How to use Avios for £500 off a new iPhone 14 at Argos

Today is the day that the new iPhone 14 is available for sale, although you will need to wait until 7th October for the larger iPhone 14 Plus.

As I’m sure many HfP readers will be considering an upgrade, I thought it was worth a reminder of how you can use your Avios to buy items from Argos.

Argos stocks the full range of iPhone 14 smartphones as you can see here and the prices are no different to what you will find elsewhere.

For HfP readers with large Avios balances, this could be very attractive.

You can now, at the cap, convert 62,500 Avios into 100,000 Nectar points and get £500 to spend at Argos.

One snag is that the maximum monthly transfer of Avios to Nectar points is 50,000 Avios. If you do want to make a £500+ purchase at Argos you will need to move 50,000 Avios during September and the rest on 1st October.

Argos will be better value for some people than Sainsbury’s

Whilst a Nectar point is worth the same 0.5p at Sainsbury’s, Argos or Habitat – or indeed eBay, Eurostar or various other partners – some readers felt that you weren’t getting ‘true’ value at Sainsbury’s.

True or false, some people see Sainsbury’s as overpriced or poor value for money compared to Waitrose at the higher end or Aldi / Lidl at the lower end.

You can’t say that about Argos which is well known for its competitive pricing, and of course convenience.

How do you transfer Avios into Nectar points?

The conversion rate between Avios and Nectar is:

• 250 Avios = 400 Nectar points
• 400 Nectar points = 250 Avios

Here is the key thing: there is no value loss in either direction. You can transfer your points as often as you want and you will still have the same amount you started with.

You can convert Nectar points to Avios via the British Airways website here.

The transfer is INSTANT if you are transferring TO Avios from Nectar but there is a 10-day delay if you are going in the opposite direction as you would be here.

Let’s look at the maths.

400 Nectar points, if spent at Argos or indeed Sainsburys, eBay.co.uk etc would get you £2 off your shopping. As you are giving up 250 Avios, you are getting 0.8p per Avios. (250 Avios are given up in return for 200p and 200/250 = 0.8.)

Can I use Nectar points for online shopping at Argos?

Yes.

You need to go to this page of the Argos website and link your Nectar card to your Argos account.

You will then be offered the opportunity to pay with Nectar points during checkout. You can top up your purchase with a credit card as usual, although you cannot pay the balance with an Argos gift card.

As we found out when buying a new monitor for my wife’s home office last year, Argos has a very efficient ‘click and collect’ service. Many items are available for next day collection from your local Sainsbury’s store, including Sainsbury’s Local.

Can I use Nectar points for in-store shopping at Argos?

Yes. You can swipe your Nectar card, or scan your Nectar app, at the till and pay any remaining balance separately.

The limit is £500 of points per transaction

This page of the Argos website explains how the Nectar deal works. It is also where you need to go to link your accounts.

The site confirms that the maximum Nectar spend is 100,000 points (£500) per transaction. You need to redeem in multiples of 500 Nectar points.

PS. If you are looking for a new computer at the moment, you will earn 3,000 bonus Nectar points (1,875 Avios) when you spend £250 or more on laptops or PCs at Argos, online or instore, until 9th October. Full details are here.

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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.