Tesco Clubcard

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Tesco Clubcard

You don't get much for free in this life so when a good offer or deal comes about we grab it while we can. I must admit that I am one for getting something for nothing and do very well out of various schemes... one of the better schemes I use is Tesco's Clubcard.

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What is Tesco's Clubcard?

Tesco's Clubcard is a free loyalty card scheme. You receive approximately 1% rebate on purchases via their stores, internet sites or from shopping with one of their partner sites.

You receive 1 Clubcard point per every £1 spent in store, on the Tesco.com website or via one of their partner sites. It may sound like not much but over time it can add up quite fast, especially if you use it to its full potential.

If Tesco's is your regular supermarket, then I strongly recommend you getting a Clubcard, you will be really grateful for it, read on to see why I think so…

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Signing Up To Clubcard

Signing up for a Clubcard is very simple and is free. There are several ways in which you can do this:

In-Store: Available in all major stores you can simply complete a short application form, seal it up and return it to them by Freepost. Forms are available at most checkouts, if unsure ask a member of staff.

Tip: In some stores a small box can also be found for new applications where you can leave your application form once completed.

Online: If you have got an application form with the Clubcard enclosed then you can go to their website and register it online. You will need to complete name, address and personal details sections to complete the application successfully. This literally takes only a few minutes and personally is the method I chose.

By Telephone: Alternatively, you can also telephone the Clubcard helpline and register by phone. Again you will need to have collected an application form in-store with an enclosed Clubcard to register the number on the front of it.

Use Of Your Information: Tesco abides by the data protection act so you can be rest assured any/all of your personal information is safe. They may gather data to analyse buying activity but this is purely for their own records to improve customer service.

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Carrying For Convenience

Card: The Tesco's Clubcard itself is blue in colour and is the size, shape and design of a credit card. This means that you can keep it handy in your purse/wallet without forgetting it and missing out on valuable points. You hand this to the cashier every time you make a purchase and your points are automatically added to your account. It really isn't any extra hassle nor is it time consuming.

Key Fob: Recently Tesco have sent out 2, small plastic key fob's to each registered customer, to attach to their key rings. This also enables you to give one to someone else so that they always have one with them to collect points for you. You use this by simply handing your keys over to the cashier with the key fob attached, they then scan the small bar code on the key fob and the points are credited to the registered account, I do this with my boyfriend and we never miss out now!

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Collecting Points

In-Store: You can earn points from purchasing most goods in-store with the main exception of National Lottery Tickets. You can use your Clubcard in any type of Tesco store be it a Tesco Metro, Tesco Express or Tesco Extra store.

Advice: If you forget your Clubcard whilst shopping in-store, make sure you do not throw your receipt away as you can have the points added later by going to Customer Services; they are more than happy to do this for you.

Tips: If you use Tesco Petrol Stations, then this an ideal chance to gain extra points as you can collect them on all fuel purchases too.

If you have a 'Pay As You Go' mobile phone then providing you top-up using your swipe card in any Tesco store or Petrol station you can earn Clubcard points on that too.

Online: If you are like me and frequently place orders online at tesco.com, then as long as you have your card registered on your account, any point's earned from online purchases will again, be automatically credited to your Clubcard account.

I earn on average £60 a year and that is simply by choosing my shopping carefully and maximizing the point's scheme potential. I don't spend a fortune, normally about £30 a week on groceries so for this amount my return from Clubcard is very good.

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Via Partner Sites:

Some of the many partners, (as mentioned earlier) where you can earn extra Clubcard points are:

Powergen, Avis, Johnson's Dry Cleaners, MFI, Marriott Hotels, The Nutri Centre, National Tyres & Autocare and Recycle.

Each company offers different earning potentials per £1 spent, so the earning potential really can be massive. You simply hand your Clubcard to the staff members of the above companies and they will either credit your account directly onto the card or by providing you with a receipt to take to a Tesco's store and have your account credited at a later date.

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Gaining Extra Points

You can gain extra points on special offers in-store, on promotional offers with Tesco Personal Finance or by using the Tesco Telecoms service, i.e. Tesco Mobile.

