Free Holidays? (Tesco Clubcard)

Member Name: dadofthree

Product:	Tesco Clubcard
Date:	21/01/06 (7308 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: You get something back for nothing

Disadvantages: Not everyone knows how to maximise their points

THE SCHEME:

For those who are unaware, Tesco is now the Uk's largest retailer. Selling everything from food, to electricals, and even loans/insurance. They now estimate Tesco is so large that they take £1 in every £6 spent on the high street.

Needless to say, they got their for a reason, and Terry Leahy (the chief executive) would agree that one of the biggest reasons is the most successful loyalty scheme in the UK.

Every time you spend in Tesco, you have the capacity to earn points. These are sent to you as vouchers every 3 months, which you can then spend as cash in the store, or convert into a 'clubcard deal'.


CLUBCARD DEALS:

For those who accumulate enough points, a Clubcard Deal can be an exceptional thing. If you get £10.00 in Tesco vouchers, you can get £40 towards a 'deal'. Deals are now one of the most popular things Tesco have, with tickets to Alton Towers, holidays abroad, holidays in the UK, magazine subscriptions and a whole host of other options available to customers. If you don't have enough vouchers for one of the big deals? Not a problem, you can pay the difference in cash (certain exclusions apply). This means you dont have to go mad in the last 3 month quarter in order to take advantage of a deal you've been saving all year for! If you want to see more about what deals they offer, visit www.tesco.com/clubcard


HOW MANY POINTS DO YOU GET:

As standard you will earn 1 Clubcard point for every pound you send in store. 100 points = £1 Tesco Clubcard Voucher. You can also earn extra 'bonus points' by using some of the variety of coupons Tesco send to you. All you have to do is buy the product on the coupon and you can get the bonus points when you get it scanned at the till. Further, if you shop with Tesco online, if you sign up during a promotional period with a financial product and if you have Tesco internet access or Tesco Home Phone, you also get 1 point per pound. Still not enough? Use a Tesco Credit card and you will get an extra 1 point for every £2 you spend on top of your standard points! Team it all together and you will soon be earning enough points to get yourself that week away in the Caribean!


CLUBCARD CLUBS:

Here is where a lot of people miss out. Tesco Clubcard is a truly advanced scheme now, and they target their mailings based on what you buy and how much of it you buy. But you also have the option to sign up for any one of several Clubcard Clubs. This is where smart customers can get their points towards their holiday!


FOOD CLUB:

You guessed it, this is for people who like food. You get a magazine once every 3 months, with various money off or bonus points coupons. These will soon increase that all important points total towards your holiday! The magazine you get will feature various 'luxury' foods with recipe ideas and articles by various 'know it alls'. If you want to opt-in for this club, and you hold a valid Clubcard, just call 0800 59 16 88.


WINE CLUB:

OK, Ok, so these clubs are getting a bit obvious eh? Well, this one sends you a mailing every three months with money off various wines. You also get a magazine reviewing various wines and letting you know which ones have won awards recently. Even if you only have the odd tipple, this is worth joining as the extra points coupons you get will nce again help bump up your end of year total. You can again join over the phone on freephone 0800 59 16 88.


HEALTHY LIVING CLUB:

So you've joined the above two and you are now fat and obese? Well, join the Healthy living club and they send you a mailing once every 3 months containing low fat foods, organic foods etc... They tailor it to your needs and you have to select what type of things you prefer (eg general good health, a healthy family, losing weight or eco friendly goods). This works well and generally, they have a good uptake on the vouchers they send out for this club. The magazine also contains a lot of useful information about the little things you can do to to make a difference in your health. Again, join by calling 0800 59 16 88.


BABY CLUB:

Alas, this club requires you to have a child under the age of 2. You can sign up from when you are first aware you are pregnant. This club works differently to the others in that you get mailings at important stages rather than every 3 months. When you are pregnant, the magazine will give advice on things to do to keep both you and your baby healthy. The money off coupons in these earlier mailings will reflect this. Then, once your baby is here, your mailings will change to meet teething gels and various other things all parents will have to buy anyway... is there anyone here who hasnt bought Calpol for their children? Again you can join by calling 0800 59 16 88.


