SAVING CENTSABLY: 'Plenti' rewards aren't plentiful

Recently a new rewards program called "Plenti" was launched in the US. Of course I registered online for it right away and requested the loyalty card key fob.

After seeing the cute commercials and even some signage around gas stations throughout Georgia and Alabama, I thought this rewards program would have plenty of rewards to offer. So far, I have not found the rewards from using this card to be plentiful at all.

The Plenti rewards program is administered by American Express Company. A quick visit to the website for this rewards program shows that points can be earned in many places -- from renting a car and filling it with gasoline, to registering for a subscription to an online television service and more.

In addition, there are many offers on the website for double or triple points for certain actions.

However, despite the opportunity to accrue points in many places, a select number of these partner companies actually offer rewards once the points have been collected by participants. In essence, this rewards program seems to be designed to collect information rather than reward consumers.

One article I read pointed out that while AT&T is a partner in the Plenti rewards program, and by using AT&T a consumer could accumulate points, the television ads say, "Cannot currently use points at all partners or locations, including AT&T."

Therefore, although the idea of having just one place where rewards can be accumulated seems nice, the fact that consumers cannot redeem the points from the rewarding businesses seems troubling.

Loyalty cards often come with some side effects. Some are tolerable; some are unacceptable. With loyalty cards like Kroger and CVS, consumers' purchases are recorded and rewards are offered based on the purchasing patterns of the customer.

Many people argue that these loyalty cards are more trouble than they are worth. In fact, many consumers point out that this particular loyalty card has several potential flaws.

For example, several online writers have pointed out that the data collection (i.e., the smoking cessation products you buy at the drug store or the junk food you buy at the convenience store) that results from your accumulation of points could be shared with unknown entities.

Why does that matter? It all comes down to money. That information, shared with your health insurance provider or life insurance provider, could eventually lead to an increase in your monthly or yearly premiums.

The case may be that this rewards program has not been fully "rolled out," and that more opportunities to cash in on the rewards portion of this Plenti program have not been developed.

As the program grows and expands, it may offer consumers as many opportunities to use rewards as it does to accrue them. After all, no rewards program is valuable to me, as a consumer, unless I can save money or time by using it!

Contact writer Rachael Mercer at savingcentsably@gmail.com.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 10:58 PM with the headline "SAVING CENTSABLY: 'Plenti' rewards aren't plentiful ."