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Nectar is a largely neglected points scheme for the UK traveller. You can’t convert Nectar points into any airline or hotel miles/points, and redemption is invariably at an inflexible 0.5p per point, so “cunning schemes” are limited.
However, I think it’s a programme worth keeping an eye on. You can earn points in some really good and unexpected places (eBay being a great example), and there are the fairly major travel options of easyJet and Eurostar. Ok you can’t transfer your points into a frequent flyer scheme, but 500 Nectar points will get you £2.50 in easyJet or Eurostar credit, with occasional bonus offers on this.
So the latest offer to land in my inbox is of interest – it appears you can now earn Nectar points at Pizza Express. Indeed, dine-in at any Pizza Express restaurant before 9 December 2015, and you’ll earn 400 bonus Nectar points. It’s not at all clear whether this is an ongoing offer – i.e. whether you will ordinarily receive points per pounds spent at Pizza Express, but certainly this offer is a 400 points bonus on your Pizza Express visit, irrespective of spend.
What’s more, you can use this offer in conjunction with other offers and discounts so, for example, if you exchange Tesco Clubcard points for Pizza Express vouchers (£2.50 in points gets you £10 in vouchers), then you will still be entitled to this Nectar bonus on your meal. How about that? Tesco points earning you Sainsbury’s points…
To keep this travel-related, combine the 400 Nectar point bonus with this offer of 100 easy points, and you’ve got yourself £2.50 off your next easyJet flight (or your next Eurostar, Pizza Express trip etc).
At the very least, this is a reminder to sign up to Nectar, earn the points where you can, and keep a look out for available bonuses (stay tuned to the app), such as the current one at Pizza Express. I have found that my Nectar haul has grown very quickly, not least through eBay and easyJet (you earn points on flights as well) and given a fairly wide range of redemption offers (if generally at the static redemption rate), there’s always a wide range of spending options. If all else fails, you have Sainsbury’s.
If you’re thinking of redeeming Nectar points for Eurostar travel, be aware of one small catch – “Eurostar carte blanche holders cannot earn carte blanche points on Nectar redemption tickets”. I suspect they mean that all Eurostar frequent travellers can’t earn points, not that Carte Clasique do but Carte Blanche don’t, though it could be “fun” to argue later… Given that they normally redeem at face value for Eurostar, any CB/CC members actually be better off redeeming for Sainsburys spend and booking the Eurostar ticket with cash.