Loyalty cards save you money, at a price
It's official: supermarket loyalty cards do save you money.
An investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority found that, despite scepticism from the general public. 92 per cent of offers to loyalty-card holders were indeed genuine.
The study appears to contradict the widespread belief that retailers merely inflate prices for non-loyalty-card holders, although the authority stresses that it is still wise to shop around for the best deal.
It is also worth bearing in mind that retailers are not offering these discounts out of the goodness of their hearts. Anybody holding a loyalty card is consenting to the monitoring of their shopping habits, and targeted marketing material.
Used wisely, loyalty cards can be a useful way of saving money. But as the old adage goes, there is no such thing as a free lunch.
