Whether you are racking up Nectar points to cut down the cost of a summer holiday or to help you save on Christmas shopping, you’ll want to know exactly how much you’ve collected.
What are your Nectar points worth, and where can you spend them? To help you find out, we put together this helpful article detailing everything you need to know about the UK’s most popular rewards scheme.
What Are Nectar Points?
The Nectar card is one of the best-known loyalty schemes in the UK, currently counting over 18 million shoppers.
Run by Sainsbury’s, it allows you to collect and redeem points at some of the biggest retailers in the country, including Argos and eBay.
Since 2002, Nectar has expanded its network of merchant partners from the initial four to more than 14 big brands and 500 online retailers.
For the full list of Nectar partners, click here.
How Do Nectar Points Work?
The scheme works in the same way as other reward cards—you make a purchase at one of Nectar’s partners and get points on your loyalty card in return. The points can then be redeemed for vouchers or used to make other purchases.
In stores, you can swipe your plastic card to get the points or use the digital card stored in the Nectar app. When shopping online, you could either connect your Nectar card to your account or use the website.
Did you know: 87% of UK consumers shop online!
Depending on the offer provided by the retailer, you can collect points when you shop online or in-store.
Your points will be awarded within 25 calendar days of making the purchase, although in most cases, you can spend them much sooner.
Every time you log in to Nectar.com or the Nectar app, you can see how many points you have collected so far, so you can calculate the value of your Nectar points and plan your shopping.
How to Register for a Nectar Card?
You can apply for a Nectar card online or get one from any of the participating retailers.
To register the card, go to Nectar.com and enter the last 11 digits of the card number.
After that, simply follow the steps provided, enter your personal details and start collecting points.
Worth noting: If you pick up a Nectar card in-store, you can start using it right away and register later.
How Much Are Nectar Points Worth?
At the moment, the value of 1 Nectar point is 0.5 pence, i.e. you get 0.5% cashback on your shopping. Consequently, the value of 100 Nectar points is 50p, and 200 points mean you’ve earned one pound.
Here is what the Nectar points to pounds ratio looks like.
| Nectar Points | Nectar Points Value |
| 1 point | 0.5p |
| 2 points | 1p |
| 100 points | 50p |
| 200 points | £1 |
| 500 points | £2.50 |
| 1,000 points | £5 |
| 1,500 points | £7.50 |
| 2,000 points | £10 |
| 2,500 points | £12.50 |
| 5,000 points | £25 |
| 8,000 points | £40 |
How Many Nectar Points Per Pound Spent Do You Get
Typically you are awarded one to two points for every pound you spend on qualifying items. Memberships and contracts, i.e. services, usually come with a fixed number of points.
You might also be eligible for bonus points—a Nectar special offer that helps you collect points faster. Once available, you can find these offers when you log in to My Nectar or the app.
If Nectar points are not worth it for you, could consider looking into the best cashback sites and apps in the UK, most of which come with significantly better perks.
The Best Ways to Collect and Spend Nectar Points
As stated above, you can earn and redeem Nectar points at over 500 online merchants. Bear in mind that not all retailing partners offer the chance to both collect and spend Nectar points.
Where Can You Collect Nectar Points?
There are several retailers that allow you to rack up Nectar points and boost the value of your balance.
- Sainsbury’s
You can collect 1 point for £1 you spend on qualifying items, both online and when you shop in-store at one of the largest and cheapest online supermarkets in the country.
You will also be awarded 1 point for every one litre of fuel you get at Sainsbury’s petrol stations.
In addition to supermarkets, you can also earn points if you take out a life insurance policy from Sainsbury’s Bank. The number of points depends on the premium you pay, thus, a monthly premium of under £8.50 gets you 10,000 points (worth £50 in Nectar points), whereas a monthly premium of over £20 equals 22,000 Nectar points (worth £110).
You could also receive 8,000 bonus points when you register for a Sainsbury’s Bank Nectar Mastercard and spend at least £400 at any of Sainsbury’s retailers.
The Double Up Event
Until 2021, Sainsbury’s used to run a Sainsbury’s Nectar Double Up event twice a year, during which all your Nectar points doubled in value, meaning that 100 Nectar points worth would be £1 instead of the usual £0.5.
My Nectar Prices
The Double Up Event was replaced with a new program in 2021. Called My Nectar Prices, it provides online shoppers with tailored discounts on Sainsbury’s products via SmartShop. The app scans your shopping (you need to link it to your Nectar account) and provides you with unique offers suited to your shopping habits.
- Argos
Argos, also owned by Sainsbury’s, gives Nectar users the chance to collect one point for every pound spent at brick-and-mortar establishments or online. What’s more, you can link your Nectar and Argos accounts and have the points awarded automatically every time you make an online purchase from this retailer.
- eBay
As with Argos, you can link your Nectar and eBay account and get one point for each £1 you spend on the platform.
You can’t spend Nectar points on eBay as cash. Instead, you get vouchers that you can use for any purchase above £10. Each voucher has a Nectar point value of 40,000 (or £200), but there is no limit on the number of vouchers you can get.
