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 (September 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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 26th September 2024, sign up for FREE Barclaycard Avios Mastercard and you will receive a sign-up bonus of 10,000 Avios. This is double the usual bonus! You only need to spend £1,000 within 90 days. Our full review is here. Click here to apply.

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.

There is also a British Airways American Express card for small businesses:

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased to up to 80,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 80,000 Avios. You will receive 8 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 22nd October 2024, the bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased to up to 40,000 Membership Rewards points, worth 40,000 Avios. You will receive 4 points per £1 spent for the first three months, on up to £10,000 of spending. The card is FREE for your first year. Click here to read our full card review. Click here to apply.

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