Sainsbury’s is set to slash the number of Nectar points customers can earn when shopping.
From next April, Nectar card holders will earn one point for every £1 spent in store or online with Sainsbury’s, versus the current two points per £1.
Shoppers will also no longer earn a point for every bag they reuse.
Nectar operator Aimia said that though shoppers would earn fewer base Nectar points, they would earn more ‘bonus’ points through events and increased personalised offers.
In an email to Nectar card holders, Sainsbury’s explained it would hold a “month-long 10x bonus points on fuel event after the change, as well as more bonus points events across the store”.
“At times like Christmas, we’ll also be holding bigger and better ‘Double Up’ events to give you great value when we know it matters most to you,” it added.
A Sainsbury’s spokeswoman said: “We are changing the way customers earn Nectar points and launching more high-value bonus events, like Swipe to Win, 10x points on fuel and adding more categories to our Christmas ‘Double Up’ event so that customers can make their points go even further.”
Jan-Pieter Lips, president – EMEA, Aimia, added: “We’re always looking at how Nectar can evolve to reflect the way members like to shop. When we launched more than 10 years ago we took a standardized approach to awarding points. Today, with our considerable customer insights and technological developments, Nectar can be used in a more targeted and personalised way.
“This is part of an exciting trend of loyalty programmes, shifting emphasis from base reward on spend to reward for active engagement,” he added.
Sainsbury’s stopped offering Nectar points on purchases of spirits and liqueurs when the government’s below-cost selling ban for alcohol came into force in England and Wales earlier this year.
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