Zyn Rewards: Nicotine pouch users are cashing in cases for $400 Apple Watches and $600 Dyson AirWraps
Dani Darlene is not a fan of her husband’s ZEN habits. Then she discovered she could get an iPad out of it.
For years, finding bags and cases of ZYN around the house was “the most annoying thing,” says Darlene, a 24-year-old personal trainer. Luck. But after learning about the brand’s rewards program through TikTok in February, the discomfort took a different form.
“I’m going to take advantage of this,” Darlene said Luck.
ZYN’s tobacco-free nicotine pouches come in packs of 15, inside a round plastic box that resembles a can of Ice Breakers mints. Each container has a unique code that can be redeemed on the company’s website for 15 points, but they can only scan 60 cans per month. Users can then redeem their points for a range of prizes, from handbags to air fryers.
“I felt like a kid in a video game getting all my tickets and they were going to win prizes,” Darlene said. “That’s how it feels.”
After months of hoarding ZYN containers and carefully scanning each unique code, Darlene was able to earn $50 Amazon gift card. Now, she’s trying to score 7,560 points—504 boxes—for a ninth-generation iPad, or even 15,000 points—1,000 boxes—for a Dyson AirWrap hair styler.
It takes most nicotine pouch users two days to finish a box, according to for online retailer NicoKick. So, Darlene called her husband’s colleagues for reinforcements.
“They have one Home Depot the bucket was in the back of the truck and they threw cans in there,” Darlene said Luck. “And when I’m ready to collect, I’ll take them.”
TikTok videos feature Gen Z and other Millennial users shape with dozens of cans of ZYN, ready to be exchanged for cash. ZYN’s rewards program is reminiscent of turn-of-the-century cigarette rewards programs, where smokers could redeem coupons from cigarette packs for T-shirts, hats, bags or other merchandise. But the company itself doesn’t make that comparison.
“The ZYN Rewards program is modeled after loyalty programs for consumer products and services offered across a variety of industries to reward a loyal consumer base of nicotine has a strict age limit,” parent company ZYN Philip Morris International said in a statement with Luck. “The items in the program are based on customer feedback.”
New cigarette coupons?
Dr. Zongshan Duan, assistant professor at Georgia State University, said current FDA guidelines regulating tobacco products do not apply to ZYN. School of Public Health.
“They have more freedom to market their products in various forms compared to combustible cigarettes,” Dr. Duan said. Luck. That includes radio, television, print and online advertising, he said.
ZYN’s tobacco-free status has allowed it to bypass federal and state regulations on tobacco marketing—including bans on coupons, branded merchandise, event sponsorships, and giveaways donate.
As for reward programs, these remain legal at the federal level for tobacco products—as long as the reward is not tobacco, according to the 2023 FDA instruct. Marlboro has an active rewards program in the United States with Apple AirTag, $80 Passport gift cards and the Solo Stove Mesa Tabletop Fire Pit among its prizes.
However, FDA regulations ban “tobacco and smokeless tobacco” companies from selling branded goods—think Marlboro hats, Parliament suitcases, or Winston jackets.
Social media users said they received ZYN-branded towels, neon signs and water bottles through its rewards program, although a Philip Morris International spokesperson said the rewards site is currently at “does not include any of those products”. A “discontinued” ZYN beach towel is currently on sale eBay for $89.99.
“I think the end goal is the same [as cigarette coupons]—just to enhance user behavior toward those products,” Dr. Duan said. “But with a slightly different approach.”
What’s behind Zyn’s rise?
ZYN bags have taken America by storm—they can be spotted beneath the lips of office staff are looking to get their nicotine fix discreetly or on the front lines of the culture war, after Sen. Chuck Schumer pushed for a federal crackdown on the “bag full of problems” that prompted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green calls for “Zynsurrection.”
Philip Morris International said it shipped 131.6 million cans of ZYN in the first quarter of 2024 in the United States — a nearly 80% increase compared to the same period last year. The company’s U.S. business grew 62% from 2022 to 2023, according to PMI earnings report.
ZYN is marketed as an alternative to smoking or vaping — not necessarily a path toward quitting nicotine altogether. But the company is adamant that it is not for first-time nicotine users. “If you do not currently use nicotine, ZYN is not for you,” its website reads.
“A lot of people accidentally became addicted to nicotine” after vaping became popular, Darlene said. Luck. She said she has seen her friends’ use of ZYN increase as they try to quit smoking or vaping.
Darlene estimates her husband has used nearly 10,000 containers of Zyn in his life – even though she says he promised to quit his job before they became parents. Another reason to quit is “Zynflation,” she said. A box of 15 bags of ZYN now costs up to $8 in Colorado, where she lives, up from $4 about five years ago.
Finally, Darlene said she will care for her husband’s health through an iPad. But now?
“If you’re already spending money, you can do the same,” she said.
