Dividend card reaches 20 years

Happy birthday to the Lincolnshire Co-op dividend card!

More than £62.5 million in dividend has been shared with Lincolnshire Co-op members through it, since it was created two decades ago. That’s enough to buy 31 million Gadsby’s mince pies or 7.7 million bottles of Co-op prosecco.

The card marked an important step when it was launched in 1998 – the same year Google was founded and film Titanic earned 14 Academy Award nominations.

Before, customers had collected stamps as they shopped at Lincolnshire Co-op stores and these stamps could be saved up in a book and spent in the Society’s outlets.

The card meant members could instead collect dividend with a simple scan at the tills. Today it still has pride of place in pockets, wallets and purses along with the dividend card key fob and app.

This year, Lincolnshire Co-op members are benefiting from £4.1 million of dividend paid back onto their cards - including a share of a £1.9 million bonus. The bonus will be paid to members via their dividend card on Saturday December 1st. Find out more here.

That’s compared to £1.5 million shared with members in 1999, a year after the card was launched, along with a bonus of £250,000 divvied up between them.

The Lincolnshire Co-op dividend card, key fob and dividend card app help members get more in lots of other ways.

They act as tickets to fun-packed member-only events, such as the Society’s free Christmas food tastings.

There’s also exclusive offers with local businesses to enjoy, from savings on tea with Santa and tigers at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in Friskney to pantos, vouchers for days out and more, all available by signing in here.

Each time a member shops with their dividend card, a donation is also made on their behalf to local good causes through the Society’s Community Champions scheme. Almost £545,000 was raised for more than 230 groups in this way last year.

To become a member, pop into a Lincolnshire Co-op store and ask for an application form or click here.