GeoffL
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On the Eurotunnel thread, @St3v3 opined that Tesco Clubcard points are free while I and others maintain that they are not. @St3v3 's current reply is at https://motorhomer.com/threads/eurotunnel.44398/post-238720 (.) The discussion is in danger of hijacking that thread, and so I'm taking it to a new thread, i.e. here...
St3v3 suggested that I have something against Tesco. However, I don't have anything against Tesco and even have a Clubcard.
It is a basic fact that loyalty schemes are not free. No matter what St3ve claims, your personal data has value (so much so that social media tech giants make a lot of money from it). That data is sold onto third parties (retail partners and service providers at least in the case of Clubcard) and helps the company plan their marketing strategies etc. When you shop at Tesco, you forfeit any benefit you might have got from buying the same thing elsewhere and when you use a Tesco credit card, you forfeit any benefit you might have got from using another card. In both cases, you're paying for those points with your custom. Your custom has value -- which is why these companies are prepared to offer something else of value in exchange. That said, I can understand that this might be a difficult concept for some to accept and understand...
To shop at Tesco, you either need to visit a Tesco store or pay for delivery. Either costs more than a competitor if (like me) your nearest Tesco's is twenty miles away and the competitor is two minute's walk down the road. Clubcard give a point for every £1 spent and each point is nominally worth a penny (albeit, as with competing loyalty schemes, you can get more via special offers). In the meantime, Sainsbury's give a Nectar point for every £1 spent but each point is worth 0.5p (i.e. half of the nominal value of Clubcard points) However, Sainsbury's and Nectar work together you give you additional points and/or money off regularly purchased items. These are typically 20 to 100 points and/or 10% to half price personal discount. Do Tesco offer similar? (I suspect they might.) In addition, Tesco's delivery charges are a minimum of £3 while Sainsbury's are £1. At 0.5p difference per point, I'd have to spend £400 at Tesco just to make up for the difference in delivery charges. So shopping at Tesco just to get 'free' Clubcard points would cost me a lot more than those points are worth! However, the reverse might be true if you live down the road from a Tesco store and don't want home delivery.
St3ve also wrote, "Interested to hear of any cards offering cashback - I used to have, but IMO long gone." I'm glad to help here. Amex Everyday currently offers 5% introductory rate and up to 1% thereafter. Amex Gold offers £184 in Nectar points or a voucher for £100. Taking out a new Sainsbury's card will net you £40's worth of Nectar bonus points. Shop around and switch regularly and you could stand to get more per year than you can with Tesco's offering. That said, if you're happy with Tesco then you're probably not going to faff around trying to squeeze an extra few quid from the 'system'. However, if you want to see what's out there, check out the Money Saving Expert page here, use comparison sites, and always pay off the balance in full each month
St3v3 suggested that I have something against Tesco. However, I don't have anything against Tesco and even have a Clubcard.
It is a basic fact that loyalty schemes are not free. No matter what St3ve claims, your personal data has value (so much so that social media tech giants make a lot of money from it). That data is sold onto third parties (retail partners and service providers at least in the case of Clubcard) and helps the company plan their marketing strategies etc. When you shop at Tesco, you forfeit any benefit you might have got from buying the same thing elsewhere and when you use a Tesco credit card, you forfeit any benefit you might have got from using another card. In both cases, you're paying for those points with your custom. Your custom has value -- which is why these companies are prepared to offer something else of value in exchange. That said, I can understand that this might be a difficult concept for some to accept and understand...
To shop at Tesco, you either need to visit a Tesco store or pay for delivery. Either costs more than a competitor if (like me) your nearest Tesco's is twenty miles away and the competitor is two minute's walk down the road. Clubcard give a point for every £1 spent and each point is nominally worth a penny (albeit, as with competing loyalty schemes, you can get more via special offers). In the meantime, Sainsbury's give a Nectar point for every £1 spent but each point is worth 0.5p (i.e. half of the nominal value of Clubcard points) However, Sainsbury's and Nectar work together you give you additional points and/or money off regularly purchased items. These are typically 20 to 100 points and/or 10% to half price personal discount. Do Tesco offer similar? (I suspect they might.) In addition, Tesco's delivery charges are a minimum of £3 while Sainsbury's are £1. At 0.5p difference per point, I'd have to spend £400 at Tesco just to make up for the difference in delivery charges. So shopping at Tesco just to get 'free' Clubcard points would cost me a lot more than those points are worth! However, the reverse might be true if you live down the road from a Tesco store and don't want home delivery.
St3ve also wrote, "Interested to hear of any cards offering cashback - I used to have, but IMO long gone." I'm glad to help here. Amex Everyday currently offers 5% introductory rate and up to 1% thereafter. Amex Gold offers £184 in Nectar points or a voucher for £100. Taking out a new Sainsbury's card will net you £40's worth of Nectar bonus points. Shop around and switch regularly and you could stand to get more per year than you can with Tesco's offering. That said, if you're happy with Tesco then you're probably not going to faff around trying to squeeze an extra few quid from the 'system'. However, if you want to see what's out there, check out the Money Saving Expert page here, use comparison sites, and always pay off the balance in full each month