Kellogg's movies: Cereal companies are well known for offering small prizes that kids can save up for, some for cash plus UPCs and some for UPCs alone. Recently, Kellogg's had a relatively long-running program, during which its boxes featured forms and coupons that offered a free DVD for five purchases. The movies were full-length, mostly well-known titles. The boxes have disappeared from our local stores' shelves, but I still have a certificate that's good until March 31, so there may be more out there.
Cigarettes and Alcohol: I'm not a smoker, and I rarely drink, but I have heard that several brands of cigarettes (including Newports and Virginia Slims) and alcohol offer rewards for proofs of purchase. Understandably, I could find nothing official on these programs online — they are advertised directly to the companies' customers to minimize criticism for rewarding unhealthy behavior. I would also recommend avoiding these brands' loyalty programs as a teaching tool for children — use products they can enjoy instead.
Upper Deck trading cards: Specifically geared toward kids, each Upper Deck trading card (at least the 2006 cards, according to the website) have codes that are worth a specific value that remains secret until the code is entered online. Prizes include music downloads, movie passes, video games, and sports memorabilia. Those who have duplicate cards can trade them through the site to get more points.
Betty Crocker Points: Betty Crocker points were still around through 2006, appearing next to the Box Tops for Education logo on General Mills products. The Box Top for Education is worth a dime to a school, but near the end of the program, the Betty Crocker points were nearly worthless, as you could only earn a discount on a purchase, not a free item. Plus, most of the items in the catalog were sold elsewhere for nearly the same price as the discounted price you had to save up for. If you still have Betty Crocker points you want to use, click on “Points” in small print at the bottom of the company's website, where you will learn how to redeem them for a 10% discount at the company's online store.
Dum Dum Lollipops: Dum Dums' Save Wraps for Stuff is similar to the Betty Crocker program in that you still have to lay out cash in addition to the saved wrappers to get anything. The rewards are fun, retro-looking products with the Dum Dum logo on them, which you might consider buying for a tween, but it's better to view the redemption as a purchase rather than as a reward.
If a particular loyalty program offers rewards you don't really want, you can still benefit from saving the points. Have some you won’t use? Read the fine print, and if it's allowed, sell them on eBay. After I received the Bob the Builder set from Pampers, I continued to save Pampers points, and every two months or so, I sell the codes in a lot, earning anywhere from $10 to $30 for them. If your children are the ones saving the tokens/points, get them involved in the auction process by having them calculate shipping, help you write the description, track the bids, and package the tokens.
Likewise, if you really want something but are just a few points/tokens too short, look into buying some more on eBay. Also consider asking friends and relatives to save their codes/tokens/points for you if they aren't already saving them for themselves. Most people will gladly help you save for something when they'd just throw away the packaging, anyway. If others are saving tokens for your children, be sure your children write thank you notes, including a mention of what prize(s) they earned.
Don't lose your good money sense, however, when you (or your child) set out to save for a reward. You may actually be able to buy the reward you want in a store for less than what you spend acquiring points/tokens (either by purchasing them outright or by buying products you wouldn't normally buy). Reinforce the lesson you want to teach your children by saving and spending wisely, even if it's not real cash.
