[Update (6/1/2022): Effective 6/1/2022, Ford will be discontinuing the Ford Shareholder Discount Program ("X-Plan"). Shareholders that have received an eligible Shareholder PIN before 6/1/2022 will have until 12/31/2022 to redeem their discount before the PIN becomes invalid.]
Ford Motor Company was one of the first American car companies to utilize manufacturing concepts such as the assembly line to make automobiles affordable for every American household. Today, the company manufactures and sells cars, SUVs, trucks, and commercial vehicles all across the world.
The Ford Shareholder Discount Program, commonly known as the X-Plan, provides a significant discount on the purchase of new Ford vehicles. Depending on the type of vehicle you want to purchase, it's possible to save thousands on a single vehicle purchase through this program.
How Many Shares Are Needed to Qualify?
Shareholders must directly own at least 100 shares of Ford stock for at least six months prior to qualifying for the stockholder discount.
How Do I Claim the Discount?
If you have held the necessary number/ of shares for the right amount of time, go to this web-page and print out the application form. After mailing in the form, you'll receive a Shareholder PIN. Show this PIN and your Social Security number at any Ford dealership, and the sales staff will show you the invoice for the vehicle that shows the X-Plan pricing.
How Much is the Discount?
Ford does not like to publically announce the value of the discount on each of its vehicles, so determining the discount before walking into a dealership can be difficult. Fortunately, we do have a lot of anecdotal evidence to work from, as many current shareholders have posted how much they have saved.
In general, Ford offers discounts between $1,000 and $4,000 per vehicle. Ford claims that the exact amount is dependent on the model and trim package of the vehicle, but some buyers have reason to believe that the discount is also tied to the popularity of the vehicle. Many have noticed that the most popular Ford vehicles, such as the F-150, have had discounts as little as $75 in previous years, while less popular sedans have been discounted by over $5,000.
Recently, a number of documents appeared on the internet that showed that the X-Plan discount was calculated by taking just 0.4% off the invoice price of the vehicle, then adding $275 for a "program fee". If true, this is not the Employee discount price or A-Plan that many shareholders claimed to have received in the past. The Employee discount subtracts both the holdback and advertising fee from the total invoice price.
While most anecdotal evidence shows that this formula is being followed, it's important to note that Ford can change it at any time. In addition, it's important to realize that invoice pricing is subject to change.
Nonetheless, the discount is one of the few discounts on new cars that is being offered by any vehicle manufacturer. With the average price of a new truck topping $54,000, the X-Plan can give a discount of over $2,100. In some places, that's enough of a discount to put the price of a new truck lower than the price of a used one.
Can I use other discounts in addition to the shareholder discount?
Absolutely. If you can find other discounts, such as a loyalty discount for already owning a Ford vehicle (typically about $500) or any type of dealership discount, you can stack them together. The only exception is that you cannot stock other Plan discounts, such as A-Plan discounts for employees. Be on the lookout for additional discounts to shareholders that are periodically offered by Ford. Usually, these are offered on vehicles that are difficult to sell, however, and they have not been offered in recent months.
Is the discount transferrable?
Officially, the policy is that the discount can only be offered to people who directly hold 100 shares of Ford. However, there are reports from several people who were able to use a friend or family member's PIN and Social Security number to get the discount, but the dealership usually called and confirmed the stock owner was willing to share. In fact, the program has been called the friends and family discount program in the past.
Conclusion
The Ford Shareholder discount program is probably one of the most well-known shareholder benefits & rewards programs, but the amount that you will save on a new vehicle isn't as high as it has been in past years. Nonetheless, it is possible to make back what you spent on the stock if you plan on buying a new Ford vehicle or two in the next few years.
