Cheapest Online Supermarket For Delivery 2026
- Christina Attrah
- Jan 6
- 15 min read
Updated: Jan 16
Looking for the cheapest supermarket delivery? Look no further.
If you’re looking for the cheapest supermarket delivery, you’ve come to the right place. We have the lowdown on all the cheapest online supermarkets and cheapest supermarket delivery services, so you can choose what’s right for you.
These cheapest online supermarkets can really help you save cash on your online food shop. Yes, shopping online comes with a slight premium (thanks, delivery), but we’re here to help you find out the best supermarket to shop online from and the cheapest supermarket delivery.
Almost one in ten young Brits have taken out a loan to ease the burden of the current cost of living crisis, according to our student cost of living survey. Plus, as UK inflation hits a 40-year high, 83% of our survey respondents said the rising cost of food shopping is worrying them.
That’s why we believe it’s super important to get you clued up on all the best, cheapest online supermarkets where you can get great deals. Cheap food delivery is going to be on everyone’s mind, and for good reason.
If supermarket delivery isn’t for you, then you might enjoy our guide on when supermarkets reduce food prices in the cheap aisles.
Besides the cheapest online shopping supermarkets, we’ll list out the cheapest food delivery too, so you know exactly what you’re in for when shopping online for groceries. From Aldi to Ocado online delivery, here are the best supermarket delivery stores in the UK. Plus, don’t forget to download the Student Beans app, so you can save money on all your favourite brands.
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:
Cheapest supermarket delivery
ASDA
Sainsbury's
Aldi
Tesco
Co-op
Morrisons
Lidl
Iceland
Waitrose
M&S
Ocado
How to save money on food shopping
Which is the cheapest online supermarket?
Cheapest supermarket delivery
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.
ASDA
Delivery cost: Starts from £1 to £7 for standard slots and £8.50 for an express slot
Minimum spend: £40, but there’s a charge of £3 for orders under £40 (no min spend for express delivery)
Delivery pass: A variety of Anytime Delivery and Midweek Delivery passes are available to be paid either monthly or yearly
Cheapest delivery slots: Varies depending on demand, time and location, but tends to be cheaper during "off-peak" times, Monday to Thursday afternoons and evenings
Time slots: Standard delivery slots are normally within a multi-hour window (2-3 hours long, etc.) on the date/time of your choice, but for express delivery, this can be within the next 1-4 hours on the same day.
ASDA is a go-to as one of the best cheap supermarkets online in the UK and has one of the cheapest online grocery shopping deliveries.
The best online supermarket in the UK also offers a Delivery Pass, which can get you free delivery, recurring slots at a time that suits you and priority access to delivery time slots too.
An Anytime 12-month Delivery Pass will cost you £6.95, whereas a Midweek 12-month Pass will cost £3.95 per month. The latter is perfect for those who have availability mid-week and want to cut costs.
ASDA also has its own loyalty scheme called ASDA Rewards. It lets you earn back money to spend on certain products, which means you can save on future shopping.
Sainsbury’s
Delivery cost: £1 to £7 - orders under £40 will be charged £7, whereas orders costing £40+ charges vary from £1 to £5.50 (cheaper "saver slots also available).
For "Sainsbury's Chop Chop" (60 minute groceries delivery), this costs £4.99
Minimum spend: £25 for same-day grocery delivery orders, £40 for other orders, and for the Chop Chop service - £4.99
Delivery pass: Anytime and Midweek passes available
Cheapest delivery slots: Tuesdays and Wednesdays afternoons and evenings
Time slots: Standard slots are typically one hour, "Chop Chop" slots are delivered within one hour, and saver slot within a four-hour window
Rewards and loyalty schemes: Sainsbury's Nectar
Offers: £10 off your first online shop (has to be a minimum £70 shop)
In terms of delivery, Sainsbury’s is where it’s at. Regular customers can even enjoy their Delivery passes, such as the Anytime Delivery Pass (£80 for 12 months) or Midweek Delivery Pass (£40 for 12 months).
