Earn double Avios or Virgin points at Esso petrol stations with a Tesco Express in August

Esso is offering double Tesco Clubcard points on fuel purchases during August.  As Tesco Clubcard points can be transferred directly into Avios or Virgin Flying Club points, this means double miles!

I thought you couldn’t earn Clubcard points at Esso any longer?

On 1st June 2019, Esso dropped its relationship with Tesco Clubcard and signed up with Nectar.  Most people thought that this was the end of earning Tesco Clubcard points, and therefore Avios or Virgin points, at Esso petrol stations.

This isn’t true.  You can still earn Avios at Esso.  Tesco and Esso have not done a good job of promoting this, however, which is why you might not know about it.

Can you still earn Clubcard points at Esso?

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

For clarity, this applies to purchases of fuel as well as 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 on Fuel and Shop’.  Select this box and it will only highlight participating garages near you.

How many Avios do I earn with double points?

At Esso garages with a Tesco Express store, these are the standard earning rates:

1 Clubcard point (2.4 Avios) for every £3 spent on fuel, up to 100 litres per visit

1 Clubcard point (2.4 Avios) for every £1 spent in the Tesco Express shop

1 Clubcard point (2.4 Avios) for every £1 spent on car washes

During August, the points you earn on fuel are doubled.  You receive:

2 Clubcard points (4.8 Avios) for every £3 spent on fuel, up to 100 litres per visit

For clarity, the only points you can collect at Esso garages which do not have a Tesco Express store are Nectar points.  There is no double points offer with Nectar.

Is this a better deal than earning Clubcard points at Tesco garages?

Here’s the interesting thing.

Usually, it is more lucrative to collect Avios via Tesco Clubcard when you buy fuel at Tesco petrol stations.

At Tesco filling stations, you earn 1 Clubcard point (2.4 Avios) for every £2 spent.  The Esso rate is 1 Clubcard point (2.4 Avios) for every £3 spent, so Tesco is 50% more lucrative.

However, during August, Esso garages are more lucrative than Tesco garages:

Tesco garages give you 1 Clubcard point (2.4 Avios) per £2 spent, so 1.2 Avios per £1

Esso garages give you 2 Clubcard points (4.8 Avios) per £3 spent, so 1.6 Avios per £1

You can find out more about this offer on the Esso website here.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 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.

American Express Business Platinum

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

American Express Business Gold

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 Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.