Asda loyalty scheme users complain of 'missing' cash rewards and points spent miles away from their homes - here's how to check your account

If you think you've been a victim of fraud, or you want to learn what to watch out for, see our 30+ ways to stop scams guide. For help cutting grocery costs, see our Supermarket shopping tips guide. 

Asda shoppers report missing loyalty points balances

MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) has spotted dozens of complaints over the past few weeks on various social media platforms about Asda's Rewards scheme, although Asda denies there's a widespread issue. 

Problems reported include:

• Shoppers logging into their Asda Rewards account on the app, to find tens of pounds worth of cash rewards, known as 'Asda Pounds' missing from their 'Cash Pots'.   

• These cash rewards being spent in stores miles away from the loyalty scheme holder's home.

• Not being able to get access accounts using their usual log in details. 

'My £20-worth of points were spend 200+ miles from where I live'

Simon Jobson, from Morpeth, Northumberland told us he'd had £20 removed from his cash pot and spent in an Asda in Shirley, near Solihull on Wednesday 16 November - around 220 miles from where he lives.

The 35-year-old DJ said he attempted to contact Asda multiple times about the issue but struggled to get through on the phone. When he did eventually get through, he said the customer services representative agreed to refund the missing cash as a goodwill gesture (as shown in the image below).

Asda told us it will look into problems on a case-by-case basis but won't be providing blanket refunds. 

Simon told MSE: "When I got through to the guy on the phone, he told me he'd been spending all day dealing with similar complaints. I was also annoyed at how difficult it was to actually get through and report the problem."

The image shows £20 debited from Simon's Jobson's Asda Rewards account before being refunded by Asda 

Check your Asda Rewards cash pot in the app 

To check the amount of cash rewards you have in the Asda Rewards app:

1. Sign into the app. 

2. Once logged in, click onto the 'Your Cashpot - how it works' tab. 

3. Then click 'View Cashpot History' and you'll be able to see all your activity, including how much you have and when/where your rewards have been spent. 

Anyone who believes their account may have been accessed by someone else, or had their cash rewards seemingly spent, should get in touch with Asda's customer services team on 0800 331 7409. Asda hasn't promised shoppers refunds, but has said it will look into complaints on an individual basis. 

If you have been a victim of financial fraud, you can also report the issue to Action Fraud. 

Ensure you keep online accounts secure with different, strong passwords

Asda told us weak online personal security was likely to blame for any account breaches.   

The safest way to secure your accounts is to use unique passwords for all of your online logins. If this sounds impossible to remember, try a password manager. These generate randomised passwords for your various accounts, and store them all to be accessed with one master password – the only one you'll actually need to remember.

If you prefer to create your own passwords, try to make sure they are as strong as possible so people cannot guess them. Passphrases are stronger and generally easier to remember than passwords. An easy way to set a passphrase is to use three random words, then join them together to create one long word. You can include special characters and numbers, but don't overcomplicate it, as you need to be able to remember it.

Don't use the same password for multiple accounts – using different passwords decreases the chance of someone else being able to access several accounts belonging to you. Plus don't write passwords down.

For more password help, see Martin's Password help blog (while it's from 2011, the info is still relevant). You can also use the website 'Have I been pwned?' to see if your email address has been in a data breach. You can also see our Scams guide if you're worried you might be a victim of fraud. 

You can sign up to Asda Rewards via the app

To sign up to Asda Rewards if you're not already a customer, you'll need to download the Asda Rewards app, which is available for free from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. From there, you can register as a newbie, or sign in with your existing account if you've previously shopped online with Asda.

Then, you can earn 'cash' rewards known as 'Asda Pounds' when shopping in store and online. Just ensure you scan the app at the checkout in store to earn rewards. Online, once registered, just log in to your account and shop as normal. See our MSE News story for more about Asda Rewards.

What does Asda say?

An Asda spokesperson said: "We are really proud of the success of the Asda Rewards app since it’s official launch in August. So far there have been over 5 million downloads and there are currently around 3 million active users, all benefitting from the extra rewards they are getting whilst doing their weekly shop with Asda.

"If any customer has an issue whilst using the Asda Rewards app we would ask that they contact us so that we can look into this for them."