New speed perks from AA.. ripoff?
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Catch_22
Well-known member
Worse based on what I can tell. I use the hell out of speed perks. Its the ONLY reason I shop so much at a local AA. If I stop finding value in this, Ill move to shopping at another store giving discounts or back to online retailers.
bjkulawi
Active member
Agreed, it really appeared worse to me, although they tried presenting the program as an improvement.
Catch_22
Well-known member
Its not a bug its a 'feature'.
I think it is better, you now get Speedperks for every dollar you spend without having to hit thresholds or "losing" value for the amount over the threshold.
In the old program you had to spend $35 in one purchase to get a reward, and it had a fairly short expiration date. Now you get $1 credit per dollar spent with no threshold, so you get a $5 reward after spending $45, even if it's 45 one dollar purchases. It appears they have eliminated the restrictions on certain products so you now also earn points on everything. Points never expire, so you don't lose the credits like you did in the old program.
As an example, suppose you need an alternator that is $60 after coupons. In the old program you would get a $5 credit, in the program you would get $5 now, and another $5 once you spend another $40.
No minimum on redemption either, seems better all around. It also appears the redemption value is better on the new points. In the old system, it applied coupons first and scaled speedperks by the coupon value, so a $5 sp credit did not really give you $5 off. In the new program you get full value for the points.
It seems like a much better option, since we get better value for our spending and lower prices.
Catch_22
Well-known member
Id argue you didn't know how to properly work the prior system. I was working nearly 45 off per 100.
They don't have 20$ off coupons anymore from what I see.
Its worse for people spending large amounts there.
They don't have 20$ off coupons anymore from what I see.
Its worse for people spending large amounts there.
Catch_22
Well-known member
You can see the terms here and with a calculator, you can easily see how at club level you earn 50% the rewards as before and elite you earn about 60% spending double.
Its all bean counting and marketing. Put some math to it and you can see it. You are getting less.
I have not had a chance to use the new system yet but if they limit how much you can redeem out of the Perks Bucks, me and my Stanley Nickels are going someplace else.
Its all bean counting and marketing. Put some math to it and you can see it. You are getting less.
I have not had a chance to use the new system yet but if they limit how much you can redeem out of the Perks Bucks, me and my Stanley Nickels are going someplace else.
Willie Makeit
Well-known member
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even AFTER using speed perk discounts, I found AA to be more expensive than others
Catch_22
Well-known member
Might depend on the parts you order. Without discounts, yes. After discounts its way cheaper on most things I buy. I rarely go anyplace else because of this unless its a stock issue.
Willie Makeit
Well-known member
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- Dec 30, 2013
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I haven't found that to be true in my experience. The limited name-brands they sell is also another negative in my opinion.
For transparency: I spend approx $400-$500 per month on automotive parts & supplies.
for example:
AutoLite Iridium spark plug XP25 -- $7.99 ea @ Advance
AutoLite Iridium spark plug XP25 -- $4.14 ea @ Rock Auto
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Super Sport
Well-known member
On those spark plugs, if you apply the almost always existant 25% off they're $5.99. Still more than RA, but free store pickup. Depending on how you buy they very well could end up cheaper at AAP after shipping costs.
Coupons for 25% off AA are available. Just like any retailer some items will either be more expensive or cheaper. Just got to do some shopping. Dread going to Walmart but the motor oil prices can't be beat unless Amazon has a deal going on plus free shipping.
Catch_22
Well-known member
Exactly, and toss on a 20$ off coupon if you are picking up a a few things its easy to knock that down more.
Also, some things like a spark plug Im fine ordering from RA, but a Radiator, waterpump, Steering box, etc, that local pickup lifetime warranty is going to be key.
If the Speed perks suddenly doesn't become as useful to me to get the price down below or near an online retailer, then I'm no longer just weighing out warranty and local pickup giving AA less of the marketing edge to have me come into the store and buy from them.
More so, this isn't me complaining about something that is new and not competing with online retailers but something I have had for years and was using that put them in competition with online retailers.
Amazon can get me Moog parts in 2 days. RA in 3-4. This means if I have the time, AA wont be getting my money anymore. And for someone who stockpiles parts (I have a lot of jeeps with interchangeable parts), I always have the time with some planning ahead.
Perhaps, but I was getting 55 to 60 off per 100 in the prior system and and at least matching that or doing a little better with the new system.
If you were only getting 45 off you might not have been using all the available discounts. Happy to share if there is interest.
That's one reason the new system is better, no limit on redemptions.
Or free if you have enough new SPs.
Even without the SPs, you can get them down to $4.00 by stacking discounts, less than RA when you factor in the high shipping at RA.
Certified Drunk
Well-known member
The code I use for 20% still works.
Tdo
Active member
please do!
bczygan
Well-known member
Rock Auto.
