Should We Get Rid of Loyalty Cards?
Ask a Question
Should supermarket loyalty cards be scrapped? 
Which? has raised concerns about pricing practices and potential rip-offs after their latest investigation.
What’s your take? 
kitty88uk Just slightly disappointed I'm not given those vouchers when they print the receipt, but I guess it's for dormant customers.
There's also SmartShop discount prices and those are really good. There was a time I didn't know how it worked so I just asked.
PhilipMarc Yeah I know exactly what you mean!! Haha 
lol 
I’m the same whenever going to Sainsbury’s and pay there’s no money off vouchers so annoying 
like after all the money I spent on grocery shopping 
you’d expect at least 1 or 2 but nothing!!
Smart shop again at Sainsbury’s right? How does that work?
kitty88uk Check your Nectar app for the prices, and make note of them (or take a picture if you use a spare phone on the go).
This is how:
1) Tap on the screen to release it from its lock.
2) Scan your Nectar card.
3) As you do your shopping, scan all barcodes.
4) At checkout human/computer, there'll be a QR code to scan and when it's your turn just scan it. Then pay.
I got £10 credit thanks to the Fruit and Veg challenge as I bought some lettuce and fruit. I'll probably use it soon since Nectar is ditching eBay by the end of August, so it'll go towards grocery shopping.
PhilipMarc I don’t use that option much as I pay by cash lol family uses this one to pay a lot. Had no idea 
and not sure if they know about the challenges. Wow 
£10 credit amazing well done and thanks 
for sharing about this!
kitty88uk Oh, it's not about paying by cash or card, it's about scanning your Nectar rewards card to gain the discounts.
I'll be going there again tomorrow as I see some pretty decent discounts and it's for items I'd buy anyway.
E.g.:
PhilipMarc ah I thought it was a whole different discount thing lol yeah I already know about using nectar cards lol have been shopping with that supermarket for many many years
Yes do away with them and just offer good value everyday prices and deals without restrictions instore.
and cake 
this was a few years ago and they’ve just stopped it jam45 "Bon Marche"
I thought that had something to do with the massive French grocery stores known as Intermarche. 
That's solely for clothes, heh.
kitty88uk I used to get free tea and cake as well. Firstly, it was monthly, then quarterly and now only if I complain about a John Lewis purchase in writing (a handwritten letter) do I get a free voucher for 2 people!!
I would complain if I was you. Where is my free drink and cake? Fingers cross JL will send you a voucher.
but nothing sometimes they do get a free very small tub of ice cream 
that’s it 
conversations happy 
to get advice! Hope you have a great weekend! 
I do believe Tesco should be ashamed charging customers without a CLUBCARD full price, it’s morally wrong.
No, in general they are a good thing but I tend to stick to Tesco and Sainsbury's.I have the Boots one and some points to use but I don't fully understand how the points system works.
SueWard yes 
I agree with you, I also just have those two supermarkets nectar and club card, it helps saves money 
and if not the prices are still expensive I look for an alternative of the supermarkets own branded foods! Only use the cards so I can try out new foods and save money!
I have Boots too but hardly shop there as the the items too Damn expensive and I shop with Superdrug more for toiletries 
as there’s always offers on there!
I think they should stay as it the shop keeps track of items you buy and gives you extra money discounts and points ( if you’re signed up the nectar)
I would love to keep my loyalty cards as i save my Tesco and Asda vouchers till Christmas which makes a big shop much cheaper at an expensive time of year. I would never pay for a loyalty cards unless it was really worth it.
It would be better if the money it cost to run all the schemes was put into lowering prices altogether.
It makes me laugh that they’d called loyalty cards, when you have a loyalty card/app for every place in your wallet/phone hardly loyal 
The retailers should just offer the best prices/value for money for products. Loyalty cards are just their way or trying to hook you in
I really don't like Which so would take their advice with a pinch of salt. There has been loyalty schemes for a very long time for shops and I'm sure there will be a long time into the future. If you want to shop without a loyalty card then Aldi is the option I guess. I'm not a great fan of Aldi myself but its a shop without a loyalty scheme if you like simple pricing.
