The Sparks Card has been the M&S loyalty scheme for around 11 years, providing birthday freebies and free shops to (lucky) members.
As of April 15th 2026, there’s been a shake up to the Sparks Card, throwing out most of the old perks and introducing a whole host of new ones.
So if you’re confused about the newest overhaul, or you’re weighing up the benefits of joining, we’ve got everything you need to know.
Let’s dive into the details of the newest Sparks Card offers, how it’s different, and how to spend and earn to maximise savings.
What you need to know
💥Earn money instead of points
💥M&S Sparks app comes with digital wallet
💥Task-based offers for spending and earning
💥Personalised offers based on what you buy
What is the new Sparks Card?
The new M&S Sparks Card has seen a complete overhaul this year, using AI and data to target members with personalised offers. Sparks offers are now based around how you shop and what you buy, so the more you shop, the more it learns what you like. Their new slogan is ‘spend and earn’.
Instead of earning points, you earn real money as rewards. Your money is saved in the digital wallet within the M&S app.
When you download the app, you’ll now see task-based offers based on your spending habits. Each of these spending tasks will reward you in real money once you’ve completed the qualifying purchase. Here are some examples across different categories:
🛍️ Spend £30 on Nightwear and earn £6
🛍️ Spend £50 on Fashion, Home & Beauty and earn £10
🛍️ Spend £35 in the Foodhall and earn £5
🛍️ Spend £10 on fresh fruit and earn £1
🛍️ Spend £15 on kids' footwear and earn £3
🛍️ Spend £12 on kitchenware and earn £2
‘Buy & Bundle’ offers reward you for buying selected items together, like a bra and knickers set which will earn you £5 in your Sparks Wallet.
Some of these Sparks offers will have deadlines, some will need to be completed in- store, and some will need to be purchased online. Tap on each offer for details about how to earn your reward.
Sparks offers refresh every Tuesday, so if you’ve been shopping before then, the AI will use that for your newest rewards.
How is the new Sparks Card better for money saving?
The new Sparks scheme appears to be a welcome change to the M&S loyalty programme, which was one of the least attractive supermarket loyalty schemes. Sparks memberships previously offered occasional deals and discounts plus the chance to win your shopping for free every week.
Those features have now been scrapped and replaced with personalised offers based on your shopping habits, so they’re different for everyone.
Spend and earn with ease
The more you shop, the more the AI-driven data can learn what you like and what you don’t, honing your offers so they’re more personalised and useful. This means each shopper will have different offers on the M&S Sparks app.
Conversely, you can be rewarded for ‘trying something new’ and shopping for things you don’t normally buy.
The M&S app now features a digital wallet where you can accrue your rewards – which is real money – to spend however you want. Spend within M&S categories like home goods, food, clothing, or beauty.
Earn points with Virgin Red
The new partnership between M&S and Virgin means you can earn rewards when you link your Virgin Red and Sparks accounts. Here are some examples of ways to spend and earn at Sparks when you buy Virgin products:
🎈 Book a Virgin Atlantic holiday and earn £130
🎈 Sign up for a 12-month Virgin Active membership and earn £100
🎈 Switch to Virgin Media and earn £80
🎈 Earn £10 for every £100 you spend on Virgin Hotels
🎈 Earn £8 for every £100 you spend on Virgin Voyages
🎈 Earn £4 for every £20 you spend on Virgin Experience Days
🎈 Earn £1 for every £20 you spend on Virgin Trains
If you’re an existing member of Virgin Red, you can turn your Virgin Points into M&S goodies. Earn 100 Virgin Points and claim a free packet of Percy Pigs from M&S (there’s also pizza, biscuits, and tea up for grabs).
It works in reverse too; spend at M&S via the Virgin App and earn Virgin Points that you can put towards flights, holidays, experiences and more.
Supercharge with M&S Credit Card
M&S Credit Card customers are now able to ‘supercharge’ their Sparks rewards when they link accounts. These ‘supercharge’ bonuses include more chances to earn rewards, an annual discount in Fashion, Home and Beauty for their credit card anniversary, and the ability to choose the top Sparks birthday treats each year.
