How loyalty cards can help you get branded items for less

If you can’t resist a few branded items when you’re doing your weekly shop, it could be worth making sure you’ve got a supermarket loyalty card on you.

Consumer group Which? has looked at the prices of more than 200 popular branded groceries, such as Nescafé coffee and Heinz beans, to see which supermarkets offer the lowest prices.

Tesco came top of the list, with the trolley of branded items costing £757.71.

But that’s only if you use a Clubcard, as the same shop costs £861.50 without one.

Similarly, these items cost £786.82 at Sainsbury’s with a Nectar card.

But without a loyalty card, they cost £869.65 

“Whether you use a loyalty card can make a significant difference to what you pay,” said Reena Sewraz of Which?

“Those without a loyalty card could pay more than 14 per cent extra for the same shop. 

“That's a significant difference that could be better spent elsewhere.”

How do other supermarkets compare?

This is the first time that Tesco has come top of the list, beating Asda into second place.

Asda shoppers would spend £730.36 on the same branded items - but notably, that’s without any special pricing or discount for members.

A loyalty card made a slight difference at Morrisons, with the basket costing £771.81 with one and £773.42 without.

Waitrose was found to be the most expensive (£829.04), followed by Ocado (£801.71).

Aldi and Lidl weren’t included in the list because they offer a relatively limited range of branded items.

Individual prices vary significantly at different supermarkets

The Which? research also found big differences between what individual supermarkets charge for branded items.

For example, Pampers Premium Protection New Baby Diapers (50 Nappies) costs £9.27 at Waitrose.

But the same item costs just £4.27 at Asda.

That’s a price difference of 117%.

And while a 75ml tube of Oral-B Pro Expert toothpaste costs £2.24 at Asda, the same item costs £4.83 at Waitrose.

So as well as getting a loyalty card, it could also be a good idea to shop around, rather than go to the same supermarket each week out of habit.

“A little bit of price checking can go a long way when you’re trying to keep the cost of your food shop down,” Ms Sewraz commented.

What else can I do to keep costs down?

As well as shopping around for the best deals, it’s a good idea to create a budget.

By keeping an eye on how much money you’ve got coming in and going out, you can prioritise your spending and know how much you can afford.

We’ve also put together some handy tips on how to keep the cost of your weekly shop down, which could help your money go further.