Looking for the cheapest supermarket delivery? Look no further.
The cost of living crisis hasn't let up, and grocery bills are still one of the biggest drains on a student budget.
The National Union of Students has found that 96% of UK students have cut back on spending because of rising costs, and Royal London's 2025 Financial Resilience Report found nearly one in ten UK adults are now on the brink of financial crisis because of how high prices have climbed.
If you're trying to claw back some control over your food spend, check out our 100 money-saving tips for students for more ways to stretch your loan further.
One easy way to save is to get smarter about how you shop online. Delivery fees, minimum order thresholds and subscription passes vary hugely between supermarkets, and they change more often than you'd think, so what was the cheapest option last year might not be anymore. We've fact-checked every price below for 2026 so you can pick the best (and cheapest) way to get your shop to your door.
We've fact-checked every price below for 2026 so you can pick the best (and cheapest) way to get your shop to your door.
Don't know where to start when shopping for your uni meals? Take a look at our essential uni food shopping list for a breakdown of everything you need.
In this 2026 cheapest supermarket delivery guide:
Online supermarket delivery costs compared
Here's how the major UK supermarkets stack up on delivery charges, minimum spend and subscription passes right now:
Supermarket | Delivery Charge | Minimum Order | Delivery Pass | Rewards / Loyalty Scheme | Cheapest Delivery Slots | Time Slot Duration
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Asda | From £1.50 for off-peak slots (around £4–£4.50 charge on orders under £40) | No fixed minimum, but a charge applies under £40 | Anytime: £6.95/month or £69.50/year Midweek: £3.95/month or £39.50/year | ASDA Rewards (cashpot) | Monday–Thursday afternoons and evenings | 1 hour |
Sainsbury's | £1–£6 with Nectar/pass; £7.50 standard | £50 (recently raised from £40) | Anytime: £7.50/month (£80/year) Midweek: £4/month (£40/year) | Nectar | Tuesdays and Wednesdays, afternoons and evenings | 1 hour (or choose a 4-hour window to save) |
Tesco | £3–£7 (£5 minimum basket charge under threshold) | £50 | 6-month: Anytime £7.99/mo, Off-Peak £4.99/mo, Click+Collect £2.49/mo 12-month: Anytime £6.99/mo, Off-Peak £3.99/mo | Clubcard | Not specified by Tesco — Off-Peak pass slots are cheapest | 1 hour (or a 4-hour window to save) |
Morrisons | From £1.50 (£3 charge on baskets £25–£40 without a pass) | £25 | Midweek: £5/month or £40/year Anytime: £70/year | Morrisons More | Not specified by Morrisons | 1 hour (also available via Amazon, same-day) |
Co-op | From £1.99 (free over £25; £3 charge under £25) | £15 | No pass scheme | Co-op Membership | Not applicable — flat-rate delivery | Within 2 hours |
Iceland | From £3; free over £40 (£3 charge £25–£40) | £25 | No pass scheme | Iceland Bonus Club (digital — replaced the old Bonus Card in August 2025) | Not applicable | 2-hour window |
Waitrose | From £3 standalone; free with a Delivery Pass | £40 | £8/month, £45 for 6 months, or £85/year | MyWaitrose | Some stores trialling cheaper 4-hour slots | 1 hour (4-hour trial in some areas) |
Ocado | From 99p (orders under £75); some orders over £75 are free | £40 | Smart Pass Anytime: £8.99/mo, £49.99/6mo, £89.99/yr Smart Pass Midweek: £3.99/mo, £22.49/6mo, £39.99/yr | Smart Pass perks (10% off selected items, exclusive sales) | Not applicable — slots run 7 days a week | 1 hour |
M&S (via Ocado) | Same as Ocado — M&S has no delivery service of its own | £40 (via Ocado) | Same as Ocado Smart Pass | M&S Sparks (general M&S loyalty, not delivery-specific) | Same as Ocado | Same as Ocado |
Aldi | No online delivery | – | – | – | – | – |
Lidl | No online delivery | – | – | – | – | – |
What's changed since we last checked
A few things have shifted since we last reviewed this list.
Sainsbury's has quietly pushed its Delivery Pass minimum order up from £40 to £50, and pass prices have climbed with it — the Anytime pass now costs £80 a year, up from £60.
