Tesco shoppers with Clubcard issued £261 warning

Shoppers using a  are being warned they could be paying an extra £261 annually for their groceries.

According to the latest analysis from consumer group Which?, in January, a basket of 100 popular items at Tesco cost £207.66 for Clubcard members. Without a Clubcard, the same basket rose to £213.14, highlighting the importance of the loyalty discount.

Despite the Clubcard , Tesco still proved more expensive than , the UK’s cheapest , where the same basket cost £185.83. This translates to an additional £21.83 per month, or £261.96 more annually for Tesco shoppers compared to Aldi.

Lidl, another budget supermarket, was close behind Aldi, with a total of £186.59 for loyalty scheme users (Lidl Plus) and £186.62 for those without it.

For larger shopping trips, Tesco with a Clubcard was one of the more affordable options but was still beaten by Asda. A 210-item shop at Tesco cost £529.01 with a Clubcard, whereas Asda came out cheaper at £518.90.

The return of to the top spot comes just days after the supermarket scrapped its Aldi and Lidl price match scheme in favour of , which claims lower costs on over 4,000 products.

Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s Nectar card users saw their 100-item shopping list average £214.04, which was £28.21 more than Aldi shoppers paid. Without a Nectar card, the cost jumped to £223.84.

The most expensive option for both smaller and larger shops was Waitrose. In January, an average 100-item basket at Waitrose cost £242.91, a staggering £57.08 more than Aldi – a 31% difference. A larger 210-item shop at Waitrose reached £592.34, making it the priciest supermarket overall.

The Which? analysis considers special offer prices and loyalty discounts but excludes multi-buy deals.

This latest pricing analysis demonstrates that shoppers can make considerable savings on groceries depending on where they buy their food.

Reena Sewraz, Which? retail editor, said: “Our latest monthly analysis once again sees Aldi crowned as the UK’s cheapest supermarket. However, Lidl remains hot on its rival’s heels. Asda has also made up some ground after slipping back in our rankings in recent months.

“With people still feeling the effects of food inflation, they are likely looking to cut costs where they can. Our analysis shows that by switching supermarkets, consumers could save up to 23%, highlighting the advantages of shopping around where possible.”