Save by checking loyalty prices, comparing unit prices and deciding what you need before shopping. Treat promotions as offers to assess, not automatic bargains. Compare like-for-like products, check whether a loyalty price suits your shop and use the information on shelf labels to judge value. Choose the option that fits your needs and budget.
Key facts
- The CMA found very little evidence that supermarkets inflated usual prices to make loyalty promotions seem like better deals. (Gov.uk)
- Unit pricing can help compare grocery items, and commonly held assumptions about which products are cheapest per unit do not always hold true, according to the CMA’s unit-pricing work.
- Loyalty prices typically beat other supermarkets’ regular prices and are often similar to other promotional prices, according to the CMA’s explanation of loyalty pricing.
Compare prices before choosing an offer
1. Check the loyalty price against the usual price. A marked saving can be worth considering, but the decision should rest on whether the product is useful to you. The CMA found that almost all loyalty prices it reviewed offered genuine savings against the usual price. A genuine discount can still be a poor fit for your spending plan if you buy something you did not need. Keep the offer separate from the question of whether the item belongs in your shop.
2. Compare the same product across supermarkets. When the product is identical, compare its prices rather than relying on a general impression of which shop is cheaper. The CMA compared loyalty prices with prices for identical branded products at other supermarkets where those products were sold. This approach makes the comparison more relevant than comparing different brands, sizes or product types. If you cannot make a like-for-like comparison, use the information available on the shelf instead.
3. Look at unit prices. Unit pricing expresses a product’s cost in relation to a standard amount, so shoppers can compare different sizes or packaging. The CMA assessed how grocery unit prices vary by size and packaging, and how that information can help people identify savings. Check the unit price rather than assuming a larger pack is better value. The CMA found that familiar assumptions about which products are cheapest per unit do not always prove correct.
Use loyalty schemes only when they suit your shop
5. Check whether you can access the loyalty price. Some supermarkets could do more to help people without smartphones and people under eighteen access loyalty prices and understand how to use them. Before relying on an offer, check what access it requires and whether you can use it. Do not build your plan around a price you cannot claim.
6. Judge the deal, not the promise of loyalty. The CMA found that an average saving was available on loyalty-priced products at the supermarkets it examined. Use that finding as a reason to inspect offers, not as a reason to buy every promoted product. Compare the deal with alternatives and your own planned purchases. Keep the decision focused on value rather than the scheme itself.
7. Keep the usual price in view. The CMA found very little evidence of usual prices being inflated to make loyalty deals seem better. Even so, checking the usual price can help you understand the size of an offer and decide whether it is relevant. A lower displayed price is useful only when the product and quantity match what you intended to buy.
8. Do not let an offer choose the supermarket for you. A loyalty price may be competitive, but your decision can also consider the regular price of the rest of your shop. Loyalty pricing would make some people more likely to shop at a particular supermarket. Avoid treating one promotion as proof that a whole basket will cost less. Compare the items you actually plan to buy.
What this means for you in the UK?
UK shoppers can use loyalty offers and unit prices as two different checks. A loyalty price helps you assess the cost of a promoted product. Unit pricing helps compare products when sizes or packaging differ. The CMA’s research found that common assumptions about per-unit value do not always hold. Together, these checks can make price comparisons more deliberate.
If you are a shopper without a smartphone, check how the supermarket lets you access its loyalty prices before relying on them. The CMA said some supermarkets could do more to make schemes accessible to people without smartphones and to under-eighteens. If you cannot use a particular offer, compare the regular price and other available options instead. Your shopping plan should not depend on a discount you cannot claim.
The CMA examined loyalty pricing at some supermarkets and found average savings on loyalty-priced products. That result describes the products and supermarkets examined; it is not a promise that every shopper will save the same amount on every visit. The CMA also found little evidence of supermarkets inflating usual prices to make offers look better. Use these findings as context, then assess each deal for yourself.
When comparing, start with the exact product if it is available in more than one shop. For different products, read the unit price and avoid assuming that larger packaging means better value. The CMA’s pricing analysis found that shoppers’ assumptions about the cheapest option per unit can be wrong. If a loyalty deal is close to another promotion, choose based on the price and product that suit your planned shop.
What to do now?
- Write down what you intend to buy. Use your list to judge whether a promoted item belongs in the shop, rather than letting the offer decide for you.
- Check the displayed loyalty price and usual price. Compare the figures before treating a promotion as a saving. The CMA found very little evidence of usual prices being inflated to make loyalty offers seem better.
- Compare the same branded product elsewhere. Keep the product identical where possible, as the CMA used prices for identical branded products in its comparisons.
- Read the unit price when products differ in size or packaging. Use it to compare value rather than relying on a larger pack or a familiar rule of thumb. The CMA’s analysis found that those assumptions are not always right.
- Check how to access the offer. Confirm that you can use the scheme before counting its price into your plan. The CMA identified access concerns for people without smartphones and under-eighteens.
- Choose the option that suits your list. Weigh the price, quantity and usefulness together, and leave out offers that do not fit your needs.
Sources
- www.gov.uk/government/news/groceries-loyalty-prices-offer-genuine-savings-says-cma
- www.gov.uk/cma-cases/unit-pricing
- competitionandmarkets.blog.gov.uk/2024/11/27/loyalty-pricing-what-shoppers-and-supermarkets-need-to-know
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Facts and links checked on 29 October 2026. Summarises the sources linked above; check the linked source for the latest version.
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