Waitrose has gone the other way and actually made itself more accessible, launching a proper subscription Delivery Pass for the first time after years of flat-rate delivery only. Aldi and Lidl still won't deliver to your door nationwide, though Aldi continues to trial click-and-collect and third-party delivery in pockets of the country, so it's worth a quick check if you're near one of its stores.
Worth flagging separately: M&S doesn't run its own delivery operation at all. Its food range only reaches you through Ocado, which means the same £40 minimum spend applies as it does for an ordinary Ocado shop.
A grocery delivery service is super convenient when you have a busy schedule or live far from a supermarket. Here are the cheapest online shopping supermarkets in the UK to look out for.
Pssst... we've got cheap and easy uni student meals and recipes for one, you know, for some cooking inspo.
Supermarket by supermarket: What each one offers
ASDA
Asda's Delivery Pass is one of the more flexible options — the Anytime tier covers Monday to Sunday, while Midweek covers Tuesday to Thursday, both getting you free delivery and priority slot access for the length of your subscription (see the table above for pricing).
ASDA Rewards lets you earn cashpot money back on selected products to spend on future shops, stacking on top of any pass savings.
Sainsbury's
Both Delivery Pass tiers are still available (see the table above for current pricing), and if sustainability matters to you, Sainsbury's also lets you pick a "green" delivery slot — a window when a van's already delivering in your area — often one of the cheapest options going.
Nectar points collected here carry over to hundreds of other retailers too, from Argos to eBay, so it's worth linking your account if you shop across multiple Nectar partners. Keep an eye out for a first-order discount for new customers too — the exact terms change, so check at checkout for the current offer
Get a Sainsbury's student discount
Aldi
Aldi still doesn't offer online grocery delivery in the UK; however, it's consistently the cheapest supermarket for a full basket (see the price comparison above). If you're near a store, it's worth the trip in person — Aldi has trialled click-and-collect and third-party delivery in a handful of areas, so it's always worth checking your postcode to see what's available.
M&S
M&S doesn't run its own delivery service — its food range is available through Ocado instead, using the same Smart Pass options as an ordinary Ocado shop. Note: you'll need separate accounts: an M&S account for collection, and an Ocado account if you want delivery.
Get a Marks & Spencer student discount
Tesco
If you shop at Tesco regularly, a Delivery Saver pass is worth working out against how often you order. Here's what's currently included at each price point:
6-month plans | Price | What's included? |
|---|---|---|
Off-Peak | £4.99/month | - Home delivery for any available slot after 3pm |
Anytime | £7.99/month | - Includes same-day delivery |
Click + Collect | £2.49/month | - Includes same-day collection |
12-month plans | Price | What's included? |
|---|---|---|
Anytime | £6.99/month | - Includes same-day delivery |
Off-Peak | £3.99/month | - Home delivery for any available slot after 3pm |
Co-Op
If you're just outside Co-op's usual delivery zone, some stores can still arrange delivery for a £5 fee at the manager's discretion — worth asking if you're on the edge of the covered area.
Co-op also delivers through Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Amazon in many areas, alongside free Click & Collect. Availability depends heavily on your postcode, so check before you commit to a basket.
Iceland
Iceland's next-day delivery on orders over £40 needs no pass or code — handy for a big shop you need in a hurry. You can also arrange next-day delivery on an in-store order of £25 or more.
Iceland retired its old plastic Bonus Card in August 2025 in favour of a fully digital Bonus Club scheme, accessed through the app or by registering online (you can still take part without a smartphone by linking your account to a phone number in-store). It gives you £1 back for every £20 spent and discounts on hundreds of everyday items, and the free-over-£40 delivery perk carries over from the old card.
New customers can often get an Iceland student discount through Student Beans too.
Morrisons
Morrisons is consistently one of the cheaper options for delivery, though the exact charge can vary by location, so it's worth checking before you assume another supermarket is cheaper.
It also partners with Amazon — shop via your Prime account for same-day delivery in a two-hour slot, free with Prime on orders over £40, or £3.99 under that.
Get a Morrisons student discount, and check whether your Amazon student discount (Prime Student) is worth adding too.
Lidl
Like Aldi, Lidl doesn't offer online grocery delivery in the UK. It's the second-cheapest supermarket overall for a full basket (just behind Aldi), so it's worth a trip in person if you're nearby — especially if you're a Lidl Plus member, which unlocks extra in-app discounts.
Only have a £20 a week food budget? Lidl is your best bet for more bang for your buck.
