Zig Rewards: ComfortDelGro’s surprisingly generous new loyalty program

ComfortDelGro has launched a new lifestyle app called Zig, which it humbly describes as “the newest, freshest, most un-boring way to get around Singapore and discover new experiences.”

Well, I must be a boring Grab/gojek rider then, but with all the fare hikes and surge pricing, Comfort remains a useful fallback option. Besides, taxi uncles are 60% more likely to offer opinions on hot button social issues, at no additional charge. 

If civilized discourse wasn’t enough for you, Zig has just unveiled its own loyalty scheme called Zig Rewards, and it’s actually fairly generous for a transport loyalty program. For a limited time, members can earn up to a 4% rebate on Comfort taxi rides and takeaway orders. 

Overview: Zig Rewards

Zig Rewards has three tiers: Rookie, Whiz, and Master. 

Zig Coins, the program’s reward currency, can be earned by booking Comfort taxis and ordering takeaway food from selected merchants via the Zig app. 

Zig Rewards is marking its launch by offering a promotional 2X earn rate, valid until 30 September 2021. Members will earn 2-4 coins per S$1 during this period, instead of the usual 1-2. 

All members start at the Rookie tier, and can upgrade their status as follows:

• Whiz qualification: Accumulate 500 Zig Coins within 12 months (equivalent to S$500 of spend, or S$250 of spend during the promotional period)
• Master qualification: Accumulate a further 1,500 Zig Coins within 12 months (equivalent to S$1,000 of spend, or S$500 of spend during the promotional period)

At the point of qualification for a higher tier, any Zig Coins in excess of qualification will not count towards tier renewal or tier upgrades. For example, if I’m a Rookie and spend S$750 in a single transaction, I’ll earn 1,500 Zig Coins. Even though that’s enough for Master status, I’ll only be upgraded to Whiz (in other words, you can’t “jump” a tier). If I want Master status, I’ll subsequently need to spend a further S$500 as a Whiz member. 

That’s kind of a silly policy, but then again, Zig Coins can only be earned on Comfort taxi rides or takeaway orders at the moment. Unless you’re riding a cab around Singapore non-stop or ordering food for a huge party, your “overshoot” shouldn’t be too severe. 

Zig Rewards coins expire one year after the date of issue, e.g. coins earned in June 2021 will expire in June 2022. 

What can I redeem with Zig Rewards coins?

The Zig Rewards catalogue currently has the following redemption options:

This gives a fixed value of 1 point= 1 cent.

Zig Master members are supposedly entitled to “special offers” from the rewards catalogue, but it remains to be seen whether this includes discounted redemptions. 

What’s the effective rebate with Zig Rewards?

With the given earn rates and a value of 1 point = 1 cent, we can derive the following rebates structure. 

A rebate of 2-4% is actually quite generous for a transport platform. To provide some perspective, here’s the rebate structure for GrabRewards members:

A base GrabRewards member earns 0.2/0.6% rebates on his/her spending, versus 2% for a Zig Rookie. Likewise, a top-tier GrabRewards Platinum member earns 0.4/1.2% rebates, versus 4% for a Zig Master. 

Even after the promotional period ends, a rebate of 1-2% compares favorably to GrabRewards, although Zig Reward’s ecosystem is obviously much smaller. 

What’s the difference between Zig Rewards and ComfortPoints?

Since ComfortDelGro is ultimately behind both schemes, it’s easy to get confused. To be clear, Zig Rewards has not replaced the existing ComfortPoints program (at least, not yet). The rewards you earn depend on how you book your taxi: 

• Book taxi via Comfort app: Earn ComfortPoints
• Book taxi via Zig app: Earn Zig Rewards

I will say, however, that it’s much more worth it to book a cab via Zig. If you book via the Comfort app, you earn 5 ComfortPoints per S$1. Each ComfortPoint is worth about 0.05 cents, so that works out to a pathetic 0.25% rebate. 

In any case, the ComfortPoints program is a buggy joke, with a non-functional website filled with broken images and broken links, and a password reset system that refuses to work. If Zig Rewards does indeed replace ComfortPoints in the future, I’d shed no tears.

What MCC will Zig transactions code as?

Taxi bookings and takeaway orders must be paid for via the Zig app, but unfortunately, the Visa Supplier Locator does not list an MCC for Zig.

That said, the specific MCC shouldn’t matter if you use a credit card that gives 4 mpd for online spending, such as the DBS Woman’s World Card or the Citi Rewards Card. 

Conclusion

A 2-4% rebate isn’t lifechanging, but it’s certainly more generous than the other options out there, plus it’s on top of whatever you earn from your credit card. I’m definitely inclined to switch away from the Comfort app, seeing how the rebate via Zig is much more generous (although fair warning: the reviews on Google Play aren’t fantastic). 

Zig also has partnerships with Chope and Klook, so it’s possible that points accrual may be added for both these platforms down the road. 

What do you make of Zig Rewards?