my Best Buy - former BB Reward Zone Program

[Dranakin]

http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Global-Promotions/null/pcmcat309300050007.c?id=pcmcat309300050007

3 tiers, up from 2. Spend thresholds are $1500 and $3500 respectively, from $2500.

How do I qualify for My Best Buy Elite or Elite Plus?

Elite status is automatically awarded when you spend $1500 or more on qualifying purchases at Best Buy and BestBuy.com in a calendar year, or $1,500 or more in total anywhere on the My Best Buy MasterCard.

Elite Plus status is automatically awarded when you spend $3500 or more on qualifying purchases at Best Buy and BestBuy.com in a calendar year, $3,500 or more in total anywhere on the My Best Buy MasterCard

Reward Zone Gamers Club appears to now be my Best Buy Gamers Club, program benefits seem to be the same.

What are the benefits of the My Best Buy Gamers Club?

Benefits include:

Get 2X points on new game software, digital content and game accessories

Get 2X points when you trade in games
Special money-saving exclusive offers

Also:

Does it cost anything to be a My Best Buy Gamers Club member?

Gamers Club membership is free. You must be a U.S. or Puerto Rico resident at least 13 years of age with a valid e-mail address.

EDIT: Thanks to person123, who noted that there's still a Gamers Club Unlocked tier, in which benefits include the same 10% bonus trade-in credit, 10% discount off Pre-Owned Games, 10 issues of @Gamer magazine, and exclusive Paid Subscription offers.

According to this there is still a "paid" option, which is what GCU is.

https://static.bestbuy.com/myrz/web/Content/Offers/Images/MyBestBuy_RegistrationTandC_9.13.13.pdf

---

I imagine we'll get some answers about current statuses in the next few days if you're a Silver member and/or a paid GCU member, since all the programs have changed.

Just to share, I was a Silver member and my status is now Elite Plus through the current status year.

 

[GHX]

Anybody else notice that that alongside this my Best Buy overhaul they changed it so now you have to spend $25 to get free shipping?

 

[GBAstar]

Anybody else notice that that alongside this my Best Buy overhaul they changed it so now you have to spend $25 to get free shipping?

Weird... what other major retailer has a similar policy?

Guess no more CAG bottom feeders that only buy the $7.99 clearance games around the holidays. I guess BB will miss that business.

 

[Havokt]

I was a victim of trying to renew my GCU after the "new" program went active today I think. Wasted 30 minutes with employees trying to figure out why I can't renew my GCU, anyone else had any problems?

Same issue with myself today. Had around 5 employees try to find it online or in store with no success.

 

[Methoes]

Sorry - couple of questions.  (Didn't want to read through all the threads)

1. How do you check into the store via mobile to earn RZ points?  I have the app and can't find how to check in.  How many RZ points do you get when checking in?  Is there a limit on how much you can check in per day?

2. I notice the Elite Plus category.  Is this only for those who have a MasterCard w/ BB?  Or can anyone who spend over $3500 in a year qualify for this status?

 

[sasuke543]

I really hope they get it solved soon, have lot of games I want to trade in!

Same issue with myself today. Had around 5 employees try to find it online or in store with no success.

 

[amusedtoe]

I'm just glad I can login to see my reward zone points. The site has been broken for years whenever I tried to use it.

First try and I got into mybestbuy without problems.

It's the exact same site with a different logo...

 

[BudzMcGee]

Can you do in-store pickup at either Target or Amazon? While everyone has heard the horror stories you have an infinitely better chance at A) Getting a deal and B) actually having your preorder reserved when ordering from Best Buy as compared to Target.

How did the whole reservation system work for the Wii U launch at Target? Oh right... they just gave them out first come first serve.

And again if you have no problem opening lines of credit (which you don't if you have both an AZ card and Red Card) you'd earn more in points with the RZ Credit Card then you would with Amazon and the points you earned would be greater in overall value then the 5% you save with the Red Card.

You can tie your redcard to your bank account like a debit card and not have a "new line of credit." And for some people, saving 5% in cash far outweighs getting certificates to use at a single store back. I do a lot of shopping at Best Buy so RZ points matter to me, but I can see why some wouldn't be as interested. The line of credit comment could be made about the Best Buy store card too, and the mastercard is crazy difficult to get (I have been denied for not having enough credit history at the age of 27, having lived on my own since 19, having had a credit card since I was 16 and a fair amount of student loan debt all in good standing).

