Loyalty cards compared

Loyalty schemes are no longer just about points – they can also unlock big discounts and other exclusive rewards. 

But it can be hard to tell which schemes are most worthwhile for you, as different schemes let you earn different amounts of points which are, confusingly, often worth different amounts when you come to spend them. 

Our research reveals you'll save between 50p and £10 for every £100 you spend with the loyalty schemes on offer today. And that's before you take into account any exclusive price discounts for loyalty scheme members or personalised offers. However, these savings could easily be cancelled out if the shop's prices are higher than its competitors.

So while you probably shouldn’t change your shopping habits just to earn points, it may be worth signing up to schemes offered by shops you already use. Over a third (37%) of people are making use of loyalty points or vouchers during their supermarket shop to get money off, according to figures from Barclays.

Below, we explain how the major retailers' and supermarkets' loyalty programmes work, calculate how the points and rewards stack up, and share tips on how to get the most out of loyalty schemes.

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Loyalty cards compared

Here we've compared what you can get through the major retailers' loyalty schemes (organised alphabetically). We haven't included Asda Rewards, M&S Sparks, My Morrisons: Make Good Things Happen (formerly Morrisons More) or MyWaitrose in the table because they don't offer points or rewards linked to how much you spend. 

Supermarket loyalty schemes: Nectar, Clubcard and more

We've explained each supermarket loyalty scheme in more detail below .

Asda Rewards 

Asda Rewards is run through a smartphone app and allows customers to collect 'Asda Pounds' by buying certain products or completing missions. These can then be spent at Asda in store or online. 

It has also linked its 10% off Blue Light Card discount for emergency workers to Asda Rewards. This means that blue light cardholders will get 10% off their shopping in-store by scanning their Asda Rewards app at the checkout, rather than presenting their Blue Light Card and ID.

In addition, Blue Light Card holders who scan their Asda Rewards app in-store for the first time between until 31 May will get a £2.50 bonus.

You can sign up to the Asda Rewards scheme online. 

• Find out more: Asda Rewards security change - how are your supermarket loyalty card points protected?

Co-op Membership 

The Co-operative membership loyalty scheme doesn’t give you points. Instead, you earn money back on your purchases and get member-exclusive prices which the retailer said could save customers £300 a year.

This comes alongside exclusive member deals and personalised offers too, as well as discounts on Co-op services such as funerals and insurance.

The loyalty programme gets you 2p for every £1 you spend on selected Co-op products and services goes into your Co-op Membership account, and the Co-op gives the same amount to support community organisations and local causes. You can spend the rewards you earn on most things you buy - not just Co-op products, or you can choose to donate your rewards.

Other benefits include having a say over how the company is run and a claim to its profits.

You can join the Co-op membership scheme at Coop.co.uk and it costs £1. 

Iceland Bonus 

Iceland Bonus cardholders earn rewards by effectively paying for their shopping in advance. For every £20 saved onto an Iceland Bonus Card, Iceland adds £1.

In addition, you’ll get exclusive offers when you shop, as well as free delivery on in store orders over £25 and online orders over £40.

Your reward will be paid into your account, and you can use it along with your pre-loaded cash to pay for your shopping in store or online at Iceland or at The Food Warehouse.

You can sign up at Iceland.co.uk or in store.

Lidl Plus 

Lidl's loyalty scheme offers exclusive discounts and rewards via the Lidl Plus app.

You get four weekly coupons for different products, such as 20% off fresh pizzas or 15% off crackers and crispbreads, as well as 30% off Lidl's fresh bakery range each day from 7pm until store closing.

You're awarded for spending certain amounts too. For instance, for every £100 spent each month will get you a £2 off coupon, while spending £250 a month will generate a 10% off coupon. Members get a free in-store bakery item coupon off their next shop when they spend £50 in a month, and a free bar of Fin Fin Carré chocolate when they spend £150 in a month. 

