Exclusive: Pret A Manger to launch ‘Pret Perks’ loyalty scheme in the UK

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

• Phil says:

  9 Nov9 November 14:51

  iPhone only?? Can’t they afford Android developers?

  • Rob says:

    9 Nov9 November 14:54

    You would guess, so but bizarrely the promo leaflet I was emailed only has an App Store logo and the text specifically says App Store.

  • Blenz101 says:

    9 Nov9 November 15:01

    Fits nicely with their premium brand. Apple users spend 88% more than Android users on the App Store.

    Gregg’s already have a loyalty app for Android users.

    • Super Secret Stuff says:

      9 Nov9 November 15:15

      Only because Apple are absolute See U Next Tuesday about apps only being allowed on the app store if all payments are through the app store. Spotify and Apple where having a big fight over this for year, now you are allowed 1 link for payments on iOS…

    • Mike says:

      10 Nov10 November 12:20

      And yet the business I used to work for (a large retailer), the conversion rate to purchase was twice as high for Android users as it was a for Apple users.

  • The Savage Squirrel says:

    9 Nov9 November 15:03

    An iPhone app is comparatively very easy to make as 95% of active users will use one of the last two installs of iOS – just get it working on them and you’re done. Android has a much more fragmented version base with people running all sorts of iterations of all sorts of software; and so lots of software wrinkles that need debugging for different versions.
    That plus in the UK iPhone users spend 3-4x as much through their phones as Android – I’d imagine US is similar. There may be fewer of them but they matter far more in spending power. Whatever the relative merits of the two ecosystems, as a company you’d be mad not to get your iPhone app done first.

    • Super Secret Stuff says:

      9 Nov9 November 15:16

      As above, the spend figures are a red herring / massively unfair. Although there is a small point there as they are cheaper you get low spenders on them

      • The Savage Squirrel says:

        9 Nov9 November 15:33

        Not sure it’s a small point; you can drill down this stuff endlessly, but all the data points the same way. The Apple userbase is wealthier and has more propensity to purchase a premium product despite similar cheaper options being available. They are more brand aware. They are more likely to be “early adopters” in just about everything. They spend more time engaged with their device per week. It goes on. Basically they are the people you want to be advertising just about anything at.
        The figure I was referring to is the average in-app shopping total per transaction; not the total volume of money going through. If someone is shopping outside the app store ecosystem theen that transaction wouldn’t show up to affect that figure either way. Apple users’ average individual transaction is 4 times bigger than Android.
        Of course like everything these are averages and there is massive individual variation, so of course someone will be along in a minute to say they use Android, are rolling in it and buy £500 of Fortnite add-ons per week :D.

        • Dominic says:

          9 Nov9 November 16:18

          Whilst I don’t doubt the data on spend, I’m not sure the early adopter comment is true – given that Apple are not early in virtually any technology themselves.

        • Rui N. says:

          9 Nov9 November 17:47

          I guess they are early adopters except when it comes to cell phones.

  • John says:

    9 Nov9 November 19:04

    Iphones are difficult to manipulate to defraud the app like the guy who posted earlier

• BuildBackBetter says:

  9 Nov9 November 16:10

  I miss EAT – their hot pots and soups were great. Pret bought it only to shut it down and install its own branches. Dislike Pret.

  • The Jetset Boyz says:

    10 Nov10 November 06:07

    And in doing so did away with Eat’s loyalty card / scheme.

  • TGLoyalty says:

    10 Nov10 November 14:23

    Didn’t they turn them into veggie preys or something?

• Paul says:

  9 Nov9 November 16:14

  Not sure I’d agree that the quality of their products are high. Their baguettes are pretty average, nothing special, loaded with salt. Take a look at how much salt they have in them and it’s pretty staggering!

  • Cranzle says:

    9 Nov9 November 16:32

    The variety, taste and quality of Pret food is far better than the competition (Starbucks, Costa, Nero etc) in my opinion. I dislike their coffee though.

    • mark2 says:

      10 Nov10 November 08:40

      When I worked in Central London I walked past Pret to get to Paul!

      • Michael C says:

        10 Nov10 November 08:44

        Better than stealing from Pret to pay Paul!