I do use an Amazon CC for all my purchases and then pay it off quickly just because, why not get free Amazon money for my daily purchases?

 

[crazedracerguy]

I'm gonna go buy some stock in Kraft... With all the whine in this thread, there's bound to be a run on cheese...

 

[Havokt]

I really hope they get it solved soon, have lot of games I want to trade in!

I hope its just an oversight for now and is fixed soon also. I just ate the 10 percent loss as I did not want to risk the TIV of the games dropping.

 

[GHX]

Weird... what other major retailer has a similar policy?

Guess no more CAG bottom feeders that only buy the $7.99 clearance games around the holidays. I guess BB will miss that business.

Well, as an occasional "bottom feeder," I feel a tad insulted.

I liked being able to buy the occasional clearance accessory or a $15-$20 game without having to throw in additional stuff into the cart to save a few bucks. At least Best Buy charges something like $3 for shipping, unlike Amazon, which is at least like $5-$6 for a game.

 

[bojay1997]

^ What is one retailer that offers all of the following: Price Matching, Store pick-up, Rewards Program?

And last time I checked to earn Amazon points you needed to apply for a Credit Card and to get a Red Card you needed to either apply for a Credit Card or give out financial information---and while I don't see anything wrong with that it's a bigger leap of faith then just a name and e-mail address.

No store offers the perks that Best Buy does. You can't even argue otherwise and over the last 24 months I can't think of a B&M store that has had as many consistent deals across all platforms including both new and old games and hardware.

How often does Gamestop discount new hardware? I have spent thousands there over the last two years and to show for it I have something like 100,000 points which on a good day is worth a $100. I earn points infinitely faster at Best Buy and can do much more with them.

Can you do in-store pickup at either Target or Amazon? While everyone has heard the horror stories you have an infinitely better chance at A) Getting a deal and B) actually having your preorder reserved when ordering from Best Buy as compared to Target.

How did the whole reservation system work for the Wii U launch at Target? Oh right... they just gave them out first come first serve.

And again if you have no problem opening lines of credit (which you don't if you have both an AZ card and Red Card) you'd earn more in points with the RZ Credit Card then you would with Amazon and the points you earned would be greater in overall value then the 5% you save with the Red Card.

Are you serious about store pickup? I have had literally terrible experiences with BB store pickup. From having to wait in line for over half an hour only to have the employee claim they couldn't find the item to being charged for something that I never picked up because the store couldn't find it to preorders that were given away to other customers. You can complain all you want about Gamestop and Amazon, but I have never had them give away something I preordered and they have always delivered everything I paid for and never wasted my time.

Target has some of the easiest price matching I have ever dealt with and they still give you the 5% for Red Card even on clearance or price matches. At Best Buy on the other hand, it's always a fight, even when you have their stupid policy right in front of them. I've actually had a BB customer service VP tell me all price matches are at the discretion of the manager regardless of their policy.

Have you ever returned a damaged or defective item to Best Buy? Better have your driver's license handy as they swipe them even when you have a receipt and it's 100% their fault for damaging the item. So, yes, Best Buy can have good prices on occasion and on paper at least, RZ/GZ and price matching and store pickup are good. Unfortunately, the practical reality is that some of us have had really terrible experiences with BB and switching a program three months from the new year instead of waiting to January 1 is just another slap in the face and more tightening by Best Buy that will only make them less attractive than their more customer friendly and agile competitors.

 

[doubledown]

It says my GAmers Club is now only the FREE version.  What happened?  I don't think I expired yet.  

 

[Agent Orange]

Weird... what other major retailer has a similar policy?

Guess no more CAG bottom feeders that only buy the $7.99 clearance games around the holidays. I guess BB will miss that business.

Newegg.com (on games), Fry's.com (sometimes,randomly). Wal-Mart (for site-to-store shipping).

No doubt Best Buy's clearance games have occasionally been great, mostly due to some freakishly good prices during holidays. However the free shipping thing is a big part of those deals. Adding $4 shipping to a $7.99 item is a big deal for most people - a 50% increase in cost. I think everyone understands why stores do it, but it's still aggravating to see a game you want at a great price... maybe it's out of stock in-store... and you can't find anything you really want to arbitrarily hit that $25 for shipping. I'm constantly fighting that battle on Amazon. Hate paying shipping, even if i know it's an actual cost for them. 99% of the time if there isn't something else I really want to hit $25 (and that additional item also has to be at my best price), I will just pass on the deal altogether rather than pay shipping. (obviously it depends on just how good the deal really is).

