Loyalty Really Does Pay at Tesco (Tesco Clubcard)

Member Name: tania2011

Product:	Tesco Clubcard
Date:	27/07/09 (24 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to apply, straightforward to redeem rewards

Disadvantages: Clubcard Plus isn't advertised so getting the telephone number is a pain!

With a number of loyalty cards on the market these days, I think it really does pay to stick with just one or two, as it pays dividends in the end.

I've researched most of the reward cards, and used wisely, Tesco Clubcard beats the lot. With an average monthly spend of £400-£500 on groceries and petrol, I accumulate a sizeable sum of points on my Clubcard.

How It Works
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Joining the Tesco Clubcard is easy - there are forms at the checkouts instore, or ask for one at the Customer Services Desk. The form comes with a temporary card so you can start collecting points instantly, and you need to complete your details on the form and send it off for your permanent card to come through. You should receive a card and keyring cards which you can attach to your keys so you never forget to carry it with you!

Every time you shop in store or buy petrol at a Tesco pump, remember to hand your card in to be swiped. You will earn a point for every pound spent, so a £50 shop will earn you 50 points. In addition, you can earn Green points if you bring your own carrier bags - Tesco will reward you 1 point for every bag you use, although to be honest I have often been credited 12 points when I've only used 4 bags!

What Do Points Make?
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Money! Each quarter, Tesco will transfer your points into vouchers (a minimum quantity of 150 points must be collected in a quarter to achieve this), and mail them to you. 150 points, for example, will get you a voucher worth £1.50. Obviously the greater the number of points, the more vouchers you will receive.

How Can I Redeem My Vouchers?
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Tesco offer a number of ways in which to use your vouchers.

1. You can use them in-store for your grocery shop - they are worth their face value, so for example, a £5.00 voucher will get you £5.00 off your groceries.

2. Tescos have just started doing limited in-store double up offers, which means that on certain items a £5.00 voucher will get you £10.00 worth of goods - restrictions do apply and you should check in-store for the current offers.

3. The Tesco Wine Club also accepts the vouchers at http://www.tesco.com/wine/ - here your vouchers are worth double their face value.

4. Tesco Direct at http://direct.tesco.com/ also accept the vouchers, and at the time of writing this review, they were also offering double their face value.

5. The best way, however, to get the most value from your vouchers is using Tesco Clubcard Deals at http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals/ - here your vouchers are worth a staggering 4 times their face value, meaning a £5.00 voucher will get you £20.00 worth of deals, ranging from holidays, magazine subscriptions and days out - the list is endless.


Maximising Your Points Earnings
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If you jon the Clubcard Plus account, you can earn 2 points for every £1.00 spent, meaning that on Clubcard Deals, your rewards will be worth 8 times the value, rather than 4. The Clubcard Plus account is like a pre-paid card and you have to commit to transferring an amount from your current account onto it each month and using it as payment of groceries and fuel at Tescos in order to earn the points. If you are a loyal customer, it's well worth investing in. Contact Tesco on 0845 710 40 10 for more information on this.

Tescos periodically offer bonus points on online grocery shopping which are well worth using. For a period of 4 weeks, I had my groceries delivered - it cost me £3.50 for delivery, and I had used a code which got me 750 bonus points. This equates to £7.50 in vouchers or £30.00 in deals - well worth the money and I didn't have to go to the store to do my shopping either!

Conclusion
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This reward scheme really does beat out its competition, and if the consumer uses it wisely, you can really reap the rewards!

Summary: A great reward scheme