Nectar is one of the UK’s biggest loyalty programs, and I’ve been using it for decades.
If you’re unsure how much Nectar points are worth, how to collect them, or where to spend them, this page breaks it all down in plain English.
In our former Q&A section Marco asked the question “How much are my Nectar points worth?” to answer that we’ve created a tool to allow you to quickly work out the true value of your Nectar points.
How much are yours worth?
In this guide show contents
How much is a Nectar point worth?
1 Nectar point is worth 0.5p. And if you’re wondering how many Nectar points for £1, it’s easy. There’s 200 Nectar points to a £1.
We’ve listed out some of the most common Nectar point values below.
1 Nectar point = 0.5p
2 Nectar points = 1p
100 Nectar points = 50p
200 Nectar points = £1
500 Nectar points = £2.50
1,000 Nectar points = £5
2,500 Nectar points = £12.50
5,000 Nectar points = £25
Unfortunately Nectar points aren’t always dished out in nice even numbers. That’s where our calculator below comes in.
What is Nectar?
Nectar is a popular reward card used by stores such as Sainsburys, Argos, Homebase, and many other high street store. Every time you make a purchase at one of these stores, your Nectar card is swiped and points are added to your account.
These points can be converted into cash, vouchers, or even used for purchases. Nectar has a reputation for being one of the lowest paying reward cards (see our article on the best reward cards to carry), but I still think it’s still worthwhile for those who regularly shop at Sainsbury’s, or fill up with fuel at Esso.
How do I get a nectar card?
You can apply for a Nectar card online at Nectar.comor pick one up in selected participating stores. If you do the latter, you can begin using it straight away, then register it with Nectar once you get home.
Nectar points value calculator
There are 200 Nectar points to £1, not including bonuses or special offers. If you use Nectar regularly it’s not uncommon to have thousands or tens of thousands of points. Rather than doing the maths yourself, just enter the number of points you have, and our Nectar points calculator will return the cash value.
Tip: OurNectar points calculator displays the value of your points in pounds, but Nectar regularly runs offers that when redeemed can boost the value of your points.
Where can I collect Nectar points?
There are several large retailers signed to the Nectar rewards program, so be sure to scan your card wherever you see the Nectar sign. Outside of the Sainsburys group, i.e. Sainsburys’ supermarkets, Argos, and Homebase, we’ve listed some of the less obvious places you can collect Nectar points.
Esso Petrol Stations
If you regularly visit Esso petrol stations then collecting Nectar points is a no-brainer. You’ll get one point per litre on fuel and 2 point for every £1 spent in store.
Be sure to check fuel prices locally though to ensure you get the best possible deal. If there is more than 0.5p (one nectar point) difference between the best available price and your local Esso, then you’ll save more by filling up elsewhere.
eBay
Frequent eBay shoppers can collect Nectar points on auctions and ‘buy it now’ items. You’ll earn one point for every pound spent. You need to link your Nectar account to eBay to collect the points, but you only have to do that once. Then it’s fire and forget. Points collection is limited to a maximum of 300 per item.
You can also spend your Nectar points on eBay, but you need to convert them into eBay vouchers first. This is done by hovering over the ‘My eBay’ menu option then clicking the ‘Collect and Spend’ Nectar option at the bottom. You can covert points in increments of 500. Once converted you have 12 months to spend the eBay voucher before it expires.
ASOS
Proof that thrifty is fashionable. ASOS is amongst one of the most generous retailers when it comes to collecting Nectar points. Customers earn 6 points per pound when shopping online, including on sale items. However, this can often be beaten by collecting cashback instead which can be up as much as 10% off.
Just Eat
Love a takeaway on a Friday night? You can now collect Nectar points when ordering viaJust Eat. To earn these point though you have to click through to Just Eat from your account on the Nectar website or App, so not quite as convenient as just firing up the Just App and ordering your favourite dish.
Where can I Spend Nectar points?
Nectar points can be spent in many of the same stores and retailers where they are collected.
Popular stores include Sainsbury’s, Argos, Vue cinemas and Cafe Nero. If you’re feeling altruistic, you can even donate Nectar points to charities.
Below are some of the top ways to spend your Nectar points.
Nectar double events
Nectar and its partners used to run annual ‘double up‘ events. Often held in spring or autumn, these events were popular as they allowed Nectar card holders to effectively double the value of their Nectar points. For example 2,000 Nectar points would normally be worth £10, but during a double up event, you could swap these 2,000 points for a £20 voucher and thus doubling the value of your Nectar points.
Unfortunately, Sainsbury’s cancelled the Nectar double up event in 2021, claiming that fewer users had been making use of it. Instead it trialed a promotion called ‘My Nectar Prices‘ (see below) that offers tailored priced based on your individual spending habits.
Nectar prices – (discounts plus points)
Nectar prices is a new initiative by Sainsbury’s to turn the Nectar card into more of a rewards cards like Tesco’s club card. If you regularly shop at Sainsbury’s using your Nectar card, you’ll be offered discounts on items based on your spending habits. Here’s an example of the type of discounts available.
The average discount is 25%, and it is a true discount, meaning you won’t find the products have been cheaper before. Unfortunately, you only get around 4-5 discounted offers a week. The good news though is that you still earn Nectar point even on the discounted items.
Get Cashback instead
As mentioned earlier, Nectar is one of the lowest paying reward cards out there. A better way to earn cash from your spending is to use a cashback site. Cashback websites pay you when you spend a retailers via their links.
It doesn’t cost you anything extra and doesn’t affect your purchase or relationship with the retailer in any way at all. The cashback is effectively a bribe by the retailer to the cashback website to encourage you to visit them. The cashback website then pays some or all of this money to you.
