You Can Grab Food From A Wawa With No Shelves. Here's Where, Why

Wawa is trying out something new at one of its Philadelphia locations -- a convenience store with no shelves.

The first-of-its-kind Wawa located at 3300 Market Street in the University City neighborhood is being used as a test location, according to Wawa. It's the only Wawa currently running under this format.

The idea is to "test of a full-service Wawa shopping experience with all items purchased digitally via the Wawa app or through in-store touch screens, with all orders fulfilled by Wawa associates," Wawa spokesperson Lori Bruce told NBC10.

NBC10's newsgathering partners at the Philadelphia Business Journal were the first to report on the new Wawa concept.

The 24/7 store location located near Drexel University first opened in 2018, billed as the "newest and largest urban design prototype" of a Wawa in Philadelphia at the time, reported Drexel News. It is now something else new after being renovated over six days before reopening in late July, PBJ.Com reported.

The goal of the store with no shelves is speed, Wawa said.

"This will allow busy customers to place their orders and get their purchases faster than ever – fulfilled by friendly Wawa associates," Bruce said.

Want to check it out yourself? Download your Wawa app and head over to University City.

Wawa is also planning to listen to customers and workers about the flow of the techie store.

"We're working on gathering both customer and associate feedback to ensure we create the best experience possible," Bruce said.

Wawa, Second Harvest Food Bank Team Up To Get Results For Schools

ORLANDO, Fla. – Volunteers with the Wawa Foundation were out of the office on Monday and instead were working hard to build more than a dozen metal carts at the Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida.

The carts are set to hold several bags full of different fruits and vegetables to provide "brain fuel" for thousands of students across Central Florida.

"It's going to be based on seasonality and availability so you can expect anything from apples, oranges, bananas all the way to dragon fruit, even kiwi," Briana Rebello with Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida said.

The whole project is part of Wawa's "Fly Beyond Pilot Program," which donates fresh produce to more than 53,000 households through two of the food bank's childhood hunger prevention initiatives: Summer Food Service and The School Partnership Programs.

"It feels great that Wawa is able to partner with Second Harvest to provide these fresh items," Tiffany Lazo with Wawa explained.

Lazo said the carts will be rolled out once a month to more than 30 Central Florida schools where kids can grab a bag to take home at the end of their school day.

"To be able to provide something that's nutritious and that's just so important for students to be able to have that especially on the weekends when they're not in school it gets them ready for the week," Lazo said.

Here is a list of Central Florida schools participating in fresh produce program:

Aloma High School

Altamonte Elementary School

Astatula Elementary School

Astronaut Elementary School

Chancery Charter High School

Colonial High School

East River High School

Eccleston Elementary

Econ River High School

Edgewater High School

Elevation High School

Emma Jewel Elementary School

Endeavour Elementary School

Engelwood Elementary School

Evens High School

Hiawassee Elementary School

Ivey Lane Elementary School

Liberty High School

Mollie Ray Elementary School

North/Central Alternative Learning Center

Olympia High School

Pine Hills Elementary School

Pineloch Elementary School

Prairie Lake Elementary School

Roberto Clemente Middle School

Rosemont Elementary School

Sheeler High School

Silver Pines Academy

South Area Alternative Learning Center

Space Coast Jr Sr High School

Stone Magnet Middle School

Sunshine High School

Tangelo Park Elementary School

Washington Shores Elementary

Westridge Middle School

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Best Rewards Credit Cards Of August 2023

A travel rewards credit card earns points or miles on qualifying purchases, which can often be redeemed either in partnership with an airline or hotel loyalty reward program or with the card issuer's reward program for travel, including for airline tickets, hotel stays or cruises.

How Do Travel Credit Cards Work?

Travel rewards cards offer similar earning structures to cash-back rewards cards but earn points or miles instead of cash back. Like cash-back cards, these cards may also offer a welcome bonus for spending a certain amount on the card in a specific period of time following account opening.

Points or miles from co-branded cards are often associated with rewards programs apart from the card issuer. This is often the case with airline or hotel-branded cards. For example, your airline miles may be earned from your airline travel, but with a co-branded card, you can also earn them with everyday purchases.

Travel credit cards typically also offer additional benefits such as airline fee credits, hotel or resort rebates, lounge access and more.

How Do I Redeem Travel Rewards?

Travel reward redemptions often come with complex terms and conditions specific to the cardholder agreement. Every card is different, but many flexible travel reward cards feature an online site where redemptions can be made for travel.

Are Travel Rewards Cards Worth It?

For many, travel rewards have become a way of life, and credit cards offer a handy way to unlock travel benefits. Beware of generally higher interest rates and fees with rewards credit cards. It's important to carefully manage credit card accounts since carrying a balance and racking up interest charges will quickly outweigh any rewards earned. Do the math on your personal spending and consider how you'll use the benefits before applying for a new card.

Airline Miles

Frequent travelers may consider airline credit cards. These cards allow you to use your earned miles or points with an airline's reward program. Cards like these are co-branded with a specific airline, but issuer-branded cards may offer more flexibility to redeem points/miles with different airlines. One major consideration with airline cards are the additional benefits: Many cards unlock access to travel lounges, waive checked baggage fees or provide other travel-related perks. If you aren't sure where to start, Forbes Advisor has a list of the best airline rewards credit cards.

How Do Airline Miles Work?

