AutoZone Vs. O'Reilly Auto Parts: Which Rewards Program Helps You Save More?

Rewards programs are the unsung heroes of shopping — sure, you may be sacrificing privacy by letting retailers and other data collectors know everything you're purchasing, but you might find the money you're saving more than worth it. These days, nearly every kind of business franchise offers some type of rewards program, including supermarkets, coffee chains, and clothing retailers. Auto parts and aftermarket automotive stores are no exception.

You may be the type of budget-conscious buyer that likes to do their research in order to figure out how to save the most money possible, such as comparing the costs of affordable tools sold by Harbor Freight and O'Reilly. If that's the case, you're also likely interested in which rewards programs give you the most bang for your buck. As one of the nation's largest auto parts chains, O'Reilly is certainly worth looking at, especially since its loyalty program offers other benefits in addition to cash back rewards. But does O'Reilly's rewards program save you more than AutoZone's, another giant auto parts chain with its own loyalty system?

Unfortunately, it's not as easy as simply comparing straightforward percentages. Not only is the way loyalty points get calculated by both companies not the same, but how much cash back those points translate to are also different. However, once you do the math and a little converting, you'll find that one rewards program can save you a lot more money than the other: AutoZone's.

With O'Reilly's O'Rewards loyalty program, you earn a single loyalty point for every dollar spent, which makes keeping track of your points pretty simple. Once you've accumulated 150 points, you get a $5 cash back reward you can use — so basically you get $5 off for every $150 you spend at O'Reilly Auto Parts. AutoZone Rewards works differently — you earn a single credit for every purchase you make, online or in-store, as long as it's $20 or more. Once you have five credits, you get a $20 reward. Compared to the $5 for $150 for deal at O'Reilly, AutoZone Rewards translates to $20 back for every $100 spent. 

That's clearly a much bigger reward — that's $60 for every $300 spent at AutoZone compared to $10 for every $300 at O'Reilly. However, since AutoZone's credit system works differently, comparing the math isn't usually that straightforward. You earn a single credit for every $20 purchase — not every $20 spent. If you hit up your local AutoZone and spend $100 on auto parts and accessories brands owned by AutoZone or otherwise — you're still only getting a single credit.

That means that if you spend $300 over the course of three visits, you still haven't earned any rewards, whereas you're always accumulating points for every dollar spent at O'Reilly. On top of that, O'Reilly Auto Parts often offers deals on many products, such as double points, triple points, or even 10x points. If you buy a $30 product that has a 5x-point deal, you've already earned $5 back with those 150 points. AutoZone's rewards program may be the far better deal, but it depends on what you buy and how often you buy it.

You might have to take a closer look at your spending habits at auto parts stores to see which loyalty program will specifically save you more overall. Making lots of small (but over $20) purchases from AutoZone is the best way to maximize your rewards there, and you can radically increase your savings by seeking out and limiting your O'Reilly purchases to those that have 4x or higher points-back deals. Complicating this further is that AutoZone will offer bonus rewards for particular products at particular times as well.

Plus, each program offers other benefits in addition to cash back, which might make one loyalty system more attractive to you than the other. In addition to the constant one credit for every $20 purchase deal, AutoZone will also offer additional exclusive, personalized offers (that will likely be based on what you've purchased before). Signing up for AutoZone Rewards also allows you to use the app to keep track of all your purchases and warranties, as well as more easily manage your vehicle and service history in a single place. Rewards credits expire after a year, though there are exceptions, so you'll want to make sure you read the fine print if you sign up.

O'Reilly also lets you easily keep track of reward points on its app and offers exclusive discounts and deals for certain products. Additionally, the O'Rewards loyalty program gives you a coupon on your birthday, as well as weather-related and holiday-related deals. The app can also let you know when new products drop. Usually, you can't stack coupons for a single purchase, and other caveats you'll find in the fine print apply. Of course, buying underrated tools at O'Reilly Auto Parts that are cheap to begin with is another way to save money.