VIP Rewards - do you save or spend them asap?

[atmail35]

So I'm curious if people save up their VIP Rewards $s or spend them as they earn them?

I used to just redeem them when they became available, but I've been saving them up since the summer to buy something "really good"....not sure what that is. Maybe the Grand Emporium since the full price kind of scares me. ;)

[slacker]

I was saving them up but recently used them up for CMFs3 as I didn't want to pay $2.99 for them. I was saving up for the UCS imperial shuttle.

[Mantisking]

I'm saving mine at the moment.

[sadowsk1]

I'm saving them too, I like the feeling cashing in a huge chunk.

[spock00]

save them up

[BobaFett2]

I'm saving. But if I ever need them, I tend to use them. No waiting.

[legitimatealex]

I'm saving mine up as a testament to the fact that I might spend too much on LEGO.

Then I'm going to use all that money I've saved up on a huge set and get it for free : )

[Hodgeman]

Saving mine too - it'll make buying a really big, expensive set easier to explain to my wife... Lol

[koromo]

Saving mine too - it'll make buying a really big, expensive set easier to explain to my wife... Lol

Hehe, I have made my first purchase on S@H in a long while. Home One is due next week :). Ill save my points till the end of the year.

[dr_spock]

Saving mostly.

[legogod]

While I don't buy as much Lego as my wallet allows-I've gotten three five dollar vip rewards in the past year. I was thinking of saving them, but there is that 2-year limit on them. They're no good two years from the date you got them (I have a horrible memory). I've used mine up because in two years I might *only* have another $15. It makes the small sets I get now offset the shipping. It really works well if you can take advantage of their double and triple points or if you buy select sets with added bonuses. So I'm a spender, not a saver.

Jared

[BobaFett2]

While I don't buy as much Lego as my wallet allows-I've gotten three five dollar vip rewards in the past year. I was thinking of saving them, but there is that 2-year limit on them. They're no good two years from the date you got them (I have a horrible memory). I've used mine up because in two years I might *only* have another $15. It makes the small sets I get now offset the shipping. It really works well if you can take advantage of their double and triple points or if you buy select sets with added bonuses. So I'm a spender, not a saver.

Jared

I didn't know that there was a two-year limit! Oh well, I'll just make sure to spend my money at the LEGO store then. No going to target now and then-I'll just go there a few more times and get me a few sets, and then get another pyramid with my VIP + cash.

[sadowsk1]

How long have the VIP points been in existence?

[vynsane]

VIP was, I think, rather new last January when I both got back into LEGO and signed up for VIP at the store in the Palisade's Mall. About halfway through the year it was made available to online and phone purchases. Before VIP there were rewards punch cards available at brand stores which, apparently, had a better reward structure.

As for spending or saving them, I think I held off and saved up $10 in points once, but usually I just use it the next time I'm in the store. This most recent time was cool - I had a $50 mastercard gift card and went to the LEGO Store on Long Island when they were having the 50% off clearance deals. I had a few dollars to go until my next $5 reward. My brother was buying LEGO Harry Potter the game, and the guy behind the counter asked if he had a VIP card, which he didn't. So I gave him mine, got the $5 credit, then proceeded to buy $100 worth of clearance/CMFs3's and got another $5 credit for next time! ;)

[Mom2Nate]

We spend them the moment we get them! My son and hubby never let me save them up:)

[BobaFett2]

VIP was, I think, rather new last January when I both got back into LEGO and signed up for VIP at the store in the Palisade's Mall. About halfway through the year it was made available to online and phone purchases. Before VIP there were rewards punch cards available at brand stores which, apparently, had a better reward structure.

As for spending or saving them, I think I held off and saved up $10 in points once, but usually I just use it the next time I'm in the store. This most recent time was cool - I had a $50 mastercard gift card and went to the LEGO Store on Long Island when they were having the 50% off clearance deals. I had a few dollars to go until my next $5 reward. My brother was buying LEGO Harry Potter the game, and the guy behind the counter asked if he had a VIP card, which he didn't. So I gave him mine, got the $5 credit, then proceeded to buy $100 worth of clearance/CMFs3's and got another $5 credit for next time! ;)

Not necessarily. It seems better-here's how it works:
* For each time that you spend at least 25 dollars, you get a stamp. 8 Stamps the first time gives 10 dollars, another row of 8 gives 25 dollars.
* However, anything larger than 25 still only gives one stamp, and anything smaller doesn't give any
* As a result, small purchases do not add up-so unless you bought about 25-30 dollars worth of LEGO every time, VIP is better.

[Brickbuilder0937]

@ legogod and BobaFett2, the rewards on your VIP card don't get erased unless your account remains inactive for two years in a row, so as long as you don't forget to make a purchase once every two years (highly unlikely) your rewards will be safe.

Not necessarily. It seems better-here's how it works:
* For each time that you spend at least 25 dollars, you get a stamp. 8 Stamps the first time gives 10 dollars, another row of 8 gives 25 dollars.
* However, anything larger than 25 still only gives one stamp, and anything smaller doesn't give any
* As a result, small purchases do not add up-so unless you bought about 25-30 dollars worth of LEGO every time, VIP is better.

Actually, for the stamp rewards you would get a stamp for every $25 increment, so for $25 to 49.99 would earn you one stamp, $50 to $74.99 two, $75 to $99.99 three, and so on. But the VIP rewards program is generally better for smaller purchases and the stamps were better for larger.
But, one of my favorite things about VIP is that you don't need to have the card with you to use it, only the card number.

[legogod]

@ legogod and BobaFett2, the rewards on your VIP card don't get erased unless your account remains inactive for two years in a row, so as long as you don't forget to make a purchase once every two years (highly unlikely) your rewards will be safe.

I'm pretty sure I read it right before I signed up. In the faq on the Lego website it says:
Do my points ever expire?

Yes, all VIP Points expire on December 31st two years after the year in which they were earned. Before this happens, LEGO will notify you via the email address you provided during registration.
Members that join the VIP Program via a LEGO Store or phone order, and subsequently do not register their card number online within one (1) year of joining the Program, will have their points expire and their point balance reset to zero.

I was just alerting people that points do expire, but to most of us here it is within a decent amount of time. I wouldn't be able to save up for a Death Star in 2-3 years with 5 dollar increments. If I've got my information wrong, please let me know.

Jared

[BobaFett2]

@ legogod and BobaFett2, the rewards on your VIP card don't get erased unless your account remains inactive for two years in a row, so as long as you don't forget to make a purchase once every two years (highly unlikely) your rewards will be safe.

Not necessarily. It seems better-here's how it works:
* For each time that you spend at least 25 dollars, you get a stamp. 8 Stamps the first time gives 10 dollars, another row of 8 gives 25 dollars.
* However, anything larger than 25 still only gives one stamp, and anything smaller doesn't give any
* As a result, small purchases do not add up-so unless you bought about 25-30 dollars worth of LEGO every time, VIP is better.

Actually, for the stamp rewards you would get a stamp for every $25 increment, so for $25 to 49.99 would earn you one stamp, $50 to $74.99 two, $75 to $99.99 three, and so on. But the VIP rewards program is generally better for smaller purchases and the stamps were better for larger.
But, one of my favorite things about VIP is that you don't need to have the card with you to use it, only the card number.

Ah, I forgot about that. I had about 8 different stamp cards. It really was bugging me. Then came VIP rewards, and I traded those in.

[Brickbuilder0937]

I'm pretty sure I read it right before I signed up....

Yes you're right, I probably misread it.(or they changed the rules since I last read them :D )