Is Woolworths Everyday Extra still worth paying for?
Are the extra points and savings still worth it after big changes to the scheme? I crunched the numbers.
Woolworths Everyday Extra is an extension of the existing Everyday Rewards loyalty program, promising extra points and regular savings on your shopping – but you have to pay a monthly subscription fee.
The scheme was initially tested with a small group of customers in mid-2022. Now it's available to any Everyday Rewards member.
However, from July 2023, the scheme was changed and some perks disappeared, including a big reduction in how many points you can earn. Rules around shopping online have also been changed several times. So is it still worth paying for? Here's what you need to know.
What benefits does Everyday Extra offer?
Members of Everyday Extra get 4 main benefits in the current scheme:
- Double the normal Everyday Rewards points earned on every shop at Woolworths or Big W. So instead of earning 1 point per $1 spent, you get 2 points per $1 spent. That's a reduction on the previous version, which offered triple points.
- 10% off 1 shop of your choice a month at Woolworths when shopping in store or online. You choose to apply the discount when paying. (The discount is capped at $50, which is what you'd get for a $500 shop.) As of November 2023, this will apply to both in-store and online orders. In July 2023, Woolworths made this discount in-store only, but it reversed the decision after a consumer outcry.
- 10% off 1 shop a month at Big W (same rules as the Woolworths discount).
- Woolworths also promises "subscriber-only free products, exclusive offers and Extra points boosters" for Extra members. In practice, this usually works out as a monthly offer for 1 free product.
To score those benefits, you have to pay $7 a month. If you pay for a year in advance, the cost is $70, which is a 16% discount. You can sign up for a 30-day free trial before paying.
The annual discount is lower than it used to be; prior to July 2023, this cost $59, which was a $29 saving.
To make up for that reduction in value, Woolworths is offering one-off "bonus months" to existing subscribers. If you joined prior to 29 May 2023, you'll get 1 "free" month if you're a monthly subscriber, and 3 free months if you're an annual subscriber.
As always, the fine print matters. Only Woolworths and Big W are included. Other stores which participate in Everyday Rewards such as BWS aren't eligible for bonus points.
Also, the double points only apply to base points, not any bonus offers. So if Woolworths is offering a bonus 100 points on a $5 packet of Solanato tomatoes, you'll get 110 Everyday Rewards points in total (2 times 5 as an Extra member, plus 100 as a bonus).
Is Everyday Extra worth it?
For most shoppers, the 10% discount alone makes Everyday Extra a tempting proposition, even with the changes. If you spend more than $70 in a single grocery shop, the savings will be more than the $7 you pay each month – and you'll get extra points on top of that.
You'll almost certainly spend that much. Finder research shows the average weekly grocery bill for a single person (like myself) is $155 a week. Getting 10% off that means I've saved $15.50.
You can stack those discounts with other offers. For instance, Woolworths Insurance customers get 10% off 1 shopping bill each month already. If you have both Woolworths Insurance and Everyday Extra, you can take 10% off 2 of your monthly shops, not just 1.
I'd recommend converting your Everyday Rewards points to Qantas Points to maximise their value. But even if you just want to use them for $10 off vouchers, you'll earn those quicker and potentially save more money with Everyday Extra.
To really maximise your savings, you'd also want to do a single big monthly shop and apply the 10% discount to that. That's good budget practice anyway, and you can choose whether to do this in-store or online.
My main quibble since joining? The Extra Perks products frequently aren't available in my local store. So I haven't considered them a real value-add. But that said, the discount on that single shop more than pays the membership fee anyway and I'm earning more Qantas Points too, albeit now a little more slowly.
Bottom line? If you regularly shop at Woolworths, Everyday Extra will help you save money.
Coles Plus vs Woolworths Everyday Extra vs: Which one is better?
Woolworths' biggest supermarket rival also has a bonus points membership scheme, Coles Plus. Our full guide to Coles Plus has complete details, but here's a summary of the most relevant points:
- Coles Plus costs $19 a month (there's no annual discount).
- For that, you get double Flybuys points on your shopping, plus 10 times Flybuys points for online alcohol purchases.
- You also get free delivery for any orders over $50, and free access to Rapid Click & Collect.
Coles Plus heavily emphasises free delivery. If you're not going to make use of that regularly, then it's an expensive proposition - and because Coles offers free delivery anyway if you spend $250 or more, it still might not be worth the added expense. If you're looking to save money and aren't worried about delivery, Everyday Extra is still likely to be a better bet.
Want to keep your frequent flyer points balance growing? Check out the latest credit card sign-up deals.
Note: We updated this guide in October 2023 to cover changes to Everyday Extra discount availability for online shopping.
Pictures: Angus Kidman/Woolworths
