Sainsbury's is running its first 'triple point giveaway' for Nectar customers this bank holiday weekend.

Shoppers would receive up to one billion points over the four-day bonanza, which equated to about £5m in savings, the retailer claimed. "This is our biggest-ever Nectar points giveaway and it's our way of rewarding Sainsbury's Nectar shoppers for their loyalty," said customer director Gwyn Burr. "Many of our customers are facing exceptional financial pressures and we want to do everything we can to help ease that burden."

The number of people with a Nectar card has increased by more than one million in the past 12 months, making it the largest loyalty scheme in the UK, with 16.8 million users.

Sainsbury's attributes the growth to shoppers keen to get more for their money, new Sainsbury's store openings and the addition of Homebase as a Nectar partner.