Is Tesco withdrawing 3V cards?

I have written a few posts recently about how to earn free Avios (360 per £50 purchase) by buying 3V Virtual Visa cards at Tesco (see here and here for example).  This has, unfortunately, led to a nationwide shortage of them!

It now seems that Tesco may be withdrawing the cards when current stocks run down.  Reader Steve made a formal enquiry to Tesco and got this back in reply:

Dear Mr XXXXXX

Thank you for your email.  My name is XXXXXX and I am a Customer Service Manager who is responsible for resolving your email.

I’m sorry to learn the details of your concerns since trying to purchase 3V Visa Prepaid cards from your local Tesco stores.  I appreciate you contacting me, as these have not been found during your recent visits.

Please be assured that it is never our intention to frustrate or disappoint any customer at any time.

To investigate, I have this afternoon spoken with my colleague XXXXXX, from our Business Support Team.  I have been informed that we no longer sell the V3 version of these cards, but we still sell the standard Visa Giftcard, which can be bought in either a  £25.00 or £50.00 value.  These will be available in most major stores which sell giftcards.

Finally, I’d like to thank you for your time and I do hope you are able to purchase these on your next usual visit.  If there is anything else I can do to help, please do contact this office again.

I am actually quite impressed that Tesco is responding to enquiries in such a detailed manner.

And yesterday, just as I preparing this post, reader Mark posted this in the Comments section of Head for Points:

GAME OVER!  Just had a call from Tesco after I sent an email asking when my local store would stock 3V cards. They inform me stocks won’t be replenished anywhere as their agreement with 3V, which was for limited stocks, is now at an end. It seems to me the bonus clubcard points attracted the wrong type of customer for 3V.

Nothing in either of these messages surprises me.  After all, Tesco is making a big splash of the Visa gift cards which carry a £3.95 fee.  It is just plain weird to cannibalise sales of these by selling the 3V cards alongside them, which carry no fee.

There are certainly thousands of 3V cards still in the system, since your reports show that stores which carry them are still being restocked.  I wouldn’t count on this as a long-term way of generating free Avios points, though.

How to earn Avios from UK credit cards (December 2021)

As a reminder, there are various ways of earning Avios points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses!

There are two official British Airways American Express cards with attractive sign-up bonuses:

British Airways American Express

5,000 Avios for signing up, no annual fee and an Economy 2-4-1 voucher for spending ….. Read our full review

British Airways American Express Premium Plus

25,000 Avios and the UK’s most valuable credit card perk – the 2-4-1 companion voucher Read our full review

You can also get generous sign-up bonuses by applying for American Express cards which earn Membership Rewards points, such as:

American Express Preferred Rewards Gold

Your best beginner’s card – 20,000 points, FREE for a year & two airport lounge passes Read our full review

The Platinum Card from American Express

30,000 points and an unbeatable set of travel benefits – for a fee Read our full review

Run your own business?

We recommend Capital On Tap for limited companies. You earn 1 Avios per £1 which is impressive for a Visa card, along with a sign-up bonus worth 10,500 Avios:

Capital On Tap Business Rewards Visa

The most generous Avios Visa or Mastercard for a limited company Read our full review

You should also consider the British Airways Accelerating Business credit card. This is open to sole traders as well as limited companies and has a 30,000 Avios sign-up bonus:

British Airways Accelerating Business American Express

30,000 Avios sign-up bonus – plus annual bonuses of up to 30,000 Avios Read our full review

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which earn Avios. This includes both personal and small business cards.

(Want to earn more Avios?  Click here to visit our home page for our latest articles on earning and spending your Avios points and click here to see how to earn more Avios this month from offers and promotions.)