Plus, if you want to do your bit for the environment, Sainsbury’s lets you do your bit by choosing a “green” delivery time slot. This allows you to choose a slot when a van is already making a delivery in your area. It is also a destination for the cheapest delivery of groceries on this list.
Lastly, if you have a Nectar card, you can not only collect points for rewards at Sainsbury’s but also over 500+ stores too, including Argos, ASOS, British Airways and much more.
Aldi
Delivery: None
Aldi is one of the cheapest online supermarkets in the UK. It even beats Lidl…
Does Aldi do home delivery? Aldi did have a deal with Deliveroo, which unfortunately ended at the beginning of 2022. This means you can order your food shop online, but you’ll only be able to collect in-store. This is great for those who want to grab and go. Aldi is still fantastic for cheap online food shopping and shouldn’t go amiss if there’s an Aldi near you.
While they don’t do home delivery, you’ll be pleased to know that Aldi is the cheapest grocery store in the UK (as well as Lidl), so if you live close by to one, it’s definitely worth shopping from Aldi to save cash.
M&S
Delivery: M&S food items delivery available via Ocado
Minimum spend: £40 via Ocado, small order charges for orders between £0 to £60 (£2) and £60 to £75 (£1)
Delivery costs: £1 to £7 on Ocado, depending on slot availability
Delivery pass: Via Ocado - Smart pass - available to pay monthly, six-monthly or annually - also waives delivery charges and offers priority slots
Rewards and loyalty schemes: Sparks
Offers: Get 25% off your first shop + 3 months free delivery on Ocado
M&S don’t offer delivery directly; however, they’ve partnered with Ocado to offer customers the option to get their food and drinks delivered online.
M&S does, however, offer a free collection of food via their Click & Collect service. To order online, you’ll need to create an M&S account. However, if you want to order food for delivery, you’ll have to make a separate Ocado account.
Tesco
Delivery costs: £3 to £7 for standard slots
Minimum spend: £25 (£7 charge if under £40 - £1 -£4.50 for over £40 depending on time and location)
Delivery pass: Tesco’s delivery saver has six-month and twelve-month plans available - starting at £7.99 a month on a six-month Anytime plan or £4.99 a month for a six-month Off-Peak plan
Time slots: Standard, next day and beyond slots tend to have a slot length of 1-2 hours, cheaper slots offer a 4-hour time window
Rewards and loyalty schemes: Tesco Clubcard
If you regularly shop at Tesco and want to save money on your online grocery shopping, Tesco have delivery saver passes that you can sign up to. Below are the delivery passes available.
6-month plans | Price | What’s included? |
|---|---|---|
Off-Peak | £4.99/month | – Home delivery for any available slot after 3 pm – Delivery saver guarantee – Collection for any available slot |
Anytime | £7.99/month | – Includes same-day delivery – Home delivery for any available slot – Early access to Christmas and Easter slots – Delivery saver guarantee – Collection for any available slot |
Click + Collect | £2.49/month | – Includes same-day collection – Collection for any available slot – Early access to Christmas and Easter collection slots – Delivery saver guarantee |
Table of 6-month delivery plans at Tesco
12-month plans | Price | What’s included? |
|---|---|---|
Anytime | £6.99/month | – Includes same-day delivery – Home delivery for any available slot – Early access to Christmas and Easter slots – Delivery saver guarantee – Collection for any available slot |
Off-Peak | £3.99/month | – Home delivery for any available slot after 3 pm – Delivery saver guarantee – Collection for any available slot |
Table of 12-month delivery plans at Tesco
Co-Op
Delivery: Starts at £1.99 (free for shops worth £25+)
Minimum spend: £15
Time slots: Standard slots are often within 1 to 2 hours (Express on Deliveroo can be as fast as 30 mins)
Items can also be delivered via Deliveroo, UberEats, Stuart and Amazon
Free Click & Collect if you meet the minimum spend (£15)
Rewards and loyalty schemes: Co-op Membership
Delivery from The Co-Operative is free when you spend £25 or more in one transaction and live within the designated area. However, some items won't be counted towards the £25 spend, such as:
Cigarettes and tobacco
Gift vouchers
Savings stamps
Postage stamps
Telephone cards (including mobile phone top-ups)
Fireworks and sparklers
Lottery tickets and scratchcards
Medicines (including vitamins and minerals)
Infant formulae
Top-ups to utility meter keys
Rotisserie and other hot food
Items bought from vending machines
Fuel, oil and other motoring services.
