Martin Lewis' Money Saving Expert (MSE) has issued a warning for Tesco Clubcard holders: £11 million worth of vouchers are set to expire on August 31 at 11:59pm. According to the supermarket, more than half a million shoppers have over £100 in unused loyalty card vouchers, with 95,000 shoppers holding £200 or more.
Why vouchers are expiring
Clubcard vouchers are issued every three months in February, May, August, and November, and are valid for two years. This means 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.
How to check your voucher balance
You can check your voucher balance online or through the Tesco Grocery & Clubcard app. Paper vouchers have the expiry date printed on them, but digital copies can be viewed by logging into the Clubcard website and clicking through from 'Clubcard account' to 'Vouchers', or via the app by going to 'Clubcard' and then 'Vouchers'.
How to convert points and what you can spend them on
You need a minimum of 150 points to claim a voucher, which you can do by signing into the Tesco Grocery & Clubcard app or visiting the 'Clubcard' tab at Tesco.com. Then select the button to turn your points into vouchers and click 'request vouchers'.
If you exchange points for Tesco vouchers, 150 points equal £1.50 to spend in-store or at Tesco filling stations. However, you can get up to double or triple the value by exchanging them with one of the supermarket's Reward Partners, which include more than 100 companies. For example, at restaurants like Pizza Express, Zizzi, and Las Iguanas, you can turn a £5 voucher into £15 spending money.
Extending your vouchers – the trick and the warning
MSE has identified a way to extend your vouchers, but it's technically prohibited. Some shoppers extend voucher expiry dates by using part of the voucher on the Tesco Clubcard Rewards website. If you use 50p from a £5 voucher on a small purchase with a Reward Partner or charity donation, the remaining £4.50 is usually returned to your Clubcard account as a new voucher balance.
You'll need to do this by 11:59pm on Monday, August 31, but be warned: under the Clubcard's terms and conditions, Tesco can refuse a Reward Partner order if it believes you're trying to trick the system by redeeming vouchers just to extend their validity. The T&Cs state that orders can be refused if a customer is 'abusing' the system, which includes '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,' you may not have the same results. If it does work, you can then swap your points for vouchers manually or wait for them to be converted with your next statement. The expiry date for these new vouchers will be two years in the future. Keep in mind, you'll need to do this for each individual voucher, so it may not be worth it if you're only looking to extend a load of them at £1 a pop.
