With so many online supermarkets, trying to find the cheapest online supermarket and deciding which one to do your food shop can be confusing.
Many supermarkets offer special offers and new customer discount codes for online shoppers, which means you may save even more money.
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Which is the best supermarket for home delivery?
The supermarkets all charge different amounts for delivery and offer special packages to save you even more overall on your weekly shop.
Here are all the different online grocery options so you can see what works out the most cost-effective for you.
Cheapest online supermarkets
Asda online delivery costs
Home delivery cost: starts from £1
Asda delivery minimum spend: £40
Click and collect: Delivery tomorrow or later costs 50p with a £25 minimum spend. Same day collection will cost you £1.50 (you need to pay an extra £4 if your basket is less than £25). Or you can click and collect within 4 hours for a £3.50 fee (with no minimum spend)
Delivery pass: from £6 a month or £35 as a one-off payment
Discount code: typically £20 off a £50 spend, if you can find one
When is the payment taken?
Asda takes a pre-authorisation amount of 1p to check your card works, although you won’t pay that as it’s just held back.
The full amount will be taken either on the day of your delivery or collection or the day before.
If you choose same-day delivery or collection, they will authorise your card a few hours before your slot time.
How much does Asda charge for delivery?
Delivery cost starts from £1 with Asda, and they can charge up to £4.50 depending on when you want it.
The cheapest slots with Asda are Monday to Thursday in the afternoons or evenings.
You can pick one-hour time slots.
Asda Delivery Pass
If you regularly shop with Asda, their Delivery Pass will save you money over time. They estimate you’ll save up to £125 a year.
An Anytime Delivery Pass runs for 12 months and costs £6 a month, or you can pay a one-off fee of £72. With this delivery pass, you get free delivery anytime.
Or, you can pick a mid-week pass for Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for the lower price of £35, but you don’t get as much flexibility.
With a Delivery Pass, you’ll be eligible to access priority slots around the Christmas and Easter holidays.
As a price promise, if you don’t save money with your delivery pass vs shopping online as and when you need it, Asda will give you an eVoucher for the difference so you won’t lose out financially.
Iceland – cheapest online supermarket for delivery
Home delivery cost: from free
Iceland delivery minimum spend: £25 with £3 delivery charge. There is no charge if you spend over £40
Click and collect: spend £25 in store and they will deliver it to your home for free the same day
Delivery pass: not needed as they already offer free delivery
Discount code: there are often codes for money off for new and existing customers. Use ICELAND6OFF for £6 off a £40 spend (new customer code). Check for up to date Iceland discount codes here.
When does Iceland take the payment?
Iceland will pre-authorise and reserve for the full value of your order as soon as you checkout. The money will be held to one side by your bank.
The actual payment will then get taken on the date of your delivery.
Can you get delivery cheaper?
You can’t really get cheaper than free delivery!
Even if you cannot reach the £40 spend for free delivery, for £25+£3, you can get Iceland food delivered, which is a far lower threshold than other supermarkets.
You can opt for free next day delivery at no additional costs, and deliveries occur Monday to Sunday with two-hour time slots.
They deliver between 8 am and 9 pm, but only if you live within 10 miles of a store.
Tesco
Home delivery cost: from £2.50 for a Flexi Saver 4-hour slot or £3 for a one hour slot. You can get delivery within an hour or £5 if Whoosh is in your area
Tesco delivery minimum spend: £40 for delivery; you can spend less but need to pay a £4 surcharge. It’s a £15 minimum order for Whoosh, and a £25 minimum spend for Click+Collect
Click and collect: you can get click and collect from free to £2, depending on when you want to collect it, with a minimum spend of £25
Delivery pass: Tesco Delivery Saver Plan gets you free grocery deliveries & free Click+Collect from £7.99 a month
Money off code: Sometimes on offer, but rarely
When will Tesco take the payment for online shopping?
While you’re ordering up to 3 weeks in advance, it can be a worry about when you’ll pay.
When you first place your order, Tesco needs to validate your card and will pre-authorise £2 from your account.
