Sainsbury’s is introducing a new feature on its Nectar app (Image: Getty)
Sainsbury’s is making a major change to its Nectar card which affects customers’ points.
is introducing a new “spend lock” feature on its Nectar app which will allow shoppers to freeze their accounts and set exactly where their points can be redeemed.
When the feature is switched on, will need to give manual permission to redeem any points that are on their account and this spending lock can only be enabled or disabled by the account holder.
Previously, anyone with access to an account number could receive the Nectar points as there was no lock which dedicated when or where they could be redeemed.
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The change doesn’t affect how customers collect points, as shoppers will continue to earn one Nectar point for every £1 spent at Sainsbury’s every time they show and scan their Nectar card or app.
But it means that costumes won’t be able to use any of their points to get money off their shopping until they unlock their points in the app. As such, shoppers essentially have the option to freeze spending their Nectar points until they are ready to use them.
The change comes as part of new security measures launched by Sainsbury’s to help protect costumers’ points after hundreds of shoppers reported their points being stolen.
An investigation by The Daily Mail found hoppers had lost an estimated 12.5 million Nectar points to scammers during the past year, amounting to more than £63,000.
Some customers reported having their points in stores hundreds of miles from where they live, with the Mail reporting that criminals have been circulating anonymous Nectar account numbers online and selling access to accounts.
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The lock feature is aimed at helping to protect Nectar customers’ points and was introduced this month, although not every customer will see the feature in the app just yet as it is still being rolled out.
A Nectar spokesperson said: “We’ve recently introduced a new spend lock feature to add an extra layer of security to our customer accounts, allowing customers to lock their points until they’re ready to spend them.
“Security is our highest priority and we have a range of measures which help to safeguard our customers’ points.”