More often than not, when working toward saving money, you’re advised against brand loyalty. Brand loyalty means that you stick to shopping for one particular brand. Rather it is always advised to shop around for the best prices. Quite often, even if you purchase generic, you’re getting the same quality. With that knowledge in hand, why would you purchase a brand name product ever? Because every rule has exceptions.

Grocery Shopping

Among the expenses you can control, the amount you spend on groceries is the easiest to control. Besides the simple ways to save money on groceries I shared earlier this year, buying generic is a well-known method for saving money at the grocery store. Also, buying brand name products is often a little bit of a scam. The food can be made in the same factory with the same ingredients with the only true difference being the brand label.

HOWEVER, sometimes purchasing brand name products pays. For example, I love Special K, most especially the Fruit ‘N Yogurt and Vanilla Almond flavors. The regular price of Special K cereal costs about $3.39/box. However, from time to time, Shoprite (my preferred grocery store) has it on sale for $1.99/box. Now regular internet or newspaper coupons will save you $1 on two, sometimes three, boxes. If the coupon is for two boxes, then each box will cost $2.89.

Here’s the clincher: I am a member of Kellogg’s Family Rewards program. You take surveys and submit receipts of your Kellogg’s purchases to amass points. You can redeem points for prizes OR for coupons that are way more valuable than you can find anywhere else. So I redeem my points for coupons that take $1 per box. So in combining the sale of $1.99 and my rewards coupon, each box will cost me $0.99. To add as icing, this week Ibotta* (referral code: jdfahq) will provide a rebate of $0.45 per box up to 5 boxes. So after the rebate, each box of cereal will cost me $0.54 each. This did not require extreme couponing. On top of that, I received a Catalina coupon for $3 off my next purchase, which makes the cereal free!

Shoprite’s generic cereal costs about $1.39-1.99 a box. No coupons or rebates to take advantage of. So who said brand loyalty was bad for your money?

Of course, this only works if the brand you choose has a program you can take advantage of so don’t get crazy. We’re trying to build an appealing financial future here.

Cloud Storage

I pay $0 for 100 GB Google cloud storage that I share with my husband. I tell everyone that Google runs my life. Of this, I’m very well aware. It knows where I am and what I do for the most part. So when my friend told me about Google Rewards. Google will send me periodic surveys based on where I have been, where I shop, my use of Google assistant, etc. Each survey earns from about $0.10-0.99 BUT they all take literal seconds to complete. In October, I totaled $7.19 in earnings. In November, $2.99. 100 GB of Google cloud storage costs $19.99/yr. So if I can make $10.18 in two months, theoretically, I pay off the storage in about four months. I could the rest of the money I make on other Play Store apps or purchases.

If you’re not a Google user, see if your cloud storage provider has a similar program. Your consistent use of one provider can pay off big time. Another example of brand loyalty saving you money.

Bundling Services

If you pick one provider for a service, they usually want you on board with every service they provide. So they offer discounts for bundling. You see this a lot with cable/internet services or home/auto insurance. Sometimes, they’ll even provide a loyal customer discount for renewing when the initial agreement is over.

This doesn’t mean that you should always bundle. Take the time and do the math to figure out if it benefits you to purchase your services as a package or individually. For example, my home insurance is around $300/year. When I shop around for my auto insurance, I always check to see if adding my home insurance policy will save me money. Five years in and no cigar. So do the math.

Store Rewards

While not speaking about a brand here per se, there is loyalty at play here. If you shop at Macy’s, then you might be familiar with the Star Rewards program. This program makes it so each purchase adds points to your Rewards account until it reaches 1000 points aka $10 Macy’s certificate. Marshall’s has a similar program as well as many department stores. Even Shoprite has seasonal rewards where if you spend a certain amount of money within a timeline they set, you get a free turkey or something. Casual restaurants, even fast food ones, often have a rewards program set up to keep your interest in dining there.

Whatever stores or restaurants you frequent most often, ask if they have a rewards program or check out their website for more info.

Travel Rewards

Most hotels and airlines have some sort of loyalty program in place. This allows you to accumulate miles or points that add up to discounted or free travel. Even if your preferred airline doesn’t go to your next destination, when COVID sets us free, you can still accumulate miles with your preferred airlines. You can check your preferred airline’s website for partnering airlines. Then you either book the new airline through your preferred airline’s website or submit your boarding pass to your preferred airline and they will add the miles to your account. For example, United Airlines is part of the Star Alliance program. So when I flew using Aegean airlines to go to Greece, instead of starting a loyalty program with Aegean, I submitted my boarding pass to United Airlines since I’m way more likely to fly United than Aegean.

Additionally, brand loyalty can be developed based on the value of product brings to your life. For example, if you know a pair of Seven7 Jeans are going to last a long time, does it make sense to buy a new pair of cheaper jeans every year?

Your turn. When has brand loyalty benefited you? What are your favorite rewards program? Share your savings here.