Best supermarket loyalty schemes & price matches revealed as 4 chains copy Aldi

CUSTOMERS face a baffling list of supermarket schemes to lower the cost of a weekly shop.

Grocery giants are vying to win loyalty, with Morrisons the latest to price match groceries to discount chains Aldi and Lidl.

Almost every store has also launched reduced prices for loyalty card members, leaving consumers baffledCredit: Getty

Almost every store has also launched reduced prices for loyalty card members.

This month, food costs fell for the first time in more than two years, but a basket of shopping is still 30 per cent dearer than in 2021.

And with all these competing promotions, it can be difficult to work out which shop gives the best savings.

As our chart shows, while loyalty prices may be cheaper than regular ones, they aren’t always the best deal on offer.

Asda

IN January, Asda became the first supermarket to price match items to the cheapest of either Aldi or Lidl.

The pledge applies to 287 core household staples, including milk, bread and cheese, it said at the time.

I’ve found a supermarket with ‘insane’ food and drink prices – there’s great deals on chocolate, booze and fizzy drinks

The chain also launched its own rewards scheme in 2022 following a successful trial the year before.

The rewards scheme works slightly differently to rivals’. Shoppers earn cashback for buying “star products” or completing “missions” in-store.

Buying a star product earns shoppers ten per cent cashback, which is converted into Asda pounds and accumulates in a cashpot within the retailer’s Rewards app.

This can be swapped for vouchers to spend at the store.

There are currently 492 star products on offer, according to Asda’s website.

VERDICT: You need to download the app to sign up for Asda’s Rewards scheme and only a digital card is available.

The supermarket says its five million users earned a total of £295million in 2023 by completing “missions” and buying “star products”.

Morrisons

WITH around 600 items price matched to Aldi, Tesco pips Sainsbury’s.

Staples including fruit, tea bags and bread are among the goods priced at the same level as the discounter.

Meanwhile Tesco’s Clubcard prices discount around 8,000 items at any one time, with reductions of up to 50 per cent, the supermarket says.

Shoppers also get one point for every £1 spent while using their Clubcard, although sometimes Tesco offers double points for a limited time.

Each Clubcard point is worth 1p to spend at Tesco, so 500 points is equivalent to £5 cash.

VERDICT: The More prices appear very thin on the ground compared to rivals and you’ll need to spend much more to earn £5-worth of loyalty cash.

Sainsbury’s

SAINSBURY’S price matches more than 550 items to Aldi, which is consistently ranked the cheapest supermarket in the UK by consumer champion Which?.

The supermarket says the scheme covers essential items that “customers buy most often”.

Early last year it launched Nectar Prices – a rival to Tesco’s Clubcard Prices – which discounts 6,000 items.

The loyalty scheme saves shoppers an average of £12 on an £80 shop, according to the supermarket.

If you use the Nectar app, you can also get personalised discounts on top of the regular Nectar prices in-store.

Shoppers earn one Nectar point per £1 spend and each point is worth half a penny.

This is half the value of a Tesco Clubcard point, so you would need to collect twice as many points – 1,000 in total – to earn £5 to spend in-store.

VERDICT: Sainsbury’s is hot on the heels of Tesco, but its offering isn’t quite as good yet.

Co-op

CONTROVERSIALLY, last month The Co-op ditched its points promo, where customers earned 2p per £1 spent, in favour of a Member Prices scheme.

Co-op members can now get cheaper deals on 300 essential products including milk, bread and eggs, with an average discount of 11 per cent, the retailer says.

Membership costs £1 and shoppers can also get exclusive offers like discounted meal deals and dine-in bundles.

The supermarket currently doesn’t price match any items to Aldi or Lidl.

VERDICT: It’s the only supermarket scheme that charges a sign-up fee but the nominal price can quickly pay off if you are a regular shopper.

Lidl

THE discount retailer launched its rewards scheme Lidl Plus on its app in 2020 to give members weekly discounts on their favourite products.

The budget supermarket sends customers weekly coupons to use in-store, with some based on items that they regularly buy.

Each coupon is valid for one week. When shoppers hit a certain spending threshold, they can also get extra coupons, such as for a free item.

And users are entered into prize draws every time they shop using the scheme.

VERDICT: As you might expect from the bargain store, a great way to make regular savings on your favourite products.

Does it pay to be loyal?

SHOPPERS with loyalty cards now tend to pay less than those without – but experts have warned that the schemes aren’t always as good as they seem.

Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at investment platform Bestinvest, says: “Loyalty schemes have already been accused of inflating regular prices for items before they are placed on offer to loyalty card customers.”

She says supermarkets used to offer price promotions to all customers, so the new loyalty prices simply penalise anyone who isn’t signed up.

Now shoppers should join as many schemes as possible so even occasional visits to a store don’t cost more.

Mrs Haine advises: “The best solution is to sign up to the schemes for every supermarket you visit so you don’t have to stay loyal to one.”

You can sign up with a throwaway email and don’t have to provide extra information like your phone number.

The best way to save is to ensure you are buying the cheapest version of whatever item you purchase.

Use a comparison site like trolley.co.uk to measure product prices and ensure you are getting the best deal on the market.