Loyalty cards where loyalty’s due when you go shopping
I HAVE 15 loyalty cards in my purse. They come from supermarkets, department stores, camping goods stores, bookshops, a bakery and coffee shops. They measure half an inch thick. The purse is threatening to burst. What should I do – other than buy a bigger purse? Claudia A NEW research from Which? shows that 93% of us carry at least one loyalty card. But your 15 is not a record. They’re everywhere. Some stores even have two – bookshop Waterstones has a plastic card for all purchases and a second paper card where you get a stamp for every whole £10 you spend (leading to a £10 voucher). To get your collection to manageable levels, look at their real value and your own shopping patterns. Costa Coffee Club gives 5 points worth 1p each for every complete £1. You need to buy 20 £3 cups before you get one free. Only works if you are a regular.
Boots Advantage Card gives the best return – 4p for every £1 on most items. But Which? found Boots can be more expensive on some products, so unless you are a frequent customer, keep it at home for when you intend shopping there.
Supermarket cards are the most widespread. Sainsbury’s Nectar offers 0.5p for each £1 – 15p on a typical £30 shop. The Morrison’s More card gives five points for each £1 – when you have 5,000, you get a £5 voucher so it’s worth 0.5% as well. Tesco Clubcard offers twice as much – 1% or 30p on the £30 basket. The My Waitrose card is different. There are no points but you get a free coffee/tea on each visit (worth about £2 to £2.50) plus a free newspaper if you spend at least £10 – a choice of four worth up to £3.
Sainsbury’s and Tesco offer discounts and deals on “partner products” – Nectar points, for instance, are worth double spent with Easyjet or wine merchant Laithwaites.
All these supermarkets send cardholders variants on the “spend £50 get £5 off” model.
Which? members voted M&S Sparks, with its “deals” (unspecified) once you spend nearly £300, and Iceland, which gives extra on its Bonus card for each £25 deposited with the store, as bottom of the pile.
But no card attracted massive enthusiasm. Cards are rarely attractive enough to change your purchasing preferences. So only carry those for where you would normally shop. EMAIL askwhich@which.co.uk