Across all brands and industries, digital loyalty programs are increasingly used to keep customers coming back. The gaming industry is by no means immune, with platforms and publishers increasingly resorting to loyalty schemes to reward players who stick by them, often with free games, mods, and exclusive bonuses.
If you’re looking to get more bang for your buck from your games, whether it’s MMOs or online slots, loyalty programs are the way to do it. Read on to find out how you can game existing loyalty programs to play more for less and how they compare to one another.
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Get Paid to Play
One way to get more bang for your buck is by joining a scheme where you can earn money while you play games, which you can then use to purchase more games or in-game content. Thanks to the rise of platforms such as BUFF Gaming, you can accrue points and real money simply by playing your favorite games. BUFF, which is partnered with EA and has millions of active users, collects your playing data in order to help developers improve their games and detect bugs. When you play, you can be rewarded with points that can be used to purchase additional games, as well as free mods, maps, and DLC content. If you’re a seriously dedicated gamer, this can be a hugely effective way to reduce your costs. This option is ideal for online MMO fans who want to beef up their accounts with the best and most sought-after mods and additional content.
Bonuses and Freebies
Another option is to sign up for specific game platforms that offer free credit to new members, that can be used to play paid-for and real money games for free. You could seek out game platforms that hand out bonuses and freebies to new and existing players on a regular basis, and game these for maximum effect. Such platforms exist across the spectrum of gaming. For instance, the Ubisoft+ scheme offers free credit to new members to go towards a new game, as well as pre-order rights on the hottest titles to anyone who signs up.
Another great example of the freebies on offer in this industry can be found in online casino gaming. Many of the top casinos offer hundreds of real money games such as video slots and live poker, but you have to pay to play. If you would prefer to get more bang for your bankroll, keep an eye out for the real money gaming platforms that offer bonuses and freebies for new players that can be used to play for real prizes without spending a penny.
You can head to an impartial industry review site such as HowToBet, where the list of online casinos in the US outlines all of the best bonuses for new players and all of the places where you can redeem free bets. If you’re really dedicated to playing for free, you can even access multiple different loyalty programs at different sites at the same time. This option works for fans of real money games specifically, especially online slots and card games.
Rewards Schemes
Another way to get more for less is by signing up for schemes that reward loyal players for their custom. Specifically, we’re referring to schemes that offer free in-game content exclusively to the most loyal fans. One way to do this is by seeing if your favorite gaming franchise offers any freebies for long-time fans.
For example, there is the Forza racing game series, which is looking to give additional freebies to anyone who has played through previous games in the franchise. Anyone who downloads Forza Horizons 5 and has previously completed other games in the series can instantly access exclusive vehicles and new levels and tracks. Forza can simply look at your player profile to see your gaming history and will dish out the freebies accordingly.
Bricks-and-mortar gaming stores are also keen to reward the loyalty of customers. There are countless examples to choose from here, but let’s start with the most well-known one; GameStop’s PowerUp Rewards scheme. With this, all members accrue points every time they purchase a new game. It doesn’t take long for you to compile enough points to purchase a game outright, without spending a penny.
Since this is GameStop, the biggest points rewards are reserved for those who purchase pre-owned games. However, you can also use your hard-earned points to purchase hardware, in-game content, and merch. Our pro tip is to sign up for the paid $15 per year elite rewards program since this allows you to accrue points twice as fast. These options are ideal if you’re a dedicated console gamer with a particular penchant for a certain gaming franchise.
By following these simple tips, you can enjoy more gaming for less in 2022. Loyalty always pays, and this is especially true in the gaming industry.