Last Updated on 21 March 2023 by Dan
Hello everyone! Supermarket giant Tesco remains the most prolific of the UK grocers, with it’s Clubcard scheme one of the best known supermarket loyalty scheme. However, with many rivals out to steal Tesco’s crown, is the Tesco Clubcard still worth it? Find out with our review!
What is Tesco Clubcard?
Tesco Clubcard is a fairly simple spend-and-collect points type loyalty scheme that rewards you with vouchers for shopping in Tesco.
The vouchers you can get either can be for your shopping at Tesco itself, or with a number of wider partners. Some of these can actually be more rewarding and we’ll go into more detail on this below – it’s a key selling point of Tesco Clubcard though.
Over the years the scheme has grown a few arms and lengths with new additions like Clubcard prices, and a “Clubcard Plus” scheme, both of which we’ll talk about in more detail below.
How can I earn Tesco Clubcard Points?
There are three key ways to earn Tesco Clubcard points:
Earn Clubcard points on Grocery Shopping
On in-store spending, you’ll earn a clubcard point for every £1 spent. When you have 150 points, these can be turned into a voucher worth £1.50 at Tesco.
Earn Tesco Clubcard Points on Fuel at Tesco
You’ll earn a Clubcard point for every £2 spent on fuel at a Tesco branded petrol station.
Earn Tesco Clubcard points on Fuel at Esso (if it has a Tesco Express)
Where there’s a Tesco Express on forecourt, you can earn a Clubcard point for every £3 spent on fuel at an Esso branded petrol station.
(All numbers here are for Tesco UK. In the Republic of Ireland at least, I know you can replace the pound sign with a Euros for the equivalent earning rates).
If any readers from other countries would like to write in with details of any local differences we would welcome it!
How much is a Tesco Clubcard point worth?
We’d make the assumption most people will get the majority of their Tesco Clubcard points through grocery shopping, which when cashing in voucher to use at Tesco earn a 1% cashback rate or 1p per £ spent.
However, cashing in your vouchers with other partners can mean they’re worth triple, and the equivalent cashback rate rises to 3% or 3p per £ spent.
Update: Unfortunately, Tesco have announced that from 14th June 2023, no partners will offer triple points and move to double. This does reduce the value of the scheme to 2p per £ spent at this point – so if you have points, you might want to cash them in now.
What is the best way to cash in Tesco Clubcard points?
As per above, your Tesco Clubcard points can be worth significantly more if you cash them in with other retailers rather than doing so with Tesco directly.
The range of partners is a real selling point of Tesco Clubcard, as there’s over 100 and are established brands where you’re likely to find something of interest, so it’s a real selling point of the scheme.
Obviously, this is only a sensible use if you’re intending to make a purchase with those other retailers – but if so it’s the most beneficial use of your Tesco Clubcard points by far.
You can see how much your vouchers are worth by going to the Clubcard tab on the Tesco app, then scrolling down to “rewards partners”. Clicking into a category will then tell you if the vouchers can be exchanged at a 2x or 3x multiplier.
Obviously, going for a 3x multiplier simply makes sense if there’s a brand there that you would otherwise spend with. (As above, 3x multiplers are being removed in June 2023).
What are Tesco Clubcard prices?
When wandering around store you’re likely to see tags for a number of items having “Clubcard prices”.
With these, Tesco simply really wants you to have a Clubcard, because once you’ve got one, it makes you more likely to feel you’re getting something back from Tesco, and therefore more likely to come back to shop there in future.
As a result, they offer reduced prices on a number of items when using a Clubcard (frequently essentials) in order to encourage you to take it up.
The reductions will apply automatically at checkout – all you need to do is remember to swipe your Clubcard at the till to activate it.
What are Tesco Clubcard Coupons?
When spending on a regular basis at Tesco, you may find you also get sent coupons for particularly items – either ones you already buy regularly, or that Tesco is encouraging you to try.
To see these, go to the “Clubcard” page of the app and scroll to the bottom of the page to the vouchers section.
If shopping in-store, you may need to remember to scan these vouchers along with your Clubcard at the till.