There’s also a £3 fee for delivery if you spend less than £25. If you live outside this area, the store manager may agree to deliver to you for £5.
Co-Op will deliver it to your door in 2 hours or less. Available in most areas with a postcode checker online.
Get a student discount for Southern Co-op (find out which Southern Co-ops offer discounts in this blog)
Get a student discount for Central Co-op (find out which Central Co-ops offer discounts in this blog)
Check out the cheapest and best supermarket meal deals for your lunchtime pick-me-up.
Iceland
Delivery: Same Day (£6), Next Day (free) and In-Store (free) home delivery options available
Minimum order: £40 (For stores that offer in-store home delivery only, and do not provide online delivery, spend £25 or more in one transaction for free delivery)
Time slots: Typically two hours
Delivery pass: None
Rewards and loyalty schemes: Iceland Bonus Card
First order discount: £5 off when you spend £45+
Iceland is the only supermarket that offers free delivery to your door. Even for speedy next-day delivery - on all orders over £40, this is free of charge. No passes or codes are needed to enjoy this. This is great for those big shops that you need right away.
Depending on the closest Iceland to you, there's also an option to go in-store, select the items you want and have them delivered to your home the next day - free of charge (if you spend £40 or more). In addition to free delivery, with the Iceland Bonus Card, you get an extra £1 on every £20 you save while shopping.
Here's some viral food from Iceland for inspo:
Morrisons
Delivery: Standard delivery normally costs £1.50 - £6.50, varying depending on the day and time of the chosen slot and your address. Morrisons Now (fast delivery) customers can get up to 30 items in as little as an hour for £4.50 (delivery partners also include Deliveroo, Amazon, Uber Eats, and Just Eat).
Minimum spend: £25 (£3 small order charge, or free for over £40+ spend) - £15 for Morrisons Now orders
Time slots: Usually one hour
Rewards and loyalty schemes: More Card
Delivery pass: Yes - Anytime and Midweek delivery options
Morrisons has one of the cheapest grocery delivery services on the market, making it another solid supermarket delivery option. If you spend the £40 minimum, you can expect to pay as little as £1.50 for your online food delivery. Of course, this is location-dependent, but it’s always worth checking before hitting checkout elsewhere.
If you do become a regular online shopper at Morrisons, you can enjoy their Delivery Pass, which guarantees free delivery and extra savings. This starts at £8 a month, £45 for six months or £70 per year for their Anytime Pass, or their Midweek Pass costs £5 monthly, £25 for six months and £40 annually.
Did you know you can shop for Morrisons food using your Amazon Prime account? You’ll get same-day delivery up to 24 hours in advance, regardless of whether you have Amazon Prime or not. However, Prime members get free delivery options on orders over £60 depening on location. Get your Amazon student discount here.
Lidl
Delivery: No
Rewards and loyalty schemes: Lidl Plus
Although one of the cheapest supermarkets in the UK, up there with Aldi, Lidl doesn’t actually do delivery or orders for collection. The only way to get any Lidl goods is by heading into your local store.
With the Lidl Plus App, you can locate your nearest Lidl supermarket, find food deals, and claim some extra offers and coupons when you shop in-store.
Only have a £20 a week food budget? Lidl is your best bet for more bang for your buck.
Waitrose
Delivery: from £2 (also available from Deliveroo, Uber Eats or Just Eat)
Minimum spend: £40
Delivery pass: Yes
Time slots: 1-hour or 4-hour window for a Saver Slot in selected shops that tend to be cheaper
Rewards and loyalty schemes: My Waitrose
Waitrose used to offer free delivery, but it’s now £2, which in some cases can be cheaper than other online supermarkets on this list. It technically makes Waitrose one of the cheapest supermarkets for delivery, as this is the flat rate you pay.
