Tesco Clubcard ~catastrophe~

Only relevant to Tesco shoppers; I'm not so...meh.

It used to be 4x value for some things, including Evans Cycles.

Only relevant to Tesco shoppers

No, just anyone with a Tesco Clubcard, regardless of where they shop.

Only relevant to Tesco shoppers

They've got a 27% market share, so that's still quite a few people!

We have done ours for the tunnel trips this year. Will be swapping out on 3x in June before the deadline for two lots of tunnel vouchers. They are allowing 12 months instead of 6 months for the vouchers to be then swapped which should allow us to book for 2024. Was thinking about taking a punt on a third swap as you can cancel a tunnel booking once booked for up to 12 months from your original travel date which could in theory get us a booking in 2025 once Eurotunnel release 2025 prices.

We have had some great deals over the years from using them and it will still be OK at 2x

No, just anyone with a Tesco Clubcard, regardless of where they shop.

Yep, I have a Tesco Credit card that I use for all my purchases online etc.
I think its only a point for every £4 spent , but it soon adds up.

Same as above. Tesco credit card is used for everything and then paid off every month. The points just stack up

Same buying strategy here.

Us too. All the shopping and all the fuel.

Pays for RAC, English Heritage, Disney+ and ferries.

At least they aren't bullshitting us with the "We're doing this to make it easier for you" rubbish that they came out with when it dropped from x4 to x3.

Tesco credit card is used for everything and then paid off every month. 

Hold on. So if you spend £800 a month, you'd get 100 points (£8 = 1 point), which you can swap for £1 Clubcard voucher, which in turn you could swap for e.g. £3 Eurotunnel voucher? How much are you spending to make the points stack up?!? Am I misunderstanding some of the maths?

The card is used for everything fuel insurance, bikes, holidays, even the PayPal account. You get points for club card and points for the Tesco Credit card.
You don't get as many as you used to but they all add up.

Best deal we had was when it was 4x. They were selling VinaSol wine at £7 per bottle and you got £7s worth of clubcard points.
It was a no brainer. We had a £1000 worth of wine stacked in the garage and £1000 worth of vouchers which we swapped for a £4000 all inclusive family holiday in Egypt.
Effectively we had a holiday for £1000 and a load of free wine

Jesus Christ, this is a whole other level of First World problem here!

All great 'savings' but those all appear to need a stack of money upfront...it sounds like it is still decent deals - half price is still better than full price. However, it is a non-event for many, so suspect those who maximise the savings will notice it more than those who don't or don't participate in the scheme.

They still do Disney+ vouchers?

My only gripe with tescos Clubcard is that they don’t do much in my part of town (Scotland).

There’s about three different companies, offering boat excursions to the Corryvreckan whirlpool.
None of them have opted in to become Clubcard partners.

I’m not just being a cheapskate, it actually seems like a great way to put your business on the map.

I spent all my points on a family railcard, I didn't have many.

Looking at the rewards:

5 points for every £4 in Tesco
5 points for every £4 on Tesco fuel
1 point for every £8 elsewhere

1 point = 1p

Nectar is :

3 points for every £2 in Sainsburys/Argos
1 point per litre at Sainsburys/Esso garages (300 points for £5 off at Esso which they sometimes give as a bonus on your next visit)
1 point for every £5 elsewhere

1 point = 0.5p

My Santander 123 is still better value as I don't shop in Tesco and Nectar points are just crap unless you pay a lot more attention than I do.

Lidl effectively gives 4% discount on their loyalty card provided you are able to spend £100 over the course of a couple of weeks.

If you sign up to Tesco clubcard plus which costs £7.99 a month then you get 2 x 10% off shopping every month up to £20 each so you could be saving an extra £32 per month on shopping. I think you can sign up for a months free trial.

You are probably all going to think I’m bonkers - but I don’t have a Clubcard.  I’m not keen to make it easier for them to sell me shit I don’t need.  This  is starting to get irritating with stuff that’s priced differently for card holders - and the card holder price is just what it used to be the non card holder price is just taking the piss.

My only gripe with tescos Clubcard is that they don’t do much in my part of town (Scotland).

I expect, having briefly dealt with Tesco’s “buying” team you don’t just sign up to be a partner.  Tesco decide if you are worthy, then as a gesture of good will rip you off in any negotiations.  I assume that any special deal they offer is not entirely subsidised by Tesco but is at least part paid by the attraction who then rip off their captive audience once they arrive?  If that’s not the case I’ll be staggered.

There’s about three different companies, offering boat excursions to the Corryvreckan whirlpool.
None of them have opted in to become Clubcard partners.

all seem to be pretty busy without having to deal with the sort of customer who hasn’t put their hand in their pocket to spend real money.  I suspect the average club card ticket buyer is actually a PITA.

I’m not just being a cheapskate, it actually seems like a great way to put your business on the map.

Not sure Scottish tourist businesses are struggling to be on the map - their issues are more capacity in a short peak season than demand?

I suspect the average club card ticket buyer is actually a PITA.

