My Coke Rewards Review

I belong to several different reward sites and I tend to stick with the ones that offer rewards for spending as little time in the site as possible. One reward site that certainly fits this description is My Coke Rewards, a web site that rewards you for drinking Coca- Cola products.

Reward Site Commentary:

My Coke Rewards is a web site brought to you by the Coca- Cola company and it offers loyal drinkers of Coca- Cola products a chance to earn rewards by entering codes into the site: Codes that accumulate points which can then be traded in for various rewards. The codes are found on all Coca- Cola products, which includes any soft drink with the Coca- Cola label as well as soft drinks such as Sprite, Minute Maid, Fanta, Pibb, Fresca, and Barq's. Non- soft drink products that participate in this reward program include Dasani, Powerade, and Vault. The rewarded points are based on the size of the purchase. A 20 oz. bottle of Coke will, for example, earn only one point, but a case of Coke will earn you ten points. Up to ten codes can be entered each day and there are even a few extra ways to earn rewards by purchasing magazines or referring friends to the site.

Points can be redeemed as soon as a member has sufficient points to claim a reward. At the lower end, members can redeem as few as two points to enter a sweepstakes. At the upper end, you can cash in points for rewards such as a $50 gift card to certain, select stores. Points can also be donated to a few different charities.

We are big Coke drinkers in our household so it makes sense that My Coke Rewards would be a site I would join at some point. It is a simple concept and there is really nothing to lose. You just enter the codes from underneath the caps of your favorite Coke products (or the code listed on the inside of the box, if you purchase a twelve pack or case of Coke) and watch the points pile up. When you have enough points to get something you like, you cash them in. What could be easier than that?

Well, as much as I like Coke products and like receiving rewards for doing next to nothing, there are a few things about My Coke Rewards that make it less than desirable. For one, the codes on the bottle caps are often very difficult to read. Sometimes, the numbers and letters are blurred and you cannot make them out. If you go to the site and attempt to input these codes, you will get an error message telling you the code isn't valid. Some people will give up if they cannot read the code. One alternative that sometimes works is to take a sharp knife and peel out the plastic cover on the inside of the cap. With this plastic cover removed, it is often much easier to read the code. Still, one would think that My Coke Rewards would come up with a better way to print these codes, to make them easier to read.

The other issue I have with My Coke Rewards is the rewards themselves. There aren't that many of them and the point requirement could be more trouble than its worth. Take the $10 gift card to Subway, as an example. This card requires 280 points. Considering that a two- liter bottle of soft drink is worth 3 points, it will take approximately 93 of them to accumulate enough points to earn this basic reward. Is it worth the trouble? Some would say no, others would say yes. It seems like a large amount of Coke to purchase just to get a $10 reward, but for Coke fiends, it is probably worthwhile. These individuals would argue that they already purchase a large amount of Coke in the first place, so why not accept the easy reward offer?

Bottom Line Viewpoint:

My Coke Rewards is a reward site I have a tough time rating. I don't feel the rewards are that great and there is nothing incredible to strive for. The points also accumulate very slowly. But on the other hand, we consume multiple cases of Coke and two- liter Coke in my household every month anyway, so it makes sense to accept the reward, regardless of its insignificance, and be happy.

For these reasons, I'm going to give My Coke Rewards an average rating. Its usefulness depends on how much Coke you drink and how much time you have to spare. Give it a try, but don't be surprised if you grow impatient with the slow accumulation of points (and the fast accumulation of bottle caps close to your computer) and stop using the site.