What is the best UK Supermarket Loyalty Scheme?

Last Updated on 12 March 2023 by Dan

Hello everyone! Today we thought we’d compare the details of the big UK supermarket loyalty schemes and reach that all important judgement – which is the best UK Supermarket loyalty scheme?

We’re always big fans of looking to save you money on things like groceries, and it’s always fantastic when you can get a little extra off through a loyalty scheme!

Note here we’re just looking at the loyalty schemes in isolation – not the quality of the supermarket themselves. Each store has it’s own particular target market and “thing” that it promotes itself on be that quality, price or location and that’s more a matter of personal taste.

However – if you’re potentially looking to change your supermarket, we think loyalty schemes are something well worth considering in that decision, as the savings can really stack up.

Please be aware that loyalty schemes change all the time! We do our best to keep this updated but sometimes we do miss things so it’s worth checking yourself (and let us know if you think something has changed!).

The UK supermarket loyalty schemes compared:

Note: Nearly every UK Supermarket loyalty scheme sends additional vouchers or offers for specific products. These are difficult to quantify, so I have not included this in the “main other benefits”.

Keep scrolling for some more detail on our thoughts on each scheme, or click the links to scroll straight to that section if you’re interested in a particular supermarket.

Is Nectar with Sainsbury’s any good?

The Sainsbury’s supermarket loyalty scheme is a standard “spend and collect” approach called Nectar where you earn points that convert into cash.

In terms of earnings it’s better than some, but definitely not best in class. It’s hard with the relatively dismal earning rate to rack up points quickly, but through the app you can save special offers to your card which can speed up your earnings considerably.

Nectar also partner with a number of organisations as well for enhanced earnings – if you regularly get fuel at Esso, shop on Ebay or travel with First Great Western, going for Nectar may be a good idea as this provides multiple streams of point building!

What points earning rate do I get with Nectar?

Excluding promotions, you get a Nectar point for every £1 you spend at Sainsbury’s or qualifying partners, but as a point is only worth 0.5p, this equates to a 0.5% earning rate.

Is Nectar Double Up good?

When is Nectar Double Up 2021

Nectar Double Up 2021 Update: Unfortunately, Nectar have announced they’ve decided to cancel Double Up for 2021.

Deeply annoying as this significantly boosted the value of the Nectar Scheme. Instead, they’re focusing on their new “My Nectar Prices” scheme which reduces the cost of certain items, but we don’t think it’s quite as good….

Nectar Double Up Details

Where you get the biggest savings are on the annual Nectar Double Up event, where points are worth (you guessed it) double value!

The Nectar Double Up event usually happens for week/week and a half in November.

It sounds good, but in practice it’s hurt by the fact that there’s a number of restrictions on the event which mean that in practice nearly all groceries are excluded.

If you’re after something like homeware or electronics however, this can translate into an extra £100 at full value! I picked up a Nintendo Switch game which are rarely discounted and that definitely felt like a win. If you’ve got your eye on something, it’s absolutely worth waiting for this.

It’s also somewhat fiddly, as you have to specifically request a Double Up voucher…..

How can I get extra Nectar points?

We’ve written a separate guide here to ways to maximise your Nectar points!

Review of the Nectar Loyalty Card

Ok. There’s lots of versality on how you can earn points, but the earning rate is ultimately just ok. We’ve recently downgraded this following the removal of Nectar Double Up, as we think the scheme has become less valuable without it and the new “My Nectar Prices” scheme doesn’t appropriately replace it.

Is Tesco Clubcard any good?

Tesco Clubard is one of the best known UK Supermarket loyalty schemes and incredibly popular.

At 1p per point even the basic option (see below for details on Clubcard Plus) Tesco Clubcard pays out at a good rate relative to peers. A real advantage with this is that it offers plenty of opportunities both to earn points (fuel and other Tesco services are included) as well as spending points (there’s a multitude of partners to spend with, and some offer boosted earnings rates).

Tesco also offer a fairly extensive range of offers – having “Clubcard prices” on it’s goods to encourage you to sign up is becoming an increasingly frequent thing.

What points earning rate do I get with Clubcard?

Excluding promotions, you get a Clubcard point for every £1 you spend at Tesco or qualifying partners – as a point equates to 1p, this equates to a 1% earning rate.

Can I boost my Clubcard points for extra value?

Tesco used to run semi-regular “Clubcard Boost” promotions which were the best time to cash in your points and quite often you could get triple value with these. Unfortunately they seem to have to stopped these promotions and there’s no regular boost, but some partners will allow you to cash in your clubcard points at what’s effectively a better rate than the 1% earn level.

It’s worth keeping an eye out for promotions, and Clubcard Boost was popular so maybe Tesco will have a change of heart.

Is Tesco Clubcard Plus worth it?

If you subscribe to Clubcard Plus, you pay a £7.99 monthly fee (and need to be a member of the Clubcard basic scheme). In exchange for this you get:

• 10% off two shops of up to £200 each. (By far the main benefit)
• 10% off non-grocery Tesco brands (so their clothes ranges for example).
• Double data on a pay monthly contract.
• The option to apply for a Clubcard credit card with no exchange fees.

If the scheme is worth it or not can be answered pretty simply – if you will spend £80 or more across two individual grocery shops every month, you’re at the breakeven point. Otherwise, it’s likely a losing deal.

