Christmas delivery slots: Tesco bookings now open to all – here's how to grab your spot
If you want your Christmas food shop delivered to your door, you'll need to pounce to get your preferred slot. Tesco is the latest – and last – major supermarket to open delivery slots to all customers, with bookings open from 6am today (Tuesday 11 November).
Here's what you need to know before securing a delivery slot:
1. Act quickly. Delivery bookings tend to go very quickly, so secure your slot soon if you want to make sure your Christmas shop is sorted.
2. Take delivery fees and minimum spends into account. Check for hidden delivery fees and minimum basket spends before locking anything in – especially if you don't have a delivery pass. Some minimums might be more than you're wanting to spend on your Christmas shop, and you don't want to get caught out by unwanted fees.
3. Keep food costs in mind. Naturally, some supermarkets will charge more for Christmas-themed items than others. Don't spend more than you otherwise would just to pick up a delivery slot – there are other ways to make sure you get your holiday shopping done.
4. A delivery pass could help you bag priority slots in the future. That's because pass holders typically get first dibs on slots. If you don't already have a pass, buying one now won't help you out for this Christmas, as bookings are already open to all. But it's still worth considering if you regularly get groceries delivered, as a pass could come in handy down the line – for example, they typically give you priority access to Easter food deliveries as well.
Also see our 47 Christmas MoneySaving Tips for more cost-cutters covering everything from sustainable wrapping paper to bargains on advent calendars.
Supermarket-by-supermarket run down
Here's a rundown of all the major supermarkets' key Christmas booking and delivery dates. To quickly check your favourite supermarket, just click its name in the list below to be taken to the info.
Bookings now open for all:
- Tesco
- Asda
- Morrisons
- M&S
- Ocado
- Sainsbury's
- Waitrose
Taking bookings closer to Christmas:
- Co-op
- Iceland
Bookings now open for all
Asda
Delivery dates:
Sunday 21 December to Tuesday 23 December.
You have until Monday 15 December to finalise any 'Food to Order' items (including Christmas centrepieces) and 11pm the day before your delivery to finalise everything else.
Subscription plans:
Anytime Delivery Pass: for £7.95 each month for six months or £6.95 each month for 12 months, you'll get next-day delivery or collection and priority access to Christmas slots.
Midweek Delivery Pass: for £4.50 each month for six months or £3.95 each month for 12, you'll get delivery or collection between Tuesday and Thursday, plus priority access to Christmas slots.
Minimum delivery charges: Pass holders can order a maximum of one grocery delivery per day, so long as they spend a minimum of £40. If you don't have a delivery pass, you'll be charged a fee based on the day and time of your delivery – you'll see this when booking your slot.
Morrisons
Book your Morrisons delivery slot.
Delivery dates:
Saturday 20 December to Wednesday 24 December.
Cut-off times for editing your order vary; check your confirmation email.
Subscription plans:
Anytime Delivery Pass: for £8 each month, £45 for six months or £70 yearly, you'll get priority access to Christmas bookings, free home deliveries and free click & collect for available slots.
Midweek Delivery Pass: for £5 each month, £25 for six months or £40 yearly, you'll get priority access to Christmas bookings, free home deliveries between Tuesday and Thursday, and free click & collect for available slots.
Minimum delivery charges: You must spend a minimum of £25 if you have a delivery pass of any kind to qualify for free delivery. If your delivery order is between £25 and £40 and you are not a delivery pass holder, you will be charged £3.
M&S
Book your M&S 'Christmas Food to Order' slot. For groceries, see Ocado.
Collection dates:
Sunday 21 December to Wednesday 24 December.
You've got until 11.59pm on Wednesday 10 December to finalise your order.
Subscription plans:
There are no subscription plans specific to 'Food to Order' collections.
Minimum delivery charges: M&S Food to Order is only available for collection, and you must spend at least £50 to secure your slot. You'll need to pay the £50 right away, and will then be asked to pay any remaining balance when you pick up your order.
Ocado
Book your Ocado delivery slot.
Delivery dates:
Saturday 20 December to Wednesday 24 December.
You've got until 11.59pm on Wednesday 10 December to finalise your order.
