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The Ultimate Guide to Shopping

Tom Sexon

I am all about saving money and thinking strategically when it comes to shopping all year round, but at Christmas most households typically increase their spend drastically so it’s time to turn it up a notch!

There is no point spending more than you absolutely need to this December, so here is my ultimate guide to (Christmas) shopping! This is being updated regularly with new releases for stores as we work our way through December so if you can’t see a store yet, it will be coming soon!

Supermarkets

Tesco

Get your Clubcard ready

Firstly, it’s vital that you have a Clubcard if you are planning to so much as breathe near a Tesco store this December. Whether it is morally right or not, visiting any Tesco store without a Clubcard will be an expensive lesson you won’t repeat due to their pricing strategies (making everything cost more for non-members).

When you scan your Clubcard you typically earn 1 point per £1 spent and can eventually stack these up to spend at Tesco or exchange for partner rewards. If spending at Tesco, these points are worth 1 penny each or if you are spending with one of their partners (LEGOLAND, Pizza Express, RAC to name a few) they are worth 2p each. This means that you are automatically earning a “cashback” rate of 1-2% every time you scan your clubcard.

Worth paying for the upgrade?

Of course, in 2024 everything is a subscription so why not have one for Clubcard too?! Clubcard Plus is a subscription service which costs £7.99 per month to be a part of, but is it actually worth it? Here’s what you get:

  • 10% off two shops of your choice in-store (capped at £20 per time) excluding most non-grocery items

  • 10% off F&F and selected Tesco brands all the time

So is it worth it? Well if you spend more than £80 per month in Tesco across two or less shops then technically yes, but having this shouldn’t encourage you to spend more as it isn’t a saving if you wouldn’t buy something otherwise.

My top tip? If visiting Tesco over December, take out the free trial for a month and take advantage of the discounts and unsubscribe (just don’t forget to!)

Cashback gift cards

So combining the above, you should be able to bag 11-12% back on 2 shops in Tesco throughout December. However, we can certainly do better than that. All year, I use a number of apps which give me cashback every time I visit a supermarket simply by purchasing a gift card and paying with this at the till instead of a payment card.

At the time of writing the cashback rates on these apps are as follows for Tesco:

So using these will take your savings up to 15% - 16.40% on 2 shops throughout the next month which is HUGE. However, there is one more additional way to save which is using a Chase debit card (eligible for 1% cashback) when you buy a gift card through EverUp taking you up to a possible 17.40%

Not used Home Delivery or Click & Collect? You can possibly bag another £11 cashback for the following:

Sainsbury’s

Nectar Card needed

Much like Clubcards at Tesco, Sainsbury’s have moved towards Nectar Card pricing on a range of items in-store. However, Nectar points are worth less than Clubcard points in terms of “value” where you earn 1 point per £1 spent. When you go to spend these you need to collect more though as 500 points are worth £2.50 when spending in-store meaning you get around 0.5% cashback when spending at Sainsbury’s.

It is worth looking at partner offers where you can also earn Nectar points and get bonuses too!

Cashback gift cards

Sainsbury’s is more difficult to save money on when it comes to groceries, but you can rely on using gift card cashback apps like those below to boost your savings. Currently the rates available are as follows:

Therefore, you can look to earn up to 5.10% whilst shopping at Sainsbury’s using the above two tricks every time you shop.

If you have never ordered home delivery from Sainsbury’s then you can do one better than this (although consider that you may get strange replacements, poor dates and will need to organise being in to collect it first):

All in, you may be able to get £45 of groceries for as low as £24.71 if you can combine all of the above!

ASDA

ASDA Rewards app

Unlike Tesco Clubcard and Nectar, ASDA’s rewards scheme isn’t really that good (in my opinion). Rather than earning points, you earn “cash” which is their big selling point but the problem is you don’t earn on every transaction. Instead, you earn “cash” in the form of percentages or set amounts when you complete “missions”.

This isn’t actually cash though as you have to convert it into vouchers to spend in-store rather than being able to withdraw to your bank. In my view, this is basically the same as the Clubcard Challenges which are available monthly at Tesco except you get points and bonus points with Tesco.

The redeeming factors of this app are the return of “Scan to Win” which will give you a free entry into winning a cash pot bonus every time you spend £5+ in-store or online (once per day maximum).

Cashback gift cards

Struggling to save at ASDA? You can rely on using gift card cashback apps like those below to boost your savings. Currently the rates available are as follows:

If you have never ordered home delivery from ASDA then you can do one better than this (although consider that you may get strange replacements, poor dates and will need to organise being in to collect it first):

Lidl

Lidl Plus App

Lidl has been one of the UK’s cheapest supermarkets for years so finding a way to save is very tricky. However, the launch of the Lidl Plus app has made this easier.

The “Coupon Plus” feature of the app rewards you when you spend in-store with more back the more you spend each month:

  • Spend £10 - Get a free sweet bakery coupon

  • Spend £50 - Get a free product coupon

  • Spend £100 - Get another free product coupon

  • Spend £150 - Get another free product coupon

  • Spend £250 - Get 10% off your next shop

You can also use the Lidl Plus app to receive a scratch card every time you spend at Lidl and scan your app at the till. 1 in 2 scratch cards win including prizes such as free products, money off your next shop or other digital coupons.

No further savings available

Aldi

With Aldi regularly coming in top of the podium for the UK’s cheapest supermarkets, it should be no surprise that it is very difficult to make further savings on your grocery shopping here. There is no loyalty scheme available, but some people can get cashback…

Airtime Rewards is a cashback app that you add your card details to and it tracks your spending. If you happen to spend at any of the retailers they offer cashback at, then you will receive cashback into your Airtime Rewards pot. Aldi is not technically available to everyone on the app, but I know multiple people who have it as a “For You” offer meaning they earn when they spend at Aldi.

The catch with Airtime Rewards is that your cashback can only be used to pay off your phone bill as they work with most network providers. You can’t earn a fortune from the app but over the last few years I have managed to knock £50 off my O2 SIM only bill. Use the code AUWX6FFC when you download the app and if you spend at any of their retailers within 7 days you will get a £2 bonus.

Other than this, the best option is to use a cashback payment card (Chase, Nationwide FlexDirect, American Express).