Cheapest Supermarket Delivery in the UK: True Costs Compared

The cheapest supermarket delivery is not always the one with the lowest slot fee.

A £1.50 slot sounds brilliant until a small-order charge appears at checkout. Free delivery sounds even better, but not if you spend an extra £12 on food you did not need to reach the threshold. Then there are loyalty prices, delivery passes and voucher codes waiting to change the answer again.

So, which supermarket delivery is actually cheapest?

The honest answer depends on the size of your basket and how often you order. Iceland is a strong option for a £40-plus next-day shop because it currently offers free next-day delivery at that level. Morrisons stands out for smaller regular shops because its Delivery Pass covers eligible orders from £25 without the usual small-order charge. For flexible shoppers ordering once a week, a low-cost midweek pass from Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Ocado or Tesco may work out cheaper than paying for individual slots.

That is why this guide uses a True Delivered Cost Test. We compare what reaches your bank statement, not just the number beside the delivery van.

Prices and terms were checked on 28 July 2026. Delivery charges and availability can change by postcode and slot, so confirm the final total before paying.

Which UK supermarket has the cheapest delivery? (Quick Summary)

Here is the useful version, based on how you shop.

This is a shortlist, not a guarantee that the groceries themselves will be cheapest. Put the same realistic basket into two or three supermarket websites before choosing. The total price of the food can wipe out a saving on delivery very quickly.

How to calculate your true grocery delivery cost

Most supermarket comparisons stop at the delivery fee. Ours uses six steps:

1. Start with the price of the groceries you would genuinely buy.
2. Apply any loyalty prices you can actually access.
3. Add the delivery slot charge.
4. Add any small-order or minimum-basket charge.
5. If you have a pass, divide its cost by the number of deliveries you expect to use.
6. Apply an eligible voucher code last.

The calculation is:

True delivered cost = grocery basket + slot fee + small-order fee + pass cost per order - genuine discounts

The word "genuine" matters. Spending £10 more to trigger a £5 saving has not saved you £5. It has cost you another £5, unless those extra items were already on next week's list.

We have also kept standard supermarket delivery separate from rapid services. An emergency bag of groceries arriving in an hour is useful, but it is not a fair comparison with a planned weekly shop.

UK supermarket delivery fees and minimum spend thresholds (2026)

These are headline national terms for standard online grocery orders. Some supermarkets show the exact delivery price only after you enter a postcode or choose a slot.

Tesco's official delivery charges show standard slots from £3 to £7 and Flexi Saver slots from £1.50. Its minimum-order guidance confirms the £5 charge below a £50 delivery basket.

Sainsbury's delivery guidance states a £25 minimum. Orders below £50 currently cost £7.50 for next-day delivery, while next-day slots above £50 range from £1 to £6.

Asda applies a £4 charge when a delivery basket is below £40, even if the customer has a pass. The exact standard slot fee depends on the delivery selected.

Morrisons accepts online orders from £25. Its standard slots start from £1.50, and orders between £25 and £40 normally pick up a £3 small-order charge unless an eligible Delivery Pass removes it.

Iceland has a £25 minimum online order and currently advertises free next-day delivery when you spend over £40. Charges for smaller baskets are confirmed during booking.

Waitrose has a £40 minimum basket and advertises standard delivery from £2.

Ocado's fees can depend on the address, basket and slot. Its pass prices are public, but the best pay-as-you-go answer needs a postcode and live checkout check.

Cheapest supermarket delivery for small orders (Under £40)

A smaller basket is where headline delivery prices become least helpful.

Imagine your groceries cost £32 before delivery:

• Tesco adds a £5 minimum-basket charge, plus the chosen slot.
• Sainsbury's accepts the order but charges £7.50 for next-day delivery.
• Asda adds a £4 minimum-basket charge, plus the selected delivery fee.
• Morrisons adds the normal slot and a £3 small-order charge without a pass.
• Iceland accepts the order, but charges are shown at checkout because it is below the free next-day threshold.
• Waitrose is not available because the basket is below £40.

There is no reliable winner until the live Morrisons and Iceland slot prices are visible. However, Morrisons becomes particularly interesting if you order regularly. Its Delivery Pass covers eligible shops from £25 and removes the normal small-order charge on a covered slot.

