The bonus schemes' advertising is often unclear and the rewards themselves are paltry, according to Sainsbury's.
The increasing numbers of credit cards offering reward schemes should offer their customers a better deal, Sainsbury's claimed today.
According to figures from the supermarket chain, the number of cards which offer some kind of reward scheme has increased from 122 three years ago to 190 today. This is an overall increase of almost 56 percent.
Shopping-related rewards were found to be the most common bonuses among these cards, with 48 percent of those on the market today currently offering some form of this benefit. Elsewhere, points schemes (14 percent) and cash back (seven percent) also proved popular.
However, Sainsbury's also found that just 23 percent of reward cards holders have actually claimed anything back from their provider. Moreover, 35 percent claim that the actual value of the bonuses derived from these cards over the period has been worth less than £25.
Donald MacLeod, head of cards at Sainsbury's, said: "The credit card industry is increasingly using reward schemes but our research suggests that many of these either offer poor value or, because the rewards are too difficult to redeem, a false value.
"Consumers have a right to know what their credit card reward schemes are worth in pounds and pence and also how easy they are to use and redeem. The industry has a great deal of work to do in this area."
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