use of Tesco Vouchers for tunnel

[PJay]

Thinking of using Tesco Vouchers for a crossing in September. Never been on the Tunnel (or should that be IN the Tunnel?) How easy is it to book? What would be the best time to travel?

Would like to hear of other MHomers experiences We usually travel on the Fast Cat Portsmouth/Cherburg Seems a cheap way to cross over , though would mean more fuel costs for us, (Live 10mins away from Portsmouth Ferry)

VIEWS Please anyone?

Pauline

[Mickt]

Just convert your Tesco vouchers for the tunnel , then telephone the tunnel people to book. Used this crossing a few times now and it gets better each time . All the booking in is automatic, just pull up to the barrier and use the touch screen. You can arrive up to 2 hours earlier and they put you on earlier train at no extra charge.

[Klyne]

The Tesco scheme is really excellent and we have used it for several years. You can convert your Club Card points online and they send you the X4 vouchers. Its a good idea to go onto the Eurotunnel website and do a mock booking as this makes it easier to decide which crossing time/fare you want. I then print this off so I am ready to discuss times/fares with Eurotunnel on the phone. If you don't have quite enough vouchers you can make up the difference by paying the balance by credit card. Once booked you have to send the booking form and vouchers to Eurotunnel, usually by recorded delivery. They then confirm by e-mail your booking, there are no tickets!

 

David

[BrianR]

First, go on to the Eurotunnel website and see what the cost will be for the out and return crossing you want. Make sure you select "campervan" for the vehicle type. Then you can order the appropriate value of tunnel coupons by converting your Tesco's vouchers online, on the Tesco.com site. When they arrive from Tesco there is a leaflet with them, which gives you the 'phone number to use to book your ticket. The small difference between your coupons and the actual price can be paid using your credit card. Now, when you drive up to the ticket booth at the tunnel, your vehicle number is read automatically and the screen already has your booking details on it - spooky! It will offer you the choice between the next available crossing or the one you have booked. I always use the tunnel and Tesco's vouchers. By carefully choosing the day and time of crossing the cost of around £68 pounds (each way) is reduced to £17. One point to note, you must book your return ticket at the same time as the outward ticket, or you can't use Tesco's vouchers.

[PJay]

Thanks guys for your postings. How long before do you need to get the vouchers?( Do they have a time span?) Not sure of dates yet, usually book only a week or so before, being retired we just like to get up and go, as the mood and weather takes us. i feel we must try the tunnel once , probably like travelling on the London underground? Haven't done that in years though.

Pauline

[AnnPaul]

Brian R

 

Tesco vouchers one way! I have recently booked a one way ticket for Christmas time with out any hassle.

 

Paul

[Ina]

Prices for Eurotunnel go up the nearer you get to departure date, in common with airlines, so booking as late as possible will be more expensive.

 

With Tesco vouchers you HAVE to book a minimum of 14 days before departure. Although you can redeem your Tesco vouchers on-line, the tunnel vouchers are sent by post, so you'd also have to allow for that, I'd say at least a week, although in practice you usually get them in about 4 days.

 

We usually book well in advance and the cheapest we can find for a motorhome is £61 each way, we usually have £30 in Tesco vouchers which equals £120 for the tunnel.

 

Once you have converted the Tesco vouchers into tunnel vouchers, you have 6 months to use them, so vouchers issued this month, July, would be valid until the end of January 2011.

 

Ina.

 

 

[david lloyd]

Excellent way to cross and excellent value (at 4 times the face value) for your tesco vouchers. Always use the tunnel as it is much better for the dog!

 

If you take pets the fee cannot be added to the vouchers though you will have to pay cash (£30 per dog) for this.

 

Never had any problem before but this year we arrived a couple hours early expecting, as usual, to get on an earlier crossing - we were given an earlier train but Eurostar was stuck in the tunnel and we had a 2.5 hour wait so ended up behind time - this is unusual and the crossing itself is great.

 

Although we do book the return journey at the same time one year we had to return four days earl due to a family crisis and made the arrangements by telephone - changed at no charge.