Frequently, both in-store and online you will come across special offers that give you extra points. For example…. Buy 'Bold' washing powder and gain 50 extra points. I try to take advantage of these offers mainly if it was a product I was going to purchase anyway.

If you sign-up for a Tesco credit card then you actually earn 1 point for every £2 spent using that card. The credit card also acts as an additional Clubcard. This is a really great way to earn more back on a quarterly basis.

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Redemption

You must earn a minimum amount of points to be able to convert the collected points into vouchers. The minimum redemption amount is 150 Clubcard points = £1.50 quarterly.

The voucher amounts are redeemable in 50 point increments there afterwards, i.e. £2.00, £2.50, £3.00. Any remaining points will then be carried over to your next statement.

In-store: Unless you specify otherwise you will receive a Clubcard statement every quarter of the year. Enclosed in this statement are your Clubcard voucher/s, special offers they think you will like and some extra coupons which you can use to gain extra points in-store (Redeemable towards your next mailing).

Spending In-store: To spend the vouchers in-store you simply hand them over to the cashier of who will apply them to the bill and the full voucher amount will be deducted from the overall total. It's very easy.

Tip: Each voucher is valid for 2 years, so you can, like me, save them up and keep them towards a bigger purchase or for your Christmas shopping.

Online: If you purchase your shopping online and choose to have your vouchers sent by e-voucher, then you will be sent your vouchers by email in the form of a voucher code. This will go to your registered email address as specified on your tesco.com account.

Spending Online - This code needs to be applied to the 'checkout' section of your online order and the full Clubcard e-voucher amount will be deducted from your bill total. You then go on to complete checkout as normal. Make sure you understand how to do this from the help section on the site to avoid any potential problems.

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Extra Ways To Spend Your Vouchers

You don't have to redeem your Clubcard vouchers for products in-store or online, you can actually spend them on other things too, these are known as 'Clubcard Deals'.

Clubcard Deals: You can use your vouchers to get 4 x their value at a vast range of other companies. For example, you can use them to get tickets for day trips to theme parks, MFI vouchers, hotel discounts, holiday discounts or even to convert to Air Miles. Tesco's latest offer is that you can even use them to get money off your motor insurance - how good is that!

I find that Tesco are constantly adding to the many ways to redeem your vouchers at 4 times their value, so refer to your quarterly statement for the latest deals and offers.

Your statement will advise you as too how many vouchers you will need to be able to redeem it against a 'Clubcard Deal'. These 'Clubcard Deals' can really help fund what would otherwise be an expensive day out for instance.

Additional info can be found on the tesco.com website for details of participating companies and offers.

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Exclusive Clubs

By being a Clubcard member you will have the chance to enjoy exclusive free access to several clubs that Tesco offer. I have taken up several of these clubs and regularly receive money-off coupons, extra point's coupons and free information booklets so find this to be really worth while doing.

The clubs Tesco offer are: Tesco's Food Club, Kids Club, Baby & Toddler Club, Tesco Clubcard World of Wine and their Healthy Living Club.

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Keeping Up-To-Date

In-Store: For every transaction made where you use your Clubcard in-store you will note that on your receipt it displays the amount earned in that specific transaction and what your balance is to date (For that quarter).

Please note though, that this is not in real time so any points earned will take a day or two to show.

Online: When you have received your shopping via Tesco's home delivery service, you will be able too see on your printed receipt any Clubcard points earned in that specific transaction. I always check this, to ensure the correct amount has been credited and to also gain idea of how many points I have collected in that quarter so far.

Tesco.com offers a statement section for Clubcard members to use to check their balance. This is not in real time though so you can only use this as a guide.

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Further Information

If you want more information then you can contact the Clubcard helpline by:

Telephone: 0800 59 16 88. Lines are open Mon-Fri 9am-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.

Post: Tesco Clubcard, Freepost, Tesco Sco 3145, Dundee, DD1 9YG

Online: www.tesco.com/clubcard

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Conclusion

Hopefully after reading this review you will make sure you have got a Clubcard and now know how to make the most out of its potential. I have never had any problems with Tesco Clubcard and haven't known anyone else too. It's a superb service to offer and if you were going to spend money anyway, you may as well get rebate on it!

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© Copyright of grown_up_girlie, September 2005.