Tim Hortons is now rewarding customers with a free coffee or baked good for every seventh visit, as part of a new loyalty program rolling out in Canada.

With the Tims Rewards loyalty card, a patron’s seventh trip to the restaurant will make them eligible for one any-sized coffee or hot tea, or baked goods -- except for Timbits or bagels. Each visit has to be at least 30 minutes apart and customers must spend at least 50 cents.

People can pick up a loyalty card at any Tim Hortons restaurant in Canada; or download Tims rewards to digital wallets on their iPhone or Android devices.

If customers download the chain’s mobile app, they can also track how close they are to getting a free drink, scan for rewards or make orders from their mobile devices.

“This was our biggest initiative of the year,” Tim Hortons’ chief operating officer Mike Hancock said during an interview with BNN Bloomberg on Wednesday.

Last spring, Tim Hortons first announced the company wanted to launch a loyalty program to try regaining customers’ trust after the chain publicly struggled to fix its strained relationship with franchisees.

“Ultimately, why we launched this program was a reaction to the voice of our guests,” Hancock said. “We listened to our guests and they said this is something that they wanted.”

In a press release, Tim Hortons president Alex Macedo said the program was a way of saying thank you to customers. Likely not by coincidence, the number seven was on the hockey jersey of chain founder and NHL legend Tim Horton.

For a limited time, customers who register will also receive a free reward after their first purchase greater than $1.50.

 

With files from BNN Bloomberg