Bill
Bill
Search for the best available coupon - 25% is the norm, at times coupons up to 50% are available. Those are often short-lived or limited to number of redemptions, so I keep some things in my cart for future use so I can check out quickly when I find a coupon.
Use available speedperks, usually not a problem if you purchase from them regularly.
Watch for rebates on certain products.
Find a cashback site that is currently offering 10%, so that is another 10% off the total purchase. Sometimes you can use more than one site and they will stack.
Use a credit card offering 10% cashback on Advance, this will be a special offer you likely will have to add to your card. Watch the redemption limits, often it's limited to $6 to $10. Multiple cards are currently offering the 10% cashback.
Catch_22
Well-known member
25% is the common biggest I see. I have not seen a 40-45% off in over a year. Its also important to keep in mind some coupons have minimums buys and max discounts and this can make lower discounts work in your favor on larger buys. Those seem like the glory days now.
When I say 40 off 100 I mean on the regular. I buy parts near weekly/bi weekly so I'm looking at the overall consistent discounts. Ebates, and creditcard rewards are another thing all together and I don't factor that in as its a personal bonus vs working an existing program.
As for the perk bucks, if they are not limited in any way and be used just like cash, I can see how that can be useful but I'm not getting the same level of discounting on what my average 100$ per purchase are. Its literally HALF. (Slightly better if you are Elite, and I am) Work up a purchase on 100$ and you can see you get 10$ in bucks back, vs what was a 20$ Speedperks before. Elite would mean you need to spend 200 to get 25$ in bucks back vs 40$ in Speedperks. (broken up across 2 purchases)
The old way is better if you buy regulatory and are always spending more than 30 bucks each time you walk in.
The new way is better if you spend less than 30 each time you walk in and buy infrequently.
SkinnyG
Well-known member
This sums it up well. I'm in the same position as Catch_22, getting nearly half the benefit I used to.
With that said, I AM still getting a benefit. I can't be mad at the vendor for giving me a free benefit, even if it's a lower value than before.
cashishift
Well-known member
Catch_22
Well-known member
Well, we buy very different things at Advance Auto.
You hit on a good point though. They also didn't cover oil, fluids and a few things with the old Speed perks. (I buy all that crap someplace else that's cheaper anyway, but whatever)
That said, to put s spin on this and make everything happy the new program has spread the savings out to across more products at the expense of doling out savings slower.
It's now a thin coat of oil on *everything*, instead of just inside the engine.
bczygan
Well-known member
Correction to my post above.
I just beat a Rock Auto $150 order by $50 at Amazon.
Bill
I'd like to chime in here on my experience with this.
Yes, we're getting screwed. I'm slowly watching my $20 and $40 coupons turning into dozens of useless little $5 coupons that I can't use unless I place multiple micro orders of just over $5. If I do that, I will get kicked out of the store.
"Yes, Hi. I have 13 online orders for pickup."
Secondly, those online coupons we've always used are slowly getting excluded from more and more brand name parts. That wasn't there before. Seems it only works on the house brand stuff now.
Looks like they shot themselves in the foot on this one, because I'm surely not as motivated to shop there as much anymore.
As a last note, their brake rebates are designed to first deny your eligibility. More than once I've been denied as not eligible. I email them back stating I'm quite eligible, and they respond with, "why, yes, yes you are" and approve it.
Shady.
Yes, we're getting screwed. I'm slowly watching my $20 and $40 coupons turning into dozens of useless little $5 coupons that I can't use unless I place multiple micro orders of just over $5. If I do that, I will get kicked out of the store.
"Yes, Hi. I have 13 online orders for pickup."
Secondly, those online coupons we've always used are slowly getting excluded from more and more brand name parts. That wasn't there before. Seems it only works on the house brand stuff now.
Looks like they shot themselves in the foot on this one, because I'm surely not as motivated to shop there as much anymore.
As a last note, their brake rebates are designed to first deny your eligibility. More than once I've been denied as not eligible. I email them back stating I'm quite eligible, and they respond with, "why, yes, yes you are" and approve it.
Shady.
Are you saying you can redeem multiple SP rewards on one purchase?
Can't do this in store...I tried
I made two purchases in October 1 for $134.99 and 1 for $41.74.
Under the old SPR program I would have gotten a $20 reward and a $5 reward.
The new SPR program I get a $10 reward and two $5 rewards. Clearly the old program is better hands down.
Catch_22
Well-known member
So Ive commented in here when it started saying this was going to be bad. Now I have first hand experience as one of the "Elite".
I've made about $800 in orders over the past 2 months. I have so many 5$ coupons it looks like a CVS receipt.
You cant stack these online or in store. You also can't BUY something entirely with them as someone noted in here.
Wrong.
Wrong again.
Expire 180 days. Even more wrong.
If I cant find a way to work this, I'm done with Advance and will work exclusively with online retailers.
I've made about $800 in orders over the past 2 months. I have so many 5$ coupons it looks like a CVS receipt.
