I've had fidelity cards for Carrefour, Leclerc and Intermarche for years now and never ever withdrawn money or used the 'points' against a final bill - because I don't know what to do. Also their advertising literature compares prices against reduced prices when the fidelity card is used.
Can someone please help me to make the best out of my cards and my supermarche visits. Thanks to anyone taking up the challenge
That's perfect Michelle, well done! - John
Carrefour you have to go on their web-site, register the number on your loyalty card, and in due course they send you a 4 figure number code. Then next time you do your shopping tell the cashier you want to use the loyalty card and she asks you to tap the code into the Visa card machine and tap validate. Then you use your Visa card as normal in the machine and whatever credit you have on the loyalty card is deducted from the bill.
If you con't figure out the Carrefour web-site either ask a french neighbour to do it for you OR ask nicely at the reception desk of your Carrefour and they might help you to register and get a code (if they're not too busy chatting to their friends and neighbours over the counter!).
err, steve, they get me money off on a very regulat basis in a load of shops. I know I haven't used a uk card for over 10 years but I can't think they've changed that much...?
Try the one in Verneuil near Limoges, it's fantastic !
Modern, great quality butchery dept and the fruit and veg are top notch.
Ultra friendly staff too.
I disagree, Steve. We shop at superu or hyperu and in just one shop on Thursday we gained enough points for 5 euros off our next shop. I'm happy with that.
How about keeping it simple -
they are rubbish and of little or no use to the consumer compared to the UK versions which can be worthwhile and give the shopper a reward.
Hello, we found that Simply Market are very good value although they only have all the products we want in the bigger stores. Their fidelity card is the best we have ever had - our average 2 person shop was earning us about 12€ in reduction vouchers per month plus extra bonus offers every week.
it's a difficult balance, I have regulars i chat to but serve others at the same time - not easy conducting two or more conversations at the same time and counting...!
Quite agree Doreen. It must be really annoying for people in a hurry when the checkout girls (and boys) chat with the clients !
Our Lidl is well stocked, I use it once per week. The only drawback is the service. The girls in there are friendly enough it's just that there only ever seems to be one till open at any time so the shopping trip becomes an expedition ! I've given up the Leader Price opposite, not due to the products but the seemingly constant problems inthe shop ie unforseen power cuts or the card machine breaking down etc etc
YepDoreen, we must support our local shops. The nearest local 'family' butcher is brill,fairly priced for the quality and a great range of products to boot.
Thanks Doreen, I will have a go at that.
We don’t shop as much as we used to at Carrefour Macon, like Lidl and Atac.
Ever so easy Doreen, just take your card to either the checkout when you pay your latest bill and they will deduct your points value from the bill. Sometimes you have to go to the 'accueil' and they will sort it out.
I have stopped getting the money back cheques from Carrefour. I will ask about the code, but they are not helpful in Macon Carrefour.
I usually say…C’est combien sur ma carte…when they tell you, you can say, pouvez vous enlever svp, and that seems to work every time…
My French is not parfait but the cashier understands when I say, "Est-ce que je peux payer avec mes points svp?" at the checkout when handing over the card. I don't know if it's what the French say but it works for me.
Carrefour have just changed to giving you a code...so when you give your card you have to put in the code...I was getting bits of paper with codes on and promptly loosing them, just the other day one of the ladies said no have your own code - so went to the main desk, after bit of a palaver I was able to set my code...so I 'think' it works along the line of card swiped & you put in code, end of month you have a total and you can take it against your shopping...but it is rolled over each month....after 11 years going to the same Supermarket I do have quite a few ladies now chat with me & help me out...
The big problem with it all is I now have a code for...bank cards, UK & French - iphone, airbook, imac,online banking UK & French, HomeAway, Holiday Lettings, TripAdvisor... I'm worried I'll have to start to wander around with them all written down (or stored somewhere) with all the codes & passwords in which rather defeats the security of it all if someone found or stole them!!!
Inter is our favourite (OH has never really known anything alse and couldn't believe supermarkets in the UK when we visited!) - just cashed in last year's points/took them off the bill the other day before it was too late - you often have to use them or lose them, Have moved around a fair bit and just use what's on the card before we leave an area and get a new one in the new area as soon as we arrive. Géant send you an email like Décathlon, with a voucher in return for your points - you print it off and they scan it at the till and take it off your bill. Gamm vert send money off vouchers, as do Mr Bricolage, Orchestra's card costs money but you get 50% off everything in the shop. Just ask at the till or the accueil, Doreen ;-)
Each supermarket has a different policy, but basically, at checkout you can ask that your bill is reduced with your points. Some supermarkets are more generous than others. Our favorite is Unico or SuperU as you can collect and cashin at any Unico or SuperU in France. The worse we know is InterMarché as (they say) you can collect from any InterMarché in France but when you want to cashin, you are told that you can only cashin in the store you registered. Big for us, as we are housesitters and are nearly never in the same region (or even country), we just happened to register when we were sitting once in a town and only return in that area by accident and after a couple of years we returned to that particular supermarket and thought ¨well, time to cashin, it's now or never¨, guess what? We were told that we had €5 on our card. Needless to say that from then on, when we can, we avoid shopping at InterMarché.
Your code for leclerc is usually the first 4 digits of your birthday! Carrefour should be sending you a ‘cheque’ that you can spend I store, but they have started putting timelines on them. I’m not sure about intermarche 