The two best cashback websites are Quicdo which is currently offering a £10 bonus if you sign up through the links on this site, and Top Cashback(also offering a £10 bonus). Your bonus will be added to your account once you’ve earned at least £5 cashback. That could be as quickly as a single purchase.
See our guide to cashback websites
Use a cashback debit or credit card to increase value
In some cases when using cashback sites above, retails might not add Nectar points in addition to the cashback. Yet if you use a specialist cashback debit or credit, you can earn as well as collect, thus increasing your overall value.
We previously published our long term review of the Chase UK bank account, this is a digital bank account with full FSCS protection, that offers 1% cashback on food and transport.
For cashback on a wider ranger of products, you can’t beat the Trading 212 debit card. It offers 0.5% cashaback (sometimes boosted to 1.5%), across household and daily items.
There are also two Nectar points cards to consider. The Amex Nectar and the Sainsbury’s Bank Nectar Mastercard. The Amex Nectar card offers a 20,000 Nectar points bonus (worth £100) on a £2,000 spend within the first three months. While the Sainsbury’s card offers 8,000 Nectar points (worth £40) on a £400 spend in the first 2 months.
Swap your Nectar points for Avios (air miles)
The Nectar – Avios partnership means you can swap your Nectar point for Avios points which can then be spent on flights (with British Airways and partners), hotels, and car hire. Due to the limited number of places Nectar points can be spent, this can be a great way to make use of points that would otherwise be sitting doing nothing.
You’ll need a British Airways Executive Club account to collect Avios points, but once you have that you will be able to convert either Nectar to Avios or Avios to Nectar. Here is the Nectar link to connect your two accounts together and begin converting points
The conversion rate is 400 Nectar points to 250 Avios, or 250 Avios to 400 Nectar points. don’t worry though if you’ve a stack of points, we’ve developed a nifty little Nectar to Avios calculator to speed things up.
There are minimum and maximum limits on the number of points you can covert. The lower limit is 250 Nectar points, and the maximum is 40,000. You must convert the points in multiples of 250, 500, 750, 1,000 etc..
We know that one Nectar points is worth 0.5p, that makes one Avios point worth 0.8p when when do the reverse conversion. That means that:
- 1,000 Avios points are worth £8 in Nectar points
- 5,000 Avios points are worth £40 in Nectar points
- 10,000 Avios points are worth £80 in Nectar points
You need around 4,000 Avios to get a free short haul flight from London to Paris, where you’ll still have to pay £17.50 in taxes. In Nectar that works out around 6,400 points or £32.
MyMail and Nectar
If you’re a Daily Mail reader and signed up to itsMyMail rewards programme, you could earn up to 80 Nectar points a week with the newspaper. We’ve separate this out into its own article so we could better detail the process, and assess whether or not it’s worth it.
See our breakdown on the Daily Mail Rewards programme, and MyMail Nectar Points.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How much are Nectar points worth?
Nectar points are generally worth 0.5 pence each when redeemed in most partner retailers (for example, in Sainsbury’s or Argos). That means:
100 Nectar points = £0.50
1,000 Nectar points = £5.00
10,000 Nectar points = £50.00
Occasionally, certain partners (like Esso) run promotions where your points can be worth slightly more, sometimes up to 1 pence each. Always check current offers in the Nectar app or on Nectar’s website before redeeming.
2. What is the value of one Nectar point?
Typically 1 Nectar point = 0.5 pence. So if you have, say, 2,000 points, you’ll get £10.00 of value when you spend them at standard rates.
Promotional periods or specific partner deals can occasionally boost this (e.g., 1 pence per point), but those are time‑limited and clearly advertised.
3. How do I redeem my Nectar points?
You can redeem Nectar points:
In-store at Sainsbury’s: Scan your Nectar card or app at the checkout.
Online at Sainsbury’s: Choose “Spend Nectar points” at payment.
At other partners (e.g., Argos, Esso, Debenhams): Present your Nectar card/app at checkout or follow the partner’s online redemption process.
Via gift cards or vouchers: Through the Nectar app or website, you can choose e‑vouchers (e.g., John Lewis, Starbucks) that convert your points at the standard 0.5 p per point rate.
4. Can I convert Nectar points to cash or bank transfer?
No, Nectar points cannot be converted directly into cash or transferred to your bank account. They can only be spent with Nectar’s approved partners (e.g., Sainsbury’s, Argos, Esso, Debenhams) or exchanged for gift cards and third‑party vouchers. If you’re looking for a cash‑equivalent, consider choosing a gift card that you’d spend anyway (e.g., a supermarket voucher).
5. Do Nectar points expire?
No, Nectar points themselves don’t expire but Nectar can deactivate your account if you haven’t spent or earned any point in the last 12 months. To avoid losing points:
- Log into your Nectar account at least once every 12 months to keep the account active.
- Redeem or earn at least one point within any rolling 18‑month window.
- If your balance reaches zero (or you use points), the countdown resets from when you last earned new points.
Terms do change so don’t leave it until the last minute. It’s best to check the Nectar website for more details on expiring points
6. Are Nectar points worth collecting?
Yes, especially if you shop regularly at Sainsbury’s, Argos, or Esso. For every
£1 spent at Sainsbury’s (in-store or online) = 1 point (i.e., £0.005 back per £1 spent).
£1 spent at Argos = 0.5 points (i.e., £0.0025 per £1).
If you shop strategically (e.g., during bonus‑point events or partner promotions), you can boost your effective return to closer to 1 pence per point. However, if you rarely use partner retailers or forget to check for promotions, the default rate is fairly low (0.5 p per point).
