Big Gulp, Big Returns? Our Honest Take on 7-Eleven Rewards
If you’ve ever walked down a street in America or even vaguely looked in the direction of a gas station, you’ve probably passed a 7-Eleven. With over 13,000 stores (plus another 8,000 with fuel stations), this corner-store king is everywhere. And they’ve had a loyalty program since 2015, although it’s been reinvented more times than Madonna.
Their current version? Surprisingly ambitious for a simple convenience store. Maybe a little too ambitious. We dove into the program and slurped up the details like a Big Gulp. Here’s what we found.
Photocredit: Unsplash
🛠 How it Works
Two Apps? Really?
Yes, 7-Eleven has two apps. There’s the 7-Eleven App, which is your command center for tracking points, checking fuel prices, and using a mobile wallet. It’s robust and visually busy, but very easy to use. Then there’s 7NOW, their delivery-only app for pickup and on-demand orders. You can log in to both with the same credentials, so your benefits follow you. But come on… two apps? That’s one too many.
First annoyance: unlocked.🙍🏻♀️
Two apps!
The apps look so similar that you’ll likely click on the wrong one.
🏪 7Rewards: The Core Program
Free to join, 7Rewards offers both C-store and fuel benefits. Here’s the gist:
C-Store Benefits:
Earn 10 points per $1 on in-store purchases
5% cash back on delivery via 7NOW (but hold that excitement…)
Access to app-exclusive deals: 16+ bonus points promos, 60+ coupons, and “Perks” by our tally
Load the 7-Eleven Wallet to earn 3X points on purchases
Bonus point hacks: load $35 (earn 3,000 points), verify your age (1,000 points), and complete app challenges
But the catch? You can’t earn points on 7NOW purchases, only the 5% cash back. Now that 5% is generous, but it’s odd that these apps have different earning structures, which feels unnecessary. Just when you thought only airlines had confusing reward programs, 7-Eleven came along and said, “Hold my Slurpee.”
Annoyance #2: achieved.😖
Redemption is app-based, and you'll only see a rotating list of eligible products, limited in both scope and availability (more on this later).
You can earn by providing your phone number, scanning your app barcode, or—please don’t—asking for a physical card.
Deals, Coupons, and More
The app is easy to use and nicely categorizes the various savings opportunities.
⛽ Fuel Benefits (Finally, Some Great News!)
This is where the program redeems itself. Literally.
Get 11¢/gallon off your first 7 fill-ups (within 90 days)
Then 5¢/gallon off ongoing
❤️ Verified first responders, teachers, nurses, military, and veterans get an additional 5¢/gallon (can more programs do this, please?!)
Pay with wallet funds and earn another 3¢/gallon
You can also “lock in” fuel prices if you think they will rise
All of these stack! And here at Points Insider we love rewards that stack! The only caveats? You’re limited to 25 gallons per fill-up and two transactions per day. Still, this is rev-your-engines-excited for frequent drivers.
The App Fuel Page
Easy to navigate to understand the benefits at each station.
👑 7-Eleven Gold Pass Program
Enter: the subscription layer.
For $9.95/month (or $95 annually), Gold Pass includes all the 7Rewards benefits plus:
Free delivery (normally $2.99/order)
10% cashback on all 7NOW orders (instead of 5%)
7 free in-store drinks per month (plus refills!)
Extra 5¢ off per gallon (stackable, except in NJ. Sorry, Jersey, with your weird fuel laws.)
Exclusive Gold Pass discounts
The cashback goes into your account and can be used in-store or for delivery.
💰 what’s the value?
(💡 Quick explainer: When we say return value, we mean how much you get back vs. what you spend to earn it. Spend $100, get $10 back in point value or cash back = 10% return value. Higher is better.)
The value of these programs will depend on whether you are a fuel user or not.
🏪 For the 7Rewards C-Store Program:
Redemption starts at 500 points and increases in value. But—and it’s a big but—the reward catalog is super limited. We’re talking particular brands, sizes, and flavors.
Point Redemption:
Easy to navigate, but products are very narrow and specific (plus need a lot of points).
