Tesco to increase minimum spend for online delivery
Supermarket giant Tesco has announced it is raising the minimum spend required for online grocery deliveries from £40 to £50.
The grocer also plans to hike the surcharge for customers who don’t reach the minimum spend threshold from £4 to £5.
Here, we explain more about the changes and compare Tesco's delivery costs with those of rival supermarkets, so you can work out the cheapest option for you.
Tesco minimum spend will be higher than any other supermarket
Tesco's £10 (25%) increase to its minimum spend, and the increase in the surcharge for those spending less, is kicking in from 2 May.
This will mean its customers have to spend more in order to qualify for delivery than they would with any other large supermarket. Asda, Iceland, Ocado and Waitrose require shoppers to spend £40 (although all but Asda will accept cheaper orders if a surcharge is paid). Morrisons and Sainsbury's require £25 or a surcharge, while at The Co-op it's just £15.
Tesco's click-and-collect fees will not change. The minimum basket value for these types of order will remain at £25, with a £5 surcharge for those not meeting the threshold.
This will keep it more in line with its competitors, with Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's also requiring £25 minimum spends. Waitrose requires £40 while, at the other end of the scale, The Co-op asks customers to spend just £15.
- Find out more: which is the UK's cheapest supermarket?
Why is Tesco increasing its minimum spend?
Tesco told Which? it's introducing the changes to ensure it can 'continue to serve our online customers as effectively as possible', adding that there will be 'no change to the way the vast majority of customers shop'.
The average online order value at Tesco is more than £90.
The supermarket also said the fee hikes are the first changes it has made to home-delivery costs in nearly eight years.
The changes come as Tesco is looking for ways to increase its profits from its online delivery service. The retail giant has also said it plans to reduce the value of its Clubcard loyalty scheme when used with reward partners from 14 June.
How Tesco’s new minimum spend will compare to other supermarkets
The table below shows the minimum spend for online deliveries and click-and-collect orders at the UK’s most popular supermarkets.
It's ordered alphabetically and the links take you through to our reviews of each supermarket.
| Supermarket | Minimum spend for deliveries | Minimum spend for click and collect |
|---|---|---|
| Aldi | Grocery deliveries not available | No minimum spend |
| Asda | £40 | £25 |
| The Co-op | £15 | £15 |
| Iceland | £40, or pay surcharge on orders costing £25-£39.99 | Click and collect not available |
| Morrisons | £25, or pay £1.50-£7 surcharge on orders under £25 | £25 |
| Ocado | £40 | Click and collect not available |
| Sainsbury’s | £25, or pay £7 surcharge on orders under £25 | £25, or pay £4 surcharge on orders under £25 |
Supermarket delivery passes
If you regularly have your groceries delivered, it can work out cheaper to buy a delivery pass than to pay for delivery each time you shop.
Asda, Ocado, Sainsbury's and Tesco have delivery pass options available.
Asda has the cheapest passes at £3.50 per month, while Ocado's option is £3.99 a month, the same as Tesco's off-peak pass (it also offers a £6.99 option which gets you free delivery and click-and-collect at any time, including same-day).
Sainsbury's delivery passes, meanwhile, start at £7.50 a month.
- Find out more: tips to spend less at the supermarket
Shoppers react to Tesco’s delivery fee increase
Tesco has had a mixed reaction from shoppers to its planned increase in online delivery minimum spend.
Which? asked our social media followers on Facebook and Twitter to tell us what they thought.
One reader told us they do an online grocery shop every three to four weeks, so the increased charge ‘won't affect me at all, fortunately’, while another shared that the price hike will make a 'big difference' to their decision on which supermarket to order from.
In our annual supermarkets survey, more than 1,000 Tesco customers rated Tesco on aspects including its online delivery service, food quality, customer service and value for money.
Find out how it fared in our Tesco supermarket review, or see how all the big grocers performed in our guide to the best and worst supermarkets.
Which? Affordable Food for All campaign
Which? has launched a campaign calling on the big supermarkets to take action and make a real difference to communities across the UK struggling to access affordable food.
With the price of essential products soaring, supermarkets have a crucial role to play. Which? research has found that millions of families are skipping meals to survive the cost of living crisis.
We're therefore asking supermarkets to commit to clearer unit pricing to enable shoppers to find the cheapest options more easily, and better access to budget food ranges.
If you want your supermarket to take action, sign our petition.
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