Can supermarket price-matching schemes save you money?

Amazon Fresh has launched a new price-match promise against Tesco Clubcard. 

With grocery prices rising, it's important to pick the supermarket that will give you the best value on the items you buy. 

But Amazon Fresh isn't the only grocery retailer to price-match, so what's in the scheme and how do others work?

What is the Amazon Fresh price-match?

Products that are price matched by Amazon Fresh with Tesco Clubcard prices (which are only available to Clubcard holders) will be frozen in price for at least four weeks. These include grocery items such as fruit, vegetables, meat and fish, as well as beauty and household items. 

Amazon Fresh offers online grocery deliveries to Amazon Prime members and is available in a limited number of postcodes in Birmingham, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Portsmouth, Sheffield and London.

Amazon Prime currently costs £7.99 a month or £79 a year, but from 15 September the price of the subscription is rising to £8.99 a month or £95 a year. So unless you use all the other benefits of a subscription, it's probably not worth becoming a member just to access the price-matched items.

Amazon has also opened 15 Amazon Fresh checkout-free stores in London. You don't need to be a Prime member to shop there, but crucially, the new Tesco Clubcard price-match promise doesn't apply in these stores.

• Find out more: Amazon Fresh rated by you

In the video below, you can watch our reporter's video diary of his visit to the Ealing branch of Amazon Fresh. 

How supermarket price-matching schemes compare

Recently, supermarkets have been clamouring to talk about their schemes to help people save on their shopping, but there are exclusions to be aware of.

In the table below, we outline the price-match schemes at the UK's largest supermarkets.

We haven't included Aldi and Lidl as they don't price match as such, as they already keep their prices below the average of traditional supermarkets. 

*Correct as of 27 July 2022.

Can price-matching schemes save you money?

Price-matching schemes aren't new, but they could prove useful for your regular shop if you don't have access to a cheaper supermarket nearby, or if you don't have a Clubcard.

However, the products included will be limited. You can find a full list of products in the schemes on the supermarket websites, including Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco. 

Tesco has the highest number of products in its price-match scheme. However, an analysis by The Grocer in May revealed that at least 18 Tesco own-label lines had fallen out of the price-match scheme since March this year.

You should take the price-match claims with a pinch of salt and keep a close eye on the price of products you buy regularly to be sure you are making a saving.

Which? compares prices for a basket of popular grocery items each day to find out which supermarket is the cheapest, month to month. 

In June, our price tracking found that, on average, shoppers would have paid £75.61 for the basket at Aldi – that's £1.38 cheaper than rival discounter Lidl. The most expensive supermarket was Waitrose, which was £25.53 pricier than Aldi for an equivalent basket of groceries. 

• Find out more: which was the cheapest supermarket in June?

What else are supermarkets doing to help keep costs down?

Price-matching isn't the only way supermarkets are targeting those looking to save on groceries. 

Tesco, the UK's largest supermarket, has launched a Value Hacks campaign, which focuses on savings for Tesco Clubcard members.

Asda announced in April that it had 'dropped and locked' the price of more than 100 family favourites, and would keep the price of these down until the end of the year. It also launched the budget-friendly Just Essentials by Asda range,  promising low prices on 300 products picked to help families on the tightest budget. And if you're struggling during the long summer holidays, Asda also has an Essential Living Hub, with recipes and tips to help feed and entertain your kids over the break.

Morrisons is the only one of the 'big four' supermarkets not to have a price-matching scheme; however, in April, it launched one of its biggest ever price-cut campaigns on more than 500 products. The discounts cover cupboard essentials, fridge staples and frozen food, with key lines focusing on popular everyday items including eggs, baked beans and rice. Click here to find out which products are included.

Aldi has teamed up with Mob, a media platform that published tips and recipes for affordable meals, and created a series of Mob recipes. These are priced using Aldi ingredients – starting with a sticky cauliflower salad for £4.19, up to a butter-bean carbonara for £7.28 (both for four people). The discounter also reduces the price on a few items each week as part of its super low price scheme. 

• Find out more: cheap and free things to do over the summer holidays