Go on then, describe the average club card ticket buyer.

To be fair I am a PITA, but Clubcard voucher users would just book through the website like everyone else. I'd be surprised if the staff could identify them from any other customer

I suspect the average club card ticket buyer is actually a PITA.

As a regular buyer of event tickets using Clubcard I'd be interested to hear more.

I suspect the average club card ticket buyer is actually a PITA.

What a strange thing to say. Is it the same for groupon buyers, or people using gift vouchers? Its just an alternative payment method.

They still do Disney+ vouchers?

Yep. Offer is on until August IIRC.

Renewed mine the other day. As far as I could tell I did it without being a PITA.

I've no store cards or loyalty cards - like the idea, but don't really spend purchasing moments in the 1 place, so figure I'm not going to get the most out of it plus the benefits seem to be something you need to keep track of - I struggle to keep track of each shoe unless they are firmly tied down on my feet!

I expect, having briefly dealt with Tesco’s “buying” team you don’t just sign up to be a partner.

Tesco are not alone with screwing suppliers; all do it, even the lovely fluffy kindly ones.

Some even expect you to pay £10,000's every year to be an approved supplier to their supplier. At least Tesco don't try that

I barely use mine any more, but I reckon the savings from getting my (usually superior) food & drink at Lidl will pay for the next chunnel anyway.

Hold on. So if you spend £800 a month, you’d get 100 points (£8 = 1 point), which you can swap for £1 Clubcard voucher, which in turn you could swap for e.g. £3 Eurotunnel voucher? How much are you spending to make the points stack up?!? Am I misunderstanding some of the maths?

I have never bothered to do the maths, but we spend around £2,000 a month on our Tesco credit card (every single purchase goes through it for a family of five). Also things like holidays are paid for via it. By December we usually have around £200 in vouchers which we use for our big Christmas shop.

I'd say it's worth it.

We're about the same. £2k+ on the cards + £600 in the shop per month.

Very useful on holiday for admissions to theme parks etc and Pizza Express as I wouldn't spend £100+ of real money in there.

Go on then, describe the average club card ticket buyer.

Well the average buyer is someone who is used to the facilities and services of Tesco.  So big car parks with free customer parking, warm premises, lots of choice, toilets in stores, etc. If they shop online they are used to a large company website that has a team of support people behind it and can get a response very quickly if there is a problem.  I know 2 of the companies the GreatBeardedOne referred to, and while they both have online purchasing now, thats a relatively recent innovation.  If you have a problem or an issue with your booking, its likely the guy who will sort it is on a boat somewhere or doing something other than sitting in front of a computer screen.  They both have limited parking and from memory its not free, etc...   Both are really nice small teams of people running successful tourist businesses.  Their customers appreciate them for being specialists in what they do, not for being cheap and cheerful entertainment.  There business model is about selling bums on seats not getting people through the door and extracting extra from them through food/gift-shop/framed photos etc.  They are quite weather dependant which means for booking far in advance lots of refunds etc, but for bookings this week whilst you are in the area (their typical customer) not so much.

Of course - not ALL club card buyers are the same - hence the word average.

To be fair I am a PITA, but Clubcard voucher users would just book through the website like everyone else. I’d be surprised if the staff could identify them from any other customer

So the small businesses that the great bearded one alluded to has to change their website to support Tesco vouchers.  Then how long from customer paying until they receive the money from Tesco?  A lot of their existing customers know pretty much exactly where they are before they book, that changes when you book weeks in advance online.  For businesses that work to tight schedules people who underestimate how long it takes to get down the narrow twisty road or get delayed in traffic 70 miles away that becomes a constant battle of reorganisation or customer anger.

What a strange thing to say. Is it the same for groupon buyers,

Almost cetainly!

or people using gift vouchers? Its just an alternative payment method.

If you book gift vouchers through a third party (red letter days etc) then yes.  I know a few people who have run experience type businesses and some of those were the worst customers - often the person on the trip didn't really want to be there, but got given it as a gift - you get negative trip advisor feedback from people who weren't actually the person who bought the voucher.  Also even your own gift vouchers are a bit of a headache in terms of accounting a pain, as you sell the voucher months ahead of it being used, the cash is an asset on your balance sheet, but the potential for the customer to redeem it at some unknown point makes it a short term liability too, and then an admin effort to deal with expired vouchers etc.

If your business does not have a capacity constraint (i.e. its just a big park where more people = more on the bottom line) then Tesco vouchers are a good deal, even if Tesco are making you subsidise them or you have to wait ages for the cash, not so much for a small boat operator who is already sold out in peak season.

So the small businesses that the great bearded one alluded to has to change their website to support Tesco vouchers.  Then how long from customer paying until they receive the money from Tesco?

Tbh you've gone from 'Clubcard voucher users are a PITA" to "why should the company have to have a booking website?" (well, okay - don't take them then - if they're sold out all season then they don't need more customers) and "bloody tourists keep getting lost" (which seems like an inherent risk of being a tourism business).

