Is Tesco withdrawing 3V cards?

I have written a few posts recently about how to earn free Avios (360 per £50 purchase) by buying 3V Virtual Visa cards at Tesco (see here and here for example).  This has, unfortunately, led to a nationwide shortage of them.

It now seems that Tesco may be withdrawing the cards when current stocks run down.  Reader Steve made a formal enquiry to Tesco and got this back in reply:

Dear Mr XXXXXX

Thank you for your email.  My name is XXXXXX and I am a Customer Service Manager who is responsible for resolving your email.

I’m sorry to learn the details of your concerns since trying to purchase 3V Visa Prepaid cards from your local Tesco stores.  I appreciate you contacting me, as these have not been found during your recent visits.

Please be assured that it is never our intention to frustrate or disappoint any customer at any time.

To investigate, I have this afternoon spoken with my colleague XXXXXX, from our Business Support Team.  I have been informed that we no longer sell the V3 version of these cards, but we still sell the standard Visa Giftcard, which can be bought in either a  £25.00 or £50.00 value.  These will be available in most major stores which sell giftcards.

Finally, I’d like to thank you for your time and I do hope you are able to purchase these on your next usual visit.  If there is anything else I can do to help, please do contact this office again.

I am actually quite impressed that Tesco is responding to enquiries in such a detailed manner.

And yesterday, just as I preparing this post, reader Mark posted this in the Comments section of Head for Points:

GAME OVER!  Just had a call from Tesco after I sent an email asking when my local store would stock 3V cards. They inform me stocks won’t be replenished anywhere as their agreement with 3V, which was for limited stocks, is now at an end. It seems to me the bonus clubcard points attracted the wrong type of customer for 3V.

Nothing in either of these messages surprises me.  After all, Tesco is making a big splash of the Visa gift cards which carry a £3.95 fee.  It is just plain weird to cannibalise sales of these by selling the 3V cards alongside them, which carry no fee.

There are certainly thousands of 3V cards still in the system, since your reports show that stores which carry them are still being restocked.  I wouldn’t count on this as a long-term way of generating free Avios points, though.

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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.