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Car retailers know a good deal when they see one and Gold Coast Car Warehouse has found that switching to Alinta Energy has been exactly that.
Buying a used car can be daunting - giant, glossy showrooms on busy main roads, lots of numbers and all those slick sales staff. However, Gold Coast Car Warehouse (GCCW) prides itself on offering customers a more intimate experience.
"Our business is nimble and a low-cost model, as opposed to a ginormous, heavily staffed dealership," says CFO Jamie Scarle. "It doesn't change the quality of the cars we offer. Our ethos is people, product and price and we keep to a minimum things that don't actually end up helping the customer."
In a price-sensitive business, Scarle keeps a close eye on operating costs and is a savvy member of Qantas Business Rewards, the loyalty program that rewards Australian small and medium businesses. GCCW had already signed up with other Qantas Business Rewards partners when, just over a year ago, Scarle saw that Alinta Energy had joined the program.
GCCW has two electricity accounts and Scarle switched both to Alinta Energy's BusinessDeal Qantas Energy Plan1 to earn Qantas Points on their business energy spend as a Qantas Business Rewards member.
"It was at a time, as we all remember, when everybody's power bills were going up substantially. I was reviewing an email from our current supplier telling me our rates were about to go way, way up. Alinta Energy was offering lower rates than the increased rates our previous retailer was moving us to, with the added benefit of earning 3 Qantas Points per $1 for our electricity2. Why wouldn't we take advantage of that?"
Scarle also realised that there were no fees when paying an Alinta Energy bill via credit card, meaning the business can double dip and earn even more points. "We have an American Express Qantas Business Rewards Card so we earn points paying our bills on that, with no-credit card fees. It multiplies the benefit and helps me manage cash flow, too. We get the extra time to pay, and the rewards!"
When the first Alinta Energy bill arrived, Scarle knew he'd made the right call. "The bills are easy to read and it's a one-click system so we can click in the email to pay now. We are getting very competitive rates and also the Qantas Points benefits of being a Qantas Business Rewards member, so it's win-win."
The used-car market is tight right now and Scarle says being able to redeem Qantas Points earned as a Qantas Business Rewards member is a great way to reward the highly valued GCCW sales team. "We have an incentive for our sales team to go to Hong Kong, which we book using Qantas Points."
They'll also use points to scope out used car markets abroad. "The current climate means there are not many used cars around. We're thinking of using our points to take a trip to Japan to explore the opportunity of importing used cars to Australia."
Important Information
A business must be a Qantas Business Rewards Member to earn Qantas Points for the business. A one-off joining fee of $89.50 applies, is inclusive of any applicable GST and may be varied by Qantas from time to time, without notice, in its absolute discretion. Membership and Qantas Points for business are offered under the Qantas Business Rewards Terms and Conditions and earning thresholds apply.
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