Sainsbury’s is launching a month-long promotion on fuel which it claims is equivalent to a discount of 5ppl.

From Thursday October 1 until Saturday October 31, customers can collect 10 Nectar points for every litre of fuel purchased. This compares with the usual rate of one Nectar point per litre.

There is no limit to how many times customers can use the promotion during October and Sainsbury’s said it is timed so shoppers can boost their Nectar balances in the run-up to Christmas. The festive period is the most popular time among Sainsbury’s customers to redeem Nectar points. Last year, £107.3m worth of points were spent in November and December.

Avishai Moor, Sainsbury’s head of fuel, said: “This is one of the biggest points giveaways we have ever done and will really boost our customers’ Nectar balances in the run-up to Christmas. We know that fuel can be a big expense, so we are happy to be able to reward motorists in this way.”