Lidl has revamped its loyalty scheme and customers now earn points when they spend money in the shop
The ‘Lidl Plus’ scheme is changing – while the underlying programmed still exists but there’s a new element – ‘Lidl Plus Points’ – where members collect points that can be used for money-off coupons on their shopping or one-off rewards, such as a free doughnut.
But Lidl fans have said the new scheme is not as generous. Here’s everything you need to know.
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What has changed with Lidl Plus?
Lidl Plus is the loyalty scheme from Lidl and it has a new feature called Lidl Plus Points, which lets shoppers earn one point for every £1 they spend in the shop.
When they buy something in Lidl, their spend is rounded up to the nearest pound, so if they spent £9.97, for example, they would then receive 10 points. There will also be one-off promotions where members can earn extra points when buying certain products.
The Lidl Plus app, which gives discounted prices to members and one-off discounts and coupons, still remains and has not changed.
How do you earn points?
Points are earned when you spend in Lidl, so the more you spend, the more points you will earn. This is similar to other supermarket loyalty schemes including Tesco’s Clubcard points.
To earn points when you are paying for your shopping at Lidl, you will need to scan your loyalty card (from your app) or you will need to enter your phone number at the checkout. They will then appear in the app within two days.
Points can be used up to two years after you earn them.
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How do you spend points?
You can spend the points you earn with Lidl Plus in two ways. You can swap them for money-off vouchers by selecting this in the Lidl Plus app – once you’ve chosen your vouchers, you will then have 30 days to use them.
You can also swap the points for freebies or ‘rewards’. These are selected items you can get for free, although the number of points required for each item varies. If you choose to swap your points for a reward, you can select this in the app in the ‘rewards marketplace.’
Here are some of the examples of products you could exchange for points:
| Reward item | Number of points needed |
| Baked beans | 40 |
| Chocolate iced doughnut | 40 |
| Carrots 500g | 45 |
| Antibacterial handwash | 60 |
| Thick white toastie loaf | 75 |
| Five-pack of bananas | 80 |
| Cashew nuts | 180 |
| Pack of 24 toilet rolls | 530 |
| Grass fed sirloin beef steaks (two pack) | 1390 |
How other supermarket loyalty schemes work
- M&S relaunches Sparks loyalty: how does it work now?
- Asda Rewards review: how the loyalty scheme works
- Best ways to collect and spend Nectar points
- The best ways to use and earn Tesco Clubcard points
- My Waitrose loyalty scheme: how it works
- Morrisons More: how does it work
- Iceland Bonus Club: how does it work?
How did the loyalty scheme work before?
The old loyalty scheme allowed members to earn freebies and coupons when they spent certain amounts of money in the shop.
This included a free item when £10 had been spent. Some Lidl shoppers have criticised the new scheme as they say members now have to spend a lot more to take advantage of the freebies and discounts on offer.
Under the old scheme, members could save up to 10% on their shopping if they spent £250 in a month, for example, and once they spent £10 they would usually get a free bakery item.
Some features of the old loyalty scheme have remained. This includes personalised offers and money-off coupons based on your shopping habits. If you have earned coupons before the new scheme launched, this can still be used too.
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How do you sign up for Lidl Plus Points?
It’s free to sign up to Lidl Plus Points and you’ll need to download the Lidl Plus app to start using it.
There are a number of offers currently running. This includes 100 free points (which is £1) to anyone opening the new app for the first time and double points earned when you buy fresh fruit.
Is Lidl Plus a good loyalty scheme?
Lidl Plus has lots of offers for members, but the change this week to the scheme has been criticised for being less generous.
Under the new scheme, shoppers earn a point per £1 spent, and they can then use these points for rewards or money off. But this means if they choose the rewards, for example, they would currently need to spend £80 to get a ‘free’ doughnut. With the previous scheme most members could get a free bakery item after a £10 spend.
The previous scheme also gave 10% off shopping if someone spent £250 in a month at the shop. But now, for a £250 spend, members will collect 250 points. They can swap these points for products, and currently items worth 250 points include a 400g pack of mature cheddar cheese, a takeaway pizza, or a 400g pack of sausages – the value of which is significantly less than 10% off a big shop.
However, Lidl has said members will be able to earn more points for certain purchases, and there will be offers where they can earn more than one points per £1. It’s also worth looking at the cost of items at the supermarket, which is consistently lower than other major shops in the UK. Lidl is often voted as the cheapest (or second cheapest) supermarket by consumer group Which? for a set basket of goods it reviews each month, for example.
When compared to rival Aldi, which doesn’t have a loyalty scheme but does run one-off discounts and promotions, the Lidl loyalty programme is generous but it’s only worth using if you’re buying items you need and can afford – and not using the loyalty scheme as an excuse to overspend.
Most people are signed up to at least one loyalty scheme, and as most of the major supermarkets offer them, it’s well worth checking a few (if you have time) to make sure you’re getting the best discounts and rewards for you.
