Families spend thousands of pounds each year on food shopping, so it's no surprise to see popular supermarkets such as Tesco, Sainsbury's, and Lidl offering incentives to keep you coming back.
Loyalty points, coupons, and vouchers are just a few ways that supermarkets will entice shoppers back to their stores. While your wallet or purse might already be packed to the brim with debit cards, credit cards and loyalty cards, there is no limit to how many you can have - so it’s worth making space for a few more, and now most loyalty cards can be downloaded digitally, so as long as you have your mobile phone when you're shopping you can easily collect your points. Whether it’s your weekly shopping place or somewhere you visit only once a month, you should collect your points as they can quickly add up to a decent amount of money.
In this article, we look at the best supermarket loyalty cards and reveal how much you can earn by using them.
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What is a supermarket loyalty card?
After signing up for a loyalty card scheme, you will usually be given a card (or digital card), which you can use to collect points or get discounts every time you shop. You can sometimes exchange the points you have collected, either for vouchers to spend in the supermarket or simply to provide money off at the till. Additionally, your loyalty card may reward you with personalised discounts on items that you regularly buy and you may benefit from exclusive pricing for rewards members.
Despite the name "loyalty card", you don’t have to be loyal to supermarkets to make money from them. There are plenty of other perks to each scheme which get you coupons and money off your shopping - even if you don’t shop there each week, although you are likely to see better vouchers if you are a regular shopper. As with everything, some loyalty schemes are better than others but if you don’t fancy using your points to pay for your weekly shop, some loyalty cards allow you to trade the points for double or triple the value with various partner retailers. With others, you can earn money-off coupons very quickly for a much smaller spend.
What are the top supermarket loyalty cards?
Each supermarket loyalty card/app has different pros and cons, but if you make sure that you sign up for each loyalty card/app scheme, you'll start to earn rewards no matter where you shop.
In the below table, we compare the loyalty card/apps provided by supermarkets that allow you to earn money or points when you spend. For a more in-depth explanation as to how each of the schemes work, see below the table.
Supermarket loyalty card comparison - earn points for spending
| ASDA | Iceland | Morrisons | Sainsbury's | Tesco | |
| Reward scheme | ASDA Rewards | Iceland Bonus card | Morrisons More | Nectar Card | Clubcard |
| Free to sign up | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rewards | Earn 10% on Star Products purchased
Complete missions for rewards |
Get £1 for every £20 loaded onto the card | Earn points on selected products in-store and online | Earn 1 point per £1 spent and get in-store discounts | Earn 1 point per £1 spent and get in-store discounts |
| Exclusive member deals | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Points earnt on fuel | Only when using an ASDA credit card | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Amount earnt if spend £500 a month | Varies depending on products bought | £25 | Varies depending on products bought | £2.50 | £5 |
| Trade up points for better rewards | No | No | Points can be turned into £5 vouchers | Yes | Yes |
| Loyalty card app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
ASDA Rewards
One of the newest loyalty cards/apps is from ASDA and unlike Sainsbury's and Tesco which offer points on every purchase, ASDA rewards customers for purchasing selected products and completing certain milestones.
How do you earn ASDA Rewards?
Customers can earn ASDA Pounds by purchasing 'Star Products' and completing 'Missions' via the ASDA Rewards app. You also earn Rewards for completing milestones based on your total spend. ASDA Pounds are stored in a Cashpot within the app that can be exchanged for vouchers to be spent in-store or online.
Any extras for owning the ASDA Rewards app?
There are regular offers within the app including regular 10% off deals on certain products as well as 'Super Stars' deals that provide better cashback opportunities. Customers may also opt to apply for the ASDA Money cashback credit card which offers 1% cashback on all ASDA spending plus 0.3% cashback on everything else.
Iceland Bonus Card
Iceland's Bonus Card allows you to save on your Iceland shop with discounts and coupons throughout the year. You can sign up online or via the Iceland Bonus Card app.
How do you earn Iceland Rewards?
Customers can earn discounts throughout the year by swiping the Iceland Bonus Card every time they shop in-store. For every £20 you load onto your Iceland Bonus Card you get £1 back and the balance saved on your Bonus Card can then be used to spend on your Iceland shop.
Any extras for owning the Iceland Rewards app?
If you spend £25 in-store of £40 online, you qualify for free delivery with your Bonus Card. You can also save money on your Bonus Card for big shops e.g around Christmas. Over 60's get 10% off their shopping in-store every Tuesday when they scan their Bonus Card and provide proof of age. Iceland are currently running an in-store promotion where if you make a purchase and scan your Bonus Card you could be win £100 bonus pounds added to your card. There are daily winners and no minimum spend and the promotion is due to end on 27th May 2025.
