(EXPIRED) 15x rewards points on restaurant gift cards at Safeway / Albertsons / just for u stores

Safeway and its associated brands using the “just for U” loyalty scheme (Albertons / Vons / Randalls / Acme / Tom Thumb / etc) are offering 15x rewards points on dining gift cards through 11/17/19. That’s potentially a great deal.

The Deal

• Get 15x rewards points on restaurant gift cards at Safeway / Albertsons / Vons / Randalls / other just 4 u stores through 11/17/19
• Direct link to this promotion

Key Terms

• Valid through 11/17/19
• Limit of 1 per transaction, unlimited use

Quick Thoughts

While one can often score a decent discount on many restaurant gift cards, the high earning rate combined with a credit card that earns one of the best category bonuses at US Supermarkets could make for a really nice return here. Safeway gives you $0.10 off per gallon on up to 25 gallons for every 100 points you earn. You are essentially getting 37.5% back in the form of fuel points. Here’s how that works out:

• $0.10 off per gallon with 100 points (up to 25 gallons = max savings of $2.50)
• 100 points ÷ 15 points per $1 = $6.67 in restaurant gift card spend to earn 100 points
• $2.50 max savings ÷ $6.66 in gift card spend = 37.5% return in “free” fuel

Again, for every $6.67 you spend on restaurant gift cards, you’ll earn ten cents off per gallon. If you fill up to the max of 25 gallons, that’s a gas savings of $2.50 for each $6.67 in restaurant gift cards (in addition to the rewards earned on your credit card for grocery spend). The reality is that most people won’t actually use 25 gallons of fuel, but those with SUVs, vans, or trucks should probably get 15-20 gallons pretty easily. Even if you only fill up 15 gallons at a time, that’s a fuel return of about 22.5% (assuming the Safeway fuel cost is relatively similar to other gas stations in your area). If you have a gas can or two in the garage for the lawn mower / leaf blower / etc, you may be able to max it out. This will obviously highly depend on your fuel needs.

Points can also be used towards groceries, but I believe they then have a variable value (likely not as good).

What could make this deal particularly interesting is that Stephen Pepper reports that select Happy brand gift cards may have triggered a similar fuel point promotion at Kroger recently. In other words, he thinks that certain Happy cards coded as “dining” to earn a Kroger 4x fuel point bonus on dining gift cards, presumably because those cards work at some restaurants. It is far from certain that the same would apply at Safeway, but if I lived near one of the associated brands, I’d certainly be giving that a shot. In fact, I don’t live near any of the associated brands and I was still on Google Maps this morning trying to figure out how far they are from where I’ll be in the coming days to see if it might make sense to make a detour. In my case, it won’t work out — but if you’re nearby a store, it might be worth giving it a shot. The coupon says 1 per transaction, but unlimited use.

H/T: GC Galore

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