Tesco shoppers fume over Clubcard reward cutbacks

Tesco is facing the wrath of its most loyal customers after slashing the value of the Clubcard Reward Partners scheme in a move which the retailer claims will allow it “to continue to provide a wide range of exciting rewards, whilst keeping our product prices low”.

Currently, when customers collect Clubcard points, they can convert them to Tesco vouchers to use at the store – 500 points are worth £5 – but if they exchange vouchers for codes to spend with Tesco’s Reward Partners they can get triple the value, meaning 500 points is worth £15.

Partners include Disney+, Hotels.com, Pizza Express, Legoland, Thorpe Park, RHS, Eurotunnel and scores of other brands across travel, leisure, home and entertainment. This is the second time Tesco has made cutbacks; previously many partners offered four times the value.

However, Tesco is extending the validity of rewards for an additional six months leading up to 14 June. Any Reward Partner codes ordered before this date will continue to be valid for 12 months from the date of issue, so there’s plenty of time to spend them on the current rate.

Clubcard members are being informed of the change in an email from Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini in which she states: “As one of our loyal Clubcard members, we wanted to let you know that we are making a change to how you use your Tesco Clubcard vouchers with our Tesco Clubcard Reward Partners. And to reassure you that you’ll still be able to use your Tesco Clubcard to unlock great value.

“Millions of people tap their Tesco Clubcard every time they shop, benefiting from access to over 8,000 weekly deals on Clubcard Prices, which we’ve now rolled out across our stores – so from food to clothing, Tesco Mobile to Tesco Bank, you can now find even more great deals. And with potential savings of up to £351 a year, more people than ever before are making the most of the value that Tesco Clubcard offers.

“Tesco Clubcard continues to have the biggest and most generous Reward Partner scheme with access to over 100 Reward Partners at 2x your Clubcard voucher value. So you can still make great savings on everything from family fun, dining out, cinema trips and more.”

However, the supermarket giant is already getting a battering on social media. One Twitter users wrote: “@Tesco Can you please stop sending bullshit emails about how wonderful your clubcard rewards still are when you reduce the benefit from x3 to x2. You are just insulting our intelligence.”

Another said: “@Tesco Clubcard just became less of a reason to be loyal to the store, will be moving our shop to an alternative instead. Thanks for the memories Tesco #ByeBye #Farewell #NotWorthTheExtra #GetLess #clubcard #Tesco.”

Meanwhile, a third wrote: “@Tesco Many shoppers justify shopping at your stores regardless of your high prices because they get a good return on Clubcard rewards. You will lose customers over this. #tescorewardpartner #tescoclubcard #clubcard #tesco and a fourth said: “Ooof, that’s one HEFTY devaluation from #Tesco for their #Clubcard vouchers… And only 5 years after their devaluation from 4x to 3x…”

The move appears to be in sharp contrast to recent changes to the Boots Advantage Card scheme, which hardly raised an eyebrow. As part of the shake-up, Boots slashed the number of points for every £1 spent from four to three points but is now offering an instant 10% discount on own-brand products when members use the loyalty card.