Collect points, unlock extra discounts and save money when shopping: that is at least the promise of retailers' bonus programs and apps.

Many customers use the loyalty apps and bonus programs of retail chains like Rewe, Lidl, and Kaufland. However, consumer advocates are also critical. On Tuesday, the Stuttgart Higher Regional Court will hear a lawsuit against the "Lidl Plus" app. According to the German Consumer Organization (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband), the discounter is not adequately informing users that they are paying for the app discounts with their data. This is reason enough to take a closer look at the apps:

Rewe, Lidl, Kaufland: Almost all major retail chains have an app that customers can use on their smartphones. They advertise their products and special offers. Consumers can create shopping lists and receive recipe ideas. Registering with many retailers also allows them to take advantage of bonus and loyalty programs. Some offer additional items, while others offer an extra discount on sale products. Customers often receive discount coupons if they reach a certain purchase amount within a month.

Retail expert Carsten Kortum from the Baden-Württemberg Cooperative State University in Heilbronn sees a new trend in grocery retailers' promotional offers. "Many low prices are only available to registered customers with an app."

The price comparison portal Smhaggle compared retailers' bonus programs. It analyzed approximately 1.26 million receipts between January and March 2025. The result: Customers save little when using the programs offered by different retailers.

With the Kaufland Card, customers were able to save an average of 2.29 percent of their total spending in grocery stores and drugstores in the first quarter. For €100, this amounts to just €2.29. At other chains, the savings were even lower. At Rewe Bonus, it was just 0.82 percent, and with the Penny app, it was 0.75 percent.

"By selectively purchasing special offers and regularly switching retailers, you can save more conveniently and significantly more than with a single or multiple bonus programs," says Smhaggle Managing Director Sven Reuter. Those who specifically purchase products on sale can save an average of 30 percent. With bonus programs, it's usually only one to two percent.

In the apps, customers and retailers enter into a trade: Registered customers receive exclusive benefits. In return, retailers—in the best case scenario—receive more loyal customers and their data. This helps them understand what shoppers want, allowing them to better respond to their individual preferences. For example, companies can advertise specific products in the app and thus influence purchasing behavior.

According to a 2024 survey conducted by the retail research institute IFH, 56 percent of app users shop more frequently at a retailer, and one in three spends more money. Many customers have four or more different shopping apps on their phones, but don't use all of them regularly. Grocers' apps are the most widely used. More than half of registered customers use the apps several times a week, and one-third several times a month.

Retailers' own programs and loyalty apps can only be used in the respective chain's stores. Payback, on the other hand, is a multi-partner program. Customers can collect points at various retailers throughout Germany. Participating retailers include Edeka, Aral, dm, C&A, Decathlon, and Thalia.

Until the end of 2024, the supermarket chain Rewe and the discounter Penny were also among them. Since then, both have relied exclusively on their own discount apps.

A representative survey by IFH Cologne shows that almost half of app users say Payback is their most frequently used bonus program. This is followed by Lidl Plus (15 percent), Rewe Bonus (9 percent), and Kaufland Card (5 percent), ahead of the drugstores dm and Rossmann (4 percent each). Programs from retailers such as IKEA and Obi are less popular.

No. The discounters Aldi Nord and Aldi Süd do not currently have a program in Germany. Aldi Nord is testing it abroad; in part of Belgium, customers can collect loyalty points in the app. Aldi Süd says it forgoes complex app discounts or points systems and offers all customers the best deals at all times. The discounter advertises with the slogan "Good for everyone."

Many people use loyalty apps from grocery retailers to secure discounts, according to a YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency. Almost one in four, however, doesn't use them and doesn't intend to do so in the future. The most common criticisms are that personal data is transmitted and purchasing behavior is analyzed. There is disagreement regarding the fact that only registered customers receive discounts. 41 percent approve of this, while 40 percent disapprove.

According to a study by IFH Cologne, the vast majority of customers still use print advertising to find deals and plan their purchases. Other media such as apps are therefore not an equivalent alternative for customers. Many say they are too complicated. "Consumers can no longer keep up with the various loyalty programs – collecting points, redeeming coupons, securing price advantages," says Andreas Riekötter, Managing Director of IFH Media Analytics. Customers feel increasingly disoriented in the jungle of app offerings and are unable to compare offers transparently.