Nectar card/points - are they worth having?

[5129frederick]

I seem to be the only person in this country who doesn't have a Nectar card!  Everywhere I go I am asked the same question: "Do you have a Nectar Card?"  I've never been one for loyalty cards, dismissing them as a gimmick, little better than Green Shield Stamps, but in the end curiosity got the better of me.  I read the info about joining.  It told me everything except what I wanted to know:

In hard cash, what is a Nectar Point worth?  We do our shopping at Sainsbury - we go through about £45.00 per week, and I am beginning to wonder whether I am missing out because each receipt tells me how many Nectar points I could have earned.  Is it only their own products they give Nectar points on or what?

How many points to £1.00, or put another way, how much do I have to spend to earn £100.00 worth of Nectar points?  They seem very coy about putting a price on what they're actually worth in hard cash.

[millielilac]

One thousand nectar points is presently worth £5.

I spent £33 today in Sainsburys and earned 66 points but had a coupon that doubled up my points so got 132 points in total. They are slways dishing out coupons that give you extra points if you buy particular products ...bonus nectar points..

So the points are worth very little .....33p on a shop of £33 if I had not had a coupon.

However you also get points on eBay and fuel if there is a garage near you and other places too ...so it does add up .....

It costs nothing to join ...the card is small so takes up no room ...its a bit of a no brainer if you already shop at Sainsburys ...although I have just had an email recently saying they were changing things ...points will be worth less but not sure if that has started already or not.

[mustavaquid]

Sainsbury's is cutting the value to half from 11th.April 2015.

http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/oct/14/sainsburys-halves-nectar-reward-points-loyalty-schem...

So that looks like 1 point will be worth 0.5p.

IMHO not really worth bothering with any loyalty scheme as you could probably change to Lidl or Aldi and get equal quality for far less money.

[mustavaquid]

That's confusing, it looks like they should currently be 2 points per £1, reducing to 1 per £1 next year, so 33points on a shop of £33 is already reduced.

[rainydaywoman11]

I do not have one either Fred, but all my friends do, and they have cards for everything.  I have only two cards in my purse - debit card which I use for most stuff - and my credit card, which is only used for emergencies. Like when my husband's GOLD card was refused when trying to pay for a meal in Venice - used mine and it went through no problem.

I still have a chuckle about that now and then.

Agree with the comments about A**i and L*dl.  I save loads, especially on household products.

[geranne28]

I never know how to cash in my Nectar points.  I get them on petrol - but don't shop at Sainsbury's.  I buy on ebay through nectar...... I don't even know how many points I have!  *cries*

When my late hubby died 14 years ago, I took over the Nectar card and found there was £77 credit on it!  I managed to spend that, but haven't cashed it in since.

[stroppy*cow]

You can spend your Nectar points in Argos - 500 Nectar points = £2.50

[5129frederick]

Thanks, everybody.

 I'll have some way to go to get my £100.00 worth of Nectar points, then!   I ain't getting too excited about it.  Thus said, seeing as I shop at Sainsbury's on a regular basis I may as well join, but I'll be losing out anyway because I don't touch their own brand stuff.  It seems to me they only double the Nectar points on stuff they're trying to get rid off on the quick.  At least I've been given an answer to which I can equate.

[bhgardeners]

Son has had a nectar card for 4 years - he has a few quid on it.  We do not use Sainsburys, we do not have loyalty cards.  We shop in Asda for a big shop and no inclination to shop around, where ever we are passing(except local Sainsburys) and Lidl at least once a week.  When I compare Asda with Sainsburys on my internet shop the last 3 times they have been over £20.00 dearer(on about 60 quids worth).  

We also rarely use them for fuel.

I think loyalty cards are a way to tie you into the brand and I do not want to be tied and I cannot see that I would save enough to warrant bothering..

Now where is this weeks bargain butter being sold?

