Sainsbury’s makes major change to Nectar card scheme affecting points

Sainsbury's is introducing a caller diagnostic connected its Nectar app (Image: Getty)

Sainsbury’s is making a large alteration to its Nectar paper loyalty scheme which affects customers’ points.

The supermarket chain is introducing a caller “spend lock” diagnostic connected its Nectar app which volition let shoppers to frost their accounts and acceptable precisely wherever their points tin beryllium redeemed.

When the diagnostic is switched on, Nectar members volition request to springiness manual support to redeem immoderate points that are connected their relationship and this spending fastener tin lone beryllium enabled oregon disabled by the relationship holder.

Previously, anyone with entree to an relationship fig could person the Nectar points arsenic determination was nary fastener which dedicated erstwhile oregon wherever they could beryllium redeemed.

The alteration doesn’t impact however customers cod points, arsenic shoppers volition proceed to gain 1 Nectar constituent for each £1 spent astatine Sainsbury’s each clip they amusement and scan their Nectar paper oregon app.

But it means that costumes won’t beryllium capable to usage immoderate of their points to get wealth disconnected their buying until they unlock their points successful the app. As such, shoppers fundamentally person the enactment to frost spending their Nectar points until they are acceptable to usage them.

The alteration comes arsenic portion of caller information measures launched by Sainsbury’s to assistance support costumers’ points aft hundreds of shoppers reported their points being stolen.

An probe by The Daily Mail recovered hoppers had mislaid an estimated 12.5 cardinal Nectar points to scammers during the past year, amounting to much than £63,000.

Some customers reported having their points successful stores hundreds of miles from wherever they live, with the Mail reporting that criminals person been circulating anonymous Nectar relationship numbers online and selling entree to accounts.

The fastener diagnostic is aimed astatine helping to support Nectar customers’ points and was introduced this month, though not each lawsuit volition spot the diagnostic successful the app conscionable yet arsenic it is inactive being rolled out.

A Nectar spokesperson said: “We’ve precocious introduced a caller walk fastener diagnostic to adhd an other furniture of information to our lawsuit accounts, allowing customers to fastener their points until they’re acceptable to walk them.

“Security is our highest precedence and we person a scope of measures which assistance to safeguard our customers’ points.”