You can now save money at Sainsbury’s by swiping your Nectar card
Following Clubcard Prices from Tesco last year, Sainsbury’s has launched a similar offer for its Nectar loyalty card users. I’ve taken a quick look at how it works and whether the savings are worth you heading to Sainsbury’s for.
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What are Nectar Prices
From 12th February 2020 and 3rd March 2020, you can get discounts on 266 different items at Sainsbury’s only if you have a Nectar card.
Price cuts vary from 10p off some spring onions to a few quid of washing powder through to almost a tenner off selected spirits.
How to get Nectar Prices
It’s very easy to find the savings as they’ll be marked in shops and online. You can also see a full list here.
If you’re shopping in an actual supermarket you’ll need to scan your Nectar card at the till to get the savings. They’ll then be taken off your total before you pay.
Online you just need to make sure your card is linked to your Sainsbury’s account and ensure delivery is before the 3rd March.
Do you need any Nectar points?
The discounts are available to everyone who has a Nectar card but you don’t use any of your points. So it means you can still save money even if your points balance is low.
You can read more here about my tips for spending and earning Nectar points.
How prices compare
I’ve taken a random potshot look at six products in this first offer from Sainsbury’s.
If you’re shopping at a smaller Sainsbury’s Local you might find the prices are higher. Beer, wine and spirits are also excluded in Scotland.
Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food ice cream (500ml)
Normal price at Sainsbury’s £4
Nectar price £3
Cheapest elsewhere £3 at Morrisons
Average price £3.17
Bisto beef gravy granules (350g)
Normal price at Sainsbury’s £2.70
Nectar price £2
Cheapest elsewhere £2 at Morrisons for 350g or 550g pack at Asda for £2.50
Average price £2.45
Bounty cookies
Normal price at Sainsbury’s £2
Nectar price £1.25
Cheapest elsewhere £1 at Tesco
Average price £1.43
Ecover washing up liquid (950ml)
Normal price at Sainsbury’s £2.75
Nectar price £2
Cheapest elsewhere £2.10 at Ocado
Average price £2.36
Shreddies 500g
Normal price at Sainsbury’s £2.80
Nectar price £1.75
Cheapest elsewhere £2 at Asda or Ocado
Average price £2.54
Strepsils honey and lemon (x36)
Normal price at Sainsbury’s £5
Nectar price £4
Cheapest elsewhere £3.50 at Asda, Morrisons, Amazon and Lidl
Average price £3.84
Prices checked on MySupermarket on 12th February 2020.
Should you go to Sainsbury’s for the Nectar prices?
As you can see from this small selection there’s a real mix of good and bad savings. On the whole, the prices I saw were better than the average price over the last 11 months but I did find you could buy half of my selection cheaper elsewhere.
You can take a look at the full list of items on the Sainsbury’s website. If there are lots of things you would normally buy then you’ve got a good chance of making a saving versus other supermarkets. So it might be worth switching from your normal shop to Sainsbury’s.
In fact, you might be surprised to find your whole basket is cheaper than elsewhere. Every month Which? magazine track a basket of branded goods and the most recent figures have the supermarket in second place behind Asda (though it doesn’t include Aldi or Lidl).
However if you’re only going to pick up one or two things then I’d recommend doing as I did and check the prices elsewhere via MySupermarket. This way you’ll know whether you’ll actually make any savings.
And remember to look at similar products from different brands or own-brand for your supermarket. You might be able to pick something up that’s just as good or similar for a lower price. Here are my tips on getting the best deal at the supermarket.
