Points, Policies & Certificates

[Derek-BBY Retired: Senior Social Media Specialist]

Greetings, Sydney, and welcome to the Best Buy forum,

Well...I am fresh out of canned responses but will certainly make sure to add them to my grocery list!  Until then, I guess I will just have to cook from scratch.  Let's see what I have the cupboard this morning.  First, please take a moment or two to read over our prior responses in this thread.  Maybe not all of them but at least a tea spoon or two of each should do the trick.  Second, add in a cup of the Program Terms. I have included a link to the terms below.

After a gentle whisking, we can place our mixture into a baking pan and place it in the oven at 400 degrees.  Let's make sure to keep a close eye on it.  Have you taken a closer look at your rewards history?  I took just a quick peek and it looks like you have been awarded more than 223 points since the first purchase back in June.  As a newer chef (core member), your purchases are eligible for .5 points per $1 pre-tax.  For example, a purchase with a pre-tax total of $1,000 would be awarded 500 points. You can earn additional points as you gain more experience in the kitchen.  A sous-chef (Elite status) can earn 1 point per $1 while our head chefs (Elite Plus status) can earn 1.25 points per $1.

Maybe another 5 to 10 minutes and it should be done baking. Now, I am sure you are wondering why the amount of points currently pending for your recent Apple purchase is lower than you may have expected, and the reason why pertains to a change we made to the Program Terms back in October.  At first, I was agog by the changes that were made; however, it isn't uncommon for a recipe to go through a few changes before it is deemed perfect.  As of 10/21, a purchase of an Apple item will no longer qualify for points unless applied to a My Best Buy™ credit card using standard financing.

Our concoction looks to be golden brown, so we can finally take it out of the oven to cool.  Let it sit for a few minutes before you give it a taste as it should be quite hot.  If you have any other questions after the taste test or any other questions about your rewards account, then please feel free to send us a private message by clicking here.  We just ask that you include your name, phone #, and email address.

My Best Buy™ - Program Terms

Bon Appetit!

[then4trix]

Purchased an Apple Watch today - went to check points and saw a positive and a negative for a net result of zero earned points.

I did some research and discovered what many of you discovered several months ago - no points for Apple products because of some ridiculous "member pricing."

I am an elite member and Best Buy just gave me the straw that broke the camels back. I will now give all of my electronics business to Target as I no longer have any incentive to shop at Best Buy.  With the red card I get 5% off plus I get 1% cash back with Target Circle.  

Combine that with my Gamers Club ending and them not renewing the program, I have just made my final purchase at Best Buy.

And to think - I recently discussed with family how BB would survive the great purge of the big box store in the time of Amazon.  This type of backwards thinking will ultimately doom BB.  Just look at their app compared to the Target app. Target has by far the best shopping app of ANY store.  Similarly, they have the best incentives to shop there. Thank you BB for confirming what I should've realized long ago - that you are not worth shopping at any more.

I will also tell all of my less tech savvy friends and family to shop at Target from now on.  A very easy choice given their close proximity to each other in my home town.

Farewell, BB!

[Fey-BBY Valued Contributor]

Hello, then4trix,

Thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We've merged your conversation onto this larger thread on the same topic, and we hope that helps to answer some of the questions that you might have, as well as help you connect with similarly-minded community members. I did want to take a moment to let you know that while the products you mentioned no longer qualify for points, you may still be able to earn points on the kind of purchases you are describing by using the My Best Buy Credit Card and choosing standard financing at checkout.

Best,

[Mommy4pt0]

I have to admit, I am VERY disappointed that Apple products no longer qualify for Best Buy Reward points unless you’re putting it on a Best Buy Credit Card. I cannot be convinced it’s to “give customers immediate savings”, because Best Buy’s prices on Apple products aren’t any better than anywhere else. I’ve checked! I just purchased the new iPhone at the end of February and had I known this was part of the new “terms”, I would have simply ordered directly from Apple — especially since the prices were identical. The ONLY reason I chose Best Buy was knowing I would benefit from — what I anticipated receiving — in Best Buy Rewards points. Nearly all of my large purchases for tech are at Best Buy BECAUSE I earned rewards and could apply those for the smaller accessories and peripheral items I would need. Based on what I’ve been reading, I’m not the only Best Buy Elite customer who is unhappy with this. Not everyone wants to run up a credit card balance — and pay interest, fees, etc. — just to get $15 in points. Plus, not everyone QUALIFIES for credit cards, so you’re simply excluding your sensible or lower-income customers from enjoying the benefits of the rewards program. Seems completely absurd, highly prejudicial, and fundamentally baseless in my opinion. Where exactly does this “benefit” customers who won’t owe Best Buy money even after the transaction is complete? ..... Where are the “lower up-front prices”? My searches have not turned up any price benefits on anything more than the old, outdated products Best Buy is trying to get rid of anyway. Soooo... (Shrugs)

