Get Rewarded For Your Weekly Shop

Want to be rewarded every time you're at the supermarket? These credit cards may be right up your street...

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This summer, soaring food, fuel and petrol prices have been at the forefront of many of our minds. And, with rising inflation hot on our heels, many of us are especially feeling the pinch at the supermarket tills.

However, one way you could maximise your bank balance is by taking out a credit card that rewards you every time you hand your card over at the checkout.

With supermarkets vying for your business, it couldn't be a better time to take advantage of the rewards they'll offer you in return for your loyalty. In some cases you could even double your rewards by using your existing reward card with your credit card, accelerating your rewards potential.

To give you an idea of what you could earn, here's a quick look at the rewards offered by six supermarket credit cards, plus how many points you'd earn over a year with a £40 weekly shop (£2080 annually), excluding any bonus points you'd earn when you first take out the card.

Card and Issuer	APR	Reward Scheme	What Your Points Are Worth In Store
Tesco Personal Finance Clubcard MasterCard	16.9%	Up to five points for every £4 spent at Tesco (when used in conjunction with a Clubcard). One point for every £4 spent elsewhere.	£25 worth of Clubcard vouchers (2600 points)
American Express Nectar Credit Card	18.9%	Up to four points for every £1 spent (when used in conjunction with a Nectar card). One point for every £1 spent elsewhere.	£40 in Sainsbury's vouchers (8320 points)
Sainsbury's Credit Card	15.9%	Up to four points for every £1 spent (when used in conjunction with a Nectar card). One point for every £5 spent elsewhere.	£40 in Sainsbury's vouchers (8320 points)
M&S Credit Card	18.9%	One point for every £1 spent at Marks & Spencer. One point for every £2 spent elsewhere.	£20 in Marks and Spencer vouchers (2080 points)
John Lewis Partnership Card	16.9%	One point for every £1 spent in John Lewis, Waitrose, Peter Jones, Greenbee and Ocado. One point for every £2 spent elsewhere.	£20 in John Lewis Partnership vouchers (2080 points)
Asda Credit Card	17.8%	One point for every £4 spent.	£5 off voucher (520 points)

As you can see, the American Express Nectar Credit Card gives you the most points for every £1 you spend, with your yearly shop giving you back £40 in vouchers - enough for an extra week's shop.

However, you have to remember that when it comes to collecting rewards, it's not the amount of points you earn that counts, but what they're worth when you cash them in. Although redeeming your points on your shop may make the most sense to you, you could make better use of them for things other than your weekly trip to the supermarket.

Stretching your rewards

For example, with those same 8,000 Nectar points, instead of £40 off your shop, you could get a brand new Sony MP3 player, or if you saved up a little bit more, a return trip to New York for 9,800 points (although you'd have to fork out extra for taxes and fees).

Alternatively, Tesco allows you to exchange your points for Airmiles vouchers, with £2.50 of vouchers equating to 60 Airmiles. And, if you converted your 2,600 points into miles instead of money, you'd clock up a generous 600 Airmiles, nearly enough for a return flight to Paris or Amsterdam, with no taxes and fees to pay on top.

As well as all the immediate rewards offered, other benefits are worth considering before applying for a credit card.

For example, if you drive regularly, Asda gives you 2p off every litre of fuel you purchase with its credit card. So, even though it lags behind the others in terms of rewards earned in-store, if you're a regular car user, the card could prove invaluable to have in your wallet, especially with recent prices at the pumps.

In addition, all supermarkets will periodically send you special vouchers and deals, exclusive to cardholders. These will give you extra money off your shop or bonus points on selected products to help accelerate your points even further.

The main thing to remember is to be sensible with your shopping habits. Reward credit cards may entice you with promises of the earth and more, but don't be tempted to overspend because of them.

However, by using a reward card wisely, there should be any reason why you can't make shopping a truly rewarding experience, for both you and your wallet!

More: 88% Don't Know This About Our Credit Cards / Credit Cards For Crafty Customers