Danni
With all the competition out there lots of shops are just fighting for our custom and what better way to get us to stay loyal to them and shop at their stores? A loyalty card.
If you regularly shop at any of the big brand supermarkets and enjoy a cheeky latte from one of the big coffee chains on the high street then you’ve probably got at least one loyalty card. But are you taking advantage of all the special offers and perks that come with them?
You may know you can earn points with a lot of the cards but did you know how the freebies and discounts that come with them?
Some shops offer free drinks and treats and some offer personalised discounts on products that you like. Just remember to scan that card or app at the checkout.
Here are just 10 of the best loyalty cards on the high street.
Tesco Clubcard
How do you collect points?
You earn points on the Tesco Clubcard each and every time you make purchases in-store or online as long as you remember to scan your card at the checkouts. You can also earn points if you have a Tesco Mobile account or use a Tesco Credit Card.
For each pound, you spend you will earn one point on your Clubcard. Also, you can earn one point for each £2 you spend on Tesco Fuel.
How much are the points worth?
Every Tesco Clubcard point is worth one penny if you’re purchasing items in Tesco, although you can trade them in for better discounts at a big range of high street stores.
You will receive vouchers in the post every three months. These are usually February, May, August, and November.
There is an option to sign up for Faster Vouchers where you can get your points converted into vouchers within 24 hours.
You can spend your vouchers in Tesco or use the codes on the vouchers to increase (up to triple) your points and spend with one of Tesco’s Reward Partners.
So, if you have £1 in points this could be worth £3 at a local restaurant chain. You can also exchange a £1 Clubcard voucher for £3 off a 16-25 Railcard off your next train journey.
More ways to earn those Clubcard points
Tesco Bank Credit Card – You can earn one extra Clubcard point for every £4 that is spent in Tesco or one point for every £8 spent outside of Tesco.
Tesco Pay+ – Tesco’s handy app that lets you store your debit and credit cards and easily checkout and will automatically collect your points.
Tesco Mobile – If you have your mobile contract with Tesco Mobile then you can earn one point for every £1 spent on your phone bill.
Tesco Surveys – I love surveys and Tesco is offering 25 Clubcard points for completing a survey on your latest shop.
Finally up your car at any Esso fuel station that is part of a Tesco shop and you can earn one point for every £3 spent on fuel as well as 1 point for every £1 spent on shop products and even car washes.
The Discounts
The best thing about the Tesco Clubcard is the great discounts to be found in all Tesco stores. Tesco has marked down lots of selected products including the famous sandwich meal deal with Clubcard prices which can be up to half price off. Just make sure to scan your Clubcard at the checkout to get these offers.
Tesco Clubcard Plus
Tesco also offers a paid monthly subscription which costs £7.99 per month and can be canceled at any time. The first month is free as a trial.
- You get 10% off selected brands such as F & F
- 10% off two in-store shops per month
- Double data on Tesco Mobile monthly contracts
- Access to Clubcard plus credit card
Just remember to keep using your Clubcard else it will be cancelled after two of non-use and keep an eye on those voucher expiry dates
Sign up for Tesco Clubcard Today
Nectar Card
How do you collect points?
The Nectar Card allows you to collect point from numerous brands but it is probably best known for Sainsbury’s and Argos. You can see a full list of brands that work with Nectar here.
At Sainbury’s supermarket you will earn one point for every £1 pound spent. The points earned vary across different brands with some even offering two points for every £1. You can see the rates for each store on Nectar’s website.
How much are the points worth?
Nectar points do vary across the different stores but most are usually worth 0.5p, so 100 points would get you 50p off and so on.
Nectar offers many special offers on their website so it is worth checking the website for all the latest deals. Just remember that the points you’ve earned may be worth more if you use them at a particular store but don’t go rushing out to put the points towards something you wasn’t thinking about buying as you aren’t really saving any money in the long run.
More ways to earn more Nectar Points
- Use the Nectar app to earn triple the amount of points and get personalised offers. The app allows you to check your balance and get a barcode to allow you to swipe your card if you’ve forgotten it.