[SeanM-BBY Social Media Specialist]

Good afternoon, Mommy4pt0,

Welcome to our Support Forums, and thank you for sharing your feedback with us.  Whether you’ve been shopping with us for years, or you’ve recently made your first purchase, we appreciate you choosing to shop with us.  While there are a variety of rewards available to our My Best Buy™ customers, there have been some changes to our rewards program terms, specifically in regards to Apple products.

As it sounds like you’re aware, Apple and Beats products not purchased on standard credit with the Best Buy Credit Card will not qualify for receiving My Best Buy™ points.  With that said, there are still a variety of products available for purchase with us that eligible to receive points.  I realize this experience has led you to question your future with Best Buy, however, I’m optimistic you’ll consider shopping with us again for your future technology needs.

Regards,

[hexonxonx]

I guess I'll be returning my $2800 MacBook Pro that I bought this week and buying it elsewhere. I could have saved about $300 by buying it at another local store but chose BB thinking I would be Elite+ again after this purchase.

Sorry guys, I no longer have a BB card and now you'll lose on any Apple purchases in the future.

[Derek-BBY Retired: Senior Social Media Specialist]

Hi, hexonxonx,

Welcome to the Best Buy forum!

Sounds like there might be some confusion as far as the change that went into place back in October.  While points won't be awarded for an Apple purchase unless a My Best Buy™ credit card is used with standard financing, an Apple purchase would still count towards qualifying for Elite and Elite Plus status if a My Best Buy™ credit card isn't used.  As long as you didn't pay for the MacBook Pro entirely with gift cards or certificates, your purchase should count.

It can take up to 20 days after spending the required amount (Elite - $1,500 & Elite Plus - $3,500) for a member's status to be upgraded.  A quick peek at your rewards account, using the email address that you registered for the forum, shows me you should be very close to Elite Plus status once that recent purchase is no longer pending.

My Best Buy™ - Program Terms

Best Wishes,

[gshaw1967]

Wow to my amazment BestBuy has changed the policy to exclude Bestbuy points for Apple.  Futher, those devices don't count towards my elite status.  Dummy me I only bought from you to get my elite status.  Well, I'm returning my $1300 and will buy from Apple and at least will get 3% back in cash.  Much better deal.  Well elite was good while it lasted I'm buying from Amazon from here on out. What an awful time to remove benefits to your customers.   Good Luck Best Buy.

[Derek-BBY Retired: Senior Social Media Specialist]

Greetings, gshaw1967, and welcome to the Best Buy forum,

Please take a moment to read over some of our recent responses in this thread, as there seems to be a bit of confusion regarding the change to the My Best Buy™ terms that went into place back in October 2019.  While the purchase of Apple products no longer qualify for points unless a My Best Buy™ credit card is used with standard financing, Apple purchases DO still count towards qualifying for Elite and Elite Plus status as long as an eligible form of payment is used (cash, personal credit, debit, check, My Best Buy™ credit card).  Your Apple purchase should put you over the $1,500 needed to requalify for Elite status.  Just keep in mind it can take up to 20 days for a purchase to reflect within your spending total.

My Best Buy™ - Program Terms

Best Wishes,

[michaelsgts]

I am going to have to call you out on the iPad pricing. The iPads I have been so dilligently buying from Best Buy are slightly more at $329.99 32gb than Apples price of $329 even. The only thing I was getting from Best Buy was points. We will no longer be buying these items (Nearly $7000 last year and over $1800 so far this year) from Best Buy. If you buy from Apple, they will track the serial numbers incase you need to reset them when an employee leaves and does not log out. Shame on you for saying your pricing is cheaper. Even the Pros are cheaper at Apple. I know it won't mean much to you guys, but we will be buying from Apple from now on.