Dis-Chem has teamed up with Capitec, SA’s largest retail bank, in a partnership that could reshape how consumers access and pay for healthcare, linking financial rewards to health behaviour as part of the company’s new Better Rewards programme.
The retailer unveiled the initiative last week at its X.bigly innovation hub in Melrose Arch. It replaces Dis-Chem’s traditional loyalty model with a data-led system that integrates rewards across retail purchases, clinic visits and financial services.
Dis-Chem CEO Rui Morais said the move comes as the country’s healthcare system faces rising costs and growing fragmentation that limit access for most consumers.
According to Morais, the healthcare market is growing by inflation and not volume. He said the system was inefficient and unaffordable, adding that Dis-Chem aimed to connect the dots across primary healthcare — retail, clinics, insurance and digital — to make care more accessible and more affordable.
Through the partnership, Dis-Chem will plug into Capitec’s more than 25-million customer base via the bank’s Live Better platform, offering additional cashback rewards and tailored health benefits. Capitec clients will be able to earn enhanced rewards on Dis-Chem purchases and access offers linked to health-related actions such as clinic consultations or chronic medication refills.
Morais said the collaboration was part of a broader strategy to shift Dis-Chem from being “a pharmacy group” to becoming “an integrated primary healthcare partner”. He said the use of data would allow the company to focus on prevention rather than treatment, helping consumers make better health choices while lowering costs across the system.
“We’re excited to work with a brand that shares our commitment to delivering daily value to our clients. Through this partnership, Capitec clients enjoy an additional 5% off, giving them a 15% instant discount at the till across more than 140 leading brands simply by paying with Capitec.
“As Dis-Chem’s only banking partner, we’re expanding access to meaningful everyday savings and reinforcing our goal to help clients live better through smarter, more connected partnerships,” said Kelly Goldsworthy, head of Live Better at Capitec.
The move also strengthens Dis-Chem’s competitive positioning in a rapidly evolving retail arena. Morais acknowledged that Shoprite’s expansion in the health and beauty market through its Medirite pharmacies and its Xtra Savings loyalty programme had “changed the game” by showing the scale of digital engagement possible in the mass market. The company’s differentiation was set to come from healthcare depth and integration.
Dis-Chem is betting that combining retail, healthcare and financial ecosystems will allow it to compete not only with other pharmacy chains but also with broader lifestyle and wellness platforms such as Discovery’s Vitality. The CEO said it was, however, not about discounts but about outcomes.
He believes that if Dis-Chem can align incentives across health and finance it can help reduce the cost of care.
The Better Rewards programme will be available to all Dis-Chem customers from October 21. A digital card will also be available on the Capitec app as part of the company’s e-commerce efforts.
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