Asda and Sainsbury's are upping the price of their delivery slots - don’t get caught out!

High street retailers Asda and Sainsbury’s have raised the price of their delivery slots.

The  challenges of recent months have meant more of us than ever are relying on online grocery delivery slots. This looks set to increase as the festive season approaches. Many people are already looking to book their Christmas delivery slots (opens in new tab) at their favourite supermarkets. 

However, we might end up spending more than usual for this convenience. Several of our favourite supermarkets have now raised the price of their delivery services. According to the Money Saving Expert (opens in new tab), Sainsbury’s has now completely restructured its pricing since last Friday 13 November. 

Whilst Asda has made two crucial changes since Thursday 12 November. Now customers must pay extra for their most expensive delivery slots and vulnerable shoppers now pay for deliveries. 

How has Sainsbury’s changed their delivery service?

• Most one-hour delivery slots will now cost between £2 and £7 dependent on your order. Orders above £40 will typically cost between £2-£4.50. Orders under £40 are £7. 
• This is a huge cost increase from the previous price - 50p-£7 for orders over £40 and £7 for orders under £40.
• If your order costs over £100, with delivery booked for Monday-Thursday after 2pm, then you can still get free delivery.
• Customers can also now book cheap four-hour delivery slots for £1. However after reserving a slot over four hours, you only find out the exact hour of delivery on the day. 

Sainsbury's (opens in new tab) has reportedly said that these "saver slots" will allow it to offer more customers £1 delivery slots. However shoppers will now need a degree of flexibility for these. 

How has Asda changed their delivery service?

• Delivery slots now cost between £1 and £7, an increase from between £1 and £6. The cost of individual slots depends on the day, time and store
• Vulnerable shoppers now have to pay for delivery, and Asda's standard £3 surcharge on smaller orders. Earlier in the pandemic, vulnerable shoppers were given priority deliveries until 31 March 2021.  
• Until 1 November, these shoppers had also been eligible for free deliveries with no minimum order amount. 

Asda has also announced it will be axing its recurring delivery slot service between 19 December and 2 January 2021. 

These are ordinarily reserved for regular shoppers who book a same-time, same-day delivery each week. However now these customers will have to try and secure one of the coveted standard delivery slots for this 2 week period. 

With the festive season approaching, this news will come as a blow to many shoppers.