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Christmas Saver Cards

Making your money go further
vrdiver
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Christmas Saver Cards

#448177

Postby vrdiver » October 5th, 2021, 9:35 pm

I just noticed Asda has declared this year's Christmas Saver card deal; £280 put on the card by 5pm on 21st November will earn you a £15 bonus, paid 22nd November. That's a 5.3% bonus (lower bonuses are available for smaller deposits on the card, but not as good a % as for the £280).

I usually put as much as I think I will spend at Asda onto their Christmas cards, as I figure I will need to eat and earning 5.3% on my "savings" is better than leaving the money in the bank. I'll replenish my savings by topping them up with the cash that I didn't spend at Asda... Rinse and repeat again each year.

The cards can be registered with Asda, so if you lose it they can void the old one and re-issue, thus you won't lose the cash on the card (unless somebody's already spent it...)

Does anybody know what the other retailers are doing, and whether they are worth bothering with?

VRD

Dod101
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Re: Christmas Saver Cards

#448179

Postby Dod101 » October 5th, 2021, 9:45 pm

vrdiver wrote:
The cards can be registered with Asda, so if you lose it they can void the old one and re-issue, thus you won't lose the cash on the card (unless somebody's already spent it...)


Or unless Asda goes bust.

Dod

Loup321
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Re: Christmas Saver Cards

#448308

Postby Loup321 » October 6th, 2021, 2:56 pm

Morrisons you can save £97 by 31st October and they will top up with £3 on 6th November. You have to spend it between 6th November and 31st December.

We had this discussion last year, and someone said they wouldn't spend that much in a supermarket. But I never came back and posted my experience. I saved, and got my bonus, but then I couldn't load it onto the card online. I had to phone Customer Services. Apparently, you can't use a "work" email address, and I had to log in and change my email address to a free googlemail one that I seldom use. Then, when I came to spend it on a £70 shop, they only took £30 off the bill. When I got home and checked, the additional cardholder had spent it, and not bothered to tell me! He had had 6 days from the first transaction to tell me, but just didn't. He gave the money back when I asked him about it.

All in all it was so stressful. I wanted to have a nice time, mooching about the shop, picking up bits and pieces that I wouldn't normally get, and the shopping bill be zero. In the end, the gloss was taken off - money in the bank is not the same as a £100 gift card (effectively). For £3. I did get a bottle of Baileys, which I think I drank in March.

pochisoldi
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Re: Christmas Saver Cards

#448312

Postby pochisoldi » October 6th, 2021, 3:19 pm

vrdiver wrote:Does anybody know what the other retailers are doing, and whether they are worth bothering with?


Iceland have a bonus card that works year round, for each £20 top up, you get credited with an extra £1. (So £20 gives £21, £40 gives £42)
Register the card online, top up with a cashback credit card, wait for the credit+bonus to be applied (usually about 30mins), then use the bonus card when you shop.

The bonus is worth 5%.

vrdiver
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Re: Christmas Saver Cards

#449644

Postby vrdiver » October 12th, 2021, 8:08 pm

Loup321 wrote:When I got home and checked, the additional cardholder had spent it, and not bothered to tell me! He had had 6 days from the first transaction to tell me, but just didn't. He gave the money back when I asked him about it.

All in all it was so stressful. I wanted to have a nice time, mooching about the shop, picking up bits and pieces that I wouldn't normally get, and the shopping bill be zero. In the end, the gloss was taken off - money in the bank is not the same as a £100 gift card (effectively). For £3. I did get a bottle of Baileys, which I think I drank in March.

(my bold)

Firstly, sorry to hear your experience was so stressful - that's not the way it's supposed to be!

A few years ago I bought a Morrisons Christmas Saver card and put £97 on it to get the £3 bonus. When the till operator handed me a cardboard card and 97 little stamps to stick on it I admit I was unimpressed!

As this is LBYM, I highlighted a part of your post, just to point out that, for me at least, the idea is to use the cards for normal expenditure, and NOT to buy anything I wouldn't normally buy just because I've got a prepaid card. I think that's what the companies would like you to do (i.e. spend more) especially around the Christmas period when it's so easy to get carried away!

The till operator in Asda did do a double-take when I paid with a Christmas Saver card in September, so I guess not too many people do what I do as regards using the scheme; to earn a 5.3% "interest" payment upfront on my savings 8-)

VRD

AF62
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Re: Christmas Saver Cards

#449706

Postby AF62 » October 12th, 2021, 11:09 pm

vrdiver wrote:I just noticed Asda has declared this year's Christmas Saver card deal; £280 put on the card by 5pm on 21st November will earn you a £15 bonus, paid 22nd November. That's a 5.3% bonus (lower bonuses are available for smaller deposits on the card, but not as good a % as for the £280).


Or alternatively shop at Lidl and sign up to their loyalty app which gives a £12 worth of money off vouchers every month of the year you spend £200 (£2 for the first £100 then £10 for the next £100).

And generally cheaper prices than the other supermarkets.

richlist
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Re: Christmas Saver Cards

#449734

Postby richlist » October 13th, 2021, 7:38 am

We usually go for the Tesco Clubcard Saver. £200 put on the card provides a £12 bonus (6%). You only have until 20th October if you want to do it.

We did an Asda card last year....£280 gives a £15 bonus but Asda deliveries and click/collect are appalling compared to the competition. We give Asda a wide berth, wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.

Loup321
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Re: Christmas Saver Cards

#450082

Postby Loup321 » October 14th, 2021, 12:20 pm

vrdiver wrote:
Loup321 wrote:mooching about the shop, picking up bits and pieces that I wouldn't normally get,

(my bold)

As this is LBYM, I highlighted a part of your post, just to point out that, for me at least, the idea is to use the cards for normal expenditure, and NOT to buy anything I wouldn't normally buy just because I've got a prepaid card. I think that's what the companies would like you to do (i.e. spend more) especially around the Christmas period when it's so easy to get carried away!


Very good point. However, for those of us that do like a little extra over the Christmas period, having the foresight to spread the cost through the year is also a LBYM idea. I added £5 a week (when I remembered) with my normal weekly shop, apart from in the weeks when I was stocking up on unusual stuff (I was going to say loo rolls, because they're £7.50 for the 24 pack, but you'll all think I was just panic buying and hoarding! :lol: ).

Or, alternatively, I could say I was only going to spend the £3 on bits and pieces I wouldn't normally get, but I've already admitted to buying Baileys.

Also, for the Morrisons card, I requested "Digital Christmas Savings Stamps" and they were just loaded onto my More card without having to fiddle with the physical stamps.

Imbiber
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Re: Christmas Saver Cards

#450216

Postby Imbiber » October 14th, 2021, 9:22 pm

richlist wrote:
We did an Asda card last year....£280 gives a £15 bonus but Asda deliveries and click/collect are appalling compared to the competition. We give Asda a wide berth, wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy.


We have had an Asda weekly delivery for over 18 months. No problems, we order, they deliver. Apart from a couple of bizarre substitutions no problem. Helpful polite drivers 10/10. Maybe a branch thing ?


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