Nectar points

A 75-year-old Sainsbury's customer has complained to the supermarket giant after it prevented shoppers from accessing savings online with its new Nectar scheme. The shopper told MoneySavingExpert.com that he believes the move is "discriminatory" towards the elderly, disabled and vulnerable - particularly when some may still feel uncomfortable shopping in stores due to Covid-19.

Sainsbury’s has today (30 November) opened its first checkout-free store where shoppers can pick up their groceries and leave without needing to scan items or pay at an in-store till.

Nectar card-holders may be able to save "£200/year" at Sainsbury's when they use its SmartShop app to scan items as they shop in store, as it'll trigger cost-cutting deals of up to 30% off. If you don't have a smartphone, you can get the offers when you use in-store scanners, and this all on top of normal Nectar perks. However, you can't get these deals when shopping online. 

Sainsbury's has stopped offering some Nectar cardholders weekly points bonuses, as part of an under-the-radar shake-up to the loyalty scheme which has left some shoppers confused and frustrated. It has only given us scant details so we've pieced together that info with MoneySavers' reports to get to the bottom of it.

Nectar cardholders can now exchange loyalty points for Avios points, and vice versa. It comes after a similar partnership between the frequent flyer points programme and Tesco's Clubcard scheme ended earlier this month. However, this is largely a worse deal for Avios collectors.

Sainsbury's has launched a 'Nectar Prices' promotion, giving discounts of between 5% and 50% on 266 items to Nectar card-holders until early March. While the deals are often beatable, if you're buying with a Nectar card at Sainsbury's anyway, they're a no-brainer.

Some Sainsbury's customers have been sent the wrong Nectar 'double-up' vouchers that are worth a fraction of the amount they'd ordered – or haven't received any at all.