PRICED OUT
Millions of shoppers locked out of cheaper prices at major supermarkets – are you paying more?
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MILLIONS are being locked out of cheaper prices at the supermarket and other retailers through no fault of their own.
Which? has found shoppers are being excluded from loyalty scheme pricing due to three major restrictions.
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The vast majority of supermarket chains offer customers lower prices if they sign up to reward schemes.
Sainsbury's has its Nectar Card, while Tesco shoppers can sign up to its Clubcard.
But Which? discovered customers are being locked out of cheaper deals across the major UK supermarkets and Boots and Superdrug.
It found shoppers are being shut out due to minimum age requirements, lack of UK residency or an address and not having an email address or app.
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Researchers found that customers have to be 18 or over to join loyalty schemes at Lidl, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose but only 16 at Co-op and Morrisons.
Co-op and Sainsbury's shoppers under 16 can get a junior membership or be added to a parent or guardian's account to access loyalty scheme prices.
Shoppers only need to be 13 to access Boots and Superdrug's schemes.
Which? also discovered big differences in retailer's address requirements and whether or not customers need access to smartphones or a computer to sign up for loyalty schemes.
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Harry Rose, Which? magazine editor, said: "Our research shows there are differences between supermarkets and retailers and their loyalty schemes, which mean some people could miss out on the lower prices offered because of factors such as minimum age requirements and needing an email address.
"All retailers should prioritise making their best deals accessible to all customers by implementing changes to their conditions for signing up."
Are you being duped at the supermarket?
Which?'s findings come hot off the back of separate research from the consumer group in August showing customers not on loyalty schemes are having to pay up to 33% more on average.
It means due to the restrictions, several vulnerable groups such as young carers and the homeless are excluded from lower prices despite possibly struggling with their finances more.
For example, Which? said a 17-year-old single parent living independently would not get a discount on baby food at some supermarkets.
Meanwhile, a homeless person would have to pay more for a meal deal at other retailers.
Couples without smartphones shopping in Lidl wouldn't be able to access its Lidl Plus scheme as it is only available on an app.
See our table below for each retailer's loyalty scheme, age requirements, address requirements and whether they are digital-only.
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Which? asked all the retailers included in its research to comment.
A Boots spokesperson highlighted that anyone aged 13 or above with a UK postal address can join its Advantage Card scheme.
Co-op flagged to Which? that shoppers can become members with permission from a parent or guardian.
Lidl said everything it does is designed to give households access to "good food at low prices" and those without a smart phone can get in-store promotions through its Pick of The Week offers.
A spokesperson for Nectar, Sainsbury's loyalty scheme, said if a customer contacts the Nectar Helpline team they can manually register for a Nectar account without requiring an email address or mobile number.
A Superdrug spokesperson said delivery was only available to addresses within the UK and Republic of Ireland and its loyalty scheme reflected this.
It added that customers don't need an address to become a member and can sign up in store or online using their name and either an email address, address or phone number.
A Tesco spokesperson said it was "free to sign up and join the 22million UK households who already have a Tesco Clubcard".
A Waitrose spokesperson told Which? its "digital approach allows us to personalise offers and share benefits quickly, easily and securely".
They added that its age and address requirements are in line with other retailers.
A Morrisons spokesperson said: “Driving strong value for customers remains our number one priority.
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“Together with our Aldi and Lidl price match, our savers range, our vast range of low everyday prices and our More Card – we have thousands of products that not only offer outstanding value on brands and essential items our customers love – but also have the quality they’ve come to expect from us.”
In other Which? news, the consumer website ranked the best cheddar cheeses, with a supermarket own-brand pack winning.
What is loyalty pricing?
You may have heard of loyalty pricing, but do you know what it is?
Sainsbury's, Tesco and Morrisons are three supermarkets that offer customers signed up to their loyalty schemes exclusive discounts - known as loyalty pricing.
All three retailer's schemes, Nectar Card, Clubcard and More Card, are free to sign up to as well.
The obvious advantage to loyalty pricing is that you can save potentially hundreds of pounds a year on your shopping, all without spending a penny.
But different supermarkets offer exclusive discounts on different products, so do some research before doing your shopping.
Either way, be wary of supermarkets artificially inflating prices to make it seem like you're getting a better deal than you are.
A previous investigation by consumer group Which? found Sainsbury's and Tesco have increased the price of everyday goods then slapped loyalty prices on them thinking customers wouldn't notice.
Either way, it's worth shopping around though.
Supermarkets change their prices all the time, sometimes multiple times daily, so it's worth researching to ensure you're getting the best price on an item.
You can use websites like Trolley to see how the major supermarket's compare in terms of price on any number of goods.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Plus, you can join our Facebook group to share your tips and stories
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