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.

PS.  There is one extra quirk though!  If you have a British Airways American Express Premium Plus credit card, you earn 2 bonus Avios per £1 on all Tesco purchases (and indeed Waitrose, M&S, Deliveroo and Apple purchases) until 12th September.  This includes fuel purchases I believe.  This would mean that it remains more lucrative to buy your fuel at a Tesco garage rather than an Esso one.