Sainsbury’s makes major Nectar change for shoppers | UK | News

Sainsbury’s has made a major Nectar change that affects the way shoppers collect and spend points in the supermarket.

As part of increased security measures, shoppers now need to use a QR code on the Nectar app to access locations at Sainsbury’s. To do this, shoppers need to update their app to the latest version and can find the code on the app’s home screen. The change means customers will no longer be able to spend Nectar points using the barcode in the Nectar app when shopping at Sainsbury’s.

For shoppers with a physical Nectar card, the card will need to be swiped through the black magnetic strip on the side of the chip and PIN machine at checkout, but points can still be collected as normal using the barcode on the back of the card.

In an email to customers, Sainsbury’s said: “We’ve made some updates as we continually work to protect the security of your Nectar points.

“From 27 October you’ll need to use the QR code on the Nectar app to collect and spend points at Sainsbury’s. Here’s what you need to do:

• You will need to update your app to the latest version to access the QR Code to collect and spend your Nectar points. You will find the QR code on the main screen of the application.
• If you use your phone’s wallet to collect and spend points, you can now add the QR code to your wallet from the Nectar app.
• You will no longer be able to spend your Nektar points with the barcode in the Nectar app when shopping at Sainsbury’s.

“To spend points with a plastic card, you will need to swipe the black magnetic strip on the side of the chip and PIN machine in Sainsbury’s stores. You can still collect points as normal when using the barcode on your plastic card.”

In addition, customers who collect Nektar points and spend them on gasoline will need to use the barcode, which can be accessed from the Nektar application, in certain places.

Sainsbury’s added: “In certain locations you will still need to use your barcode, which you can access from the Nectar app. Where you will need to scan the barcode is:

• Collecting Nectar points at Pay at Pump at a Sainsbury’s petrol station
• Collecting and spending Nectar points at the Esso gas station

“To access the barcode: After updating the app, tap your card on the home screen. From there, swipe left to see the barcode.

“If you use Google Wallet, your Nectar app will not automatically update the card in your Google Wallet. You will receive a notification from Google asking you to update it yourself. If you miss the notification, you can add the new card at any time by tapping ‘add to wallet’ from the home screen of your Nectar App.”