If you got the free card, yes activation is first purchase.

I got a big screen at BB a few weeks ago, so the $10 for the card was a no-brainer, Ill be getting over $100 in gift certificates. Plus, I went back for another purchase, and they told me if I did a
"paper return" on the TV and then rebought it, I would get double the points... Still havent seen the re-buy on my account, but if so, Ill be getting over $200 in certificates. Not too shabby.

When the BB checkout person tries to scan my rewards card. It never scans, and they end up typing the number in manually. The rewards zone shows up on the receipt but there is no points value listed. I haven't received my password yet, so I hope I'm getting credited.

I'm in the same position as you. Without a password or any point listing on your receipt it's impossible to tell if your card is getting credited at all.

Yeah, it's pretty annoying. If they mailed out these free memberships (like mine was), why didn't they just include the damn password with it?

i've had my account registered for about a week now...don't worry, every transaction will eventually show up on the rewards zone website, but at a painfully slow rate. Earned $25 so far. Let's hope they're quicker mailing out the certificates.

I finally received my password letter since I first "activated" my free card with a purchase 2 weeks ago.

Just email them and they'll send you your password!

Yeah, I had to call them and they gave my a password over the phone

The whole pooint of their Rewards Zone program is to get customers to keep buying from them.

I expressed my opinion by writing to Best Buy's corporate headquarters and complained about the "great" 4% discount the program offers. As an alternative, I suggested that they be more flexible in their return policy. That would keep me happy, for one!

I probably will never hear from them since I dared to criticize their Rewards Zone program!

I just bought some DVDs on Tuesday and I forgot to show my card.

Can I take my receipt back to get the points?

From their FAQ:

What if I forgot to show my card when I made a purchase?

Keep your receipt and contact Member Services at [email protected] or 1-888-BESTBUY (1-888-237-8289). We'll also need your Member ID number along with the transaction information on the receipt to give you credit for the purchase.

To get credit for your purchase at the register, your Member ID must be entered at the register. You don't need to show your card - you can just tell the cashier that you're a Reward Zone™ member and give him or her your phone number. We can look up your Reward Zone™ ID number at the register and track your purchase for points.