Do not pad a £32 basket to £40 or £50 with random snacks just to avoid a fee. First ask whether those extra products replace something you would buy next week. If not, paying a £3 or £4 charge could be the cheaper choice.

For a very small top-up, Click & Collect or a quick local shop can beat every home-delivery option. Factor in your own bus fare, fuel and time rather than pretending collection is completely free.

Students planning the rest of their monthly outgoings can use our student bills guide to work out energy, water, broadband and TV costs before setting a food budget.

Cheapest supermarket delivery for shared houses and group orders

A shared house has one simple advantage: four smaller shopping lists can become one basket that clears the awkward thresholds.

Suppose four housemates each add £12 of genuinely shared food, cleaning products and toiletries. The £48 basket:

• clears the £40 Asda threshold
• avoids Morrisons' usual small-order charge
• qualifies for Iceland's free next-day delivery when the current over-£40 condition is met
• falls just short of Tesco's £50 threshold
• sits below the level at which Sainsbury's cheaper £1 to £6 next-day range begins
• clears Waitrose's £40 minimum

At that basket size, Iceland is the obvious delivery-fee benchmark. Still compare the grocery total elsewhere. Free delivery does not rescue a basket that costs £8 more.

Use one shared list for toilet roll, washing-up liquid, bin bags, milk and other communal basics. Keep personal items separate in the payment split, and do not make one person chase three tiny bank transfers every Sunday night.

If the house is also sorting cover for laptops, phones and bikes, our student contents insurance guide helps each person check what is already protected before paying for another policy.

Cheapest supermarket delivery for a weekly family shop (£50+)

Weekly shoppers are the people most likely to benefit from a pass, but only after comparing the grocery basket.

For a £50-plus shop, the shortlist changes:

• Tesco offers Flexi Saver slots from £1.50, depending on postcode, time and availability.
• Sainsbury's next-day delivery ranges from £1 to £6.
• Iceland's qualifying next-day delivery has no separate fee.
• Waitrose starts at £2 but has a £40 minimum.
• Morrisons starts from £1.50, although the available price depends on the slot.
• Asda and Ocado show the relevant charge when you book.

If the same basket is broadly similar in price at two supermarkets, the delivery charge can decide it. If the food total differs by £10, arguing over a £2 slot misses the expensive part.

Build a 15 to 20-item comparison basket from products you repeatedly buy. Include milk, bread, eggs, fruit, vegetables, protein, one frozen item, a cupboard staple, toiletries and a cleaning product. Keep brand, pack size and quality reasonably consistent.

The Competition and Markets Authority explains how unit pricing helps compare groceries sold in different pack sizes. Look at price per kilogram, litre or item rather than assuming the biggest pack is always best.

UK supermarket delivery passes compared: Costs and pass rules

A pass swaps unpredictable slot charges for a monthly, six-month or annual payment. It is useful only when the covered deliveries save more than the subscription costs.

Morrisons publishes its current Delivery Pass prices and £25 qualifying spend. Sainsbury's includes current pass prices in its delivery charges guide. Ocado lists Smart Pass monthly and annual prices, while Waitrose confirms its £40 minimum and subscription prices.

Passes can auto-renew and a pass does not guarantee that your favourite slot will be available. Check the renewal terms, covered days and basket threshold before joining.

Is a supermarket delivery pass worth it? (Break-even breakdown)

Use this quick calculation:

Pass break-even deliveries = annual pass price divided by your usual delivery fee

If your normal slot costs £4, the rough break-even points look like this:

These examples assume every covered order saves a £4 fee. Your real answer could be different if you normally choose £1.50 saver slots, order outside the covered days or fall below a basket threshold.

The pass test before you pay

Look at your last three months of orders and answer four questions:

1. How many deliveries did you actually use?
2. What did those delivery charges total?
3. Would every order have met the pass's minimum basket?
4. Could you use the covered days without changing your routine?

Multiply the three-month saving by four, then compare it with the annual price. If the result is only just above the pass cost, stay flexible. Holidays, eating out and missed weeks can turn a theoretical saving into a loss.

