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Earning and retaining customers is a hard job for supermarkets, especially as most towns are home to multiple options. Trialled in 1994 and rolled out nationwide in 1995, the Clubcard was the UK’s first supermarket loyalty card and it catapulted Tesco ahead of the competition to become the UK’s biggest supermarket. Given Clubcard’s success, other supermarkets jumped on the bandwagon.
Here at Simple & Homely, we’re a bunch of Tesco shoppers. And with the Clubcard, we do generally feel as though we save – every quarter, I earn around £15 worth of vouchers, as well as saving money on every shop with Clubcard prices. We did a test shop of Clubcard vs non-member prices to see whether there were any real-world savings.
As with everything, shopping is a habit. With how easy it is to drive to a shop or order home delivery, you can shop hop as much or as little as you like to make the most of each supermarket’s loyalty scheme. Taking advantage of the loyalty schemes available can help your money go further when shopping on a budget.
Below, we take a look at the loyalty schemes offered by the budget and mid-range supermarkets. We look at how you earn rewards and what you can do with them, some offer a much wider range of incentives than others. Notably though, you’ll see Aldi is missing from the list below as they don’t currently have a loyalty scheme.
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What loyalty schemes and bonus cards are there and what do they offer?
Tesco Clubcard
Get a Clubcard and get access to a range of cut prices and member-exclusive deals.
Earn one point for every £1 you spend, whether that be in-store, online, delivery saver, Whoosh, in their cafe, on F&F, at Tesco Mobile, and Clubcard Pay+.
The 1:1 ratio isn’t available on fuel – you get one point for every two litres – or Tesco Bank Credit Cards – you have to spend £4 for one point. You can also collect points at a range of Point Partners.
When it comes to spending your points, you can exchange them for vouchers for money off your shop, or use them at Clubcard Reward Partners and potentially double the value of your vouchers.
Co-op
Last year, Co-op removed point collecting from its membership scheme. Now, Co-op Membership (which costs you a quid to sign up to) gives you access to exclusive prices and personalised offers. Uniquely, membership also gives you pre-sale access to Co-op Live events.
Co-op Membership also does a lot for the local community, if that’s your thing. Co-op, along with Morrisons, also offer the best value meal deal of all UK supermarkets to their members.
Lidl Plus
Sign up for Lidl Plus and you’ll be able to save on your shop with exclusive offers and tailored-to-you coupons. Collect coupons and earn bigger rewards with each shop: spend £10 per month and earn a free pastry; product coupons for £50, £100, and £150; and at £250, you get 10% off your shop next shop. You also enter into a scratchcard prize draw every time you scan your Plus card.
Asda Rewards
Asda’s rewards scheme is a little different from the ones at other supermarkets. At Asda, all of your reward earnings go into a cashpot which can then be converted into vouchers for money off your shop.
There are two ways to build you cashpot:
- Complete Missions – Do the tasks set out in the Asda Rewards app and earn Asda Pounds which are then added to your cashpot. Missions generally involve buying a certain type of product, spending a certain amount, or shopping multiple times in a designated time frame
- Star or Super Star products – Buy these and earn 10% back into your cashpot
If you shop at Asda, and haven’t already, then you can sign up on the Asda Rewards site.
Note from Sydney: Unlike Sainsbury’s and Tesco, you can’t actually access your Asda Rewards card from the Asda app. The rewards card is accessed through its own app, unless you’re lucky enough to have the physical card. Something I only found out after spending 10 very confused minutes stood at the self service machine, going through app page after app page. A lovely Asda colleague took the time to show me on her phone which app I needed. It’s the one with the big A.
Morrisons More
Whenever you scan your More Card, you’ll earn points and be eligible for a 20% discount on certain products. Once you hit 5,000 points, you’ll get a £5 voucher for money off your shop.
As well as points, you can also earn More Card Stamps. Spend a tenner in store, earn a stamp. These can be redeemed for Pyrex products.
Morrisons More also sends you offers and money-off coupons, tailored to your most frequent purchases. You also save 50p on your lunchtime meal deal with a More card.
Sainsbury’s Nectar
Similar to Tesco Clubcard, with Nectar, you earn one point for every £1 you spend. Unlike Clubcard, you only need to fill up one litre to earn a point, rather than two litres. To get a £2.50 voucher, you’ll need to build up 500 points. Sainsbury’s isn’t the only place you can earn Nectar points, spending at Argos, Esso, British Airways, Viking, Dulux, and more. You can spend points at each of these partners, as well as a few extras.
By scanning your Nectar card when you shop, not only can you earn points, but you also get personalised offers in the Nectar app. (The editor, Sydney, takes full advantage of getting 40p off a six pack of salt & vinegar Discos.)
Iceland Bonus Card
Similar to Nectar, Clubcard, and More, the Bonus Card will give you access to exclusive prices. But, unlike the loyalty cards above, you don’t collect points at Iceland. Instead, Iceland’s Bonus Card is more of a prepaid card. Before you go shopping, you load money onto it, and for every £20 you ‘save’ Iceland will give you a £1 bonus. Load £40, get £2.
Ocado
Unlike all of the schemes above, Ocado bundles their loyalty and delivery passes together. For Ocado’s Smart Pass, you can pick between Anytime (£8.99/mth or £90/yr) and Midweek (£4.99/mth or £50/yr).
When it comes to the loyalty side of the Smart Pass, you get exclusive access to 50% off sales, an annual gift, and 10% off select products year round.
