8 Grocery Loyalty Perks Most Shoppers Never Use

Groceries may not be climbing as brutally as they once did, but American shoppers still have plenty of reason to hunt for savings. U.S. grocery-store prices were 2.2% higher in August 2026 than a year earlier, while USDA expects overall food prices to rise about 2.9% for 2026. 

Loyalty programs seem like an obvious defense, yet many of their best benefits quietly sit unused inside store apps. Deloitte’s 2025 survey of 5,564 U.S. loyalty members found the average consumer belongs to eight programs but actively uses only five. Even more telling, 40% admitted they sometimes forget to redeem rewards they have already earned.

Digital Coupons You Have to “Clip”

Remember when clipping coupons meant attacking the Sunday paper with scissors at the kitchen table? The modern version is easier, but there is a catch: many grocery discounts still have to be activated in an app or on a website before checkout. 

PYMNTS reported in 2025 that 66% of U.S. consumers were interested in using digital coupons, showing just how valuable shoppers consider them. Chains such as Safeway and Albertsons specifically offer digital-only coupons, while Giant advertises more than $300 in digital coupons during a typical week. Spending two minutes clipping offers before walking the aisles can therefore uncover prices you would never get simply by scanning your loyalty card.

Deals Built Around What You Actually Buy

That loyalty account knows you buy coffee every Tuesday, cereal constantly, and suspicious amounts of shredded cheese. Many grocers turn that purchase history into personalized discounts, yet those offers can be easy to overlook among generic weekly specials. Club Publix, for example, provides deals selected from purchase history, while Albertsons and Safeway advertise personalized weekly grocery offers. 

Personalization matters because Deloitte found that only 60% of consumers were satisfied with the customized experiences their loyalty programs offered in its earlier loyalty research. Check the “for you,” “personalized,” or similar tab before making your list, because it may contain the discount most relevant to tonight’s dinner.

Free Monthly Items and Birthday Treats

Some grocery programs hand out actual freebies, not merely another chance to earn points someday. Albertsons for U and Safeway for U currently offer qualifying members one free item each month, with offers worth up to $10. 

Those programs also offer eligible members an annual birthday treat worth up to $10, while Club Publix provides its own birthday perk. The catch is that members may need to add their birthday, remain active, or clip the free-item offer before its deadline. That makes your account profile surprisingly valuable territory for something most people fill out once and never revisit.

Fuel Discounts Hiding Behind Grocery Points

Your grocery receipt may secretly be holding down the cost of your next tank of gas. Kroger’s revamped 2026 rewards program lets members redeem every 100 points for 10 cents off per gallon, generally up to $1 per gallon at participating Kroger fuel centers. With qualifying limits, that can mean as much as $35 off a single fill-up at Kroger locations. 

That benefit looks especially timely after BLS reported gasoline prices jumped 3.9% in August 2026 alone. If you routinely drive past an eligible station without checking your grocery-point balance, you may literally be leaving savings at the pump.

Related: 7 Items You Should Never Buy at the Grocery Store

Bonus-Point Offers That Speed Everything Up

The normal “one dollar equals one point” routine is often only the starting line. Grocery apps frequently feature multipliers or bonus-point promotions that accelerate rewards when you buy certain products or shop during promotional periods. 

Kroger says members earn one point per eligible grocery dollar but can collect additional points through promotions, while its Boost members earn two times the points on qualifying purchases. 

Giant likewise offers personalized extra-point deals, month-long Point Builders, and double points on Giant-brand products. Before a large stock-up trip, checking for a multiplier can turn the same cart into meaningfully more future savings without adding anything you did not plan to buy.

Points You Can Spend on Groceries Instead of Gas

Many shoppers mentally file grocery rewards under “gas points” and stop paying attention if they rarely drive. That assumption is increasingly outdated because programs are giving members more ways to redeem what they earn. 

Kroger now allows 100 points to become $1 off groceries, with members able to redeem up to 1,000 points for $10 off in a day. Giant allows Flexible Rewards members to choose grocery savings, fuel savings, free items, and even charitable donations. Flexible redemption is worth checking because Deloitte found four out of five consumers value flexibility when earning and using loyalty rewards.

Rewards From the Pharmacy Counter

Your grocery loyalty account may keep earning even when your shopping cart contains no groceries at all. Some supermarket programs award points for qualifying pharmacy transactions, making prescriptions another route toward food or fuel savings. 

Kroger currently awards points on eligible prescriptions, including 75 points for qualifying 90-day prescriptions under its published program rules. 

Giant says Flexible Rewards members can receive 100 points on each eligible pharmacy transaction. Anyone already filling prescriptions at a supermarket pharmacy should check the rules, because those routine visits may be building rewards that otherwise go unnoticed.

Shopping Tools That Save Time, Not Just Money

Not every worthwhile loyalty perk knocks a dollar off your receipt. Club Publix members can see the weekly ad a day early, save shopping lists, view past purchases, and quickly reorder products they have bought before. Those features sound minor until you are standing in aisle seven wondering which coffee, dog food, or laundry detergent you bought last month. 

Deloitte’s 2026 loyalty research found more than 90% of surveyed Gen Z and millennial members considered at least one technology-enabled loyalty feature useful. A well-used grocery account can therefore save minutes and mental energy alongside the dollars disappearing from your total.

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