Nectar Card - Treats for Shopping (Nectar Card)

Member Name: rosebud2001

Product:	Nectar Card
Date:	08/12/08 (530 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A loyalty card that can be used at several different retailers

Disadvantages: Can be perceived as big business breaching your privacy

I used to be a very loyal shopper at Sainsburys, back in the days of the Reward card - I was a huge fan of this loyalty scheme and used my points to get Airmiles and then flights overseas when my daughter was a baby.

Over time however my habits changed...I found Asda better value for money and Airmiles decided to stop their partnership with the Reward card and join up with Tesco Club Card instead.

In 2002, the Reward card was dropped in favour of the Nectar card, which ironically enough, was launched by the founder of Airmiles.

The Nectar card offered something new in the loyalty card market - and that was the fact you weren't tied to one brand when collecting points.

On launch you could use the card to get points through Sainsburys, BP, Debenhams and Barclaycard.

As an existing Reward card holder, albeit not quite as loyal as I had been in the past, I switched over to Nectar not long after it launched, on the promise of new and exciting rewards that I might be able to take advantage of.

In Sainsburys, Nectar cards offer you 2 points per £1 spent. Except in Scotland, where you get less if you spend under £50, the same if you spend £50 to £100 and more if you spend over £100, in a particularly confusing new way of collecting points currently being trialled here.

Once you have 500 points you have enough for a reward, or "treat" as Nectar calls them. This will translate into £2.50 to spend in Sainsburys, Argos or Blockbuster Video. Collect more points and there are other "treats" on offer including tickets for Vue Cinemas, magazine subscriptions, discounted hotel rooms, toys and games and theatre tickets.

As I still shop in Sainsburys every couple of weeks or so, I invariably redeem my points there, although I do try to save them up now so I can "treat" myself to something a bit more substantial than £2.50 off my shopping.

You can collect points in several ways and in several places now. Launch members Debenhams and Barclaycard no longer participate in the Nectar card scheme, but you can still collect points with BP.

On the high street you can use your Nectar card at Table Table, Brewers Fayre and Beefeater pubs and restaurants, Gala Bingo Clubs and Dollond & Aitchison Opticians. You can use it online at Expedia and several Nectar owned outlets including Nectar DVD Rentals, Nectar Estores and Nectar Wine. You can also earn points if you use EDF as your energy supplier, have financial services through Sainsburys Finance, use Talk Talk for phone or broadband, get your car serviced via Ford, hire a car through Hertz or use your Thomson Local to make a call. You can even earn points for filling in surveys through My Survey.

Nectar eStores are a great way of getting points when you buy something online - participating outlets include Dell, eBay, BBC Shop, Currys, Boden and Zavvi. Its definitely worth checking to see if the online retailer you want to use are on there before you buy.

Nectar also send you bonus point coupons several times a year, enabling you to collect extra points in Sainsburys and other outlets.

There is even a Nectar credit card which you can sign up for and earn points with.

Keeping up with your points balance is fairly straightforward - you are sent statements every three months or so and you can set up an account and keep up online.

The website is particularly good I find because it updates your points total very quickly and enables you to type in how many points you have to see what treats you can get for them. There are also surveys on the website from time to time which you can do to pick up more bonus points, so its definitely worth visiting on a regular basis.

Now of course with all loyalty cards there is the question of privacy. For some people, the knowledge that their shopping habits are being monitored closely is too high a price to pay and if you feel this way, then the Nectar card isn't for you. Personally it doesn't bother me but I do appreciate there is an element of "big brother is watching you" when you use these cards.

I would only recommend you sign up to Nectar if you shop regularly at the participating outlets for collecting points. I stopped using Nectar for petrol some time ago as I find the Morrisons Miles and More scheme a little more generous for example, so consider all options before picking your loyalty schemes.

However if you regularly shop in Sainsburys and want to get a little back from them for your loyalty, this is definitely the card for you.

Update June 2009 - Homebase stores now offer Nectar points on purchases.

Website can be found at

www.nectar.com

Summary: Nectar isn't just for use at Sainsburys