Morrisons More
If you regularly shop at Morrisons it is worth signing up for their loyalty scheme to benefit from points, personalised offers and money off your next shop.
How do you earn Morrisons points?
By signing up for the Morrisons More loyalty scheme you can receive points for purchasing certain items in-store and online. Additionally, you can earn 5 points for every litre of fuel you purchase at a Morrisons petrol station. Once you earn 5,000 points you can convert them to a £5 voucher to spend in-store or online or keep them on the app and save them for a larger purchase.
Any extras for owning the My Morrisons card?
Get exclusive offers and discounts in-store and via the Morrisons More app. There is also the opportunity for a 'Basket Bonus' when scanning your card or app which can be anything from money off your next shop or a free treat.
Sainsbury’s Nectar Card
Sainsbury's Nectar Card is another popular choice and collecting points isn't just limited to Sainsbury's; there are plenty of other shops where you can earn Nectar points which can help supercharge your rewards.
How much is a Sainsbury's Nectar Card point worth?
When shopping in Sainsbury's supermarkets either in-store or online, you earn one point for every £1 spent, but the value is 0.5p per point. To get to the minimum reward of £2.50, you'll need to collect 500 points - which is a £500 spend. However, Sainsbury's isn't the only place where you can collect points. Linking your Nectar Card to Argos, eBay, British Airways, buying Esso fuel, and more can earn you points. And, unlike the Tesco Clubcard, you get 1 Nectar point for every litre you spend on fuel. When shopping online, it’s worth looking out for the Nectar logo to see if you can earn more.
What can you trade Sainsbury's Nectar Card points for?
It's slimmer pickings for what you can redeem rewards for with your Nectar points than for a Tesco Clubcard. The standard one is redeeming off your Sainsbury's shopping, which gets you £2.50 off for 500 points collected, other options include spending them in Argos and Caffé Nero.
Any extras for owning a Sainsbury's Nectar card?
As part of owning the Nectar card, you can add coupons to your card via the Nectar app, which gives you extra points when buying specific food items at Sainsbury’s and using your card. These offers change roughly every week and, if it's for an item that you usually buy, your rewards can mount up quickly. Nectar users can also take advantage of 'My Nectar Prices' which are additional discounts on products that Sainsbury's thinks you will like. Users will have to download the SmartShop app to take advantage of the offers. Sainsbury's also have Nectar Prices on products throughout the store and online that only Nectar card holders can take advantage of.
Tesco Clubcard
Probably the best-known loyalty card, the Tesco Clubcard is something you should definitely have. It's free to download and use and you get access to a lot of exclusive Tesco offers including Clubcard deals, personalised coupons, and a trade-up system to make better use of the points you collect.
How much is a Tesco Clubcard point worth?
For every £1 you spend in-store or online at Tesco, you earn 1 Clubcard point. If you fill up at a Tesco petrol station you will get 1 point for every 2 litres of fuel and at Esso stations with a Tesco Express you can earn 1 point for every £3 you spend. You can earn Clubcard points for other Tesco products, such as Tesco Mobile and credit cards, too. For every point you earn, it’s added to your Clubcard balance and you'll earn vouchers that total the value of points you've collected. The minimum voucher you can get is £1.50, which you’ll receive for collecting 150 points. This means at £1 per point, you need to spend £150 to get £1.50 back (around 1% in rewards). You can either spend the vouchers in-store or online on your everyday shopping or you can hold onto them to get a discount on something else.
What can you trade Tesco Clubcard points for?
Although rewards are only worth 1% if used on your shopping, there is an option to trade your vouchers up for another retailer. Tesco offers you the chance to trade in money accrued through Clubcard and receive vouchers for restaurants, theme parks, online retailers, and more. Your vouchers are worth 2 x their value when spent at Tesco Reward Partners.
Any extras for owning a Tesco Clubcard?
Tesco Clubcard members can also receive coupons via the app to save extra money. These coupons are usually personalised as Tesco tracks what you regularly buy in-store. For example, if you have a cat and keep buying cat food, it might incentivise you to come back by sending you a cat food coupon. You'll also get money-off coupons to use on your next shop and double points coupons on occasion - which, in turn, means you can earn more rewards. Additionally, Tesco Clubcard users can unlock exclusive deals in-store on selected items, just look for items marked 'Clubcard price'.
