NEW: Get 10,000 Nectar points (6,250 Avios) with the free Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card

Sainsbury’s Bank has, until 1st December, boosted the bonus on the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card.

This free Mastercard usually has a sign-up bonus of 8,000 Nectar points, which converts to 5,000 Avios.

For the next few weeks, this is increased to 10,000 Nectar points. This is worth 6,250 Avios.

It certainly isn’t a great credit card for day to day spending, as I will explain, but arguably 6,250 Avios as a sign-up bonus on a free credit card is worth thinking about.

About the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card

The Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card is issued by Sainsbury’s Bank, a wholly owned subsidiary of the supermarket chain.

The card is issued as a Mastercard.

The representative APR is 20.9% variable.

Sainsbury’s Bank issues a number of credit cards with different features. All have the same earning rate per £1 spent. This version has the most generous Nectar sign-up bonus.

If you want to see what other options are available, visit this page of the Sainsbury’s Bank website.

What is the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card sign-up bonus?

Until 1st December, you will receive 10,000 Nectar points when you spend £400 at Sainsbury’s, Tu Clothing or Argos within your first two months.

This is worth 6,250 Avios if you convert the Nectar points.

The offer may not show online unless you use the link at the bottom of this article, although it leads to the standard application page.

The usual bonus is 8,000 Nectar points, worth 5,000 Avios, and I would expect it to return to this level after 1st December.

You can learn more about the Nectar and Avios partnership in our article here. Details of how to convert Nectar points to Avios are on ba.com here.

What are the conditions of applying?

There is no stated minimum income requirement.

Feedback from readers earlier this year was that the self-employed are not currently being accepted.

You must have a Nectar card to apply. Sainsbury’s would prefer you to have held one for six months before applying for the credit card, but this is not compulsory.

Any other benefits?

All new cardholders receive two financial benefits:

• 0% interest on balance transfers for 12, 14 or 17 months depending on circumstances

• 0% interest on purchases for 12, 14 or 17 months depending on circumstances

Note that Sainsbury’s credit cards cannot be used with Apple Pay but they do work with Google Pay.

What is the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card annual fee?

There is no annual fee.

What do I earn per £1 spent on the card?

The earning rate on the card is 1 Nectar point per £5 for general spending and 2 points per £1 for spending in Sainsbury’s, Tu Clothing and Argos.

The website says that you receive 3 points per £1 for spending with Sainsbury’s. When you look at the small print, you will see that they are including the 1 point per £1 on base Nectar earning.

Points are earned ‘per transaction’. This means that a £4.99 purchase outside of Sainsbury’s will earn nothing. A £9.99 transaction would only earn one Nectar point.

What is a Nectar point worth?

In virtually all circumstances, a Nectar point is worth 0.5p.

Here is our HfP guide on how to spend Nectar points.

1 point per £5 charged to your card is equivalent to a 0.1% rebate on your spend.

In reality, it is worse than this because your spending is rounded down to the nearest £5 per transaction before points are awarded.

With 1 Nectar point worth 0.625 Avios, you would earn 0.125 Avios per £1 spent outside Sainsbury’s. Inside Sainsbury’s you would earn 1.25 Avios per £1.

If you value an Avios at 1p, your return on general spending is 0.125%.

How does a 0.125% return compare to a cashback credit card?

My default non-Amex comparison card is the John Lewis / Waitrose Mastercard which is free for life and offers 0.25% cashback in vouchers.

On this basis, the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card is a good card to use in Sainsbury’s, Argos and Tu Clothing but you are very likely to have a more rewarding card in your wallet to use elsewhere.

Is the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card worth getting purely for the sign-up bonus?

Yes, potentially. It is down to how desperate you are for 6,250 Avios, your ability to hit the qualifying spend and your willingness to add another card to your credit file.

The Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card sign-up bonus is worth having. 10,000 Nectar points is worth 6,250 Avios.

You need to spend £400 in Sainsbury’s, Argos or Tu Clothing within two months to trigger the bonus. Before you apply, be certain that you can manage this.

It is likely that gift card purchases, for other companies, bought in Sainsbury’s would trigger the bonus.

Conclusion

The Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card has a good sign-up bonus. The bonus of 10,000 Nectar points will convert into 6,250 Avios.

The on-going earnings rate of 1 Nectar point per £5 spent is weak, unfortunately, and this card is not a great ‘keeper’ for daily spending.

However, earning 2 Nectar points (worth 1.25 Avios) for every £1 spent in Sainsbury’s, Argos or Tu Clothing IS attractive. This card may be worth keeping if you are a regular Sainsbury’s shopper and are not earning 1.5 Avios per £1 from a British Airways Premium Plus credit card.

The application form for the Sainsbury’s Nectar Credit Card 10,000 points offer can be found here. The special bonus offer ends on 1st December.

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Want to earn more points from credit cards? – December 2021 update

If you are looking to apply for a new credit or charge card, here are our November 2021 recommendations based on the current sign-up bonus. 

You can see our full directory of all UK cards which earn airline or hotel points here. Here are the top current deals:

Earning miles and points from small business cards

If you are a sole trader or run a small company, you may also want to check out these offers.

For a non-American Express option, we also recommend the Barclaycard Select Cashback card for sole traders and small businesses. It is FREE and you receive 1% cashback on your spending: