{"id":866026,"date":"2026-07-10T15:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=866026"},"modified":"2026-07-10T13:05:37","modified_gmt":"2026-07-10T11:05:37","slug":"big-changes-for-woolworths-customers-in-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/866026\/big-changes-for-woolworths-customers-in-south-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Big changes for Woolworths customers in South Africa"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Woolworths has launched its new rewards programme, MyDifference Plus, which the group says is designed to help its customers build better financial habits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The programme, spearheaded by Woolworths Financial Services, is a higher-tier programme for Woollies Credit Card and Store Card customers that sits on top of its new MyDifference system<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>MyDifference rewards programme was launched in July 2025, replacing the previous WRewards and MySchool scheme, with the older scheme no longer working by the end of June 2026. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The MyDifference Plus tier is exclusively available for Woolworths Credit Card and Store Card customers and focuses on how customers shop and manage their accounts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Although the standard MyDifference rewards introduced discount vouchers, akin to those offered by Pick n Pay\u2019s SmartShopper and Checkers\u2019 XtraSavings, the Plus tier offers cash back. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Cashback earn rates are achieved by completing personalised actions, such as paying accounts on time, shopping regularly with a Woollies Credit Card or Store Card, engaging with the Woollies app, or setting up a debit order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Customers can also unlock personalised vouchers by achieving shopping goals that are tailored to their shopping habits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Beyond cashback, customers can also unlock personalised vouchers by achieving shopping goals tailored to their purchasing habits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It also provides additional savings via exclusive discounts on selected Woolworths products when customers pay with their Woolies Credit Card or Store Card. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The programme is available via the Woolworths app, where customers can track their completed actions and cashback earnings, view their personal actions and goals, and access promotions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Customers at the centre <\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><a  data-lightbox=\"post-image\" href=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WFS.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WFS-1024x576.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-866042\" srcset=\"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WFS-1024x576.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WFS-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WFS-768x432.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WFS-1536x864.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/WFS.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>With the launch of MyDifference Plus, Woolworths Financial Services CEO Sivendran Pillay said that the new programme places customers at the centre of everything<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;For years, loyalty has largely been about rewarding customers for what they buy. We\u2019re taking a bold step towards rewarding customers for how they build a better financial future,&#8221; said Pillay on LinkedIn.  <br><br>&#8220;It\u2019s an innovation designed to help customers make smarter financial decisions, build positive payment habits, and be rewarded for behaviours that strengthen their financial wellbeing.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that Woolworths Financial Services believes that the future is not simply about responding to customer needs, but anticipating them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He added that innovation is not simply about adding more features, but is also about solving real problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Imagine a world where every payment made on time, every smart financial decision, and every positive habit is recognised and rewarded. That\u2019s the future we\u2019re building,&#8221; said Pillay. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;We\u2019ve created something that shifts loyalty from being transactional to transformational.&#8221; <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The new system has also been recognised by senior leaders at the Tyme Group, a current partner of Boxer, Pick n Pay, and The Foschini Group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;A great shift in thinking. The strongest loyalty programmes don&#8217;t just reward transactions &#8211; they help customers build better financial habits over time,&#8221; said GoTyme CEO Cheslyn Jacobs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tyme Group Founder Coen Jonker echoed similar sentiments, noting that the most effective loyalty programmes will encourage behaviours that strengthen customers&#8217; long-term financial wellbeing. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Woolworths Financial Services CEO Sivendran Pillay says that the new MyDifference PLUS rewards programme places customers at the centre of everything.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":95,"featured_media":856883,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_sma_x_autopost_status":"posted","_sma_x_autopost_error":"","_sma_x_post_id":"2075565963240513778","_sma_x_attempts":1,"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[24615,949],"class_list":["post-866026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-tyme-group","tag-woolworths"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/95"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=866026"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":866046,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/866026\/revisions\/866046"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/856883"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=866026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=866026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=866026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}