UK retail points cards
 

Are any of the UK retail points cards worth having? I've bought some stuff at Sainsbury's and Boots so far and both of them have little messages on their receipts saying you could have earned x points with this purchase etc

Having been away from the UK for so long, I'm just wondering whether to register for any points cards? And if so, which ones are worth doing?

In Canada I used to use shoppers drugmart points occasionally but mostly I found the points system was more trouble than it was worth - however, if I am shopping regularly at some UK stores, it might be worth it??

Any thoughts/suggestions? Do you use points cards and if so which ones and why? ie which are most useful?

thanks :)

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Yes, I signed up for loyalty cards from the usual stores I frequented in the UK. Especially the grocery stores. Then in the post I'd get vouchers for 5 or 10 Bp off my next shop at Tesco or wherever. As well as coupons for money off specific products or categories (like produce, dairy, or eggs, for instance) that I had a history of purchasing.

When our children were growing up and I was feeding a large family, it was a significant help and--I felt--rewarding. Then even when the last child moved out and my grocery expenditures fell dramatically, I could still buy myself a little treat once in a while with the vouchers.

I left in 2011, so I don't know if those schemes have changed since then. Someone on this board told me that Sainsburys now offers a free cup of coffee to those with a loyalty card--Not bad! I would have enjoyed that, but it wasn't on offer when I lived there....

Re: UK retail points cards
 

They can be worth it....

Tesco clubcard points are best used for other things outside of tesco where they convert at a better rate - so you might get £10, £15 or maybe £20 for a £5 clubcard voucher.

Sainsbury's do nectar points which can be collected in a few different places - again, it can be best to spend those away from the supermarket.

Once you sign up to the loyalty schemes you can check out their websites and see what can be done with the points.

You can also check out the forums on moneysavingsexpert - http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/ they will have info on both maximising your accumulation of points and getting the best value when spending the points.

Boots I think can only be used in Boots, but again I think they tend to be quite good.

Tesco clubcard & Nectar are the 2 biggies to use in different places.

Waitrose scheme is a bit different - no points as such but you can get a free tea or coffee every day and a free newspaper if you spend £5 (I think).

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Clubcard is great, we save our points up and use them for holidays usually - last time we had 10 days in France for free, this time we're going to Morocco.

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Oh, and another tip - if you're shopping online make sure you sign up to something like Quidco or Topcashback. I do the vast majority of my shopping online and get hundreds of pounds a year back, which I then convert to Amazon vouchers and it pays for Christmas and all my children's birthday presents.

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Boots is definitely a good one to have if you ask me.

Re: UK retail points cards
 

I'd get any that are offered. They don't cost anything. When I'm in the UK I currently use Boots and Costa coffee. I have cards for most of the supermarkets too, but since I'm usually staying with my mum, I put points on her cards when I'm shopping for groceries.

Re: UK retail points cards
 

We got a Nectar card through Sainsbury's right after I moved back. You get points on your grocery purchases there but also at many other stores etc. and they can really add up. It's unfortunate I didn't realize this before we spent £2500 on our bedroom suite at House of Fraser - we could have had points on that but found out too late.

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Today I bought a new garden shed and signed up for the loyalty card at the garden centre. I'll get about £80 in garden centre vouchers which will be handy when it comes time to plant in my newly renovated garden.

I have signed up to most loyalty cards that are offered and tend to use my Nectar card quite a bit as Sainsburys is my closest supermarket. The points add up quickly and I put my credits straight to the grocery bill. Scotrail have just been added to the Nectar list of participants which was well timed as I just booked a trip to London and earned some bonus points.

Although not loyalty cards, John Lewis and M&S offer credit cards that give you gift certificates based on the amount debited to your card. I might look into getting one of those in the future. According to friends, the credit cards can be used as a regular credit card and is not a in-store card only.

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Last time I was over, I bought a lip balm for £1 at Boots, the cashier said, "Ooh that's 4 points you're missing out on!" and made sure my mum came over to get them put on her card :D

Re: UK retail points cards
 

If you are interested in a credit card with rewards (like M7S, John Lewis etc) take a look at the article on moneysavingsexpert - http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cre...t-card-rewards and check out which offers the best rewards for you :)

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Yup, I spent ten weeks in England, January to March. My son very kindly sent off for another Tesco Clubcard on his account so I didn't have to apply for my own. Now he's off to Portugal for a week's holiday next week ... !

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Really miss my points cards, especially Boots. :( Definitely worth getting them, FAR better than shoppers!

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Yeah, I used to use a Waitrose/John Lewis credit card when I did my shopping (made sure I paid the bill off at the end of each month so I wasn't charged interest). You get good points when you use it at Waitrose or JL and can use it elsewhere. Like most cards in the UK there is no fee if you stay in credit.

Received gift certificates regularly which I used to buy more shopping but you can of course give them as gifts too.

Also +1 for Boots cards. One Christmas I used my points to buy prezzies for my entire Christmas list!!

Re: UK retail points cards
 

Okay I've got a Nectar card and a Boots Advantage card so far!

There isn't a Tesco in the town I live in but I will look at Waitrose if I can afford their prices!