My Take on the SM Advantage Card

I came across this post on Facebook about the SM Advantage Card, which was trying to persuade people to think twice before buying it.

The guy was obviously trying to look smart, so let’s not make him any more famous than he wants to be.  What I do want to discuss is whether IT IS logical to get a card, if you yourself are still wondering.  The guy was right – you will need to spend P30,000  before you break-even.  That is applicable to The SM Store, ACE Hardware, Uniqlo, and SM Cinemas.  For SM Supermarkets, SM Appliance, and Watsons, you will need to spend P60,000 to get back your P150, since you get 1 point for every P400 spend there.

Let’s break it down monthly:  That would be equivalent to P2,500 monthly purchases in the SM Store, or P5,000 monthly purchases in the Supermarket.  Fortunately, the SM Cashier was wrong, and the validity of the card is actually 2 years.  So that would mean half of what we just computed: P1,250 monthly in the SM Store, or P2,500 monthly in the Supermarkets.  If you do your groceries weekly like we do, that is P625 a week!

That was all just to get your membership fee back.  The real advantage is in the excess points, which you can use to pay for your next purchases.  Also, you can also avail of discounts in their affiliated restaurants, hotels, and other retail partners.  I’m not familiar with all of their privileges, since I only use my card for mainly groceries and shopping.   I have been a member since 2013, and I have always earned more than 150 points every 2 years.  Below is a sample screenshot taken from my online account:

No matter how small the transaction is, you can still earn points.  It is like a free piggy bank in the form of a card.  So YES, it is logical to get the card if you buy your groceries at SM Supermarkets and occasionally shop in their SM Store or other retail partners.  You may be surprised at how all those points add up to a large sum.  Just don’t forget to stick within your budget!