TESCO is hiking the price of its popular meal deal by 25p TODAY – and shoppers are furious.
The supermarket is increasing the price of the lunchtime offer from £3.60 to £3.85 with a Clubcard.
The store increased its prices in October 2022 after a decade[/caption]
The Sun exclusively revealed that Tesco was planning to roll out higher prices earlier this week – and those without the loyalty card will see the cost increase to £4.25, up from £4.
The cost of the Premium meal deal will also change to £5.50, up from £5, for those with a Clubcard and £6 for those without.
The news broke after an insider said it was now “hardly a deal”, and posted a picture of shelf labels showing the new price.
Now, shoppers are threatening to boycott the deal.
Another user responded to the thread on Reddit.com: “Might as well get rid of the meal deal if Tesco keeps upping the price.”
A second added: “I will be boycotting the meal deal from when this hike occurs.”
A third moaned: “£3.60 i could still defend, getting a bit mad now tho.”
Exactly a year ago Tesco put up the price of the meal deal from £3.40 to £3.60, while non-Clubcard holders were charged £4, up from £3.90.
And in October 2022, the deal increased for the first time in a decade from £3 to £3.40 for Clubcard members, and from £3.50 to £3.90 for those without a loyalty card.
Tesco’s lunchtime meal deal is hugely popular for its variety of choices, including sandwiches, wraps and sushi selections for the main options, snacks of crisps, chocolate and fruit, and drinks such as Lucozade and cold coffee.
Other supermarkets offer similar deals, and have also sparked fury over price hikes.
In June, Sainsbury’s raised the cost of its lunchtime meal deal by 20p, from £3.75 to £3.95.
And back in April Tesco increased the cost of its popular dinnertime Finest Dine In meal deal.
The offer, consisting of a main, side, dessert and drink for two people, previously cost £12 with a Clubcard, but has risen to £15.
A Tesco spokesperson said today: “Our meal deal remains great value and the ideal way to grab lunch on-the-go at just for a main, snack and drink when bought with a Clubcard.
“With more than 20m possible combinations the Tesco meal deal has got something for every taste, from a classic Chicken Club Sandwich to Tesco Korean Style Chicken Dragon Rolls.”
It’s understood new products will be introduced into the Premium meal deal in the coming days, such as a new Finest Salmon Konbini Roll and Finest Gochujang Konbini Roll.
Currently the most popular items in the basic meal deal are the Tesco Chicken Club Sandwich for main, Tesco Egg Protein Pot as the snack, and Coca-Cola 500ml.
These would currently cost £6.50 when purchased separately, giving Clubcard members a saving of £2.65.
Supermarket prices keep soaring
Supermarkets have been forced to hike their prices due to increases in costs.
Families have been warned the cost of their weekly shop will spiral this year as it’s predicted food inflation will climb to 6 percent by the end of 2025.
Food inflation in July was up to 4% after the sixth monthly rise in a row — driven largely by meat and tea.
Retailers say they’ve had to increase prices because of higher wage costs after the rise in National Insurance contributions for employers.
How to save money at Tesco
EVERY little helps when it comes to saving money at Tesco.
The Sun’s Head of Consumer Tara Evans explains how you can save money at the UK’s biggest supermarket.
Clubcard points
Tesco first launched it’s loyalty scheme back in 1995. You get one point for every £1 you spend in store. If you spend points in store then 100 points is worth £1. You can spend your points via its reward partners and get triple and even sometimes quadruple the value.
Extend Clubcard points
You can find lost Clubvcard points and find the last two years of unused vouchers by logging into the Tesco Clubcard site.
Clubcard prices
If you don’t have a Clubcard then you will miss out on its cheaper Clubcard prices. However, don’t forget to check prices before you shop because it might not be cheaper than elsewhere, especially on big value items like washing powder and loo roll.
Yellow stickers
Shops do vary the time they reduce groceries with yellow stickers but Tesco tends to be between 7pm and 9pm.
Save money if you shop online
If you get your Tesco food shop delivered then it might be worth buying a delivery saver pass to help cut the cost of delivery fees.
If you live near a Tesco then you can get click and collect slots of as little as 25p, so it might be cheaper than getting your food delivered.