- Nectar Credit Card – You can apply for the Nectar American Express credit card and earn two points for every £1. This is in addition to any regular Nectar points you would have earned with the card f you were shopping in a Nectar reward store.
- Keep checking the Nectar website for the latest special promotions and deals.
- Nectar Canvass – More surveys that can earn you money if you sign up to Nectar Canvass.
The Nectar card points are worth 50% of Tesco Clubcard points since they dropped their worth in 2015 by half. The account and all points lost if you leave the card inactive for 12 months.
Boots Advantage Card
How do you collect points?
Boots is one of the most generous reward cards there is. You can earn points each and every time you make a purchase at Boots in-store or online. You will earn four points for every £1 you spend, so if you spend £10 you would earn 40 points.
How much are the points worth?
Each point is worth 1p to spend in-store. So the 40 points we earned from our £10 is worth 40p. If you wish to redeem your points just ask at the till or select the Advantage card icon on the checkout.
Extra ways to earn Advantage Card points
- For a start go and download the Boots app and you can straight away collect 200 points and you can use the app instead of the card.
- Remember to check the website, app and emails to get the latest offers
- Boots run Mega Points Weekends where you can earn extra advantage points.
- Although at the moment it’s only available at larger Boots stores, Boots Price Advantage offered exclusive lower prices on a selection of products each month.
- Students can get a 10% discount if they have an Advantage Card.
Just remember that you cannot earn points on prescriptions, gift vouchers, and powdered milk products.
Unfortunately, you cannot redeem your points and part payment for an item, You have to have enough to cover the whole cost of your purchase.
If you don’t use your card for more than two years all the points will expire.
Sign up for Boots Advantage Card
Superdrug Health & Beautycard
How do you earn points
You will earn one point for every £1 spent in-store or online. Not only does Superdrugs loyalty card also come as an app but the physical card also doubles up as a handy pocket mirror.
How much are the points worth?
With the Superdrug card, you can only spend your points in multiples of 100. This means you will get £1 off if you have 100 points and £2 if you have 200 etc.
However, you can use the points for part-payments, unlike the Boots Advantage Card.
Offers and extra ways to earn points
- Superdrug runs Treat Thursdays every week offering exclusive promotions and discounts on certain categories
- Lower prices on selected products for members
- Triple points on your birthday 🙂
- Bonus points can be earned when you buy selected products at special events. These can earn you 50, 100, 200 or 500 points.
- You can get free standard delivery on orders over £15
Things to remember are that the points only last 24 months and if the account is not used at least once every 12 months then it will be cancelled.
Sign up for Superdrug Health & Beautycard
Costa Club
How do you earn points
Scan your card in-store and you can earn one bean for every drink you purchase. This also includes Costa Express machines which you find in service stations and supermarkets.
How much are the beans worth?
You have to earn eight beans to claim a free drink in-store. You unfortunately cannot redeem at Costa Express.
Advantages of a Costa Club card
- You can get exclusive offers for cardholders. These include money off on purchases or earn extra beans.
- Get a FREE cake on your birthday 🙂
- Ordering on the app lets you skip the queue.
The card cannot be used in conjunction with any other offers and discounts or by a third party. Once you have earned your free drink you only have six months to claim it.
Sign up for Costa Coffee Club Card
Nando’s Card
How do you earn points?
You will earn a Chilli every time you spend £7 or more on your meal. If you register your card online you can earn an extra Chilli.
Things to remember… You can only earn one Chilli per customer per day. So, even if you spend £14 or £21 you will only earn one Chilli. If you are dining with a fellow cardholder it would be worth paying separately so you all earn one Chilli.
How much are the Chillies worth?
Once you have racked up enough Chillies you will be able to claim a tasty reward.