You cant stack these online or in store. You also can't BUY something entirely with them as someone noted in here.
Wrong.
Wrong again.
Expire 180 days. Even more wrong.
If I cant find a way to work this, I'm done with Advance and will work exclusively with online retailers.
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Yep, and before you know it, you have a basket of useless $5 coupons.
When I get pissed enough, I'm going to place 20 orders of a single quart of brake fluid with those coupons. Comes out to $1.20 each.
When they complain at the counter, I'll kindly let them know that's what the new program has led us to. Like they care much anyway.
Maybe they will after processing 20 transactions.
Anyone else do an online order and have to wait several hours at the store? The system sometimes just craps out even after sending your pickup confirmation. The store never gets the order and you just sit and rot there with a client vehicle in pieces at the shop while the guy just hits refresh over and over on the terminal.
When I get pissed enough, I'm going to place 20 orders of a single quart of brake fluid with those coupons. Comes out to $1.20 each.
When they complain at the counter, I'll kindly let them know that's what the new program has led us to. Like they care much anyway.
Maybe they will after processing 20 transactions.
Anyone else do an online order and have to wait several hours at the store? The system sometimes just craps out even after sending your pickup confirmation. The store never gets the order and you just sit and rot there with a client vehicle in pieces at the shop while the guy just hits refresh over and over on the terminal.
Hey Catch, there is a silver lining here.
The minimum for the $5 coupon is in fact, $5.
So you can use a $5 coup on a $6 order and just pay $1. It works in the online cart and clearly states that the minimum to use the coupon is $5.
So at least we get that. You just have to carpet bomb individual orders to take advantage of that.
Also the points do in fact never expire. The coupons tho, do. So that's just them and their genius marketing department spinning things to look better when it's in fact much worse.
The minimum for the $5 coupon is in fact, $5.
So you can use a $5 coup on a $6 order and just pay $1. It works in the online cart and clearly states that the minimum to use the coupon is $5.
So at least we get that. You just have to carpet bomb individual orders to take advantage of that.
Also the points do in fact never expire. The coupons tho, do. So that's just them and their genius marketing department spinning things to look better when it's in fact much worse.
Catch_22
Well-known member
When I get pissed enough, I'm going to place 20 orders of a single quart of brake fluid with those coupons. Comes out to $1.20 each.
When they complain at the counter, I'll kindly let them know that's what the new program has led us to. Like they care much anyway.
I got time. I'll place all the orders and they can eat shit. You want to waste my time advance, I can play that game and more.
Jazzman442
Well-known member
I shop there all of the time. But I use Coupons Codes instead. If you look at the web you can find them up to 30% off. Others wise I get OEM parts from the OEM suppliers from Amazon. Which is usually cheaper.
I have not found a way to do this online, but it works in-store.
You can stack in-store but not online, so far. Supposedly they will roll online stacking out soon.
You actually can, either online if the item is $5 or $10, or in-store but it has to be a multiple of the speedperks applied.
I suspect you are looking at your Speedperks online - there is an issue with the online coupons, they display both a minimum purchase and an expiration that is not correct. Supposedly they will get that fixed soon.
Or maybe your store doesn't want to make the effort or doesn't consider you a "good" customer. AA managers have a lot of discretion, and there is one store local to me I don't use because they won't stack Speedperks or combine coupons and speedperks.
It could also be a regional issue, we have seen that before where they were trying different things in different regions. Some of us got the new SpeedPerks a lot earlier than others, for example.
Not sure why you are saying the correct information I posted is "wrong", but the information I posted is right.
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You can save more by stacking speedperks WITH the coupon codes, they can be combined.
Catch_22
Well-known member
Good thing they took away the old program in the mean time. They don't even have Carquest and AA systems merged yet. They cant see warranty status between stores within their own system. So yea, "soon".
Gee, now I can get all the cool stuff they keep under the register at check out. Ill just need to make 30 transactions to the limited amount of things for almost 5 dollars. If I cant use like cash, they way it was advertised I wouldn't be upset on this point.
While you can use them currently without minimum online, unless you have an authoritative source, they are only required to uphold what is in writing.
Perhaps, they are also idiots. 50% of the time they warranty a part from an online sale they return it and make you rebuy it, negating any coupons or discounts you managed to have on the first buy. And yes, AA managers can do things at their own discretion but most of the time the knowledgeable ones are not in and I'm dealing with lackys. I've been to 30+ stores across the mid south. I'm in there 5 times a week sometimes. I need constancy. The only reason I don't have a business account is because I get better discounts using the coupons. I love rubbing that on in my Firestone reps face.
From Arkansas to Virginia, Kentucky to Georgia. I'd say no.
Because I'll take the official words over someone internet stranger.
Honest Bob
Well-known member
I always seem to do better at autozone these days if I'm not ordering from amazon or ebay.