 

[ShadowNYC]

Paranoid about this Elite Plus to Feb 2015. I've got it on my account, but I was still about $800 shy of the $2500 mark. Bet they're going to change it to Feb 2014, which leaves me to spend about $1800 more by New Year's this year, to have Elite Plus.

mehhhhhhh (

 

[dorkyden]

i just got back from bestbuy too. it seems like you cant enroll in the paid gamers unlocked club. im not sure how it will affect the people who are currently in the club. i just renewed yesterday too! 

 

[MyPaper]

How do you guys get silver/elite status so fast? I never spend more than a couple of hundreds at BB because I mainly use store credit.

 

[danh35]

Sorry - couple of questions. (Didn't want to read through all the threads)

1. How do you check into the store via mobile to earn RZ points? I have the app and can't find how to check in. How many RZ points do you get when checking in? Is there a limit on how much you can check in per day?

2. I notice the Elite Plus category. Is this only for those who have a MasterCard w/ BB? Or can anyone who spend over $3500 in a year qualify for this status?

I'm not sure about 1, that is something I can't find out either. For 2, I'm pretty sure it's for anybody that spends $3500 in a year, I had Silver and they put me on Elite Plus and I don't have a credit card with Best Buy.

 

[crazedracerguy]

How do you guys get silver/elite status so fast? I never spend more than a couple of hundreds at BB because I mainly use store credit.

I bought an INSANE amount of shit at my "local" (65 miles away) Best Buy's Musical Instruments store. I bought a lot, sold a lot on eBay, bought a lot more, sold a lot more... Until I had 4 new Fender guitars, a shelf full of pedals, 2 $500 Line 6 multi-expression pedals and way too much other stuff to mention. In other words, I will never hit the threshold again. This was a one time deal, as they shut the MI stores down (hence the great prices)...

 

[McCHitman]

What's this about $20 with GTAV? I preordered yesterday and didn't see any specials!

I've been a premium silver member every year since 2008 or something like that. I never get extra points for games, and I don't even know what the purpose is other than my free shipping. I'll tell you what though, I haven't paid full price for a videogame since I got that MasterCard though. Those Best Buy points allow me to feed my habit and not break my wallet. CAG for sure.

 

[danh35]

What's this about $20 with GTAV? I preordered yesterday and didn't see any specials!

I've been a premium silver member every year since 2008 or something like that. I never get extra points for games, and I don't even know what the purpose is other than my free shipping. I'll tell you what though, I haven't paid full price for a videogame since I got that MasterCard though. Those Best Buy points allow me to feed my habit and not break my wallet. CAG for sure.

You don't need Silver for the double points on games, you need to sign up for the Gamer's Club, and I think just the free version for the bonus points. For the $20 preorder deals, you needed the paid Gamer's Club, but GTA and the South Park game are the last 2 games that had the $20 preorder deal.

 

[lordopus99]

I'm assuming Best Buy turned a profit since acquiring the Samsung deal.  Hence all these policy changes...

1) Kill price match

2) Kill GCU

3) Up price point to hit Silver

4) Continue poor record keeping of reward points (still don't have my Splinter Cell purchase posted). 

Target comparison...

- Best Buy Credit Card - 5% in RZ vs Target Red Card - 5% off

- Best Buy Return - 45 days vs Target - 90 days

- Best Buy Return requires license vs Target Return doesn't require license

- Best Buy PM - 14 days BB; day 1 anyone vs Target PM - day 1 anyone

I have been a huge supporter of Best Buy over the years, not the 7.99 clearance guy.  But as policies change for the worse and practices continue to still have issues, Target seems like a better outlet.   

 

[jeremygary]

When this is the first line of the announcement email that Best Buy sends out, you know you're getting screwed ...

Thank you for being a loyal Reward Zone® member. I’m pleased to announce that after a decade, the program you love is getting even better.

 

[jazzman]

Hopefully they have great deals during Black Friday, so Elite Plus members can access them early.

 

[MR_E]

I was a victim of trying to renew my GCU after the "new" program went active today I think. Wasted 30 minutes with employees trying to figure out why I can't renew my GCU, anyone else had any problems?

I actually had problems in the spring before all this. Literally nobody in the store could renew my membership, and they actually asked me to come back another day when a gaming employee was working (finally got it renewed the second trip). So might be more the result of them cutting back on gaming staff and not training employees than the new program.