The full amount will be taken from your bank on the day of delivery (or click and collect) (and the £2 pre-authorisation will be removed).
Can you get delivery cheaper?
If you want to have your food shop delivered, you can switch up your saved Clubcard points into eVouchers with Tesco Clubcard Partners and get the Delivery Saver Plan for free.
Click+Collect is the cheapest option as you can get it from free.
Aldi
Home delivery cost: Delivery via Deliveroo for £1.99, but you can get it free with Deliveroo Plus (from £11.49 a month)
Aldi delivery minimum spend: £20 minimum spend via Deliveroo
Click and collect: click and collect is £4.99 directly from Aldi
Delivery pass: No
Discount code: There are occasional money off codes for Deliveroo, but they are rare for Aldi Click and Collect
When will Aldi take the payment when shopping online?
With Aldi for click and collect, they will check your payment card is valid and request to hold £0 from your account when you place the order.
When your groceries are picked, they process the order and request a pre-authorisation of the order value.
It’s not until you collect the shop that the payment is taken and the amount is deducted from the pre-authorisation.
If you order for delivery through Deliveroo, payment is taken as soon as you place the order.
Morrisons
Home delivery cost: from £2.50 (although the first slot for new customers is free!)
Morrisons delivery minimum spend: £40
Click and collect: Click and collect costs £1 for a one hour slot
Delivery pass: Delivery pass are from £5 per month, with unlimited deliveries
Discount code: Regularly offer deals and coupons for new customers like £10 off a £60 spend
When will the payment be taken?
Morrisons will reserve £1 from your account to make sure the payment card is valid.
The full amount for your food shop will be taken within two days of delivery.
Can you get delivery cheaper?
If you regularly do your online grocery shopping with Morrisons, the Delivery Plan will be the most cost-effective. Plus, if you don’t save money overall, they will give you a refund.
Sainsbury’s
Home delivery cost: from £1
Sainsbury’s delivery minimum spend: £40
Click and collect: free collection when you spend over £40. Pay a £4 surcharge if you spend less than £40
Delivery pass: get a monthly anytime delivery pass for £7.50
Discount code: There are occasional coupon codes for money off your shop. You can also get Sainsburys freebies (free food) when you shop online
When is the payment taken?
Online payments for Sainsbury’s will be taken when your order is ready for delivery.
Can you get delivery cheaper?
For regular shoppers at Sainsbury’s, there are other options.
You can get 12 months Anytime delivery for a one-off £60 payment, or 6 months Anytime pass for a £35 payment. You need to spend a minimum of £40 at Sainsbury’s to get unlimited free deliveries.
Ocado inc M&S Food
Home delivery cost: Free
Ocado delivery minimum spend: £40
Click and collect: No
Delivery pass: Midweek Smart Pass starts from £3.99 a month or anytime delivery is £8.99 a month
Money off code: you can find 30% off orders over £60 (max £25 off)
When is the payment taken?
Payment for your food shop from Ocado isn’t taken until after it has been delivered.
However, they will take a pre-authorised payment a day or so before the delivery. This means you will need to have the full amount in your account a few days ahead.
How much is the delivery charge for Ocado?
Ocado offer free delivery, which might make you question why you’d bother to sign up for a Smart Pass.
A Smart Pass isn’t just about getting food to your front door.
You also get 10% off selected brand groceries with the pass, so your food shop might work out lower than other supermarkets.
You also get a free gift for your birthday, priority access to Christmas slots and exclusive 50% off sales.
How much is an Ocado Smart Pass?
