Does supermarket price matching save you money?

Find out if supermarket price matching really saves money on your food shop. We look into how schemes vary across stores.

Tired of overpaying for groceries? Discover how price matching says it guarantees you the lowest prices!

With price matching, supermarkets like Tesco, Morrisons, Asada and even Amazon Fresh promise to match or beat the prices of their competitors.

It’s great knowing you’re getting the best deals without the hassle of visiting multiple stores.

But is it as good as it makes out?

Supermarket price match

Here is a summary of the price matches at supermarkets in the following table:

Supermarket	Price match against	Number of products
Tesco	Aldi	500+
Sainsbury’s	Aldi	500+
Asda	Aldi and Lidl	280+
Morrisons	Aldi and Lidl	200+
Spa	Tesco	40 ish
Amazon Fresh	Tesco	100s
Ocado	Tesco	10,000+
Waitrose	Tesco	0 (see below)

Tesco

Tesco’s price match promise is quite straightforward.

Since 2020, they have regularly checked the prices of their products against Aldi twice a week.

The prices will be seen online and in larger stores (but not in their smaller Express shops or Northern Ireland stores).

Tesco used to offer a Brand Guarantee from 2015 against Morrisons, Asda and Sainsbury’s, but scrapped it in 2018. The idea was that if you buy a product cheaper at one of these, they might give you a voucher for the difference.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s takes a similar approach to Tesco and has price-matched against Aldi since 2023.

They focus on matching the prices of hundreds of everyday branded and own-label products in their larger stores and online. Prices are checked twice a week.

In a similar way to Tesco, they also offered a Brand Guarantee from 2015 – 2018 against Asda and gave a voucher if they were more expensive.

Asda

Asda was the first supermarket to price match against both Aldi and Lidl in January 2024.

They promise to keep prices low across the board, not just matching but setting competitive prices from the start.

Asda used to offer the Asda Price Guarantee, which sadly ended in 2018.

Morrisons

Morrisons started to price match against Aldi and Lidl in February 2024.

They check prices twice a week, and they will either be matched or lower than Aldi or Lidl (whichever is cheaper at the time).

Spa

Spa is a smaller convenience store but has promised to match prices against Tesco stores.

They check prices weekly for their SPAR everyday essentials against Tesco, including milk, pasta, cheese, biscuits and drinks.

Amazon Fresh

Amazon Fresh introduced a price-match promise in July 2022 against Tesco.com Clubcard prices for Prime members, focusing on a broad range of items.

This includes own-label and branded groceries and household essentials.

Prices are checked weekly, and they ensure prices are matched for at least four weeks in selected areas.

Ocado

Ocado introduced a Tesco “Price Promise” on over 10,000 products, including Clubcard deals, ensuring customers get competitive prices on a wide range of items.

They match both branded and own-label products against prices from Tesco online.

As a massive incentive, if your shop is not cheaper, Ocado will send you a voucher for the difference.

Waitrose

Waitrose previously matched Tesco on thousands of items from September 2012 but scaled back and eventually phased out their Brand Price Match promise.

Their focus was on branded products, including food, drink, household and healthcare.

Waitrose reduced its price match in 2018 from 8,000 to 1,200 products, and it seems the program was quietly phased out after that.

We’re not sure of the exact date of the complete phase-out, but the focus shifted towards emphasising quality and value over direct price competition around that time.

Can supermarket price matches save you money?

Price matching can save you money or at least make sure you don’t overspend, but it needs some effort.

You can get the best deals by comparing prices across supermarkets and using price-matching schemes.

However, savings will vary depending on the products you buy and the supermarkets you shop at.

The list of items they match is limited, even if they check prices on hundreds of products.

If you want to do a full week’s food shop, there is a likelihood that not all items will match the lower price.

You’ll also find that the products at lower prices can change from week to week, so if you have a favourite supermarket, you may be unable to guarantee their pricing will still be lower the following week.

The comparisons aren’t always done on an exact like-for-like product. Sizing or quantities can vary, so check if you need a certain amount for a recipe or to tide you over.

You can track your list online before you shop to ensure it is the cheapest, but generally, if most supermarkets match Aldi, would it just not be cheaper to shop there anyway?

Aldi has been regularly called out as the cheapest supermarket month on month.

While price matching can lead to savings, you must be a savvy shopper who pays attention to the details.

It’s easy to get used to having a price match, but Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Asda previously did brand matches and stopped them in 2018.

So, don’t get used to a price match staying forever, as when the cost of living eases, these new schemes may well be scrapped too.