Tesco Clubcard: It's something for nothing (Tesco Clubcard)

Member Name: englishrose

Product:	Tesco Clubcard
Date:	12/03/09 (405 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Save up for treats

Disadvantages: Tesco tracking your shopping habits

Looking in my wallet these days, it is just a sea of plastic cards, proving my 'loyalty' to many different shops. Back in the early 1990s, Tesco were the first of these that I ever signed up for, and I think they are still proving the best deal .

Application forms are available instore, and are standard and simple forms. As most of you will know, the Tesco Clubcard is a plastic card that looks like a credit or bank card, with embossed number and name, which you sign on the back.

You are allowed more than one per household, and you can also join certain groups or clubs, for example if you have a young baby, or are teetotal or a vegetarian. Alternatively, if you are a wine-lover, or only buy kosher food, for example, you let them know by ticking the appropriate box and your mailings will be tailored accordingly.

You must hand it over to be swiped every time you buy anything, as this is where your points are added. If you have forgotten it on an occasion, save your receipt and you can get Customer Services to add the points next time you are instore. You can also use it if you do your shopping online.

I really like that the Tesco Clubcard is very secure: Each card is registered to your address, and vouchers have to be ordered and sent there: So if you lose your card, all you have to do is cancel it - there is no danger of someone 'spending' all your points (like they can with, say, the Boots Advantage Card).

Each point is worth a penny, which you receive in the form of points: A statement arrives at your home every quarter, detailing how many points you have got, and including any bonuses.

Also included within the envelope will be some vouchers for either money off or extra points 'when you buy....' <insert name of random product> . It's tempting to disregard these because they don't look like much, but make sure you use them, as they really help the total to mount up.

You can also get bonus points by re-using your own shopping bags, using the recycling points outside (in selected areas) and by recycling printer cartridges and mobile phones in the special envelopes.

This is then converted into vouchers - This is where I get a bit excited, because you can either spend your vouchers in Tesco stores, where they are worth exactly what they say on the voucher, or you can choose from a dazzling array of Deals, where they are worth 4 times the face value.

The vouchers are valid for a long time too, at least a couple of years from when you receive them, so there is plenty of time to think about where you would like to go!

This is where it gets really good, because Deals cover virtually everything: The main categories are :


Activity Days
Annual Memberships
Book Sets (NEW!)
Cinemas (NEW!)
Days Out
Essentials
European Attractions
Exhibitions & Events
Green Deals
Health & Fitness
Holidays
Jewellery
Learning
Magazine Subscriptions
Motoring
Restaurants & Bars
Sporting Events (NEW!)
Theatre Shows
Travel
Weekend Breaks (Hotels)

Air Miles
BA Miles


These categories are then broken down into sub-groups, and include such diverse treats as holidays, Open University payment, membership of the Ramblers Association, to randomly name just three. There are literally hundreds, and I have got to admit to a tragic amount of anticipation when a quarterly mailing is due!

I am not alone in this obsession: there are sites, such as moneysavingexpert or paidtoshop, where there are forums full of people rabidly discussing what was in their latest mailing, who got what, swapping codes for extra points, and giving each tips on how to use all the loopholes etc.

There is also a practice called 'wombling' (I haven't done this myself!) which is slightly against the rules, but involves hanging around outside Tesco, picking up discarded receipts off the floor and claiming the points if they haven't already been claimed. Just shows you how your humble, innocent looking Clubcard can lead to addiction, lol.

The scheme attracts a fair amount of criticism, mainly due to the fact that Tesco use the clubcard scheme to collect information about their customer's shopping habits: Personally I feel okay with this, my view is that at least it's voluntary, unlike the government constantly monitoring us and collecting statistics about us etc. (Also, when you use the online shopping, it allows you to do this very fast , because your Clubcard has kept a 'list' of the most recent purchases and things you usually buy, so you can just zip through it all - who doesn't love saving time?) .

Secondly, there is no such thing as a free lunch: I see it as Tesco 'buying' information about my shopping habits, in return for which I get to have lots of enjoyable days out with the family that I couldn't afford otherwise. After all, I am free to discontinue at any time, or shop elsewhere.

Every time I have ordered vouchers for an attraction on Tesco Clubcard, they have always arrived within 2-3 working days, with NO exceptions: In my experience, the service is excellent. I have always ordered them online, so I cannot speak for the telephone ordering system.

However I have used the Customer Services telephone line and found the service really good: I think the call centre is based in Scotland somewhere, and all the staff were really nicely spoken with lovely accents :) . I had to report that I had lost my card, and they were really helpful, explained clearly what to do, and sorted me out a new replacement card within a couple of days.

There is also a postal address to write to if you prefer this way.


The vouchers that arrive are hologrammed to prevent fraud, and you just hand them over at the place you are visiting, where you would have normally paid: Again, I have never had any problems anywhere with them, it has always been instantly accepted with no quibbles. Also, you can pay with partly cash and partly vouchers, so it's very flexible.

Any converted vouchers that you don't use up for some reason, can be sold on Ebay ( I am not sure if you are meant to or not, but I have seen them there anyway, lol).

Off the top of my head, some of the places I have visited with Clubcard are: Magna Science Centre, Alnwick Castle, Longleat House and Safari Park, and we've been to Flamingoland about 3 times!

Future plans for Clubcard might be a bit ambitious, but they include partly funding an Open University degree, a long weekend in Barcelona, and a holiday to Hong Kong! Don't laugh, it IS possible!

Overall Verdict: I love my Clubcard, and I don't mind that I am 'selling' my personal shopping habits to big, bad Tesco. It allows us to do things we couldn't otherwise afford. Don't spend your points instore, convert to Deals and get quadruple the value. It's fun saving them up, and thinking of ways to get extra points :)





http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals/

Summary: It's well worth having!