Carrefour's March cashback deals are back: 80% and 100% accumulation
Carrefour launches March promotions with 80% and 100% cashback: how do they work, which products are worth it and how much can you really make? Data, tricks and the story behind it.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Carrefour is giving money away again: March cashback deals with 80% and 100% back
A shower gel costing €3.75 becomes a business: after applying the 80% cashback and an extra 50% back, the net balance is +€0.63 in the customer's favour. These are Carrefour's star promotions, back in March with 80% and 100% cashback coupons on selected products. It is not a direct discount, but a system of cheques that return almost everything (or more) in vouchers for future purchases. Who does it pay off for?
The cashback game: how to make money by shopping
The mechanics are simple: you select products marked with 80% or 100% cashback. You pay the full price and then receive the accumulated amount in a cheque (ChequeAhorro) to spend later. What many people don't know is that at the checkout, if you buy groceries, an extra 1% is applied. So a €2 product at 100% cashback returns €2.02. If it is also part of another 50% cashback promotion, like the Malizia shower gel, they stack: you pay €0.75 (the remaining 20%) and receive €1.38 from the 50% back, generating a net profit of €0.63 per bottle. That said, limited to two units.
It's nothing new. In 2018-2019, Carrefour launched 100% cashback promotions with no purchase limit. It was a party: the famous Mexifoods fajitas were combined with a 50% cashback, leading to a monumental mistake: customers took the fajitas home and even got extra money on top. It is estimated that Carrefour lost around one million euros across all its stores. That golden era is long gone: now the products, besides being limited, are of questionable quality. "Unhealthy crap", some consumers sum up, admitting they only buy them for the financial gain.
Star products: from Malizia shower gel to the 900g Chocapic
The most sought-after items this campaign are the Malizia shower gels (€3.75 → €0.75 net with possible profit), the 900-gram Chocapic boxes (€1 after cashback), Mala Bestia wine and cans of Schweppes. Some users accumulate more than 120 euros in vouchers, waiting for the day to return and clear the shelves. But there are those who prefer to avoid them: "They're so bad they're not worth it even for free", they say. The conclusion for the regular Carrefour shopper is clear: if you're already planning to go, these promos let you save (or even make money), but it's not worth buying junk just for the coupon.
Marketing strategy or long-term ruin?
Carrefour uses these promotions to build customer loyalty and shift low-turnover products. The real cost to the company is low (high margins on those items) and the free publicity generated by customers is enormous. However, with the current limitations, the effect is much smaller than in the past. Meanwhile, other chains like Mercadona or Lidl offer low prices with no complications. The dilemma for the consumer is whether it's worth the hassle of coupons and cheques for a few cents, or whether it's better to shop where everything is simpler.
The question nobody answers is: how much longer will these promotions continue before customers get tired of the mediocre quality? For now, those who know how to play the game keep coming out on top.
Related discussions in the forum
A shower gel costing €3.75 becomes a business: after applying the 80% cashback and an extra 50% back, the net balance is +€0.63 in the customer's favour. These are Carrefour's star promotions, back in March with 80% and 100% cashback coupons on selected products. It is not a direct discount, but a system of cheques that return almost everything (or more) in vouchers for future purchases. Who does it pay off for?
The cashback game: how to make money by shopping
The mechanics are simple: you select products marked with 80% or 100% cashback. You pay the full price and then receive the accumulated amount in a cheque (ChequeAhorro) to spend later. What many people don't know is that at the checkout, if you buy groceries, an extra 1% is applied. So a €2 product at 100% cashback returns €2.02. If it is also part of another 50% cashback promotion, like the Malizia shower gel, they stack: you pay €0.75 (the remaining 20%) and receive €1.38 from the 50% back, generating a net profit of €0.63 per bottle. That said, limited to two units.
It's nothing new. In 2018-2019, Carrefour launched 100% cashback promotions with no purchase limit. It was a party: the famous Mexifoods fajitas were combined with a 50% cashback, leading to a monumental mistake: customers took the fajitas home and even got extra money on top. It is estimated that Carrefour lost around one million euros across all its stores. That golden era is long gone: now the products, besides being limited, are of questionable quality. "Unhealthy crap", some consumers sum up, admitting they only buy them for the financial gain.
Star products: from Malizia shower gel to the 900g Chocapic
The most sought-after items this campaign are the Malizia shower gels (€3.75 → €0.75 net with possible profit), the 900-gram Chocapic boxes (€1 after cashback), Mala Bestia wine and cans of Schweppes. Some users accumulate more than 120 euros in vouchers, waiting for the day to return and clear the shelves. But there are those who prefer to avoid them: "They're so bad they're not worth it even for free", they say. The conclusion for the regular Carrefour shopper is clear: if you're already planning to go, these promos let you save (or even make money), but it's not worth buying junk just for the coupon.
Marketing strategy or long-term ruin?
Carrefour uses these promotions to build customer loyalty and shift low-turnover products. The real cost to the company is low (high margins on those items) and the free publicity generated by customers is enormous. However, with the current limitations, the effect is much smaller than in the past. Meanwhile, other chains like Mercadona or Lidl offer low prices with no complications. The dilemma for the consumer is whether it's worth the hassle of coupons and cheques for a few cents, or whether it's better to shop where everything is simpler.
The question nobody answers is: how much longer will these promotions continue before customers get tired of the mediocre quality? For now, those who know how to play the game keep coming out on top.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (33 replies).
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