The supermarket is trialling a new scheme where you will only be rewarded on offers that you pick before you shop - and customers will be furious
SAINSBURY'S is trialling a new Nectar card scheme that could see some customers missing out on loyalty points.
Customers who opt in to the trial, which is taking place in one store, will be able to choose offers and collect loyalty points through a new app.
The supermarket claims that the changes offer loyal customers more reports but experts fear some will end up losing out.
Sainsbury's has been a member of the Nectar reward scheme since it launched in 2002, but the supermarket giant bought the scheme outright in a £60million deal last month.
At the moment, millions of shoppers are rewarded every time they scan their Nectar card when they go to pay for their Sainsbury's shop, but also 500 other brands including BP petrol stations and eBay.
Once customers have collected points they can then spend them on the Nectar website or use their points to spend at Sainsbury's.
Under the trial, customers will collect points but only on items they regularly buy at the supermarket.
They will need to pick these items, either online or via the new app before they can use them and they have to be used within seven days.
This means that customers won't be rewarded on how much they spend any more, but instead for how often they shop and how long they've been shopping with the retailer.
There will be a favourites sections where customers can select offers they regularly use and these won't need to be updated each time.
Basically, the more you shop at Sainsbury's, the more value you'll get from the scheme.
SAVING on your shop can make a big difference to your wallet. Here are some tips from Hannah Maundrell, editor of Money.co.uk, about how you can cut the cost of your shopping bills:
But less frequent customers could miss out because you won't be rewarded for every time you shop, unless they remember to select offers before heading to the shops.
And if you're not buying items that they offer you the rewards on, then you won't be able to collect any loyalty points.
It's similar to the My Coupons scheme the supermarket scrapped last April, and the pick your own offers scheme at Waitrose, which was also ditched.
How much each point is, is the same in the trial system - shoppers still get £2.50 in Sainsbury's for every 500 points.
It's being trialled in the supermarket's Isle of Wight stores and petrol stations and if successful it could be rolled out nationwide.
Nectar card holders in the Isle of Wight will be contacted from today to see if they want to take part. If they do, they'll be issued a new card and will be asked to download the app.
They will then be offered the rewards which they can then choose to load onto their card and use within the next seven days.
Some customers aren't happy about the potential changes and took to twitter to air their views.
Helen Hunter from Sainsbury's said: "By giving them the option to choose the products on which they earn Nectar and awarding points based on loyalty, we’ll be able to show our most valuable customers how important they are to us.
"We’ll be actively listening to customers during the trial so that we can shape new Nectar as we learn."
While the loyalty card scheme might sound like a good idea, don't fall into the trap of shopping at only one supermarket for the loyalty points because you might be able to get a better deal elsewhere.
The trial comes as the big four supermarkets struggle to compete with budget retailers like Aldi and Lidl who are taking on more of the market.
Martin Lane from money.co.uk says that the scheme could be too confusing for some customers to benefit.
He said: "Although they have data and technology on their side, it’s yet to be seen if this new trial will have the desired effect.
"The new scheme seems like the Waitrose Pick Your Own Offers scheme, which was recently ditched, and there’s a risk it could be too confusing to understand how to earn points in comparison to the very simple Tesco Clubcard Scheme."
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