Is the Sky VIP scheme worth staying loyal for?

Sky has introduced a new loyalty scheme promising free movies, downloads and discounts on set up fees. I’ve taken a look at what Sky VIP is, and whether it’s any good.

If I’ve said it once, I’ll say it again. Loyalty rarely pays. Yes it’s nice to get the odd freebie or discount for using a brand, but it’s a very rare reward scheme that makes it worth signing up to a company and staying with them as you can usually save more by taking your business elsewhere.

So the Sky VIP needs to be something very special to buck the trend.

What is Sky VIP?

If you are a Sky customer – whether that’s for one day or a couple of decades, you will be able to sign up for its new loyalty scheme.

There are four tiers depending on how long you’ve been with Sky. Entry level, available to all customers, is called Silver. You move up to Gold, Platinum and then Black the longer you’ve been with the satellite and broadband company. If you leave and come back to Sky you start again at zero years.

Each level offers different benefits

  • Sky VIP Silver (0 – 3 years):
    • Free DVD and streaming movie from Sky Store
    • Access to free movie, event and sports tickets
  • Sky VIP Gold (3 – 8 years):
    • Free Sky Go Extra to download programmes when out and about
    • Sky Atlantic VIP – a new channel previewing shows 24 hours before everyone else
  • Sky VIP Platinum (8 – 15 years)
    • Free Fibre set up
    • Free data boost if you have Sky Mobile
  • Sky VIP Black:
    • Free Sky Q set up
    • Priority customer service and dedicated support phone line

Is Sky VIP any good?

Let’s take each of the rewards one by one.

Silver rewards

If you are with Sky, then the free movie for all customers is nice. But in reality, this is worth £13.99 at most. You can save that in ONE month by switching from Sky TV to NOW TV. You’d then keep on saving as the months go on – and you’ll still be able to watch all the Sky TV channels.

Ok so NOW TV is just on demand, meaning you can’t record, but is that saving of more than £200 extra a year better than being able to store programmes (most of which you know you’ll never get around to watching)? I’d say it is.

>> Check out the latest NOW TV deals

The free cinema and sports tickets sound good don’t they. But how on earth can they give every customer a free Premier League ticket? They can’t. It’ll either be through prize draws or go to whoever has the fastest reaction when tickets are released. I’d take this offering with a pinch of salt.

Gold rewards

Right, the free Sky Go Extra, worth £5 a month, is actually a pretty nice reward if you think you’ll download programmes for your commute or on holiday. However, I’d still recommend switching to NOW TV instead and then using some of the savings to pay for Netflix or Amazon Prime. These have downloads as standard and you’d have access to even more content to consume!

As for Sky Atlantic VIP… well if I end up having to wait an extra day to watch Game of Thrones I won’t be happy. But with huge efforts to cut down on piracy such as simulcast with the USA, I don’t envisage this applying to every show. And with most programmes I think we can all wait 24 hours. It’s certainly not worth paying over the odds to stay with Sky for.

Platinum rewards

These are pointless.

If you don’t already have Fibre internet the setup discount will save you at most £50 – but you’ll still have to pay more each month for the service and this could be cheaper with a different provider. Not only will you get new member offers from the likes of BT, Virgin or Talk Talk, but you can often get up to £150 extra if you switch via sites like Quidco and TopCashback

>> My tips to save a fortune on your broadband

Equally with the mobile data top up, you only benefit if you have your phone with Sky. Yes these “combo” deals are more and more common (I have my mobile via BT), but you could very well be getting more by getting your service elsewhere.

>> How to lower your mobile phone bill

Black rewards

If you’ve been with Sky for 15 years or more, then this is a nice reward – though you’ve got to ask how many people will actually make use of all the features. The top Sky Q box is worth £199 and allows you to record six shows and watch a seventh live. However to access it’s Ultra HD channels you need to pay an extra £12 a month for Sky Multiscreen. Oh and have an Ultra HD TV.

Instead you could just pay £20 and get a slightly more basic box that only records three channels. But hey, how often are there four shows on at the same time you HAVE to seee that aren’t repeated at a different time slot?

So again, I think this is all show for very little reward.

And the premium hotline? Yeah, like that’s worth staying with Sky for 15 years instead of saving a fortune and switching.

How to get Sky VIP

Obviously you need to be a Sky customer. You then need to download the My Sky app to your phone or tablet. Once you’ve done this you can go to Sky VIP on the homescreen and check out which rewards you can claim.

The free movie “welcome gift” is only available to people signed up by 15th August 2018. To get yours you need to select the offer on the app and await a code to be emailed through. You can then use this on the Sky Store website to get your film to instantly watch on your Sky box, and the DVD will be put in the post.

My verdict

Ok, you can tell I don’t think much of this. I’d switch away for the best deal rather than stick around for these rewards.

However, sometimes the best deal is to stay – as long as you haggle. Phone up Sky and say you want to leave and see what they will offer you. It could be a monthly discount or extra channels for free. Perhaps you can blag Sky Go Extra or a Sky Q box? it’s all worth a go.

Then, or if you’re a new customer who has just signed up, you may as well take advantage of what’s on offer.

But don’t stay around on the promise of free Premier League tickets.

>> Cut your TV bills by hundreds of pounds each year

 

 

One thought on “Is the Sky VIP scheme worth staying loyal for?

  1. I’d not even heard of this – thanks, will check it out!

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