 

[strait edge follower]

they continue to make unlocked worse and worse. i didnt think it was possible

 

[jdb230]

I was able to renew my unlocked membership in store today. they just had to scan the barcode from the gamers club pamphlet. My rewardzone account already reflects the unlocked status good til 9/15/14

 

[Enuf]

How do you guys get silver/elite status so fast? I never spend more than a couple of hundreds at BB because I mainly use store credit.

You can earn silver w/i 2-3 months depending on your monthly bills just pay for them using the pre-paid visa cards

$300 car insurance

$300 car note

$100 phone bill

$300 on food

$250 other bills

Your halfway there in one month total fees on the full $2500 are $77.35.

I'm assuming Best Buy turned a profit since acquiring the Samsung deal. Hence all these policy changes...

1) Kill price match

2) Kill GCU

3) Up price point to hit Silver

4) Continue poor record keeping of reward points (still don't have my Splinter Cell purchase posted).

Target comparison...

- Best Buy Credit Card - 5% in RZ vs Target Red Card - 5% off

- Best Buy Return - 45 days vs Target - 90 days

- Best Buy Return requires license vs Target Return doesn't require license

- Best Buy PM - 14 days BB; day 1 anyone vs Target PM - day 1 anyone

I have been a huge supporter of Best Buy over the years, not the 7.99 clearance guy. But as policies change for the worse and practices continue to still have issues, Target seems like a better outlet.

I just can't believe how far they've fallen so fast they have no direction.

 

[AdvOfJet]

I'm assuming Best Buy turned a profit since acquiring the Samsung deal. Hence all these policy changes...

1) Kill price match

2) Kill GCU

3) Up price point to hit Silver

4) Continue poor record keeping of reward points (still don't have my Splinter Cell purchase posted).

Have they already killed price matching or is that just speculation about the next thing to go ?

 

[GBAstar]

Have they already killed price matching or is that just speculation about the next thing to go ?

They haven't killed price matching---they just don't let some of the degenerates price match repeatedly over a 60 day period. Nothing has changed to the current policy of 14 days BB to BB price match or time of purchase to other retailers price match.

 

[goodbyetonight]

I couldn't care less about the reward zone stuff, I'm pissed that the site no longer has free shipping on everything. Now it's $25 and up like Amazon, ugh.

 

[Jaxswfan]

I'm assuming Best Buy turned a profit since acquiring the Samsung deal. Hence all these policy changes...

1) Kill price match

2) Kill GCU

3) Up price point to hit Silver

4) Continue poor record keeping of reward points (still don't have my Splinter Cell purchase posted).

Target comparison...

- Best Buy Credit Card - 5% in RZ vs Target Red Card - 5% off

- Best Buy Return - 45 days vs Target - 90 days

- Best Buy Return requires license vs Target Return doesn't require license

- Best Buy PM - 14 days BB; day 1 anyone vs Target PM - day 1 anyone

I have been a huge supporter of Best Buy over the years, not the 7.99 clearance guy. But as policies change for the worse and practices continue to still have issues, Target seems like a better outlet.

**I don't know who you got CS wise, but when I called about my Splinter Cell points I got them in a couple days. I called last week about them charging me in store for the Madden DLC they said expect your refund in 3-5 business days, got them in less than 3-5 minutes! Those are your points, go get em!

 

[ancientbarb]

They haven't killed price matching---they just don't let some of the degenerates price match repeatedly over a 60 day period. Nothing has changed to the current policy of 14 days BB to BB price match or time of purchase to other retailers price match.

Bottom feeders, degenerates, flippers, they are all low lives. Especially those flipper scums. Don't you agree sir?

 

[Lemmywinks]

I qualified for "Elite Plus" status through Feb 2015, even though i've spent $1,897 & need to spend $1,603.

Also, it's to the point where I would rather order online or over the phone.

The store here basically sucks, and they have no problem only utilizing 1 cashier & watching the line grow & grow.

BB has definitely went downhill over the past few years.

 

[OregonDealz]

You can earn silver w/i 2-3 months depending on your monthly bills just pay for them using the pre-paid visa cards
$300 car insurance
$300 car note
$100 phone bill
$300 on food
$250 other bills
Your halfway there in one month total fees on the full $2500 are $77.35.


I just can't believe how far they've fallen so fast they have no direction.

Thats pretty good idea, definately some effort. I didn't think you got points for visa prepaid cards What about you buy visa gift card and then buy something at BB with it. Idk if benefits are good enough for the extra work, but interesting concept.

