primarily by information overload and then consumers switching off. Essentially a program sends information to a consumer but that person is getting 15 lots of communication – it’s too much.

Also very few programs use their data to target offers so the information is generic. Finally loyalty has a bad image in terms of accessing benefits. This is due mainly to the large programs in Australia (frequent flyer and supermarket) restricting core benefits. In reality there are thousands of programs with simple, accessible, instant benefits. That’s why we built Perkler.com – go to one source, get tailored information and find the best perks

What is your favourite Australian rewards program?

It really depends on the retail sector, but at the moment we really like the Show Your Card and Save Program – the program presented by the Auto Clubs of Australia like the NRMA, RACV etc. This program is fantastic because it has instant benefits at thousands of retailers and goes from local right through to global perks – thanks to the SYCAS program being the largest in the world. It is a great program. The market does change all of the time though and we are hearing some really interesting things from retailers looking to tailor benefits to individuals in a much better way. If this comes off, we may have a new favourite program!

The Woolworths Everyday Money™ credit card is a popular card on our website – do you have any specific tips on how to get the most out of this rewards program?

Everyday Rewards is the most popular program on Perkler.com. As for the credit card, we think it is getting good market traction because of the intense marketing that is going on and the links to great retail brands. The obvious tip is to shop at the house brands of Woolies.

With earn ratios being close to double normal credit card programs when you shop at Dick Smith, Tandy and other Woolworths brands it makes sense to take advantage. That seems obvious but in this case, with redemption also being via certificates at those same brands it makes sense to be disciplined. This is very easy to achieve as Woolies brands meet every aspect of normal spending, from groceries and alcohol right through to fashion and electronics.

People should also remember that by having the card you can take advantage of associated programs like MasterCard Applause. This allows you to get great access to pre-sale ticket offers and other entertainment perks. Overall of course at Perkler.com we always recommend paying your card off in full and taking advantages of perks as a consequence of normal spending habits, rather than deliberately overspending on your credit card in an attempt to get perks.

American Express credit cards have a well-known and widely used rewards program. What’s the catch to getting the most out of an AMEX rewards program?

I’m sure your site’s members will know many more tricks of the trade than us! From a retail perspective there are some nice little co-branded opportunities with AMEX at the moment. The David Jones AMEX card has a fantastic earn rate in store and a great little bonus where you get a one-off $100.00 voucher when you spend just $1.00 outside of DJ’s.

In terms of AMEX, in general the way to get the most out of it is to stay on top of their bonus offers. For example if you use your AMEX to book at Hotel Club your earn ratio goes up to 5 points per dollar. These bonus deals also give instant benefits rather than just points – 4 nights for the cost of 3 for example.

So manage your points but look at the broader benefits to get the most out of the card (particularly when you balance any surcharges the card may attract). The final point on AMEX is that, unlike other cards, you don’t have to enrol to the entire program. When you choose your profile choose things you know you will use, rather than areas of spending you think you ‘might use’. Invariably we are creatures of habit and you’ll get more rewards for lower cost if you stick to what you know.

Having said that the shear number of benefits available from joining these extra tiers is enormous and makes it one of the biggest programs out there in term of potential benefit.

What is your best piece of advice you can give in general to consumers to ensure they get good value out of their rewards programs?

Simple. Remember to show your card. Stick to the brands you love and rack up the redemption there and make loyalty spending part of your normal research on any purchase. If you are doing comparison shopping, why wouldn’t you do a quick search to see if you were already entitled to a discount, or you could get that product with points. Oh, and keep up to date with all of your perks at Perkler.com of course!

Feeling perky? Then what are you waiting for?! Whether you’re a parent looking for bargains for the kids, a brand lover, gadget geek or senior about to head out on holiday, check out the online loyalty programs community Perkler.com now to find out what savings you could be making!

Have you used Perkler? Share your experience by leaving a comment below!

Check out today's featured offers:

Westpac Low Rate	Citibank Clear Platinum	Qantas AMEX Discovery	ANZ Platinum
0% p.a. for 6 months on purchases & balance transfers	2.9% p.a. for 12 months on balance transfers	$0 annual fee Up to 10,000 Bonus QFF Points	0% p.a. for 6 months on purchases & balance transfers

Subscribe to our newsletter and get "The Ultimate Guide to Balance Transfers"

Popular Credit Card Offers

			Interest Rate (p.a.)	Balance Transfer Rate (p.a.)	Annual fee	Cash Advance Rate (p.a.)
	Westpac Low Rate Card - 0% Offer	A credit card with a low rate offer on both balance transfers and purchases, plus a low annual fee.	0% for 6 months (reverts to 13.49% )	0% for 6 months	$45	21.49%
	Citibank Clear Platinum Card	Competitive interest rate on purchases and balance transfers offer.	11.99%	2.9% for 12 months	$99	21.74%
	St George Vertigo	Take advantage of this great offer from St.George with a low rate on purchases and a low balance transfer offer.	13.24%	0.99% for 12 months	$55	21.49%
	ANZ Platinum Credit Card	An introductory interest rate offer on balance transfers and purchases, plus a $0 first year annual fee.	0% for 6 months (reverts to 19.24% )	0% for 6 months	$0 annual fee for the first year( $87 thereafter)	20.99%