Let’s face it: everyone loves saving a bit of extra cash, don’t they? From price comparison websites to Dominos vouchers, anything that helps us normally broke students save a little bit extra has to be a good thing. The opportunity to make such savings is now on off er from our own Guild, following the introduction of their new points scheme.
The concept is simple, by presenting your UniCard when purchasing items from Guild outlets (including the Guild Shop, The Ram Bar and the Grove Diner) across Streatham campus, you earn four points for every full £1 spent on products (excluding tobacco, stamps, newspapers and top-ups). You can check how many points you’ve collected at the bottom of your receipts (with the ability to check your points online currently being developed), then redeem them on any qualifying products in the Guild.
Though there have (apparently) been grumblings that the scheme is more of a superficial, feel-good incentive, rather than one that will actually end up realistically saving any significant amount of money, I think many will be surprised by the amount of points they accumulate; we often use the Guild outlets more than we think.
A forgotten lunch warranting a quick snack from Comida, a quick dash for sweets from the Guild Shop during a study session in the Forum Library, a curly fries feast at The Ram bar – it all tots up. I got my fi rst taste of swiping my way to savings at Pieminister. Given that you pay over £3 for the average pie, you earn at least 12 points from just a single shop – and with each point worth 1p to spend in the qualifying Guild outlets, you could soon be on your way to earning a few pounds to spend on snacks or the like.
Ultimately, our Guild does a pretty decent job. It gives us free, impartial advice about our concerns via its Advice Unit, it ensures that nearly all freshers are greeted on arrival at university, and it stands up for our rights. It also offers us a pretty wide selection of outlets, and although some might cry overpricing, most of the fare on offer is cheaper than its Market Place or chain restaurant equivalents.
The fact that, despite this, the Guild have introduced this loyalty card scheme indicates that it is dedicated to providing a high quality student experience on campus. It’s also a testament to Guild President Laura-Jane Tiley’s tenure. In her campaign video, she off ered us “an incentive card that rewards those who do” – and she has delivered. Each UniCard swipe at the outlets now feels, to me, like a small personal thank you from the Guild for investing into a students’ union which we have arguably all benefitted from in one way or another while at university.