Tesco Clubcard vs Nectar – Which Will Save You The Most?
Wondering which loyalty scheme is worth your time – Tesco’s Clubcard or Sainsbury’s Nectar?
Most of the big supermarkets have some kind of app or card that unlocks rewards and/or special offers for customers.
But they don’t all work the same and the differences in the way rewards are applied can make it confusing as to which actually gives you the most back for your loyalty.
As a regular shopper at Tesco and Sainsbury’s I use both their loyalty schemes, and I’ve come to get a good idea of what they both have to offer.
This article is going to set out which gives you the most money, but why I will stay signed up to both!
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Quick verdict on Clubcard vs Nectar
Clubcard points are worth more than Nectar points. But my advice is to have both cards in your wallet.
Nectar has a big advantage over Clubcard because you can collect Nectar points at places other than just Sainsbury’s. With big brands like Argos, Esso garages and eBay on the list, you’ve got more varied places to collect Nectar points.
Both loyalty schemes have the option to increase the value of points by redeeming them with partnered brands.
And you may find the My Nectar Prices offers work better for you than Clubcard Prices in terms of weekly savings on your shopping.
| TESCO | SAINSBURY’S | |
|---|---|---|
| How to earn points | Earn 1 point for every £1 | Earn 1 point for every £1 |
| Points worth | 1 point = 1p | 1 point = 0.5p |
| When can you convert points to cash | Once you have 150 points | Once you have 2 points |
| What you get for £500 spend a month | £5 | £2.50 |
| Discounts? | Clubcard Prices | Nectar Prices |
| Redeeming points | In Tesco or with Clubcard Partners | in Sainsbury’s or with Nectar partners |
| Do points expire? | Tesco vouchers are value for two years from date of issue. | Nectar points have no expiry date but if you do not spend or collect points for a year your account will be closed |
Tesco Clubcard vs Nectar Card
How much are Clubcard points worth?
With Tesco Clubcard one point is worth 1p. You can earn one point for every £1 spent.
This means that when you spend £50 you will receive 50p worth of Clubcard points.
Here’s a quick guide to what your points are worth:
- 1 Clubcard point = 1p
- 2 Clubcard points = 2p
- 100 Clubcard points = £1
- 200 Clubcard points = £2
- 500 Clubcard points = £5
- 1,000 Clubcard points = £10
- 2,500 Clubcard points = £25
- 5,000 Clubcard points = £50
How much are Nectar points worth?
Nectar points have half the value of Clubcard points. One point is worth 0.5p.
You can earn one point for every £1 spent. So when you spend £50 at Sainsbury’s you will get 25p worth of Nectar points.
- 1 Nectar point = 0.5p
- 2 Nectar points = 1p
- 100 Nectar points = 50p
- 200 Nectar points = £1
- 500 Nectar points = £2.50
- 1,000 Nectar points = £5
- 2,500 Nectar points = £12.50
- 5,000 Nectar points = £25
How does Clubcard work?
With Clubcard you scan your membership card or app at checkout and this both unlocks Clubcard prices and gives you points based on how much your spent.
There are other opportunities to earn more points, through using associated wings of the Tesco business, such as Tesco Bank, at Tesco filling stations and Tesco Mobile.
How to spend Clubcard points
You can then redeem those points for money off your shopping. Or you can increase the value of your points by swapping points for vouchers to spend on offers with reward partners.
For example you can double the value of Clubcard vouchers by spending on a Disney+ subscription.
It’s worth noting that with Tesco you need to collect a minimum of 150 points in order to request £1.50 worth of vouchers to spend.
Many of the offers also require a minimum amount of points in order to unlock the deal.
How does Nectar work?
Scan your Nectar card at checkout either in the app or with your physical card and you will receive points.
With Nectar you can spend those points once you have 1p worth of points – two points.
With Nectar there are more options for you to can collect Nectar points at a very wide range of shops and brands, not just Sainsbury’s.
Places you can earn Nectar points include Argos, eBay, VUE, Daily Mail, Caffe Nero and Esso petrol stations.
Boosting Nectar points
Nectar used to offer a popular Double Up promotion near Christmas where you could double the value of your points to spend in certain aisles at Sainsbury’s.
They ditched this in 2021, but this year Sainsbury’s launched a “Power Up” promotion which is very similar to Double Up. The trouble is this was only offered to select customers – I wasn’t one of the lucky ones!
It does have other promotions however. For example I signed up to a Christmas challenge where if I earned 300 points by a certain date I got a bonus 1000 points.
It’s worth downloading the Nectar app to keep an eye out for promotions such as these.
How to spend Nectar points
Like with Clubcard you can redeem your Nectar points to get money off your shopping.
Or you can take advantage of one of the partner rewards offers. These change on a regular basis so it’s worth checking out what’s available in the app.
Clubcard Prices vs Nectar Prices
One of the reasons I recommend you have a Nectar and Clubcard if you shop at theses supermarkets is they unlock discounted prices on hundreds of items.
These offers are frustrating, as they can make it difficult to see which item you are looking to purchase offers the best price.
However it’s worth having those discounts on your shopping as they are so widespread across the stores.
A look at how these two pricing schemes match up showed that Nectar saves you a lot more in total, but that’s because it’s prices are so much higher than Tesco making the discounts appear far more generous.
A final look at the figures for a typical shopping basket of family favourites did find Sainsbury’s was slightly cheaper with its Nectar prices than Tesco, but not by much.
Which loyalty scheme is best depends on you
Although Clubcard points are worth more than Nectar points if you want to use them to get money off your shopping, this won’t necessarily mean it’s the best scheme for you.
It’s become so much harder for customers to assess exactly what loyalty scheme unlocks the best prices.
The best loyalty scheme for you depends on where you prefer to shop, where is most convenient for you and which weekly shop comes out cheapest once you’ve bought everything you need.
It’s worth having both a Clubcard and a Nectar card so that you can take advantage of collecting points with both schemes.
Remember to use your points before they expire!
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