Is Coles Plus really worth your hard-earned money? Discover the truth here!
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If you’ve been doing your fair share of bargain hunting recently, no doubt you’ve heard of Coles Plus. An extension of the popular Flybuys loyalty scheme, it initially launched in February 2021 and is open to all members of Flybuys.But is it really worth paying $19 a month? Our friends over at Finder crunched the numbers so you can make an informed decision about Coles Plus.
So without further ado, here’s everything you need before signing up.
What does Coles Plus include?
For your $19 a month, you’ll get some great perks. These benefits include:
- Free delivery for any orders over $50
- Double Flybuys points for purchases at Coles, Coles Express, Liquorland and First Choice Liquor
- 10 times the regular Flybuys points for online liquor purchases at Coles, Liquorland and First Choice Liquor
- Free Rapid Click & Collect
To see if Coles Plus is right for you, you can even sign up for a 1-month free trial. The service is pay-as-you-go, with no discounted annual option available.
Is Coles Plus good value?
Coles delivery fees can vary greatly between suburban areas and larger towns. You’ll be typically paying:
- $11 for delivery within 2 hours ($9 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).
- $8 for delivery in a 4-hour window ($6 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).
- $4 for delivery in a 6-hour window ($2 on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday).
So Coles Plus may be worth it if you’re a frequent online shopper who likes to get their groceries on short notice. While it’s not the cheapest choice, it is still an affordable option, especially if you’re getting weekly deliveries. In fact, if you’re happy to order your food for delivery in a 6-hour window between Tuesday and Thursday, then the flat delivery fee of $2 could be the cheaper option. However, please note that this service is not available in all stores.
Meanwhile, you would typically pay $5 for Rapid Click & Collect, with your groceries brought to the boot of your car within 60-minutes. Being a Coles Plus member, this is now free for you. On the other hand, there are some membership-free Click & Collect options available.
Finally, keep in mind that grocery orders over $250 receive free delivery, regardless of membership status. Looking at Finder’s research - which states that the average two-person household spends $331 a week on groceries - many shoppers would find themselves crossing this threshold anyway.
All things considered, if you’re not getting deliveries then Coles Plus isn’t great value for money.
Here’s a bottom line: If you’re spending over $250 a week, you won’t need to pay for deliveries anyway and therefore won’t get much use out of Coles Plus. So don’t sign up unless you’re sure you’ll be saving some hard-earned money.
Is Coles Plus worth joining for extra Flybuys points?
The maths says that this only makes sense if you’re an unusually frequent Coles shopper. Each 2,000 Flybuys points are worth $10 off your shop, meaning that you’d need to rack up an additional 4,000 points just to make up for the $19 monthly cost. That requires spending over $1,000 a week at Coles–way more than the average–even when you factor in fuel costs.
Similarly, 10 times the regular Flybuys points are available if you purchase liquor online from Coles, Liquorland or First Choice Liquor - but only if you’re spending over $100 a week on alcohol. That’s definitely not recommended here!
Coles Plus vs Woolworths Everyday Extra: Which one is better?
Rival supermarket giant Woolworths also has a bonus points membership scheme called Everyday Extra. With this, you pay either $7 a month ($59 annually) to get triple Everyday Rewards points on your shopping plus a 10% discount on one Woolworths shop a month. It looks like the better option, especially considering you’ll save more money with your 10% discount alone than the membership fee itself. Interested? You might like to read about how one Everyday Extra member saved $90 on their grocery shop. You can read more here.
Key Takeaways
- Coles Plus is a monthly subscription service that offers free delivery for orders over $50, double Flybuys points, and free Rapid Click & Collect.
- The service costs $19 per month but does not provide an annual discount option.
- Coles Plus might not be worth it for everyone, especially if you don't often use deliveries or if you spend more than $250 per week on groceries.
- Coles Plus is not as competitive as rival supermarket Woolworths' Everyday Extra, which costs $7 a month or $59 a year, offers triple Everyday Rewards points, and provides a 10% discount on one Woolworths shop a month.
Coles Plus has a lower earn rate, a higher monthly membership fee, and only really makes sense if you use delivery or Rapid Click & Collect regularly.
All in all, it doesn’t appear to be the best choice for most people.
However, if Coles Plus sounds like a promising option for your needs, you can read more at Coles’ website and even try a month for free.
Members, what do you think about shopping loyalty schemes like Coles Plus and Woolworths Everyday Extra? Are they worth the cost, or do you prefer the traditional points-earning systems? Please share your comments and experiences!