Martin Lewis’ MSE warns ‘best act quick’ with your Christmas shopping

Martin Lewis’s website Money Saving Expert (MSE) is urging people to book their festive supermarket delivery slot soon or risk missing out.

Posting on X, MSE warned today: ‘Got your slot booked yet? It’s fewer than 50 days till Christmas… so if you answered ‘no’, best act quick!’

The post included a link to a piece on its website that lists things to look out for when making the booking.

When to book your slot

At the top of the list was securing your slot early. It’s become increasingly popular to ditch the stressful last minute trolley dash in favour of home deliveries, which means the spots get snapped up quickly.

Most supermarkets open up slots to delivery pass holders first, then all other shoppers after that.

But Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado have now opened up their slots to both.

Tesco has already made slots available to delivery pass holders, with remaining customers able to book from Tuesday (November 12).

Co-op and Iceland allow you to book five days before the delivery date.

Marks & Spencer offer deliveries through Ocado, while Aldi and Lidl don’t offer deliveries.

All customers can now also book festive click & collect slots at Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, Waitrose and Marks & Spencer.

Tesco delivery pass customers can book Click & Collect now, while other shoppers will need to wait till Tuesday.

Co-op, Iceland, Ocado, Aldi and Lidl don’t offer click & collect.

Is it worth buying a delivery pass?

Buying delivery passes mean you don’t have to pay for delivery and you’re offered certain discounts and other perks.

But, before you rush off to buy one, MSE advises: ‘You’ll need to weigh up whether this is worth it based on how often you do an online shop and how much you normally spend.’

Also take into account that most supermarkets have now opened up their slots to all customers.

Is click & collect a good alternative to delivery?

If you’re not a delivery pass holder and have easy access to the supermarket, click & collect is definitely worth considering, explains MSE, as it will save you the delivery fee and you still won’t need to worry about busy aisles and long queues.

Check if you can edit orders

The website, which was founded by Lewis, urges people to check if they can edit orders. It said: ‘Most shops let you make multiple changes to your order by certain deadlines.

‘So, even if you’re not sure what your final shopping list will be, it may be worth getting your order in with just a few items and making edits later (but set a reminder so you don’t forget).’

Use a comparison tool

When deciding which supermarket to use, it’s worth factoring in food costs, MSE adds.

It recommends using an online comparison tool such as Trolley to see how prices compare at all the major chains.

Trolley can also be used to set alerts for when the price of your favourite items drop.

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