Nov 20, 2013, 1:03 pm
Last edit by: Steve Oh
*** NS&I & HMRC NO LONGER AVAILABLE FOR 3V USE ***
Introduction 3V cards and Avios
Tesco gives 150 Clubcard point (convertible to 360 Avios/375 Virgin Miles) for every £50 spent on gift cards. These include the 3V 'Internet Shopping' Visa gift cards (which carry no fee) and have the ability to be recycled back into cash or to pay off bills where an Avios earning card is not accepted. To earn the points just purchase in multiples of £50; you combine with other gift cards (e.g. iTunes, Prepay Visa cards (with fee), Nandos etc).
Spending 3V cards
The original loophole of recycling 3V cards via NS&I direct saver accounts appears to have been closed as of 12/12/13. Other potential routes to dispose of cards can be found here, although this list is now out of date and some disposal methods listed are no longer available.
Current Disposal Options
Following the discontinuation of the NS&I loophole the following websites are still accepting payment by 3V and may be an ongoing useful source of 3V spend to collect points:-
Sky (but there are reports of Sky reversing the transactions); Orange/EE; BT; Virgin Media;Talk Talk, topcashback.co.uk (gift cards); PayPal; Highstreet Vouchers; ParentPay, United Utilities, EDF Energy, Scottish Power, Npower, Amazon (via giftcard), VoucherExpress
Purchasing cards at Tesco
It is strongly recommended when purchasing 3V cards at Tesco that a maximum of 4 cards is purchased in any one transaction (and ensure you have all four activation slips before leaving the store) due to the system limitations of Tesco's checkouts giving rise to potentially being charged for cards which haven't activated. Official Tesco advice to stores is for a maximum of 5 cards (although in this scenario no Clubcard points would be earned on the fifth card). Store policy on how many cards you can take away in one visit is variable although in an unknown store it is wise not to immediately draw too much attention to your activity - if staff are happy to proceed then you can always build to larger quantities before they decline to sell you more.
Non-Tesco 3V outlets
3V cards can also be found in Morrisons, Boots & Homebase. With Morrisons usually having large quantities, sometimes in excess of 100 cards per store and the offer of 1p off of every litre of fuel for every £10 spent makes this is a very good alternative if you're having problems locating stock at Tesco.
Introduction 3V cards and Avios
Tesco gives 150 Clubcard point (convertible to 360 Avios/375 Virgin Miles) for every £50 spent on gift cards. These include the 3V 'Internet Shopping' Visa gift cards (which carry no fee) and have the ability to be recycled back into cash or to pay off bills where an Avios earning card is not accepted. To earn the points just purchase in multiples of £50; you combine with other gift cards (e.g. iTunes, Prepay Visa cards (with fee), Nandos etc).
Spending 3V cards
The original loophole of recycling 3V cards via NS&I direct saver accounts appears to have been closed as of 12/12/13. Other potential routes to dispose of cards can be found here, although this list is now out of date and some disposal methods listed are no longer available.
Current Disposal Options
Following the discontinuation of the NS&I loophole the following websites are still accepting payment by 3V and may be an ongoing useful source of 3V spend to collect points:-
Sky (but there are reports of Sky reversing the transactions); Orange/EE; BT; Virgin Media;Talk Talk, topcashback.co.uk (gift cards); PayPal; Highstreet Vouchers; ParentPay, United Utilities, EDF Energy, Scottish Power, Npower, Amazon (via giftcard), VoucherExpress
Purchasing cards at Tesco
It is strongly recommended when purchasing 3V cards at Tesco that a maximum of 4 cards is purchased in any one transaction (and ensure you have all four activation slips before leaving the store) due to the system limitations of Tesco's checkouts giving rise to potentially being charged for cards which haven't activated. Official Tesco advice to stores is for a maximum of 5 cards (although in this scenario no Clubcard points would be earned on the fifth card). Store policy on how many cards you can take away in one visit is variable although in an unknown store it is wise not to immediately draw too much attention to your activity - if staff are happy to proceed then you can always build to larger quantities before they decline to sell you more.
Non-Tesco 3V outlets
3V cards can also be found in Morrisons, Boots & Homebase. With Morrisons usually having large quantities, sometimes in excess of 100 cards per store and the offer of 1p off of every litre of fuel for every £10 spent makes this is a very good alternative if you're having problems locating stock at Tesco.