TODDLER CLUB:

This is really self explanatory. Your child grows up, you revert back to 3 monthly mailings and the coupons reflect your childs new found partial independence. The magazine here is good, providing various articles advising of educational games and such like. Again, call 0800 59 16 88 if you want to join.


KIDS CLUB:

This is my oldest ones favourite club. You phone up and give your childs name, date of birth and let them know if they have any allergies. Tesco then send a mailing to your child once every three months at your address. My older tow both love getting any sort of post, and the colouring books, competitions and various puzzles are loved by them both. But dont worry, inside the mailing is another envelope saying 'please give this to the parent'. Here are your beloved coupons. Coming up to a Birthday? This club will send a birthday pack, with various coupons tailored to things you will be buying at this time (such as a birthday cake!). Again, the number is 0800 59 16 88.


XMAS SAVERS CLUB:

You can still be in the above 5 clubs and be an Xmas saver. When you join this club, you will no longer be sent your vouchers every 3 months. You still get a statement and your bonus coupons, but your points save until November, and then get sent to you in time for XMAS. A great idea if you want to save for that big christmas shop, or if you want to accumulate them and not lose the vouchers on the way for a deal.

As a bonus, this club also lets you save cash towards Christmas. These come out as vouchers in November, but cannot be used for deals (so dont be fooled). With a maximum limit of £360, you can put enough away each week to do the bulk of your Christmas shopping in Tesco... With the range of presents and electrical and seasonal promotions Tesco now do each Christmas, this can mean you get all your Christmas shopping pre-paid, and then buy for everyone in one go... All you need is a nearby Tesco Extra Store.

You can't phone in to join this club, instead, ask for a leaflet at your local store and get it scanned at the checkout (but read the T+C's carefully, if you opt out, you wnt get any 'cash savings' until November anyway....).


SHOPPING ONLINE:

So, you've joined all the clubs, maximising your coupon availability, but you dont shop in store... Not to worry, from February, Clubcard vouchers are supposedly going to be usable both online and in store. This should eliminate the 'evouchers' problem many customers have fallen foul to. No more having to worry if the offer only applies in store or online!. More information will be sent in customers february mailings, but you can also phone 0800 59 16 88 for more information in the mean time.


WHAT IF I LOSE MY VOUCHERS?:

The Clubcard vouchers are valid for two years and if you lose them, call them on 0800 59 16 88 and they will see if you've spent them or not - then they can send them out to you as part of you're next quarterly mailing... superb.


WHATS MY REALISTIC REWARD:

Ok, so I have 3 kids and am a member of all the above clubs. I save in the Xmas savers and get my rewards once a year. By using the coupons I was sent (most of them, some of them were indeed useless) and without using a credit card, I earned over £100 in Tesco Vouchers. This is £400 towards whatever deal you want (I could have taken the kids to Alton Towers several times for this). I used it to pay entirely for a holiday at Butlins in Skegness. This year I already have £40 in Vouchers and its only February!, so hope to possibly take the kids to France, and a certain magical place :-)

This is achievable, and all I do is my main shopping in Tesco (I still go to other stores for various bits and bobs), and use my coupons whenever I can.


SUMMARY:

Well, the above is certainly a powerful tool in the world of Tesco domination. However, I dont care much for Tesco domination, or the competition. I care about what I get back. Tesco prices tend to be quite low, their service is good, and the food is as good in quality as most other supermarkets. So if I can pay for an entire holiday just by shopping there... I'm going to do it. I'm sure those who want credit cards and insurance and all the other financial goods that Tesco's now do will earn far more than me, but I'm happy with what I get. Earn points and get money vouchers back... join the clubs and use the coupons, and go on holiday for free. I'm certainly happy to vouch that this is possible...

Summary: Coupons, coupons coupons, then a free holiday...