Tesco has confirmed a pricing error in its Clubcard app that led to some shoppers being shown personalised offers costing more than the standard shelf price. The issue was highlighted by a Reddit user who shared a screenshot showing Tesco's own-brand one-litre sunflower oil priced at £1.55 in the Your Clubcard Prices section, while the shelf price was £1.49 – a 6p difference.
How the Error Occurred
Tesco explained that the sunflower oil had been added to its Aldi Price Match scheme after the personalised Clubcard offer had already been generated. This caused the standard retail price to drop below the personalised promotional price. The supermarket noted that it issues thousands of Your Clubcard Prices promotions weekly and described such cases as extremely uncommon.
“Wow! My own personal offer!” the Reddit user commented sarcastically. Tesco assured that whenever this situation occurs, customers are always charged the lowest available price at the checkout.
Background on Clubcard Prices
Tesco introduced its hyper-personalised Clubcard Prices initiative in February 2025, using shoppers' purchasing history to offer discounts on products they are likely to buy. New personalised offers are released every Wednesday via the Tesco app and remain valid for seven days.
The supermarket has been investing heavily in artificial intelligence to improve the relevance of its loyalty offers. In April, Tesco announced a partnership with software company Adobe to deliver more personalised content and promotions for Clubcard members. This followed a three-year agreement signed in December with French tech firm Mistral AI to develop AI-powered solutions.
“At its simplest, loyalty is about rewarding customers for shopping with us,” Becky Brock, Tesco group customer director, told The Grocer in May. “But the real opportunity is making those rewards genuinely useful, convenient and relevant to each individual customer.”
Industry-Wide Personalisation Push
Supermarkets across the UK are increasingly using personalised offers to strengthen customer engagement. According to a 2024 investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), more than one-fifth of grocery sales at retailers offering member pricing came from products sold at loyalty discounts. The watchdog also found that the average shopper belongs to three supermarket loyalty schemes.
Sainsbury's, after signing a five-year agreement with Microsoft in 2024, outlined plans to become “the UK’s leading AI-enabled grocer,” combining advanced technology with colleague expertise to create more personalised Your Nectar Prices. Morrisons expanded its personalised promotions in February by partnering with retail engagement company Ecrebo to generate instant coupons and offers at checkout and through its app.
Co-op followed in March, allowing members to redeem weekly personalised offers when shopping online. The convenience retailer had increased the number of personalised member offers by 67%, bringing the total to over 700. Meanwhile, Marks & Spencer reported that nearly five million customers have visited its revamped Sparks hub since April, which uses AI and data-driven technologies, including machine learning and advanced generative AI models, to create increasingly personalised rewards.
