BA pulls Avios points out of Tesco Clubcard programme

British Airways has delivered another blow to Executive Club members – just 24 hours after it emerged that those who criticise the airline could be expelled – revealing it is ditching the Tesco Clubcard scheme.

The company has yet to announce whether it is switching to a rival operation, such as Sainsbury’s-owned Nectar, the John Lewis Partnership’s MyWaitrose and MyJohnLewis programmes or even Marks & Spencer’s Sparks scheme.

Loyalty scheme “musical chairs” are not uncommon; Esso ditched its partnership with Tesco Clubcard in 2019 to join the Sainsbury’s owned Nectar loyalty scheme, replacing BP which had left the programme to set up a new, independent offer.

Meanwhile, Shell ditched its Drivers’ Club loyalty scheme for a new programme – dubbed Shell Go+ – which had allowed its 1.5 million members to exchange points for Avios Rewards.

It is understood that the decision has been made by BA and not Tesco although the airline has refused to comment on what has triggered its decision.

However, it has been confirmed that the last day to initiate a transfer of Tesco Clubcard points into Avios will be January 18 2021.

For those who receive their Clubcard vouchers quarterly, the last day to earn points with Tesco is October 22. This is the cut-off date for the November voucher mailing. The next mailing after that will not take place until February, at which point it will be too late to convert.

But customers who have the Tesco app can still collect points after that date but will need to order an e-voucher with their remaining Clubcard points balance by mid January to ensure that it can be converted to Avios by January 18.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that BA has decided to tackle growing criticism of its business head on; not by changing its practices and becoming more customer friendly but by changing the T&Cs of its Executive Club.

Now, passengers who criticise the airline publicly can be ousted from the scheme – which is estimated to have nearly 10 million members worldwide – and lose all their Avios points.

In response to report, the airline said: “Like all companies, we regularly review our terms and conditions to ensure we clearly stipulate our expectations of fair conduct and respect for others. We offer customers a number of channels to communicate with us to raise any concerns or provide feedback.”