5 hidden costs of "free" supermarket delivery

Delivery is only one line in the total.

The food basket may be dearer

A supermarket with free delivery could still lose if your normal basket costs more there. Compare the final grocery total using a repeatable list, not one eye-catching promotion.

Loyalty prices can change the result

Clubcard, Nectar, More Card, myWaitrose and other member prices can move the basket total. Use the price you are genuinely eligible to pay and remember to activate any app-only offer before checkout.

Substitutions can change value

A substitution might be a welcome upgrade or a poor replacement. Check whether the supermarket charges the lower price, the substituted price or another amount, and reject anything you will not use.

Minimum spends encourage basket padding

Adding useful cupboard staples can make sense. Adding six desserts because the progress bar says "£4 to free delivery" is not a savings strategy, however heroic the desserts look.

Wasted food belongs in the calculation

If a larger order means fresh food goes in the bin, the threshold has worked for the supermarket rather than for you. Plan meals and freeze suitable items before increasing the basket.

How to get cheap or free supermarket delivery in the UK

Check a voucher before choosing the winner

A valid code can change the cheapest option, especially for a first shop or a larger basket. Check the live MyVoucherCodes pages for Tesco discount codes, Sainsbury's discount codes, Asda discount codes, Morrisons discount codes, Iceland discount codes, Ocado discount codes and Waitrose discount codes.

Voucher terms can exclude delivery fees, alcohol, tobacco, baby formula or other products. Judge the final payable total, not the headline percentage.

For a wider look before committing to one retailer, browse our supermarket and grocery voucher codes.

Choose a wider delivery window

Saver and flexible slots are often cheaper because the supermarket confirms the shorter arrival window later. If you will be home anyway, flexibility can be worth more than a pass.

Compare Click & Collect properly

Collection charges can be lower or free, but travel is not. Add bus fare, fuel, parking and your time. Collection makes the most sense when the shop is already on your route.

Combine planned household essentials

A shared order can clear a threshold without anyone buying filler. Agree the communal items first and use the receipt to split the exact cost.

Students setting up a first kitchen can use our guide to saving on university essentials before filling a basket with duplicate pans, plates and gadgets.

Use subscriptions carefully

Annual passes are usually cheaper per month, but monthly plans are safer if you are testing a new supermarket, moving soon or going home during university holidays.

Set a reminder a week before renewal. A pass you no longer use is simply a delivery charge wearing a subscription badge.

Standard supermarket delivery vs. rapid grocery apps (Deliveroo, Getir, Gopuff)

Rapid services solve a different problem. They can be handy when you have run out of milk, pet food or an ingredient halfway through dinner. They are rarely the right benchmark for the cheapest full shop.

Third-party apps may use different item prices, service fees, delivery fees and minimum baskets. Loyalty prices or supermarket vouchers may not apply in the same way either.

Compare the app total with the supermarket's own website before placing a large order. For a genuine emergency, price the missing essentials only. Turning a £3 top-up into a £45 convenience shop is where speed gets expensive.

Checklist: 7 steps to find the cheapest delivery before checkout

Before placing an order:

1. Build the basket from food you already planned to buy.
2. Check the grocery total after loyalty prices.
3. Add the slot and any small-order charge.
4. Work out the pass cost per delivery if you subscribe.
5. Check a relevant MyVoucherCodes page for an eligible saving.
6. Compare the final total with one other supermarket.
7. Remove filler added only to reach a threshold.

The cheapest supermarket delivery is the one that produces the lowest useful total for your basket, postcode and routine. Sometimes that will be a free Iceland slot. Sometimes it will be a Morrisons pass, a £1 saver slot or Click & Collect on the way home.

The winning habit is not loyalty to one headline. It is checking the whole receipt.

How we compared UK supermarket delivery costs (Methodology)

This guide was checked on 28 July 2026 using current public delivery information from Tesco, Sainsbury's, Asda, Morrisons, Iceland, Waitrose and Ocado. The comparison covers standard online grocery delivery and delivery passes, not every rapid-delivery partner or local trial.

Prices, postcode coverage, basket thresholds, passes and promotions can change. Check the retailer's final checkout total and terms before ordering.

Frequently asked questions about UK supermarket delivery