Target Is Ending Its Cartwheel Rewards Program & People Are Losing It

In a rather tragic turn of events for shoppers the world over, it looks like Target is ending its Cartwheel rewards program. Man, first we find out that Sephora points are going to have an expiration date, and now this? It's a sad string of events, to be sure.

Target's Cartwheel Perks loyalty program was a pilot program designed to boost the amount of in-store customers (you know, as opposed to people just buying everything online). It functioned similarly to other rewards programs, like Sephora's — you'd buy items, then build up points that would then go towards redeeming certain perks, such as discounted (or even free) items. It was quite the popular program, and it goes without saying that its discontinuation has ruffled more than a few feathers.

As it stands now, fans still have a little time to get in their very last savings, since the program be sticking around for just a little while longer — Target shoppers will be able to continue accruing their Cartwheel points through Aug. 27, and will be able to continue redeeming said points until Sept. 27. It's all definitely happening fast, but at least it gives you enough time to make sure you actually spend you points before they disappear into oblivion.

It's disappointing to be sure, but at least you'll have a chance to nab a few last perks before it all goes away.

Still, there's hope yet: As Target said to CNBC, "We had many learnings about how to engage and reward guests that we plan to leverage in the future ... We look forward to sharing more about exciting changes coming soon to the Cartwheel and Target apps."

With this new news about the Cartwheel Perks, together with what we know about the two major in-house brands they'll be discontinuing, it looks like Target sure is making some major changes all around. Growing pains are to be expected, and we can all hope that Target will eventually replace the Cartwheel program with something comparable — who knows? Maybe it'll even be better.