SAINSBURY’S customers will see a major change to the number of Nectar points collected with each purchase from today.
Some of Sainsbury’s Bank’s 1.8million customers will see the number of Nectar points earned with each credit card transaction cut in half from today.
1
Sainsbury’s credit cardholders used to be able to get two Nectar points for each full £1 spent at Sainsbury’s, Argos, Habitat and Tu Clothing in the UK.
But from today (November 1), Sainsbury’s credit cardholders will only get one Nectar point for each full £2 spent at these retailers.
The move affects all Sainsbury’s Bank credit card holders.
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “While we understand this offer is popular with card holders, we are certain that all customers will continue to find great value and to save money with Sainsbury’s through our low-priced food, competitive financial services and affordable Argos and Habitat brands.”
But Sainsbury’s credit card customers will still be able to receive one Nectar point for each full £5 spent at a handful of other retailers including:
- Argos eBay stores
- Argos Clearance stores
- Argos For Business
- Argos Spares
- Argos Financial Services
- Sainsbury’s Bank
- Sainsbury’s Energy
- Sainsbury’s Cafés
- Sainsbury’s e-Gift Cards
However, customers still keen to earn two Nectar points for every £1 spent can still bag the deal if they apply for a credit card elsewhere.
The American Express Nectar Credit Card still gives customers two Nectar points for every £1 spent – but on all purchases, irrespective of where the customer shops.
Most read in Money
The only downside is that customers will need to pay a £25 annual fee to just own the card, although this fee is waived in the first year of card ownership.
Remember, not using a credit card effectively, can wreak havoc on your finances and your credit score.
If you don’t keep up with repayments or default on your debt, you are likely to get a black mark on your credit record, which could affect your ability to get a credit card, loan or mortgage in the future.
It’s important not to let yourself get sucked into overspending just because you’re earning points or cashback – spend as usual and always clear the full balance as soon as possible.
How does Sainsbury’s Nectar card work?
One of the longest-running loyalty card schemes, the Nectar Card was launched in 2002 after Sainsbury’s, Debenhams, BP and Barclaycard all combined their loyalty schemes under one brand.
Sainsbury’s then bought Nectar in 2018 and revamped the loyalty scheme in 2019.
Sainsbury’s customers receive a range of points-boosting offers based on their shopping habits every week.
Customers would be able to see the deals on the website or app each week, and then collect the extra points if they buy the item in-store or online.
How it works is shoppers earn points when they spend money at Sainsbury’s, Sainsbury’s petrol stations and also at other retailers such as eBay and Dulux Decorator Centres.
To get one Nectar point you need to spend £1 in Sainsbury’s store, or you get one Nectar point for every litre of fuel purchased in Sainsbury’s fuel stations.
At most of Nectar’s online partner stores, you’ll collect two points for each £1 you spend.
One Nectar Card point is then worth 0.5p, so you need 200 Nectar points to save £1 to spend.
Once you have enough points you can turn them into vouchers to buy your next food shop at Sainsbury’s or to buy things such as plane tickets at Expedia, train tickets from Eurostar or cinema tickets for Vue cinemas.
How else can I boost my Nectar points?
Sainsbury’s Bank customers can continue to collect additional points from Nectar partners by making sure to scan their Nectar app or use their Nectar card at the time of the transaction.
Customers can find details on how many Nectar points they could collect on average on nectar.com.
The Nectar Card app says that on average, their customers earn three times more points on their shopping when using the bonus offers found in the app.
Nectar card customers using the app have also been able to scoop up to 2,000 free points in the past – meaning shoppers could get up to £10 off their shop for free.