With a Waitrose Delivery Pass, you can pay monthly (£8), every 6 months (£45) or annually (£85) and save over £100 than without it.
They do, however, offer free collection on orders over £40 with their Click & Collect services, so it’s well worth getting your Waitrose online food shop sorted for collection if you’re close to a store.
Plus, if you want to cut down on supermarket delivery charges, consider getting a MyWaitrose card, which can get you some nice shopping deals and make the most of their Little Treats offering - available exclusively to all members.
Ocado
Delivery: Starts from £1 for orders under £75. Certain orders over £75 may be free
Minimum spend: £40
Delivery pass: Yes, via Ocado Smart Pass
Rewards and loyalty schemes: Ocado Smart Pass
How much does an Ocado smart pass cost?
Anytime 1-month: £8.99
Anytime 6-month pass: £49.99
Anytime Annual pass: £89.99
Midweek 1-month: £4.99
Anytime 6-month pass: £27.99
Anytime Annual pass: £49.99
Time slots: Standard delivery - 1 hour, Cheaper delivery - 4 hours
First order discount: Get 25% off your first shop + 3 months free Smart Pass
Ocado home delivery is fantastic for getting food from a variety of stores. They offer 1-hour slots 7 days a week, straight to your door via Ocado online delivery.
Plus, the Ocado online supermarket offers a Smart Pass, and its benefits are quite decent. You can enjoy free next-day delivery and get exclusive offers.
Consider Ocado home delivery for your online food shop if you want to enjoy the benefits they offer, plus access to tons of products, and some of the cheapest delivery options around.
How to save money on food shopping
We’ve got a ton of ideas on how to save money on your online grocery shopping (as do the students of Manchester).
1. Use supermarket cashback apps
These can be in the form of loyalty cards with your chosen supermarket, too. Often, you can get cash back for the points you’ve accumulated. Alternatively, you can see if you can get your food items for less by using our student food discounts.
2. Choose off-peak delivery
As a student, you’ll have a fair amount of free time. Use it to your advantage by being available for your food shop during off-peak times of the week is key to keeping your online grocery shopping costs low. Plus, this is when your supermarket shop will generally be at its cheapest (or rather, delivery costs will be significantly lower).
Each supermarket will have its own peak/off-peak times, but generally speaking, you should try to get your groceries delivered on weekdays, avoiding evenings and weekends, to get cheap food delivery.
3. Get a delivery pass for online shopping
A delivery pass at your chosen online supermarket can help save you money in the long run, especially if you order quite regularly.
A supermarket delivery pass will typically charge a monthly, 6-month, or annual subscription, and it comes with a whole host of benefits. These include:
Free delivery
Access to certain offers and discounts.
If you’re intending to get regular food deliveries from the same shop, you should probably look at buying a delivery pass. Lots of major supermarkets offer some kind of delivery pass, including Asda, Morrisons, Ocado, Sainsbury’s and Tesco. Just make sure you do the maths first, to make sure that the cost of a pass works out cheaper based on how regularly you’ll get a delivery.
4. Utilise first-order discounts in your shop
Want to get a cheaper deal elsewhere? Some supermarkets will give you a first-order discount. E.g. £20 off a £50 spend when you shop at ASDA.
5. Look for price matching at other supermarkets
Before confirming your online grocery shopping at checkout, it’s worth doing a price match to see if you can save extra.
Price matching is dying lately, but there are supermarkets such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s that have started to price-match Aldi for certain products, so it’s definitely worth looking out for!
6. Make a meal plan and a shopping list
Having no plan is planning to fail, as the old saying goes. It’s super easy to get distracted with offers and tasty treats when you’re meandering through the many food categories. Making a list, even for online grocery shopping, helps you stick to the foods and meal plan you’ve prepped, which will stop you from overspending.
Struggling for inspiration for your online grocery shop? Here are some easy meal recipes to get you started:
7. Order together to reach minimum order values (great for flatmates!)
Ordering food as a household doesn’t always have to mean cooking the same meals (though this can be super cost-effective too!). But if a supermarket you want to order from has a minimum spend of around £40, having a few people chime in and make it cost-effective for everyone. Plus, you can split the cost of delivery, too!