 

David

[Brian Kirby]

BrianR - 2010-07-18 10:09 AM First, go on to the Eurotunnel website and see what the cost will be for the out and return crossing you want. Make sure you select "campervan" for the vehicle type. Then you can order the appropriate value of tunnel coupons by converting your Tesco's vouchers online, on the Tesco.com site. When they arrive from Tesco there is a leaflet with them, which gives you the 'phone number to use to book your ticket. The small difference between your coupons and the actual price can be paid using your credit card. Now, when you drive up to the ticket booth at the tunnel, your vehicle number is read automatically and the screen already has your booking details on it - spooky! It will offer you the choice between the next available crossing or the one you have booked. I always use the tunnel and Tesco's vouchers. By carefully choosing the day and time of crossing the cost of around £68 pounds (each way) is reduced to £17. One point to note, you must book your return ticket at the same time as the outward ticket, or you can't use Tesco's vouchers.

Because prices vary according to imminence of proposed travel date, and also according to demand on the particular shuttle train, it is better to convert the Tesco vouchers to Tunnel vouchers before you start looking at shuttle slots.  As below, the tunnel vouchers are valid for six months, so early conversion carries little actual penalty.  If you do as Brian suggests above, and select your shuttle slot first, you may find that by the time you have the Tunnel vouchers, and can actually book, the price has changed or the slot has gone.

Booking early in relation to proposed travel date will get the best price, but the price for a given shuttle slot will be the same whether or not you use vouchers, so if you prefer flexibility and are prepared to pay the premium for late booking, the vouchers will still carry the same face value.

Best value, generally, is to travel mid-week, out after 14:00 and return before 12:00.  The website is nice and flexible and allows you to look at various date/time options - so you can play for hours!  :-)

[starvin marvin]

Hymer584 - 2010-07-18 1:12 PM

 

Prices for Eurotunnel go up the nearer you get to departure date, in common with airlines, so booking as late as possible will be more expensive.

 

With Tesco vouchers you HAVE to book a minimum of 14 days before departure. Although you can redeem your Tesco vouchers on-line, the tunnel vouchers are sent by post, so you'd also have to allow for that, I'd say at least a week, although in practice you usually get them in about 4 days.

 

We usually book well in advance and the cheapest we can find for a motorhome is £61 each way, we usually have £30 in Tesco vouchers which equals £120 for the tunnel.

 

Once you have converted the Tesco vouchers into tunnel vouchers, you have 6 months to use them, so vouchers issued this month, July, would be valid until the end of January 2011.

 

Ina.

 

 

Can I ask how much you need to spend at Tesco to get £30 of vouchers? we are about to get a new Tesco near to us. So maybe a switch from Saino's.

[PJay]

Marvin

You get double points and I think you get a point for every ten pounds spent.IE 2 points . Soon mounts up, especialy if you get fuel there. I dod most of my shopping there, for two, and we buy all our fuel. Always get fuel at A Tesco where ever we can.We are fortunate to have a very a very large store near us.

Pauline

[flicka]

PJay - 2010-07-19 2:46 PM

 

Marvin

You get double points and I think you get a point for every ten pounds spent.IE 2 points . Soon mounts up, especialy if you get fuel there. I dod most of my shopping there, for two, and we buy all our fuel. Always get fuel at A Tesco where ever we can.We are fortunate to have a very a very large store near us.

Pauline

 

That should read 1 point for every POUND, currently Tesco are giving double points, but that could change at anytime they wish.

They also do promotions were extra points are available from time to time on specific products or range of products.

Points are NOT awarded for Tobacco product sales.

Have a look - http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/clubcard/calculator.asp

[Ina]

Can I ask how much you need to spend at Tesco to get £30 of vouchers? we are about to get a new Tesco near to us. So maybe a switch from Saino's.

 

 

 

It's the equivalent of 3000 points - as already stated you get 1 point for every pound spent and there has been an offer on of double points for quite some time now, but not on fuel though. So very roughly speaking that means spending £1500 to get 3000 points, BUT we also have a Tesco credit card, which gives us 1 point for every £4 spent elsewhere other than Tesco.

 

Tesco also offer extra points for lots of other things, a while back for example, if you opened a savings account you got either 500, 1000 or 1500 points, depending on the amount you opened the account with. All you have to do is leave the account open for a set length of time, can't remember how long, but it isn't long, and you get the points. We both got 1500 points for opening the account, so that alone paid for 1 crossing! And in fact the interest rate is actually not bad either, for the first 12 months they also paid a bonus.

 

Ina.

[starvin marvin]

flicka - 2010-07-19 3:28 PM

 

PJay - 2010-07-19 2:46 PM

 

Marvin

You get double points and I think you get a point for every ten pounds spent.IE 2 points . Soon mounts up, especialy if you get fuel there. I dod most of my shopping there, for two, and we buy all our fuel. Always get fuel at A Tesco where ever we can.We are fortunate to have a very a very large store near us.

