Are you a high mileage driver? (Shell)

Member Name: juicy_lucy

Product:	Shell
Date:	03/01/06 (568 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Useful to have since I do need petrol

Disadvantages: Takes ages to collect points

Being an avid (some would insist obsessed), collector of loyalty and bonus schemes, offers and temptations, this I HAD to have!
Of course I did…it offered Airmiles.
There is a Shell garage very very close to my house and visions of me sitting on an exotic beach for doing nothing more exhausting than buying petrol did appeal. My husband's remarks that it would probably cost thousands of pounds for a flight to Paris did nothing to deter me. I would show him…and show him I did. Unfortunately that he was right.
How I hate to admit that but never mind, he's not a ciao member so perhaps I will never ever let him know.

So…the scheme, how it works and what you get.

APPLICATION FORM
Are you a high mileage driver? Don't miss out, apply today
This should have been an indication of things to come.
High mileage driver?
Even in totally deluded moments, I don't think I could admit to that.
However, I must have been deluded, because, armed with my application form I "went for it".
The application form itself is simple to complete with basic details required, fill it in, tear along the perforated edge and send off (postage paid, thank you!)
Deed done, almost a fully fledged member of Shell pluspoints.
Now all I had to do was wait for the points to come rolling in as they surely would.

STATEMENTS
Sent to your home address up to 4 times a year.
Mine come much less frequently (have I seen one?) so I must be a very highly regarded customer.

WHAT DO YOU GET?
This is the exciting bit.
If you collect enough points, you can redeem them for:
£10 Shell vouchers
£10 shopping vouchers from House of Fraser, Debenhams, Next, Boots, WH Smith, JJB Sports, and Kingfisher
Airmiles (100 airmiles for 1500 pluspoints)
BA Miles
Charity donation

All good stuff and I was ready to claim all of those airmiles. After all, points make prizes (don't they?)

HOW DOES IT WORK?
You hand in your card at point of purchase and it is swiped.
This ios how you get your hands on those points:
1 Pluspoint for 1 litre of fuel
1 Pluspoint for every £1 spent on Helix lubricants
25 Pluspoints for Gold (top) car wash
15 Pluspoints for Gold (top) jet wash
Up to 250 bonus points quarterly on a sliding scale…300-399 pluspoints, 100 extra; 400-499 pluspoints, get 150 extra etc

REDEEMING YOUR POINTS
Points can be redeemed in a number of ways:
On line via the Shell website
By contacting customer services
By completing the order form
Completing redemption slip on your statement

WHO CAN JOIN?
Pluspoints are open to UK residents aged 17 or over (obvious really because you have to 17 to drive)

LINKING ACCOUNTS
You can link your points to someone elses who lives at the same address.

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT?
Well, I did join to try to collect Airmiles, which I already collect via Tesco. However, it doesn't take a mathematical genius to work out that if you want 1500 points you have to buy 1500 litres of fuel which would cost you about £1200. In my situation, because my interest lies in airmiles, I would then receive 100 airmiles. How much a mile? I think that's about £12 a mile!!
Too difficult considering there are so many other schemes out there.
I would suggest that, if, like me, you like to join these schemes, then it's good to have an extra loyalty card in case you can't get to your preferred garage.
However, unless you are a phenomenally high mileage driver with fleets of cars, I don't think you would get much from this.
My experience, probably not everybody's
It is kind of Shell to offer points because most of us need to "fill up", but come on…most of us are not high mileage drivers and need some rewards for loyalty. There are other schemes out there and I for one will stick mainly to good old Tesco.

WEBSITE
www.shell.com

CUSTOMER SERVICES
08459006008

Summary: Would have to be a very very high mileage driver to see benefits