Which pet store loyalty program is best: Chewy+, Petco Perks or PetSmart Treats Rewards?

At TPG, we're all about maximizing rewards on your everyday spending — purchases you would normally make anyway — since hotel points and airline miles aren't the only currencies worth earning.Related: TPG's inaugural State of Loyalty reportChewy, Petco and PetSmart are some of the biggest names in the pet-supply business, and each one offers a rewards program to help pet parents earn cash back toward their next bag of dog food, kitty litter, hamster bedding, snake snacks... You get the idea.This guide will cover everything you need to know about the three programs, from how to earn and redeem points to elite status tiers and paid subscriptions, so you can decide which is best for you and your pet.Chewy+, Petco Perks and PetSmart Treats Rewards comparedChewy+Petco PerksPetSmart Treats RewardsStatus levelsChewy+ (paid subscription)Member (basic) and Premier (paid subscription)Member (basic), Bestie (earned after $500 spent in a year), VIPP (earned after $1,000 spent in a year)Earning rate5% back on dog and cat food and all health and pharmacy items, and 2% back on other Chewy purchases10 points per dollar spent on all Petco purchases, or 30 points per dollar spent on Petco brands10 points per dollar spent for basic members, 12 points per dollar for Besties, 14 points per dollar for VIPPsCheapest redemption$0.01 Chewy+ Rewards5,000 points1,000 pointsSpending needed for a free $30 bag of dog foodFrom $600 on applicable food and pharmacy items to $1,500 on other purchasesFrom $1,000 on Petco brands to $3,000 on other brands$1,500 for basic members, $1,250 for Besties, $1,072 for VIPPsPoints expirationEnd of month one year after date earnedOne year from date earnedOne year from date earnedProgram partnersNoneNoneNoneTPG valuation0.1 cent per point0.1 cent per point0.2 cent per pointChewy+ loyalty programOSCAR WONG/GETTY IMAGESChewy+ is the pay-to-play loyalty program of online pet supply giant Chewy. You can currently try it free for 30 days, after which it will cost $59 per year.This annual fee allows you to earn and burn rewards with Chewy as follows:5% back on dog and cat food (excluding veterinary diets) and all health and pharmacy items2% back on everything else you buy from Chewy. (Gift cards and pet insurance plans are excluded.)Rewards can be redeemed like cash toward a future purchase. You need only have $0.01 (10 points) in Chewy+ Rewards to start redeeming.Rewards expire at the end of the month, one year after they were earned. There is also a $100 annual rewards cap, after which you will no longer earn points for the rest of the year.Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletterJoin over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s expertsBy signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.Beyond the ability to earn and burn rewards, Chewy+ membership provides the following perks:Free shipping on all orders with no minimum (there is a $49 minimum for nonmembers)Exclusive deals and bonus rewards offersA 24/7 pet poison help line ($99 value)One free virtual vet visit per year ($50 value) plus 10% off future visitsFree trial-size samples from bestselling brandsCHEWYTo see if it's worth it, let's do some quick math. To earn at least $59 per year in rewards and offset the annual fee, you would need to spend at least $1,180 on eligible food and health products or $2,950 on other products. Those are pretty high numbers to just break even.However, if the other perks present significant value to you — for instance, if you often place small orders that wouldn't qualify for free shipping or you don't have a 24-hour vet to call if your pet ingests something iffy — the membership could make more sense. And you'll get the most value from the program if most of your pet-related purchases fall in the health, pharmacy and non-prescription food categories.The program makes less sense for high spenders. If you spend more than $2,000 per year on cat or dog food and health items, or more than $5,000 on other purchases, you will hit the annual cap and stop earning rewards.Lastly, since many of the benefits are geared toward dogs and cats, other pet parents may not find Chewy+ worth the investment.Petco Perks loyalty programGRACE CARY/GETTY IMAGESWith Petco Perks, all members earn 30 points per dollar spent on Petco brands and 10 points per dollar on other Petco purchases. Since each 1,000 points is worth $1 off a future purchase, that's equivalent to 3% or 1% cash back.You can decide how many of your points to redeem, but you must redeem a minimum of 5,000 points at a time. Points expire one year after you earn them.Other benefits include exclusive member pricing, autoship savings, personalized offers, a birthday treat for your pet and a free eighth grooming session.The only level other than basic membership, Premier, is more of a subscription than an elite status tier: It costs $24.99 per month or $239.99 per year. (This cost is per pet; you can save when you enroll multiple pets.) The costs and benefits of Premier vary by animal type, with options for dogs, cats, fish, small pets, reptiles and birds. Right now, new members can get an extra $10 in Petco Cash when enrolling their dog or cat or $5 for their small animal.PETCOFor dog and cat owners, Premier membership unlocks additional perks like:15,000 points (worth $15) per month (expires 45 days after issuance)10% off all food purchases20% off every dog grooming or kitty litter purchaseUnlimited vet exams at Petco or 20,000 points ($20) toward up to two vet exams outside of Petco each yearPremier membership isn't cheap, but it could make sense given your pet's needs, especially if you tend to refill your pet supplies monthly rather than stocking up a few times a year.Let's