3V cards | master thread
Sep 6, 2013, 11:44 am
#46
Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: LCY
Programs: BAEC Gold, HHonors Gold
Posts: 1,208
I was half thinking about spreading things around with Boots, Morrisons and Homebase. I know there's nothing to hide but even still
Sep 6, 2013, 2:34 pm
#47
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 7
I've opened both a 3V account and NSI Direct Saver.
Activated a number of cards and now want to transfer funds across to the NSI account.
It mentions to do this there is a fee of £3.50 taken, is that correct?
Also is there a way to combine the various 3V cards and then transfer a larger amount as one transaction across to the NSI account?
Thanks
Activated a number of cards and now want to transfer funds across to the NSI account.
It mentions to do this there is a fee of £3.50 taken, is that correct?
Also is there a way to combine the various 3V cards and then transfer a larger amount as one transaction across to the NSI account?
Thanks
Sep 6, 2013, 2:48 pm
#48
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: not far from MUC
Posts: 6,620
No. You are putting paying money into NS&I from "your Debit card", this won't attract a fee.
No, you have to do them one by one if you want to avoid fees.
EDIT: is it just me or is this getting slightly worrying ... people asking questions like these after purchasing a bundle of 3V cards? Bandwagon jumping is not something we encourage on FT
Also is there a way to combine the various 3V cards and then transfer a larger amount as one transaction across to the NSI account?
EDIT: is it just me or is this getting slightly worrying ... people asking questions like these after purchasing a bundle of 3V cards? Bandwagon jumping is not something we encourage on FT
Sep 6, 2013, 2:49 pm
#49
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: UK
Programs: Hilton Gold, IHG Platinum Ambassador, Carlson Gold, British Airways Executive Club
Posts: 156
if you merge 3v cards there is a £1.75 transaction fee per card. I spent half an hour earlier transferring £400 worth of 16 x £25 cards over into an ns&i account. doesn't take too long once you get into it.
Sep 6, 2013, 4:54 pm
#50
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: KT7
Programs: BA & BD Gold Once Upon a Time
Posts: 530
If you can't find any 3V cards...
Am I right in understanding that you pay £3.95 and get 360 Adios. That's 1.1p/Adios.
That's a typical cash+miles buying rate and don't have the crap of jumping through prepay hoops. Helping hand coupons are useful for basic stuff so I think it's wise to factor in the £3.95 as 'free'
Even if you get a few more Adios with CC, this doesn't justify a 3V feeding frenzy.
I'm off to buy a few shares in the company behind 3V.
That's a typical cash+miles buying rate and don't have the crap of jumping through prepay hoops. Helping hand coupons are useful for basic stuff so I think it's wise to factor in the £3.95 as 'free'
Even if you get a few more Adios with CC, this doesn't justify a 3V feeding frenzy.
I'm off to buy a few shares in the company behind 3V.
Sep 6, 2013, 5:11 pm
#51
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 7
No. You are putting paying money into NS&I from "your Debit card", this won't attract a fee.
No, you have to do them one by one if you want to avoid fees.
EDIT: is it just me or is this getting slightly worrying ... people asking questions like these after purchasing a bundle of 3V cards? Bandwagon jumping is not something we encourage on FT
No, you have to do them one by one if you want to avoid fees.
EDIT: is it just me or is this getting slightly worrying ... people asking questions like these after purchasing a bundle of 3V cards? Bandwagon jumping is not something we encourage on FT
I did sift through the threads on this forum and other forums where 3V is discussed to remind detail of the set ups and couldn't see exactly what recalled reading on this when started buying these cards. Been buying for few weeks now but only getting round now to activating and transferring funds.
Sep 6, 2013, 5:12 pm
#52
Join Date: May 2011
Programs: BA Gold
Posts: 794
Am I right in understanding that you pay £3.95 and get 360 Adios. That's 1.1p/Adios.
That's a typical cash+miles buying rate and don't have the crap of jumping through prepay hoops. Helping hand coupons are useful for basic stuff so I think it's wise to factor in the £3.95 as 'free'
Even if you get a few more Adios with CC, this doesn't justify a 3V feeding frenzy.
I'm off to buy a few shares in the company behind 3V.
That's a typical cash+miles buying rate and don't have the crap of jumping through prepay hoops. Helping hand coupons are useful for basic stuff so I think it's wise to factor in the £3.95 as 'free'
Even if you get a few more Adios with CC, this doesn't justify a 3V feeding frenzy.
I'm off to buy a few shares in the company behind 3V.
Sep 6, 2013, 9:15 pm
#53
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Staffordshire
Programs: BA Gold, IHG Platinum Amb
Posts: 150
Am I right in understanding that you pay £3.95 and get 360 Adios. That's 1.1p/Adios.