The stuff about gift experience recipients being a pain was interesting though

Sounds like these businesses would be better off not being on a voucher system then. As far as I am aware Tesco don't force them into it.

Interesting points about customers with vouchers bought for them leaving bad reviews.
I recently stayed in a hotel I didn’t choose. It was booked with a voucher purchased by my brother in law. Long story short but his wife my sister has become seriously ill and in the run up to being diagnosed they had to postpone a booking as she was in hospital. The voucher was supposed to expire at the end of December but he had spoken to someone at head office who said it could be used for a booking in late feb due to the circumstances. As it happened in early feb my sister got a diagnosis of multiple myeloma so they offered us the booking. It was handy as it was nearer to where they live and we were able to take their 17 year old daughter and our daughter with us for the night to try and help relieve some of the stress- so we booked another room ourselves for the girls.
So at checking in time, the room I’ve paid for no problem. The room booked in another person’s name- well he had emailed me the wrong thing just the hotel confirmation not the actual voucher which I had to get him to send me a link to. I didn’t know it had “expired” till we were at the front desk of the hotel. The staff there new nothing and had to contact the central reservations team to ok it etc. So yes, we were a PITA.
The hotel was lovely but I don’t leave online reviews as a rule. As it’s STW though I’ll recommend it- telegraph hotel in Coventry if you really have to go (or get sent to) cov, I’d say it’s a good place to sleep.

Just go to Aldi. Reasonably priced shopping full stop without having to go in clutching your Clubcard for the special deals.

Just go to Aldi. Reasonably priced shopping full stop without having to go in clutching your Clubcard for the special deals.

But as has been said above, the Clubcard gets money back/benefits too (this is especially rewarding if you have a Tesco credit card to build up Clubcard Points).

I shop at Aldi and Lidl. I scan the Lidl app at the checkout and pay with my Tesco credit card which is linked to my Clubcard plus card so I also get Tesco points for shopping at Lidl as I do at Aldi

Daughter is travelling through NZ. She is using the Tesco credit card to pay for almost everything and its paid off at the end of the month but she's earning the points whilst out there.

If I buy on line I always look at Topcashback, and buy through their link if there is one to the site and then pay via PayPal which is linked to the Tesco credit card.

Its there to be taken advantage of for very little effort

I don't change which supermarket I go to based on the loyalty scheme - but I do always scan the card whether it's Nectar or Clubcard or whatever.

Sounds like these businesses would be better off not being on a voucher system then. As far as I am aware Tesco don’t force them into it.

Tesco don't (and they aren't) but my point was directly in reply to GreyBearedOne's post saying he wished they did include three businesses local to him, and my suggestion that dealing with Tesco and its customers was probably more hassle than it was worth.

Just go to Aldi. Reasonably priced shopping full stop without having to go in clutching your Clubcard for the special deals.

I shop at Aldi and use my Tesco Clubcard account to pay.

I should add that we do shop at Tesco but not to get Clubcard points (although there is a benefit - 1 point for every £1 spent online or instore as opposed to 1 Point for every £4 spent on their credit card which is what you get if you buy your shop in Aldi/Lidl) but because it is the least painful of the online shopping experiences (I'm looking at you Waitrose/Morrisons with Asda not far behind) and they have by far the best substitutions/price match solution.

I shop at Aldi and use my Tesco Clubcard account to pay.

As I just said above – 1 point for every £1 spent online or instore as opposed to 1 Point for every £4 spent on their credit card (I assumed you meant you use your Tesco credit card when replying).

TBH, tesco's clubcard still looks like it's going to be better than most. I've never gone for the absolute maxxing out thing, but even just doing a normal shop and buying petrol adds up. I'll cash it all out before the change because you'd be a mug not to, but I'll keep using it just the same after, same as I do other minimal effort things like topcashback etc

Tracey
Full Member
If you sign up to Tesco clubcard plus which costs £7.99 a month then you get 2 x 10% off shopping every month up to £20 each so you could be saving an extra £32 per month on shopping

Only if you do 2 x £200 shops per month. I have a heart attack if my bill is £50!

I use my clubcard vouchers to treat myself to a nice steak a couple of times a year.

Only if you do 2 x £200 shops per month. I have a heart attack if my bill is £50!

As a family of 4/5 our weekly 'big shop' is £150+ then usually another £50 or so in between each big one.

As a family of 4/5 our weekly ‘big shop’ is £150+ then usually another £50 or so in between each big one.

So not enough to get the maximum savings then unless £150+ is at least £200.

So not enough to get the maximum savings then unless £150+ is at least £200.

Nope - but I was just responding to the amount of money spent on shopping in general – I don't actually have a Clubcard Plus card as I didn't know about them but I might just sign up and change our shopping habits slightly. 🙂

You guys got me excited about Clubcard Plus - we are also family of four with regular weekly shop of ~£150, so ~£30 saving for £7.99 seems like a no brainer...till I saw it is "10% off your groceries in-store". Who the hell actually goes to the store to the their weekly 'big' shop! Sod that for a game of soldiers.