What are the benefits of the Tesco Clubcard Mastercard credit card?
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Why should you get the Tesco Clubcard Mastercard credit card?
Today, I want to look at the top 10 card benefits you will receive if you apply for a free Tesco Clubcard Mastercard credit card.
Here is the legal information we need to tell you:

Sign-up bonus and earn rate:
- No sign-up bonus
- Earns 1 Clubcard point per £8 spent
- Points convert at 1:2.5 into Virgin (0.312 per £1)
Other information:
- Clubcard ceased to be an Avios partner in January 2021
- It remains a Virgin Flying Club partner
- Card can be used in Tesco stores instead of a Clubcard
- Annual fee: Free
Representative 24.9% APR variable
There is no sign-up bonus on the Tesco Clubcard Mastercard
The Tesco Clubcard Mastercard comes in a number of variants. The core version is the ‘Purchases’ card but other versions with different features are available. Full details can be found on the Tesco Bank website. All variants are free and earn Clubcard points at the same rate.
Tesco Clubcard points are very flexible and can be used with a wide range of partners apart from Virgin Flying Club. Other travel partners include Hotels.com and Hilton, where you can redeem your points for 3x face value.
If you are looking for a free Visa or Mastercard credit card to earn Virgin Points, you are substantially better off getting the free Virgin Atlantic Reward Mastercard instead. It earns 0.75 Virgin Points per £1 spent.
The top 10 benefits of the Tesco Clubcard Mastercard credit card:
1. There is an occasional sign-up bonus of 1,000 Tesco Clubcard points
Once or twice each year, Tesco offers a bonus of 1,000 Tesco Clubcard points when you sign up for the Tesco Clubcard Mastercard and make your first purchase.
Outside of these periods, there is no sign up bonus.
If the information box above shows a higher bonus, you will receive this. The box is automatically updated with the best deal available on the date you are reading this.
2. You receive one Tesco Clubcard point for every £8 you spend on the card
This is on top of the standard Clubcard points you would earn whilst spending in a Tesco supermarket or petrol station.
3. Tesco Clubcard points convert into Virgin Points
One Clubcard points gets you 1p if you cash it in at a Tesco supermarket. Used for frequent flyer miles, you get 2.5 Virgin Points.
However … if you main reason for getting the Tesco credit card is to earn Virgin Points, you shouldn’t. You should apply for the free Virgin Atlantic Reward credit card instead (click here) which earn 0.75 Virgin Points for every £1 you spend.
4. There are plenty of other partners too
As well as Virgin Atlantic, you can use your Clubcard points for lots of other things, including restaurant vouchers and days out vouchers. Hotels.com is arguably the best of the other travel partners.

5. Your Clubcard points are valid for two years, so you have no pressure to convert
You do NOT need to decide each quarter what to do with your Clubcard points. They last for two years, so you can sit on them until a suitable opportunity to use them with a partner comes along.
6. You get 0% interest on purchases for up to the first 14 months
This is effectively free money, since you can keep the money you would otherwise have used to settle your card bill in the bank, earning interest, for up to 14 months.
7. The card is free for life
The Tesco Clubcard Mastercard credit card is free for life.
Other cards with annual fees may offer better earning rates but, unless you are a very heavy spender, you will often struggle to justify the fee from the extra miles earned.
8. There are various versions of the card, each with different benefits
This article focuses on the ‘Purchases’ version of the card. Other versions offer a low interest rate, a special deal on balance transfers and various other features. All versions earn Clubcard points and you can pick the one best suited for your circumstances.
9. As a Mastercard, it is far more flexible than an Amex card
Many of the travel rewards credit cards we cover are American Express cards. The problem with these is that they are not universally accepted.
As a Mastercard, the Tesco Clubcard credit card is accepted virtually everywhere that cards are taken.
10. You don’t need a high income to apply
There is no minimum income requirement.
Conclusion
The Tesco Clubcard Mastercard is a decent card, given that it has no annual fee. As well as earning you Virgin Points, you have the option of converting your points into something completely different if your plans change. This makes the card more valuable than a dedicated airline credit card.
If you DO want Virgin Points, however, we recommend the free Virgin Atlantic credit card (click here) instead as the earning rate is far higher.
You can sign up for the Tesco Clubcard Mastercard credit card on the official website here.
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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – February 2025 update
If you are looking to apply for a new credit card, here are our top recommendations based on the current 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
You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the best of the other deals currently available.

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

British Airways American Express Premium Plus
30,000 Avios and the famous annual 2-4-1 voucher Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express
50,000 bonus points and great travel benefits – for a large fee Read our full review

Virgin Atlantic Reward+ Mastercard
18,000 bonus points and 1.5 points for every £1 you spend Read our full review
Earning miles and points from small business cards
If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers:

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

Capital on Tap Pro Visa
10,500 points (=10,500 Avios) plus good benefits Read our full review

Capital on Tap Visa
NO annual fee, NO FX fees and points worth 1 Avios per £1 Read our full review

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
For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback when you spend at least £2,000 per month.

Barclaycard Select Cashback Business Credit Card
Get 1% cashback when you spend at least £2,000 per month* Read our full review