Some links to products and partners on this website will earn an affiliate commission.

While many of you will hopefully be very familiar with this already, I did think it well worth flagging a major benefit of the Nectar/Avios tie-up.

A Much More Flexible Partnership

The key point is as follows. Unlike i) the Avios/Tesco partnership ii) any transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Nectar (although don’t do that) or indeed iii) the transfer of Membership Rewards points into pretty much any loyalty points, you can readily transfer your Nectar points to Avios and then back again if you need to – without losing any value.

This equally applies (obviously) with Avios to Nectar conversions and back.

There is no penalty for making the transfer. The transfer rate of 250 Avios for 400 Nectar points remains consistent whichever way the points are being converted. There’s also no limit to the number of times you can go back and forth.

So What?

This is a massive benefit of the Avios/Nectar tie up, in my view. It enables you to hastily transfer your Nectar points to Avios in anticipation of a transatlantic Business Class flight, and then reverse that transfer when a global pandemic hits (and you need to stock up on pasta and Andrex).

In The Miles And Points World, Flexibility Should Not Be Underestimated

Taking the Amex MR example, I’ve frequently transferred MR points into an airline loyalty scheme, only to find that I can’t quite get the deal I thought I could, or (enormously frustratingly, but it happens) by the time the points arrive, the flight availability has disappeared. Clearly, if that happens when you transfer Nectar points to Avios, it’s disappointing – but you haven’t locked in a huge pile of Avios – you are totally free to convert them back.

If Amex MR points transfers suddenly became reversible, it would be huge news. I am not saying this Nectar/Avios niche flexibility is quite as ground-breaking, but it’s an enormously helpful element to what is proving to be a very useful partnership for loyalty points collectors.

As things stand, you will continue to find me in the Sainsbury’s grocery aisle, studiously perusing the Nectar app.