Where shopping online or through the Tesco Grocery app, you can enter the voucher code at checkout to apply it to your shop.
What is Tesco Clubcard Plus?
Tesco Clubcard Plus is an optional Premium service, which may be beneficial for those who’s lifestyle suits doing a larger occasional shop – likely to be those with families.
With Tesco Clubcard Plus you pay a regular fee of £7.99 a month, and in exchange:
- Receive 10% off two shops in a month (up to a maximum of a £40 discount)
- Receive double data on a Tesco mobile subscription
- Receive 10% of particular Tesco brands, notably F+F clothing.
Is Tesco Clubcard Plus worth it?
The nature of your 10% being limited to only two shops is quite limiting, and forces you to shop in a particular way.
So if you’re a “little and often” top-up shopper that likes to nip in regularly, Tesco Clubcard Plus is absolutely not worth it to you.
For bigger shoppers, let’s do the math:
We need to cover our £7.99 a month, so that means you need to be doing at least £80 of shopping, or two £40 shops a month.
If you do regularly find yourself spending beyond £80 a month on Tesco shops (and will consistently do so) then Tesco Clubcard Plus is worth it – as anything beyond that point will represent a slight saving.
(Note: Despite the other benefits, we’ve assumed in the above that the Tesco Mobile and F+F/Tesco Brands deals aren’t likely to be used enough to offer more than occasional value. As such we’ve discounted them, but consider if those would offer value to you.
How do I use Tesco Clubcard Plus?
If you sign up to Tesco Clubcard Plus, you’ll receive two vouchers a month which you can see in the Tesco app, or apply against an online grocery shop. Don’t forget to use them!
How do I sign up to Tesco Clubcard Plus?
You can see more details about the Tesco Clubcard Plus and sign up here.
Is Tesco Clubcard worth it?
Yes! The scheme is very generous, although slightly beaten in pure earnings rate for use against groceries by a couple of the other supermarkets, if that’s your primary intended usage. What those scheme can’t match is the value in Tesco‘s wider partnerships.
This applies twofold:
The range of partners that you can spend your money with is varied and with places you might actually want to spend some money, which can be a danger of vouchers in other reward schemes.
And the 3x value of your Tesco Clubcard points, offered with a surprisingly wide range of partners presents market leading value when the scheme is used this way. (Although this is reducing to a 2x multiplier in June 2023).
We deducted half a star for a slightly clunky interface involving vouchers, and often requiring additional scanning at till.
FAQ’s about Tesco Clubcard
Is getting a Tesco Clubcard free?
Yes, it’s completely free! You’ll only pay anything if you sign up to the entirely optional Tesco Clubcard Plus service – we’ve got a section on if this is worth it above.
How do I get a Tesco Clubcard?
Simply hit register for a Tesco account on the Tesco website, and you can sign up for a Clubcard as part of this.
How quickly can you get a Tesco Clubcard?
If you sign up online or via the app, you can start earning Clubcard points immediately – although it’ll take 24 hours for the full functionality of your Clubcard to become available.
Can I earn Tesco Clubcard points on fuel?
Yes, on purchases of fuel at Tesco and Esso-with-a-Tesco-Express forecourts. Details of the specific rewards rate can be found above.
Yes, you’ll need to simply log into the same account on the Tesco app on each phone or on the Tesco website to collect Clubcard points together.
If you and your partner both have accounts and you’d like to merge them, you can contact Tesco Customer Support who can help you with merging both accounts.
Do Tesco Clubcard Vouchers Expire?
Yes, once you’ve cashed your points in to become a voucher they will expire after 2 years.
Tesco will not extend or reissue expired Clubcard vouchers so make sure you get them spent!
Any questions?
If you have any questions about Tesco Clubcard, or would like to share your own thoughts and savings on what you’ve done with the scheme we’d love to hear from you! Just drop us a note in the comments below.
And if you’d like to read about other supermarket loyalty schemes, we’ve got a review of Lidl Plus here, a review of MyWaitrose here, a review of Asda Rewards here and a guide on earning more Nectar points here.
And that’s it!
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