Dubai: A rewards programme for around 300,000 people in the GEMS Education school network has finally kicked off, giving them discounts in leading brands and referral points in the form of discounted school fees, among others.
The GEMS Rewards Programme, first announced last year, was officially launched on Wednesday. It promises to give parents, teachers and all staff, who enrol for the free membership, access to a mobile rewards app on IOS and Android smartphones with over 2,000 family-focused offers and benefits.
Dino Varkey, Chief Executive Officer, GEMS Education, said GEMS Education has been committed to families in the UAE for almost 60 years and this programme is their way to thank them for their loyalty to the GEMS community of schools.
“We have developed GEMS Rewards as a way to directly enhance the well-being of GEMS families. Thanks to our unique scale, many of the region’s leading brands are keen to partner with us in contributing to the UAE’s ‘Year of Giving’,” Varkey said.
“Many more will come on board in the coming months. Our long-term aspiration is that this programme could potentially make tuition fees ‘cost neutral’.”
GEMS Rewards, which has a diverse offering specifically designed to create savings, includes the Ambassador Programme, GEMS NBAD Credit Cards, a vast partner network of brands and exclusive experiences.
The programme offers discounts on school fees of up to seven per cent if parents use the GEMS NBAD credit card to pay them. The Ambassador programme is similar to getting a referral bonus for every child that is referred by a parent who enrols in GEMS. This gives them four per cent discount on school fees.
The ‘Everyday savings’ feature come in more than 2,000 exclusive vouchers and discounts in leading brands.
The programme also allows eight family members to access the app and check the ‘savings calculator’ every time it is used.
Manav Fernandez, Senior Vice-President, CRM and Customer Loyalty, GEMS Education, said the range of partners GEMS is working with directly reflects the needs that GEMS’ parents have identified.
“We are able to offer our families discounts and benefits in segments such as dining, health care, wellness, travel, leisure and entertainment, as well as offering them significant savings on school fees,” Fernandez said.
The programme has enrolled over 10,000 members within a week of the soft launch.
Among them was Rachael Jayne Lang, whose two kids are enrolled at GEMS First Point School. She said: “As a parent, it’s great that GEMS Education is developing a rewards programme that helps families save. The app has a wide range of offers that my family will be able to use, from cafes to gyms and shops.”
The Entertainer, famous for its two-for-one deals, is providing the technology platform and is the programme manager of the app.