BonzoBanana I have been inside different branches of theirs and all I can see is overweight people stocking up on cheap food (the same applies to Lidl customers).
jam45 Often I see a lot of alcohol in the trolleys too. I'm not a drinker myself so I'm clueless about the value of it but suspect its very good pricing. I do see a lot of products in people's trolleys that I have tried and find unacceptably low quality but those people are happy to buy them, garbage processed food etc or low quality parbaked products etc. I don't consider myself too fussy a person when it comes to food but I guess if food quality was from 1 to 5 with 1 being terrible and 5 being fantastic I'm more of a '2' level minimum person but those people are more a '1' level in my opinion.
I love my tesco clubcard = it has earned me over £300 so far this year and all the cheaper prices too. As long as the shops give full details of the goods and the cards are free to join then I dont see a problem. Most people recognise a a good deal. The idea that supermarkets would just lower their prices if they didnt have loyalty cards is just nonsense
didbygraham Aldi is one of the few profitable supermarkets without huge debts and the only supermarket to not have a loyalty scheme. Tesco, Asda, Lidl UK, Sainsburys and Morrisons all have huge debts although admittedly both Asda and Morrisons are indebted due to the way they were taken over with leveraged buyouts. Of course long term debts do add to pricing as those debts have to be serviced with interest payments. Loyalty schemes do seem to cost supermarket money and I'm not convinced they provide customer loyalty or retention myself. As ever there are those that maximise the savings of loyalty schemes to achieve low pricing. If I go in Sainsburys I'm buying Aldi/Lidl price matched items which are often far superior to the versions at Aldi/Lidl and I'm buying nectar price offers. I don't really buy any high margin non-offer products.
I saw Boots was going to be using customer data for health research which puts me off. However I am a sucker for the Lidl app and it’s bakery roulette spin every time you purchase. I like how you get 10% off voucher if you spend £250 in a month so it has made me stop going to Aldi and then wait until I get the 10% discount if there’s something in the middle larger I want to buy. If it’s gone from my local Lidl by the time I’ve got the voucher i find the Lidl nearer a train station tends to have it because people are popping in there and the big items sell more slowly (garden weed burner and tower air fryer are two such items I waited and found doing that)
Loyalty cards are garbage now. Nectar card used to be amazing, I even drove to certain garages to get the points but now you have to spend about a grand to get a fiver.
I have a few loyalty cards, they don't make me much apart from Nectar which I do use to my advantage.
I think they should be scrapped. It is nice getting the reward but I'd rather simply save money on my shopping.
I think they should be scrapped. It is nice getting the reward but I'd rather simply save money on my shopping.
Went to Shoezone to buy some cheap shoes and think she asked me about a rewards card? But I didn't have one, I rarely go there. I'm not the type to collect shoes, I only wear until they become unwearable.
I have every loyalty card and more. I love getting the discounts and points. I shop around and know what the bargains are. If you only shop in one or two stores or supermarkets you could be paying more for some items as opposed to shopping around.
No am quite used to my loyalty cards.
And they save me from the full prices.
And I get loyalty points to use spend.
I would be ripped off without them
I dont mind the idea of a loyalty card, I know they want my data but if it saves me some money and I get vouchers and coupons thats fine. However I must admit I want physical cards, I dont want to download 5 different apps for all the different shops I visit
You think you are saving using one because the item comes down a bit in price. But the price has been hiked up before they give you the loyalty card reduction. It is a form of ripping you off if without the price being hiked and then dropped it would have been the same as not using a card.
Why don't they just put the prices down to the price they should be and let everyone have the benefit.
Personally I think they definitely need to be revised! They used to be worth having years ago when you actually got fairly ok points that turn into money, I do still love the boots card! the others are nowhere near as good now.
karenthehair2 Boots only give 3 points! I remember when their loyalty card machine in store gave out vouchers!! It was a joy to shop in Boots.
I think it is wrong to have two prices on the shelves. You can see how much profit the stores are making. I like collecting points and I like my Waitrose card to get my coffee.
There are good loyalty cards and bad ones. I like my superdrug card and tesco card. But the problem is when they charge a normal price with the card and a crazy high one without, basically forcing you to have one.
Join for free to get genuine deals, money saving advice and help from our friendly community
Chief Bargain Hunter