Any remaining perks from the old Sparks?
Luckily, the best bits of the old M&S loyalty scheme still remain:
🍪 A birthday freebie every year for members who have entered their birth date in their account
☕ Every seventh coffee free once you’ve bought six in store and scanned your Sparks Card
🤝 A charity donation per shop at your charity of choice when you scan your card
🍼 Parent Hood club discounts like 10% off baby grows for kids under two
🛡️ Discounts on M&S insurance policies for travel and pet cover
💳 Preferential rates on Travel Money for the next time you go away
How to sign up, spend, and earn with Sparks
If you’re not already a member, you sign up via the Sparks website or by downloading the app. Within the app is a new digital wallet where you can see all of your rewards and add it to your Apple or Google Wallet.
You’ll need to activate each offer before you shop in order to earn your reward (just like with Boots). It’s an easy step to miss, and makes the app much more useful if you’re shopping on the go.
Explore the details within the offer where you can see how long you have to use it and where you need to spend (online or in store). There’s also a handy little progress bar that shows you how much more you need to spend before you’ve met the requirements.
Your rewards are usually marked as ‘pending’ for around 14 days before they’re available to spend within your wallet.
Spend your Sparks Rewards however and wherever you want, regardless of how you earned them. Rewards can be spent at M&S online, in stores, and in cafes, but not at M&S outlets or on M&S food from Ocado.
Is the Sparks Card worth it?
The old Sparks scheme wasn’t incredibly enticing, offering quite basic offers, even for regular shoppers.
With a new shake-up, customers are getting rewarded for what they already buy. Based on your spending habits, you’ll be offered money to buy more of what you love.
Just remember: don’t buy something simply to earn a reward. This includes the offers that are aimed at getting customers to ‘try something new’. If it’s not something you need, it’s not really an offer.
If you’re not a regular shopper, it may take longer for the scheme to figure out what you like, so it’s possible you’ll see irrelevant offers in the beginning.
Matt from TopCashback is still waiting to receive relevant deals:
"While the new scheme is easy to use, I've found it not well suited to the sort of things I buy. The offers available are quite different to the items I tend to pick up at M&S.
The older scheme seemed to have more appropriate offers for food items, which is what I usually buy from M&S. The new scheme appears to try and encourage you to venture into new items. It's focused on things you don't tend to buy as an impulse e.g slippers and bedding, with quite high amounts like £25 on slippers to earn £5.
After a couple of weeks, I did finally get one for the Foodhall which was good to see. So it has learnt a little bit it seems!"
The new scheme is best experienced via the app, so you can activate and use each offer on the go, especially if you prefer shopping in person. This may frustrate shoppers who prefer not to use smartphone apps.
Existing M&S credit card holders and Virgin Red members can boost Sparks Rewards even more, for a win-win result across platforms.
With all of these new perks, plus the retention of fan favourites like birthday treats and free coffees, we think M&S has made a smart move for members.
Becca from TopCashback is tempted by her Sparks app offers:
"I'm not a regular M&S shopper, but my new Sparks offers are enticing me to make a purchase. This week, I can earn £5 when I spend £25 on homeware, which means a 20% bonus in my Sparks wallet.
£5 might not seem like a lot, but that can help me pay for impulse food and drink purchases at the Foodhall. I have a few items I'd like to buy for my kitchen, so I'm planning to head to my nearest M&S this week and have a look."
Do M&S spark joy?
We’re happy to see a revamp of the old M&S Sparks Card, and think there’s a lot to celebrate with its makeover.
There are plenty of easy ways to save with the newest perks, although downloading the Sparks app may be a detractor for some members.
With the new use of AI-driven data, we’re hoping to see it change and grow in the future, making it even better and more rewarding for customers.
Are you an existing Sparks member? What rewards have you reaped with the new scheme so far?