Boots Advantage card changes: new points system and discounts explained - when will changes happen?

Health and beauty retailer Boots has revealed it is making sweeping changes to how its Advantage Card loyalty scheme operates.

Set to come in later this year, the system for earning Advantage points at Boots will become less generous. But, at the same time, the UK-wide chain will be offering discounts on a wider range of the products it stocks.

The retailer’s loyalty programme has been known as one of the most generous on the high street. It has compared favourably to those run by the UK’s biggest supermarkets, including Tesco Clubcard and MyWaitrose.

The news comes as businesses up and down the country face major economic challenges in the form of record inflation, high interest rates and the looming threat of a recession. These issues mean consumers have been spending less on all but the essentials, while at the same time firms have struggled to afford to grow - or even stay afloat.

So, how is Boots changing its loyalty scheme - and how many Advantage points will you now get per £1 spent? Here’s everything you need to know.

How is Boots Advantage Card changing?

In an email it sent out to customers on Thursday (9 March), Boots set out how its loyalty scheme will be changing.

The bad news for shoppers is that its points system is about to get less generous. Rather than getting four points for every £1 you spend (or, in other words, 4p), you will now get 3p back in every pound.

But Boots is balancing this out with new discounts for Advantage Card holders. Alongside the existing 10% discount shoppers will get off the price of a meal deal, shoppers will be able to get 10% off thousands of Boots own-brand products.

There are some limits to this offer though. For example, several Boots brands will not be included, such as No7, Botanics, Liz Earle, Soap & Glory and Boots Beauty Boxes. Also not included will be Boots Opticians, Boots Hearingcare, photo services and Boots Pharmacy.

As well as a wider range of discounts, shoppers will get access to exclusive prices on hundreds of products through a Price Advantage scheme. It is a strategy which echoes that of Tesco Clubcard, which provides hefty discounts in exchange for your purchasing data.

It also reassured customers that the points balances they have built up will remain intact. The store added that they will be worth the same amount of money as before.

It comes after Boots made major changes in 2022 to how long Advantage accounts can lay dormant for before having their points wiped. The retailer slashed the time limit from two years to one year.

When will Advantage Card changes happen?

Boots will be implementing the changes to its Advantage Card scheme this spring.

While it hasn’t given a specific start date yet, the retailer says the rollout will occur in May 2023. So you still have several weeks to take advantage of the points system in its current guise before it gets less generous.