One of the biggest frustrations with the Tesco Clubcard loyalty scheme has traditionally been the wait that customers face before being able to redeem and enjoy their rewards.
For those not familiar with the longstanding Clubcard process, here’s a brief overview:
Members earn Clubcard points on all of their spending at Tesco/spending on Tesco Bank products. These points are converted into vouchers four times a year – usually May, August, November and February. Those vouchers can then be spent instore or via any of Tesco’s numerous Clubcard Reward partners. Of particular interest to many Tricks of the Trade readers is the ability to convert Clubcard points to British Airways Avios or Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles.
This delay in the ability to exchange your points for rewards compares unfavourably with various other ‘loyalty’ schemes in the UK such as American Express Membership Rewards or even Nectar points, where any points earned are available for redemption within a matter of days.
The new Tesco Clubcard Faster Vouchers system aims to rectify this.
What are Faster Vouchers and how can you request them?
The Faster Vouchers system allows you to convert points earned during the current Clubcard quarter to vouchers within 24 hours, without having to wait until the end of the quarter as was previously the case.
There are a couple of caveats:
- You cannot utilise the Faster Vouchers system to turn points into vouchers for 2 weeks before the end of each collection period.
- You must covert your entire points balance into vouchers when you request Faster Vouchers.
- When you turn your points into Faster Vouchers your statement will no longer be sent to you by post, it will be automatically sent to your registered email address.
- You must have a minimum of 150 points to request a voucher.
- Somewhat strangely, Faster Vouchers have a different 21 rather than 24-month expiry date as regular vouchers do.
You can find out more on this page of the Clubcard website
Requesting Faster Vouchers
You need to login to your online Tesco Clubcard account or use the Clubcard app and request vouchers from there, as this screenshot from the Clubcard website suggests:
Verdict
In terms of using Faster Vouchers for conversions to Avios, the FAQs section on the Tesco website is confusing at best. On the one hand, they state that you can redeem Faster Vouchers as you normally would with any of their regular Reward partners. However, the website also says:
Can I get Faster Vouchers if I have already opted in to a voucher scheme e.g. Christmas savers or British Airways Executive Club etc?
You will need to opt out of any voucher scheme through your online Clubcard account to get the request Faster Vouchers.
This is possibly referring to those who auto-convert their Clubcard points to Avios. They may need to opt-out of that scheme in order to make use of Faster Vouchers.
I would test this myself and report back, except the absolute dearth of decent Clubcard promotions in recent times means that my Clubcard balance for this quarter currently sits at a mighty 82 points!