id do it since BB seems to have good deals on opening week of a dvd/cd's. 9 is a little steep id like to see it down to the $5 range and it would be awesome. But id do it for $9.

just my $.02

This makes no sense. How is it possibly a scam? They tell you exactly what you're getting and how much you are spending. The basic logic on these reward programs is for frequant shoppers. If you are going to buy something, you might as well get a little back for doing so.

Maybe the scam is the $9.99 for the card. Well they give you a 10% off coupon so if used wisely that can pay for your card. They also start you off with 5000 points. Which means it already has $45 worth of points on it (500 for the transaction + 100 for each dollar).

Yes its only $5 off every $100, but if you shop there a lot like many people do this works great.

This is just like the Modells MVP card and the Fridays card. It gives you a little at a time which can lead to a pretty big number.

If you're a frequant shopper this is well worth it IMO.

P.S. Anyone know if/when this will hit New York?

I found this thread by searching for Zoner.

But I wanted to share my experiences with the Reward Zone.

It's almost as if the Best Buy managers are training their employees on the best way to make up excuses not to take these coupons. So far I've gotten the following:

Excuse #1 - Each coupon can only be used towards the purchase of a single item. So you could not stack two coupons on a $30 item, for example.

Excuse #2 - You can't combine this with another Best Buy coupon. (had a $1 off $10 coupon from the Netflix box). I was willing to accept this one since the other coupon stated that it could not be combined with any other offer.

Excuse #3 - I got this one today. The cashier wouldn't take my coupon because the price of the item AFTER the coupon was under $10. The worst part is that I actually bought two items totalling $23, which the coupon would have applied to.

Anyway, I'll give them a nice workout Tues. when I try to buy 3 dvds using 3 zoner coupons, plus 2 manufacturer coupons. Hehe.

BTW, I thought this program was a scam too, but they sent me a coupon in the mail to try the program free for one year, so I joined it. I'm not doing nearly as well as some, but I have managed to earn 10 certificates - $50. But the way to keep it from being a scam is that you can scan your card everytime you visit for 500 points. Plus, the Zoner points are still earned even if you pricematch with the lowest price. Plus they occasionally give random ways of earning additional points like buying specific items, etc. And if you have friends who don't have the program, just let them swipe the card for you. You'll earn plenty of points in no time.

I received a new promotion for their reward zone the other day. Well, it's not actually a new promotion, per se, but they're touting it as their "upgraded reward zone" card.

"Introducing the upgraded Reward Zone card. As thanks for participating in our Reward Zone pilot program, we're giving it to you for a whole year (a $9.99 value)."

Apparently the only difference/upgrade I can tell from the letter is that you can use the card to count for points on bigger item purchases, such as TV's, computers, DVD players, etc. However, IIRC, I used it sometime last year to get a $400 TV.

Anyways, just thought I'd give everyone a heads up. I hope this one goes National for my fellow dvdtalkers!

I also got the updated card in the mail this week, it looks to me like it's going national although I didn't see that specifically stated at http://www.bestbuy.com/rewardzone

They ran a promo for about a month around christmas last year where you could get points for anything in the store. I just got my "upgraded" card in the mail as well. Has anyone else noticed that their brand-spankin' new "upgraded" website is slower than ever (and frequently can't even load a page other than the home page...such as right now...)

Yay, I'll be happy if this is actually going national.

I believe it's hitting nationwide on the 13th of July. At least I'm postive it's coming to the East Coast (NY/NJ/PA) etc.

Yea, I'm in MN....the center of the universe when it comes to BB and we're getting screwed!! I've even checked and their like "Uh....zoner...uh......I dunno?"

Oh well

Great if it hits nationwide this Sunday. How do we sign up?

I'm in the promotional region, but I don't think it matters in this case. When they released the program here, there were literally stacks of the cards placed within cardboard displays, touting a $9.99 sticker. If it is released nationwide, the stores would likely similarly place the cards out on displays.

