More shoppers are turning to special offers and discounts to keep food bills down, and there's relief relief as grocery price inflation dips to its lowest point since March 2022.
There has been a 4% increase in shoppers taking advantage of offers in February – an amount worth £586m more than at the same time last year – according to data from analytics firm Kantar.
So, with cost-cutting methods on the minds of shoppers, YourMoney.com has rounded up the best supermarket deals, loyalty scheme rewards and major price updates to help you bag the best bargains for your basket.
Loyalty scheme deals
Tesco Clubcard holders have until Thursday 29 February to use vouchers issued back in February 2022. The vouchers can be used to reduce the cost of your weekly shop, petrol, or for Tesco Mobile.
Shoppers who use the vouchers to contribute to their weekly shop can exchange 150 points for £1.50, and those points can be doubled when exchanged for use at the retailer’s 100 reward partners.
Elsewhere, Waitrose has a couple of ongoing offers for customers with a myWaitrose account (which is free to sign up to). The supermarket, in connection with Caffè Nero, gives regular free cups of tea or coffee from one of the self-serve machines in the store after you make a purchase. However, you’ll need to bring a reusable cup, otherwise there will be a charge for using one of the retailer’s cups.
If you link both your Caffè Nero and Waitrose membership accounts, you can enjoy 25% off its hot drink seasonal menus, a free coffee at Nero branches once you make a purchase, plus exclusive rewards each month.
With a myWaitrose account, there are offers on selected days – one entitled ‘sizzling Saturday’ and another ‘fish Friday’. Those offers include 20% off selected meat and fish on the respective days from the fresh produce counter.
Meanwhile, Co-op relaunched its loyalty scheme this year after scrapping its 2p for every £1 rewards promotion in favour of a £1 membership. One of the offers is a first for UK supermarkets – a delivery collaboration with Uber Eats. Co-op members can save cash on around 250 groceries and everyday essentials by ordering through the delivery app.
Price reductions
As the new year commenced, Asda became the first supermarket to price-match both Aldi and Lidl. It opted to equal the prices of 287 comparable grocery products, including essentials such as milk, bread, fresh meat, and cheese.
Morrisons followed suit later in February by announcing that the cost of over 200 products will be the same as the two German budget retailers. The supermarket will match the cheaper of the two retailers for each product and announced signage will be in supermarkets alerting customers to the competitive pricing.
Tesco and Sainsbury’s run a similar campaign, but the two retail giants opt to just match Aldi.
Aldi itself slashed prices on its fruit and vegetable range on produce including oranges, apples, grapes, carrots, mushrooms, and tomatoes. Over 50 products at the budget retailer will fall in price by an average of 7%.
Waitrose remains most expensive, Aldi keeps cheapest title
The popular budget chain remains the cheapest supermarket around, with the average price of a 72-item shop coming to £129.24, according to data from the consumer champions Which?
Waitrose, on the other hand, was the most expensive for the same number of items in your trolley, with the total for the equivalent products priced at £170.44.
However, the retailer slashed prices on over 200 lines across British meat, fruit and vegetables, as well as cupboard staples for household items. Dairy, poultry, fish, and some frozen produce will see prices fall by an average of 10%. Waitrose confirmed earlier this month that more reductions will follow this spring.
With Easter just around the corner on the 31 March, the supermarket also boasts the cheapest Mini Eggs 1kg sharing bag – priced at £12.50.
Meanwhile Co-op’s ‘freezer favourites’ offer runs until 5 March and lets shoppers grab five frozen classics for £6. Items include Birds Eye garden peas, Young’s fish steaks, McCain oven chips, Whitby scampi bites, and Dairy Milk ice cream.
Campaigns and discount days
Asda’s £1 ‘Winter Warmers’ initiative, where over-60s can indulge in a soup, a roll, plus an unlimited amount of tea and coffee ends today (28 February). The deal first ran in November 2022 and continued in its cafés during the winter to assist those over 60 during the cost-of-living crisis. For the over-60s, there are still deals after that promotion ends. On Wednesdays, anyone in that age group receives a 10% discount in Asda cafés.
The retailer also offers free Ella’s baby food pouches for children under 18 months old with any purchase you make in its café.
Iceland is taking care of boomers and babies with its Bonus card deals and market-leading prices. The retailer said it had a “moral obligation” to support families when it priced SMA Baby formula powder at £7.95 – almost £2 cheaper than the market price.
For older shoppers, those over 60 with a Bonus card can get 10% off everything in Iceland stores on Tuesdays. To get the discount, you’ll need a bus pass, railcard or driver’s licence to prove your age. The offer excludes alcohol in Scotland and Wales.
Every day, at Morrisons, children under 16 years old can eat for free when an adult orders a meal worth £4.49 or more.
During school term time, Sainsbury’s offers a similar deal, with its ‘kids eat for £1’ promotion. Just like Morrisons, the offer is accessible alongside an adult hot main meal worth £5.20 or more.
