Tesco postpones changes to Clubcard Reward Partners scheme until summer

Tesco has been forced to delay controversial changes to its Clubcard rewards scheme after a backlash from customers angry at its latest move.

The supermarket wrote to shoppers this week to say it had cut down on the level of rewards it was offering with the Clubcard Reward Partners scheme, which it said would simplify the loyalty offering.

Tesco told its 17 million-plus users it would offer three times the value of their vouchers with more than 100 commercial partners as the standard redemption rate.

Previously some partners, including the likes of restaurant chains Pizza Express, Prezzo and Zizzi, offered four times the value of Clubcard points, though others offered less than three times.

However, the move met a fierce reaction from customers on social media and yesterday Tesco said it had listened to the feedback and would postpone the introduction of the changes until 10 June.

“Customers have told us they want Clubcard to be simpler, and they’ve asked us to make it easier to get the most value from the points they collect,” said Tesco chief customer officer Alessandra Bellini.

“That’s why we’re simplifying our Reward Partners programme so it’s more straightforward to use, by offering customers three times the value of their vouchers with over 100 Clubcard Reward Partners.

“We’ve listened to the feedback from customers who said they want more time to adjust, so we’ve delayed making these changes until 10 June.

“It means that customers who planned to redeem their vouchers at four times the value with Reward Partners will have the time to do so.

“We will be sharing more information with Clubcard customers over the coming days.”

The changes represent the latest bid by Tesco to simplify Clubcard, following last July’s launch of the new contactless version and also the retailer’s decision last year to scrap its regular Clubcard Boost events.