Furious shoppers have condemned Tesco for slashing their Clubcard reward vouchers’ value again as they protest about ‘spending more but getting less’.
The supermarket giant has announced this week that it is reducing the value of Clubcard vouchers that are spent with its Reward Partners for the second time in five years.
As part of the Clubcard scheme, customers can use vouchers in Tesco stores, but they can also currently triple their value by exchanging them to access more than 100 Reward Partners – including Disney+, Thorpe Park, Pizza Express and Cineworld.
The scheme originally saw shoppers able to boost their vouchers’ value by 2x or even 4x – but this was reduced to a standard 3x in 2018 which also sparked a revolt among shoppers at the time.
Now, as of June 14, Clubcard vouchers will only be worth 2x their value if exchanged at any of Tesco’s Reward Partners.
Furious shoppers have condemned Tesco for slashing their Clubcard reward vouchers’ value again
Shoppers can currently triple the value of their vouchers by exchanging them to access more than 100 Reward Partners. This will be reduced to 2x
The announcement has been met with anger, with enraged shoppers branding the move ‘an insult to customers’.
As furious shoppers flocked to social media amid the cost-of-living crisis, one user said: ‘So…we all have to spend more at Tesco to do our food shops, but get less reward for it. Thanks for the support @Tesco’.
Another added: ‘@Tesco clubcard vouchers reduced in value again? They were 4x then 3x and now 2x? A loyalty scheme that is showing dwindling returns for that loyalty – and an insult to customers while to you still rake in record profits. Disgusting. #howlonguntil1x
A third weighed in on the controversial move, adding: ‘Dear @tesco. Just got your email re clubcard voucher exchange value changing to 2x, not 3x the value. Really disappointing! Not that long ago they were worth 4x the value. Are you not making enough profit already?’
Meanwhile, a fourth complained: ‘We were always grateful for the Clubcard X4 when our kids were younger, it helped out massively on days out, we used our vouchers to buy towards Merlin passes which saved us so much money. We use it now for ourselves and X3 is good, but what an insult #X2 is to customers!’
Tesco had informed their shoppers of the move via email – and on their website – announcing: ‘From 14 June 2023, when you exchange your Tesco Clubcard vouchers for a Tesco Clubcard Reward Partner code, they’ll be worth 2x their value. You’ll still get up to 3x the value until 13 June 2023.
‘We’re making this change to the scheme to make sure we can continue to provide a wide range of rewards that meet the needs of all our Tesco Clubcard members, while keeping prices low for everyone.
‘Tesco Clubcard continues to have the biggest and most generous Reward Partner scheme with access to over 100 Partners at 2x your Clubcard voucher value.’
Tesco has more than five million customers, offering products including pet insurance, savings accounts and credit cards.
Furious shoppers flocked to social media to criticise Tesco for reducing the value of vouchers again
The UK’s biggest supermarket appeared to be a pandemic winner, raking in £2.2bn in 2022, up from £1.1bn the year before, perhaps frustrating shoppers more.
Tesco customers have also been warned that the supermarket’s Clubcard app will be scrapped from April 18.
It will be replaced by another app – the Tesco Grocery and Clubcard app – which will incorporate other features of the supermarket. Any unused points or vouchers will not be lost however.
A spokesman for Tesco said: ‘Clubcard unlocks the best value from Tesco – from thousands of exclusive deals through Clubcard Prices, to money off your groceries and fuel, or accessing double the value of your vouchers with more than 100 Clubcard Reward Partners.
‘Millions of people tap their Tesco Clubcard every time they shop, benefiting from access to more than 8,000 weekly deals on Clubcard Prices, which we’ve now rolled out across every part of our stores – so from food to clothing, Tesco Mobile to Tesco Bank, you can now find even more great deals.
‘And with potential savings of up to £351 a year, more people than ever before are making the most of the immediate value that Tesco Clubcard offers.
‘We are making a change to how members can use their vouchers with our Reward Partners, but they will still be able to unlock great value in the same range of ways as before.’
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