This comes alongside exclusive discounts for Lidl Plus members, such as a free three-month Kids Pass (which gives you discounts on family attractions, meals out and cinema tickets), plus the option to then purchase an annual membership at an exclusive price.

Each time you shop at Lidl and use the Lidl Plus app, you'll get a 'scratch card' offering the chance to win up to £20 off your next shop. You can find out more at Lidl.co.uk.

• Find out more: can Lidl Plus save you money?

M&S Sparks (and Sparks Plus)

M&S Sparks membership gives shoppers personalised offers, the chance to win what they're buying and money donated to a charity of their choice each time they shop.

You can’t, however, earn points with Sparks as you can with many other supermarket's and retailer's loyalty schemes.

You can join the scheme at MarksandSpencer.com and download the M&S app, which is where the Sparks programme operates.

M&S unveiled a trial of a premium version of the programme, Sparks Plus, in February 2023. It offers a monthly £10 voucher, double charity donations (compared to the free version of Sparks), invites to store events, and unlimited next-day delivery, on top of the regular Sparks perks.

Sparks Plus costs an upfront free of £120 a year and is only available to a 'small number' of current Sparks members at the moment.

• Find out more: M&S trials Sparks loyalty subscription

My Morrisons: Make Good Things Happen

Morrisons' loyalty scheme offers personalised money-off vouchers and rewards via email or an app.

There are also 'clubs' for NHS staff, teachers, students and families with babies, offering exclusive offers, discounts and treats.  

Morrisons is reportedly planning a major relaunch of its loyalty scheme, which will see the return of the Morrisons More card which was scrapped in May 2021 in favour of the My Morrisons: Make Good Things Happen app, and more member-only discounts called 'My Morrisons Exclusives.'

The name being proposed for its revamped loyalty scheme is Morrisons More. Morrisons is conducting a 'small customer trial' and the nationwide rollout of any changes is expected to be summer 2023.

You can find out more at Morrisons.com.

MyWaitrose 

Waitrose offers a loyalty scheme called myWaitrose. Rather than collecting points, you can get freebies and member-only prices on some grocery items.

A popular perk is the free hot drink offer for members each time they visit a store – but you’ll need to buy something in-store and bring a reusable cup.

Members also get a free copy of the Waitrose & Partners Food magazine, as well as 20% off at the fish counter on Fridays and - for Vitality health and life insurance holders - cashback when buying selected healthy foods.

You can sign up at Waitrose.com.

Sainsbury's Nectar 

The Sainsbury's Nectar scheme allows you to earn Nectar points and also get lower prices (called Nectar Prices) on selected products.

Nectar app customers can also get bonus points offers, as well as lower personalised prices on items you buy the most using My Nectar Prices. And you'll get weekly personalised offers via the Sainsbury’s website or app.

Nectar card and app users can earn a minimum of one point per £1 spent at Sainsbury's, and you can earn Nectar points with partners such as Argos and eBay.

When it comes to spending your Nectar points, each point is worth at least 0.5p, meaning 500 Nectar points are worth at least £2.50. You can use your Nectar points to get money off your Sainsbury's shopping, or with almost 300 partners including Vue Cinemas.

You can sign up at Nectar.com.

Tesco Clubcard (and Clubcard Plus)

Clubcard members collect one point for every £1 they spend in-store and online, and one point for every two litres of fuel you buy. Tesco also offers members Clubcard Prices, which are lower than the standard prices, across a range of products.

Each Clubcard point is worth 1p in Tesco, so 150 points would be worth £1.50 to put towards your shopping. However, points are often worth more if you spend them with Clubcard partners, of which there are around 100 including Alton Towers, Hotels.com and Café Rouge. 

Tesco will reduce the value of Clubcard points spent with its reward partners in June 2023, from three times their usual value to twice their regular value.

Clubcard app users get personalised coupons for bonus points or extra discounts every two weeks. Those who get Clubcard vouchers by post get personalised coupons in the post around eight times a year.

