Nectar loyalty has finally arrived on Deliveroo. From 27 November 2025, Sainsbury’s customers can earn Nectar points when they get their groceries delivered via the Deliveroo app – a first for any UK delivery platform. [1]
The move connects one of the UK’s biggest supermarket loyalty schemes with one of its best‑known delivery platforms, just weeks after Deliveroo’s £3.9bn acquisition by DoorDash was completed. [2]
Key facts at a glance
- What’s new? Nectar has launched on Deliveroo for Sainsbury’s grocery orders. [3]
- How many points?1 Nectar point per £1 spent on eligible Sainsbury’s items ordered through Deliveroo. [4]
- Where is it live? Participating Sainsbury’s stores on Deliveroo – the partnership now spans over 1,000 locations across the UK. [5]
- Who’s involved? Deliveroo, Sainsbury’s and Nectar – a loyalty programme with around 24 million members and more than 500 partners. [6]
- Why it matters: It’s the first time Nectar has been integrated into a third‑party delivery app, strengthening Sainsbury’s loyalty play in on‑demand grocery and helping Deliveroo answer criticism that delivery apps don’t reward loyal supermarket shoppers. [7]
What exactly has been announced?
Trade titles including Retail Week, Retail Systems, 365 Retail, KAMCity, Retail Gazette and others all report the same core story:
- From 27 November 2025, Nectar members can earn points on Sainsbury’s grocery orders placed through Deliveroo. [8]
- Deliveroo says it is the first UK delivery platform to support Nectar, which is described as one of the country’s largest loyalty programmes. [9]
- The launch follows a rapid expansion of the Sainsbury’s–Deliveroo tie‑up: from fewer than 300 stores in 2021 to more than 1,000 today. [10]
Suzy McClintock, Vice President of New Verticals at Deliveroo, has framed the integration as “a massive win” for customers, arguing it makes Deliveroo “the go‑to destination for on‑demand convenience and loyalty”. [11]
How Nectar points on Deliveroo work
From a shopper’s point of view, the new setup is simple:
- Open Deliveroo and choose a participating Sainsbury’s store.
- Add groceries to your basket as normal (only Sainsbury’s products are eligible for Nectar, not restaurant or non‑Sainsbury’s items). [12]
- At checkout, a field appears where you enter the Nectar card number linked to your account. [13]
- For every £1 spent on eligible Sainsbury’s items, you earn 1 Nectar point, which is then added to your Nectar account in the usual way. [14]
Money‑saving site Skint Dad, which has published a detailed consumer guide to the change, emphasises how low‑effort the process is: no promo codes, no special settings – once the number is saved, you simply shop and the points appear. [15]
What you don’t get (yet)
There are some important limitations:
- No Nectar Prices or “Your Nectar Prices” on Deliveroo: personalised discounts and Nectar Prices still only apply in Sainsbury’s stores or when shopping directly via Sainsbury’s online channels. [16]
- Only Sainsbury’s orders qualify: restaurant meals, takeaways and other retailers on Deliveroo don’t earn Nectar points through this integration. [17]
- Standard Deliveroo fees still apply: service fees, mark‑ups and delivery charges are unchanged – the Nectar layer is a reward on top, not a discount off the basket. [18]
Where is the Nectar–Deliveroo partnership available?
Sainsbury’s first joined Deliveroo in 2021 with just under 300 stores. That network has since more than tripled to over 1,000 locations across the UK, covering most major towns and cities. [19]
Deliveroo and its media partners highlight that the service is primarily used for fresh essentials and top‑up shops, not just last‑minute snacks. Among the most popular Sainsbury’s products ordered via Deliveroo are: [20]
- Sainsbury’s Strawberries 400g
- Sainsbury’s British Semi Skimmed Milk 2.27L (4 pint)
- Sainsbury’s Fairtrade Bananas x5
This supports the idea that Nectar on Deliveroo is targeting everyday grocery behaviour, not occasional treats.
How valuable are the Nectar points you’ll earn?
Nectar’s reward maths hasn’t changed:
- You earn 1 point per £1 at Sainsbury’s (including now via Deliveroo). [21]
- 1 point is typically worth 0.5p, meaning 500 points = £2.50 off your shop. [22]
That equates to around 0.5% cashback on your Sainsbury’s spend in the form of points.
Skint Dad gives a simple example: if you do a £20 Sainsbury’s “top‑up shop” on Deliveroo every week, you’d earn roughly 1,040 Nectar points a year, worth just over £5 back – not a life‑changing sum, but free value on spending you were already doing. [23]
The bigger upside comes when you combine those points with:
- Nectar Prices and Your Nectar Prices in‑store or on Sainsbury’s own site, which Sainsbury’s says can save the top 20% of digital Nectar customers over £450 a year. [24]
- Partner redemptions, including Argos, Esso, British Airways and other brands where you can either spend or boost the value of your points. [25]
In short: Nectar on Deliveroo is a small but meaningful extra in the wider Nectar ecosystem, especially if you’re already a heavy Sainsbury’s or Nectar user.
