Shop Loyalty cards
 

What has been bugging me every so often.... Tesco/Interspar cards. When you get all these points does anyone know how to redeem them? Through translation Tesco send you a small booklet of so many forints off products that probably you don't want/need,up to months away ? Interspar, no clue as the customer service don't speak English.

Re: Shop Loyalty cards
 

Tesco send that booklet, as well as monthly offers, depending on how much you spend. For example. I shop at Tesco most of the time, as well as Spar, whereby I get sent upto the equivalent of £5 (2000 ft) in coupons within that booklet. In others words, I might get 500 ft coupon, 500 ft coupon, plus 500 off Olive Oil, etc. This is based on my shop (they normally cater to some item(s) they notice you have been buying for ages; such as Olive Oil in my case).

I also remember about 18 months ago, although I cannot quite remember exactly, that I asked the cashier to knock points off the balance, which she did. I was really flat broke at that time, hence why I needed to ask. This has probably been changed to the above coupons scenario now? Worth asking them again I suppose.

One thing I have noticed. If you do not shop enough (because you are in the uk for example) they either do not send you a booklet and if they do, it contains about 200 ft worth of product offer as opposed to 2,000 ft. Hence why I shop for the food, perhaps elsewhere too, and not for the points. The points are just a bonus.

Interestingly, I am in the UK now, shopping at morrisons and wandered the OP's question. So I asked morrisons. They said £1 is 1 point and you get a £5 voucher after 5,000 points. So I have to spend £5,000 to get back £5. What a joke. At least in Tesco HU I get the same £5 back after much less shopping.

Re: Shop Loyalty cards
 

We also get these booklets from Tesco - well 300 or 500 Forint is better than nothing.

Not too much OT:

In the Tesco advert that gets distributed to the villages around Hévíz/Keszthelyi (but not in the one that you find at the shop itself!) you often find a coupon for 1000 HUF - when you buy for 10 000 HUF or more.
We use that regularly, buying stuff which we need long term like dog food, mineral water, coffee, a bottle of Unicum - whatever it takes.
And sometimes you get a coupon for the neighbouring Shell gas station like 10 HUF off per liter.

The Interspar has something similar - but not as regular/often, sometimes they give out this kind of coupon at the till.

Re: Shop Loyalty cards
 

Yes I do that when the 1000ft comes in but sometimes I have done my shopping somewhere else.

Re: Shop Loyalty cards
 

When I first came to Hungary I did wonder why checkout staff kept asking me questions about car tyres! I must admit that I don't have any loyalty cards and have never tried to do anything with the vouchers they give in Tesco or the tiny stamps in Penny Market. They did give me a form to apply for a card in Penny Market the other day but I've not looked at it. I did once think I had been overcharged for something in Interspar but it turned out the lower price was only for storecard holders.

I do tend to look for the special offer leaflets in shops but that is for lighting the fire. I find it too frustrating to actually read them as invariably the offers are for dates when I won't be going to town.