  • Alex Sm says:

    10 Nov10 November 11:33

    the only good thing they did (a cheap lobster roll) has now been discontinued. And they no longer provide miso soup. My loyalty to Pret is hanging on a very thin thread of swedish meatballs wrap and acai bowl. If these two are gone, I will be gone too!

  • Max says:

    10 Nov10 November 15:59

    Agree, I wouldn’t describe the quality as high. The choice and quality of their sandwiches in particular has gone down in the past year.

• Dani says:

  9 Nov9 November 18:23

  At the risk of being shot down, why is this news on HPF? Coffee chain launches loyalty scheme… I read it thinking that the points would be convertible to avios or similar…

  Sorry if I seem ungrateful.

  • Hulk says:

    9 Nov9 November 19:19

    Because it’s Rob’s blog and he likes Pret.

    • Rob says:

      9 Nov9 November 22:00

      We got the story as an exclusive and it seemed strange to waste it. Works well with our London demographic. Will be exceptionally successful in driving traffic to the site from people who are probably likely to find our stuff interesting.

      • Andrew says:

        10 Nov10 November 06:23

        And for the demographic outside London too as there are loads of branches throughout the country.

        • Rob Collins says:

          11 Nov11 November 15:37

          You’re joking aren’t you? You know how many Prets there are in the East Midlands? One.

          None in Leicester, none in Derby, one in Nottingham. So much for a ‘UK wide’ loyalty scheme. I know you southerners can’t possibly live anywhere that’s more than 5 minutes walk from a Pret, but that’s not the case for all of us!

  • Richie says:

    9 Nov9 November 19:43

    If you go to Pret anyway, this loyalty scheme means at some point you’ll get something without paying cash, this cash is then available to buy something else that can earn lotalty points, say something at Sainsburys that earns Nectar points. Information about more loyalty opportunities is important because the more loyalty points earnt the better.

  • Andrew says:

    9 Nov9 November 19:49

    And most people that read this site like to get something for nothing/less.

  • Alex Sm says:

    10 Nov10 November 11:34

    because Loyalty Points sister site has been shut down…

• Ed Mo says:

  9 Nov9 November 20:07

  ‘Quality of Pret products is high’?!

  Have you tasted their coffee?!!!!

  • Rob says:

    9 Nov9 November 21:58

    I drink about 7 per week so, yes.

    • BAgonesBE says:

      10 Nov10 November 12:55

      You got to be kidding me.
      Go to any independent coffee shop and try one.
      You will be surprised

  • CH says:

    9 Nov9 November 22:04

    Pret filter coffee is the best on the high street, and even better when pre-COVID it was 99p and with a 50p discount for providing a mug. For anything else, I’ll find an independent / specialist, or else save my money.

    • A says:

      9 Nov9 November 22:33

      And often they haven’t any so you get an Americano anyway. I’m with you…I like Pret Filter. People get very snobbish about it but it’s just another (and perfectly acceptable) way of making coffee

  • Andrew says:

    10 Nov10 November 06:26

    Their lattes are abysmal. I do like the smoothies you get with the subscription though.

• planeconcorde says:

  9 Nov9 November 21:23

  I am waiting for the comparison analysis between collecting Virgin Points for Greggs sausage rolls verses collecting and redeeming Pret Perks. 😉

• @mkcol says:

  9 Nov9 November 22:52

  I trust you & your wife share the same QR code for your Pret subscription.

• Chris says:

  10 Nov10 November 07:51

  Personally I’ve visited Pret once since the pandemic as I’ve been trying to support smaller businesses.

  Given how close some of the branches are I wonder if purchases from different stores will also be excluded from been counted as multiple visits.

  • Blenz101 says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:02

    I’m sure it will be on a time basis. Max one ‘star’ earned per hour no matter which store or similar. So a second transaction in whatever period they pick will earn nothing.

    Will make it trickier to do what Rob suggests for couples to share an account as if you both grab a coffee on the way to work or lunch around the same time you could end up with less points than you expect.

    • PQTR says:

      10 Nov10 November 12:51

      If you have two phones (eg for work), easy work around here

  • Richie says:

    10 Nov10 November 08:38

    It’s a min of 15 mins between transactions to get more stars.

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.