Tesco e-gift card continues to help volunteers support the vulnerable

17 February 2021

Tesco’s dedicated Volunteer e-Gift Card, launched in May last year, is continuing to give elderly, vulnerable and self-isolating customers a safe and contact-free way to allow others to pay for and collect their weekly shop.

Customers unable to get to the shops themselves can buy a Volunteer e-Gift Card, available from £5 up to £150, online at www.tescogiftcards.com. This can then be emailed directly to friends, family or volunteers to purchase essential groceries in Tesco stores on their behalf. Customers can check the balance of their e-gift card over the phone to keep track of their grocery spending or see their remaining balance on the till receipt. Customers will also receive a copy of their e-gift card allowing them to keep hold of any remaining balance once the shopping has been delivered by the volunteer.  Customers will also be able to claim Clubcard points on shopping bought with a Volunteer e-Gift Card by taking their receipt and Tesco Clubcard into a store when it is safe for them to do so.

To help more people shop in-store at times that are quieter or more convenient, Tesco extended the opening hours in many of its shops.  For vulnerable customers who have a support network of people that can shop on their behalf, the e-gift card provides a simple, safe and contact-free method to send funds without having to take out cash or share bank card details.

During the initial lockdown Tesco donated £15m of food, split between the Trussell Trust and FareShare. The supermarket recently announced a further £4m of food for FareShare in the recent months and donates two million meals a month of surplus food via the charity.

Ban Mahsoub, Head of Gift Cards at Tesco Bank said: “We are continuously looking for new ways to support communities during these challenging times and we’re proud that the Volunteer e-Gift Card is helping make life a little easier for vulnerable customers.”