 

[Deader2818]

Thats all fine and all, but how much more will you have to spend to negate the fees you pay for the pre-paid cards?

 

[Mako1215]

I got $20 (1000pts) for my GTA V.

 

[Saix_XIII]

Thats all fine and all, but how much more will you have to spend to negate the fees you pay for the pre-paid cards?

If you already have premiere silver or well Elite Plus you don't need to spend any more to negate the fees. The cards cost $205.95. So you get 205 base points/$ that count toward Elite Plus and then 25% bonus, so 256 total points.So you get $5 back for every $200 card you get. So each card costs you $1 essentially.

 

[@FIF]

Have they already killed price matching or is that just speculation about the next thing to go ?

A lot of people are upset that they eliminated post-purchase price matching to other stores ("price protection"). It was abused, and the new PM policy is much more customer friendly on the day of purchase than the old one -- they didn't match Amazon or other online retailers under their old policy.

I'll probably shop at Best Buy more now than ever before. Virginia just started collecting sales tax from Amazon, so there's no price advantage there anymore. Even the nerf'ed rewards program is better than NO rewards from Amazon at the same price (after PM).

 

[bob330i]

i just got back from bestbuy too. it seems like you cant enroll in the paid gamers unlocked club. im not sure how it will affect the people who are currently in the club. i just renewed yesterday too!

I just got back and that was the game and manager's conclusion also. It's really unfortunate as my GCU expires tonight and I have GTAV pre-ordered. Not sure if they're going to get this fixed before I have to pick it up.

 

[Johnnybeachboy]

My $20 worth of gta 5 preorder points doesnt show up.....

 

[Mako1215]

takes up to 15 days

 

[MIX_MASTER_ICE]

So when are the 1,000 RZ points ($20) supposed to hit your account for the GTA V pre order? I picked my copies up at midnight. Was lucky enough to get two copies of GTA V from the buy one get 1 free messed up promotion about a month ago. I'm not expecting 1,000 points for each.

 

[JohnWayne]

So when are the 1,000 RZ points ($20) supposed to hit your account for the GTA V pre order? I picked my copies up at midnight. Was lucky enough to get two copies of GTA V from the buy one get 1 free messed up promotion about a month ago. I'm not expecting 1,000 points for each.

*facepalm*

Look at the post right above yours...

 

[MIX_MASTER_ICE]

*facepalm*

Look at the post right above yours...

Well facepalm several right above that were they stated they already got the 1,000 points. Hence why I asked.

 

[Mako1215]

It can take up to 15 days.

I'm not sure why mine hit my account already.

 

[Abeja]

Yeah i got my points for GTA already. Thanks BB

 

[aTaRiFrEaK223]

So basically, silver members got boned.

 

[handsomepete]

It can take up to 15 days.

I'm not sure why mine hit my account already.

For online shipped preorders the 15/30 days goes off the date you preordered, making it nearly instant when it ships. It's handy.

 

[JKSonic]

I'm always surprised with the hatred towards BB.  I've had a few issues in the past like everybody, but they've always been extremely quick to fix mistakes and not only that they have usually gone overboard.  Since I started using BB more regularly a few years ago I've had $100's in credit given to me because of points posting late, never getting points, and few other small mistakes here and there.

Better yet though, I've had Silver for a while now and never spent even close to the amount!  Just got converted over to Elite Plus too!  I'm guessing it's because while I don't spend the amount there, I do shop there a lot.

Overall though most of the issues I see are caused by two things...

- Stupid policies that are both implemented terribly into their systems, and employees that are not trained on current deals/promos/reward rules.  However, as I've said, they've always gone out of their way to fix issues caused by either.

- Mostly however, issues are caused by people either not understanding things or even flat out trying to take advantage of BB then getting made when they get caught.  For instance in the past "preorders" there are not "reservations"...big difference.  Also BB is not there for you to make massive profits FROM THEM (trade-ins, flips, etc).  Nor are they there to indefinitely price match or retroactively PM.  

One of BB's biggest problems is that in the past they've been over lenient (mostly to drum up business) and had over gracious policies even when the customer was in the wrong...and now people always expect these things.

 

[EricXC]

*eats popcorn*

*doesn't qualify for silver or any new tier anyways*
 

*is unaffected*

Also I don't understand why people are afraid of showing their ID, of course unless they know they are doing something wrong.

Then again, AT MOST I do like... 1 return a year...