The best loyalty cards in the UK

Loyalty cards are a great way to get more bang for your buck. And plenty of places offer them, so where are the best deals?

Best supermarket loyalty cards

Tesco Clubcard

How does it work?

With the Tesco Clubcard, you earn 1 point for every pound you spend in-store and online and 1 point for every £2 you spend on Tesco fuel.  Once you've collected 150 points, you'll get vouchers worth £1.50, which you can redeem at Tesco or with one of their Clubcard partners.

Extra perks

Vouchers are worth three times more if you use them for goods or services with one of the Clubcard partners. For example, if you use your vouchers to buy something from Denby, every 50p worth of vouchers will be worth £1.50 at Denby.

Partners are extensive and range from the RAC to Legoland and from Pizza Express to Denby pottery.

Where can you use it?

You can collect points in all Tesco stores, petrol stations and Esso garages with a Tesco Express shop. You'll get points for spends on Florence & Fred clothing, Tesco Mobile, and Tesco bank. There are also surveys you can take on the Tesco Clubcard website to earn points.

Sainsbury’s Nectar card

How does it work?

How many points you collect depends on whether you're spending at Sainsbury's or another of the 500+ partners who are part of the scheme. In most cases, you'll earn 2 points on your Nectar card for every £1 spent. At Sainsbury's, you'll earn 1 point per £1 spent, and you can also earn a point for every litre of fuel you buy when you fill up at Sainsbury's petrol stations. Every 500 points you earn is worth £2.50.

Extra perks

Nectar cardholders get personalised offers via the Nectar website or app. You'll also get the chance to earn bonus points to help boost your balance and get to the rewards you want more quickly.

Where can you use it?

You can collect and spend your vouchers at Sainsbury’s stores, Sainsbury’s Bank and with over 400 partners such as Argos, eBay, British Airways, and Caffè Nero.

Best clothing & retail loyalty cards

H&M Membership

How does it work?

Collect points with H&M membership via the app - you’ll get 1 point for every £1 you spend. When you get to 100 points, you’ll receive a £3 discount voucher. You can earn extra points by inviting your friends to join this loyalty scheme, too.

Extra perks

After signing up for the H&M Clubcard, you'll get 10% off your next purchase (when you spend over £20) and 25% off an item on your birthday. Other perks include free standard delivery for online orders (when you spend over £20) and free click and collect. You can also collect "conscious" points for making sustainable choices:

• Collect 3 points when you bring your own shopping bad when you shop in store
• Collect 1 point per £1 spent when you buy Conscious choice products
• Collect 20 points when you recycle clothes you no longer use, plus a digital Bonus Voucher to get £5 off when you spend £25 or more

Where can you use it?

H&M only, in-store and online.

Marks & Spencer Sparks card

How does it work?

The M&S Sparks card is reward-based. You don't collect points, but every time you shop, you'll be able to receive personalised offers.

Extra perks

M&S donate to a charity of your choice every time you use your Sparks card. You'll also have the chance to receive little surprises each week. And, one lucky in-store customer every week will get the shopping they're buying for free.

Where can you use it?

M&S stores, food halls and online.

Best home furniture, DIY & gardening loyalty cards

IKEA Family card

How does it work?

Join the IKEA Family and get access to exclusive offers and discounts on furniture items. Look out for blue price labels in-store and online to see discounts especially for IKEA Family members. Then, hand your IKEA family card to the cashier when you purchase to take advantage of the offers.

Extra perks

IKEA Family cardholders can get tea and coffee for free from IKEA restaurants during the week (but not at weekends). You can also attend free in-store home furnishing workshops. If you've swiped your card at checkout, you're also entitled to "Oops insurance", which means IKEA will replace any item that's accidentally damaged in transit on the trip home or during assembly.

Where can you use it?

IKEA only, in-store and online.

B&Q Club

How does it work?

Each time you purchase B&Q, you'll receive a discount voucher that's redeemable against your next shop.

Extra perks

Save £10 on a two-hour van hire with Hertz, paying £20 instead of the usual £30. You’ll also receive a 10% discount on in-store key cutting.

When you sign up for the card, you’ll receive a £5 voucher to use when you spend £30 or more.

Where can you use it?

At B&Q, in-store, online and at Hertz.

Best health & beauty loyalty cards

Boots Advantage card

How does it work?

Earn 4 points on your Boots Advantage Card for every £1 spent. Every point is worth 1p, so you’d have to spend £125 to collect 500 points, which are then worth £5. This may seem like a big spend, but Boots frequently hold special "events" where you can earn extra points, so your total will add up much more quickly than you might think. Remember to use your card regularly, though. If you don't use your Advantage Card at least once a year, then any points you've built up may be removed from your account.

Extra perks

You’ll receive personalised offers that you can have loaded onto your advantage card ready to spend. You'll also occasionally receive vouchers for double and even triple points, helping you quickly build up lots of points!

Where can you use it?

Boots only, in-store and online. There are some exceptions where you can't use your Advantage Card, though. For example, you can't earn Advantage Card points on prescription medicines.

You also can't redeem points to pay for part of your purchase - you'll need to save up enough points to pay for everything, or split your purchase into two transactions so you can use your points to pay for some of your goodies. 

Superdrug Health & Beauty card

How does it work?

Earn 1 point on the Health & Beauty card for every £1 you spend. When you join, you'll earn quadruple points for the first two weeks.

Every point is worth 1p, and you can redeem points in blocks of 100. For example, when you have 100 points, you can get £1 off a shop or continue saving. When you want to use your points, you can pay with a mixture of points and money.

Extra perks

You’ll be able to get free delivery on online orders over the value of £10 rather than the usual £15. There are often special prices for cardholders, as well as discounts on certain products on Thursdays and bonus points offers. You can look forward to a birthday treat every year, too.

Where can you use it?

Superdrug only, in-store and online.

Best food & drink loyalty cards

Subway Subcard

How it works

Collect 10 points on your Subcard for every £1 spent. You can have a physical Subcard or use the app to get the full benefits. With 100 points, you can get a free hot drink, 200 points gets you a snack, and 500 or 1000 points earns you a free 6" or 12" sub or flatbread.

Extra perks

You’ll get occasional offers, and you can join the Subsquad, which lets you earn bonus points if you and up to eight friends purchase within a four-hour window.

Where can you use it?

Subway only.

Caffe Nero

How does it work?

Each time you buy a hot drink, you'll get a stamp on your Caffe Nero loyalty card. Collect nine stamps and your next one will be on the house. You can choose any size too so make it a large one!

Extra perks

Receive an extra stamp if you take your reusable cup.

Where can you use it?

Caffe Nero only.

Read on to find out how you can shop smarter in the supermarket.