A Penny A Pound - Better Than Nothing! (Tesco Clubcard)

Member Name: scuzz

Product:	Tesco Clubcard
Date:	28/10/04 (1012 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: money back

Disadvantages: none

I'm all for saving money, so a card that earns you a bit while you shop is a great idea for me.

====What Is It?====

Clubcard has just changed and a new one should have or soon will be popping through your door. Basically, it's a credit card sized piece of plastic that gets swiped when you do your shopping. They've also released key fobs too. Two will come with your new clubcard and you can hand these our to your family so points add up more quickly. The fobs are quite small and have a bar code on the back that is scanned for the points to be credited to you.

====Where Can You use Clubcard?====

Obviously being a Tesco card, then Tesco is the major place to earn those all important points. However, there are other places you can you it too.

Powergen offers a 1000 bonus if you switch your supply to them, and then a point per pound spent from then on.

You can also get fifty points free when you register with Beefeater. And of course there's the good old pound a point spent from then on.

These may not sound much, but bare in mind you would need to spend £1050 to get those points that are on offer for FREE!

Tesco also offer points on their insurances, petrol, mobiles and home phone lines.

====What Do I Get?====

For every pound you spend, you get one point. Each point is worth one penny. A couple of times a year, you get a "statement", showing how much money you've spent in various offers and how many points you've earned. For every one hundred points, you will get a voucher.

The vouchers come in various amounts, depending on how much you've earned. If you've earned 450 points, then you may well get a £2 voucher £1 voucher and a £1.50 voucher.

With you'll statement you'll also receive other offers, such as money off certain products or extra points when certain purchases are made.

====How Do I Earn Points?====

Very simply just hand over you clubcard or new key fob at the check out and they'll swipe it through and bingo, the points are yours.

There is usually a couple of chances to win extra points throughout the year with competitions. Bonus points are sometimes offered for various insurances too.

====The Down Side====

For me, it has to be the fact that you see the amount of points you've got and then think, Oh crumbs, how have I spent so much!

====Can I Use My Points For Anything Else====

Yes! They have a booklet instore that shows how else you can use them. In most of the offers, the value of the points is multiplied.

They can be used for flights, at blockbuster video and loads of other places - but personally I prefer money off my weekly shop!

====How Do I Know How Many Points I've Earned?====

At the bottom of your till receipt there'll be a mini statement. It will show your previous total and how many you've earned in your last transaction, so it's easy to keep a count of them.

====Should I Sign Up For One?====

If you shop at Tesco then I see no reason why not. There's no time frame on how long your points last, so even if you spend very little there, over time the points will add up and then you'll get a voucher. Even if you don't make enough for a voucher, I think you still get sent coupons and offers with your statement.

I find that filling my car up at their petrol stations really mounds up the pointsm - and generally they tend to be cheaper than elsewhere too.

====Over All====

I really think this is a good loyalty scheme. Tesco is always in the running for being one of the cheapest supermarkets around, so not only do you pay less you get something back too.

I've had a card for just under a year and saved around £10 already. The special offers like an extra 250 points when you buy a DVD really help too.

Also if you like cheap insurance, then you could use the ones they offer and earn even more points! I used their car insurance and found them very reasonable with an extra 500 points offered.

So whilst you may think a penny a pound isn't much, just remember what Tesco says "Every little helps"!

Thanks for reading

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