Should you choose Avios or the new 2x Clubcard Boost?

Tesco has launched another round of Clubcard Boost.  This is the promotion which allows you to spend your Clubcard vouchers instore or online for double their standard face value.

The instore offers are pretty useless, as this page at tesco.com shows.

You can only double up your vouchers if you spend them on:

Clothing and school uniform

Back to school accessories

Hudl tablets and accessories

Tesco Opticians

The online version is substantially more interesting.

EVERYTHING at Tesco Direct is included.  (Everything as long as it is being sold by Tesco and not by one of their partners, such as Maplin, who also sell via Tesco Direct.)

This opens up a LOT of options.  Want an Xbox?  A new mobile phone?  DVD box sets?  A pram?  A cot?  Garden furniture?  A new bike?  The whole lot is included.

Is this a better deal than converting to Avios?

It is not a slam dunk, but if Tesco Direct is selling something which you are definitely going to buy anyway then it is worth considering.

Let’s assume you want a £100 bike.  That will cost you £50 of Tesco vouchers during Clubcard Boost.  The same £50 of vouchers would get you 12,000 Avios or 12,500 Virgin Flying Club miles.

If you convert to Avios instead, and use hard cash to buy your Xbox or whatever, you are effectively ‘paying’ 0.83p per Avios.

For a lot of people, 0.83p is still a good price.  If your Avios balance is already pretty high, though, you might want to think about whether buying something from Tesco Direct is a better deal or not.  There is no right or wrong answer.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 2024)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

In February 2022, Barclaycard launched two exciting new Barclaycard Avios Mastercard cards with a bonus of up to 25,000 Avios. You can apply here.

You qualify for the bonus on these cards even if you have a British Airways American Express card:

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points. These points convert at 1:1 into Avios.

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital on Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

There are also generous bonuses on the two American Express Business cards, with the points converting at 1:1 into Avios. These cards are open to sole traders as well as limited companies.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.