GEMS Education Launches GEMS Rewards Programme

From today, some 300,000 people in the GEMS Education community of families and schools have access to an exclusive rewards programme that has been designed to help them make substantial cost savings across a range of sectors.

The GEMS Rewards programme is GEMS Education’s way of giving back to parents and thanking them for their loyalty to the GEMS community of schools.

Parents, teachers and all staff who enrol for the free membership can access 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 we have a unique network and community. 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’. 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.

Manav Fernandez, Senior Vice President, CRM and Customer Loyalty, GEMS Education said: “The range of partners we are 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, healthcare, wellness, travel, leisure and entertainment, as well as offering them significant savings on school fees.”

Within a week of the soft launch, the programme has enrolled over 10,000 members, who have already started to make substantial savings.

One of the first parents to enrol, Rachael Jayne Lang, who has two children at GEMS First Point School, 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. I love the added bonus that my extended family members can take advantage of the offers when they come to stay with us. I can’t wait to get saving!”

The programme manager of the app is The Entertainer, which is providing the technology platform. Similar to GEMS Education, The Entertainer is a company that was founded and grown within the UAE. Its founder, Donna Benton said: “As a mother of two myself based in Dubai, I know how important it is for families to make savings. The Entertainer is proud to partner with GEMS Education on this innovative programme that will make a big difference for families.”

How it works:

The programme works by creating savings through four elements:

• Discounts on school fees – parents can save up to 7% on their school fees by using the GEMS NBAD credit card to pay them.
• Ambassador programme – for every child parents successfully refer, they can save up to 4% on school fees.
• Everyday savings – over 2,000 exclusive vouchers and discounts from day one.
• Share the love – each family is entitled to share their app access with eight friends and family members.
• The app also includes a ‘savings calculator’. Every time it is used, users will see how much they have saved to date.