You can collect points through Tesco Bank and Tesco Mobile, too.

Tesco confirmed that new laws in Northern Ireland stating that alcohol sellers can no longer run loyalty schemes that award points or allow them to be redeemed for alcohol, mean it won't offer Clubcard points on alcohol. It said this change only applies to sales from Tesco stores and online deliveries in Northern Ireland, and that there are no similar regulations in other parts of the UK.

The supermarket giant also offers Clubcard Plus, which costs £7.99 a month and offers a 10% discount on two 'big shops' per month (in-store only), 10% off selected Tesco brands in-store including F&F and Tesco Pet all the time, double data on Tesco Mobile, and the opportunity to apply for a Clubcard Plus credit card.

You can sign up at Tesco.com.

• Find out more: will Clubcard Plus actually save you money?

Beauty store loyalty cards

We've explained how each beauty store loyalty scheme works below.

Boots Advantage

The Boots Advantage Card scheme gets you three points for every £1 spent in store or online. 

Advantage cardholders can save 10% on Boots' range of over 6,000 own-brand products, plus they get early access to events, opportunities to enter competitions, and some customers will be sent personalised offers four times a year. These coupons can be taken in store for discounts and extra points when shopping and last for a minimum of two months. Each coupon can be used twice.

Each point you earn through Boots Advantage is worth 1p and you can spend your points anytime, as long as you have enough points to cover the whole transaction. For example, if you have 199 points you can use them to buy goods worth £1.99 in total.

In addition, there are offers available to some customer groups - for example, members of the Boots Parenting Club can earn eight points per £1 spent on baby products until their child turns five, while members aged 60 or above will qualify for eight points per £1 spent on Boots own-brand products plus sub-brands including Soltan and No7 when they join the Over 60s Club. Boots Advantage cardholders can also receive a free health and beauty magazine when in store.

You can have a physical card and/or use the Boots app.

Boots has also launched Price Advantage, which gives members exclusive savings on over 800 products a month, four points for every £1 spent (which you used to get with the free Advantage card scheme until it dropped to three per £1 in May 2023), 10% off most of your shop plus free online delivery and triple points in your birthday month. It costs £20 a year, so you would need to spend over £200 a year to make it worthwhile.

You can sign up at Boots.com.

Superdrug Health & Beauty 

Superdrug's Health & Beauty card allows you to collect points in-store, online or via its app.

You can earn one point for every £1 you spend and each point is worth 1p. Points can be redeemed in multiples of 100, so you can use 100 points to get £1 off or 200 points to get £2 off.

Unlike the Boots Advantage scheme, you can pay with a mixture of points and cash, meaning you don’t need to wait until your balance is exactly right to use them. For example, if your shopping comes to £5.22 and you have chosen to spend 500 points, you can take £5 off your total amount, and  then just pay the 22p difference.

Members also get free standard delivery on online orders worth over £15 (non-members have a minimum £25 spend), plus special discounts every Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, as well as exclusive member pricing and a birthday treat each year.

You can register for the scheme at Superdrug.com.

How to get the most out of your loyalty cards

Earn extra points

One way of making your loyalty card work harder is to maximise the points you earn. Keep an eye on the store's website to spot the opportunities.

For example, if you shop at Sainsbury's, the Nectar website and promotions, such as 'double-up' or 'bonus' events, offer extra points in selected categories. You can also collect points by shopping with selected partners, including Argos and eBay, which can help you to collect points faster.

Boost point values

When it comes to spending your points, most popular points-based loyalty cards have a very low return. You’ll need to take advantage of bonus points and offers to make the card worth the spot in your wallet or the space on your phone.

For example, Tesco Clubcard has Reward Partners that can offer better deals for your points . You can turn every 50p of Tesco Clubcard vouchers into £1.50 to spend at Pizza Express, for instance. Sainsbury's Nectar points can be spent with hundreds of brands, from Argos to eBay.  

• Find out more: what's the cheapest supermarket?