SAINSBURY’S shoppers can DOUBLE their Nectar points from today as the supermarket brings back its popular rewards event.

The annual Double Up Nectar Rewards scheme will see customers exchange loyalty points for digital vouchers worth twice as much as they do outside of the event.

Sainsbury's customers can claim vouchers worth twice as many loyalty points that they've collected

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Sainsbury’s customers can claim vouchers worth twice as many loyalty points that they’ve collectedCredit: Alamy

Normally, members earn one Nectar point for every £1 spent at Sainsbury’s, which is worth 0.5p to make a purchase.

Customers need a minimum of 1,000 points worth £5 before they can spend them, but in the double up event, they’re worth £10 when you shop.

Outside of the shopping bonanza, you would need to spend £2,000 in store before earning enough points to claim a £10 voucher.

Cardholders can pre-order physical vouchers via their Nectar account online from today until November 3, which will be posted to their registered address.

Supermarket loyalty schemes – which has one?

MOST UK supermarkets have loyalty schemes so customers can build up points and save money while they shop.

Here we round up what saving programmes you’ll find at the big brands.

  • Iceland: Unlike other stores, you don’t collect points with the Iceland Bonus Card. Instead, you load it up with money and Iceland will give you £1 for every £20 you save.
  • Morrisons: Morrisons’ More gives customers five points per £1 spent in store. When customers earn 5,000 points they receive a £5 voucher.
  • Sainsbury’s: While Sainsbury’s doesn’t have a personal scheme, it does own the Nectar card which can also be used in Argos, eBay and other shops. You need 200 Nectar points to save up £1 to spend on your card. You need to spend at least £1 to get one Nectar point.
  • Tesco: Tesco Clubcard has over 17million members in the UK alone. You use it each time you shop and build up points that can be turned into vouchers – 150 points gets you a £1.50 voucher. Here you need to spend £1 in Tesco to get one point.
  • Waitrose: myWaitrose also doesn’t allow you to collect points but instead you’ll get access to free hot drinks, and discounts off certain brands in store.

But they’ll have to hold off for another week before spending them as the double up vouchers can only be used in shops between November 11 and November 17.

Alternatively, shoppers who use the Nectar app can claim their digital vouchers instantly at any time during the event and use them to spend straight away.

The idea behind the scheme is to offer customers a helping hand ahead of the festive season.

The vouchers can be spent across 11 different departments, such as Tu clothing, electrical, toys, Taste the Difference alcohol, homeware, seasonal, fragrance, cosmetics, skincare and gifts.

You won’t be able to use them to pay for things like petrol or online groceries, or in other Nectar shops like Argos.

Frustratingly, you’ll also have to choose the category you want to spend the voucher in before downloading it – you can’t use it to buy products from multiple departments.

The vouchers much be spent in one go too.

What you need to know before signing up to any reward scheme

THERE are thousands of different loyalty schemes and reward cards available – so you need to make sure you know what you’re signing up for

  • By signing up for a loyalty card, a retailer will get a lot of information about you and your shopping habits. The data might be shared within its group of companies to target you with offers and advertising.
  • If a firm goes bust, you will lose your points, which have no cash value. Hoarding points also means you risk losing them if a retailer or restaurant shuts your account after a long period of inaction.
  • Read the terms and conditions carefully some retailers and restaurant will have expiration dates on certain offers (for example you might have limited amount of time to spend your extra points).
  • Don’t choose where to shop or where to eat based on a store’s loyalty scheme. If there is a particular item you want, shop around rather than head straight for the retailer where you have a loyalty card. In a restaurant check some of the special deals or menus – they might be better value than the loyalty scheme.
  • Beware of spending more simply because you have a loyalty card and don’t buy something just for any bonus points you may earn.

If your shopping is more than 5p cheaper than the value of the voucher, you’ll have to choose something else in your nominated department to push up the price.

If the total comes to more than the value of the voucher, you’ll have to pay the difference in cash.

Shopping that is between 1p and 5p cheaper than the voucher will be given the amount left in cash.

Customers hoarding their points specifically for the double up event should know that the maximum number of points you can exchange for a voucher is 10,000, worth up to £50.

It’s also worth bearing in mind that vouchers can only be claimed in store during the week long event, and not on online orders.

After that, the vouchers become invalid and you lose all of the points.

It’s free to sign up to the Nectar scheme, which you can do via the Sainsbury’s website.

Christmas is the busiest time of year to reserve a supermarket delivery slot – here’s when each retailer will be releasing them, including Tesco Asda and Morrisons.

Sainsbury’s has doubled it’s delivery capacity from 340,000 a week in March to 660,000 now to keep up with demand throughout the coronavirus.

Is it time to ditch loyalty schemes? We reveal the ones worth keeping in your wallet.

Mum feeds family-of-four for £1.50 each a day and shares her monthly meal plan

This post first appeared on thesun.co.uk

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