How to save money at Waitrose

Tips for saving at Waitrose

Waitrose will never be Britain’s cheapest supermarket due to its smaller buying power compared to the big supermarket chains, but that doesn’t mean you can’t shop smarter or find a bargain. 

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Use your myWaitrose card

myWaitrose customers can choose two personalised vouchers from a selection of around five each week. Customers tend to be offered money off vouchers on products they usually purchase so it’s a great money saving benefit. 

There are also myWaitrose exclusive savings on a variety of products. You used to be able to use the money off vouchers on any purchase but they are now product specific so will only work with the exact product and size (confirmed by Waitrose press office). We’ve written more about how this offer works here.

myWaitrose customers can also take advantage of a 20% discount off selected fish from the fish counter every Friday and 20% off selected meat from the meat counter every Saturday. The traditional fish and meat counters are a Waitrose staple and a good way to purchase individual and smaller portions if you’re cooking for one or two. 

Shop Waitrose Own-label

The Essential Waitrose range is a value range that does not compromise on quality, animal welfare or sustainability. There are over 900 products, the largest value range of any UK supermarket. 

My favourite product is the baked beans, at only £1.90 for 4 tins. The Times agrees with me and recently voted them top in a poll, beating the all time favourite Heinz!

Shop in the evening for yellow stickers

The biggest price reductions tend to go on sale around 2 hours before closing but it is up to individual stores. Reductions vary but up to 50% off in the evening seems to be the yellow sticker trend at Waitrose. Larger ones can be found if you hit the shop at the right time.

But this is a great way to get the better quality produce you’ll often find at Waitrose for prices that aren’t quite so steep. Remember you can freeze all sorts, meaning you can stock up when you find these bargains.

Use a John Lewis Partnership reward credit card

The Partnership credit card gives you points every time you spend and double when you spend at Waitrose and John Lewis. For every 500 points you earn, you are rewarded with a £5 John Lewis voucher. 

You will get 4 points per £5 spent at John Lewis or Waitrose (worth 1.25%) which is hard to beat. However avoid using it elsewhere as you’ll only get 1 point per £4 spent elsewhere (worth 0.25%).

Take a look at our round up of the best reward credit cards to find out more.

Grab your free hot drink

This may not save you money at Waitrose, but it could save you money if you’re going to treat yourself to a coffee. myWaitrose members can have a free coffee or tea with any purchase and they’re even using Caffe Nero beans now for an even tastier freebie.

There’s no minimum spend, so you could spend just 1p on a mushroom if you find one small enough – though it’s better to buy something you actually need. You’ll have to remember your own reusable cup though!

Did you know you can also save money on selected products and receive a free coffee at Caffe Nero, when you link your myWaitrose card to the Caffe Nero app.

Buy a discounted gift card

Our Editor-in-chief Andy tends to pay with gift cards, often boosted in value via a cashout from sites like Quidco or TopCashback or discounted via apps such as JamDoughnut (you can get a £4 welcome the first time you use it thanks to our link).

One top trick of his is to buy a John Lewis gift card rather than one specifically labelled Waitrose. Though they do the exact same thing, the John Lewis boost or discount is often better than the one for Waitrose (it’s double at 6% when you cashout on Quidco for example).

Pick up the magazine

Waitrose Food magazine is free to myWaitrose card holders and is worth picking up next time you are in store. Full of recipes, you’ll also find the occasional money off voucher.

Waitrose Weekend is a free paper that although sparse on money off coupons, it does list the special offers available on the back few pages, making it easy for you to see what’s cheaper and when.

Check cashback apps

Check your cashback apps like Checkout Smart, Shopmium and Green Jin, before you go shopping as Waitrose often has multiple offers and freebies on them.

Don’t forget to print your receipt as you need this to make your cashback claim. You can find out more about cashback shopping apps in our review.

Save money on healthy food with Vitality 

If you are a Vitality health or life insurance policy holder, you can get up to 25% cash back on purchases of products in the Waitrose Good Health range. Just register your myWaitrose card in your Vitality member zone, and every time you buy something healthy, you’ll get cash back.

Is Waitrose expensive?

It may never be the cheapest supermarket, but if you shop the Essential range and multiple offers available, you will be getting quality food at a lower price than you would expect. Taste and quality, as well as animal welfare and sustainability, are sometimes worth paying a little more for if you can stretch the budget. 

But if you can’t, then popping in for offers from myWaitrose, the occasional treat and a free coffee, make Waitrose a quality retailer we love to see on our high streets.