We’ve found some of the best SuperGold Card offers so you can shop smarter. The SuperGold card gives a number of offers, such as free off-peak transport and five percent off at Countdown on Tuesdays.

While a cost-free trip to Waiheke Island is certainly a bonus if you can use it, the card gives you thousands of other golden opportunities.

While many of the smaller cafes around will advertise SuperGold specials, it’s the nationwide cafe chains that are your best bet on getting a reliable discount no matter where you are in the country. Brands include the popular Gloria Jean’s, as well as The Coffee Club, who both offer 10 percent off your total bill.

Often found inside Mitre 10 Mega, Columbus Coffee also offers 10 percent off and is the perfect place to get a cheese scone and coffee after browsing the gardening section or stocking up on DIY gear. Often overlooked for discounts are major takeaway outlets like Burger King who offer free tea or coffee with any purchase or McDonald’s who offer any small McCafe coffee, tea or hot chocolate for just $3.

Downsizing your home and need some new furniture, or time to upgrade household appliances?

You can use your SuperGold card at some of New Zealand’s biggest homeware stores. Big Save Furniture offers an enormous 30 percent off the retail price at all their stores, while on the first Tuesday of the month, The Warehouse has a SuperGold Discount Day with five percent off most items.

Spotlight stores also offer 15 percent off storewide. With a huge range of craft products, quilting materials, homewares, manchester and often ample car parking outside, Spotlight is worth considering if you’re looking for a one-stop-shop to find everything you need to spruce up your home. For food shopping, Countdown still runs the above-mentioned Tuesday discount for SuperGold cardholders.

More often than not, health bills start to add up as you reach the retirement years. Being proactive is a great way to help limit health issues, and we don’t always think about how our feet affect the rest of our quality of life! The SuperGold card can give you discounts at stores such as Shoe Clinic, for example, where you can get quality shoes fitted specifically for your feet, helping you to keep more mobile and active.

Foot Mechanics are a podiatry service that also has a $10 discount on your first appointment, and if you search ‘foot’ on the SuperGold card website (www.supergold.govt.nz) there are a whole host of offers at various specialists and podiatrists around the country for you to choose from.

Connection is another area of life that impacts on health. As we’re often hearing in messaging from the Prime Minister and Department of Health lately, it’s important to stay connected - and not just during a pandemic. To help with this vital part of life, looking after your hearing and eyesight is definitely something to prioritise. If you’re finding your hearing, eyesight and dental appointments are becoming more regular as the years go by, you are not alone.

SuperGold discounts at opticians and retailers such as OPSM and Spec Savers, which are conveniently found in most malls, can help you keep the costs down for eye tests, prescription lenses and sunglasses. Lumino The Dentists also provide 10 percent off all dental treatments, while Triton Hearing offers free hearing checks and hearing aid demonstrations at all of their clinics.

While we’ve just touched on a few areas here, there are thousands more opportunities available for you to use your SuperGold card.

The programme’s website, at www.supergold.govt.nz is very user-friendly, enabling you to search by keyword or individual store or retailer, to see if they have any discounts before you visit, so you can plan around this information if you wish. It’s worth also asking at the checkout wherever you’re shopping if there are discounts, as some may not have made them as obvious as others.

If you are eligible and don’t have your card yet, head over to the website where you’ll find links to apply.