Sainsbury’s is ramping up its loyalty offering with a summer competition for EV drivers. The competition will give one customer the chance to win one million Nectar points – worth at least £5,000 – by charging their car up.
The supermarket giant said the promotion is its biggest ever giveaway through Smart Charge, its ultra-rapid EV charging service. For those keen to enter, you have until July 20 2025.
To enter, EV drivers must use a Smart Charge bay, then scan their Nectar card, automatically placing them into a prize draw to win the jackpot, which can be redeemed across the loyalty scheme’s 500-plus brand partners.
Customers can splurge their points on groceries at Sainsbury’s, products from Argos, Tu and Habitat, or convert them into Avios for flights and Eurostar bookings. Points can also be given to charities such as Comic Relief and The Woodland Trust.
Sainsbury’s chief property and procurement officer and MD of Smart Charge Patrick Dunne said: “We’re proud to be the UK’s first EV charging service to offer loyalty rewards from Nectar. This giveaway is a brilliant way for us to further reward our loyal customers.”
Launched in early 2024, Smart Charge now runs in more than 650 bays at 79 Sainsbury’s sites. The grocer fully owns and operates the charing service, which uses 100% sustainable power and offers speeds of over 100kW.
Nectar360 MD Amir Rasekh said the initiative is “a great way to reward EV drivers through Nectar,” and “an excellent example of how the Nectar coalition delivers loyalty everyone loves.”
Despite the enticing award, Sainsbury’s shoppers have been warned that they are paying much more for their shopping on average than customers of several other major supermarkets – even if they have a Nectar card.
New analysis by consumer magazine Which? issued yesterday has found that once again, Aldi has been crowned the UK’s cheapest supermarket, with the latest results for June putting the discount budget retailer 35p cheaper than Lidl, followed by Asda, then Tesco with Clubcard prices, then Sainsbury’s with Nectar card prices.
The analysis compares a basket of 79 goods across eight supermarkets, with Aldi coming in the cheapest at £131.52, closely followed by Lidl at £131.87 including its loyalty discount, and then Asda at £144.82. Tesco shoppers with Clubcards would pay £146.69, while Sainsbury’s shoppers with Nectar cards face a bill for £148.29. It means that shopping at Sainsbury’s was found to be £16.77 more expensive than Aldi.
And over the past 12 months, a Sainsbury’s shopper with a Nectar card would pay £850 more than an Aldi customer for the same basket of goods, according to Aldi analysis of Which?’s figures.