Pauline

 

That should read 1 point for every POUND, currently Tesco are giving double points, but that could change at anytime they wish.

They also do promotions were extra points are available from time to time on specific products or range of products.

Points are NOT awarded for Tobacco product sales.

Have a look - http://www.tesco.com/clubcard/clubcard/calculator.asp

 

So I guess its like Nectar card points ie 1 point = 1p. So you have to spend either £1,500 at 2points/£ or £3,000 at 1point/£ to get £30 worth of vouchers.

 

Saino's is the same, and it takes ages to get even £15 off your bill. I suppose if you do all your shopping at Tesco's it might eventually give you enough points. We shop wherever we happen to be, Morrisons and Asda are current favourites, and they appear to be much cheaper than the odd Tesco's we have used. So maybe Saino's etc can give a sigh of relief.

 

I recall the moneysaving whizz, forget his name once said "shop for price not points"

 

Wow, thats going to take some time, we try to use local specialist small shops shops

[david lloyd]

However, one thing to keep in mind is that when you convert vouchers for a tunnel crossing you get 4 times the value of the vouchers.

 

So, if you have £30 of tesco vouchers you can have £120 toward the tunnel crossing.

 

David

[Madmaggott]

We have a Tesco credit card which also earns points wherever used, although not at the same rate as shopping at Tesco does.  We use the card for any and every purchase that we make in order to get maximum points. (Paid off at the end of every month of course, so not to pay interest.)  My current 'problem' is that I have £90 worth of converted vouchers that I have to spend before the end of August and £15 worth of points vouchers that have to be spent or converted before the end of July!  Before we had the MH we used points to 'pay' for our holidays and had 3 fortnights in Greece and a week on a canal boat.  Great to get something for nothing.

[starvin marvin]

Madmaggott - 2010-07-19 7:36 PM

 

We have a Tesco credit card which also earns points wherever used, although not at the same rate as shopping at Tesco does.  We use the card for any and every purchase that we make in order to get maximum points. (Paid off at the end of every month of course, so not to pay interest.)  My current 'problem' is that I have £90 worth of converted vouchers that I have to spend before the end of August and £15 worth of points vouchers that have to be spent or converted before the end of July!  Before we had the MH we used points to 'pay' for our holidays and had 3 fortnights in Greece and a week on a canal boat.  Great to get something for nothing.

 

Don't kid yourself, you're just paying too much for your groceries and other stuff. Sir Terry Leahy didn't get where he is today giving things away. There no such thing as a free lunch, you pay for it somewhere.

[Madmaggott]

Don't kid yourself, you're just paying too much for your groceries and other stuff. Sir Terry Leahy didn't get where he is today giving things away. There no such thing as a free lunch, you pay for it somewhere.

 

You misread my post Marvin; I rarely shop at Tesco.  I use the card for my everyday purchases, get the points, pay the card before incurring interest/charges:  indeed it is something for nothing!

AND, I get the interest on my current account (for what it's worth) until the end of the month instead of debiting immediately if I had used a debit card/cash/cheque.

 

[Mel B]

The best was to boost your voucher value is to buy stuff that has extra points on it (Tesco direct often does this). If you then don't want the stuff stick it in the local paper's free ads (if you have them) and get back most of what you paid for it, if you get it right you're still quids in by quite a way!!! For example, Tesco were selling some baby buggies off for £55 with 1000 free points, and double points on the purchase too, so that's 1110 points in total, or £44.40 in deals!!! We sold the buggies for £35 each, so they're cost us £20 each, the 'profit' we're getting is £24.40 therefore in deals on each one ... got some left ... anyone want a blue or pink baby buggy? :D

 

Madmaggott - you can 'regenerate' your vouchers if you used them wisely. We use the best combinatation of voucher values to 'overpay' for deals vouchers for our tunnel, English Heritage etc, membership, then Tesco pay any excess 'voucher funds' are paid back into our Tesco vouchers account and therefore the date on them is effectively re-set. For example, when paying for our English Heritage membership, we used 3 vouchers. Although all of them were high value, no two of them combined made up the full amount for the cost, so the third high value one took it over the amount due and the excess amount was paid back into our account.