Waitrose
The big change here is that Waitrose has finally launched a proper Delivery Pass, after years of offering flat-rate delivery only with no subscription option at all (see the table above for pricing).
It also offers free collection on orders over £40 if you're near a store, and MyWaitrose cardholders can pick up extra shopping perks on top of any delivery savings.
Get a Waitrose student discount
Ocado
Ocado's Smart Pass (see the table above for pricing) includes zero delivery charges for the length of your pass, 10% off selected items, and access to exclusive sales. Ocado also runs sign-up offers from time to time — keep an eye out for deals like a percentage off your first shop paired with a free Smart Pass trial, since the exact terms change regularly.
Money-saving tips for online grocery shopping
Picking the cheapest supermarket is only half the battle — how you shop matters just as much as where. A few habits that genuinely move the needle on your total spend:
Join cashback and loyalty schemes like Nectar, Clubcard and ASDA Rewards — the savings stack up faster than they look on any single shop.
Choose off-peak delivery slots wherever you can; they're consistently cheaper than evenings or weekends.
Do the maths before buying a delivery pass — if you're not shopping online weekly, pay-as-you-go is usually cheaper overall.
Keep an eye out for first-order discount codes when you try a new supermarket for the first time.
Write your list before you start browsing, so you're not adding things on impulse as you scroll.
Split a big shop with flatmates to clear minimum order thresholds without buying more than you need.
Compare price-per-100g rather than the sticker price — the bigger pack isn't always the better deal.
Untick optional carrier bags at checkout; it's a small saving, but it adds up over a term.
Report late, missing or wrong items straight away — most supermarkets will refund or credit you without a fuss.
Browse discount grocery sites like Approved Food for reduced-price and short-dated stock.
Follow money-saving creators on TikTok and Instagram, who tend to flag supermarket hacks and voucher codes as soon as they drop.
For a genuine one-off top-up shop, Gopuff or Deliveroo's grocery partners can work well — just note Getir has left the UK entirely, so that's no longer an option.
Batch cook and freeze in portions to make the most of bulk-buy offers; our £20-a-week food budget guide is a good place to start.
Keep tabs on weekly meal deals — our guide to the best supermarket meal deals in the UK rounds up the best ones going.
Which supermarket is cheapest overall?
Delivery charges only tell half the story — what you're actually paying for the shopping itself matters more in the long run. Which?'s most recent price comparison, based on a basket of 93 everyday items, puts the major supermarkets in this order:
Cheapest online supermarkets
Supermarket | Average Basket Cost |
|---|---|
Aldi | £158.05 |
Lidl | £160.70 |
Asda | £185.81 |
Sainsbury's (with Nectar) | £187.86 |
Tesco (with Clubcard) | £188.45 |
Morrisons | £195.63 |
Ocado | £209.40 |
Waitrose | £226.95 |
Table of cheapest supermarkets in the UK and average price of 93 items (source: Which?)
Aldi holds onto the top spot as the cheapest supermarket overall, with Lidl close behind — and Waitrose now costs roughly 44% more than Aldi for the exact same basket.
The obvious catch is that neither Aldi nor Lidl delivers nationwide, so if getting your shop brought to your door matters more than shaving off every last pound, Asda, Morrisons and Co-op currently offer the best balance of low delivery costs and competitive prices.
Which supermarkets deliver to my postcode?
Most online supermarkets will ask for your postcode before you start shopping, since delivery coverage varies a lot by area — you might be able to get one supermarket delivered to your door but not another just a few streets over.
It's worth checking each store's postcode checker before you build a full basket, so you're not caught out at checkout. Most sites will flag straight away whether delivery is available in your area.
Are you ready to order?
There's no single supermarket that's cheapest for everyone — it comes down to how often you shop, how big your basket usually is, and whether you'd actually use a delivery pass enough to make it worthwhile.
Shopping online every week? A pass from Asda, Morrisons or Tesco could pay for itself several times over across a term. Ordering only occasionally? Stick to pay-as-you-go delivery and book off-peak slots where you can. Either way, it's worth keeping your essentials list in mind while you shop — our essential uni food shopping list is a good place to start if you're stocking up for term. If you need a bit more inspo, read our ultimate guide to student food.
Which supermarket will you shop from online? Check out our food and drink student discounts to discover how much you can save ordering online at supermarkets, restaurants and more.
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