That's a typical cash+miles buying rate and don't have the crap of jumping through prepay hoops. Helping hand coupons are useful for basic stuff so I think it's wise to factor in the £3.95 as 'free'
Even if you get a few more Adios with CC, this doesn't justify a 3V feeding frenzy.
I'm off to buy a few shares in the company behind 3V.
That's a typical cash+miles buying rate and don't have the crap of jumping through prepay hoops. Helping hand coupons are useful for basic stuff so I think it's wise to factor in the £3.95 as 'free'
Even if you get a few more Adios with CC, this doesn't justify a 3V feeding frenzy.
I'm off to buy a few shares in the company behind 3V.
So if I buy 2 3V cards for £50, I get a Tesco clubcard bonus of 150 points, and due to the money transfers these 150 clubcard points are free. It is this accumulation of free points that causes all the interest, especially with people spending thousands of pounds on 3V cards, knowing that every penny of these thousands will come back into their bank accounts. If you get 4 3V cards you get 300 clubcard points and so on, the bonus is added for each £50 of gift cards.
So far in the last couple of weeks Ive bought £1000 plus in 3V cards, this money has done the journey via NSI back to my bank account. So for no expenditure Im sitting on the equivalent of 14000 Avios collected in the last two weeks. Some people hammer this and some are up to nearly £10,000 worth of 3V cards converted when you read posts on the paid to shop forums
If you read up on exactly what these cards are and what you can/cannot do with them you'll see why their so popular. 0p/per Avios 
Brian
Sep 6, 2013, 11:29 pm
#54
Join Date: Jan 2005
Programs: BA Gold, AA Lifetime Gold 1.8mm, IC Spire Ambassador, Hilton Diamond, SPG Gold et al
Posts: 4,350
Sep 7, 2013, 2:33 am
#55
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: KT7
Programs: BA & BD Gold Once Upon a Time
Posts: 530
There are no fees with the 3V visa cards, there is a fee for normal Visa cards, this is why everyone is getting the 3V ones. If you buy a £25 card you get the full £25. I then transfer this £25 into an NSI account this transfer has no fee. Once it is in my NSI account I transfer the £25 back into my bank account. Therefore I have spent £0 as the money has come full circle.
So if I buy 2 3V cards for £50, I get a Tesco clubcard bonus of 150 points, and due to the money transfers these 150 clubcard points are free.
So if I buy 2 3V cards for £50, I get a Tesco clubcard bonus of 150 points, and due to the money transfers these 150 clubcard points are free.
Quoted from the Tesco website - http://www.tesco.com/giftcard/faq.asp#visa;
"Is there a fee for Visa Gift Cards?
Yes, the £25 card has a card issue fee of £2.95, so you pay £27.95. The £50 card has a card issue fee of £3.95, so you pay £53.95."
Sep 7, 2013, 2:43 am
#56
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Heathrow
Programs: A variety of Platinums, Golds, Silvers and other fancy metals.
Posts: 1,985
I agree a good deal if there is no fee. But the Tesco website advises a fee of £2.75 or £3.95 for £25 and £50 cards respectively. A poor deal IMO.
Quoted from the Tesco website - http://www.tesco.com/giftcard/faq.asp#visa;
"Is there a fee for Visa Gift Cards?
Yes, the £25 card has a card issue fee of £2.95, so you pay £27.95. The £50 card has a card issue fee of £3.95, so you pay £53.95."
Quoted from the Tesco website - http://www.tesco.com/giftcard/faq.asp#visa;
"Is there a fee for Visa Gift Cards?
Yes, the £25 card has a card issue fee of £2.95, so you pay £27.95. The £50 card has a card issue fee of £3.95, so you pay £53.95."
Obviously the free (3V) one gets you the Avios for nothing.
Sep 7, 2013, 2:48 am
#57
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: KT7
Programs: BA & BD Gold Once Upon a Time
Posts: 530
OK - thanks for clarifying. With no fee it is a good deal.
Sep 7, 2013, 4:55 am
#59
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: not far from MUC
Posts: 6,620
EDIT: for all our safety, it's probably also good if you report the locations of any you should happen to see, just so we can all avoid them too
Sep 7, 2013, 10:11 am
#60
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: Heathrow
Programs: A variety of Platinums, Golds, Silvers and other fancy metals.
Posts: 1,985
Absolutely, and if you could report them in order of stash size, just so we make sure we definitely don't stumble upon a large amount by mistake.