Tesco Clubcard and Avios divorce in two weeks – how should you play it?

As we exclusively broke back in October, British Airways / Avios and Tesco Clubcard have decided to part ways. The option to convert your Tesco Clubcard points into Avios is ending very soon.

(Nothing will change with the partnership between Tesco Clubcard and Virgin Flying Club, for clarity. You can still earn Virgin Points.)

When is Clubcard ending Avios earning?

The last day to initiate a transfer of your Tesco Clubcard points into Avios is 18th January. Probably.

There is some confusion over the date. ba.com says that “You can continue to collect Avios with Tesco up to and including 18 January 2021”.

The Avios page on tesco.com says that “From 18 January 2021, you’ll no longer be able to exchange your Clubcard points for Avios.”

I suspect that BA is correct but, as it is Tesco’s scheme, you might want to convert by the 17th just to be sure.

Hang on …. my next Clubcard statement isn’t generated until 28th January

That is correct, which is why I am writing this article today to explain your options.

By the time you receive your Clubcard vouchers for the November to January quarter, in early February, it will be too late to convert them to Avios.

This is why you need to know about ‘Faster Vouchers’.

What is ‘Faster Vouchers’?

‘Faster Vouchers’ is a feature available to users of the Tesco Clubcard app.

It allows you to convert your CURRENT quarterly points balance into Clubcard vouchers. It is a simple process:

• you must have at least 150 Clubcard points to convert

• you will have your Clubcard voucher in your Tesco app, ready to spend, within 24 hours of requesting it

There is one thing to bear in mind. Whilst you can order ‘Faster Vouchers’ with a minimum of 150 Clubcard points in your account, you need at least 250 Clubcard points in order to convert to Avios.

It is pointless converting your existing Clubcard points into ‘Faster Vouchers’ if you only have 150, unless you have other unredeemed Clubcard vouchers to allow a conversion of £2.50+.

Here’s an example

I have 157 Clubcard points available to convert, which means that the blue button to order ‘Faster Vouchers’ is showing.

There would be no point in doing this if I had no other points to convert, because of the £2.50 minimum conversion to Avios.

However, I have also other unredeemed Clubcard vouchers which takes my total over the £2.50 minimum for Avios. This means that it makes sense to order the additional £1.50-worth before converting the lot.

What is the timing?

The last day to convert Clubcard points to Avios is 18th January (or perhaps 17th January for the reasons I gave above).

As ‘Faster Vouchers’ are meant to arrive within 24 hours, you should be OK if you order them as late as 16th January.

If you are currently close to 150 Clubcard points this quarter but not quite there, you have another 12 days to do a bit of shopping to ensure you will be at 150 points by 16th January.

(Remember that you will need to be at 250 points by 16th January if you have no other outstanding Clubcard vouchers to convert, because of the £2.50 minimum transfer.)

Who will replace Tesco as BA’s supermarket partner?

I honestly don’t know. We have been bouncing ideas around in our ‘Comments’ section in recent weeks.

My money would be on a combined John Lewis / Waitrose deal, but I haven’t been told anything – except that we will find out after 18th January.

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How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (April 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.

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.

SPECIAL OFFER: Until 12th May 2024, the Capital on Tap Business Rewards Visa card is offering a bonus of 30,000 points, convertible into 30,000 Avios. You must have a Limited Company to apply. Click here to learn more and click here to apply.

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus.

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.

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