If you've been hoarding Fuel Points at Fred Meyer or QFC, here's some news worth paying attention to: Kroger — the parent company of both Portland-area chains — has revamped its rewards program in a way that actually benefits households who don't fill up at the pump very often.

Kroger announced this week that rewards program members now have more flexibility in how they use their points. Members can redeem points for dollars off groceries in-store and online, in addition to fuel discounts at the pump. "Fuel Points" are simply called "Points" now, giving members the freedom to choose how they save.

That's a meaningful shift. The old model locked you into a binary: burn your points on gas or lose them. If you don't drive much — or you've been filling up at Costco — those accumulated points were essentially dead value. Now you can put them directly toward your grocery bill instead.

Members earn one point for every $1 spent on purchases made with a rewards card in-store or online for Pickup or Delivery. You also earn 25 points for every qualifying prescription filled at the pharmacy — a detail easy to overlook if you've been using the Fred Meyer pharmacy. On the grocery side, you can redeem for $1 off purchases for every 100 points, up to $10 off per day. To redeem, you need to log into your digital account at Kroger.com or the Fred Meyer app and apply points before checkout.

The fuel option is still available if that works better for your household. You can save 10 cents per gallon for every 100 points redeemed, up to $1 off per gallon — which can mean up to $35 off a fill-up.

Here's what the earn and redeem options look like inside the Fred Meyer app:

One important note: the grocery redemption option requires applying your points before checkout in the app or on the website. It won't work retroactively at the register. That's the kind of thing that's easy to forget if you're used to just handing over your card.

Kroger is running several limited-time bonus point events this summer:

Private Selection is Kroger's store brand line, available at both Fred Meyer and QFC. If you're stocking up on pantry staples anyway, pairing the coupon with a 4X Points Friday stacks up fast.

Boost members — Kroger's paid membership tier — earn 2X points on qualifying purchases, which accelerates the earn rate significantly on top of any bonus point events. Whether that subscription pays off depends on your household spend and whether you're actually using the free delivery benefit. If you signed up a while ago and haven't revisited it, now's a reasonable time to check.

If you shop at Fred Meyer or QFC, your existing rewards card is already tied to the Kroger program. If you don't have an account yet, membership is free at Kroger.com. From there, you can link your Fred Meyer or QFC card and start managing your points balance in one place.

The program change applies across Kroger's banner stores, which means it works whether you're shopping at Fred Meyer on Interstate, QFC in the Pearl, or any other location in the metro area.

Stumptown Savings covers grocery deals and food prices across the Portland metro area every Tuesday and Thursday. Subscribe free to get the deals in your inbox.