Be rewarded for shopping (Tesco Clubcard)

Member Name: licclevicki

Product:	Tesco Clubcard
Date:	13/11/08 (280 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: money back and clubcard deals!

Disadvantages: rewards are still relatively low!

Tesco Club card
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I have been using tescos clubcard for a long time now. I hardly remember a time without tesco club card, therefore l thought as a service l use quite a lot that its only fair that l review it.

Tesco club card is a loyalty scheme for its valued customers. To register for the loyalty scheme you have to sign up which is a simple process You can pick up a form in store you can ring the helpline 0800 59 16 88 to register. You later receive the official card which you can use when buying items. The card is Blue and red with the tescos logo on.

The loyalty scheme works on collecting points, you collect points for items you buy and every couple of months you get coupons worth money to spend in store or online, you can also use the points on club card deals (which l will explain in a minute).

You can use coupons with Tesco direct, which sells home ware, toys etc, you have probably seen the home catalogue for Tesco direct. (for futhur info see http://direct.tesco.com/). You also get points for buying petrol with Tescos, using Tescos credit card (where you get extra points) and buying insurance with tescos. There are different clubs such as healthy eating and babies and todlers groups which you can join and gain points for too.
You can also collect club card points with tescos partners, E-on, Avis, national tyers and auto care and also for being 'green' - reusing you Tesco plastic carriers instore, mobile phone recycling and ink cartridge recycling, you can usually do this instore.

The way it works is for every £1 you spend with the Tesco chain, whether this is online or instore, you will gather 1 club card point and when you have collected 150 points you will receive your vouchers in the next mailing. You receive your vouchers four times a year and they also send you various offers with coupons which have money off items, for example discounts on baked beans or Tesco cereals if you spend so much.

As well as a card you will also receive key fobs which work the same as the card but you can keep them on your keys for convenience (these can be pretty handy for the forgetful amongst us, me included).




Club card Deals
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Club card deals allow you to buy things with your vouchers like magazine subscriptions, tickets to amusement parks, or other days out passes etc for a fraction of the price. We have started buying these as gifts which are really affordable. I have brought my partner a top gear subscription and my mum a prima subscription before which were greatly appreciated. We have brought tickets to Alton towers too, a £30 day out ended up being less than £10 - excellent. Many of these things cost 5-10 pounds in vouchers depending on what they are. There are lots of other things you can buy too, pamper days, vouchers for restaurants, vouchers for blockbusters, hotel vouchers, air miles, you can even collect points to put towards open university study. If you have a club card check out the brochure they often send with your vouchers, or go online http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals/.
Its worth remembering that you don't have to spend all your vouchers in one go, as long as you are aware of the expiry date (they last aprox 2 years) you can collect them to buy bigger items.
You can visit the website to log in to your account which is pretty handy too!


My thoughts
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Of course the more you spend the more vouchers you receive in vouchers, but l don't encourage you to just spend, spend, spend!. When you spend your vouchers in store, it doesn't seem that much really, but we often use ours for the club card deals because the offers are so good. Its definitely worth signing up for the club card if you shop at Tescos, you wont get rich from it, but its nice to be rewarded for your shopping. The service is okay, and if you forget to take your club card, that's okay just remember to keep your reciept and take it next time you shop, they will then transfer the points, even better make sure your key fobs are on your keyring. Like a lot of people we use Tescos quite a lot so it pays for us to have a club card. Tescos seem to increasingly be offering new services too, so you can be paid for using other services and Tescos are generally pretty competitive, so lm sure you will find yourself using their services for something. Ive always been happy with my club card. I don't tend to belong to may other loyalty schemes as l find some of them a bit of a hassle and l hate having to have millions of cards about, but with Tescos it just seems so simple and straight forward that its never a problem. If your going to shop at Tescos you may as well be rewarded for it, so make sure you have a clubcard!

Summary: Shop at Tescos? Get a clubcard!