Subscription plans:
Anytime Smart Pass: for £8.99 each month, £49.99 for six months or £89.99 yearly, you'll get free deliveries, exclusive offers and access to priority Christmas bookings.
Midweek Smart Pass: for £4.99 each month, £27.99 for six months or £49.99 yearly, you'll get free deliveries between Tuesday and Thursday, exclusive offers and access to priority Christmas bookings.
Minimum delivery charges: You must spend at least £90 for Christmas shops, whether you have a smart pass or not. If you do not have a smart pass, a delivery charge will apply. The amount will vary based on the slot you choose and availability in your area.
You can order M&S food for delivery via Ocado.
Sainsbury's
Book your Sainsbury's delivery slot.
Delivery dates:
Thursday 18 December to Wednesday 24 December.
You've got until 11pm on the day before delivery to finalise your order.
Subscription plans:
Anytime Delivery Pass: for £7.50 each month, £43 for six months or £80 for 12 months you'll get priority deliveries during busy periods, plus a maximum of one free delivery per day.
Midweek Delivery Pass: for £4 each month or £40 for 12 months, you'll get a maximum of one free delivery each day between Tuesday and Thursday, and priority deliveries during busy periods.
Minimum delivery charges: If you have a delivery pass, you must spend at least £40 to qualify for free delivery – otherwise, you'll be charged a £7 fee. If you don't have a delivery pass, you'll be charged a £7 fee on orders under £40 and a fee of between £1 and £5.50 for orders over £40.
Tesco
Book your Tesco delivery slot.
Delivery dates:
Saturday 20 December to Wednesday 24 December.
You've got until 11.45pm on Sunday 14 December to finalise your 'Festive Food to Order' items.
You've got until 11.45pm the day before your delivery to finalise everything else.
Subscription plans
Anytime Delivery Saver: for £7.99 each month for six months or £6.99 each month for 12 months, you'll get free same-day delivery and early access to Christmas slots.
Off-Peak Delivery Saver: for £4.99 each month for six months or £3.99 each month for 12 months, you'll get free home delivery after 3pm.
Click+Collect: for £2.49 each month for six months, you'll get same-day collection and early access to Christmas slots.
Minimum delivery charges: You'll need to spend at least £50 to qualify for free delivery and a minimum of £25 to qualify for free collection if you're on a Delivery Saver or Click+Collect plan – otherwise, you'll be charged a £5 fee for either service. If you're not on a plan, you can expect delivery charges of between £1.50 and £7, regardless of your total spend.
Waitrose
Book your Waitrose delivery slot.
Delivery dates:
Saturday 20 December to Wednesday 24 December.
You've got until 11.59pm on Monday 15 December to finalise your 'Food Made to Order' items, and until 10pm the day before your delivery for everything else.
Subscription plans:
Delivery Pass: for £8 each month, £45 for six months or £85 for 12 months, you'll get one free delivery slot per day and early access to Christmas bookings.
Minimum delivery charges: A £40 minimum applies to all orders. For non-delivery pass holders, a delivery fee of at least £2 will be added to your order.
Taking bookings as normal
Co-op
Booking dates:
Co-op doesn't offer specific Christmas bookings – if you'd like a Co-op shop delivered to your door, you'll need to hold off until five days before your preferred delivery date.
You will not be able to make any changes to your order after payment.
Other info:
Subscription plans: Co-op doesn't offer delivery plans, but you can order for delivery or click-and-collect through Co-op directly, or for delivery via Amazon, Just Eat, and Uber Eats.
Minimum delivery charges: You must spend at least £15 per delivery or click-and-collect order when you order directly – but this minimum may differ if you choose to order through third-party apps. A delivery fee, which varies by order and platform, but starts at £1.99, will also be added to your order.
Iceland
Booking dates:
Iceland doesn't offer special Christmas bookings – if you'd like a Christmas food shop delivered, you'll need to hold off until five days before your preferred delivery date.
You've got until 11pm the day before delivery to finalise your order.
Other info:
Subscription plans: Iceland doesn't offer delivery plans.
Minimum delivery charges: You must spend at least £40 to qualify for free next-day delivery.
Share this guide?
Latest weekly email
Clever ways to calculate your finances
