Quick answer: The useful offer is the one that applies to your exact pack, account, shop or delivery channel and shopping date. Compare what you must pay for a complete, equivalent basket. A member price can lower today's bill; points or Cashpot value earned for a later shop do not. A voucher already available and accepted at this checkout is different again. If an eligibility condition or fee is unknown, leave the comparison unresolved instead of declaring a cheapest chain.
This is a UK shopping method, not a live price feed, retailer integration or ranking of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda or any other chain. It does not claim a savings amount. Public retailer pages cannot show a personal offer in your own account or prove stock at your postcode. The examples below use invented arithmetic and are not observed retailer prices.
AI-generated content. Always verify ingredients and allergen information yourself. A promotion does not make a substitute product suitable for your household; read the actual pack.
Sort the offer before comparing it#
Five labels that sound alike can change your bill at different times. Put each offer into one row before you add it to your shopping calculation.
| Offer type | What to record today | What must not be assumed |
|---|---|---|
| Ordinary reduction | The current price of the exact pack, in the relevant shop or channel | A crossed-out reference price is the price you would otherwise have paid. |
| General member price | The price shown for eligible members and the card or account needed at checkout | Everyone shopping without that membership gets the price. |
| Personal price or coupon | Whether your account shows it, any unlock step, dates, pack size and eligible channel | A friend's offer, a public screenshot or an unactivated coupon applies to you. |
| Multibuy or bundle | Every item you must buy and the combined cash total | You save money when the extra item was not needed or cannot be used. |
| Points, Cashpot or other later reward | Value credited for a later qualifying purchase and its expiry or conversion conditions | Future value has already reduced today's payment. |
For a concrete distinction, Tesco separates Clubcard Prices from Your Clubcard Prices, which are tailored to the selected customer. Its Clubcard terms set separate conditions for personal offers and for points converted into vouchers. Sainsbury's explains that Nectar Prices and Your Nectar Prices are different: the latter are personalised offers for digitally registered customers that need unlocking. Its terms also make the exact eligible product and shopping channel matter. Asda's Rewards terms distinguish Cashpot value earned from vouchers made from it and then used. None of those descriptions gives you an automatic right to an offer seen on somebody else's phone.
These are three examples of offer mechanics, not a complete map of every supermarket, store format or UK nation. A named brand can run different terms in a supermarket, smaller local shop and online grocery checkout. Recheck the offer itself before travelling or placing an order.
Copy this eligibility worksheet#
Start with the dinners you intend to make and the quantity you need. For each possible offer, fill one row from the retailer's current listing or label, then confirm it in the basket or at the till. A blank cell means not verified.
| Question | Your entry |
|---|---|
| Item and pack size, including net or drained quantity where relevant | ______ |
| Ordinary selling price and offered price for that exact item | £______ / £______ |
| Comparable unit and price per unit, such as £/kg or £/litre | ______ |
| Membership, digital registration, coupon or unlock needed | ______ |
| Is the offer visible in my account? | Yes / no / not checked |
| Participating shop, local format, online channel and postcode | ______ |
| Valid date, quantity limit, stock and substitution rule | ______ |
| Amount I can use safely; extra quantity forced by a multibuy | ______ |
| Cash discount or voucher used now | £______ |
| Reward earned for later, with expiry or conversion condition | ______ |
| Delivery, collection, minimum order or pass cost for this shop | £______ |
The Competition and Markets Authority's unit-pricing work describes comparing products using a common weight or volume. Convert both packs to the same unit, and compare like with like: a 500 g bag and a 1 kg bag cannot be ranked by their total sticker prices alone. Tinned food's net weight and drained edible weight can also differ. The CMA's 2024 loyalty-pricing study found some discounted products in its historical sample cheaper elsewhere and flagged pack-size differences. That study does not name today's cheapest shop or verify any current personal offer.
See why the whole basket changes the answer#
The following imaginary baskets contain the same 1 litre of milk and 500 g of oats. Both household accounts and vouchers are assumed eligible. The figures explain accounting only; they are not Tesco, Sainsbury's or Asda prices.
| Line | Imaginary Shop A | Imaginary Shop B |
|---|---|---|
| Milk, 1 litre | £1.50 less an applicable 20p member discount = £1.30 | £1.40 |
| Oats, 500 g | £1.20 | £1.40 |
| Voucher already held and redeemed today | £0 | −£0.40 |
| Delivery charge for this order | £1.00 | £1.50 |
| Cash paid today | £3.50 | £3.90 |
| New reward earned for a future eligible shop | £0.30, not deducted today | £0 |
Shop A costs 40p less at this checkout under those assumptions. Treating its new 30p reward as though it were cash returned would incorrectly show £3.20 paid. Conversely, Shop B's £0.40 voucher really is deducted today because this example assumes it was already held and accepted. If it were unavailable to this customer, Shop B's cash total would instead be £4.30. Delivery charges and voucher conditions can reverse a comparison even when one pack has a lower shelf price.
