Investigation into loyalty prices at supermarkets like Tesco and Sainsbury’s reveals whether they can save you money

A MASSIVE probe of tens of thousands of supermarket loyalty priced products has revealed whether they connection genuine savings.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) checked retired 50,000 items to spot if they were cheaper than retailer's accustomed prices.

And the regulator recovered 92% of the pool of items did successful information connection customers morganatic discounts.

This was contempt a survey of customers uncovering 55% believed this would not beryllium the case.

The CMA said its investigation of the 50,000 products which travel with loyalty prices recovered small grounds of supermarkets inflating prices to marque loyalty promotions look similar a amended deal.

George Lusty, interim enforcement manager of Consumer Protection astatine the CMA, said: "We cognize galore radical don’t spot loyalty paper prices, which is wherefore we did a heavy dive to get to the bottommost of whether supermarkets were treating shoppers fairly.

"After analysing tens of thousands of products, we recovered that astir each the loyalty prices reviewed offered genuine savings against the accustomed terms – a information we anticipation reassures shoppers passim the UK."

The CMA's heavy dive saw it analyse loyalty priced products astatine 5 large supermarkets: Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Co-op and Morrisons.

It recovered customers tin prevention an mean of 17-25% by buying loyalty priced items astatine these retailers.

But, the regulator besides concluded supermarkets could bash much to unfastened up loyalty schemes to a wider radical of people, including those without astute phones similar the aged and nether 18s.

It besides recovered portion loyalty priced products are mostly the cheapest available, shoppers could prevention money by buying the aforesaid merchandise astatine a antithetic retailer.

The CMA besides carried retired a large survey of customers to find retired what they thought astir loyalty pricing astatine supermarkets.

It revealed 76% of shoppers person not changed wherever they store conscionable due to the fact that of the instauration of loyalty pricing but 24% present comparison prices crossed antithetic retailers more.

Meanwhile, 55% believed supermarkets to beryllium inflating prices connected loyalty priced products for non-rewards strategy members.

In addition, 43% of those surveyed said they thought it was unfair loyalty strategy shoppers wage little prices than those not signed up to rewards schemes.

Remember, if you privation to comparison prices crossed antithetic supermarkets, determination are a fig of terms examination sites you tin use.

These see Trolley, Price Spy and Price Runner which fto you comparison prices connected thousands of products.

Customers locked retired of loyalty prices

The CMA's investigation comes aft a Which? found millions are being locked retired of cheaper prices astatine the supermarket due to the fact that they can't motion up to the schemes.

The user website recovered 3 large restrictions mean customers can't get the champion prices.

Which? discovered shoppers are being unopen retired owed to minimum property restrictions, deficiency of UK residency oregon code and not having an email code oregon app.

A abstracted probe by The Sun recovered a fig of retailers that lone fto shoppers motion up to their loyalty schemes done an app, including Lidl and Asda.

Customers aren't conscionable locked retired of supermarket loyalty schemes either.

Fashion concatenation H&M lone lets customers motion up to its rank strategy online oregon by downloading the store's app.

Fast food fans tin lone motion up to McDonald's MyMcDonald's strategy via an app too.

Do you person a wealth occupation that needs sorting? Get successful interaction by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you tin articulation our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook radical to stock your tips and stories