Top Tesco Clubcard offer to be scrapped

For full info on Tesco's Clubcard scheme and how to take it to the max, see our guide. 

Update 25 September: Tesco has confirmed its Clubcard Odeon cinema ticket deal is also ending.

The RedSpottedHanky partnership is currently our top pick Clubcard boost deal, with customers able to swap Clubcard vouchers for three times their value. But Tesco now says that from 31 January 2019 you'll no longer be able to use Clubcard vouchers on the train booking site.

Other deals are also set to change, though we don't yet have full info on the whole shake-up from Tesco. It has said you'll be unable to spend Clubcard vouchers on car and van hire with Europcar after 24 February 2019. According to the Clubcard site, the exchange rates for railcards and Cineworld tickets are also changing from November this year, though this hasn't been officially confirmed yet.

The latest changes follow a major shake-up of the Clubcard scheme in June which made nearly all Clubcard vouchers worth three times the value via boost deals, whereas previously they were worth between two and four times the value.

How are Tesco's top Clubcard deals changing?

We first spotted these changes after noticing amendments to terms and conditions on Tesco's Clubcard site – and while some of the changes have now been confirmed by Tesco, we're still waiting for full details of the shake-up. But here's what we know so far:

• RedSpottedHanky exchanges will END on 31 January. RedSpottedHanky has been our top pick Clubcard deal since its value was increased from two times to three times the original worth of the vouchers, as part of Tesco Clubcard's major shake-up earlier this year.

  We chose it as our top pick as it offers a rare discount on train tickets, and as they are a standard price, this is effectively a cash redemption with three times the value for someone who needs to make a journey by train.

  Yet the partnership's now being scrapped, so if you want to use Clubcard vouchers on RedSpottedHanky you'll need to do it by 31 January 2019. You'll be given a RedSpottedHanky voucher in exchange and will have six months to use it. Remember, unlike at least one of its rivals RedSpottedHanky charges a £1 booking fee.

• Europcar exchanges will END on 24 February. Europcar car and van hire deals, which are also worth three times the value of Clubcard vouchers, will be removed after 24 February 2019 – again, vouchers must be redeemed within six months of exchanging them.

  A Europcar spokesperson told us the firm will be "extending" its partnership with the rival Nectar loyalty points scheme in 2019. 

• Railcard exchanges should become BETTER value from 30 November. Currently you can exchange £15 of Clubcard points for a £30 16-25, Family & Friends, Senior or Two Together Railcard, or exchange £10 of points for a £20 Disabled Persons Railcard.

  But from 30 November your points should be worth three times as much when buying a railcard, so £10 of points will get you a £30 railcard. That means if you're planning to spend your Clubcard points on a railcard but can afford to wait, it's worth doing so.

  However, Tesco's website does warn the 30 November date could be subject to change. It says railcard exchanges could be "temporarily removed" from its Clubcard site if there are delays in launching the new deal. 

• The Cineworld exchange rate will also change from 30 November. Currently you can exchange a set amount of points for a Cineworld ticket, so £4.50-worth for an adult and £3.50-worth for a child.

  From 30 November your points will simply be worth three times their value, bringing the exchange in line with other Clubcard deals. That'll be good news for some, but bad news for others depending on how expensive Cineworld tickets are in your area. Essentially if an adult ticket costs less than £13.50 (or a child ticket less than £10.50), you'll get a better rate from 30 November – if your ticket is more expensive, you'll lose out. 

  Again with this change it's worth noting that Tesco is warning the Cineworld offer could be "temporarily removed" from the site if there are any delays in launching the new deal. 

What does Tesco say? 

A Tesco spokesperson has confirmed the changes to the RedSpottedHanky and Europcar deals, but we've not yet had any comment or full details of any further changes. We'll update this story when we hear more.