How to earn Virgin Points via Tesco Clubcard when buying fuel or food at Esso

How can you earn Virgin Points when buying petrol?

The dedicted Virgin Atlantic partnership with Texaco ended some years ago. Tesco filling stations remain at option, of course, because you can earn Virgin Points by transferring Tesco Clubcard points.

You can also earn Virgin Points at Esso due to its partnership with Tesco.  Tesco and Esso have not done a good job of promoting this and you might not know about it.

Can you earn Virgin Points via Tesco Clubcard points at Esso?

YES – but only if you shop at an Esso station which includes a Tesco Express store.  The Esso website confirms this.

For clarity, this applies to purchases of fuel and shop purchases.

How do I find a participating Esso garage?

There are almost 200 participating garages across the UK.  The easiest way to find them is via the Esso Fuel Finder website here.

Esso Fuel Finder has an option for ‘Clubcard Points’.  Select this box and it will only highlight participating garages near you.

How many Virgin Points do I earn?

At Esso garages with a Tesco Express store, you will earn:

• 1 Clubcard point (2 Virgin Points) for every £3 spent on fuel, up to 100 litres per visit

• 1 Clubcard point (2 Virgin Points) for every £1 spent in the Tesco Express shop

• 1 Clubcard point (2 Virgin Points) for every £1 spent on car washes

For clarity, the only points you can collect at Esso garages which do not have a Tesco Express store are Nectar points, which you can convert to Avios.

Can I spend Clubcard vouchers at Esso garages?

You can spend Clubcard vouchers on fuel or store purchases at Esso garages with a Tesco Express onsite.

This is a bad idea – you should never use Clubcard vouchers at face value to pay for shopping if you can help it.  You would get far better value by converting them to Virgin Points because – at 2 Virgin Points per 1 Clubcard point (worth 1p) – you are basically ‘buying’ Virgin Points for 0.5p. This is good value.

How else can I earn Virgin Points on fuel?

You can also collect Virgin Points via Tesco Clubcard when you buy fuel at Tesco petrol stations, unsurprisingly.

You collect 1 point for every 2 litres of fuel which means that the collection rate is roughly equal between Tesco and Esso petrol stations.

But if we’re honest ….

In truth, none of the ‘earn points with petrol’ schemes are worthwhile. This applies whether you are collecting Avios (via BP or, with Nectar, via Esso) or Virgin Points (with Clubcard, via Tesco or Esso). The profit margins on petrol are too low for garages to be too generous.

Take the points if your nearest or cheapest garage participates, but don’t go out of your way.

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How to earn Virgin Points from UK credit cards (July 2025)

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

You can choose from two official Virgin Atlantic credit cards (apply here, the Reward+ card has a bonus of 18,000 Virgin Points and the free card has a bonus of 3,000 Virgin Points):

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard

18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard

3,000 bonus points, no fee and 1 point for every £1 you spend Read our full review

You can also earn Virgin Points from various American Express cards – and these have sign-up bonuses too.

The American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card is FREE for a year and comes with 20,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 20,000 Virgin Points.

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold Credit Card

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & four airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express comes with 50,000 Membership Rewards points, which convert into 50,000 Virgin Points.

The Platinum Card from American Express

50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Small business owners should consider the two American Express Business cards. Points convert at 1:1 into Virgin Points.

The American Express Business Platinum Card

50,000 points when you sign-up and an annual £200 Amex Travel credit Read our full review

The American Express Business Gold Card

20,000 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 Virgin Points.