‘I read some Martin Lewis advice on using Clubcard points for days out and over the last few years that’s been what I’ve done’
Summer holiday season has arrived, which means that parents everywhere are busy figuring out how to keep their kids entertained until September. This can be an expensive affair between holidays and days out – but there’s an easy way to save on a whole host of summer entertainment just by doing your weekly food shop.
Regular Tesco shoppers will already be familiar with their Tesco Clubcard as a handy addition to their grocery haul that helps them to unlock deals and discounts on what they buy in store or via the website. But they might not realise their loyalty card comes with a whole host of additional perks beyond the supermarket that they can spend their points on.
Tesco Clubcard has more than 200 reward partners where shoppers can redeem their points, after saving up by collecting 1 point (worth 1p to spend) for every £1 spent on groceries and other essentials in store or online. What’s more, Clubcard points double in value when spent on reward partners, or are even worth triple on some eating out deals.
This means that Clubcard holders can bag money off days out at the likes of restaurants, cinemas, zoos and theme parks, or even book a holiday for less. Popular travel partners where Tesco shoppers can spend their points include Hotels.com, Eurocamp, Butlin’s, easyJet Holidays, and P&O Cruises.
Offers on days out, meanwhile, range from Thorpe Park to Alton Towers or Cineworld to Tenpin Bowling for rainy days. And one savvy mum has shared how she followed the advice of money-saving expert Martin Lewis to save on a family trip to Florida using the points earned through her Tesco shop.
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There are more than 200 reward partners where Tesco Clubcard holders can spend their points, from days out to holidays
Comparing Clubcard to other loyalty card offers at the major supermarkets, Lidl has Lidl Plus where partner offers include savings on Jet2holidays and DFDS Ferries. Morrisons also has partners that More Card holders can shop with, although unlike at Tesco this simply means that shoppers can get points on their More Card when they shop with these partners.
Mum-of-two and shopping expert Narin Flanders saves up her Clubcard points all year to spend them on family trips out as part of holiday planning. She explained: “Tesco is my regular supermarket where I do a weekly shop each week. I used to just use my Clubcard points to knock money on my bill at the checkout, but a few pounds here and there in the grand scheme of things didn’t feel like it was doing much when feeding a family of four.
“I read some Martin Lewis advice on using Clubcard points for days out and over the last few years that’s been what I’ve done. Initially I swapped points for family meals out at places like Pizza Express but I began to wonder if I saved my points up exactly what I could do.”
Narin continued: “Last year we did a holiday to Florida and I used double points to book a stay at the Hard Rock Hotel attached to Universal Studios. Not only did we stay as a family of four completely free for a night but we got early access on both days either side of the stay so we could enjoy the rides before the big crowds joined, which was amazing and saved us so much time in queueing.
“I’ve just used the Clubcard points I’ve got since last summer to book a free LeShuttle trip for four of us to France with the car for October half term. It would normally have cost us over £200.”
It’s free to sign up for a Tesco Clubcard, and points can be turned into vouchers in seconds. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide:
- Sign in to the Tesco Grocery & Clubcard app or go to ‘My Clubcard account’
- Select the button to turn your Clubcard points into vouchers
- Select ‘Request vouchers’
- Your vouchers will appear in your Clubcard account in seconds
- Browse the list of Tesco Clubcard reward partners and pick the partner you would like to spend your vouchers on.
Shoppers should bear in mind that they need at least 150 points to be able to request a voucher. In addition, points collection periods are quarterly, ending in May, August, November and February, and customers can’t request vouchers for two weeks before the end of each collection period.
It’s not just days out and travel perks that Tesco Clubcard holders can spend their vouchers on. There are also home essential and lifestyle partners, offering the chance to redeem points and get discounts on everything from magazine subscriptions to an English Heritage membership.
Praising the difference that her Tesco Clubcard points have made to family days out, Narin added: “I love using my Clubcard points for family events we would think twice or worry about justifying spending money on normally. When I’m doing my shop anyway it’s a no-brainer – and the ultimate treat!”