 

We play the 'game' to our advantage - always pay off our credit card each month, don't buy stuff we don't need and don't overpay for stuff either - used wisely you can soon clock up the points. :-S

[starvin marvin]

Mel B - 2010-07-20 8:46 PM

 

The best was to boost your voucher value is to buy stuff that has extra points on it (Tesco direct often does this). If you then don't want the stuff stick it in the local paper's free ads (if you have them) and get back most of what you paid for it, if you get it right you're still quids in by quite a way!!! For example, Tesco were selling some baby buggies off for £55 with 1000 free points, and double points on the purchase too, so that's 1110 points in total, or £44.40 in deals!!! We sold the buggies for £35 each, so they're cost us £20 each, the 'profit' we're getting is £24.40 therefore in deals on each one ... got some left ... anyone want a blue or pink baby buggy? :D

 

Madmaggott - you can 'regenerate' your vouchers if you used them wisely. We use the best combinatation of voucher values to 'overpay' for deals vouchers for our tunnel, English Heritage etc, membership, then Tesco pay any excess 'voucher funds' are paid back into our Tesco vouchers account and therefore the date on them is effectively re-set. For example, when paying for our English Heritage membership, we used 3 vouchers. Although all of them were high value, no two of them combined made up the full amount for the cost, so the third high value one took it over the amount due and the excess amount was paid back into our account.

 

We play the 'game' to our advantage - always pay off our credit card each month, don't buy stuff we don't need and don't overpay for stuff either - used wisely you can soon clock up the points. :-S

 

I understand your position, but what you're describing is "buying and selling" as a Sole Trader and the profit is earnings. This equals work, if you're a taxpayer then the Revenue would be interested in your profits and these should be declared. Incidentally your unsold (and unwanted buggies) are stock, and this does really indicate that you're trading be it on an ad hoc basis.

 

Be aware that the previous occupations of users of forums are generally unknown to you and you should be aware of the risk you take when declaring what maybe untaxed earnings.

[Mel B]

Hi Marvin

 

Already considered what you are saying, otherwise I wouldn't have posted what I have, but thatnks for the 'warning' in case I hadn't. :-D

 

Hubby left work at Christmas (severance) and is therefore doing this as his hobby, however, as we already do a tax return for a rental property, obviously this will be included to keep it above board. I can't see how he'd reach the threashold for having to pay tax though, he's not making THAT much, just a bit here, and a bit there. Most of the stuff we've sold was our personal possessions in the first place, such as our old canoes, life jackets etc, which wouldn't be taxable anyway.

[michele]

An easy way to rack up your points at Tescos/

 

Look out for something you would normally buy that has a special on it eg 100 free points when you buy fairy dish wash tablets ok you may not need it that week but the idea is to rack up the points.

Dont be keen to sling the things that come threw the door from Tescos yesterday I had 4 lots of 500 points sent use one each week when you spend over £50 .

Get their Credit Card you double and treble all your points . In general look out for the specials ,offers such as 300 points when you buy this and 100 here it soon adds up . :D

[W3526602]

Hi,

 

How much do you spend on petrol in a month? At least £100, I'd guess. Thats 100 points, multiply by four, gives you £4 of tunnel travel. Time you journey right, and you can get to France and back for free once a year.

 

I like to arrive at the terminal (both sides) at about 5AM. That way you miss the M25 snarl-ups in both directions.

 

Present yourself at the auto-ticket booth. "Non!" You have to talk to the lady on the phone, drive thru barrier, round block, to book your dog in at the vets. And yes, even at 3AM, somebody will eventually appear.

 

602

[Madmaggott]

Just booked our crossing(s) for next spring, that's used up £60 of my converted vouchers.  Unfortunately when I converted them I didn't realise that I had to pay the pet fee in cash!

Now I have a £30.00 rewards voucher that must be 'spent' before the end of August. 

I was going to book a crossing to the Isle of Wight but have just read that their offer excludes large MHs so that's out.  Any ideas?

 

 

[david lloyd]

Madmaggott - 2010-07-25 11:49 AMJust booked our crossing(s) for next spring, that's used up £60 of my converted vouchers.  Unfortunately when I converted them I didn't realise that I had to pay the pet fee in cash!

Now I have a £30.00 rewards voucher that must be 'spent' before the end of August. 

I was going to book a crossing to the Isle of Wight but have just read that their offer excludes large MHs so that's out.  Any ideas?

 

Ahh, I did try to warn everyone earlier - found out when we had two dogs and had to find £60!David