Back-to-School Season: Do Loyalty Cards Really Lower Your Bill?
Retailers promise savings of up to 20% on school supplies through their programs. It’s worth doing the math again, especially since a much more powerful—and free—tool can be found right on the same shelf.
School supplies rose by 2% between July 2025 and July 2026, according to a survey by UFC-Que Choisir covering 136 representative products at more than 4,500 supermarket drive-thru locations. This marks the second consecutive year of moderate price increases, following the 10% jump in 2023.
Families’ perceptions are quite different. The Cofidis-CSA survey published on August 3, 2026, reports an average declared budget of €488 per household, up €79 from a year ago. The median stands at €261, and the gap between the two figures points to significant disparities: caution is therefore advised when interpreting the average figure. Seven out of ten parents say they have to tighten their budgets, and 41% buy secondhand items—eight percentage points more than in 2025.
In terms of financial assistance, the back-to-school allowance was paid on August 18 to nearly three million families, covering five million children. The 2026 amount ranges from €426.87 for 6- to 10-year-olds to €466.02 for 15- to 18-year-olds. According to the Cnaf, it covers about one-third of the annual school budget for eligible families.
The 20% figure, and the 2% figure
The claim of “up to 20% savings thanks to loyalty programs” appears in a mid-August press release, with no published methodology or accessible source study. However, just one month earlier, in a press release focused on vacation shopping, the same source had estimated the actual benefits received by cardholders at “between 2% and 3%.” On a shopping budget of €270, that amounts to €5.40 to €8.10.
Between 2–3% in July and “up to 20%” in August, it’s the “up to” that makes all the difference. The same press release also provides a more revealing figure: 25 to 30% of cardholders never activate the benefits to which they are entitled.
This finding is consistent with solid data from the Ifop study conducted for Comarch. Ninety-three percent of French people are members of at least one loyalty program, with an average of 4.9 programs per household, but 46% leave a program because they feel the rewards are out of reach.
Deferred cashback is not an instant discount
The distinction is rarely explained. An instant discount is deducted at the register: it’s a price reduction, just like any other. Deferred cashback credits points or euros that can be used toward a future purchase at the same store within a specified time frame. This is more of a customer retention mechanism than a discount, since the savings only apply if you return and don’t forget about it. From this perspective, time-limited gift cards are the most favorable format for the retailer. The industry refers to the portion of benefits that are never redeemed as “breakage” and factors it into its profitability calculations.
The factor no one mentions
The same UFC-Que Choisir report shows that store brands and entry-level products cost, on average, 40% less than national brands, with price differences exceeding 60% for glue sticks and scissors. Budget brands are about four times cheaper than premium brands, and a four-color pen featuring the French national team’s colors costs twice as much as the standard version.
The selection of products is therefore an order of magnitude greater than any loyalty program, even at the advertised rate of 20 percent. And it requires no card, no personal information, and no return to the store.
A quick note on timing, from the same report: prices drop until mid-August, then rise sharply after the start of the school year. Buying in June is the worst option.
What You’re Paying For Without Knowing It
A loyalty program relies on data. The CNIL regulates this data collection: managing the program falls under the scope of contract performance, but electronic marketing requires separate consent, and profiling may only be based on data collected directly from the customer. Data retention is limited to three years from the date of the last contact.
This rule is by no means theoretical. In December 2025, the CNIL imposed a fine of 3.5 million euros on a company that had shared the contact information of its loyalty program members with a social media platform for targeted advertising purposes without valid consent. More than 10.5 million people were affected.
Finally, one question remains unanswered by the authorities. Personalized discounts, calculated based on your purchase history, are by their very nature exempt from the 30-day reference price rule that has applied to all discount promotions since 2022. Therefore, no one can verify the validity of the percentage shown.
