Morrisons More loyalty scheme change excludes teenagers from lower prices

Morrisons has increased the age restrictions on joining its More loyalty scheme from 16 to 18. 

The update means 1.6 million teenagers who could previously access its lower Morrisons More prices will now face higher costs on hundreds of everyday groceries and essentials.

Which? thinks this is unfair. We are calling for supermarkets to make lower loyalty prices available to all young shoppers. 

The importance of loyalty scheme access

Supermarket loyalty schemes can offer big discounts on thousands of everyday essentials.

Average discounts on items on loyalty price at Morrisons were 25% when we checked as part of an investigation into loyalty prices last year. They were similar at other major supermarkets too – 24% at Sainsbury's and 23% at Tesco.

And those are just averages – discounts on some individual items will be much bigger.  

Of course, this is great if you're able to sign up for a loyalty card (and don't mind handing over your data). 

But some of the most vulnerable people in society are blocked from accessing these discounts, because some supermarket loyalty schemes are only available to those over 18, with a UK address or with internet access. 

Which? believes that supermarkets should find a way to let these people access their discounts. That could be widening access to their loyalty schemes, or allowing these groups to benefit from the lower prices without needing to be part of their loyalty scheme. 

What are other supermarkets doing?

Morrisons isn't the only supermarket to block under-18s from lower loyalty prices – Lidl, Tesco and Waitrose also do this. 

But others, such as the Co-op and Sainsbury's, allow under-18s to access their lower loyalty prices. Sainsbury's allows under-18s to be an additional collector on the Nectar account of a parent or guardian. And the Co-op allows over-16s to get their own card and under-16s to access its loyalty prices if they have a card purchased by a parent.

Of course, there are several supermarkets – such as Aldi, Asda, Iceland, M&S and Ocado – that don't have loyalty prices at all, meaning anyone can access their cheapest offers.

• Find out more: loyalty schemes compared

What Which? is calling for

Many of the supermarket discounts now only accessible to loyalty scheme members were previously available to all shoppers, regardless of whether they were signed up to a loyalty scheme.

Which? is concerned that certain groups of people are now excluded from accessing lower prices at some major supermarkets on the basis of their age, lack of address or level of digital access. 

We believe the lower prices offered by loyalty schemes should be available to those not eligible to sign up – and we're calling on retailers to find a solution.

• Find out more: how to spend less at the supermarket

What you need to know about loyalty schemes

Not all loyalty schemes offer the same benefits.

Some offer discounted prices only to members, others offer personalised vouchers or points that give you money off with other companies. 

Generally speaking, joining loyalty schemes at shops you already use will probably save you money, so sign up if you’re happy to hand over your data and are eligible to join. Get the app if you can, so you still get the discount if you forget or lose your physical card.

But don’t be loyal – sometimes even products with impressive-sounding loyalty discounts may be cheaper elsewhere. In fact, there are big savings to be had by switching where you shop, particularly to Aldi and Lidl, which regularly come out on top in our monthly cheapest supermarket comparison.

• Find out more: which is the cheapest supermarket?