[ed_blackadder_1]

I have loyalty cards. After all it is something for nothing. We dont tend to get much but usually save them up til the end of the year. We usually have enough nectar points to get nibbles for new years eve. Clubcard points for the booze. And oir local garden centre points go towards christmas presents.

I dont have time to chase around looking for what is cheapest the supermarkets aroind here are quite far apart so I would probably spend more on fuel than I would save.

I quite often pop into lidls on the wat home and usually spend more because I get what I go in for then buy shedloads of other stuff I didnt really nead from their non foods stuff so it doesn't really save me money.

Each to his own though if you have got the time to shop around and can do it without spending extra on fuel or busses then carry on.

[fishpieface]

I've had a nectar card for almost as long as they've been going.  First I used to save for air miles

then when they stopped doing that I saved the points for treats and stuff we may not have got

otherwise.

Last summer I bought my Samsung tablet with nectar points.  I've also bought a new vaccuum

cleaner, iron, some boots and clothes for hubby and son with them in Sains.  I use some at

Christmas for little treats for family and tins of sweets for the children on the school bus I drive.

I look at it that, however many they give you, they are free, it's no effort to collect them - all you

have to do is produce your card when paying for stuff where they give nectar points and they

kind of collect themselves.  Every so often you get a statement via post or email that tells you

what you can exchange them for and how many you have.  It's also printed on your receipt from

Sains.

[mustard-tree]

I have a clubcard.  Never bothered before as I thought it was just a gimmick

But as I do all my shopping with them online, thought I might as well.

Points are added automatically, but I just forgot about it.

Then a while ago, I wanted a freezer.  Shopped around and found the best deal where I have the clubcard.

Mainly because I get free delivery, due to having delivery saver on grocery orders.

Came to the checkout, and it asked if I wanted to use clubcard vouchers.

May as well thought I, and ended up with £53 off the freezer.

Never thought about Nectar points

One thing you dont hear about now is Air Miles.

[dr-whos-assistant]

If it doesn't cost anything then why not get one? we have about £23 on ours and we had a £5 free giveaway on sunday. I don't do all my shopping at Sainsburys its too expensive I use Aldi and morrisons but Sainsburys is very near so its convienent.

I don't let it build up too much in case I lose it but its nice to go in and get something for free now and then.

[ilove2patch]

I have a Nectar card but never shop in Sainsbury. I use what I accumulate in Argos.:)

[ed_blackadder_1]

I either use mine for new years eve bits or in homebase to buy paint or bits for the house.

[michaeltaylor150]

I used to be a regular at Sainsburys, but have found that the prices have risen by more than the value of the points I gain. Cynically they are trying to entice me back by sending me pleading letters '10x points on a £60 shop' (£3) which are in fact worth relatively little. I am transferring my loyalties to Tesco, whose card seems to offer much more at checkout time. I am also increasing my visits to a local Lidl, where a shop for basics is better than almost anywhere (excellent Colombian Coffee).

[idealistics]

I shop in lots of different supermarkets, haven't bothered wth Nectar card as points don't seem worth much but Tesco clubcards are worth having if you shop there. I use the for meals out as you get triple their value if you use them to eat out, pays for a couple of meals for family or friends few times a year, can use them at theme parks too, also at triple value (although off full on the day price tickets). You have to have one now if you shop there anyhow as don't get any discounted items without one but the points for meals are a nice perk, just wish they hadn't closed all the restaurants near me I used to be able to use them at!  

[eastcoastbaby]

I've had a Nectar card for years, and even I did shop a sainsburys, I rearly used it. 

Where it came into it's own for me was eBay, though even that has been watered down now. I'd previously bought motorcycles on there, but also other high value items like camera equipment etc.. Over the years, that did all add up, and while not a fortune it has paid for other purchases. 

The biggest challenge was getting into the Nectar site to try and check balance, then figuring out what the points were actualy worth. ende up using a third part nectar points calculator on the moneysaivnganswers website to find the value of my points.