Reward Your Loyalty (Tesco Clubcard)

Member Name: cazkins

Product:	Tesco Clubcard
Date:	28/06/09 (63 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good customer service, range of benefits, points add up quickly

Disadvantages: Exclusions from point collection/spending apply

I've lost count of the years I've been shopping with Tesco on a regular basis, but it was probably about 10 years ago when a new store was opened 5 minutes from where I live. I admit that Tesco isn't the best of supermarkets, but their prices are relatively competitive and they often have some good offers on. I signed up for their clubcard once my local store had opened, so I think that was around the time the scheme was introduced.

It's become incredibly popular now and very easy to become a member, so telling you what it's all about is probably a bit pointless as I'm sure everyone's relatively well-informed already. There have been some changes made to the scheme recently, which was given plenty of media airing, though the changes seem to have caused more confusion and expenditure than necessary. However, the changes suggest that the card is increasingly popular and that can only be a good thing in terms of being reliable and effective.

... What is it? ...

Tesco Clubcard is a store reward scheme, rather than a store card. Each time you shop you get points scanned onto your card. Once these have accumulated, Tesco will send you a letter to let you know how many points you have; you are then able to spend your points as money in the store, online or for other 'special rewards'.

... How does it work? ...

... Registering ...

Registering with Clubcard is relatively painless; you can fill in a form that you can pick up from tesco, or you can do it on the phone or online. You should receive your clubcard in the post and it shouldn't take long, but you can get a temporary card to use whilst your order is being processed. It's completely free and there's no strings attached.

... Collecting Points ...

Generally speaking, you get 1 point every £1 spent instore, online & or with tesco direct. You can also gain points via tesco mobile, Tesco insurance and credit card, e.on, Tesco opticians and Tesco broadband. Recycling your old mobile and inject cartridges also gets you a few points, as does taking your own bags when you shop in store.

... Spending Points ...

When you get 100 points on your card, they're added up to form a £1 voucher. It may sound like a like of points, but ,if like me, you shop regularly in Tesco then they soon add up. Tesco sends out statements to clubcard holders quarterly, so every 3 months you should get a statement through the post. The vouchers can either be taken straight into Tesco and used on grocery shopping, clothing, dvds etc. Alternatively, you can exchange them for rewards or deal tokens.

... Rewards ...

£1 of clubcard points from your statement will mean £1 off your shopping. But in some cases you can double up, so that £1 of clubcard points will give you £2 to spend, such as with clothing. Tesco's most recent campaign was raising awareness of this new 'double up' scheme, and there's new brochures available in store and online to let you know exactly how and where you can spend your points.

Points can also be spent on tesco.com, or with Tesco Direct. Alternatively, you can get up to 4 x the value of your points if you use them for a partner reward; these include deals tokens which can be spent in restaurants, towards days out, admissions to theme parks, magazine subscriptions etc... To exchange your vouchers, the quickest way is via their website. There's a long list of ways to spend your points so you get plenty of choice, and it's all well-detailed on their website (click on clubcard at the top of tesco.com).

... Other Clubs ...

Being a clubcard member means you can also sign up to other clubs to get more freebies. These include the healthy living club and the baby and toddler club. I signed up for the former a few months ago and have received a few good discount vouchers through the post, ie. 50P off fruit & veg. Details of these clubs, again, can be found via leaflets in store and online. These are also free to join, so it's worth having a look because you've got nothing to lose.

... The Small Print ...

Although there are no catches or hidden charges, there are a few things that aren't included when collecting and spending points. As per their website, you can't collect or spend points on tobacco, Esso fuels, prescription medicines, lottery products or infant formulae milk. The clubcard points you receive in your statement usually last quite a while, but some of the rewards tokens may have use-by dates so it's best to keep this in mind if you're buying something for the future.

... Service & Support ...

Contacting Tesco is made very easy via phone, instore or online, so they're very accessible if you have any queries or need them to sort out your clubcard points & rewards.

... My Experience ...

I've been a Clubcard member for quite a while now and am very pleased with the benefits. Like I said, the points seem to add up very quickly, and like they say, 'every little helps'!

I've ordered reward tokens with them too; so far I've bought £20 deals tokens (which cost me £5 of clubcard points) which I used towards entry to Shakespeare's houses, and £4.50 of clubcard points bought me a ticket to Warwick Castle (which otherwise would have cost me around £15-20).

I've found the staff have always been very knowledgeable and helpful, and any emails I have sent them have always been answered within 48 hours. The tokens I ordered via their website arrived within 3 days and overall, I've found them to be very quick and efficient.

... Definitely Recommended ...

As it's free to sign up, I would definitely recommend getting a clubcard if you don't already have one. If you do have one, but haven't yet taken advtage of their rewards scheme then I would recommended having a look because you can get some really good deals (ie. £5 clubcard vouchers could buy you a lovely meal for 2 in Cafe Rouge!). Overall, the Clubcard scheme does seem dedicated to rewarding customers, without causing extra hassle. I know I've saved a lot of money with them and Clubcard seems to be getting more popular, so it can only get better (fingers crossed!) :o)

Summary: My favourite loyalty reward card that actually delivers its benefits