This is because I’m largely dismissive of the other benefits. The Clubcard credit card doesn’t match anything you can’t get for free elsewhere (see our guide to getting the best travel money here). The double data is a nice perk if you’re on Tesco Mobile anyhow, but you’ll need to do your sums on if it’s worth swapping deals for – I think it’s a negligible save for most.

Review of the Tesco Clubcard loyalty card

Good. Flexibility on both earnings and redemptions make this a very rewarding scheme – and simple to use with few bells and whistles. A better basic earnings rate that some peers as well.

We’ve got a fuller article on the Tesco Clubcard here.

You can sign up for a Clubcard at Tesco’s website.

Is My Morrisons any good?

Morrisons have changed their loyalty scheme, shifting from their old collect-and-spend loyalty scheme Morrisons More to My Morrisons.

If you happen to be near a Morrisons this one has a good payout rate of fuel – most schemes limit the value of points you earn on this. Overall, it’s again solid but unspectacular in terms of earnings rates.

It’s a difficult scheme to value because it claims to work through giving you personalised vouchers (which arrive through the My Morrisons app) rather than money off everything.

Review of the Morrisons More loyalty card

Variable. My Morrisons is a really hard UK Supermarket loyalty scheme to review, as you could either save quite a bit of money or absolutely nothing if the vouchers aren’t to your taste. We’d be very interested in hearing some opinions from others on Morrisons More to help guide this review better – just leave us a note in the comments below.

Is Co-Op membership any good?

We really like this scheme. If you’re a regular Co-Op shopper and tend to buy some of their own brand products the payout rate is good at 2p. (We’ve actually marked Co-op down slightly – it used to be an unbeatable 5p).

What they’ve replaced it with however is a series of two “offers” a week sent to your phone which do usually attract good offers. I frequently get between 50p and a £1 of essentials like milk and fruit.

If you’re buying anything else like non-Coop branded goods whilst you won’t personally benefit, the rate of payout to charity partners is excellent which we like very much – you can feel a big warm glow in your heart!

The charity partners are designed to make sure they’re supporting local causes – and you get a choice as to what cause you support.

Note that Co-Op is the only scheme that charges you to become a member – however it’s a very reasonable £1.

What points earning rate do I get with Co-Op membership?

For Co-op own branded goods, you’ll earn 2p per £ of spending (equivalent to 2%) – a good rate of return compared to most supermarkets.

For anything else, you won’t earn anything yourself, but a 1p per £ spend will be donated to a local charity of your choice.

Review of Co-Op membership

Good-Excellent. If you’re buying those branded goods (and Co-Op has a good range) the payback rate is stronger than most, and the vouchers offered through the Co-op app tend to be on staple good making them useful. If you’re not, the donation to charity is at a rate which beats the payout rate from most other schemes, and we like the charitable element of the scheme.

Is Marks and Spencer Sparks any good?

Here we’re getting into the schemes which are a little more vague, promising miscellaneous benefits but not actually given a standard payout as you spend approach.

Sparks has been controversial for M and S, with people seeing it as not offering tremendous amounts of value. M and S have recently reformed the scheme.

What you do get is a charity donation each time you spend for a charity of your choice, and a chance of getting a “treat” or offer. Apparently the chance of getting a treat increases the more that you spend an M and S.

This makes it very hard to value the scheme – things I’ve seen as treats include a Tote Bag, a bag of Percy Pigs and a £5/£10 voucher on select items.

Review of M&S Sparks

Poor. Even with the reforms here, the problem is the lack of flexibility. A reward isn’t guaranteed, and even then it’s something you don’t necessarily want. It’s better than nothing, but this still doesn’t feel like a reward system which is worth it.

Is MyWaitrose any good?

MyWaitrose is another scheme that doesn’t work on a standards basis and doesn’t simply reward you when you shop, although there can be occasional percentage reductions that are exclusive to MyWaitrose customers either posted or though promotions like Fish Fridays.

The difference to the M and S scheme above is that the MyWaitrose benefits are mostly fixed and tangible. When making a purchase in store (and bringing a re-usable cup) you can get a free tea or coffee in store with any purchase, or a free newspaper when you spend at least £10.

Review of MyWaitrose

We’ve create a dedicated page to MyWaitrose after they updated the scheme, and so our full MyWaitrose review can be found here.

Is Asda loyalty any good?

Asda has updated their loyalty scheme to be based on Asda Rewards, and significantly improved the prior offering – as a result, we’ve written a fuller article on Asda Rewards here.

Is Lidl Plus any good?

Lidl plus is one of the newer loyalty schemes out there, but one of the better ones! You earn money off rewards and free items at various spending points, including a 10% off voucher, albeit at a high £200 spend.

You may also get a random scratchcard as well which I always feel is a fun bonus. It can offer money off a product, a freebie or a simple voucher.

Review of Lidl Plus

Excellent. We liked Lidl Plus so much we wrote a separate article covering it specifically, which goes into more detail of the scheme.

If you’re a higher spender it’s really the best UK Supermarket loyalty scheme available. For those on lower spends it’s a simple scheme that still offers good opportunity for money off, although the scratchcard element makes it much more variable.

Does Aldi have a loyalty scheme?

They do not, but Aldi tends to be extremely cheap and good value to begin with and you may still end up saving more here regardless – sometimes simplicity is better!

Any questions?

If you have any thoughts on what you think the best UK supermarket loyalty scheme is, or have experiences with any loyalty schemes then please do let us know in the comments below!

And that’s it!

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