GameStation have just announced that today marks the start of their brand new loyalty card scheme, dubbed the Elite card. Plugging into the mind set of gamers addicted to experience points, achievements (and, it seems, shooters) the card carries over from what the company did in Scotland a couple of years back, but rolling it out across the UK.
The Elite card is free to join up for, and gamers will get 10 “Elite Experience Points” for every £1 spent and traded in. Here’s where it gets clever, though – by behaving in a certain way, you’ll get more points, 360 Achievements style. For example, you get 500 XP (and a Speed Freak accolade) if you trade a game in within 14 days of launch.
The cynical would assume that this means Gamestation will get a much fresher rotation of stock which they can sell higher, but – hey – you get 500 XP.
Other Elite accolades include:
- Soldier of Fortune – 250 XP earned for buying your first pre-owned item
- Get Your Wings – 500 XP earned by performing your first trade-in
- Lightening Speed – 2000 XP earned by trading in 10 games within 14 days of launch
- Bolt Speed – 4000 XP earned by trading in 25 games within 14 days of launch
Rob Voase, head at Gamestation Elite said: “We know that gamers are a loyal band of brothers – this is their chance to join the best of the best. If you think you’ve got it, then you’ve got to join. We respect your gaming pedigree and this will reward what is important to you.”
250 XP is gained after 6 active months in the program, and 2000 XP rewarded to gamers loyal to the programme after 5 years. There is, according to the press release, even an accolade called Unleash the Beast, where 250 XP are earned by each gamer when the entire gamestation Elite community accumulates 2,000,000,000 XP.
FluBBa
But can you actually use the XP or are they just bragging right? Like..
-“Yeha, I’ve got 13.370 XP on GameStations Elite Card for trading games with them”
KeRaSh
I saw what you did there. 1337…0. Even if it was unintentional. I still saw it!
sanmartinez
And what do I get to do with these points? Can I eventually trade them in for coupons or something, otherwise I don’t really see the use of this
Rabid-Coot
100xp = 25p minimum spend 400xp
hazelam
HOW MUCH ARE XP WORTH?
100XP = 25p
400XP = £1
800XP = £2
tonycawley
Well that’s not too bad then. Every 40 quid you spend gets you 1 quid to spend? If you buy a game a month, you get 12 quid to spend at the end of the year. Add on a few achievements you might earn and you have probably 15 quid to spend. Actually, now i’ve put it like that it’s not great. I’ve got an hmv pure card which i actually find to be very good as you can trade your points for tangible items. For example i just got myself a years subscription to official playstation magazine. That cost me 50,000 points, or 500 quid in store, but since i spent about 350 when i got my slim i thought it was pretty good.
icuyesido
Usually there more/equal to Game’s prices and I get 10% discount with Game’s card… no thank you GameStation.
Forrest_01
How do you get 10% discount with GAME’s card? I just accumulate points in the same fashion as this with mine (although GAME don’t do xp events such as above).
carson321
if you are a student and have a game card, you can get a 10% discount, but im sure you can do this at gamestation as well? its just not advertised very well
Stitch
i think you just have to be a student actually to get the discount, i’ve never needed a game card.
Danny-c-2k9
Spend £1000 and we will give you £2.50 off the game of your choice. That’s probably what they give you
jayjay119
I don’t see the reasoning behind the negativity here, it’s a loyalty scheme so it’s optional and in surplus to the current trade in scheme I shoulf imagine. So it doesn’t really matter how much these points are worth because they would be on top of your trade in… I hope!
Lymmusic
once you hit 2000000 points you get chicken little on the gamecube for free, or if you have a wii you get this:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Oxygen-Interactive-Cheggers-Party-Quiz/dp/B000YL8WZA
oh my… that is box art to treasure forever
seedaripper1973
FFS!!! My eyes!! MY EYES!!!!
Lymmusic
sorry… could be worse…imagine that being the 1st face you see after waking up in what appears to be a makeshift bedroom in the back of a long wheelbase van…
Forrest_01
Are all Gamestations owned by GAME now, or do some still trade independently (well independently as Gamestation anyway!)? If they are now all owned by GAME, couldn’t they just honour the GAME reward card?
Kevling
They view them as two separate stores with separate demographics/markets. Game is the mainstream store where mum buys little Johnny that new Wii game he wants, whereas Gamestation is more the “gamers” store.
PoorPaddy89
If by ‘gamers’ you mean ‘the dirty and dishevelled’, i’d agree with you.
hazelam
sounds pretty cool, something i’d sign up for.
doesn’t say when it’s starting though,
“The Gamestation Elite programme is open to any person who applies for a Gamestation Elite Card at a Gamestation store in the UK. From a date to be notified in the near future,”
Kevling
Their site says “Currently only available instore”, so now.
I saw a poster in their window this morning, but for some reason presumed it was something to do with COD Black Ops… Duh.
moshi
Nice idea but I can see this flagging off pretty quickly
smokeybeef
Lightening Speed? Lightning* ?
SOunds like a good idea for proper gamers who love all this XP, points malarkey.