REWARD: It pays to be loyal. Or does it?

Lauren Hart discovers the truth behind consumers cashing in on top loyalty cards.

Let's face it, we deprived students have morphed into bargain hunting, cheap skates scouring the shops in an attempt to save the pennies.

Long gone are the days of Gallo wine, Innocent Smoothies and Pilgrim's Choice Cheddar.

Oh no! We now have sparsely stocked cupboards, and a shelf in the fridge containing the remnants of a 25p can of beans and a £2 bottle of wine.

It is therefore necessary for us to benefit from the immense number of loyalty cards available.

Loyalty cards are a fantastic way of saving money. It appears that the market place has picked up on this, as a way of driving sales and ensuring customer allegiance.

One of the top loyalty cards is the Boots Advantage Card. Offering an enormous four points per pound, the Ad. Card has one of the highest reward rates around.

Not only do the Advantage Card kiosks offer bonus points, but Boots.com also allows points to be collected and offers free delivery over £40.

However, of the 11 million club members, only 9% are male. This means that you boys out there are not taking advantage of the savings available.

Points are useful by the end of term when the old funds are running low and toothpaste is a must have after a rough night out.

Also there are only so many times you can borrow your flatmate's toilet roll.

Let's face it, we deprived students have morphed into bargain hunting, cheap skates scouring the shops in an attempt to save the pennies.

Lauren Hart

Another form of loyalty card is the stamping scheme. Companies such as Nando's, Blackwell's and Waterstones offer rewards for customers who collect stamps with purchases.

For the keen diner, with the Nando's card, only 9 stamps are needed to get a full chicken FREE!

The Blackwells' card offers the equivalent of 5% off, as 10 stamps saves £5 off your next purchase. However, Blackwell's tend to sell at RRP, and may not always be the cheapest place to buy all your lovely books.

Similarly Waterstones offers 10% off with a young persons' railcard. Always a winner.

I'm a firm believer in getting something for nothing. I'm left with that feeling you get when you don't get asked for your ticket on the train! Pure bliss!

It's worth taking advantage of as many loyalty cards as possible.

However, beware! Loyalty cards are designed to trap customers: the shops might not always be offering the best deals. My motto is: be a canny shopper! Good luck and happy shopping!