Supermarket rewards: How this woman gets $2,000 from Flybuys each year

As the cost of living rises, everyone is looking for ways to save – and for Angela Lynch, reward points are a key part of that.

A hard-working woman from South Australia, Angela has been a member of the Flybuys rewards program since it was established in the 90s.

Now, she finds as many ways to earn points as she can. And it pays off: She was named as one of the Flybuys 50 in 2022 for her skills in earning points and getting value from them.

"I reckon I get about $2,000 worth of Flybuys Points a year," she said.

"By the time you accumulate all your points and everything, it could even be more. But it's something that I don't really [think about] – you look at it grow and go, 'Wow. Okay, what can I get?'"

What are the rewards?

Flybuys offers a lot of different rewards, similar to many other reward programs.

This includes money off your shop at Coles Supermarkets and other participating stores, retail items and travel rewards (including Velocity Points transfers).

Angela uses her points to get a mix of practical rewards and household items directly through Flybuys.

"Normally, I bank them for Christmas and I normally cash in about $500 worth just to do the Christmas week shopping."

With rising costs, she said "this year might be a little bit more".

"I reckon it's going to be $700 or $800 this year. Yeah, it's not gonna be cheap, it's going to be an expensive shop."

For reference, every 2,000 Flybuys Points is equal to $10 off your shop at Coles Supermarkets and other partners when you redeem them for Flybuys Dollars.

Angela also uses points to book flights through Flybuys Travel, particularly for one of her sons who races motorbikes.

"He's driven up to Queensland now, but I've got to fly him and his mechanic back to Adelaide, then fly them back up for the race meeting, which is in 2 weeks," she said.

"Then you just get the Flybuys rewards [catalogues] come through, and you just have a look through that and go "Oh, yeah, I wouldn't mind that."

"So last year we got a coffee machine, and I think that was [worth] close to $1,000. Haven't gone back to instant coffee since," she said.

How does she earn points?

Angela says she's "always looking at ways to get more and more points", mostly through everyday spending and bonus points offers.

"At the moment, I get 20,000 points for doing a normal shop over 4 weeks," she said, referring to a member offer for everyday shopping at Coles supermarkets.

Getting fuel from Shell Coles Express also plays a big role in the number of points she earns.

"My husband is in transport, so you can imagine his fuel bill is a few thousand dollars a month," she said, adding that she makes sure he always earns Flybuys points.

She also has a Coles Rewards Mastercard, which earns 2 Flybuys points per $1 for the first $3,000 in a statement period, then 1 point per $1.

"Other than all the bonus points, that would be a major part [of earning points]," she said, adding: "We pay as we go, so we don't get charged interest."

Surveys through the Flybuys app also help her earn more points.

"It takes no time at all to do these surveys, you're getting more bonus points… and you're just getting points for doing your everyday shop."

Angela said she's a bargain hunter and will check the Flybuys app every day for new deals.

"I worked in supermarkets for 20 years, so I know how to shop for a bargain."

Angela said there are patterns in what specials are running and how often they run. As a result, she said she never pays full price for essentials like laundry powder and dishwashing liquid.

"You just buy up when it's on special to get you through until the next time it's on special."

Images: Supplied