Vitality - new "Play" rewards

IW74

Rich2808 said:

Did anyone else get an email at the weekend from the Managing Director of Vitality Nick Read about 'pick and play'.

I don't think I have ever had an email from the MD - so clearly there has been some feedback on the new arrangements.

Here are a few extracts:

"While we are only a few weeks in, we've already seen more members being active and engaging with Vitality rewards than ever before. We have also had some feedback on Pick and Play - so I wanted to reach out to you and bring further clarity as to how it works....

Finally I personally wanted to thank you all for the feedback... We'll be factoring it in and using it as we continue to evolve the Vitality programme keeping it fresh and relevant."

The email also states that members are now being offered a greater choice of rewards with even more to come soon!

PS Is 'being active and engaging' PR speak for complaining?

I never got that email; maybe a desperate attempt to stop people cancelling en masse!

I've just left them a 1 star Trustpilot review; always worth expressing how unhappy you are on as many platforms as possible.

Not sure if they're finally processing my cancellation, but I didn't get any points for yesterday, despite doing 25000 steps :-D Or maybe they're just punishing me for complaining!

Mars28

Fed up also. It’s more the insulting the way they’re clearly making it worse but trying to dress it up as an improvement. It’s not like there are any new options/benefits to choose from in the weekly pick!

Also noticed you no longer get a Nero loyalty card stamp when you pick up the coffee.

Definitely going to look at changing service provider.

Rich2808

Mars28 said:

Also noticed you no longer get a Nero loyalty card stamp when you pick up the coffe

You do still get a stamp if you use a reusable cup - but you have to get them to click own cup, use the app to scan your cafe nero membership and then pay with the voucher. That was cafe nero's policy change - not Vitality's though. The same applies to the £1 cafe nero voucher i get weekly via my mobile contract with 3.

Rich2808

Has anyone tried to pick their monthly reward yet - only got 7 points so only get one.

There is a change on the cinema voucher - before you could just go in and pick whether you want a vue or odeon voucher anytime over the next month (i.e. when you want to actually book the tickets). Now you have to select the voucher - and pick vue or odeon - by next Sunday. There is also a new 'cinemas in Northern Ireland' option - even though they have odeons in NI? Does the voucher code stay in the app - haven't done it yet - or must you write it down to use it later in May?

Not perhaps an issue for all - but I have a vue and odeon nearby so prefer to pick at the time of booking which voucher I want not predict weeks in advance what I want to watch and where. So another irritating change.

It is also confusing when they say in the email (once you qualify) that you must pick your monthly reward by the last Sunday in the month - when they actually mean the first Sunday after the end of the month. So you have until Sunday 4 May - not Sunday (29th just gone). Another cause for initial confusion - I was worried I had missed the boat as I didn't pick the April reward by last Sunday.

I am sure I will get used to it - but it is all annoying and irritating. More work/hassle to get less than before!

IW74

They replied to my Trustpilot review with:

Thank you for taking the time to send us your review, Ian. we are very sorry to hear of your disappointment with the new Pick & Play rewards system. We are still rewarding our members for their healthy habits and activity based on the same amount of points needed as before. The ‘play’ experience will give you the opportunity to unlock additional rewards.

Not really true that is it?

Anyway they've finally cancelled my policy, and I now have equivalent cover with LV, for £13 less a month. I'll be keeping an eye on this thread to see how things progress though!

prowla

My experience with Vitality's health insurance insurance is good: I had some treatment last year and everything went fine.

I bought a FitBit on their scheme and saved some money off the purchase, so that was good too.

However, their fitness app not so good...

I started using the app to keep track of steps and got borderline obsessive about it for a while.

However, I wasn't really getting much rewards-wise from it, as there isn't a Caffe Nero or Itsu in my town and I don't go to the cinema.

I did the silly find-a-dog game a couple of times, but there was no point for the rewards and it's got sod-all to do with health or fitness.

Then, all of my exercise history disappeared!

I called and it seems that it resets in the app on the membership anniversary.

So, I've parked the app and taken it off my home screen.

Also, their app doesn't interface with my gym; they were previously partnered but not anymore.

I would make the observation that in general it appears that fitness gear and apps are all a bit disjointed at the moment: FitBit, Vitality, eGym, exercise bikes don't all tie together.

EmmyLouDaisyBoo

Well, I shopped around for an alternative life and critical illness product this week and found I was currently uninsurable as I have a lump being "monitored" (I'm a nursing mother, it's 99% lactation related but GP wants to scan if it's still there in a few weeks) guess I'm stuck with picking dogs.

Anyone know how long something like this blocks you from getting cover? Lump will likely disappear on its own.

IW74

No idea why it’s still letting me play, but had a go this morning and guess what? Didn’t find any Stanleys. That’s 5 weeks in a row now!
Also worth being aware of - my renewal documents turned up in the post last week. They’ve actually INCREASED the cost of the Vitality Optimiser, so they’re taking more money for giving everyone less.

prowla

Well, I was out yesterday and checked out the app; I'd got enough for a free coffee and there was a Caffe Nero across the road from me, so that was good.

I also looked at the dog game and got two dogs; not sure if they did anything for my points usage-wise though.

Rich2808

prowla said:

Well, I was out yesterday and checked out the app; I'd got enough for a free coffee and there was a Caffe Nero across the road from me, so that was good.

I also looked at the dog game and got two dogs; not sure if they did anything for my points usage-wise though.

Yes - that is a weekly reward you can pick (alongside a 25% itsu discount) if you get 13 points the previous week Or you can also choose a half price vue/odeon cinema ticket.

Before you got the itsu/cafe nero vouchers directly via email/the cafe nero app automatically without having to go in and pick them in the vitality app.

The silly pick a dog game is about the monthly rewards - free cinema ticket, free itsu meal etc - so is slightly different. You need to get at least 13 points a week and play the game (pot luck) each week and get four dogs over a month to get one monthly reward (or 8 for two) - before you could get 40 points in one week (say if ill/injured for 3 weeks so couldn't exercise) and qualify for both those rewards automatically with no action required.

The former is a faff - the latter is a reduction in benefits because you used to get both the cinema/itsu deal automatically now you could get only one (4 weeks out of 5) or potentially neither.

Vitality - the health insurance firm which apparently penalises you for getting ill!