As you’ll know if you regularly read my blogs, there are not many loyalty schemes that I have not joined so as you can iagine I also have a COOP card!
Let me walk you through what COOP membership actually offers, and whether it’s worth your time.
What is COOP membership?
COOP membership is free to join. You get a membership card or use your app, and earn cashback on your purchases. The rewards scheme is straightforward: you earn points on eligible items, which translate into cash you can spend in store or donate to local causes.
COOP is pretty open about the fact that they’re a cooperative. They’re owned by their members, which means there’s a slight feel of “we’re in this together” rather than “we’re extracting value from you.” It’s a nice touch, honestly.
How do the rewards actually work?
This is where it gets interesting. You earn cashback on purchases, but the rate varies by product. Some items give you 1%, others give 2% or more. You’ll see your rewards building up in your COOP app or account.
In practice? I found myself getting the occasional £1 off voucher or a free bottle of Coke. Not exactly life-changing, but nice when it arrived. The personalized offers are decent too if you pay attention to them.
The charity angle
Here’s the bit that sets COOP apart from most loyalty schemes. You can direct your rewards to local causes and charities you care about. You don’t have to choose, of course, but if you want your rewards to go somewhere beyond your own pocket, COOP will send them to your chosen charity. It’s a thoughtful feature that I quite liked, even if the amounts are small.
Is it worth joining?
Here’s the honest bit: COOP membership is worth joining if you already shop at COOP regularly. You get rewards for something you’re doing anyway, and they arrive in your account without any effort.
But it won’t make you save money if you’re not already a regular customer. This isn’t one of those schemes designed to hook you into spending more. The rewards come at a steady pace, not in big dollops that tempt you to reach a spending threshold. You’re not going to suddenly find yourself buying extra packets of biscuits just to unlock a voucher.
If you’re already a COOP shopper, though, there’s literally no reason not to join. It’s free, and even small rewards add up over a year. Plus, if you care about supporting local charities, you get to do that painlessly.
The golden rule
As with all of these schemes, don’t let the rewards change how you shop. The COOP membership isn’t designed to do that anyway, but it’s worth saying: the best loyalty scheme is the one where you’re already a regular customer. Join because you shop at COOP, not the other way round.