say your dog goes through a $30 small bag of kibble every month. With Premier, you could save $3 on every bag with the 10% food discount, plus $15 with the monthly 15,000-point bonus. That comes to $216 per year, covering roughly 90% of the membership fee if you pay annually. If you take advantage of other perks, like the unlimited Petco vet exams, the subscription could present even more value.PetSmart Treats Rewards loyalty programDERRICK D/GETTY IMAGESPetSmart Treats Rewards is a loyalty program with three tiers:Member (free to join)Bestie (earned after $500 spent each year)Very Important Pet Parent (earned after $1,000 spent each year)Here are the benefits you can expect at each level.Member:Earn 10 points per dollar spent in stores and online, including services like grooming, boarding, daycare and trainingEarn double points on PetSmart Charities donations at checkoutMembers-only in-store pricingPersonalized offers for savings or bonus pointsBirthday or Gotcha Day giftFree shipping on eligible orders of $49 or more1,000 bonus points for completing your profileThe eleventh Doggie Day Camp session is freeTwo annual Salon Reward Certificates with the purchase of a bath or groomBestie ($500 annual spend):All member benefitsEarn 12 points per dollar spentAnnual tier recognition eventOne double-points purchase per year (you get to decide when to activate it)VIPP ($1,000 annual spend):All Bestie benefitsEarn 14 points per dollar spentTwo double-points purchases per yearHoliday giftYou can redeem points for discounts on any product or pet service, or donate them to PetSmart Charities. Every 1,000 points gives you $2 off, so points are essentially worth 0.2 cents apiece. That represents a return ranging from 2% for basic members to 2.8% for VIPPs.However, you can earn far more points by taking advantage of the program's offers, which you can see in your Treats Rewards account. You must activate an offer by clicking the plus sign before you can use it.PETSMARTFor instance, right now, I can earn 2,500 points (worth $5) on purchases of dog treats and chews of $25 or more, once a day for up to five days. Since pet supplies tend to be shelf-stable, I'll often take advantage of offers like these to stock up on my dogs' favorite snacks while earning extra rewards.You can choose when to redeem points and how many to redeem; just keep in mind that points expire 12 months after they are earned. Occasionally, some offers will grant you bonus points that expire sooner.Which pet store loyalty program is best?These three programs are easy to compare because their rewards are all redeemed the same way: At a flat rate in exchange for cash toward your next purchase. In terms of value per point, PetSmart beats Chewy and Petco with 0.2 cents apiece compared to 0.1 cents.However, the return you'll get depends on how much you spend per year and in what categories. PetSmart offers the best rates for all-around purchases (2% to 2.8% back depending on your status tier), but you can do considerably better at Chewy or Petco if you buy items in their bonus categories (up to 5% back at Chewy and 3% at Petco).If you spend a lot on dog or cat food and health items, it could be worth investing in a Chewy+ subscription. If you mostly buy store-brand items, consider Petco Perks. If your pet's tastes are more wide-ranging, consider PetSmart Treats Rewards, especially if you're willing to put in a little extra effort to capitalize on the bonus-point offers.As a longtime fan of PetSmart Treats, I love that I don't have to worry about a membership fee or spend time overthinking earning categories or caps. Plus, thanks to the program's relatively modest elite status spend thresholds (and my two voracious dogs), I usually have no trouble earning my way to extra benefits.How to stack credit card rewards with pet store rewardsIf pet supplies are a necessary part of your budget, you may as well maximize your rewards on them. That means not only joining your favorite store's loyalty program, but also making your purchase with one of the best credit cards for pet supplies.Don't forget to check your accounts for credit card deals like Chase Offers and Amex Offers, which can earn you cash back on your purchase as a statement credit.If shopping online (and sometimes in-store), you can also stack earnings through shopping portals. For instance, at the time of writing, Rakuten is offering 2% cash back or 2 points per dollar spent at PetSmart, Chewy and Petco.RAKUTENHere's an example of what stacking rewards could look like. A couple of months ago, I noticed Rakuten was offering 15% back or 15 points per dollar at PetSmart, so I decided to stock up on kibble, bones and more. I placed an order of $375, which not only ensured my dogs would be set for months to come, but also earned me:14,000 PetSmart Treats points (worth $28 toward a future purchase) thanks to my VIPP points earning boost and activating other offers, including one of my twice-annual VIPP double-points offers5,625 Amex Membership Rewards points (worth $112 toward travel by TPG's October 2026 valuations) through Rakuten750 Capital One miles (worth $14 toward travel by TPG's estimates) by paying with my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit CardNow that's something to bark about.Bottom linePet costs can add up, but our furbabies are worth it — and pet store loyalty programs are an easy way to save.The great thing about Chewy+, Petco Perks and PetSmart Treats Rewards is that there's something for everyone, no matter what kind of animal you have or what brands or products you typically buy. Consider each program's earning structure and benefits, as well as your spending habits, before you decide which route to go.Related: From vet bills to dog food: Earn points, miles and cash-back rewards on pet expenses