A multibuy needs the same discipline. In a separate invented example, one needed pack costs £1.70 while two cost £3.00. The two-pack offer has a lower £1.50 price per pack, but it asks for £1.30 more cash today. Buy the second only if you have a safe, useful plan for it; a discount percentage is not a reason to discard food. Check allergens and labels again if a promotion replaces your planned item.
Decide with today's account, not yesterday's headline#
- Fix the list and quantities first. Remove products you already have only after checking they are suitable and usable.
- Check the exact offer in your account, shop format and channel on the day. Record an unlock step and expiry when one applies.
- Compare the same usable amount in the same unit. If packs differ, record the leftover amount and whether you will use it.
- Add the entire basket, delivery or collection charge and any cost that genuinely changes with this choice. Keep a prepaid pass's allocated cost separate from cash paid today so you do not pay it twice on paper.
- Record a reward earned later on its own line. Deduct a voucher only if it is actually applied to this checkout. Check the final receipt or order confirmation before claiming a saving.
You may still choose the nearer shop, a convenient delivery slot or a preferred product. The worksheet is meant to prevent a misleading comparison, not to force a particular retailer. If the prices are account-specific or one pack is unavailable, the honest result is “cannot compare yet”.
Continue with your chosen shop#
Use the relevant guide for a meal plan and shopping-list example, then verify today's pack, account and channel conditions with that retailer. None of these guides is a live offer feed or a claim that its chain wins the comparison:
| Your shop or question | Planning guide |
|---|---|
| Tesco and Clubcard terms | Tesco meal plan and Clubcard checklist |
| Sainsbury's and Nectar terms | Sainsbury's meal plan and Nectar checklist |
| Asda and pack-level budgeting | Asda meal plan and pack costs |
| Aldi and current Super 6 produce | Aldi meal plan and Super 6 |
| Lidl and Lidl Plus conditions | Lidl meal plan and Plus points |
| Morrisons and reusable ingredients | Morrisons batch-cooking list |
| Waitrose and a smaller household | Waitrose meal plan for two |
| Ocado and the delivered-shop total | Ocado meal plan and delivery cost |
| M&S and meal-deal value | M&S dinner plan and value |
Our methodology explains how editorial examples and sources are handled.
Sources checked 24 September 2026: Tesco's Clubcard distinction and terms; Sainsbury's Your Nectar Prices FAQ and terms; Asda Rewards terms; CMA unit-pricing case and 2024 loyalty-pricing review. Check current programme rules, exact offers and the actual checkout before purchase.
Questions about this plan
Is a loyalty price always the cheapest UK supermarket price?
No. Compare the exact product and pack on the same date, then include the full basket and any delivery charge. The CMA's 2024 sample found some loyalty-priced products cheaper elsewhere; it was not a live ranking of today's shops.
Are Tesco Clubcard Prices and Your Clubcard Prices the same?
No. Tesco distinguishes general Clubcard deals from Your Clubcard Prices tailored to selected customers. Check the exact offer and account conditions before using a personal price in a comparison.
Do Nectar Prices and Your Nectar Prices work the same way?
No. Sainsbury's says Nectar Prices are available to Nectar members on selected items, while Your Nectar Prices are personalised and need to be unlocked by a digitally registered customer. Check the current product, channel and validity period.
Does an Asda Rewards Cashpot earning reduce today's bill?
No. Asda's terms distinguish value earned into a Cashpot from a voucher converted and applied to a qualifying purchase. Record a later reward separately from the cash charged today.
Sources and further reading
- Clubcard Prices and Your Clubcard Prices — Tesco
- Clubcard terms and conditions — Tesco
- Your Nectar Prices FAQ — Sainsbury's
- Nectar Prices and Your Nectar Prices terms — Sainsbury's
- Asda Rewards terms and conditions — Asda
- Review of loyalty pricing in the groceries sector: executive summary — Competition and Markets Authority
- Unit pricing — Competition and Markets Authority