The company is conducting a comprehensive overhaul of Clubcard that will include issuing almost seven times more reward points to the scheme's highest-spending customers.
Under the new programme, which will retain the Clubcard name, a customer spending £150 a year in WH Smith will earn £20 worth of discounts compared with £3 currently.
The revamp, which WH Smith claimed is the most radical since the scheme's 1997 launch, is designed to build customer spending in the crucial pre-Christmas trading period by generating benefits that outweigh those offered by programmes such as Nectar and Tesco Clubcard.
WH Smith, which sees former Argos marketing chief Kate Swann join as chief executive next month, decided following customer feedback that the existing Clubcard was difficult to understand and took too long to accrue a significant number of points.
The retailer is simplifying the scheme by awarding one point, rather than ten, for every £1 spent, bringing it in line with other loyalty card schemes.
From next week, one million top customers will receive a quarterly mailing, developed by relationship marketing specialist Diametric, which will include a bonus point offer worth £5 if they spend £10 or more in one of WH Smith's 550 UK stores.
A November mailing will invite customers to attend a Christmas Clubcard event at which they can earn £10 off their shopping when they spend £40 or more.
Richard Howe, new media manager at WH Smith, said the revamp would work to customers' advantage and would increase footfall in the build-up to Christmas.
WH Smith is suffering from intense competition from grocery multiples such as Tesco and Asda, whose move into the non-food arena is eroding WH Smith's traditional hold on markets such as stationery, books and entertainment products.
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