You gotta have faith…

Sunday 10th August, 2008 - £8,228.83 in debt…

There was a time, years ago when I was younger and even more stupid than I am now, when my wallet was full of credit cards and store cards. Now I have a debit card, one credit card sometimes (for emergencies), and an increasing number of friendly-looking loyalty cards.

The problem with loyalty cards is that you never stop hearing about them. Every day you walk past signs telling you about extra points on this, using your points for that, and the incessant “do you have a Nectar card?” from till people, followed by a withering and slightly sympathetic look if you say no. Being the winner of “Most Unreasonably Stubborn Human 2008″, I didn’t budge until very recently. Now I have four of the things.

Nectar Card

This allows me to collect points at Sainsbury’s (where I often buy petrol) and BP garages, among other places I haven’t tried yet. In return for the heroic effort of handing my key-fob over at the till, I get to spend my points on various “treats”, from a cordless screwdriver to a night out at the bingo, to indoor skydiving.

Tesco Clubcard

With this one, I build up points from shopping at Tesco, and I can spend the points on my next Tesco shop. But that’s stupid when you can spend them on treats instead and increase their value by four times. Treats include Air Miles, theme park days out, and restaurant meals.

Boots Advantage Card

This gives four points per pound spent, and Boots often has double or triple points days when you can collect even more.  Each point is worth 1p when you spend it in-store, but you can’t redeem your points against everything. You can also pop your card into an in-store Boots Bonus Machine and pick up money-off vouchers.

Co-op Membership Card

I signed up for one of these a couple of weeks ago, received it through the post, eagerly panted my way down to the Co-op and handed it over with my shopping, and was told that it wasn’t accepted. Apparently this is because my Co-op is part of the Plymouth and South West Co-op, which is in another dimension to the rest of them.  In theory, the Co-op Membership Card gives you a share of Co-op’s profits (how much you get depends on how much you spend), and it goes straight into your bank account.

Now I’ve run out of ideas. Have I missed any?