Which supermarket loyalty card takes the biscuit for big savings?
As prices soar, many stores are beefing up reward schemes. Here’s our guide to the tastiest deals...
AS the price of food continues to rocket, keeping the cost of the weekly shop from spiralling out of control is a top priority for cashstrapped families. Almost every week, there’s more bad news: be it a tub of Lurpak hitting nearly £10 or the price of heinz favourites soaring by up to 55pc. It’s no wonder, then, that shoppers are flocking to join supermarket loyalty schemes as retailers beef up perks to attract customers.
Achille traore, chief executive of customer retention firm White Label Loyalty, says: ‘More than half of British consumers are already signed up to at least one supermarket loyalty programme and we expect this percentage to grow as inflation permeates the supermarket shelves.’
But with firms increasingly prioritising smartphone apps over physical cards and paper coupons, elderly and vulnerable customers are at risk of being left behind.
Dennis Reed, of senior citizens campaign group Silver Voices, says: ‘there is complete disregard for the fact that many older people do not own a smartphone or, if they do, use it only for telephone calls. We want to ensure older people are not denied access to benefits and offers.’
to help make sure you don’t miss out on vital savings, here we explain the schemes on offer, how to make the most out of them and sneaky pitfalls to watch out for . . .
WHAT’S ON OFFER? Asda’s Rewards programme is being trialled in 300 stores before a nationwide roll-out. Members get 10pc back when buying star products or completing ‘missions’. Right now, shoppers will get £2 back when spending £10 on Kellogg’s cereal. Savings can be put towards shopping bills, or they can be traded later for vouchers.
Customers can earn extra when meeting spending targets. Initially you get 50p for spending £50, another 50p when you’ve spent £100, and then an extra £1 when you hit £200, £1.50 at £300, £2.50 at £500, £4 at £750, £5 at £1,000 and £10 at £1,400. LESSER-KNOWN PERKS: Also offers discounts on George clothing. TIPS: Look out for Boost vouchers, which can increase the value of your cash pot. Check the Spend section of the app to see these. the new Asda Money Credit Card offers 1 pc cashback at its stores. PITFALLS: One mum complained online that the spending targets were difficult. the challenge also ends on August 10, but a new one is expected for pre-Christmas. SMARTPHONE NEEDED? Yes. You can find this in your phone’s App Store (iPhone) or Play Store (Android) by searching the name of the retailer. Most apps have a digital version of your loyalty card, which looks like a barcode. Just scan this at the checkout.
WHAT’S ON OFFER? With Clubcard, collect one point for every £1 spent in-store and online or £2 on fuel and swap your points for vouchers. One point is worth 1p in tesco. there are also cheaper prices.
Families who do a big weekly shop should consider the Clubcard Plus subscription, costing £7.99 a month for perks including 10 pc off two shops of up to £200 each, and 10 pc off F&F clothing. LESSER-KNOWN PERKS: there are lots of partners to redeem vouchers with, including english heritage, eurotunnel, Alton towers, Fitbit, SpaSeekers and Zizzi. TIPS: Increase the value of vouchers with tesco’s Rewards partners, so £10 of vouchers would buy you a Senior Railcard worth £30, or £6 of vouchers can buy you three months of Disney+ access, worth £24. earn extra points with a tesco Clubcard credit card, a tesco Mobile contract or Clubcard Pay+, a prepaid debit card. PITFALLS: Vouchers expire after
two years. SMARTPHONE NEEDED? Download the app or have a traditional card and vouchers through the post.
WHAT’S ON OFFER? Save money by collecting points with Nectar, with one point per £1 in stores and online, and a point for every litre of fuel at its petrol stations. One point is worth 0.5p in Sainsbury’s.
You also receive bonus points for certain products, with one recent offer giving 30 points for buying a Sainsbury’s New York cheesecake. You can get cheaper Nectar prices by using the self-scanning SmartShop app to buy in-store. LESSER-KNOWN PERKS: Customers can collect points from more than 400 partner brands, such as Just eat, esso and Debenhams, and spend them at some 17 companies, including Sainsbury’s, Argos, British Airways and eBay. TIPS: Download the Nectar Notifier tool to remind you to collect points when shopping online with certain brands, such as Asos and Just eat. there’s also the new ‘Nectar Connect’ scheme to link your account to a debit or credit card