More than £11 million worth of Tesco Clubcard vouchers will expire on August 31 at 11.59pm, according to a warning from Martin Lewis’s Money Saving Expert (MSE). The consumer finance site highlights that over half a million shoppers have more than £100 in unused loyalty card vouchers, with 95,000 shoppers holding £200 or more.
Clubcard vouchers: expiry dates and how to check
Clubcard vouchers are issued every three months—in February, May, August, and November—and are valid for two years. Vouchers issued in August 2024 will become void at the end of this month. Customers are urged to use or lose their reward points before the deadline.
MSE has provided guidance on how to check when vouchers expire or how to extend their validity if spending them in time isn’t possible. Paper vouchers have the expiry date printed on them, but digital checks are available online or via the app. To check online, log in to the Tesco Clubcard website, navigate from ‘Clubcard account’ to ‘Vouchers’, and view the table listing available vouchers and expiry dates. In the Tesco Grocery & Clubcard app, go to ‘Clubcard’ and then ‘Vouchers’.
Converting points into vouchers and spending options
To convert points into vouchers, shoppers need a minimum of 150 points. This can be done by signing into the Tesco Grocery & Clubcard app or visiting the ‘Clubcard’ tab at Tesco.com, selecting the button to turn points into vouchers, and clicking ‘request vouchers’. Vouchers appear in the Clubcard account within seconds.
When exchanging points for Tesco vouchers, 150 points equal £1.50 to spend in-store or at Tesco filling stations. However, by exchanging with one of the supermarket’s Reward Partners, shoppers can get up to double or triple the value. More than 100 companies are registered as part of the scheme, offering discounts on days out and big-ticket purchases. For example, at restaurants like Pizza Express, Zizzi, and Las Iguanas, a £5 voucher can be turned into £15 spending money.
Extending voucher validity: a risky trick
MSE has identified a method to extend voucher validity, though it’s technically prohibited under Tesco’s terms and conditions. Some shoppers extend expiry dates by using part of a voucher on the Tesco Clubcard Rewards website, such as spending 50p from a £5 voucher on a small purchase with a Reward Partner or charity donation. The remaining £4.50 is usually returned to the Clubcard account as a new voucher balance. This must be done by 11.59pm on Monday, August 31.
However, Tesco can refuse a Reward Partner order if it believes a customer is trying to trick the system by redeeming vouchers solely to extend their validity. The T&Cs state that orders can be refused if a customer is ‘abusing’ the system, including ‘Redeeming Clubcard vouchers for the sole purpose of extending the life of the Clubcard points.’ While MSE experts say they ‘tested the trick… this week and it worked just fine,’ results may vary. If it works, points can be swapped for vouchers manually or wait for conversion with the next statement, with new vouchers valid for two years from the date of issue. This process must be repeated for each individual voucher, so it may not be worth it for extending many low-value vouchers.
