Gift cards for supermarket shopping

Edwardia

OH can get a 4% discount on gift cards from Sainsburys, 3.5% at Morrisons and 5% on Marks and Spencer via work now and I'm contemplating doing this.

Does anyone use reloadable gift cards for their grocery shopping and if so have you encountered any problems ?

Need some advice on this ie can gift card accounts be hacked, do you need a PIN instore, can they be used online etc

Thanks !

Lynsey

I know the Sainsbury's cards can't be used online, but not too sure about a PIN (didn't think they had a PIN) and thought if lost someone could use the remaining balance??
4% from Sainsbury's is good though as it can be used with coupons etc., extra savings on stuff you'd buy anyway. Nectar points as well, double discount.
Pity they can't be used for petrol etc.!!
We buy them for gifts mainly.

Lynsey

Valli

I can get gift cards through my union - but the price for P&P overrides this - the amount I'd have to spend to justify the ordering (and cover the P&P) is too high.

If I could get them for that discount and no P&P, though, I would!

True though that if they are lost you can't get them stopped (they have a warning on - treat them like cash)

I'm fairly certain Morrison's cards can be used for fuel.

Kempy1

We use one for sainsburys all the time (we get 5% discount). You don't need a pin and can't use online. We have saved a fair bit over the last few years using it, you need to be organised with topping it up as it can sometimes take a couple of days to 'appear' on your card. You need to be careful with it as if you lose it anyone could use it.

Oh, and we've used it for petrol for the past couple of years with no problems.

HTH

Lynsey

5% off petrol is a plus then, never would have thought they'd be accepted for fuel.

Edit: just found this:

Please be aware that Sainsbury’s in line with competitors will no longer be accepting Gift Cards in the Petrol Filling Stations. This change will take affect from mid 2012.

Lynsey

Middy

Lynsey wrote: »

I know the Sainsbury's cards can't be used online, but not too sure about a PIN (didn't think they had a PIN) and thought if lost someone could use the remaining balance??
4% from Sainsbury's is good though as it can be used with coupons etc., extra savings on stuff you'd buy anyway. Nectar points as well, double discount.
Pity they can't be used for petrol etc.!!
We buy them for gifts mainly.

Lynsey

Sainsburys gift cards CAN be used for fuel! I had a gift card sent to me because during one fuel promotion, I spent the qualifying amount after staff discount and never got the coupon. Phoned the careline to get this looked into. They credit my Nectar card with 1500 points then 10 days later, I was sent a gift card with £5. I used this the next time I filled up.

You cannot buy other gift cards, phone vouchers or get cashback with Sainsburys gift cards.

matty17r

I work for local government and use gift cards all the time. Have been doing this for a couple of years, Get 5per cent off at sains, asda and morrisons. 7per cent off at bhs homebase and argos. Get 10 per cent off at bandq and wickes. Also ours is a cashback site as well which is an added bonus. I think you have to be quite organized as previous poster says as it does take a couple of days for your top up to go on but other than that it definitely is another money saving game! You purse gets as fat as when it was coupon days at tescos! Never use ours for fuel as I think t and c say no.

Edwardia

The T&Cs are that you have to buy minimum £50 value in total and can spread that around various retailers min £10 each, you pay p&p once then you can reload the cards with what you want online. Homebase is 7.5%, House of Fraser 7% B&Q 6% Wickes 7% loads more too.

We wouldn't normally use supermarket for fuel as OH commutes by train so we don't own car = no road tax, fuel, insurance, tyres, servicing, MOT, antifreeze etc. He uses pool car with fuel card for work if needed.

Thanks for all the advice, I think I will try them

kittycatface

Do I take it you have to be a member of a union or public sector organisation to benefit from the discounts on the gift cards? If so, 5% off at Sainsburys seems like such a good trade off for when I land that first social worker job! (Before anyone says anything I know most ppl hate sw s but someone's got to do it!)

alinwales

kittycatface wrote: »

Do I take it you have to be a member of a union or public sector organisation to benefit from the discounts on the gift cards? If so, 5% off at Sainsburys seems like such a good trade off for when I land that first social worker job! (Before anyone says anything I know most ppl hate sw s but someone's got to do it!)

I think it all depends if your employer has signed up to any such schemes. I work for a private company who are in talks with a company to provide all this stuff for us little people as a 'benefit' to us (and probably cheaper to them than giving us all a payrise). The employer does have to pay in order to use the services, so it's not a freebie to them which is why it's not offered by all.

don9999

I've just started doing this. Buying gift cards at a discount through a work scheme. In our case, the % savings sound about the same, though we don't pay postage.

I've ordered a selection of cards with £5 each on them (WH Smiths B&Q etc) so next time I just need to reload them (although I appreciate that there will be a few days delay).

Am also planning to regularly reload a few main cards so that I can use them for all my regular purchases eg Asda with £100.

We are also able to purchase One4All gift cards at a discount and these can be used in a whole variety of high-street stores, so only need to carry a single card for all sorts of day-to-day purchases :-) (Though unfortunately, it doesn't cover the supermarkets.)

ONE QUESTION.
When you pay for a gift card purchase on a credit card, does it count as a 'cash withdrawl' and hence get charged a fee by the credit card company?
(When buying the gift cards, I WOULD get charged a fee for using a credit card by the gift card procurement company, although NOT for the One4All gift cards. I want to make sure I wouldn't get charged by the Credit card company.)
In particular, I'm applying for a Tesco Credit Card and would like to use that to purchase the One4All gift cards. Hence I could get clubcard points as well as the discount :-)