8. Check whether items are sold by weight or quantity
Confused about why you got one banana instead of a whole bunch? Check whether the item is sold by weight or quantity so you don’t get a surprise upon delivery. Plus, some items sold by weight can be much cheaper to buy as opposed to a whole pack you’ll barely use.
9. Skip the bags with your online food shopping
Bags cost extra when you go shopping, and that doesn’t exclude online shopping either. Besides, you’re likely to use your own bags to pop your items in to carry in, so save yourself the extra pennies. They add up!
10. Be wary of item exchanges
It’s possible to ask for substitutions if a supermarket doesn’t have what you need. While this can be convenient, you could end up with something quite random.
You could get a spicier version of some chicken nuggets, or worse yet, an item that doesn’t match your dietary needs. When placing a grocery order online, the shop worker is tasked with finding you the closest replacement; however, if you don’t want the substitute, ask them to take it back and refund you.
11. Complain if your online food shopping order is late or wrong
Is your order late by a few hours, or worse, didn’t turn up altogether? Or perhaps you got the completely wrong items delivered, and you’re livid.
In these cases, you can complain to the customer service team of the supermarket and see if they can offer some form of compensation, such as vouchers for your next shop, a full refund or free re-delivery.
12. Buy discounted food from Approved Food
Best-before dates are something you should pay attention to. However, sometimes they’re more of a guide than actual gospel.
This is where Approved Food comes in. They exclusively sell food and other products that are approaching, or have passed, their best-before dates. Everything is still safe to eat, but it’s available at up to 70% off the standard price.
So, if you’re after tinned goods, chocolate, sauces, or anything else that doesn’t really go off, check out Approved Food before you hit up the supermarket.
13. Check out TikTok for food and money-saving hacks
TikTok is like the new Google. It’s a go-to for the latest finds, trends, tips and hacks.
This includes saving money on food, too! If you want to find out more, check out these 10 TikTok hacks to cut your supermarket shopping bill.
Which is the cheapest online supermarket?
As of November 2025, Which? announced Aldi was the cheapest supermarket overall and even beat their rival Lidl (only by a few quid).
Using an example of their £121.22 average shop consisting of 70 items, the same shopping would have been £166.79 in Waitrose, around 38% more than Aldi!
Cheapest online supermarkets
Supermarket | Average cost for 70 items |
|---|---|
Aldi | £121.22 |
Lidl (with Lidl Plus) | £122.35 |
Lidl (without Lidl Plus) | £122.40 |
Asda | £133.59 |
Tesco (with Clubcard) | £133.65 |
Tesco (without Clubcard) | £136.20 |
Morrisons | £137.40 |
Sainsbury’s (with Nectar) | £137.77 |
Sainsbury’s (without Nectar) | £141.62 |
Ocado | £154.37 |
Waitrose | £166.79 |
Table of the cheapest supermarkets in the UK for an average price of 70 items in November 2025 (source: Which?)
Which supermarkets deliver to my postcode?
When using an online grocery store to order food from, you’ll typically have to enter your postcode to see if you’re eligible for delivery.
Each online supermarket that delivers food is different, though, as you may have access to one supermarket close by, but no access to another.
Check each store to see what you can get on delivery before adding to your basket to save you time. Each store will typically ask you to add your postcode before you start shopping, so at that point, it should let you know whether you’ll be able to get a delivery or not.
Best reusable shopping bags
Whether you do your shopping online and get it delivered or go to a physical supermarket to get your steps up, reusable shopping bags are a must. They’re cute, super handy, and they care about the planet.
Distorted Gingham medium bag — Kind Bag, £13.95
Mesh Bags set of 3 — Kind Bag, £5.95
Get 15% off with the Kind Bag Student Discount.
Niki Net Orange Sparkle Fabric Shopper Bag — Oliver Bonas, £6
Macrame Tassel Green Shopper Tote Bag — Oliver Bonas, £25
Get 10% off with the Oliver Bonas Student Discount.
Wanting to save even more money? We’ve got the Greene King pubs that have a student discount available.
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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