The scheme is the largest in the United Kingdom, and comprises a number of partner companies including Sainsbury's, Esso, Argos and British Airways.

It was run by Loyalty Management Group, then chaired by Sir Keith Mills, the founder of Air Miles.

Additional co-founding management included Koos Berkhout and Jan Pieter Lips, both of whom previously worked for Air Miles Netherlands.

At the time of launch, Nectar confirmed it would be open to more companies to join, excluding rivals of existing members.

By 2010, Nectar claimed that 16.8 million people were part of the scheme, and that it had 14 member companies and over 400 online retailers.

This association upset many customers, who cancelled their accounts and posted photos of their cut-up loyalty cards online.

A number of retailers allow cardholders to redeem points in store for money off their shopping, including Argos and Sainsbury's.