GameStop Hits The Reset Button On Its Rewards Program

Hardcore and casual video game players alike have reached a point during a game where the strategy they used to employ to great effect doesn’t seem to get them past that next enemy or solve that next puzzle. That’s when it pays to put the controller down and look at things from a different direction — like what GameStop has done with its loyalty program.

GameStop announced on Monday (June 6) that it had tweaked the parameters of its PowerUp Rewards program to make it more flexible and able to provide for its customers’ varied preferences. Frank Hamlin, chief marketing officer at GameStop, explained that, after the company noticed a glut of requests from consumers to redeem points automatically at certain thresholds, it decided to fold in a previous method of allowing customers to select freebies from a larger PowerUp Rewards catalog.

“Many of our PowerUp Rewards members have asked us to send them their rewards automatically upon hitting a certificate reward threshold,” Hamlin said in a statement. “We listened to our customers and are now giving them the option to customize their reward experience, helping our customers track their accounts in real time, while keeping more money in their pocket and offering a more personalized experience.”

Under the new system, rewards can be redeemed as soon as customers reach 5,000 points — good for a $5 gift certificate that can be spent in-store or online. Consumers are still free to stockpile their points for as long as they like, though the redeemed certificates themselves will only be eligible for use up to 30 days after issuing.