GameStop is doing everything in its power to stay relevant and stay alive. To that end, the company announced on Monday, changes to its PowerUp Rewards Pro program. The program technically took effect starting in January of 2020 but the change was carried out rather quietly.
The biggest change for Pro members is they will no longer receive a 10 percent discount on purchases. Instead, stores offer a $5 discount coupon. Users will still be able to get reward points for purchases, – 20 if you’re a pro member and 10 if you’ve got the free membership – and 10 percent extra trade credit for the paid memberships.
GameStop customers will also still get a year’s subscription to Game Informer if they sign up for the PowerUp Rewards Pro program. ComicBook reports those who sign up for a new Pro account will get an extra $5 discount coupon.
The site recently talked to GameStop representative Frank Hamlin who explained why the company did away with the 10 percent purchase discount. He explained it as an ability for customers to have a bit more flexibility. Of course, GameStop has also made it clear this $5 coupon is not going to be usable on gift cards or preorders, seemingly cutting the very flexibility it claims to be promoting.
There is another catch to the coupon. You must use it each month. Hamlin explained this caveat as an attempt by the company to instill a sense of urgency in its customers. Should a user take advantage of the $5 coupon every month, they’ll save a total of $60 per year.
Some quick math shows $60 worth of purchases a month on the old reward system would have saved $72. Savings could be quite a bit bigger than that considering it was on multiple purchases.
As GameStop tries to stay afloat in an everchanging market, the bottom line is it’s looking for ways to keep its customers happy while minimizing its losses.
