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Wightlink's Tesco Clubcard deal – is it the best Isle of Wight ferry discount?
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Tesco Clubcard’s deal with Wightlink is one of our favourite ways to save money on Isle of Wight ferry travel.
Potentially, you can book a return car ferry journey or foot passenger journey for a third of the normal price, although there are a few caveats to that so don’t quite leap to the booking form yet. Here’s our guide to squeezing every penny out of the Tesco Clubcard/Wightlink deal. |
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How does the Tesco Clubcard and Wightlink deal work?
Firstly, you need to collect points by shopping at somewhere which offers Tesco Clubcard points. You'll be stunned to hear that Tesco is the first place to look, but you can collect them at Esso petrol stations and get them from some other arms of the Tesco empire such as Tesco Mobile. You can also fill out shopping surveys and the like to earn a few more Tesco Clubcard points.
You then swap your points for Wightlink vouchers on the Tesco Clubcard website before making your booking on this page on the Wightlink website. When I checked there was a box to tick to say that you're using Tesco Clubcard vouchers.
You can use the vouchers on all three Wightlink routes:
On the vehicle ferries, you can use Tesco Clubcard points for most vehicles including cars, motorbikes and motorhomes. Check this page on the Wightlink website first though. The deal doesn't seem to be valid for caravans I'm afraid (although we've got a separate guide for that, obvs).
As far as I can tell, you can use Tesco Clubcard vouchers on any of the Wightlink ferries as a foot passenger.
You then swap your points for Wightlink vouchers on the Tesco Clubcard website before making your booking on this page on the Wightlink website. When I checked there was a box to tick to say that you're using Tesco Clubcard vouchers.
You can use the vouchers on all three Wightlink routes:
- The vehicle ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne which takes about 45 minutes (you can also travel as a foot passenger if you don't have a car)
- The vehicle ferry from Lymington to Yarmouth which takes about 40 minutes (again, you can travel as a foot passenger if you don't have a car).
- The foot passenger ferry from Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head which takes about 20 minutes. This one links up with trains at Portsmouth Harbour which travel into London in about 90 minutes. It also links up with a train on the Isle of Wight which connects with Sandown and Shanklin.
On the vehicle ferries, you can use Tesco Clubcard points for most vehicles including cars, motorbikes and motorhomes. Check this page on the Wightlink website first though. The deal doesn't seem to be valid for caravans I'm afraid (although we've got a separate guide for that, obvs).
As far as I can tell, you can use Tesco Clubcard vouchers on any of the Wightlink ferries as a foot passenger.
How many Tesco Clubcard points will I need to pay for a Wightlink ferry crossing?
At the time of writing, £2.50 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers is worth £7.50 of Wightlink vouchers. Many years ago £2.50 in Clubcard vouchers was worth £10 in vouchers, but let's not dwell on the past (and to be fair, there were some annoying restrictions in place which they get rid of).
Wightlink car ferry prices fluctuate depending on demand, so the exact amount of vouchers you’ll need will vary. During winter you might get a day return on the car ferry for about £50 (£17.50 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers) whilst in summer you could pay an eye-watering £200 for a week's holiday for a car and passengers (£67.50 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers).
My advice is to get a quote from Wightlink’s website and then order the exact number of vouchers you need. Obviously you need to divide the quote by three to come up with the number of vouchers you’ll need. You don’t get any change from Tesco Clubcard, so don’t order more than you need. You can pay the extra if you don’t have enough vouchers.
There are several ways to lower the price of the Isle of Wight car ferry, such as:
See our discount ferries guide for more of this sort of advice.
For foot passengers, things are a lot simpler as Wightlink foot passenger prices don't fluctuate in the same way as vehicle fares. Day returns are cheaper than period returns and there are some off peak deals but generally the prices stay the same all year round. If you want to squeeze extra value out of your Tesco Clubcard vouchers, travel on one of the car ferries as a foot passenger as they are slightly cheaper than the catamaran ferry (Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head) which is just for foot passengers. Expect to pay about £15 - £25 for a foot passenger return, which will cost you about £5-8 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers.
Wightlink car ferry prices fluctuate depending on demand, so the exact amount of vouchers you’ll need will vary. During winter you might get a day return on the car ferry for about £50 (£17.50 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers) whilst in summer you could pay an eye-watering £200 for a week's holiday for a car and passengers (£67.50 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers).
My advice is to get a quote from Wightlink’s website and then order the exact number of vouchers you need. Obviously you need to divide the quote by three to come up with the number of vouchers you’ll need. You don’t get any change from Tesco Clubcard, so don’t order more than you need. You can pay the extra if you don’t have enough vouchers.
There are several ways to lower the price of the Isle of Wight car ferry, such as:
- travelling late at night/early in the morning (lunchtime is usually the most expensive)
- staying for 4 nights instead of 5. No idea why Wightlink don't want people to stay for a whole week.
- avoiding Saturdays, as they are the most expensive day to travel.
- checking the price on both Wightlink car ferry crossings, although they are usually around the same price.
- avoiding school holidays, although I appreciate that's an annoying thing to say if you have children.
- visiting during the middle of winter. Sure, the sea water is almost frozen and some of the attractions are shut, but you'll have the place to yourself...
