WITH parents looking to cut costs over the summer, one popular loyalty scheme is just about to make a change that could mean missing out on memories made if you don’t act now.
From Wednesday, Tesco Clubcard points will only be worth twice their value when exchanged for vouchers towards rewards like meals and days out.
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Before then, you’ll get triple their value, so if you’ve got a fair amount of points saved up, that could be the difference during a family day out at a theme park.
I’ve enjoyed some fantastic fun with my boys aged 10, eight and four, thanks to the loyalty scheme.
In recent years, we’ve used our points towards vouchers for Alton Towers and Drayton Manor and it’s kept the cost of taking a day trip as a family a bit more manageable, so we can spend money on treats while we’re there.
We also like to choose vouchers for restaurants like Bella Italia or Pizza Express, so I can give cooking a miss on a hot summer day and treat the kids to a meal out instead, which is a mum win all round.
Even if you hardly shop at Tesco, it’s still worth checking your points total and exchanging it for vouchers by tomorrow’s deadline, as you might have more than you expect.
I was surprised to find that I’d got 400 points that had built up without me realising, so I’ve just swapped them for a voucher for Megabus, which I can use to take a trip to London.
Grabbing a railcard with your Clubcard points is also well worth it, as it will slash the cost of train travel by a third every time you use it.
Usually the reward vouchers are only valid for six months, but that’s been extended to a year at the moment, so once you’ve chosen where you want to use your points and made the exchange, you have plenty of time to book.
There’s lots to choose from as there are more than 100 companies signed up as reward partners.
Friends of mine always use their points towards Eurotunnel for their summer trip to France.
They can exchange now and save the voucher for next year’s holiday, as long as they make a booking for LeShuttle before next June.
It’s not the first time the loyalty scheme has changed in this way. Originally Clubcard points were worth four times their value with reward partners, but that changed in 2018.
Back when I worked in an office with a Tesco nearby, I often popped in for a meal deal and the points would quickly add up.
My best ever deal was when I swapped £62.50 worth of points for a £250 hotel voucher, which meant we could get away for a couple of nights.
The same amount of points will only be worth £125 at partners like Hotels.com from Wednesday, so it really is worth getting your vouchers ordered before then.
You don’t need to wait until you’re sent coupons anymore, you can exchange your points total immediately online, provided you’ve got at least £1.50 built up.
We all have to spend cash on keeping the family fed, so why not build up a reserve of points while you’re shopping that can be used at crunch times in the year, such as during the summer holidays or at Christmas?
Then when the kids start pestering you for treats or trips over the summer, you can say yes without worrying about the cost. Every little helps, as they say!
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