From minimum orders to whether the drivers will take your delivery past your front door, see how the different supermarkets compare when you shop online.
There’s so much that annoys me about online grocery deliveries, but it is convenient – particularly for heavy items. And there are plenty of deals if you’re a new customer. So I’ve looked at how the different services compare – plus a look at the different new customer offers you can take advantage of.
How to choose your online supermarket
When you visit an actual supermarket you probably just pick your local one. However, with online groceries you’ll have more to choose from, as the list below shows:
What supermarkets offer online shopping?
So that means Aldi, Lidl, Co-op, Marks and Spencers and Booths are among retailers that you can’t order from.
Plus not all that do offer the service will deliver to your location – even if you have a shop nearby. You can enter your postcode on each retailer to see if they will.
There are of course other considerations. Price is an obvious one. You can use the website Mysupermarket to build up your shopping list and quickly compare the item or total cost across all the different retailers. It’s great.
But what else do you need to think about? Well below you’ll see I’ve gone through each supermarket one by one with details of these other factors:
Last order deadline – how late before an order can be made
Minimum order – each supermarket has a minimum spend
Delivery charge – I’ve included the range available when I looked online
Front door delivery only? – i.e. will they take the food into your kitchen or upstairs if you live in a flat
Loyalty scheme – can you earn points or get extra savings
Pay with gift card? – can you use a gift card to pay
Bag cost – how much will it cost for bags,
Which? magazine rating – how readers of consumer magazine Which? rated each online supermarket in the 2018 poll.
I’ve not compared the quality of the food – that’s obviously down to personal taste and how much money you can afford to spend.
Online supermarket services compared
Tesco online
Last order deadline: same day by 1pm to get delivery after 6pm
Minimum order: £4 charge if basket is under £40
Delivery charges: £1 to £8. Various “Saver Plans”
Front door delivery only?: Drivers will take through to kitchen if you ask
Loyalty scheme: Tesco Clubcard points and coupons
Pay with gift card?: No
Bag cost: 40p per order
Which? rating: 70%
New customer offer: Around £6 cashback on your first shop via TopCashback or Quidco., plus get a 30-day Delivery Saver plan free trial
>> Try the Delivery Saver for free
Waitrose online
Last order deadline: 10pm the night before, 11pm for amendments
Minimum order: £60
Delivery charges: Free
Front door delivery only?: Should bring into your home if requested
Loyalty scheme: MyWaitrose discounts
Pay with gift card?: Yes
Bag cost: 5p per bag
Which? rating: 72%
New customer offer: Yes, get £100 off first five shops (though minimum spend of £100 on each one)
>> Shop at Waitrose and get five £20 off vouchers
Sainsbury’s
Last order deadline: 11pm for next day, same day by noon for delivery after 6pm (limited stores only)
Minimum order: £25, but £7 extra charge if under £40
Delivery charges: Between £1 and £7. Free over £100 (Monday to Thursday after 2pm only). Saver passes available
Front door delivery only?: Drivers will assess stairs for safety
Loyalty scheme: Nectar points
Pay with gift card?: No
Bag cost: 40p per order
Which? rating: 68%
New customer offer: Yes – £18 off when spend £60 with code
>> Shop at Sainsbury’s
Asda
Last order deadline: Midnight for next day delivery
Minimum order: £25 to £40
Delivery charges: Between £1 and £6. Saver passes available
Front door delivery only?: If kitchen is on the ground floor, drivers might bring your food through
Loyalty scheme: No, but a Price Guarantee if you order eight or more items with at least one comparable item. You get a voucher for the next shop if eligible
Pay with gift card?: No
Bag cost: 40p per order
Which? rating: 67%
New customer offer: £5 cashback on your first shop (min £25 spend) via TopCashback or Quidco.
>> Shop at Asda
Ocado
A mix of items from Waitrose and their own ranges.
Last order deadline: Day before
Minimum order: £40
Delivery charges: £2.99 to £6.99 for orders under £75; free if over £75. A Saver Pass is available.
Front door delivery only?: Unknown
Loyalty scheme: No
Pay with gift card?: Yes
Bag cost: 5p per bag but you can give them back for a refund (up to a maximum of 99 bags)
Which? rating: 74%
New customer offer: Yes – 35% off your first shop, and free delivery (min spend £80, max reward £20).
>> Shop at Ocado
Morrisons
Limited to just parts of England.
Last order deadline: When I looked I couldn’t get a spot for two days
Minimum order: £40
Delivery charges: From £0.01 to £4.50. A Saver Pass is available.
Front door delivery only?:
Loyalty scheme: Morrisons More card
Pay with gift card?: No
Bag cost: 5p per bag, though you can get a refund for returned Morrisons bags
Which? rating: 72%
New customer offer: Up to £5 cashback on your first shop via TopCashback or Quidco.
>> Shop at Morrisons
Iceland
The surprise winner of the Which? magazine survey.
Last order deadline: Next day is available
Minimum order: £25
Delivery charges: £2 if under £35
Front door delivery only?: Yes, though driver may take further depending on premises
Loyalty scheme: Bonus card
Pay with gift card?: No
Bag cost: 25p per order
Which? rating: 76%
New customer offer: Up to £10 cashback on your first shopvia TopCashback or Quidco.
>> Get an extra £10 or £12 cashback bonus if you’ve not used Quidco or Topcashback before
>> Shop at Iceland
Amazon Fresh
It’s a very limited delivery area right now for Amazon Fresh. You can get Morrisons groceries as well as items from local markets and shops.
Last order deadline: 2.30am for morning delivery; 10am for after 2pm; 3pm if on a Sunday for next day (limited postcodes)
Minimum order: £40
Delivery charges: A monthly charge of £3.99, then £3.99 extra if between £40 and £59, free over £60
Front door delivery only?: Unknown
Loyalty scheme: No
Pay with gift card?: Yes
Bag cost: Paper bags so no charge
Which? rating: 71%
New customer offer: Free trial for both Amazon Prime and then Amazon Fresh, £20 off your first order (min £60)
>> Get your Amazon Prime free 30-day trial
>> Then get your Amazon Fresh 30-day trial
Amazon Pantry
Another Amazon food service is for store cupboards items only.
Last order deadline: By 5pm for next day
Minimum order: £40
Delivery charges: £2.99 for the first box, then 99p a box, though there are often free delivery promotions. Plus you need Amazon Prime membership
Front door delivery only?: Unknown
Loyalty scheme: No
Pay with gift card?: Yes
Bag cost: Box so no charge
Which? rating: N/A
New customer offer: Free trial for Amazon Prime
This is a great survey but needs updating now for Covid
I live in a major city and Tesco have stores all over and some times it’s 3-4 days for a delivery a lot. I work full time and don’t have much spare time. I AM STARVING!
I also find this just recently in Mid Bucks
I think it would have been better to have an overall ranking system than what looks like stats.
Just to let you know Iceland don’t – and won’t – bring bags through, even if you ask.
They also have regular money off discount codes.
Hi there, just to inform anyone that does online shopping with Ocado. The delivery driver will bring your shopping into your kitchen for you. I found the drivers very helpful.
That’s good to know! Thanks