5/2 - 7/31 Extra 10% Giftcard Deal

[druidessemily]

It looks like Kroger will be having a very interesting deal for the next few months.

Kroger helps you get $30, $60, or $120 in FREE Groceries! With the purchase of $300, $600, or $1200 worth of Kroger gift cards. just use your Kroger Plus Card.

That's a 10% return on your money!

Here's how it works:

May 2 through July 31st buy $300, $600, or $1200 worth of Kroger gift cards and get an extra 10% added to the value - free!"

There is some smaller print below that, does anyone have a paper copy and can read it? I'm looking at the online ad.

This is potentially a very good deal. I'm not sure if you have to load increments of $300 onto a card at the same time, or if you could load $50 each week. If anyone knows, please post! We're going on a camping trip until Sunday and will ask my Kroger when I get back if no one has found the answer. The fine print may answer that question.

We usually spend about $50 a week on groceries, and my husband and I are both enthusiastic about dropping a few hundred onto a gift card. More money up front, but we'd be spending the money at Kroger anyways, and we'd actually save more this way! ;)

[Jennifer]

I asked at Customer Service yesterday and was told you must load the card in $300 increments. You also need to buy a NEW card each time and that you may do it up to 4 times between May 2nd and July 31st. You can pay by cash, credit card, debit card or check.

[druidessemily]

So I'm assuming that if you get 4 gift cards, each one will have $30 added? Or will they wait til the end and put $120 on one?

[Jennifer]

Each one would have an extra $30 on it.

[danas_mom]

Wow, interesting deal, thanks!!! Reps to both of you for the info.

We spend easily $300 a month at Kroger since I get our main groceries there, I might be able to tweak the budget enough to buy a $300 card at the beginning of each month and use it to get groceries the rest of that month, and then again at the very end of July to use for August. Hmmmm....

[librarylady]

I plan to spend $600 from our "stimulus check" on Kroger gift cards because of this promotion. I will spend the money on food anyway (over about 60 days), so I might as well take the extra 10%.

[danas_mom]

OK so I did some research on this deal (it's actually an incentive to spend your economic stimulus checks instead of paying bills and/or putting it into savings, which is exactly what we plan to do LOL) and found the following:

The Kroger Co. - Corporate News & Info: Press Releases

This wording has me concerned just a little:

The program will be available throughout Kroger stores nationwide – including Kroger, Baker’s, City Market, Dillons, Fred Meyer, Fry’s, Gerbes, Hilander, Jay C, King Soopers, Owen’s, Pay Less, Ralphs, Smith’s and QFC stores. Kroger customers who are interested in exchanging their refunds or economic stimulus checks should present their check and customer loyalty card at their local store’s Customer Service center from May 2, 2008 through July 31, 2008. The program is limited to one offer per household with a limit of $1,200.00.

Customers who do not have a hard copy of their government-issued checks may still take advantage of this offer with cash, a credit card or by presenting a valid personal check to the Customer Service center.


So it sounds to me like it's saying that you have to do the deal at one time, whether you're doing the $300, $600, $900, or $1200. (They will give you one card worth $330 for each incriment of $300 you purchase, up to four cards.)

I hope this is not one of those times that customer service doesn't completely understand the terms and give out wrong information. I'd hate to screw my budget all up and not even get the extra 10% for my effort and planning.