The supermarket estimates that the annual pass could save customers up to £123 a year if they currently pay £4 each week for one delivery slot
Waitrose has launched a new subscription service for loyal supermarket shoppers who regularly order food for home delivery.
A one month delivery pass costs £8, while a six-month pass is priced at £45, and an annual pass is £85. A one-off delivery slot without a pass costs between £2 and £4.
Waitrose estimates that the annual pass could save customers up to £123 a year if they currently pay £4 each week for one delivery slot. Delivery pass shoppers will also get early access to the Christmas delivery slots, which will go live in September.
Laura Burbedge, Waitrose director of online, said: “We’re investing in our online business to continuously improve it, giving our customers even greater value and the best possible experience.
“Thousands of customers signed up for Delivery Passes through our trial, so we expect to see strong demand across the UK as we roll it out.”
In comparison, Tesco charges £7.99 a month (£47.94 total) for a six-month anytime delivery pass, which includes same-day delivery, or £6.99 a month (£83.88 total) if you sign up for 12 months.
An off-peak pass – which is for deliveries after 3pm – costs £4.99 (£29.94 total) for six months, or £3.99 (£47.88 total) for 12 months. For click and collect, a six-month package is charged at £2.49 a month.
Sainsbury’s charges £7.50 a month for an anytime delivery pass, or a one-off payment of £43 if you sign up for six months, and £80 for 12 months. A midweek pass costs £4 a month or £40 for 12 months.
It comes after Waitrose brought back free tea and coffee for customers signed up to its loyalty card, even if they do not buy anything from the supermarket.
Waitrose also recently started allowing customers to borrow a reusable cup for their free coffee, as part of an innovative trial aimed at cutting down on plastic waste.
Customers have a week to return the cup to a specific drop-off point or face a £3 charge. To take advantage of the “Borrow a Free Cup” scheme, shoppers simply need to scan their MyWaitrose card.
The company emailed customers to inform them of the change, saying: “You’ll be able to get your free hot drink without buying anything in store first. Don’t forget your reusable cup!”
A spokesperson for Waitrose commented: “We’re currently conducting a reusable cup trial in nine of our branches – it kicked off this week and is available for MyWaitrose members to use when redeeming their free coffee, or for our cafe customers to use if purchasing one.”
