Lidl modifications loyalty scheme… and a few consumers are removed from pleased

Lidl has rolled out significant changes to its loyalty scheme and some shoppers are far from happy about it. 

Sweeping changes in force since Tuesday mean Lidl Plus loyalty scheme members now collect points, rather than reward coupons. 

Under Lidl’s refreshed loyalty scheme, £1 spent gives shoppers one point. This is similar to how other loyalty schemes such as the Boots Advantage card and Sainsbury’s Nectar Card work. 

Before the loyalty scheme was changed, Lidl members could get rewards such as 10 per cent off for spending £250 in a month. 

Spending £10 in a month would get the customer a free item from the in-store bakery.  

Now, customers will earn points which can be exchanged for discounts and freebies in Lidl’s ‘rewards marketplace’.

Responding to the changes at Lidl, some shoppers on social media have claimed the changes make the loyalty scheme less generous. 

Some said the old rewards system was the only reason they shopped at Lidl and that they would now shop for groceries elsewhere. 

On Reddit, one Lidl customer said: ‘It’s honestly insulting for them to try and frame this as any sort of improvement.’

Another Reddit user said: ‘I can’t imagine anyone asked for this over how it was before.’ 

The changes to Lidl’s loyalty scheme bring the chain in line with other supermarkets. 

Tesco’s Clubcard and Sainsburys’ Nectar card both rely on points while also offering discounts on certain products to card holders, known as ‘loyalty prices’. 

A Lidl GB spokesperson defended the new scheme, saying customers would ‘consistently be earning more than one point per £1’.

They said this was because of campaigns such as double points, triple points, or free points on selected products.

In November 2024, the Competition and Markets Authority said British supermarket prices offered through loyalty schemes do provide genuine savings.

Supermarket loyalty pricing was reviewed by the CMA over fears these schemes may have been ripping off shoppers. The CMA said it had analysed around 50,000 grocery products on promotion and found very little evidence of supermarkets inflating their ‘usual’ prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal.

Loyalty pricing discounts are seen by many as the ‘true’ cost of food, with the undiscounted price a steep mark-up for people not signed up.

Some argue that they unfairly penalise shoppers who don’t want to sign up to the cards because they don’t want to share data on what they buy with supermarkets. Data collection is one of the main benefits to supermarkets of offering the cards. 

Aldi beats Lidl to to be crowned cheapest supermarket 

Aldi has beaten Lidl to the title of cheapest supermarket of the month, according to Which? price analysis.

It found Aldi was 40 per cent cheaper than the most expensive supermarket.

The analysis by Which? compares the average price of popular grocery items at eight of the biggest supermarkets to reveal where shoppers can save the most.

For a shopping list of 96 items in April, Which? found that Aldi remained the cheapest supermarket, with the basket costing £172.77 on average.

The gap between Lidl and Aldi widened this month, with the list costing £2.43 more at Lidl with the Lidl Plus discount (£175.20) compared to Aldi.

The analysis showed Asda took fourth place at £197.91, beating Tesco with a Clubcard (£199.11).

Waitrose was once again the most expensive supermarket for a smaller list, coming in at £242.04, 40 per cent (£69.27) more expensive than Aldi.

In the comparison of a longer list consisting of 221 items, Asda remained the cheapest overall at £567.56.

For Sainsbury’s shoppers without a Nectar card, the price of the bigger shop increased to £637.47, making it 12 per cent more expensive than Asda.

Waitrose remained the most expensive for our longer list at £659.58, which is £92.02 (16 per cent) more than the same shop at Asda.

The list of 96 items included both branded and own-brand items, such as Birds Eye Peas, Hovis bread and milk. The longer list covered 221 items, including a wide range of brands not stocked at Aldi and Lidl.

The analysis included special offer prices and loyalty prices where applicable, but not multibuys.

Reena Sewraz, retail editor at Which?, said: ‘Aldi remains the cheapest supermarket in the UK, while the gap between the cheapest and most expensive option for shoppers has widened to a chasm.

‘Our data shows that loyalty schemes like Clubcard and Nectar continue to play a huge role in pricing, but it’s important to remember that some retailers, like Aldi, are offering these low prices to everyone, regardless of whether they have a loyalty card or not.

‘With the cost of living still a major worry for UK households, being selective about where you shop can save you over 40 per cent.’