Bookworms love Plum Rewards! Indigo Books & Music is a Canadian company that was launched in 1996. It has since become one of the largest bookstore chains in Canada with 85 stores. Indigo is a very popular store because of its varied inventory and multiple products. In addition to having an extensive adult and youth literary inventory, Indigo offers specialized toys, decorative items, gifts, puzzles, games and baby products. If you’re hungry for literature or looking for gifts and toys, visit their website. But the most interesting about Indigo is their Plum Rewards loyalty program. Here's how to make the most of your Indigo Plum Rewards.
The Plum Rewards program
This program is very beneficial whether you prefer to shop in the store or online. Both experiences are engaging and enjoyable for the customer. If you're ordering from home, Indigo Plum Rewards offer free shipping on orders of $35 or more.
I strongly recommend taking advantage of this offer, since shipping costs are quite expensive when you spend less than $35. If you only want one item under this amount, have it shipped to the store nearest you and pick it up, as it will save you some unnecessary charges.
Indigo also keeps a discount inventory at all times, so you can buy books or miscellaneous items at lower prices. Indigo also owns Kobo, its eBook platform.
About Plum Rewards
Now back to Indigo's Plum Rewards program. Shopping at Indigo becomes interesting when you’re a member. The first step is quick and simple: Go to the Indigo website to register for the Plum Rewards program and the Plum Plus Rewards program. If you’re hesitant, read further to discover the program’s benefits.
Getting a membership is free and simple. Whether you frequent this store often or just occasion, it's worth subscribing to Plum Rewards. No matter what type of membership you choose, you’ll earn 5 Plum Points per dollar spent, both in-store and online.
Plum Points
At the time of writing, you earn 1 Plum point every time you rate a recommendation. The program also gives you a birthday present during your child's birthday month. In order to keep track of your account, simply go to Indigo ‘s Plum membership site and check out the dashboard. It’s easy to use, and you can see your points tally and offers at a glance.
Plum and Plum Plus
Indigo offers two types of rewards programs, Plum and Plum Plus. While Plum is free to subscribe, Plum Plus has a fee of $39 per year. Here’s a brief comparison of the various benefits you’ll enjoy:
| Plum | Plum Plus | |
| Shipping charges | Free on orders $35 or more | No |
| Plum Points | 5 points per $1 spent | 5 points per $1 spent |
| Member benefits | Access to events and promotions before non-member customers | VIP access to events and promotions |
| Cost | Free | $39 per year |
| Discounts | None | Save 10% on almost any purchase (unless excluded) |
If you’re a regular Indigo customer, the Plum Plus membership is the most advantageous because of the welcome bonus and the additional discounts to which you are entitled. As a member, you’ll be entitled to exclusive invitations as well as contests to win trips, cinema tickets and access to movie premieres.
How do I spend my Plum Rewards?
What is the true value of the Plum Rewards points? And what can you do with them once they’re accumulated? Please note that the maximum amount of points you can accumulate is 35,000! You’ll therefore have to spend them if you reach this Plum points ceiling, or risk not being able to accumulate new points with your purchases.
The more points you have, the greater a Plum point’s monetary, so it’s more advantageous to hold onto them up to the maximum in order to get the best monetary value.
- 2500 Plum points are worth $5 and $0.20 per point
- 4500 Plum points are worth $10 and $0.22 per point
- 8500 Plum points are worth $20 and $0.24 per point
- 20,000 Plum points are worth $50 and $0.25 per point
- 35,000 Plum points (the maximum) are worth $100 and $0.29 per point
Also pay attention to your points spending. If you use your points to purchase an item worth less than your current point value, you’ll lose your remaining points. Also, Plum points don’t cover taxes. So you have to be careful!
Earn more Plum Rewards with credit cards
Another way to maximize your Plum points accumulation is to obtain a credit card that is partnered with the Plum program, as you’ll save on your purchases at Indigo. And here’s a little extra something – these cards will save you money on all your purchases, and not just at Indigo. Here are the most advantageous credit cards:
Brim Mastercard rewards
Probably one of the most advantageous credit card rewards programs on the market, the Brim Mastercard has a points system that applies to ALL your purchases. You earn on average 1 cent per dollar spent. Once you’ve accumulated your first dollar in points, you can get rewards.
Brim is partnered with more than 250 stores. In addition to indigo, as mentioned in this article, you can earn points at Lululemon, Frand & Oak, Fossil and other partners. On average, you’ll earn between 3% and 10% in points on your spending.
Brim provides several other benefits, besides earning points. Your spending in other countries doesn’t incur additional foreign transaction fees, unlike other credit cards that typically charge an additional 2.5-3% . A credit card with no foreign transaction fees is one of the most lucrative benefits if you’re a fan of buying internationally. You get access to a free Boingo WiFi service when travelling by train, in airports and hotels. You can have 20 users per account. Lastly, you’re entitled to enhanced protection of your data.
Brim Mastercard
- No annual fees
- One point per dollar on your purchases
- Five insurance coverages are available
- No fees on purchases made abroad
- Up to a $200 bonus on your first purchase
- 1.3% cashback on your purchases, on average
If you don't want to pay additional fees, then this credit card will suit your needs in addition to providing you cashback on your purchases. At Indigo, you get bonus points on your purchases and a welcome bonus on your first purchase. The Brim MasterCard insurance program provides $1000 in cancellation reimbursement for a concert to which you purchased tickets, $300,000 in travel accident protection, and other benefits.
Brim World Mastercard
- $99 annual fee
- 1.5 points per dollar on your purchases
- 13 insurance coverages available
- No fees on purchases made abroad
- Up to a $300 bonus on your first purchase
Brim World Elite MasterCard
- $199 fee for the first year
- Two points per dollar on your purchases
- 15 insurance coverages available
- No fees on purchases made abroad
- Up to a $500 bonus on your first purchase
- 2.25% in cashback on your purchases, on average
This card gives you an additional bonus on your purchases at Indigo (online). You get $300 on your first purchase on Indigo’s website, and you’ll get an extra bonus depending on the value of your purchase. The more you spend, the more advantageous it is!
Brim World Elite's insurance program is the most comprehensive with its travel insurance of up to $500,000 in accident protection, up to $2500 for trip cancellation, up to $500 for flight delays, up to $1000 when your luggage is delayed or lost, and up to $300,000 in protection in the event of an accident with a rental car, plus many other benefits.
Indigo versus Amazon
Surprisingly, Indigo is better than Amazon if you’re a Plum Rewards program subscriber, especially if you’re a Plum Plus member. The prices are quite comparable, even higher for some items at Indigo. But as soon as you become a Plum member, Indigo’s value increases.
Not sure which credit card is right for you? Find your perfect fit with the Hardbacon Credit Card Comparison tool.
Happy shopping!
About The Author: Arthur Dubois
Passionate about personal finance and financial technology, Arthur Dubois is a writer and SEO specialist at Hardbacon. Since his arrival in Canada, he’s built his credit score from nothing.
Arthur invests in the stock market but doesn’t pay any fees because he uses National Bank Direct Brokerage online broker and Wealthsimple’s robo-advisor. He pays for his subscriptions online with his KOHO prepaid card, and uses his Tangerine credit card for most of his in-store purchases. When he buys bitcoins, it’s with the BitBuy online platform. Of course it goes without saying that he uses the Hardbacon app so that he can manage all of his finances from one convenient place.
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