This loyalty program comparison reveals a critical truth: after conducting a detailed loyalty program comparison, most fast food chains prioritize data collection over actual rewards.
TODAY’S CONFESSIONS:
- The Loyalty Program Problem & Comparison (Nobody Talks About This)
- Jersey Mike’s: When Math Hurts
- Jimmy John’s: The Gamification Fever Dream
- Firehouse Subs: Points That Expire Faster Than Your Motivation
- Arby’s: The Receipt Scanning Nightmare
- Wendy’s: Free Nuggs Today, Buyer’s Remorse Tomorrow
- McDonald’s: A Loyalty Program So Complicated, They Had to Raise Prices
- Why Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club Is Different (and Why That Matters)
- The Real Truth About Corporate Loyalty Programs: A Loyalty Program Comparison That Reveals the Truth
- The Top 5 Scorecard (Because You Knew This Was Coming)
- FAQ: Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club Questions (Because You Probably Have Them)
You know what the problem with fast food loyalty programs is? It’s that every loyalty program comparison I’ve done reveals the same pattern:
They’re designed to feel rewarding while actually making you work harder than a 17-year-old churro vendor at Lagoon on 4th of July weekend.
I’ve spent six years running this Subway, watching customers navigate the digital hellscape of loyalty apps. I’ve seen people more confused trying to redeem points than they were trying to assemble IKEA furniture. So I did something radical: I performed a comprehensive loyalty program comparison between every major sandwich chain. This loyalty program comparison analysis took months to complete. This detailed loyalty program comparison will save you time and frustration.’s loyalty program to ours—Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club.
What this loyalty program comparison revealed is wild.
The Loyalty Program Problem & Comparison (Nobody Talks About This)
Here’s the thing nobody wants to admit: most corporate loyalty programs aren’t built to reward you. They’re built to track you, manipulate your spending, and make you feel like you’re getting a deal while they’re actually learning everything about your life.
It’s genius marketing. It’s also kind of horrifying.
A good loyalty program should be simple: you come in, you order food, you get rewarded for being loyal. Done. No PhD required. No app maze. No points that expire faster than your New Year’s resolutions.
But that’s not what we’re dealing with in the industry. Instead, we’ve got corporate behemoths trying to turn sandwich shopping into a financial strategy game.
Let me walk you through what my loyalty program comparison uncovered.
Jersey Mike’s: When Math Hurts
Jersey Mike’s has the “MyMike’s” program, and I’m gonna be honest—it’s the app equivalent of making someone prove they’re smart enough to eat a sandwich.
Here’s how it works: You earn “Shore Points.” Cute name, right?
- 3 points for a kids meal
- 4 points for a mini sub or breakfast sandwich
- 6 points for a regular sub
- 12 points for a giant sub
So far, sounds reasonable.
Then comes the redemption. You need 48 points for a free mini sub. Or 72 points for a free regular. Or 144 points for a free giant.
You need to buy 12 Giant subs to earn a free giant sub. And at [conservatively] $20 per giant sub, you’ve got to spend basically $240 to earn a $20 sub. 🫨😬
But wait, there’s more!
Your points never expire (cool), BUT you can only redeem up to 144 points per transaction (weird). And if you want modifications? That costs extra. Toppings? Extra. Cheese? Extra.
Plus, they’ve got this “Ticket Rewards” thing where you can trade your points for concert tickets. Because when you’re hungry and tired, what you really want is to think about entertainment logistics, right?
The Real Issue: Jersey Mike’s loyalty program makes you feel like you’re filing a tax return just to get a free sandwich.
Jimmy John’s: The Gamification Fever Dream
Jimmy John’s just completely overhauled their program in September 2025, moving from “Freaky Fast Rewards” to “JJ Rewards.”
The new system is spend-based. You get 10 points for every $1 spent.
