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  • Home
  • Why You Should Visit The Isle Of Wight
  • Ferry travel advice & discounts
    • Discount Isle of Wight Ferry Travel
    • Isle Of Wight Ferry Beginners Guide
    • Wightlink's Tesco Clubcard deal – is it the best discount?
    • Using Wightlink’s Multilink deal for cheap ferry travel
    • Cheap Isle of Wight Ferry Travel For Caravans
    • 5 Isle Of Wight Holidays Including Ferry Travel
  • Holiday parks, hotels, camping & cottages
    • Family holiday parks & caravans >
      • 10 Of The Best Isle of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
      • Parkdean Resorts Isle of Wight Holiday Parks (formerly Park Resorts)
      • Which Isle Of Wight Holiday Park Should I Stay In?
      • Last Minute Deals And Discounts At Holiday Parks
      • Is There A Haven Holiday Park On The Isle Of Wight?
      • Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park Reviews and Facilities
      • Lower Hyde And Landguard Holiday Park Review
      • 6 Tricks To Save Money At Isle Of Wight Caravan Holiday Parks
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      • Isle of Wight Hotels - a beginner's guide
      • 10 Best Isle Of Wight Luxury Hotels
      • Warner's Bembridge Coast & Norton Grange hotels
      • 5 Best Isle of Wight Coach Tour Holidays And Trips
      • Isle of Wight Hotels With A Sea View
      • 5 Ventnor Hotels And Guest Houses
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      • 3 Best Isle Of Wight Spa Break Hotels And Spa Days
      • Romantic Isle Of Wight Holidays For Couples
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      • Isle of Wight Glamping
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      • 10 Best Places To Stay In Shanklin
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      • Brambles Chine And Linstone Chine Self Catering
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      • 5 Best Isle Of Wight Holiday Lodges
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    • Accommodation advice >
      • What Time Of Year Should I Visit The Isle Of Wight?
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      • Where Is The Cheapest Place To Stay?
  • Festivals, days out & attractions
    • Festivals & carnivals >
      • Major Festivals And Carnivals
      • Isle of Wight Festival 2023 Lineup And Tickets
      • 10 Unforgettable Isle of Wight Festival Moments
      • Isle of Wight Festival History
      • Cowes Week - Attractions And Accommodation
    • Free days out & attraction discounts >
      • Free Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
      • Discounts To Isle Of Wight Attractions
      • Itinerary For A Budget Isle of Wight Holiday
      • 10 Ways To Save Money On Isle Of Wight Holidays
    • Attractions for children, teenagers, adults >
      • Activities For Toddlers On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Children And Families On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Teenagers On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For Adults On The Isle Of Wight
      • Activities For An Isle Of Wight Stag Do
      • Surviving An Isle Of Wight Holiday With A Toddler
    • Quirky days out >
      • 10 Quirky Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can't Do On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Things You Can Only Visit On The Isle Of Wight
      • Isle Of Wight TV & Movie Tour
      • 10 Reasons To Visit The Isle Of Wight
    • Days out in Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin, Ventnor >
      • 10 Things To Do In Bembridge, St Helen's and Seaview
      • 10 Things To Do In Cowes And East Cowes
      • 10 Things To Do In Newport and Carisbrooke
      • 15 Things To Do In Ryde
      • 15 Things To Do In Shanklin And Sandown
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      • 15 Things To Do In Yarmouth And West Wight
    • Rainy day & winter attractions >
      • Rainy Day Activities On The Isle Of Wight
      • Itinerary For A Rainy Isle Of Wight Holiday
      • Winter Days Out On The Isle Of Wight
    • Zoos, historic attractions, gardens >
      • Isle of Wight Zoos And Animal Attractions
      • Historic Attractions On The Isle Of Wight
      • 10 Isle of Wight Gardens And Parks
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      • Day Trips From Portsmouth To The Isle of Wight
      • Day Trips From Southampton To The Isle of Wight
      • Day Trips From Lymington To The Isle of Wight
    • Car journey games & viewpoints >
      • 5 Isle Of Wight Car Journey Games
      • 15 Best Isle Of Wight Car Park Viewpoints
      • The Isle Spy Car Journey Game
  • Beaches, tides, watersports & weather
    • Which Is The Best Isle Of Wight Beach For...
    • Isle of Wight Beaches Interactive Map
    • Isle Of Wight Tide Times
    • Isle of Wight Weather Forecast
    • Isle Of Wight Surf Forecast
    • Isle of Wight Watersports
    • The Beach Holiday Checklist - 5 Accessories
    • Mobile Version Of Isle Of Wight Best Beaches
  • Walking, Cycling, Driving & Public Transport
    • Walking >
      • Walking The Isle of Wight Coastal Path
      • 10 Best Isle of Wight Walks (Circular, 3-9 miles)
      • 10 Isle of Wight Short Walks For Children (1 Mile)
      • Isle of Wight Themed Walks
      • Isle of Wight Treasure Trails and Treasure Hunts
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Wightlink's Tesco Clubcard deal – is it the best Isle of Wight ferry discount?

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.
Person waving at Wightlink ferry

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:
  • 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. We've got a separate guide for caravan travel to the Isle of Wight, 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. 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:
  • 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. 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. 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. T\hey are slightly cheaper than the catamaran ferry (Portsmouth Harbour to Ryde Pier Head) which is just for foot passengers. Expect to pay about £15 - £30 for a foot passenger return, which will cost you about £5-10 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.
Check Wightlink's offers page

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 fixed price ferry travel as part of an accommodation bundle (e.g. Warner Leisure Hotel). 
​
​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 (£120 last time I checked). In summer, you might choose 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.
Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park lodge
It may be cheaper to book your ferry via accommodation such as Whitecliff Bay Holiday Park

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. However, 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.
Check Red Funnel's offers 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.

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Glamping pod
Glamping on the Isle of Wight
Red funnel car ferry
Discount Isle of Wight ferry travel

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