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Sainsbury's shopper? Book your Christmas delivery as slots open for everyone TODAY

Sainsbury's delivery van
Molly Greeves
Molly Greeves
News & Investigations Reporter
23 October 2024

Planning to get your Christmas food shop delivered from Sainsbury's? You can now bag your delivery or click & collect slot as bookings have opened for all shoppers today (Wednesday 23 October).

Slots were first released on Wednesday 16 October for delivery pass customers (where you buy a pass upfront, so you don't have to pay delivery charges each time you order). But now they're available to everyone.

You can book your slot on Sainsburys.co.uk or through the app, which is free to download on Android or iOS. Orders can be delivered or collected from 18 to 24 December.

A mid-week delivery pass (Tuesday to Thursday) costs £4 for a month or £40 for a year. An anytime delivery pass costs £7.50 for a month, £43 for six months or £80 for a year. If you don't save enough to cover the cost of delivery while you have a pass, Sainsbury's will give you a voucher to cover the difference (available to use online only – see Sainsburys.co.uk for how to spend it).

What to watch out for when booking Christmas supermarket delivery slots

  1. Bag your slot early if you can. They've often gone quickly in previous years.

  2. The time and date of when you can place bookings varies considerably. Priority is typically given to shoppers with delivery passes. Buying a delivery pass upfront means you don't have to pay delivery charges each time you order, plus you're offered certain discounts and other perks. But 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.

    In most cases, if you're not already a delivery pass customer, you can sign up before the general Christmas release date to bag early access – though it's now too late to do this for Christmas 2024, as bookings have already opened to all.

  3. Check if you can edit orders. Many shops let you make an unlimited number of changes to your order by certain deadlines. If you order from Sainsbury's, the cut-off is 11pm on the day before your delivery date. 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!).

  4. Beware delivery fees. Most supermarkets will deliver up to and including Christmas Eve, but opting for click and collect will invariably be cheaper than choosing a home delivery.

  5. Remember to factor in food costs, as these will vary by supermarket. Try using a comparison tool, such as Trolley, to benchmark the cost of items at major supermarkets including Sainsbury's, Ocado, Tesco, Waitrose and more. You can also use Trolley to set alerts for when the price of your favourite items drop. For more ways to save on food, see our Supermarket shopping tips guide.

  6. Not all supermarkets release specific Christmas dates for orders. Co-op, for example, will be running its usual delivery services up until and including Christmas Eve.

To find out how to save yourself financial stress this festive season, including getting cashback on your gift spending and cost-effective ways to wrap presents, see our 48 Christmas MoneySaving Tips.

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