- 150 points: free Kickin’ Ranch sauce
- 400 points: pickle or bag of chips
- 450 points: drinks
- 500 points: desserts
- 1,200 points: free sandwich (8″)
- 1,500 points: Favorites sandwiches
- 1,600 points: wraps
- 1,700 points: Toasted sandwiches
So you need to spend $120 to earn a free $8 sandwich. That’s a 1.5% return.
But here’s where it gets weird: they added achievement badges. You can unlock digital badges by completing challenges—like eating all 25 sandwiches on their menu.
The Real Issue: Jimmy John’s built a program that feels like a mobile game, not a loyalty reward.
Firehouse Subs: Points That Expire Faster Than Your Motivation
Firehouse Subs earns you 100 points per $1 spent. Sounds good until you realize:
You need 12,000 points for a free sub.
And your points expire 180 days after your last purchase.
They also added an in-app game called “Blaze Hopper.” Because nothing says “loyalty” like making you play a mobile arcade game.
The Real Issue: Firehouse’s program punishes customers for having a life.
Arby’s: The Receipt Scanning Nightmare
Arby’s wants you to earn 1 point per $1 spent… but you must scan your receipt to earn them.
This isn’t a loyalty program. This is a chore.
The Real Issue: If I wanted homework, I’d volunteer to help my teenage daughter with her calculus.
Wendy’s: Free Nuggs Today, Buyer’s Remorse Tomorrow
Wendy’s gives 10 points per $1 spent, but:
- No points on delivery
- Only one reward or offer per order
- Restrictions everywhere
The Real Issue: Wendy’s feels generous—until you try to redeem anything.
McDonald’s: A Loyalty Program So Complicated, They Had to Raise Prices
McDonald’s earns 100 points per $1 spent. Points expire in 6 months. And they recently raised redemption costs.
The Real Issue: McDonald’s loyalty program is more about extracting data than rewarding loyalty.
Why Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club Is Different (And Why That Matters)
This loyalty program comparison has shown that a loyalty program should reward you for being here, not for being tracked by algorithms.
Here’s what Sub Club actually is:
Buy 3 footlongs. Get your 4th free.
No points. No tiers. No math. No expiration. No nonsense.
25% off when you reach 4 sandwiches.
Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club is built on actual loyalty, not corporate manipulation.
The Real Truth About Corporate Loyalty Programs
Most loyalty programs work—for the company. Not the customer. They track data, monitor behavior, and build marketing profiles.
Sub Club isn’t that. It’s simple, human, real.
The Top 5 Scorecard (Because You Knew This Was Coming)
5th — Jimmy John’s: Fun but too complex.
4th — Jersey Mike’s: ROI so low it hurts.
3rd — Wendy’s: Great sign-up bonus, messy after that.
2nd — Arby’s: Overcomplicated receipt scanning.
1st — McDonald’s + Firehouse: A tie for most predatory.
And then there’s Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club, existing on a different plane of common sense.
The Bottom Line
You’re going to buy sandwiches. The question is whether your loyalty works for you—or the corporation mining your data.
Research shows that simplicity wins.
Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club rewards you like a neighbor, not a datapoint.
FAQ: Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club Questions
How do I join? Just give us your phone number at the register.
Do points expire? Nope.
Do delivery orders count? Yes!
Can I combine a reward with a promo? Almost never will a promo beat “Free Footlong.”
What if I’m gone for a while? Your progress is still there.
Kaysville Subway’s Sub Club: Where loyalty doesn’t require a tutorial.
Show up. Order. Earn. Get rewarded.
Rick’s Rant
Self-checkout technology at grocery stores is proof that humanity has given up. Here we are in 2025, supposedly the future, and the fastest way to check out at a grocery store is still to stand there with a handheld scanner, beeping items while a robot judge watches you.
I miss the days when you just handed someone your groceries and they rung it up while making small talk. Now we stand there pretending we’re efficient while the machine freezes because someone bought alcohol.
We’re not efficient. We’re frustrated and holding a laser scanner like it’s a weapon.