LEGO Insiders – your questions answered

LEGO Insiders is the LEGO Group’s new loyalty program, which is replacing the LEGO VIP program. The big picture is that it’s pretty much just a rebrand for now: there’s a new name, a new logo and a new way to earn loyalty points – more on that below – but for the most part, everything else is staying the same. The LEGO VIP program has been in place since 2009, and was overhauled in 2019, but the LEGO Group says now is the time to properly refresh the loyalty scheme.

“A lot of this is a progression that we've made over the years, moving from what was traditionally just a discount program to offering more benefits and a larger reward portfolio,” explains LEGO Insiders Global Director Jason Whiting. “Because of that, and how the nature of our users has changed over the years, we felt it was time for a change of the program.”

The LEGO Group says there are two main reasons for making the switch from LEGO VIP to LEGO Insiders. The first is to homogenise the various LEGO online experiences into a single account, so that when new members sign up for a LEGO Ideas account (for example), they’ll also have access to LEGO VIP, LEGO.com and LEGO Life without having to sign up for those areas separately.

The second reason is that the name Insiders is apparently more inviting and inclusive for new fans than VIP, which Whiting says was seen as ‘something very much unattainable to a lot of users’. The new name, on the other hand, ‘resonated with people wanting to become closer to the brand’.

LEGO Insiders works in pretty much the same way as the LEGO VIP program: you’ll earn points by purchasing LEGO and completing activities, and you’ll then be able to spend those points on exclusive rewards and discount vouchers. The values of those points will remain consistent, too, so you’ll still receive the equivalent of 5% cashback on all purchases through official LEGO channels (or 10% during double Insiders points periods).

Other LEGO VIP benefits will also carry over, including early access to new releases, exclusive gifts-with-purchase for Insiders members and both physical and digital prizes in the Insiders Reward Centre. There’s still no fee for joining or maintaining a membership, either.

Your LEGO VIP points will become LEGO Insiders points when the new program launches later this month. Other than that, nothing will change: they’ll all carry over with no loss of points, they will still have the same value as before, and you’ll still be able to exchange them for the same discounts and rewards. The LEGO Group says the variety and scope of its exclusive rewards will expand in future, too.

The biggest difference with LEGO Insiders is the ability to earn loyalty points no matter where you shop. While you’ll still need to buy from LEGO.com or LEGO Stores to earn a full 5% of your purchase back in points (or 10% during double points events), you can earn a flat 20 bonus points on all sets by scanning the QR code in their instruction booklets.

These QR codes are unique to each individual set (so you can earn bonus points on multiple copies of the same set), and have been in products since 2018 – so you can also earn bonus points on previous purchases within the past five years, provided you still have your instruction manuals.

There are multiple ways to earn LEGO Insiders points, just as there were to earn LEGO VIP points. Buying products directly from LEGO.com and in LEGO Stores is still the most profitable way to rack up points, but you can also earn them by scanning the QR code in instruction booklets (at a flat rate of 20 points per set, no matter the size or cost of the original product).

You’ll also still be able to earn additional points by completing surveys in the LEGO Insiders Reward Centre when those opportunities arise.

So, LEGO Insiders points for nothing sounds great for the consumer – but there has to be something in it for the LEGO Group too, right? Right: by registering your purchases in your LEGO VIP account (for the bonus 20 points), you’re basically telling the LEGO Group which sets you’re interested in and which sets you already own.

That will allow the company to better personalise its email marketing, by avoiding alerting you to sets you already have. You will have the option to opt out of this more targeted marketing if you so choose, however.

LEGO Insiders launches on August 21, 2023. From that point on, all LEGO VIP branding will change to LEGO Insiders. Familiar artwork will still remain for future promotions, such as the blue diamond and ‘2x’ logo used for double points events, but you won’t see the words ‘LEGO VIP’ anywhere at LEGO.com or in LEGO Stores.

Nope: the LEGO Group will implement all changes on August 21, and as your VIP points will simply carry over and become Insiders points, you don’t need to do anything to prepare for the new program (or make any changes once it’s live). You’ll simply have one consolidated account across all of the LEGO Group’s online experiences.