Good news for South Africans who shop at Woolworths

Woolworths’ Financial Services division has launched a new tier for the retailer’s rewards programme, exclusively for customers with a Woolies Credit Card or Store Card.

This comes as South African retailers are investing heavily in expanding their rewards programmes to increase customer loyalty and gain market share.

On Friday, 3 July, Woolworths Financial Services announced the launch of MyDifference PLUS, which rewards customers for shopping and for the way in which they manage their accounts.

“With MyDifference PLUS, we’re empowering customers to unlock greater value on their own terms through completion of actions that result in meaningful cashback, personalised offers, and exclusive savings,” Woolworths Financial Services chief customer officer Maré Louw.

“By putting choice, relevance, and flexibility at the heart of the experience, we’ve created a programme that is not only more rewarding but one that builds deeper, more enduring customer relationships.”

With MyDifference PLUS, cashback earn rates are achieved by completing personalised actions such as paying on time, shopping regularly with a Woolies Credit Card or Store Card, engaging with the Woolies app, or setting up a debit order.

Woolworths customers can also unlock personalised vouchers by achieving shopping goals tailored to their purchasing habits. 

MyDifference PLUS also offers promotions that provide additional savings through exclusive discounts on selected Woolworths products when customers pay with their Woolies Credit Card or Store Card.

“Today’s customers expect loyalty programmes to do far more than deliver discounts at the till, Louw said. 

“They expect every interaction to be recognised, every engagement to be meaningful, and every reward to reflect the value of their relationship with the brand.” 

“MyDifference PLUS represents a new generation of loyalty, one that transforms daily spending and engagement with their Woolies cards into an ongoing rewards journey.”

Customers can access the MyDifference programme through the Woolworths app.

Fighting for loyalty

Woolworths’ move comes as South African retailers are investing heavily in their reward programmes as a way to ensure customer loyalty.

A strong rewards programme has emerged as a necessary component to compete in South Africa’s increasingly competitive retail landscape.

This is because South African consumers are highly price sensitive and willing to go to different retailers based on promotions, price differences, and discounts.

Therefore, measures that reward customer loyalty can be an effective way for retailers to ensure they remain top of mind with consumers and to encourage further brand loyalty.

In Woolworths’ latest results presentation for the 26 weeks ended 28 December 2025, the retailer said it is doubling down on its MyDifference programme.

“We are doubling down on ensuring that we lead in customer experience, across all channels, leveraging our loyalty programmes and innovative technologies,” the retailer said.

Woolworths reported that its loyalty programme is driving incremental sales and stronger cross-shopping behaviour from customers.

To boost their rewards programmes, some South African retailers have also partnered with other companies to offer greater value for loyal customers.

For example, Pick n Pay’s partnership with FNB has been highly successful, with the companies having joined forces with their Smart Shopper and eBucks programmes, respectively.

The companies recently reported that, in just the past year, they have returned more than R600 million in value to customers.

They have also sold 6.2 million burgers through the Burger Friday promotion and issued R45 million worth of Pick n Pay vouchers.

The partnership was recently extended to include Boxer, with eBucks CEO Pieter Woodhatch telling Daily Investor that this relationship makes sense given the retailer’s market and proposition.

“If we think about our customer and how we give value back, Boxer makes sense. If you walk into the store, you will see the promise to never pay more than the Boxer price,” he said. 

Shoprite’s Xtra Savings rewards programme has also gone from strength to strength.

For the 26 weeks ended 28 December 2025, Shoprite reported that it had given R9.7 billion in instant Xtra Savings discounts to its customers.