There's nothing better than being rewarded for something you love to do.
Since eating is one of my all time favorite hobbies, it should come as no surprise that I'm a big fan of restaurants that offer reward programs for their loyal customers.
Because let's be real, if there's one thing that feels just as good as stuffing your face with food, it's the satisfaction you get from scoring your favorite snacks fo' free.
If you're one of the many people who visits Chipotle on the reg, I have some good news for you.
It turns out your beloved Mexican grill is planning to launch its very own rewards program called "Chiptopia" on July 1. I know, it sounds pretty damn amazing.
But before you start sobbing delicious tears of joy into your beloved burrito bowl, you should probably know there are a bunch of rules that come along with Chipotle's new program.
Chiptopia is a temporary summer rewards program that will only run for the months of July, August and September. But if things go well, there's a chance Chipotle will make this program a permanent thing.
The Chiptopia rewards program has different "status" levels. You'll achieve a "Mild" level after buying four meals in one month, a "Medium" after buying eight meals and a "Hot" level after punching 11 meals.
You'll earn points for buying a meal worth a minimum of $6. However, Chipotle will only count one visit per day toward your Chiptopia rewards.
Customers will only be rewarded for making "multiple paid visits to Chipotle within a given month," not for the amounts they spend. So buying a bunch of meals in the same day won't do much good.
The points don't rollover from month to month, either. At the end of each month, your point balance will reset to zero.
You'll also earn points every time you use your rewards to redeem a free meal.
The rewards go beyond free food. In addition to earning a meal each time you reach a higher status level, Chipotle will be giving out bonus rewards for customers who maintain their levels throughout all three months.
Maintaining a mild status for the duration of the program will earn you a free meal. If you keep up your Medium status for all three months, you'll score $20 worth of Chipotle merchandise from its online store. And if you manage to maintain the Hot status, you'll be rewarded with Chipotle catering for 20 people.
You'll have 30 days to use your Chiptopia rewards before they expire. As far as the bonus rewards are concerned, you'll have until December 31, 2016 to redeem Mild and Medium bonus rewards and you'll have until March 31, 2017 to redeem Hot bonus rewards.
If you're looking to get in on the Chiptopia action, you should probably do it in July because Chipotle will be offering free chips and guacamole when you buy a meal and sign up for the program during the first month.
Citations: 5 Things to Know About Chipotle's New Rewards Program (Eater)
