are loyalty points worth it?

steveouk

Ok i am slightly addicted to spending and getting points with tesco and nectar. I have signed up for offers and get lots of coupons giving me bonus points. I live with my parents so need to save money to move out. Are the points a con to get me to waste my money for the illusion of getting something back like a free day out.

Would i be better to say to myself each time i was going to spend a voucher to put what i would have spent in a jar insted and save?! this is more of a help me decide rather than i want to know the answer before i get people saying i have answered my own question

marvin

If you need what it is the coupon is for and you were going to buy it anyway then use the coupon.
If you don't need what the coupon is for and were not going to buy the item it is for if it did not have a coupon then don't buy it.

Tesco points and Nectar and the rest are only worth it if you are spending no more to get them than you would have been. Yes they offer coupons to buy things and get bonus points but never worth it if you were not buying the product as part of your planned spending anyway.

Yes put the money you would have spent in an interest bearing (a jar I ask you only till you have the time to bank it!) savings account (preferably one step removed from being able to be got at instantly (ING is good for this as it takes 3 days for it to turn up in your bank account so removes the spending rush of OH its cheap I want it!).

The only way to save is to cut out all unnecessary spending.

rosy

There's a longish thread here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=342479 which will give you more info

woohoo_postingid

Depends if you are saving for something in particular, eg a holiday.

A lot of people weigh up the value of their vouchers and if the value of the deal is more than the cost of the product, they buy it regardless.

For example:

Dishwasher tablets are £2.50 but person does not have dishwasher so never normally buys them.
They get a voucher which says 100 extra points when you buy these dishwasher tablets.
100 points = £4 in deals therefore shopper gets £4 towards their holiday and it only cost them £2.50 (£1.50 free money).

Plus you could also sell the product to friends/family to recoup some of the £2.50

minimacka

I collect both nectar points and tescos points, im quite lucky on the nectar points because i also collect them from work. Over the past year or so i have collected lots of nectar points and used them to buy my sons clothes from adams, but now you cant use them in adams i used them for myself last week in debenhams. I got 3 pairs of jeans with the points that i had collected so i was very pleased. :j . I dont go out of my way to collect these points i just collect them as and when.

My tescos points are collected through shopping at the store as they seem to have a monopoly in our town, this time i have converted my points to £40 worth of leisure vouchers (treats for kids) and also a gardeners world magazine subscription for my MIL mothers day pressie. My eldest son wants to go paintballing so im collecting the next set of points to take him there for his birthday.

Before reading this forum I would of spend my tescos vouchers in the store and thought i had got a bargain. :rotfl:

newmommyjen

It also worth joining the tesco clubs.
Food club
Baby and toddlers club
wine club
healthy living club

you get extra money off coupens and points .

newmommyjen

http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/clubcard/clubs/
oh heres the link if any one interested