- 3 x Chillies (Green Award) – 1/4 chicken or starter
- 5 x Chillies (Orange Award) – 1/2 chicken or any burger, pitta or single-wrap
- 10 x Chillies (Red Award) – Whole chicken or a single combo meal with regular sides
The good thing about the Chilli points is that they do not reset until you have achieved and claimed all awards. So, once you have claimed Green Award, you would still only need to get two more Chillies to get Orange Award and five more for Red Award.
The Chillies do only last one year so make sure you spend them in time.
IKEA Family Card
How do you earn points?
The IKEA card doesn’t actually reward you with points but offers discounts and other offers
What you can get with an IKEA Family card
- Exclusive discounts on selected products and FREE Oops-assurance which insures your products in case of damage.
- A FREE hot drink anytime Monday – Friday 🙂
- Access to events and workshops giving tips and knowledge on furnishing and decoration
Although you don’t earn points and the offers mays be on products you necessarily wouldn’t want you won’t lose any points for non-use of the card.
Sign up for the IKEA Family Card
Co-op Membership
How do you earn points?
You will get 2 points for every £1 you spend which can be redeemed on anything in Co-op food stores.
Advantages of the Co-op Membership card
- Exclusive offers and discounts on products and also on Co-op services like legal advice and insurance.
- Personalised offers that change each week and you can select two that suit you best.
- For every £1 you spend then 2p will be donated to local charities and causes and you can also donate to your own local cause.
Just remember the membership will cost £1 to sign up for and you cannot earn points on fuel, stamps, cigarettes, and clearance items. The membership also costs
Starbucks Reward Card
How do you earn points?
The Starbucks reward card is different from the other loyalty cards featured here because you will need to preload the card with cash before you can use it.
Once the money is loaded up you can use the card for making purchases and you will earn ‘Stars’ for each drink you buy. You will earn 3 Stars for every £1 you spend.
How much are the Stars worth?
Okay, this may not be as straightforward as the other loyalty card systems. The Stars all depend on what level you are on. After the first transaction, you will be on Green Level. This means you will get a free drink every 150 stars.
Once you earn 450 stars within 12 months you will reach Gold Level. You will receive the same as Green Level members but you will be able to earn some extra points for free and also receive a FREE birthday drink.
You can also get some free extras such as syrups, whipped cream, and extra shots of espresso.
More ways to earn Stars
- You may be offered extra bonus stars for purchasing one of the promotional offers but remember only buy these if it is something you actually like else you are wasting money.
- Remember to sign up for email updates to keep up to date with special offers on your favourite items.
- You can also use the Starbucks app to pay for your food and drinks and also collect stars.
Just remember… You will have to keep earning 450 points each year to stay as a Gold Level member.
You have to commit to spending money at Starbucks by paying up front to top up the card and your stars will expire if not used within two years.
Sign up for Starbucks Rewards Card
Sparks – Marks and Spencers
How do you earn points?
You don’t earn points but you can receive little treats and thank yous, a chance to get your shopping for free, and M & S will make a charity donation each time.
Advantages of Sparks card
- Personalised offers that are based don’t on the things you love
- Free treats for some selected customers every week
- Free shopping – Each week M & S will choose a Sparks customer to receive their shopping for free. Just scan at the checkout for a chance to win
- Every time you shop with your Sparks card they will donate to your chosen charity.
- A chance to win thousands of pounds to spend at M & S in-store or online.
Bonus card…
The Colonel’s Club- KFC Rewards
How do you earn points?
Scan your app and collect a stamp with every purchase over £3 or two stamps when you spend £15 or over. Collect stamps and enjoy free sides, snacks or money off.
If you register through the KFC app you will get 3 stamps right away. That’s enough for 2 free Hot Wings
You can only get rewarded for one transaction per day. This means that the maximum number of stamps you can earn in one day is 2; i.e. on any order over £15.
You can redeem all 3 rewards from your 3rd, 7th and 11th stamps in one transaction, but you cannot redeem more than one reward from each of the reward levels at the same time.
So you cannot have 2 sides or 2 snacks at the same time for example.
You only get 3 months to collect your free rewards but stamps last for 12 months.
