From Greggs to Waterstones: lesser-known loyalty cards

These nine loyalty cards are well worth picking up.

Millions of us have Clubcard and Nectar cards, but there are plenty other loyalty cards worth picking up if you shop or eat regularly at certain places.

Here are nine that have caught our eye.

Greggs

Greggs launched its own loyalty scheme last year. You put the money you'd normally spend in-store into your Greggs Rewards account, and then pay using your smartphone. Top up by at least £10 and you'll get a free breakfast, while if you buy seven hot drinks, you'll get your eighth drink free.

You'll be entered into exclusive prize draws, too.

Waterstones

The Waterstones loyalty scheme gives you three points for every pound spent in-store and online.

You'll also have the opportunity to read and review unpublished books and get first access to literary events. Or if you fancy a sit down and a coffee, the card will get you free upgrades on hot drinks at Cafe W.

However, Waterstones is about to introduce card expiry; if you’ve not used your card for three years or more, it will expire and your points will be lost. So if you have a somewhat decorative Waterstones card, it’ll immediately expire come April 23rd 2015.

Ikea

Hailed as “The Home Lover’s Club”, the Ikea FAMILY card entitles the holder to discounts on regular discounts on Ikea products and exclusive access to the Ikea FAMILY range, as well as access to expert-run workshops on home furnishing and interior design.

In-store, you’ll get a free coffee or tea in the restaurant as well as special offers on meals throughout the week.

Body Shop

The Body Shop’s Love Your Body card is the only loyalty scheme on the list with an annual fee. For £5 you can get 10% off purchases for a year, free gifts when you collect stamps, exclusive offers and £5 off an in-store purchase in the month of your birthday.

Unfortunately, you can only collect stamps for free gifts in-store at the moment and points can't be collected on Body Shop At Home spending.

Odeon

With the Odeon Premiere Club, cinema buffs earn 10 points for every pound spent in an Odeon cinema or online. Points can be used on tickets, drinks and snacks.

And of course, you’ll be the first to know about exclusive offers, discounts and competitions.

There are three packages to choose from, which each have a one-off fee: Classic (£1.99), Deluxe (£4.99) and Ultimate (£9.99). And as a reward for signing up, you’ll bag 100, 500 or 1,000 points depending on which package you go for.

500 points will get you an off-peak standard child ticket, a small soft drink or small popcorn. 1,000 points will get you a peak teen, student or senior ticket or a large combo plus a bag of sweets.

When it comes to earning points, this deal’s got quite a few exceptions. You can’t collect points on booze, Costa Coffee, goods and services sold on behalf of a third party, corporate purchases, gift cards and any promotional vouchers.

That said, this card is definitely worth it if you go to the cinema in a group or with your family as you'll accumulate points fast.

Hungry Horse

The Gold Card has loads of benefits including 100 points for signing up (enough for a free starter or dessert), a free drink on your birthday and entry into competitions.

Points are only redeemable for a year after they’re earned. You can’t split payments between points and cash, so you have to have the full amount in points or fork over the money.

La Tasca

La Tasca cardholders get 20% off food on the main menu, as well as special offers on their birthday. There are also drinks deals and additional discounts on special events.

You’ll have to keep the party reasonably small as the card can only be used when a maximum of eight people are dining.

Subway

The Subcard will give you ten points for every pound spent. You can get a hot drink for 100 points, a snack for 200 points, a regular six inch sub, flatbread or salad for 500 points and a regular 12 inch sub or flatbread for 1,000 points.

You’ll also get double points every time you use your card within 28 days of account opening. From there, you can earn double points if you visit at least once every seven days.

There is a difference between a registered and an unregistered card, though. You’ll only earn half as many points on an unregistered card so it's definitely worth registering it online. You have to use it at least once a year otherwise the card will expire and you’ll lose your points.

Nando’s

Nando’s has recently shaken up its reward scheme. Now diners can get a 'chilli' every time they spend £7 or more in a Nando’s restaurant. This will get added to a chilli wheel of rewards which you must redeem within a year.

A Green Reward (three chillies) will get you a quarter chicken or an appetiser; an Orange Reward (six chillies) gets a half chicken or any single wrap, burger or pitta; and a Red Reward (10 chillies) will get you a whole chicken or a single combo meal.

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