Consumer group Which? has compared supermarket loyalty schemes at Tesco, Sainsbury's, Lidl and Morrisons, revealing that Sainsbury's Nectar offered shoppers the biggest percentage discount on the items checked.
The research looked at the cost of 93 everyday groceries at eight major supermarkets throughout September, including prices available to loyalty card members. The schemes examined were Tesco Clubcard, Sainsbury's Nectar, Morrisons More and Lidl Plus.
Average savings by scheme
According to Which?, Nectar cardholders saved an average of 3.11%, compared with 2.97% for Tesco Clubcard users. At Morrisons, the average saving was just 0.1% with a More card, while Lidl Plus members saved 0.22%.
The figures were based on the groceries included in the comparison, rather than every product sold by the supermarkets. For shoppers using a Nectar card, the average basket came to £188.95, compared with £195.01 without one.
Basket prices compared
Tesco customers with a Clubcard paid £187.71 for the same selection of groceries, compared with £193.45 for those without a card. Meanwhile, Morrisons shoppers paid £192.93 with a More card, just 20p less than the £193.13 price without one.
At Lidl, the basket cost £161.48 with Lidl Plus and £161.84 without it. Despite offering a smaller loyalty discount, Lidl was still one of the cheapest supermarkets overall. Aldi came out on top, with the 93 items costing £159.48 on average, £2 less than Lidl's loyalty price.
Number of discounts and limitations
Which? also found there were 46 loyalty discounts across the products it checked in September. Tesco offered 22, followed by Sainsbury's with 21, Lidl with two and Morrisons with one.
However, shoppers should remember that loyalty cards don't always mean they are getting the cheapest prices. Which? said some people also face difficulties accessing loyalty discounts because of age restrictions or problems using digital services. The comparison only included loyalty prices available to all members, meaning personalised offers and reward points were not counted.
