Kindle Rewards vs Kobo Super Points for Digital Manga

I was curious about how Kindle Rewards points and Kobo Super points compare, so I decided to put them side by side.

An Overview of Kobo VIP Super Points vs Kindle Rewards Points

Rakuten's Kobo and Amazon's Kindle both offer loyalty programs where you gain points for buying digital books on their respective platforms. These points can then be redeemed towards more digital titles. This is especially beneficial for frequent purchasers of digital manga or other digital books, as it helps offset costs and adds value when growing your digital manga collection.

As Kobo and Kindle are two of the largest retailers of digital manga, I'll be focusing on their respective loyalty programs.

Neither program is specific to digital manga, but since a manga series can span dozens of books, earning points on purchases we're already making is an added perk of using these storefronts.

Kindle Rewards Points

As of this writing, Kindle Rewards is in "beta" and available only in the United States. Joining the program is effortless; if you have an Amazon account, you're automatically enrolled—no separate sign-up required.

Here's how it works:

1. Earn 3 points per dollar spent on Kindle books.
2. Redeem points for Kindle book credits. Currently, $3 in Kindle credit is given for every 300 points exchanged.

Amazon occasionally offers 'bonus' deals, where you can earn double or triple points (6 or 9 points per dollar spent) during certain periods.

Kobo VIP Super Points

Kobo's Super Points are only available if you're a Kobo VIP member as well.

Rakuten's VIP membership allows members to earn Kobo Super Points for money spent on book purchases. This program requires a fee: $10/year for US residents, introducing a small barrier compared to Amazon's program.

The mechanics are similar:

1. Earn 20 points per dollar spent on Kobo books.
2. Points can be used to purchase eligible Kobo digital manga outright, rather than applying as a discount.

Kobo VIP memberships are available in more regions than Kindle Rewards, including Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, and Italy. Unlike Kindle Rewards, which offers credit for any Kindle book, Kobo Super Points are redeemable only on select titles. 

Conversion Rate Comparison and Buying Experience

Redeeming points is easy as clicking a button.

Let's compare how much you'd need to spend to earn enough points to purchase a $10 volume of manga:

Kindle Rewards: 3 points per dollar, $3 credit for 300 points. To redeem $10 credit, you need at least 1,200 points (since redemption is in 300-point blocks).

To get 1,200 points, you need to spend $400, equating to a return rate of about 3%.

The cost of each digital manga varies, and A regularly priced $10 volume can be redeemed for 5,200 points.

Kobo VIP Super Points: 20 points per dollar. A $10 manga volume costs 5,200 points, meaning you need to spend $260, a return rate of about 3.8%.

However, consider Kobo's $10 annual fee, payable with 4,000 Super Points (equivalent to a $200 spend). This fee diminishes as you buy more.

Which Is a Better Value?

The value of each program depends on how many manga volumes you plan to buy annually.

• Kobo starts with a $10/year fee.
• Amazon's redemption in 300-point blocks means you can't redeem exactly 1,000 points; you must redeem at least 1,200 points.

With Kindle, points carry over, so you can accrue points across purchases:

• 1st volume: Spend $400 for 1,200 pts. Redeem 1,000 pts, 200 pts remaining.
• 2nd volume: Spend $300 for 900 pts + 200 pts previous balance = 1,100 pts. Redeem 1,000 pts, 100 pts remaining.
• 3rd volume: Spend $300 for 900 pts + 100 pts previous balance = 1,000 pts. Redeem 1,000 pts, 0 pts remaining.

The cycle repeats for the 4th volume and beyond.

Conclusion: Depends on Your Purchase Volume

In summary, if you buy at least 4 volumes of digital manga annually, Rakuten Kobo's VIP Super Points program likely offers better value. If you buy fewer than 4 volumes, then Kindle Rewards might be more advantageous.

Here's a breakdown of the required spending to redeem a particular number of digital manga volumes: