Tesco Clubcard Pay+ altertnative

Cloudane

Looks like Chase or Starling are the best options for me.  I quite like the look of all the "spaces" on the latter.
Edit: Starling is looking better IMO.  The spaces are fully fledged virtual cards (couldn't find if that's the case with the Chase equivalent), you can pay in cash and cheques (can't with Chase) and Apple Pay transaction/balance display works (doesn't with Chase)

Gone are the days of earning clubcard points in the pub though, was nice while it lasted!

Kim_13

I have one, but it's been a back up in case no better cashback is available. With Chase changing and Halifax Rewards going already this year, it's not looking good. 

Purely on the roundups, NatWest/RBS into a Digital Regular Saver wins (roundups can be multiplied up to 5x if you wish, with the saver paying 5.5%.)

Chase also do roundups, but they are now disabled for me as the rate isn't the market leader it used to be (interest rates were on the floor when it launched, but they haven't increased it since.)

GeoffTF

I have been using a Tesco Clubcard pay+ card too. The people who suggest mobile phones are missing the point for many people. Nobody security conscious is going to want to take mobile phone to a swimming pool, for example.

I have already stopped using Tesco Clubcard Pay+ as a debit card, but I still use it as a Clubcard. I have now switched to a Nationwide Flex account with no overdraft facility to make small payments. Nationwide makes more reassuring noises than other banks about stopping the account overdrawing. Nationwide also has the advantage that you can reduce the contactless limit. (You have to use the app for that, but you can uninstall it afterwards.) I have a big supermarket up the road and shop there every couple of days. I easily clock up enough payments for the Fairer Share.

LabLady19

SysExJohn said:

The whole point of the pay+ clubcard was that you can top it up with a limited amount of money (what you might spend in a day or week, etc.) and then, if it's stolen it limits what the thief has access to. With the regular bank card they can steal the lot. I'm looking for a replacement too!

This is exactly the way I use it. I just top up with a moderate sum regularly.  It's like having a similar amount of cash in a purse. If the card is lost or stolen the losses are limited even if I'm not aware that it's gone. It gives no access to any of my proper banking details so it feels very secure.
I'm sure there are alternatives - I just don't know which one.
It's very important to me that it stands alone from any other accounts or cards that I hold. 

LabLady19

la531983 said:

caveman38 said:

I don't use my phone for bank app

Unfortunately that is a "you" problem as far as the way the wind is blowing, sorry to be blunt lol.

Saying that though, a quick Google does confirm you can add prepaid Mastercards to Google Pay, maybe the same is true of Apple Pay and Visa cards too, so worth exploring, as you could buy minimal value ones.

I don't use my phone itself for any payments either. It's quite simply because the sort of phone case that I prefer would need to be removed to make a payment - that's hardly practical. I would consider adding a pre-paid card to Google Pay - but unfortunately I'm not sure that would work. I will give it a try! 

LabLady19

caveman38 said:

I don't use my phone for bank apps, although I see it as an option. Pay+ is a doddle. You charge it with say £25, put it in you sports bag and use it in tea rooms etc. If stolen you have no liabilities and can only lose what left on the balance. Perhaps similar to something you'd give your teenage son but I'm in my seventies and it fills my need. 

Exactly this - I can take it to places where I wouldn't even want my phone. The Teenage analogy is perfect. 

Cloudane

This has led me down a full rabbit hole of “challenger” banks and literally considering switching my banking. 

Chase is kinda ruled out for me as they’re lacking too much but the big dilemma is Starling vs Monzo.  Features are similar, I like the web banking on Starling and its more grown up style, I also like the visibility of categories in the transaction list.  Monzo however lets you filter transactions by geographical location, and looks way better for any long running “IOU” situations between family and friends.  Since it’s way more popular there’s also a greater chance of friends using it and making the bill splitting stuff even easier. 

You can have a virtual card in a virtual “pot” for either, but neither of them let you round up FROM a virtual card, which is a shame as it means I can’t just use one bank and keep things simple while maintaining my use case of segregating beer money and rounding up the cost of a pint. 

 I opened both and I’d say Monzo wins it for being the Tesco card replacement for me. You can “top up” the same way (via API to your bank app, rather than manually doing a bank transfer, which means less tapping), which Starling can’t do, and use that as segregation from your main bank.  Also has some cashback deals built in.  

Tempted to switch from First Direct to Starling for my main banking though.  Micro managing transaction categories is right up my alle.  

LabLady19

I would be interested to know if any of the suggested cards or accounts allow users to set their own contactless limit.  I appreciate that havung a low balance on a card reduces the risk anyway - but if I'm just going to use the card for smaller purchases, a limit of say, £30 is quite enough.
TIA

GeoffTF

LabLady19 said:

I would consider adding a pre-paid card to Google Pay - but unfortunately I'm not sure that would work. I will give it a try! 

Tesco Clubcard Pay+ is not technically a prepaid card. It is a bank account without a lot of the facilities that you get with a full current account. As I have said, I now use a Nationwide FlexAccount without an overdraft facility. I have set the contactless limit to £20, and top it up to £100. It is just like cash, but safer and more convenient. The debit card looks rather smart too.

LabLady19

GeoffTF said:

LabLady19 said:

I would consider adding a pre-paid card to Google Pay - but unfortunately I'm not sure that would work. I will give it a try! 

Tesco Clubcard Pay+ is not technically a prepaid card. It is a bank account without a lot of the facilities that you get with a full current account. As I have said, I now use a Nationwide FlexAccount without an overdraft facility. I have set the contactless limit to £20, and top it up to £100. It is just like cash, but safer and more convenient. The debit card looks rather smart too.

That would be a brilliant suggestion if only Nationwide wasn't my main current account. Having said that, I think a second simpler account with Nationwide might end up being the simplest solution for me.