Ah, September. The leaves begin to change, the air grows crisp, and there’s an electric crackle of anticipation as the kids head back to school. For some, that means yellow school buses and lockers; for other it means a cross-country flight and an empty dorm room to decorate.

College students may not be the first demographic that comes to mind when considering loyalty programs, but we think they’re a prime audience for some of the great offerings that loyalty programs can provide their members.

Think about it. College students never have enough money. And furthermore, they’re in a position to take their first steps into independent adulthood, when making smart choices both financially and personally becomes some of the most important things to learn.

Whether you have a college student of your own flying the coop or want to rethink your marketing strategies, here are a few ways that some loyalty programs are perfectly suited to the university-bound among us.

1. More and more kids are going to school’s far from home, making now the optimal time to joining Virgin America’s Elevate program. In addition to servicing major US cities, Elevate will allow students to earn points every time they fly home, use points to book flights even during high-traffic holiday times, and be updated on flight deals to the best spring break locations (LA, New York, Cabo…).
2. Empty dorm rooms, campus apartments, and houses filled with friends are a surefire way to spark the decorators bug in your college kid. Orchard Supply Hardware’s Club Orchard can help give kids a head-start in putting together their new homes, without being too painful on their budgets. Club Orchard offers points back for every dollar spent purchasing products in-store. Plus, Orchard Supply employees will take time to show your ever-ready-to learn students how to assemble their new dresser or even teach them to repair that hole they put in the wall during a particularly aggressive ‘study session.’
3. A not-so-glamorous part of college life is the, hmm, less than sanitary conditions. So, it’s not so surprising when kids find themselves getting sick a little more frequently than they did back at home (especially when dorms are more or less a 100-person sinus infection waiting to happen). Pharmaca’s Feel Better Rewards Program will help your kids make sure they have the best products to help them feel better, plus a number of in-store experts to help them become more informed and aware about their own health. Pharmaca’s rewards programs will also get them discounts on products, which will make them (and their parents) feel even better.

While Loyalty 101 may not be in the course catalogue, now is the time to get college-age students involved in your loyalty program. Help them make the right decisions for them, and for their bank accounts. Let’s put it this way — as soon as they realize they have more money for beer (uh, we mean books?) they’ll be as glad to be your loyal customers as you’ll be to have them.

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