M&S announces major Sparks loyalty scheme shake-up with new cash rewards

Shoppers will be able to earn cash into their new digital Sparks wallet by spending a certain amount in different product categories Marks & Spencer has announced a shake-up of its Sparks loyalty scheme, to give customers cash discounts. Shoppers will be able to earn cash into their new digital Sparks wallet, available through the M&S app, by spending a certain amount in different product categories.

The offers will change weekly based on how the customer shops. M&S has shared some examples of the perks they may see - such as earn £10 in your Sparks wallet when you spend £50 on fashion, home and beauty, or £6 if you purchase £30 worth of nightwear. Other offers include £5 added to your Sparks wallet when you spend £35 on food, or £1 when you purchase £10 on fresh fruit.

Shoppers will also get rewards for buying selected items together. For example, £5 back when you buy a bra and knickers. Sparks customers will also earn money back when they buy items from departments they don’t usually shop in. M&S has also announced a new partnership with Virgin Red, giving customers another way to boost their Sparks wallet.

Some examples include £130 added to your wallet when you book a Virgin Atlantic Holiday and £80 back when you switch to Virgin Media. You will need to connect your Virgin Red account to your Sparks membership via the M&S app. M&S said it has listened to customers and is keeping some of its existing Sparks perks.

For example, shoppers will still get free birthday treats, coffee stamps which give you a free drink after you six purchases, exclusive currency rates and discounts on insurance policies. Sharry Cramond, Marketing Director of Fashion, Home & Beauty and Loyalty at M&S, said: “We are so excited to finally unveil the new Sparks - it’s a complete step change in how we reward our customers.

“We’ve built this around exactly what they told us they want: simple, personalised offers and real money rewards that drop straight into their very own digital Sparks Wallet to spend at M&S however, whenever and on whatever they choose. “Sparks now puts our customers totally in control, rewarding them for buying the products they already love and giving them the opportunity to try new things and get rewarded for it.

What’s not to love! “And while we’re transforming Sparks from the ground up, we’ve kept the much-loved treats customers told us matter to them - from free Birthday Treats and Coffee Stamps to our baby club and our longstanding charity donations - but more personal, more flexible and more rewarding than ever before.

And this is just the start; there is so much more to come.”