Make the best of your store points with some clever card-play.

WHAT do points make?

A great data mining tool that allows retailers to better focus their marketing on us, that’s what. Okay, it’s not as sexy as Brucie’s answer, but it’s true.

Yet play loyalty points schemes correctly and you can make them pay – and right now Tesco points holders need get their skates on.

If your wallet’s packed with loyalty plastic, then it’s likely you’ve probably built up a decent points stash.

Whether it’s Tesco, Airmiles, Boots Advantage or Nectar, it’s not just how many you collect, it’s how you redeem them too.

TESCO POINTS BOOSTING

IF you’re one of the millions of Tesco Clubcard loyalty points holders, now’s the time to make a decision.

Until September 5, Tesco is allowing you to trade in points for twice their value in-store, as part of its Big Clubcard Voucher Exchange promotion.

Don’t instantly rush to do this though, as one of its long standing schemes may be better for you.

Tesco Clubcard points are worth a penny each in-store. Every three months you’re sent a batch of vouchers to redeem, depending on how much you’ve earned in the prior period.

As for what to do with them, here’s my Tesco points suggestions.

Up to four times the value: Tesco Rewards. The value of every voucher is quadrupled. For example, turn £5 into £20, if you use it on things in Tesco’s Clubcard Rewards brochure, which is available in-store or online.

This includes days out, RAC membership, travel and more.

Yet this is based on list prices, so if you’re considering exchanging £20 for a gizmo with an £80 recommended retail price, first check if it’s available elsewhere for less, just in case its real value means you’re better off using the double-up scheme below.

Two times value: Big Voucher Exchange. For five weeks, you can swap each £5 voucher for £10 in-store to spend on toys, clothes (including school uniforms), flowers and garden, homeware, pet food, baby and toddler, phones and glasses (there are a few exclusions, so check first). Vouchers must be spent by September 5.

One times value – in-store spending. Use this if neither of the previous offers suit. The basic option is using the vouchers at face value on groceries and other goods from the store.

MORE AIRMILES

THE most common misunderstanding about Airmiles is that you get them for flying. Actually you don’t.

They’re mostly a shop reward scheme like any other, but you can spend them on airline deals, provided you’ve enough. You can earn them at Shell, Avis, eBay and more.

Here’s some key boosting tips.

Urgently trade in Tesco points. You can exchange 250 Tesco points for 60 Airmiles, but from next month that will change, so you only get 50 Airmiles for your points. If you’re an Airmiles collector who has Clubcard points, now’s the time to swap them.

Free 1,500 miles. Apply for the Lloyds TSB Airmiles duo credit card (you get both an Amex and a Mastercard) from the Airmiles website and you get a voucher for 1,500 free miles if you spend £10 on it. This is enough for a return flight to Europe. Just buy something worth a tenner, pay it off in full so there’s no interest and the points are yours at no cost.

The one catch is that, to redeem the voucher, you must buy at least one night in a hotel through Airmiles – not the cheapest. You could just spend one night in the Airmiles hotel and the rest wherever you want.

If you don’t use the miles, you lose them. If you don’t earn an Airmile within two years, you lose all your miles. If you don’t earn any in a one-year period, you may need to pay £30 before spending them. The easiest way to combat this is buy a little petrol at Shell, or convert a Tesco voucher.

■ See moneysavingexpert.com/ccfreebies for a list of other free flights schemes.

EXTRA BOOTS POINTS

BOOTS gives four points, worth a penny, per pound and many see it as the most generous of reward schemes (see later for why that’s no necessarily true). Yet, even with Boots, there are ways to boost what you can get.

Boots’ ATM machine. In most big stores there’s an “extra offers kiosk”. I call it the Boots ATM. You put in your Advantage Card to show offers available and you can print off the vouchers immediately. It’s worth checking as sometimes there are even free 1,000 points vouchers – in other words, a free in-store tenner.

Boots e-newsletters. Its parenting or health club newsletters often include lots of ways to get extra points Promo weekends. Keep an eye out for special weekends both on boots.com and in-store, where you may be able to earn more points than normal. If you save up your Boots spending specifically for these occasions, you may be able to earn a lot of points much more quickly.

■ For information on how to boost Nectar and other schemes see moneysavingexpert.com/loyalty

ARE LOYALTY POINTS WORTH IT?

THEY certainly are for retailers, as an incredibly powerful tool, not just about trying to win your custom. It’s far more about using the card to mine information and build a database of your spending habits so they can better target you.

Think of it as, in effect, a discount.

Take Boots’ “generous” 4p of points per pound of spending.

Imagine Boots is selling the Tony Blair Tooth Whitening Kit for £10 – the points act as a four per cent discount, so the real cost to you is about £9.60. If the neighbouring chemist sells the same kit for £9.80, buy it at Boots, if it’s £9.40, buy it next door.

TOP TIP

Beat the US’s new $14 visitor fee in two minutes: The US government has just announced that from September 8 its currently free Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (Esta) form, which all UK residents must complete, will cost $14 (£9). If you don’t fill it in, immigration will turn you away.

Anyone even thinking of going to the US in next two years should fill in the form while it’s free. If you already have an Esta, there’s no official renewal system, so complete a new application now and you’ll be given another two years.

■ Full information at moneysaving expert.com/esta

■ Get Martin’s free tips and moneyoff vouchers emailed straight to you each week by signing up to money savingexpert.com/tips

■ TV money guru Martin Lewis runs the consumer revenge website MoneySavingExpert.com. Ensure you get his weekly email so you’re constantly saving money.

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