12,000 Avios (5,000 Clubcard points) for Tesco Life Insurance is back

It’s back – earn 5,000 Tesco Clubcard points when you take out Tesco Life Insurance.

Six years ago, Tesco Life Insurance was a licence to print Avios (or BA Miles, as they were then). You got 4,500 Clubcard points per policy, you could take out as many policies as you wanted, and you only needed to make one £5 payment before you received the points. 

The offer today has changed considerably, although it still lets you buy Avios points at 0.5p each.  Note, though, that you no longer get all the points upfront. You will be waiting a year to get the full lot.

You are also now banned from taking out this deal if you have cancelled a Tesco Life Insurance policy in the last 12 months.  It doesn’t stop your partner signing up. You could also sign up for Tesco Critical Illness or Tesco Mortgage Protection cover if you are blocked from the life insurance deal.

And here are the key things you need to know:

The minimum premium is £5 per month, so £60 over the year

If you are over 50 Tesco will steer you towards their separate over-50’s policy here which also offers 5,000 Clubcard points

The 5,000 Clubcard points are awarded in quarterly chunks of 1,250 points, with the first batch awarded after you have paid three premiums

You must be over 18 and a UK resident

Maximum two applications per household – so they are happy for you and your partner to both apply. Note that the points will only be issued to a Clubcard in the same name as the policy holder, though, so you would both need your own Clubcard.

You may be asked to go for a medical before you policy is accepted if you disclose any existing health conditions. Even if you disclose no previous health issues, you may be randomly selected to attend a medical.

There is quite a bit of paperwork associated with this promotion.

The application form is here and you need to use code L5000B when applying.

Enter £5 per month as the amount you want to pay, and select a short period of, say, 5 years for the policy. You can still cancel at any time. However, the price is locked in for the period you select.

You will see from the Tesco website that the same 5,000 Clubcard points offer is also available for Tesco Critical Illness cover and Tesco Mortgage Protection. The Critical Illness policy has a higher risk of being called in for a medical before they will offer coverage – I would stick with life insurance unless you are blocked under the ’12 months from cancelling last time’ rule.

All in all, it is not a bad deal, although far from the bonanza it was in the past.  You will receive (5,000 x 2.4 =) 12,000 Avios for your £60 of premiums. 0.5p per Avios is pretty good deal. The downside is the paperwork you need to complete, of course.

If you collect Virgin Flying Club miles, your 5,000 points would get you 12,500 miles.

The closing date for applications under this offer is 1st December.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (March 2025)

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:

Barclaycard Avios Plus Mastercard

Get 25,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £10,000 Read our full review

Barclaycard Avios Mastercard

Get 5,000 Avios for signing up and an upgrade voucher at £20,000 Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending £15,000 Read our full review

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on the ‘free for a year’ American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 30,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (30,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 27th May 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to a huge 80,000 points. Points convert 1:1 into Avios (80,000 Avios!) and many other programmes. Some people may see even higher personalised offers. Click here to apply.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 30,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

80,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

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, and the standard card is FREE. Capital on Tap cards also have no FX fees.

Capital on Tap Visa

NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

Capital on Tap Pro Visa

10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

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

British Airways American Express Accelerating Business

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

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 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Platinum is increased from 50,000 Membership Rewards points to 120,000 points. You receive 80,000 points when you spend £12,000 within three months and a further 40,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 8th April 2025, the sign-up bonus on American Express Business Gold is increased from 20,000 Membership Rewards points to 60,000 points. You receive 40,000 points when you spend £6,000 within three months and a further 20,000 points if you spend on the card between Month 14 and Month 17. Points convert 1:1 into Avios and many other programmes. Click here to apply.

American Express Business Platinum

Up to 120,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

American Express Business Gold

Up to 60,000 points sign-up bonus and FREE for a year Read our full review

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