Toyota ME is a loyalty rewards programme that lets you take care of yourself while taking care of your car

SINGAPORE — So you’re now the proud owner of a new car. You’ve posted the requisite selfies on FaceBook and Instagram, taken the family around to visit all the relatives in one weekend. What’s next?

If you’re like most people, you resolve to be diligent about keeping the newest member of the family in showroom condition.

But while wanting to protect your investment is admirable, sometimes it can also distract you from one important idea: taking care of your car can also mean taking care of yourself.

That’s where loyalty programmes like the kind offered by authorised distributors come in.

Unlike a small, unofficial retailer whose main concern is to hand over your car and cross his fingers that you won’t be back until you want another new car, a factory-appointed dealer operates on the principle of fostering a long-term relationship with you.

One of the best examples of how they do this is Toyota ME by Borneo Motors. Here’s how it works…

What is Toyota ME?

It’s an online loyalty rewards programme, similar to airline mileage programmes, but geared towards creating life experiences and memories with family and loved ones, the things in life money cannot buy. It’s Toyota’s way of thanking customers for continuous support. Beyond redemption deals, there are regular promotions, events and contests for the family.

How do you begin?

Customers register online, and earn points by taking care of their Toyota at any authorised service or bodycare centre. That’s the beauty of the programme: regular servicing has to be done, so you collect points for something you were going to do anyway.

There are also bonus points for being punctual with your maintenance, or participating in promotions, so Toyota ME nudges customers to take advantage of beneficial deals.

And the point of the points?

To be rewarded, of course. Apart from using points to offset the cost of a servicing bill, customers can also select from a treasure trove of limited edition premiums and seasonal deals (blink and you might miss one). One of the larger benefits is the chance to take a Toyota Alphard for a weekend drive. That’s the kind of reward that the family can share in.

Where do I redeem?

From the comfort of home (or anywhere you have Internet access). Click online and redeem with full or partial points for any lifestyle reward, and pick it up three days later from any one of eight Toyota locations islandwide.

If you use Toyota Me points to offset your servicing costs, you can do it on the spot at any self-redemption kiosk in a Toyota Service Centre.

How to Level Up

Interestingly, Toyota ME allows users to upgrade to a Gold tier of membership for  $88 biennially. That puts an immediate 5000-point credit into the customer’s account and lets you earn 1.5 times the points each time you bring your car in. Some simple math shows that it pays for itself: 5,000 points can redeem five Toyota Evening Express servicing sessions, for example. Paying for that in cash would have cost $100.

While Toyota ME Gold can potentially pay for itself, it gives customers access to other benefits like home delivery service for servicing, and warranty extension on replacement parts for your car.

If nothing else, Toyota ME illustrates that membership does have its privileges, and that car care doesn’t have to be a burden — not when there’s a loyalty programme designed to reward you for doing it properly.

Having a Toyota ME Heart
As a Toyota ME member you can create meaningful experiences and memories for you and the family. One example? Toyota ME and Borneo Motors inspired Club Rainbow children to achieve their dreams through an art workshop, a DJ Experience at Class 95FM, and a finale event at Kidzania where families from all three organisations had fun role-playing at their favourite occupations. Club Rainbow received a donation of $20,000, and everyone went home having received more in their hearts than they ever gave from their pockets.

A partnership like that is what it means to immerse yourself in the Drive Happy by Toyota experience. It ensures that taking care of your car can be just as satisfying as driving it. And while Toyota ME is in one sense all about racking up points, it’s the customers who win.

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