It was back in 2019 when the idea of Clubcard Prices first appeared at Tesco. The scheme was badged as part of Tesco’s celebrations to mark 100 years since the company was founded, and Clubcard holders were offered between 15 and 50 percent off products including coffee, pet food, televisions, BBQs and F&F clothing.
The scheme ran throughout May that year, and you can still read the full details on Tesco’s original announcement. It was the first time a major UK supermarket had offered lower prices specifically to loyalty card holders, and it proved such a hit that it never went away.
The other supermarkets caught on fast, rolling out their own versions so as not to fall behind. It took a few of them a while to catch up, mind, since Tesco was well ahead with its digital Clubcard offering. Even now in 2026, some of the rival loyalty apps still are not quite up to the same standard.
So, I hear you ask, this is a supermarket giving you money off just for scanning a card. How can that possibly be a bad thing? Surely this is something Sensible Spender should be applauding? Read on, because I want to explain where my problem with the scheme actually lies.
So What Is My View?
At first, I did not mind it at all. I thought it was a genuinely good way to make a bit of extra saving. But it feels to me that since these schemes were first introduced, things have moved on. They have spread across nearly every product and every supermarket, to the point where they are now actively shaping what I buy, or more importantly, what I do not buy. Let me explain.
As this took hold of the UK supermarket market and became what I would call the new normal, I think it has started to cause some genuine problems for shoppers.
The Problem With Per Unit Pricing
Up until February 2024, Tesco showed you the Clubcard price on the shelf but not the per unit price. That sounds like a small detail, but it matters. Per unit pricing is normally the figure that lets you compare products fairly when the pack sizes differ, and without it, comparing Clubcard deals properly becomes close to impossible.
Picture a 500ml bottle of washing up liquid priced at £2.50 normally, or £1.80 with Clubcard. Next to it on the shelf sit three more options: a 400ml bottle at £2.10, an 800ml bottle at £4.25, and a 1 litre bottle at £7.00. Normally you would glance at the price per 100ml and know instantly which was the best value. Strip that out for the Clubcard price and it becomes much harder to work out. Tesco only started showing unit pricing on Clubcard deals after the consumer group Which? raised concerns that leaving it off could breach pricing law, and it was a welcome change when it finally arrived.
Prices That Swing Week to Week
Another issue for me is that it can make your weekly shop fluctuate wildly. Some weeks your favourite pizza might be £5, other weeks it drops to £2.50. That is genuinely frustrating. On the weeks it sits at full price I resent buying it, and often I simply do not. It feels a bit mad that a pricing scheme designed to help me as a consumer ends up causing this kind of friction.
What Is the Real Price?
It has also made me question what the real price of a product actually is, and left me fairly mistrustful of the saving printed on my receipt. The way things are going, it sometimes feels like a supermarket could price an apple at £10 normally, offer it to members for 50p, and claim you have saved £9.50.
This is not a criticism aimed at Tesco alone. Every major supermarket has now adopted some version of membership pricing, often under a different name but working in a similar way. Co-op has been the one exception in my experience. Rather than volatile per item swings, I tend to get random 50p off vouchers, and while it is not a huge amount, it feels like a genuine saving rather than a game.
How the Supermarket Membership Pricing Schemes Compare
Here is how the four biggest schemes stack up. I have covered each one in full in my individual reviews, linked below the table.
| Supermarket | Scheme | Launched | Typical Discount Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | Clubcard Prices | May 2019 | 15% to 50%+ |
| Sainsbury’s | Nectar Prices | April 2023 | 15% to 60% |
| Co-op | Member Prices | April 2023 | Average 13%, up to 33% |
| Morrisons | More Card Prices | 2023 | Average 30%+ on selected lines |
For the full picture on each one, including how the points and voucher side of things works, take a look at my reviews of the Tesco Clubcard, the Nectar Card, Co-op Membership, and the Morrisons More Card. Or for a side by side comparison of all four, my supermarket loyalty cards guide pulls everything together in one place.
Getting the Most From Membership Pricing
Whether or not you agree with the scheme as it stands, it is worth getting the most from it while it is here. This is how I approach it.
Stock up when it makes sense. For the regular items you buy that swing between full price and Clubcard price, consider whether you can store extra when they are on deal. If you like a certain brand of rice, stock up when it is discounted. Not quite so easy with milk.
Stack the savings. If you use Clubcard Plus, stacking it with a big shop gives you an additional reduction on top of the Clubcard price.
Avoid buying at full price where you can. I appreciate this can affect what you eat week to week, but skipping an item when it is not discounted can make a real difference over a year.
Shop around. With every supermarket now offering some version of membership pricing, visiting more than one store can reduce your overall bill. That does come at a time cost though, so it will not suit everyone.
Layer on gift card cashback. You can get an additional discount by buying your supermarket shop as a gift card through apps like Everup. The rate moves around, but it has sat at a few percent on Tesco gift cards recently, and it really does add up on top of your Clubcard savings.
Personally, I would still rather see a lower, consistent price across the board. But it looks like membership pricing is here to stay, so we might as well make it work as hard for us as it does for the supermarkets.