I just got a Reward Zone card from Best Buy in the mail today. This was the first time I ever heard of this program.

The note inside says: "Please accept this invitation to Reward Zone, our all-new rewards program, for an entire year at no charge. (That's a $9.99 value.)"

FWIW, I reside in SoCal.

Simply go to an store, pay the $9.99 fee to sign up, and get 5000 bonus points. The card you get that day, in 3-4 weeks they will send you a welcome kit. It does hit nationwide today

Best Buy Reward Zone

What's the reward structure? What do you get with such and such many points?

For every 12.500 points, you get a $5 certificate.

Sounds like the old Sam Goody rip off program.

I received a Reward Zone card from Best Buy in the mail today

Earn 10 pts per dollar spent. For every 12,500 points you get a $5 certificate that is good for 90 days and can be applied to an product of $10 or more. You get $5,000 points on first purchase with the free card or on signing up for a paid card.

So basically it's a $5 gift card for every $125 you spend and you have to renew it every year. No thanks. If it was a one time $9.99 fee, that would be different.

Uhm wouldn't that be 100 pts per dollar to make 12,500 pts equal to $125?

That's where I buy most of my games anyway to I did the math and it ends up being one free game a year. Not much but it's better than nothing (yes I included the $10 membership in the calculations). That's buying around 2 full price games a month.

It's not only that... you will get pts also from promotions and from attending events and doing stuff, and there will most likely be member-only promotions, events, and deals.

I picked it up today. The cashier said they were just put out today (in Las Vegas, NV).

i picked this up today but one part on the booklet worries me..

"for NEARLY every dollar you spend, earn 100 pts"

and "$5 reward certificate can be used for VIRTUALLY anything at Best Buy"

what are the restrictions?


OK this blows i have to wait 8 weeks for my password to be mailed to me? do i have to wait that long to use the card too?

What password??? Is it required in order to use the card?

That's just legalese speak, nothing to worry about. Giftcards don't count (hence the "nearly") and online orders don't count I think (hence the virtually).

You have to wait eight weeks for the password to be able to look at your pts online. You can begin accruing pts immediately. After it is MAILED you can call to reset it. Wait a week then call the number.

Guess who, after buying the Rewards card yesterday, got a free year offer in the mail today

Ain't life great?

Just signed up for it yesterday. At first, I thought it might be a rip-off for $10. However, considering how much I spend on DVDs each month, I'll make that difference up in no time.

The key to this, obviously, is to only use it as one of those "Oh, I forgot I even had this membership" sort of things and rack up points on stuff you would normally buy anyway (and for a good price). Thus, if I see a DVD at Borders for $19 and the same DVD at Best Buy for $20, I would still buy the one at Borders - I wouldn't go out of my way to buy the more expensive one at Best Buy just because I was earning points. Any points credited to your Best Buy Rewards membership otherwise would be wasted, in theory:

100 points for every $1 spent.
Thus, a $20 DVD earns you 2,000 points.
You get a $5 certificate at 12,500 points.

Of course, this probably makes sense to most of you on this forum. The reason I tell this story is because of a guy I ran into several months ago at a Media Play. He was buying a DVD (sorry, can't remember the title) for around $20. I told him that the Target right next door had it for $2 or $3 less. He said, "Yeah, but here I have a Replay card, so I get credit each time I buy something." I tried explaining to him that overpaying by $3 on a few DVDs to get a $5 gift certificate just didn't make sense, but he didn't buy my argument (FYI - I have a Replay membership, too - but I only use it when I find DVDs for the best price and/or can't find a title anywhere else). Oh, well, I tried.

Anyway, I'm anxious to see how this works out for me. If, after a year, I'm not earning as much as I thought, I probably won't renew it.

The nice thing is that it also works toward purchases of TVs, stereos, appliances, etc. (big ticket items). So if you're buying, let's say, a flat screen TV (and can't find a better price anywhere), the card is definitely worth it.