The Honey Of Reward Cards! (Nectar Card)

Member Name: andy0304

Product:	Nectar Card
Date:	17/10/04 (3249 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Free To join, Great Chioce for Rewards, Loads of Retailers to Earn Points

Disadvantages: Slow To Earn Points

I originally had a BP Reward card that slowly built you up points to spend in Argos. However a while back now BP stopped their reward card and started to use the Nectar Reward Card instead. As I use BP quite often, although not as much as I used too, I figured what the harm I might as well get one.

The card was issued to me straight away and BP put my first points onto the card. It was then I was contacted my Sainsbury’s as they too were cancelling their reward card and switching over to Nectar. Fair enough one card for two places must be a bit easier. Unless I happen to lose it I suppose.

Bp and Sainsbury’s along with the likes of Debenhams appeared to be the main driving force behind the Nectar card. At the launch of the card the advertising was amazing and must of cost fortunes (they can afford it), but the point was they made sure that pretty much where ever you went you knew about the New Nectar Card. The scheme itself though is actually owned and operated by Loyalty Management UK Ltd.

Although at first the points were not building up that quick they slowly added more and more retailers to the list of companies that you could earn points from. All when and good, but what do these points get you? At first not a great deal unless you had loads and loads of points, however Nectar slowly announced more and more places that your points could be used in.

They now have quite a comprehensive list of retailers that you can eanr and spend points in:

Earn Points from:

 Sainsbury’s -2 Nectar Points for every £1 spent
 Barclaycard – 1 Points or Every £2 spent on your card
 Debenhams - 2 points for every £1 spent
 BP – 1 point for every litre of fuel purchased
 Thresher - 2 points for every £1 spent
 Vodafone – 2 points for every £1 spent
 Adams - 2 points for every £1 spent
 Ford – 2 points for every £1 spent
 E-Energy - varies but upto 3,200 points in first year with them
 All Sports – 2 points for every £1 spent
 Winemark – 2 points for every £1 spent
 Hertz – 2 points for every £1
 Magnet – 2 points for every £1 spent
 Brewers Fayre – 2 points for every £1 spent
 Brewsters – 2 points for every £1 spent


So although the numbers of points you earn vary from retailer to retailer this can be a very rewarding card if you shop in a good few of these on the list. Imagine how many points you would get if you happen to buy a kitchen from Magnet.

For full details of what terms apply to the points you can earn you can visit their website www.nectar.com. At this site you also get the opportunity to register your nectar card so that you can log onto their website when ever you wish and get an upto date points balance. But the advantage of registering on line means that you also get email news letters from then giving you immediate access to their latest special offers some of which are definitely worth a look.

So what can you do with those well earned points? Well to start with there is a huge list of products that you can obtain Free of Charge just be cashing in your reward points from them. The products range from a Power Devil cordless Drill for 9,000 points right up to Sanyo Digital Camcorder for 93,000 points or a Sanyo 28 inch Widescreen TV for 76,100 points. I suppose at the end of the day what you get depends on how long you are willing to keep saving points.

The only problem is I still find that unless you happen to use all of the retailers that you can earn points in then it takes a long time for your points total to get anywhere near what you would need for these products.

But there are other reward options that you can take up including for 500 points get a rental of a video or game from Blockbuster. If you take a look at the Nectar website you will see that their rewards are now broken down into the following categories:

 Nectar to your Door
 Shopping
 Entertainment
 Staying In
 Going Out
 Getting Away
 Great Days Out
 Experiences
 Looking Good
 Wellbeing
 Gifts

Under each of these heading is all of the offers that you can exchange points for. Some of which you can get for relatively low points others need thousands of points.

To get your rewards there is a variety of options / steps you need to follow. For example to make use of your points and spend them in somewhere like Argos, Sainsbury’s etc you just present your card at the till and the operator will swipe your card to use your reward points.

For some offers you can apply online at the Nectar website where you will be taken through an online form or alternatively telephone their support team who can arrange for the reward to be sent to you.

The fourth and final way to get your reward is by presenting Nectar vouchers, you can exchange your points for Nectar vouchers online, by calling the support team or in your Sainsbury’s home store (the store you registered your card at).

To get you one of these cards is very simple process. Pick up a registration pack from any of the participating retailers or register for a card online at their website and they will send you the card with your welcome pack. You can then register you card with nectar.com and receive 100 bonus points just for doing so.

To keep track of how many points you have if very simple, they send you statements through the post, very similar to your bank or building society. With the statements you will get the latest version of the Nectar Catalogue containing a selection of the gifts, vouchers, activities, flights etc that you can choose from. You also, with your statement, will receive a number of bonus vouchers for example a bonus of 1,000 points if you spend £50 or more in a Sainsbury’s store.

They have also just added a new feature to their website, The E-Brochure. If you click the link at the top of their homepage you are taken into a new window with the E-Brochure visible. With this you view it the same as any other brochure by simply clicking an arrow to turn the page. In this brochure you get all the latest news about Nectar including any new retailers. As well as some bits about the retailers themselves, and some information about what points can get you.

Compared to other retailers that offer their own cards it scores very highly, mainly because of the variety of places that you can earn and redeem your rewards in. Compare it to somewhere like Boots and although their card can be very rewarding you can only spend them in Boots and earn in Boots.

Overall it is definitely a card worth having, after all the rewards can be rewarding after a time of building up your points and at the end of the day the cards free, so what have you go to lose? Nothing!

Want more information or to see things for yourself then visit their Website at www.nectar.com or give them a call on their Rewards Hotline - 08704 100250.

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