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 generous 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. 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.
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 loyalty cards works, see below the table.
Supermarket loyalty card comparison - earn points for spending
| ASDA | Co-op | Iceland | Morrisons | Sainsbury's | Tesco | |
| Reward scheme | ASDA Rewards | Co-op membership | Iceland Bonus Card | Morrisons More | Nectar Card | Clubcard |
| Free to sign up |  |
£1 to join | |
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| Rewards | Earn 10% of Star Products purchased | Earn 2p per £1 and get in-store discounts | Get £1 for every £20 saved on 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 | |
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| Points earnt on fuel |  |
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| Amount earnt if spend £500 a month | N/A | £10 | £25 | Varies depending on products bought | £2.50 | £5 |
| Trade up points for better rewards | |
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Points can be turned into £5 vouchers | |
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| Loyalty card app | |
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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. ASDA Pounds are stored in a Cashpot within the app that can be exchanged for vouchers.
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.
Co-op Membership
The Co-operative offers an exclusive membership that allows members to save money in-store. It costs £1 to sign up for a Co-op membership.
How do you earn Co-op Rewards?
When you purchase Co-op products and services you can earn 2p for every £1 you spend. The Co-op will also donate 2p for every £1 you have spent to a local charity or community organisation that you can help choose. Co-op rewards can then be spent on a large range of products when spending at a Co-op.
Any extras for owning the Co-op Rewards app?
Co-op members can also benefit from exclusive discounts on Co-op products including insurance, legal services and funeral care. Additionally, you will be sent offers to spend when in-store for example £1 off your Co-op shop or 50p off bakery products.
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.
Any extras for owning the Iceland Rewards app?
Get free delivery on shops over £25 with your Bonus Card. You can also save money on your Bonus Card for big shops e.g around Christmas. 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.
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 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. There are a number of partner rewards that allow you to earn 2x, 3x and 4x the standard rate of one point for every £1 spent and these are updated regularly in the Nectar app.
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.
Tesco Clubcard
Probably the best-known loyalty card, the Tesco Clubcard is something you should definitely have in your wallet. 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. Or, for fuel, it's 1 point for every £2. 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 be sent 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 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. Some of the best offers actually triple up your points, however, Tesco has announced that it is reducing the trade-up value of its vouchers from June.
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.
| Lidl | M&S | Waitrose | |
| Reward scheme | Lidl Plus | Sparks | myWaitrose |
| Free to sign up | |
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| Rewards | Money-off coupons towards your shopping | In-store discounts | Personalised vouchers |
| Exclusive member deals | |
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| Points earnt on fuel | |
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| Trade up points for better rewards | |
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| Loyalty card app | |
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Lidl Plus
One of the newest loyalty card/apps on the scene is from Lidl, and it actually 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. For example, this month Lidl Plus users can get £10 off a garden tool and 15% off cooked and cured meat.
Any extras for owning the Lidl Plus card?
As part of being signed up, you can use digital coupons that can be claimed through the app. These rotate every week and give you a percentage discount on Lidl items. In the past, there have been discounts of up to 20% off sweets, chocolate, cheese, washing powder, and more. It’s always worth a look to see what's on offer. If you see a coupon you like, you can add it to your card and you’ll receive the discount when scanning your Lidl Plus card at the checkout. You also receive a scratch card each time you shop in-store and scan your card. This gives you the chance to win money off your next shop and you could win up to £20 off with no minimum spend. Finally, users can get a free in-store bakery item coupon off their next shop when they spend a total of £50 in a single month and 10% off your next shop when you spend £250 (although this promotion is subject to change and expires on 31/05/23).
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. 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. Vouchers will start to show between 2 and 5 weeks after signing up as long as you use your card regularly.
Any extras for owning the myWaitrose card?
myWaitrose customers can also benefit from free self-serve hot drinks with any in-store purchase, exclusive rewards with Caffè Nero, 5% off dry cleaning and laundry at Johnsons the Cleaners service, 10% off Waitrose cookery school and discount on fish and meat on Fridays or Saturdays.
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 those cards when you go shopping and scan them each time you’re at the checkout. It may not seem like you’re earning much, but the savings can and do add up. After all, what can be better than getting free food?
