In 2013, Chick-fil-A began promoting a new type of yearly calendar of savings. For many years, the Chick-fil-A calendar promotional coupons were simply paper coupons that could be removed from the bottom of the calendar and used at any time.
In fact, if you look in the right place in my coupon box you “might” find a few of those old coupons still waiting to be used. However, in 2013, the calendar coupons system changed to a “gift-card” style coupon that could be used once each month for a free item or a free-with-purchase item. At first, many people balked at the idea of change. Many people did not like that the calendar card had to be linked to an email address. Many people did not like losing the freedom to use the calendar coupons anytime during the year -- and for an unlimited amount of time after the month of intended use had passed.
When I say “many people,” please include me in that group.
I did not buy a Chick-fil-A calendar at the end of 2012 for the year 2013. But at the end of 2013, I purchased some calendars and was given a couple at Christmas. All told, our family had nine coupon cards to use throughout 2014.
Somewhere around July, four of our Chick-fil-A cards went missing. In fact, I was at a Chick-fil-A store when my calendar cards fell out of my wallet. The store was able to locate me because one of the cards had some information stored on it (since it was linked to an email address for registration).
Despite having a couple of the cards returned, the rest never came back to us. What I did not know, because of my lack of knowledge about the cards, was that I could have canceled the old cards (the ones that were missing) and then could have received new cards from Chick-fil-A.
I noticed this option to replace a lost card on the Chick-fil-A website at the end of 2014, as I was registering the Chick-fil-A calendar cards we purchased for this year.
The good news is, August is here and I have managed to keep up with all of our family’s calendar cards through this year. Because I wanted to be a bit more organized about the calendar cards this year, I recorded the card numbers and the email address to which each card was linked and put it in a safe place in January.
Now that Chick-fil-A is three years into the calendar card system, I think that skeptical people (or those who just don’t like change) are beginning to get on board with the program.
Despite losing a few cards last year, I have found that keeping up with these plastic cards is a lot easier than keeping up with 12 coupons per calendar purchased. And -- when the occasional calendar card makes its way through the washer and dryer -- at least it can still be used again. Not so with paper coupons.
The last perk I have found with the calendar cards -- aside from their ability to be replaced and their ability to survive the laundry -- is the free birthday treat offer. Because we have registered calendar cards in the name and birth dates of our family members, we have received coupons for free IceDream treats at the time of those birthdays.
This was an unexpected -- but fantastic -- surprise that could be used by each of our children when we stop in to use our calendar cards.
I am already looking forward to the 2016 Chick-fil-A calendar and the savings our family will have as we “Eat More Chicken!”
Contact writer Rachael Mercer at savingcentsably@gmail.com.
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