Sainsbury’s Nectar Double Up 2021 – Cancelled
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Sadly the Necar Double Event has been cancelled for 2021 – find out more about it below.
Update for Nectar Double Up 2021 – Cancelled
I was very disappointed to read this week that the Nectar Double Event has been cancelled for 2021. Ricky and Naomi broke the news over on their Skint Dad blog having spoken to staff instore about the annual promotion
Like myself, I’m sure a lot of people had been saving up their Nectar points to spend on Christmas presents and this decision by Nectar is frustrating, especially after such a tough year financially for so many people.
The scheme is being replaced by ‘My Nectar’ in which shoppers can save around £200 over the year by activating offers in the Nectar app and then shopping in-store using the Shop and Scan system.
This is another very disappointing decision as it excludes both online shoppers and those who don’t use the app. Many people collect Nectar points through eBay or when buying fuel, son won’t benefit at all from the new savings.
Nectar said its decision comes from fewer shoppers using the Double Up although last year could probably be considered an anomaly due to the pandemic.
I would also add the rules for getting the vouchers could be a bit convoluted although it did seem to have simplified them a little in recent years.
All in all, I’m actually a bit gutted to see this promotion stop as it was a great way to get more for your money with Nectar points.
While I don’t usually cover short-lived deals, I definitely think the upcoming Nectar Double Up (Nectar double up 2020) is something worth looking at, especially if you’re a regular Sainsbury’s shopper. I personally use it each year to do some of my Christmas shopping and it’s a great way to stretch some extra value from your Nectar points.
I’ll be perfectly honest here and say we don’t do our usual weekly shop at Sainsbury’s. While I do love the quality and range of their products, it’s just too expensive for us to do our main weekly shop there, so we usually shop at Lidl.
However, as my local Sainsbury’s is very close to my Mum’s house, I’ll often nip in there for the odd top-up shop, to pick up coupon freebies or to look for items in the reduced section. As such, I do end up accruing some Nectar points throughout the year.
We also sometimes buy petrol at Sainsbury’s garage and my Nectar card is linked to my eBay account too so I grab points from there as well.
Sainsbury’s Nectar Double Up
I am really glad Sainsbury’s are running this promotion again this year as it can really help customers get extra value for their money and purchase items for Chrismas.
What Are Nectar Points?
Nectar points are Sainsbury’s reward points system.
- You will earn 1 Nectar point for every £1 qualifying spend instore or online (this excludes things like cigarettes and baby formula)
- You will earn 1 Nectar point for every litre of fuel purchased in Sainsbury’s Petrol stations (note that this is per litre of fuel not per pounds spent)
- Nectar points are calculated on the total shopping, that’s after any discounts or money off vouchers are applied
- If you return something, ie an item of clothing, the Nectar points will be deducted.
- Points can be spent at both Sainsbury’s and Argos as well as a range of other retailers.
- Points can be collected at lots of retailers online.
When Is The Next Sainsbury’s Nectar Doube Up?
Nectar Double up 2020 details
The Nectar Double up event starts on Wednesday the 28th of October. This is the date you will able to go online and exchange your Nectar points for the Double Up Vouchers and runs until Tuesday the 3rd of November. This is for those who want to exchange their points online and have the vouchers sent to them in the post.
The actual double up event where you can spend your vouchers instore starts on Wednesday the 11th of November and runs until Tuesday 17th of November.
Double up vouchers can only be spent instore. In previous years (pre-2019) you had to go to customer services to get your vouchers exchanged whereas now this must be done via the app or online.
How Does The Nectar Double Up Work?
The Nectar Double up event allows you to exchange your Nectar points for double their value to spend in certain areas of the store, up to a maximum value of £100 (so exchanging 10,000 points usually worth £50 for a voucher worth £100)
You need to have at least 1000 points to be able to do this. So this would mean exchanging £5 worth of points (1000) for a £10 voucher or 2000 points for a £20 voucher and so on.
Once your vouchers have been exchanged there’s no going back – you need to spend them within the dates or you’ll lose out.
This makes the app is the better option for redeeming the vouchers as you can check what you want is in stock instore before exchanging your points via the app. Remember double up vouchers cannot be spent on food or your general shopping like normal nectar points can.
Listed below are the areas you can spend the double up vouchers in:
- TU Clothing
- Cosmetics
- Toys
- Entertainment
- Electricals
- Taste The Difference wine, sherry and port
- Fragrance
- Homeware
- Seasonal
- Skincare
- Gifting (excluding alcohol gifts)
As I mentioned above, it is definitely worth checking they have the items you’re looking for before exchanging. My mum often uses her double up vouchers to buy X box games for my brother which I think is a great way to use them.
Of course, you don’t have to buy Christmas presents. The fact homeware is included means you kit out your kitchen with new pots and pans or treats yourself to a new dinner set or some linen! There is a full list of the types of items you can buy on the Sainsbury’s website.
Anything Else?
You will need to spend the full value of your vouchers within 5p. So a £10 voucher can be spent on something that costs £9.95. Any less and you’ll need to add something to make up the difference.
If you go over the value of the voucher you’ll need to pay the difference.
Pros and Cons of Sainsbury’s Nectar Double Up 2020
As we anything there are definitely pros and cons of the Nectar Double Up which I have listed below.
Pros of Sainsbury’s Nectar Double Up Event
- It’s a brilliant way to get even more value out of your nectar points.
- Many families use it to buy toys and Christmas gifts as it always runs in November
- You don’t have to exchange all your points so you could keep some back for spending on other things such as food.
- You don’t have to be a regular Sainsburys shopper to accrue Nectar Points
- Categories like electricals and entertainment could mean big savings on usually expensive items.
Cons of Sainsbury’s Nectar Double Up Event
- As the sheer length of this post shows, the rules are quite complicated and can be difficult to understand.
- Once your points are exchanged in the double-up there’s no going back – so if Sainsbury’s don’t have what you were planning on buying you’ll have find something else to spend them on.
- You only have a week to spend them – so don’t forget about or lose them!
- They must be spent in certain areas and can’t be used on a normal food shop.
- Staff don’t always have the best knowledge around where vouchers can and can’t be spent.
- Signage in-store can be confusing – for example, last year alcohol gift sets were on the same shelves as other gifts surrounded by double up signage with nothing to point out they weren’t included in the offer.
- Double up vouchers can’t be spent online.
How To Boost Your Points For The Nectar Double Up 2020
If you’re thinking ahead to the Nectar double up 2020 event, you may be wondering how you can increase your points to make the most of it.
As I mentioned above, you can earn points on fuel and at eBay. However, there are lots of other online retailers where you can collect Nectar points too – so before you shop online it might be worth taking a look at the Nectar website. That said, cashback could well earn you more, so double check before spending.
Another great tip is to download the Nectar app. Once you’ve signed in or signed up there are loads of personalised offers, often for an extra 50 to 100 points each. I find these do tend to be on items I’d usually pick up in Sainsbury’s so it’s a great way to boost points.
It’s also a brilliant way to track your points and see how many you’ve built up.
If you’re signed up to Nectars mailing list they may also send you bonus points offers in the post, especially in the run-up to Christmas, so it’s definitely worth keeping an eye out for those.
Buying insurance or banking with Sainsbury’s can also get you extra points but also shop around to make sure it is the best deal for you.
