Sainsbury's introduces new 'security' measure for anyone with a Nectar card

Sainsbury's introduces new 'security' measure for anyone with a Nectar card
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


Sainsbury’s is making a huge change to its Nectar loyalty scheme for 18million customers so points can’t be stolen. The UK's second biggest grocery store has introduced a new security feature on its loyalty card app to prevent points from being stolen.

Millions have had their points stolen, according to reports. At the start of February, Sainsbury's Nectar introduced a 'Spend Lock' which will freeze accounts until the customer has decided to spend their reward points, we can reveal.

It comes just weeks after This Is Money reported 12.5 million Nectar points worth nearly £63,000 had been stolen from readers in the past year. Nectar says customers can still collect Nectar points and get special discounts and offers while the account is locked.

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But customers will need to unlock the account - which should be instant - before their shop in order to spend points. Jake Moore, global cybersecurity advisor at ESET said that while a good first step, the spend lock 'is effectively like putting a plaster over a huge wound'.

"Nectar cards are financially connected cards and should therefore come with the corresponding security and protection as debit and credit cards. It's crucial to maintain strong, unique passwords and monitor your account regularly for any suspicious activity.

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"It is advisable to monitor your account activity frequently to detect and report any unauthorised actions promptly. However, to truly take advantage of the Nectar points system, it is still best to spend any points as you go rather than accumulating them to be used in one go."

A Nectar spokesman 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."