Airlines offer reward or frequent flyer programs to encourage brand loyalty from customers. Though traditionally miles were earned for spending with the airline, co-branded credit cards offer the ability to earn airline reward program miles as a reward for spending on a credit card nearly anywhere. These miles can usually be redeemed toward upgrades, benefits or award ticket purchases.

Each airline loyalty program and each co-branded airline credit card will work differently. Be sure to read the fine print in the cardholder agreement and terms of use for the reward program before applying for a credit card as a means of earning more airline miles.

How Do I Earn Airline Miles?

Because each airline miles program functions differently and your travel preferences and needs will vary from the next person's, the best way to earn miles you'll find valuable will depend on your situation. For example, if you fly Alaska Airlines exclusively, an Alaska co-branded credit card might make sense for you, but if you fly a different airline each time you travel, a general travel card or set of cards may make more sense.

How Do I Redeem Airline Miles?

Since most airline mile rewards cards will deposit accumulated miles directly into your reward program account, the easiest way to redeem miles is often with the airline. This may vary per program, as each rewards program is different. Some miles may have much better value when transferred to a partner airline, but value is ultimately measured by the specific redemption made.

How Much Are Airline Miles Worth?

The value of your airline miles will depend on the type of mile and the price of any given redemption. For instance, if a flight costs 50,000 miles or $500, you'll be redeeming your points at 1 cent per mile. If that same flight costs $1,000 or 50,000 miles, you'll earn 2 cents per mile.

How Do I Buy Airline Miles?

Most major airlines allow customers to buy airline miles online. We advise cardholders to focus on earning bonus miles instead of spending money out of pocket to buy miles. Generally, purchasing miles from an airline is more costly than earning them by means of reward.

No matter how tempting it is to buy more miles from an airline, keep your eyes to the skies looking for reward opportunities instead.

The exception is if you have a known upcoming redemption and are short a few thousand miles or you know that the comparable cash ticket price is higher than the cost of buying miles.

Hotel Points

Hotel credit cards provide perks such as elite status, award-free nights and more while also allowing cardholders to earn rewards often redeemable for additional stays. If you are a loyal patron of a specific brand of hotel, this type of credit card may help you achieve a higher status or provide the occasional discount or award-free stay. If you're not loyal to any specific hotel, a general travel card with flexible rewards may allow you to transfer points to multiple loyalty program partners or book any hotel you want with your points.

How Do Hotel Points Work?

If you're loyal to a specific hotel brand, a co-branded credit card can be a great way to earn rewards fast and achieve elite status with the hotel's loyalty program. If you don't have a hotel preference, you may want to consider a travel rewards credit card that allows you to transfer points or miles to multiple loyalty programs.

How Do I Get Hotel Points?

Hotel loyalty program points can often be accumulated in several ways, but a rewards credit card may be a convenient way to build up a points stash. The exact ratio of points per dollar earned will depend on the specific card and its structured terms. While spending money with your card is the main way you'll earn these points, being savvy with how you redeem them can maximize the value of your rewards.

How Much Are Hotel Points Worth?

Though the exact value of your hotel points will vary based on specific redemptions, most of the time hotel points are worth less than one cent each.

Business Rewards

Business credit cards offer plenty of benefits to companies both large and small. The key to finding the best credit card for you is figuring out which perks matter most to your business and determining what you value most: rewards, cash back, perks or help building credit. If you are looking to open a business rewards credit card, Forbes Advisor maintains a list of the best business credit cards.

How Do Business Rewards Work?

A business credit card keeps your business and personal expenses separate. It also offers a way to track how much you're spending on your business, especially at tax time. Some small business cards come with a rewards program, and some also offer welcome bonuses.

Reward Programs for Small Businesses

For liability reasons, it's often important to keep your business finances separate from your personal ones. As a small business grows, it may be time to consider a credit card specifically designed for a small business. A business credit card offers a tool to access the credit you need to grow the operation month-to-month while also earning cash back and other valuable perks.

How To Choose the Best Rewards Credit Card

Credit card rewards are an often-profitable way to earn a little bit extra from the purchases you make on your credit card. Whether you choose cash back, points or miles, rewards can add up over time and help you pay for vacations or everyday expenses. Look at your spending and consider your personal goals to determine what kind of rewards program is the best fit for you. Consider too the negatives of a card. What fees are charged and what risk do you take on with a rewards card?

Annual Fee

An annual fee is essentially a fee you pay to have the credit card. The annual fee will vary by card, but the cards charging higher annual fees often grant you additional perks and higher rewards rates that may make the annual fee worth paying.

Sign-Up Bonus

A sign-up bonus, also called a welcome bonus, is a program designed to encourage customers to sign up for a credit card. These bonuses can include additional cash back, points or miles if you hit a spending threshold in a certain amount of time after receiving approval for the card. Some cards may also offer additional perks, reduced annual fees, introductory APR periods or even merchandise as a sign-up bonus.

0% APR Period

A 0% APR credit card is one offering a limited period of introductory 0% APR on either purchases, balance transfers or both. This break from interest during the introductory period on either purchases or balance transfers typically lasts anywhere from six months to nearly two years. With a deferred 0% APR interest offer, if balances are not paid off by the end of the period, it's possible that interest can be charged retroactively to the date of purchase or balance transfer.

Foreign Transaction Fees

A foreign transaction fee is typically 1% to 3% of the amount of a purchase and is charged when you make a purchase in a foreign country or in another currency. Some credit cards do not charge foreign transaction fees, so if you plan to travel internationally and use your card, look for one without the fee.

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