Revealed: Holland & Barrett's supposedly cheaper 'Subscribe & Save' often costs more – it's promised a review after our investigation

Subscribe & Save failed to deliver "the best value" in our checks

The health and beauty retailer's scheme lets you schedule regular deliveries of products at a discounted price – you get a fixed percentage off the standard price of the item, usually between 20% to 45% off, plus free delivery on orders over £10.

But after being alerted to potential issues by a Subscribe & Save user (cheers to MoneySaver Alex from Birmingham), we checked the prices of 10 products over 100 separate days between 29 July 2024 and 17 January 2025 – resulting in nearly 1,000 individual data points. Our research found that:

• Several items were consistently on special offer outside the Subscribe & Save scheme.

• In over half of cases (59%), it was therefore cheaper to buy the product as a one-off – rather than through the subscription.

• Shoppers would've lost out on savings of 75p to £3.50 in most cases – but in the worst instances, they could have overpaid by as much as £39.99.

Why Subscribe & Save can be more expensive than buying without a subscription

On its website, Holland & Barrett says Subscribe & Save is "the most convenient and cost-effective way" to shop with it, adding that you'll be "getting the best value":

Crucially, however, the scheme DOESN'T factor in any special offers or deals that may be available at the time of your delivery – such as "buy one get one free", "3 for 2" or "better than half price" sales. In other words, the subscription discount doesn't stack with most other promotions. As a result, someone subscribing can end up paying more than someone buying an item as a one-off purchase.

For example, if you regularly bought Egmont Manuka Honey 1046+ MGO 250g, you had two options when we checked:

1. Subscribe & Save. Scheduled deliveries at a fixed discount of 20% off the standard price of £99.99 – so you'd pay £79.99 per 250g jar. You get free delivery on orders over £10 with Subscribe & Save.

2. Buy as a one-off purchase. On each of the 100 days we checked, the honey was available on different special offers, and would've cost between £40 and £58 per 250g jar – up to £39.99 less than the subscription price. Plus, delivery is free on orders over £30. Here's an example from December 2024:

Holland & Barrett will review the scheme following our investigation

After we put our research to Holland & Barrett, it defended Subscribe & Save, arguing that it offers "consistently great prices over the course of a year", along with "the convenience of an automated order" and free delivery on orders over £10.

It told us customers would see overall savings over the course of 12 months for nine out of the 10 products we looked at. However, it admitted that "on rare occasions", including the Egmont Manuka Honey example above, subscription customers "may have paid more". It has since removed the option to subscribe to this item.

The retailer told us it will "carry out a detailed review" to ensure subscription customers benefit from promotional offers, and will also look at making the scheme's promotional language and T&Cs clearer.

How to get the best price at Holland & Barrett

If you're currently signed up to Subscribe & Save, here's how you can make sure you're getting the best deal:

• Check for one-off purchase deals before your Subscribe & Save order is dispatched. You'll normally get a reminder about your upcoming subscription order three to five days before it's sent out. Use this as an opportunity to check the current price on Holland & Barrett's website – if there are good special promos available, you can then skip or cancel your Subscribe & Save delivery for free.

• Look for daily stackable discount codes on the homepage of the Holland & Barrett website. These can be used alongside any offer such as "3 for 2" or "buy one get one free", and we've seen them as big as 25% off.

• Buying as a one-off? You can still get free delivery or free click & collect. One of the main perks of Subscribe & Save is free delivery over £10. But you can still get free delivery for one-off purchase orders over £30, or click & collect from a local Holland & Barrett store for free with no minimum spend.

• Compare prices elsewhere. Finally, it's always worth checking if your item (or a similar one) is available cheaper from other retailers. You can use tools such as Google Shopping, PriceRunner, Price Spy or, when shopping on Amazon, CamelCamelCamel.