- Esso
You can collect one Nectar point for every litre of fuel you purchase from Esso Branded Service Stations or 2 points if you spend a pound in the service stations’ shops.
You can swap 300 Nectar points for 5p off every litre of fuel you buy at Esso.
- Sky
New Sky customers can collect 10,000 points, or 4,000 points, when they take Sky Glass, including Netflix and Sky Broadband. Existing Sky clients can take Sky Q with Netflix and get 4,000 Nectar points in return.
- American Express Nectar Credit Card
Nectar can also issue an American Express Card that awards 2,000 Nectar points if you spend £2,000 during the first three months.
You can win up to 3 points when you shop using the Nectar Credit Card with one of the company’s partners or get 5,000 and 3,000 bonus points when you refer a friend or order a Supplementary Card.
Nectar’s Amex Card is considered one of the best air miles credit cards in the UK.
- Nectar Connect
This feature was introduced in 2021, and it allows you to link your bank account with Nectar and collect up to 30 points for one pound. To get started, simply activate an offer and then use your connected payment card to make a purchase at one of Nectar’s partners, like H&M, Nike, Costa Coffee, Nandos, Deliveroo and more.
- Daily Mail
Nectar users can connect their account with MyMail, GB’s largest newspaper loyalty club and get 70 points a week just by subscribing to The Daily Mail and The Mail on Sunday and entering a unique number found on the back page of the Mail.
- Other retailers
Other retailers that offer Nectar loyalty points include (but are not limited to):
- Just Eat: 4 points per £1
- ASOS.com: 2 points per £1
- Nectar Hotels: 1,000-2,000 points per night
- Woodland Trust: 20 points per £1 spent on membership fees
- Expedia: 4 points per £1
- DFDS: 2 points per £1 on all online bookings
- Domino’s: 1 point per £1
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Where Can You Spend Nectar Points?
Nectar users do not have as many opportunities to spend points as they do collecting them.
Basically, you can redeem your points when shopping at Sainsbury’s and any of Sainsbury’s-owned retailers, like Argos, Habitat, Nectar Hotels and Esso.
Other options include:
- Rent movies from Sky Store, where you can spend from 1,050 Nectar points (worth £5.99) to 2,800 Nectar points (worth £15.99).
- Book a train trip on Eurostar
- Get a hot drink at Caffè Nero for 350 Nectar points
- Get a £5 credit voucher in return for 1,000 Nectar points at Brakes
You may also donate your points to charity through Crowdfunder, one of the UK’s biggest and most successful crowdfunding platforms.
Convert Nectar Points to Avios (And Vice Versa)
One other option is to convert your Nectar points to Avios, the reward currency used for members of the British Airways Executive Club. At the moment, 400 Nectar points are worth 250 Avios points, which means:
- 1,000 Nectar points are worth 625 Avios points (in pounds: 5)
- 5,000 Nectar points are worth 3,125 Avios points (in pounds: 25)
or
- 1,000 Avios points are worth 1,600 Nectar points (in pounds: 8)
- 5,000 Avios points are worth 8,000 Nectar points (in pounds: 40)
Look at it this way: You would need 4,000 Avios points for a London-Paris flight (plus taxes) or the equivalent of 6,400 Nectar points if you convert them.
Bottom Line
You may not have a lot of chances to redeem your points, but Nectar points offer great value, especially for those who shop at Sainsbury’s.
It is also one of the rare cards that allows you to both collect and redeem points at some of the largest online retailers in the country, such as Argos and eBay, so you can save money and reap rewards just by doing your daily shopping.
Frequently Asked Questions And Their Answers
Do Nectar points expire?
No, Nectar points can be redeemed at any time, although if you have not collected any points in a year, the company will close your account, assuming that you no longer want to participate.
Can I pay for fuel with Nectar points?
Yes, you can get 5p off every litre of fuel at Esso for 300 points. You can also spend your Nectar points at Sainsbury’s petrol stations (all 300 of them across the UK).
How many Nectar points can you spend at once?
It depends on the retailer, as most have a cap on how many points you can use up in a single purchase. Argos and Habitat, for instance, only allow users to spend 100,000 (£500) Nectar points in one transaction.
How much is 500 Nectar points worth?
500 Nectar points are worth £2.50. Currently, one Nectar point is worth 0.5p or 0.5% cashback.
What are Nectar points worth at Sainsbury’s?
500 Sainsbury’s Nectar points have a value of £2.50, i.e one point is worth 0.5p.
My name is Marija, and I'm a financial writer at DontDisappointMe. Although finance might not be everyone's cup of tea, my 10+ years of working in one of the biggest banks in my country, and my interest in extensive research on everything finance/investment-related, have made me somewhat of an expert in the field (if I do say so myself). No longer having the passion to work in a corporate setting, I decided that I couldn't let all of this knowledge go to waste so I started writing. And, here I am! Today I try to share my knowledge with my audience in the hopes of making this topic as simple and interesting as possible. In my leisure time, I like spending time with my family and travelling to new locations.