An Anytime Smart Pass gets you deliveries seven days a week:
- Monthly £8.99 per month
- Six Month £49.99 = £8.33 per month
- Annual £89.99 = £7.50 per month
Or, if you are happy with Midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) deliveries, it’s cheaper:
- Monthly £3.99 per month
- Six Month £22.49 = £3.75 per month
- Annual £39.99 = £3.33 per month
Morrisons via Amazon
Home delivery cost: free when you spend over £40, from £3.99 if you spend less
Delivery minimum spend: £15
Click and collect: No
Delivery pass: No
Money off code: £10 off your first £60 Morrisons shop – enter 10FIRSTOFF at checkout
Co-op
Home delivery: Delivery is free when you spend £25 or more and live within the designated area for your store. There is a charge of £3 for delivery if you spend less than £25. If you live outside this area, the store manager may agree to deliver to you for £5
Co-op delivery minimum spend: £15
Click and collect: Free, within selected stores or lockers
Delivery pass: No
Coupon code: Rare
Approved Food
Home delivery: £3 for one box or free if you spend over £55
Approved Food delivery minimum spend: £22.50
Click and collect: No
Delivery pass: No
Discount code: There are occasional discount codes sent after you sign up to their email
Waitrose
Home delivery cost: free
Waitrose delivery minimum spend: £40
Click and collect: free with £40 minimum spend
Delivery pass: No
Discount code: They offer codes for £10 off a £80 shop which you can use for your first three shops
How much does Waitrose charge for delivery?
Waitrose offers free delivery when you spend at least £40 and offer free click and collect with the same minimum spend.
Although it’s free and a cheap options versus some of the other supermarkets, as Iceland offer a lower threshold for the minimum spend, and Waitrose items can sometimes be more expensive for food shopping, it’s not the cheapest supermarket overall.
When is the payment taken?
Your payment card won’t be charged until your order is packed and goes through the checkout in store on the day of delivery or collection.
Amazon Fresh online delivery costs
Home delivery cost: £2.99 per order with Amazon Prime membership. Or, you can Join Amazon Fresh for £3.99 a month and get unlimited free deliveries
Delivery minimum spend: £40
Click and collect: No
Delivery pass: you need to be an Amazon Prime member to get the benefits, and it’s only selected postcodes who can shop
Discount code: there are new discount codes as well as free samples for existing shoppers
Benefits of grocery shopping online
Shopping online does come with its own set of perks.
Saves you time
If you use the same supermarket each time or use a selection of them in different weeks, your previous shops are saved in your account.
This has been a lifesaver to me in the past as I’ve been able to re-add everything I got last time, do a quick sense-check that it’s got everything I need, and then head to the checkout.
I’ve been able to do a week’s food shop in about 5 minutes when I’ve been mega-rushed before!
A more relaxing way of shopping
I also love that I don’t need to get out of my PJs to make an online food shopping order.
I can relax and shop with a cup of hot tea while getting our food for the following week.
If you live a busy lifestyle, you’re not limited to the store opening times.
When shopping online, if you want to browse the online aisles of the supermarket, you can do it at 3 o’clock in the morning if it suits you.
Eggs, milk and bread top-up
With supermarkets now allowing smaller shops to be done, it’s far easier to get a top-up shop delivered with just the basics like eggs, milk and bread.
The costs aren’t always that high, and you can find delivery within an hour.
You don’t even need to use a supermarket chain directly, as the likes of Deliveroo and Uber Eats now offer this service (again, it’s not necessarily the best way of saving money, but it can help you out in a pinch).
Cons of online grocery shopping
You may end up getting food close to the use-by date, which doesn’t help if you wanted to keep food in the fridge rather than the freezer.
If this happens, get in touch with their customer services as they can usually offer a partial refund or cash off a future shop.
Another thing I miss is that you cannot rummage through the best deals in the yellow sticker section with online stores.
However, unless you shop at specific times, you’re unlikely to find the best bargains anyway – see supermarket reduction times.
Cheapest supermarket
When it comes to finding the cheapest supermarket, the cost of delivery can impact making it the best overall value.
While the supermarket’s average basket costs could be higher, if you get free delivery and a discount code for cash off, it is cheaper than shopping on the high street.
For an unbiased comparison of the best deals on goods and food, check out these alternatives to MySupermarket (which is now shut).
Naomi knows the burden of living on very little and became debt free by following her own money saving tips and tricks. She is an expert on saving money at the supermarket and side hustles.
