Morrisons to shake-up its loyalty card scheme by axing points and giving shoppers money off instead

MORRISONS shoppers will no longer be able to collect points through its loyalty scheme as part of a shake-up of how discounts are dished out.

At the moment, customers who are signed up to the Morrisons More programme build up points which can be turned into vouchers.

These vouchers can then be used to get money off future shops at Morrisons.

But from May 10, the supermarket has confirmed it will stop the points collecting part of its More programme.

Instead of getting points, shoppers will receive digital coupons that can be used for instant savings in stores.

Morrisons say these will be personalised, which would suggest they’ll be based on products you usually buy.

Supermarket loyalty schemes – which has one?

MOST UK supermarkets have loyalty schemes so customers can build up points and save money while they shop.

Here we round up what saving programmes you’ll find at the big brands.

Iceland: Unlike other stores, you don’t collect points with the Iceland Bonus Card. Instead, you load it up with money and Iceland will give you £1 for every £20 you save. Cash isn’t protected though.
Morrisons: Morrisons’ More gives customers five points per £1 spent in store. When customers earn 5,000 points they receive a £5 voucher.
Sainsbury’s: While Sainsbury’s doesn’t have a personal scheme, it does own the Nectar card which can also be used in Argos, eBay and other shops. You need 200 Nectar points to save up £1 to spend on your card. You need to spend at least £1 to get one Nectar point.
Tesco: Tesco Clubcard has over 17million members in the UK alone. You use it each time you shop and build up points that can be turned into vouchers – 150 points gets you a £1.50 voucher. Here you need to spend £1 in Tesco to get one point.
Waitrose: myWaitrose also doesn’t allow you to collect points but instead you’ll get access to free hot drinks, and discounts off certain brands in store.
Marks and Spencer: M&S has recently revamped its Sparks loyalty scheme so that customers get instant rewards, instead of collecting points. This can include smaller freebies, such as free bags of Percy Pigs, or even your shopping being paid by M&S.

The supermarket will also stop producing the plastic version of its card from May 10, in favour of a digital version only on its Morrisons More app.

We explain everything you need to know about the changes to Morrisons More.

How is Morrisons More changing?

At the moment, shoppers earn £5 to spend at Morrisons for every 5,000 points they accumulate.

To put this into perspective, you earn five points for every £1 you spend at Morrisons – meaning you need to spend £1,000 to get 5,000 points.

You need to have a minimum of 5,000 points to get a voucher, meaning you can’t cash them in before you reach this threshold.

But from May 10, you’ll no longer be able to collect points.

Instead, you’ll get personalised vouchers through the Morrisons More app that you can spend instantly in stores.

This will also replace the “bonus points” offers on the app, where you can collect extra points when purchasing certain products.

Once your offers are activated, you’ll need to scan your barcode in the app on your smartphone at the till to get the saving being offered.

The amount you currently need to spend at Morrisons to collect points through its loyalty scheme is higher compared to other supermarkets.

For example, you need 150 points at Tesco through its Clubcard scheme to get a £1.50 voucher, or 500 points worth £2.50 if you’re using Nectar at Sainsbury’s.

Through both the Tesco Clubcard scheme and Nectar at Sainsbury’s, you get one point for every £1 you spend.

You should also note that Morrisons says it’s reviewing the name of its loyalty scheme, which means it may change from More.

What will happen to my Morrisons More points?

You’ll continue to earn points through your More card until May 9 – after this date, any spends won’t boost your point balance.

Any points on your account after the changes to the scheme are made will remain valid until the August 9, 2021.

This means before this date, you need to claim any £5 vouchers you’re due through the app or Morrisons website, or by printing them off in store.

If you don’t do this, you’ll lose the value of these points and won’t be able to get your vouchers.

Once you’ve requested your vouchers, they’ll remain valid for 56 weeks.

You should note that any remaining points that can’t be rounded up to a £5 voucher will be lost.

For example, if you have a balance of 6,500 points you can redeem 5,000 points for a £5 voucher, but the remaining 1,500 points will be void.

If you have your £5 vouchers set to automatically print in store, these will still appear when you next scan your More card.

Will I still be able to use my Morrisons More card?

Yes, you will still be able to use your physical Morrisons More card from May 10 onwards, but the supermarket won’t be producing any more of these from this date.

This means if you lose or damage your card, you won’t be able to get it replaced.

Instead, you’ll need to use and register your details through the Morrisons More app.

You’ll also need the app to activate any offers the supermarket sends you, which means you won’t really benefit from any deals without it.

Morrisons says it is switching to a digital-only scheme to help reduce its plastic waste.

Why is Morrisons changing its More scheme?

On its website, Morrisons says the changes come following customer feedback.

It says: “With Morrisons More, we are always listening to our valued customers, taking feedback on how we can improve the experience.

“What we’ve heard is that you’d like your rewards to be immediate, including discounts and money off your next shop.

“We also learned that you want to give back to your local community and to support environmental causes by going paper and plastic free wherever possible.”