- Retailer will offer £10 cash when spending £50 on fashion, home and beauty
Marks & Spencer has announced a radical transformation of its Sparks loyalty programme.
The high-street stalwart has announced that Sparks shoppers will be able to earn ‘real money rewards’ to spend across any part of M&S, including its food, clothing, beauty and homeware lines.
M&S shoppers will earn £10 when they spend £50 on fashion, home and beauty, with the cash going into a new digital Sparks wallet.
Shoppers will earn £6 in their wallet if they spend £30 on nightwear, while a £35 food hall spend will earn shoppers £5.
M&S shoppers with a loyalty card who spend £10 on fresh fruit will get £1 in their digital Sparks wallet to spend.
Major changes: M&S has unveiled a radical transformation of its Sparks loyalty programme
The retailer is also launching a ‘Buy & bundle’ plan which will give shoppers the chance to pick up selected items together and get a reward for doing so.
For example, a shopper could buy a bra and knickers and earn £5 in their digital Sparks wallet.
Customers will be rewarded for ‘discovering a part of M&S they don’t usually shop’ according to the retailer. For example, if a shopper spends £30 on bedding, they will earn £6 into their digital Sparks wallet to spend.
The retailer said the wallet would mean shoppers could spend their rewards ‘on what they want at any time; whether saving up for Christmas, money off the weekly shop or treating themselves.’
Shoppers will need access to the retailer’s website or app to be able to get the new perks, leaving a question about how shoppers who struggle to use or do not have access to online options will fare.
Healthy discounts: M&S shoppers with a loyalty card who spend £10 on fresh fruit will get £1 in their digital Sparks wallet to spend
Sparks customers can earn Virgin holiday points
M&S has also teamed up with Virgin Red for the first time, allowing customers to earn points on Virgin Atlantic holidays, voyages or experiences.
Shoppers will, for example, earn up to £130 in rewards in their digital Sparks wallet if they book a Virgin Atlantic Holiday.
While some existing Sparks features like free birthday treats, coffee stamps, and charitable donations will remain, the retailer is phasing out the £25 Delivery Pass, which provided free, unlimited next-day delivery on clothing, beauty, and homeware.
The retailer said: ‘A brand-new Sparks hub on the M&S app brings together offers that feel genuinely personalised – based on what preferences they’ve shared (like dietary choices) and what they have shopped before.
‘It means every time they open the M&S app, customers will see offers and ways to earn rewards that are relevant to them.’
What about M&S credit card customers?
M&S said its credit card holders would be able to ‘supercharge’ their Sparks rewards by connecting their M&S credit card to Sparks.
It said: ‘Existing credit card customers just need to sign-up for Digital Rewards via M&S.com.
‘For new M&S Credit Card customers, when they apply for their credit card directly, either on the M&S app or M&S.com, they will connect their credit card to Sparks automatically. As part of the credit card application process, they just need to sign-in to their existing Sparks or sign up.’
From today, M&S Credit Card customers who have signed up for digital rewards and are connected to Sparks will receive more perks, the retailer said.
These include ‘exclusive offers’ that give M&S credit card holders more chances to earn rewards on their shopping, an annual discount in fashion, home and beauty to celebrate their credit card anniversary, and a choice of ‘Sparks birthday treats’ each year.
Shoppers fed up of points and ‘tricksy pricing’, M&S says
The overhaul of the Sparks scheme has emerged after feedback from ‘thousands’ of M&S shoppers, the chain said.
Its research suggested shoppers felt exasperated by loyalty schemes offering ‘points and tricksy pricing’.
M&S said its research found that shoppers favoured loyalty schemes offering ‘personalisation and pounds.’
Stuart Machin, M&S’s chief executive, said: ‘Customers told us they want Sparks to be simple, rewarding and personalised, and we listened.
‘New Sparks is built around a much more personalised experience, no tricksy pricing and real money rewards to thank our customers for shopping with us.’
At present, Sparks card holders sometimes get money off certain items in the food hall, but some customers have complained the offerings are ad hoc and not linked to products they want to buy.
The chain also offers Sparks holders other discounts, such as 20 per cent off tights and socks or a discount on jumpers.
M&S is executing a major ‘digital first’ transformation strategy, which was significantly accelerated following its cyber-attack in early 2025.
Today, the retailer said ‘New Sparks’ would be powered by a ‘step change in the use of AI and data’.
The retailer’s objective is to reshape itself into an agile, data-driven retailer where digital capabilities are at the heart of customer experience and internal operations.
Machin said: ‘A stronger Sparks is another step forward on our journey as we invest for future growth.
‘Powered by new and transformed data and AI capabilities, a new Sparks helps us get even closer to customers and deliver an even better M&S experience.’
How do loyalty schemes compare?
Britons are fond of loyalty schemes and millions of shoppers are signed up to them.
From Nectar to Clubcard and MyWaitrose and Boots and Superdrug, many big-name retailers now give shoppers the option to sign up for a loyalty scheme.
Sainsbury’s shoppers with a Nectar card can get lower prices on selected products, and build up points which convert to cash they can spend in store.
Five hundred points are worth £2.50 at Sainsbury’s. Shoppers can also spend the points with partners like British Airways, eBay and Argos.
At Boots, shoppers with a loyalty card can collect three points on their Advantage Card for every £1 spent.
Shoppers at Boots can also save 10 per cent when they spend £25 or more on their first purchase with the retailer’s loyalty card when they sign up via the Boots app. The chain also offers some loyalty card pricing in its shops and online.
Tesco Clubcard holders get lower prices on certain products in-store and online. Points can also be collected, and there is one point available for every £1 spent. Points can also be turned into Clubcard vouchers to use on things like days out or travel.
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