Supermarket loyalty card comparison - get discounts on your spending
In the below table, we compare the loyalty card/apps provided by supermarkets that allow you to earn rewards or discounts based on your personalised spending. For a more in-depth explanation as to how each of the loyalty cards works, see below the table.
| Co-op | Lidl | M&S | Waitrose | |
| Reward scheme | Co-op Membership | Lidl Plus | Sparks | myWaitrose |
| Free to sign up | £1 to sign up | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Rewards | In-store discounts | Money-off coupons towards your shopping, free product coupons and in-store discounts | In-store discounts | Personalised vouchers |
| Exclusive member deals | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Points earnt on fuel | No | No | No | No |
| Trade up points for better rewards | No | No | No | No |
| Loyalty card app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Co-op Membership
The Co-op stopped it's Member Rewards loyalty scheme on 24th January 2024 and in it's place are now running a loyalty scheme which awards members with "Member Prices", personalised offers and more. It costs £1 to join the scheme.
How do you earn Co-op vouchers?
With Co-op Membership you can benefit from discounted items in-store and personalised offers.
Any extras for owning the Co-op Membership card?
Co-op members can benefit from discounts at other Co-op services such as their Funeralcare, Legal Services and Insurance. You can also gain early access to Co-op Live events and help choose which local cause should be supported by the Co-op's Local Community Fund.
Lidl Plus
The Lidl Plus app has one of the biggest reward rates in comparison to your spend, despite being one of the cheapest supermarkets to do your shopping at. It doesn’t work in the same way as the other cards, but it does still reward you for loyal spending.
How do you earn Lidl Plus vouchers?
Each calendar month, you'll have the chance to save money on your weekly shop with exclusive coupons within the app. If you spend £10 in a single month you will receive a coupon for a free in-store bakery "sweet treat", once you spend £50 in a single month you will receive a free product coupon, you will then receive another free product coupon when you reach £100 and £150 monthly spend. Finally, if you make £250 worth of transactions in a single month you will be given a coupon for 10% off your next shop (maximum discount of £20), this promotion is subject to change and currently expires on 31/12/24.
Any extras for owning the Lidl Plus card?
As a Lidl Plus app member you will receive Lidl Plus For You coupons that are personalised, simply activate them in the app to use them. Members also benefit from Lidl Plus offers, where they can take advantage of discounted prices in-store by simply scanning their app at the check out. Lidl also have partner offers which currently include money off Jet2holidays.
M&S Sparks
Marks and Spencer released the M&S Sparks rewards app which allows regular M&S shoppers to benefit from discounts on food, in-store shopping and hot drinks in the M&S Cafe.
How do you earn M&S Sparks vouchers?
Within the M&S Sparks app you can get personalised offers based on your spending and the offers aren't just for food, you can also get discounts on clothing and in the M&S cafe.
Any extras for owning the M&S Sparks card?
Each week a randomly selected M&S Sparks customer has the opportunity to get their shopping for free when scanning the Sparks app at the till. Selected customers will also be given a voucher for a free treat each week. You can also select a charity within the app that M&S donates money to every time you shop at Marks & Spencer. Plus if you buy 6 hot drinks in the cafe you can get one for free.
myWaitrose
Waitrose's loyalty scheme rewards regular shoppers with personalised weekly vouchers, free hot drinks and discounts on meat and fish in-store on select days.
How do you earn myWaitrose Plus vouchers?
Regularly scanning your myWaitrose card or adding it to your online shop means you can benefit from personalised vouchers based on your spending.
Any extras for owning the myWaitrose card?
myWaitrose customers can also benefit from free self-serve hot drinks with any in-store purchase (certain stores have a minimum spend), exclusive rewards with Caffè Nero, 5% off dry cleaning and laundry at Johnsons the Cleaners service, 10% off Waitrose cookery school, discount on selected fish and meat from the counters in-store on Fridays or Saturdays and free Waitrose magazines. There are also exclusive in-store and online discounts for myWaitrose members.
Summary
Supermarket loyalty cards are probably one of the easiest ways to benefit from rewards on your everyday spending with most of us regularly shopping at supermarkets each week. Despite this, there are more and more ways to earn money back on your everyday spending with cashback apps and cashback credit cards which means that you can maximise the number of rewards you get on one purchase. Just ensure that you remember to scan those apps/cards each time you’re at the checkout. It may not seem like you’re earning much, but the savings can and do add up.
