Once upon a time, restaurants gave you a punch card to hang on to in order to redeem free food after so many purchases. Nowadays, as with so many other things, there's an app for that. And this week, Chipotle announced its joining the game with a Chipotle Loyalty Program, now in testing in three markets.
Chipotle customers in Phoenix, AZ; Kansas City (both in Kansas and Missouri); and Columbus, OH are the first to experiment with the loyalty program, and can sign up online or through the existing Chipotle app. After enrolling, you'll get 10 points for every $1 spent at the Tex-Mex chain, excluding gift cards, alcohol, taxes, or fees. Once you get to 1,250 points, you can cash them in for any free entrée.
To get there, you'll have to spend $125 at Chipotle. Assuming most orders are between $10-12, that means you'll have to come in 10-12 times to earn your free meal. By comparison, Starbucks offer two stars per $1 spent, and a free reward item (food or beverage) every 125 stars (meaning you have to spend $62.50 to get a reward).
FYI to customers in these markets: Chipotle is pushing online and mobile orders right now, so for a limited time, you can earn 15 points for every $1 spent in the app and online.
Other components to the program include a gift from Chipotle on your birthday and access to coupons like a free order of chips and guac with any entrée purchase.
This might change before it rolls out nationwide, though. Per Chipotle's press release, the testing process "allows Chipotle to test, learn, listen to customer feedback, and iterate extensively before moving ahead with a national launch, currently slated for 2019."
