Is a Superdrug Health and Beauty card worth it?

Dan Wilderness

Hello everyone! Today we’re looking at the Health and Beauty card from UK Cosmetics and Pharmacist firm Superdrug, which is their loyalty card scheme. We asking our classic question – is it worth it?

What benefits does a Superdrug Health and Beauty Card offer?

The Superdrug Health and beauty card offers a range of core benefits:

Earn Points on Purchases

In classic loyalty card style, you’ll earn 1 point for every pound you spend in store – although Superdrug run relatively frequent double or triple points promotions which also offer bonus points rates.

Once you reach a minimum of 100 points (equivalent to a £100 spend at standard rates) you can cash these in for a £1 discount per 100 points.

You can only do this in increments of 100 points – you can take 50 points to get a 50p discount for example. However, you can do a mix of a points and cash payment.

This ultimately works out as a 1% cashback rate which is relatively small, but the bonus rate promotions are so frequent that this improves the cashback.

Member Pricing

Similar to the supermarkets, Superdrug have begun to run promotions where discounts are offers exclusively to members.

Some of these offers include substantial discounts, and change every couple of weeks rather than being targeted at specific offers.

In store, you’ll see these highlighted with a big pink member price branding button as per the below.

A picture of offers available in store with the Superdrug Health and Beauty Card

If you go to here on the Superdrug website, this is regularly updated with the offers which are specific to Health and Beauty Card members.

Free Delivery on orders above £20

Superdrug usually charge a delivery fee of £3 on smaller orders, but you are exempted from this above £20 as a Superdrug Health and Beauty Member.

This is actually a fairly minor benefit as in practice delivery costs are waived above a spend of £25 – but still marginally helpful!

Student and NHS Discounts at Superdrug

One major influence in getting a Health and Beauty Card at Superdrug is the fact that it’s essential if you’re looking to benefit from a Student or NHS discount, as this is linked onto your card.

To activate the discount, just head to the till in store with your Health and Beauty Card and a valid TOTUM card or your NHS ID, and the staff will be able to activate the bonus in store.

To note you can only use this discount in store – shopping online at Superdrug is possible to get the discount, but you’ll need a Studentbeans ID.

This will provide a 10% discount on all purchases, which is well worth having – you’ll also earn points as well on any purchases you make.

How can I sign up for a Health and Beauty Card at Superdrug?

The easiest way to sign up for a Health and Beauty Card is at the Superdrug website right here.

Alternatively you can sign up in store and get a physical card by speaking to a member of staff in store.

If you have an existing physical Health and Beauty card and you’re looking to get a digital card, if you click the sign up process you’ll also see an option mid-way through to also get a digital card.

Overall review of Superdrug Health and Beauty Card

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Verdict: The Superdrug Health and Beauty Card isn’t a bad loyalty scheme, but is often beaten by immediate rivals.

The Superdrug Health and Beauty card has some nice perks, but our review marks it down because when we compare it to direct rival the Boots Advantage Card (check out our review) the ongoing cashback is significantly lower (3% vs. 1% at standard rates) despite similar other perks.

The flipside to this is that the Boots card doesn’t allow part-payment with points, whereas the Superdrug Health and Beauty Card does, giving a bit more flexibility.

As a result our personal experiences were that we found more times than we’d have liked that we did slightly better shopping elsewhere, although when good deals were on there were still times Superdrug was the best option.

If Superdrug is your store of choice then we’d still say it’s absolutely worth picking one up in store – but it’s a shame you’re reliant on promotions, even if they happen very frequently to match with rivals, and we see that as a bit of a missed opportunity.

Positives of the Superdrug Health and Beauty Card

  • Frequent bonus earnings rates
  • Access to discounted products
  • Slightly improve delivery fee
  • Access to student and NHS discounts if eligable
  • Can use points for part payment.

Negatives of the Superdrug Health and Beauty Card

  • At base earnings, not especially competitive against main rival in Boots with bonus point promotions.
  • Some benefits like delivery are marginal vs. not having a card.

Boots Advantage Card vs. Superdrug Health and Beauty Card

If you’re shopping at Superdrug one question you might have is how the Superdrug Health and Beauty Card compares in terms of benefit to the most comparable other shop in Boots, who also have a loyalty scheme in the form of the Advantage Card.

Boots Advantage Card vs. Superdrug Comparison Table

To help assess this, we’ve included a table below which shows the key differences between the two loyalty schemes:

FeatureBoots Advantage CardSuperdrug Health & Beautycard
Base earn rate3 points per £1 spent1 point per £1 spent
Point value1 point = 1p100 points = £1 (redeem in 100-point increments)
Redeeming / part-payNo part-payment — you must have enough points to cover the full cost (incl. delivery).Part-payment allowed with points + cash in-store or online.
Points expiryRemoved after 12 months of inactivity.Expire after 24 months of inactivity.
Boosters / clubsOver 60s: up to 8 pts/£1 on Boots brands; Parenting Club: 8 pts/£1 on baby items (selected).Occasional bonus events and member-exclusive promotions.
Extra earningRecycle at Boots: typically £5 in points for 5 empties with a £10 in-store shop (via app).No national recycling-for-points scheme.

Overall we do see the Boots Advantage Card as being the slightly superior option here with a higher base earnings rate, however the Superdrug Health and Beauty Card allowing part payment allows useful flexibility which makes it a lot more practical for smaller purchases.

FAQ’s about the Superdrug Health and Beauty Card

Do Superdrug Health and Beauty Card points expire?

Yes, your points will expire 24 months after they’ve been earned.

Can I extend my Superdrug Health and Beauty Card points?

No, I’m afraid there is no way to extend the validity period of your earned points.

Can I combine or stack Student Discount and Superdrug Member Prices?

Yes, you can combine both promotions.

Interested in other UK Loyalty?

We’ve got an real multitude of reviews of loyalty cards across the UK, so we’d encourage you to check out our list of the best loyalty cards in the UK for some inspiration!

And if you’re after something specific from the Health or Beauty sector, we also review the Boots Advantage Card here.

Any questions?

If you have any questions about the Superdrug Health and Beauty card we’d love to hear from you! Just drop us a note in the comments below.

And that’s it!

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