(Chart disclaimer: This is only a sample of the Reward menu products. Product prices can vary among different 7-Eleven stores. The prices we used are estimated based on what we are seeing in our home city of Boston and available internet information.)
| Reward Item | Points | Spending to earn Points | Spending if using Wallet | Menu Price | Return Value | Return Value w/ Wallet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banana | 500 | $50 | $17 | $0.89 | 1.8% | 5.3% |
| Small Slurpee | 500 | $50 | $17 | $1.79 | 3.6% | 10.7% |
| Small Coffee | 500 | $50 | $17 | $2.19 | 4.4% | 13.1% |
| Donut | 1000 | $100 | $33 | $1.99 | 2.0% | 6.0% |
| Cookie | 1000 | $100 | $33 | $1.00 | 1.0% | 3.0% |
| 7-Select Mini Donut | 1000 | $100 | $33 | $1.00 | 1.0% | 3.0% |
| Ten Mini Tacos | 1500 | $150 | $50 | $3.50 | 2.3% | 7.0% |
| Slurpee | 1500 | $150 | $50 | $3.89 | 2.6% | 7.8% |
| 7-Select Chips | 1500 | $150 | $50 | $2.39 | 1.6% | 4.8% |
| 7-Select Nuts | 1500 | $150 | $50 | $2.99 | 2.0% | 6.0% |
| 7-Select Organic Habicus | 2000 | $200 | $67 | $3.99 | 2.0% | 6.0% |
| Breakfast Sandwich | 2000 | $200 | $67 | $1.99 | 1.0% | 3.0% |
| Big Hot Dog | 2000 | $200 | $67 | $2.99 | 1.5% | 4.5% |
| Brownie | 2000 | $200 | $67 | $2.19 | 1.1% | 3.3% |
| 7-Select Gummies | 2000 | $200 | $67 | $2.99 | 1.5% | 4.5% |
| Dr Petter, 7-UP.. | 3000 | $300 | $100 | $2.89 | 1.0% | 2.9% |
| Gatorade | 3000 | $300 | $100 | $3.39 | 1.1% | 3.4% |
| Hershey Bar | 3000 | $300 | $100 | $2.39 | 0.8% | 2.4% |
| 7-Select Chips | 3000 | $300 | $100 | $2.39 | 0.8% | 2.4% |
| Frito Lay 3 oz | 3000 | $300 | $100 | $2.39 | 0.8% | 2.4% |
| Red Bull | 4000 | $400 | $133 | $4.19 | 1.0% | 3.1% |
| 8 Boneless Wings | 5000 | $500 | $167 | $5.04 | 1.0% | 3.0% |
| 5 Wings | 5000 | $500 | $167 | $5.04 | 1.0% | 3.0% |
| Sandwich | 5000 | $500 | $167 | $5.99 | 1.2% | 3.6% |
| Pizza | 5000 | $500 | $167 | $6.99 | 1.4% | 4.2% |
| 7-Select Ice Cream | 5000 | $500 | $167 | $5.99 | 1.2% | 3.6% |
⛽ For Fuel:
This is the gas-up moment. Even the basic 5¢/gallon discount = 1.7% return value. Add wallet payments, and that jumps to 2.7%. Toss in a verified status like military or nurse, and you’re hitting a 3.3%-4.7% return value.
Compared to fuel programs from Shell and Exxon, 7-Eleven holds its own, and sometimes beats them. 👏🏻
(Chart disclaimer: We are assuming gas is $3/gallon in our calculations.)
💸 Gold Pass: Is it Worth It?
Let’s do the math (you’re welcome).
No fuel, but ordering 3+ deliveries a month around $20/each? You’ll likely break even between the delivery savings and 10% cash back.
Drive a lot? By our calculation, the extra 5¢/gallon savings alone might justify the subscription if you fill up weekly.
Don’t use 7-Eleven delivery or fuel? This is a pass for you.
If we are to offer more unsolicited advice to 7-Eleven (again), we wish the Gold Pass benefits were available across delivery and C-store, and offered better benefits across both. 7NOW has a lot of competition from Doordash and others, and I’m not sure the benefits given outweigh the high subscription.
🧐 Fine Print Rundown:
No points on age-restricted items (lottery, cigarettes, alcohol, fuel)
Points expire after 90 days if no activity, otherwise hoard away (generous!)
Rewards expire 30 days after redemption
Gold Pass auto-renews unless cancelled
Max $1/gallon in stackable fuel savings
Age 16+ to join
summary:
✅ What We Like:
Tons of bonus earning opportunities
App is packed with deals and promos
Fuel savings are excellent: stackable, meaningful, and consistent
The app makes reward management relatively smooth
🚫 What’s Not Great:
Two apps = one too many
Poor return value on C-store points
The reward product catalog is too narrow and restrictive
Gold Pass is only worthwhile if you're using fuel perks consistently
Let’s face it: fuel savings are the MVP here. Everything else is... there, just not as rich as it could be.
👩🏻⚖️VerdictS:
🏪 7Rewards C-Store Only Benefits (no Fuel usage):
Meh!
Weak value and limited reward options for points.
⛽ 7Rewards Fuel Benefits:
Very Rewarding!
If you have a station near you, it’s worth signing up just for this.
👑 7 Gold Pass Subscription:
Rewarding!
Rewarding for drivers. If you’re not filling up, think twice.
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