THOUSANDS of Asda shoppers have been handed free cash just in time for Christmas.
The supermarket has dished out the money to hundreds of thousands of customers who use its loyalty scheme.
Asda Rewards customers have been gifted £5 to spend at the supermarketGetty
It comes after shoppers with the Asda Rewards scheme had issues with cash pots failing to update.
Those who sign up to the scheme can earn vouchers to get them money off their grocery bill.
Your rewards are then put into a “cashpot” in your account.
But the glitch meant that thousands of shoppers didn’t get their cash.
Shoppers complained that their rewards had disappeared, and in some cases, even been used.
Now, Asda has reimbursed affected customers by adding £5 for free.
According to a customer, the incentive has been labelled a “colleague incentive” as that’s the only way accounts can be credited in the lead up to Christmas.
The cash has already been added to many customers’ pots and we’ve asked Asda when it expects to complete all payments.
According to comments on Facebook, there is no minimum spend to get the £5, and we’ve asked Asda to confirm this.
Shoppers don’t need to do anything to get the £5.
Usually, customers have to complete ‘missions’ to gain cash in their pots.
If you think you lost Asda Rewards recently but haven’t had the £5, do contact Asda customer services – or head into your local stores, though we can’t guarantee you’ll get it.
Their phone number is 0800 952 0101.
What other loyalty schemes are there?
It’s important to have a few options to choose from – just to make sure you’re getting the best deal for your money.
But don’t worry, we’ve rounded up a few for you below.
Tesco
Tesco’s Clubcard was launched in 1995 and, like Sainsbury’s, shoppers can earn points as they shop which can then be used to turn into vouchers for money off food or other partner schemes.
Each time you spend £1 in store and online, you get one point when you scan your card or app.
You also get one point for every £2 spent on fuel.
One point equals 1p, so 150 points gets you £1.50, for example.
You’ll need a minimum of 150 points to request a voucher.
Once you have enough points, you can turn them into vouchers worth the face value to spend in store at Tesco, or you can triple their worth to spend at reward partners, including restaurants, and on days out.
Clubcard holders also get cheaper prices on some items compared to those without the loyalty card.
For instance shoppers could get PG Tips for £2.50 as part of the Clubcard Prices perk, while those without paid £3.
Sainsbury’s Nectar Card
One of the longest-running loyalty card schemes, the Nectar Card was launched in 2002 after Sainsbury’s, Debenhams, BP and Barclaycard all combined their loyalty schemes under one brand.
Sainsbury’s then bought Nectar in 2018 and revamped the loyalty scheme in 2019.
Sainsbury’s customers receive a range of points-boosting offers based on their shopping habits every week.
Customers would be able to see the deals on the website or app each week, then collect the extra points if they buy the item in store or online.
How it works is shoppers earn points when they spend money at Sainsbury’s, Sainsbury’s petrol stations and also at other retailers such as Ebay and Dulux Decorator Centres.
To get one Nectar point you need to spend £1 in Sainsbury’s store, or you get one Nectar point for every litre of fuel purchased in Sainsbury’s fuel stations.
At most of Nectar’s online partner stores, you’ll collect two points for each £1 you spend.
One Nectar Card point is then worth 0.5p, so you need 200 Nectar points to save £1 to spend.
Once you have enough points you can turn them into vouchers to buy your next food shop at Sainsbury’s or to buy things such as plane tickets at Expedia, train tickets from Eurostar or cinema tickets for Vue cinemas.
My Morrisons
My Morrisons was launched in 2016 originally under the Morrisons More brand.
Shoppers used to get five points for every £1 spent in store, and a £5 voucher to spend at Morrisons for every 5,000 points accumulated.
But shoppers are no longer be able to collect points through the loyalty scheme since May 2021 after the scheme was overhauled and saw points collecting was scrapped.
Instead of getting points, shoppers now receive digital coupons that can be used for instant savings in stores.
So you won’t be able to earn anything on your shopping, but you’ll get “personalised offers” and coupons to get money off your groceries.
Lidl Plus
Lidl launched a loyalty app in September 2020, which shoppers can use to get discounts on groceries, Sky bills and cinema tickets.
You have to scan your card as you shop in store (Lidl currently doesn’t offer an online shopping service), which sees you earn points.
Once you’ve earned a certain amount of points, Lidl will give you money off your shopping.
You can get a free in-store bakery item when you spend £50 in a month.
You’ll get a £2 coupon when you spend £100 in store a month, or a £10 coupon when you spend £200 in store a month.
Each time you spend there’s also a one in five chance of winning a prize with a digital scratchcard. Prizes range from 25p to £20 off your weekly shop.
You have seven days to use your coupons before they expire.
For more loyalty schemes, you can read a full list and our verdict over which ones are worth it here.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]