With millions of Tesco vouchers expiring - they're only valid for two years - we share how to make them last longer by using this clever 'renew or lose' trick.
Tesco Clubcard remains one of the most popular supermarket loyalty cards for shoppers, despite Tesco introducing a major change in June this year. The change, which took effect on 14 June 2023, means that Clubcard vouchers can now only be exchanged for two times their value with Tesco Reward Partners, rather than the previous three. In other words, a £5 voucher can now only be exchanged for £10 instead of £15.
These Clubcard points can then be exchanged for vouchers, to do this you’ll need to earn a minimum of 150 points (you earn points just by swiping or scanning your Clubcard when you shop) - 150 points will give you £1.50 in vouchers. You can then use your vouchers to save money in Tesco stores or at Tesco petrol filling stations. Or, the more cost-effective option is to exchange them for two times their value with Tesco’s Reward Partners.
There’s a wide range of ways to spend your Tesco Clubcard vouchers, from days out to trips abroad to eating out. I’ve already saved £495 this year by using my Clubcard vouchers on LeShuttle journeys. So the last thing you want to do is forget to use up your Tesco vouchers before they’ve expired. Goodto.com’s Money Editor, Sarah Handley, says; “Tesco Clubcard vouchers can offer valuable savings at a time when the high cost of living is eating into household budgets. This means that if your vouchers are near to expiring, it’s important to know how to extend their lifespan.”
Tesco vouchers expiring? Act fast to extend their lifespan
If your Clubcard vouchers are approaching their expiry date, there is a clever way to extend that date for another two years, meaning you don’t have to miss out (more on this below). But you are not able to renew Tesco Clubcard vouchers after their two year lifespan - after that point, you won’t be able to use or renew them.
It’s also possible to reclaim lost and unused Tesco vouchers from the last two years. Log in to the Tesco Clubcard website and click on My Clubcard account and then find the vouchers tab. There you will find all of the vouchers that have been issued to you in the last two years so you can go ahead and spend them online or in store.
How can I make Tesco vouchers last longer?
- Use your soon-to-be expired vouchers to make a small purchase on the Tesco Clubcard website. The purchase must be less than the value of your voucher
- Your change will be credited to your Clubcard account in the form of points, which will then be generated into new vouchers with a two-year lifespan.
If you’ve discovered your Tesco vouchers are expiring, there is a nifty trick you can use to make them last longer. To do this, you need to use your expiring vouchers to make a small purchase on the Tesco Clubcard website. Note, that this won’t work if you do it in store or on the Tesco grocery website.
Once you’ve made your purchase, the remaining balance is credited back to you, as personal finance expert and co-founder of price tracking website alertr.co.uk, Andy Barr explains: “The rest of the balance that was on your voucher is added back into your account as points. Then, it’ll be generated into new vouchers, so you can keep those points for another two years.”
As an example, if you had a £10 voucher and you made a purchase for 50p, you’d then receive a new £9.50 Clubcard voucher that would last for another two years.
To get the most value from this trick, you want to keep your purchase on the Clubcard website as small as possible. The minimum spend is 50p, and this can be traded up to £1. You might choose to spend your 50p on restaurant vouchers, such as for Prezzo or Pizza Express, but there are other options too, including theme park visits and English Heritage membership.
The drawback is that you’ll need to make a purchase for each voucher you have, which means it’s best suited to vouchers that are worth a decent amount - say £5 or £10. If you have lots of £1 vouchers, it probably won’t be worth the effort.
How can I check if my Tesco vouchers are about to expire?
- If you have a paper voucher, the expiry date should be printed on it
- For digital vouchers, go to the Tesco Clubcard website
- Select 'Clubcard account'
- Then click 'Vouchers'
- Then log in. You will need to have a Tesco.com account and know your Clubcard number.
If you’re not sure exactly when your Tesco vouchers expire and you have the vouchers in paper format, simply check the voucher itself as the expiry date should be printed there. Alternatively, as many people now have digital vouchers, you can check the expiry dates of those vouchers on the Tesco Clubcard website. Simply select ‘Clubcard account’ and then click on ‘Vouchers’ and log in.
CEO and founder of freebie website Latest Free Stuff, Deepak Tailor, says: “You'll need to have a registered Tesco.com account and know your Clubcard number, which can be found on your Clubcard or Clubcard key fob. This will allow you to view a table listing your available vouchers and their respective expiry dates.”
You can also check via the Tesco Clubcard app (which you can download for free from the App Store or Google Play. Just head to the vouchers tab and you should be able to see the expiration date of your vouchers.
Can I still use out of date Tesco vouchers?
You won’t usually be able to use out-of-date Tesco Clubcard vouchers after their two-year expiry date.
However, Deepak Tailor from Latest Free Stuff says: “If you speak to the customer services team and have an exceptional reason for why you didn't use it then there might be a possibility to extend the vouchers. This is judged on a case-by-case basis.”
To get even more from your Tesco Clubcard vouchers, make sure you know how to collect more Tesco Clubcard points. If you're wanting to save money on your food shop, make sure you know which is the cheapest supermarket, including whether Aldi is cheaper than Lidl. If you prefer a premium supermarket, we've also done an experiment to see if Waitrose is more expensive than M&S Food.
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