- fill up your car with passengers, as you pay the same regardless of whether you are travelling alone or with a car full. Bring along Aunt Maude and Uncle Brian and ask them to pay their share of the ferry cost.
See our discount ferries guide for more of this sort of advice.
For foot passengers, things are a lot simpler as Wightlink foot passenger prices don't fluctuate in the same way as vehicle fares. Day returns are cheaper than period returns and there are some off peak deals but generally the prices stay the same all year round. If you want to squeeze extra value out of your Tesco Clubcard vouchers, travel on one of the car ferries as a foot passenger as they are slightly cheaper than the catamaran ferry (Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head) which is just for foot passengers. Expect to pay about £15 - £25 for a foot passenger return, which will cost you about £5-8 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers.
Is the Wightlink/Tesco Clubcard offer the best deal around for Isle of Wight ferry travel?
The Wightlink/Tesco Clubcard offer is a great discount...but it isn’t always the best deal around. For example:
1. Occasionally, Wightlink offer fixed price deals and discount codes. You can’t use Tesco Clubcard vouchers alongside another deals and discounts, so you might be better holding on to your vouchers for another occasion.
For example, Wightlink was recently offering £40 car ferry day returns from Yarmouth to Lymington. The standard fare might have been double that price so you'd have used up about £25 - £30 of your Clubcard vouchers to save yourself £40. I’d hang on to your precious vouchers for another holiday or use them on another Tesco Clubcard deal.
1. Occasionally, Wightlink offer fixed price deals and discount codes. You can’t use Tesco Clubcard vouchers alongside another deals and discounts, so you might be better holding on to your vouchers for another occasion.
For example, Wightlink was recently offering £40 car ferry day returns from Yarmouth to Lymington. The standard fare might have been double that price so you'd have used up about £25 - £30 of your Clubcard vouchers to save yourself £40. I’d hang on to your precious vouchers for another holiday or use them on another Tesco Clubcard deal.
2. If you’re paying for accommodation on the Isle of Wight, you can often get a very good deal on the ferry by asking your accommodation provider to book it for you. Discounts vary but I’ve found some places offering 30-50% off standard fares (e.g. Aria Resorts, Away Resorts) or even 'free' ferry travel as part of an accommodation bundle (e.g. Warner Leisure Hotel). Hoseasons offer discounted ferry travel if you book a holiday park or lodge with them.
For example, I searched on the Wightlink website for a return ferry for a week’s holiday in August 2019 and was quoted £214 for a car and passengers. The same crossing was only £107 when booked alongside a holiday at Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park near Bembridge. So, the Tesco Clubcard deal would would cost me £72.50 in vouchers. Personally, I’d pay the £107 and keep my Tesco Clubcard vouchers for another occasion.
Meanwhile, Warner Leisure Hotels which has two resorts on the Isle of Wight offers a fixed price ferry fare with Wightlink (£55 last time I checked) so you'd almost certainly be best to take up that offer rather than booking it with Tesco Clubcard points.
It isn’t just big name accommodation providers that get a discount, many of the guest houses have a trade account with the ferry companies so you just need to call them up and ask. Just tell them The Guru sent you and they'll look after you.
For example, I searched on the Wightlink website for a return ferry for a week’s holiday in August 2019 and was quoted £214 for a car and passengers. The same crossing was only £107 when booked alongside a holiday at Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park near Bembridge. So, the Tesco Clubcard deal would would cost me £72.50 in vouchers. Personally, I’d pay the £107 and keep my Tesco Clubcard vouchers for another occasion.
Meanwhile, Warner Leisure Hotels which has two resorts on the Isle of Wight offers a fixed price ferry fare with Wightlink (£55 last time I checked) so you'd almost certainly be best to take up that offer rather than booking it with Tesco Clubcard points.
It isn’t just big name accommodation providers that get a discount, many of the guest houses have a trade account with the ferry companies so you just need to call them up and ask. Just tell them The Guru sent you and they'll look after you.
3. It’s also worth checking the ferry price with Red Funnel, which is the other Isle of Wight car ferry company. Full price tickets at the two companies are usually in the same ballpark, but Red Funnel frequently offer decent discount codes of 20% off or occasionally more and they sometimes offer fixed price deals. We publicise the deals we know about on our ferry travel page.
4. Reduced price ferry travel to the Isle of Wight is also sometimes available if you’re travelling to an event or festival. For example, Wightlink, Red Funnel and Hovertravel often do good deals for the Isle of Wight Festival. Once again, using the Tesco Clubcard deal might not be as good value as it would be on a normal weekend.
5. For foot passengers, the Wightlink/Tesco Clubcard deal is often the best deal around. However...
- if you've got a Railcard you can get a third off the ferry crossing by booking it as a train. You can't combine that deal with the Wightlink/Tesco Clubcard deal so you might be best to hold on to your Clubcard points.
- if you are travelling to or from the Isle of Wight on a semi-regular basis - such as every two or three months - then you would be better to buy a Wightlink Multilink book of tickets.
- there are often special deals for big events (as mentioned earlier). For example, I've seen fixed price foot passenger travel for just £10 to get to the Isle of Wight Festival. Check the Wightlink offers page before booking.
The-Isle-of-Wight-Guru-Don't-Blame-Us-Disclaimer™ All the information on this website is correct, as far as we know, but please do check details directly - and please contact us if you find anything inaccurate. Here's our full disclaimer.