Why this launch matters in the loyalty card arms race
Almost everyone is in some loyalty scheme
Research cited by KAMCity and others suggests 97% of UK consumers now belong to at least one loyalty programme, while Mintel data reported by The Guardian shows around 76% of households are in a supermarket loyalty scheme, with close to 60% signed up to four or more. [26]
Sainsbury’s Nectar and Tesco’s Clubcard sit at the top of that pile. The Guardian recently rated both schemes 8/10, noting that Sainsbury’s claims Nectar can save regular users more than £450 a year when they make full use of Nectar Prices and personalised offers. [27]
Fixing one of the biggest complaints about delivery apps
Until now, shoppers using apps such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and Uber Eats have often missed out on the loyalty prices and points they’d receive in store. In October, consumer group Which?, reported through ITV News, warned that supermarket groceries could cost 20–45% more through delivery apps, with Sainsbury’s Nectar members losing out the most because in‑app prices didn’t reflect Nectar discounts. [28]
Which? found that:
- Sainsbury’s Nectar members paid around 41% more on average with Deliveroo than they would in‑store with their loyalty card, with some items costing double. [29]
Deliveroo’s spokesperson told ITV at the time that the company was “always looking at new ways to ensure great value… including the integration of supermarket loyalty schemes” – a promise this Nectar launch now delivers on. [30]
While Nectar on Deliveroo doesn’t yet fix the price gaps (Nectar Prices still don’t apply on the app), it does ensure that rapid‑delivery customers at least earn the same points as if they had shopped directly with Sainsbury’s.
A strategic win for Deliveroo, Sainsbury’s… and DoorDash
For Deliveroo
- Nectar joins a growing set of loyalty integrations on the Deliveroo app, including Morrisons More Card prices, Co‑op member deals, Boots Advantage Card points and other schemes. [31]
- It helps Deliveroo differentiate from rivals like Uber Eats and Just Eat, neither of which currently offers Nectar points on Sainsbury’s orders. [32]
- With fresh groceries and convenience taking a larger share of Deliveroo’s transaction mix, deeper supermarket loyalty features are increasingly critical to keeping high‑value customers within its ecosystem. [33]
For Sainsbury’s
- It extends the reach of Nectar into on‑demand channels, reinforcing its role as a unifying loyalty currency across Sainsbury’s, Argos, Tu Clothing, Sainsbury’s Bank and now Deliveroo. [34]
- It supports Sainsbury’s strategy to grow convenience and rapid delivery, without needing to build everything on its own infrastructure. [35]
For DoorDash
The launch also lands soon after DoorDash completed its $3.9bn cash acquisition of Deliveroo, a deal that significantly expands DoorDash’s presence in the UK and across Europe. [36]
While the Nectar partnership was clearly in train before the deal closed, it strengthens the combined group’s proposition in a key market by:
- Locking in deeper supermarket relationships.
- Adding data‑rich loyalty integrations that can be used to personalise offers and marketing.
- Making Deliveroo (and by extension DoorDash) more attractive to value‑conscious shoppers at a time of stubbornly high food inflation. [37]
Does this actually save shoppers money?
Short answer: yes, but modestly – and only if you were already using Deliveroo.
- If you don’t currently use Deliveroo for groceries, the existing price mark‑ups and fees highlighted by Which? still mean shopping in‑store or via Sainsbury’s own site is usually cheaper. The new Nectar points won’t outweigh those higher prices on their own. [38]
- If you already rely on Deliveroo for top‑up shops or emergency runs, Nectar points now turn that spending into a trickle of reward value you weren’t getting before – and may help justify sticking with Deliveroo instead of switching to another app. [39]
The bigger consumer story is that delivery apps and supermarkets are finally starting to align their loyalty offerings. Nectar on Deliveroo, Morrisons More Card prices on Deliveroo, and other app‑based schemes are all nudging rapid‑delivery closer to the value you get from traditional grocery channels. [40]
How to maximise Nectar points with Deliveroo
If you plan to take advantage of the new feature, money‑saving experts and retailer communications suggest a few practical tips:
- Add your Nectar card once – and double‑check it’s saved
Make sure your Nectar number is stored correctly in Deliveroo so you don’t lose points because of a typo or one‑off entry. [41] - Keep big, planned shops on Sainsbury’s own channels
Nectar Prices and Your Nectar Prices only apply when you shop through Sainsbury’s directly, not via Deliveroo. For weekly or monthly stock‑ups, you’ll usually get better value by combining those discounts with points. [42] - Use Deliveroo for genuine convenience, not habit
The ITV/Which? research shows that prices on delivery apps can still be significantly higher than in store, even after loyalty rewards. Save Deliveroo for moments when speed genuinely matters. [43] - Stack Nectar with partner deals
Remember that Nectar points earned through Deliveroo can later be used on:- Sainsbury’s groceries
- Argos and Tu Clothing
- Fuel at Esso
- Flights and trips with partners such as British Airways and Expedia (via linked promotions) [44]
- Watch out for Nectar events and boosters
Sainsbury’s has been running big points giveaways and seasonal challenges, such as prize draws for up to £7,500 worth of points and in‑app “count up to Christmas” boosters. These can significantly increase the value of the points you collect, including those earned via Deliveroo. [45]
Consumer view: a small but important fix
The tone from consumer‑facing coverage is cautiously positive:
- Money‑saving blogs frame the move as “a little money boost” that stops delivery shoppers missing out on points entirely, even if it doesn’t revolutionise their budget. [46]
- Trade press see it as a sign of where the market is heading – towards tighter integration between loyalty schemes and rapid delivery, with Deliveroo racing to lock in partnerships as rivals invest in their own propositions. [47]
For shoppers, the message is simple:
If you’re already paying for the convenience of Deliveroo, there’s now no reason not to earn Nectar points on your Sainsbury’s orders.
References
1. retail-systems.com, 2. apnews.com, 3. retail-systems.com, 4. retail-systems.com, 5. retail-systems.com, 6. retail-systems.com, 7. www.itv.com, 8. retail-systems.com, 9. retail-systems.com, 10. 365retail.co.uk, 11. retail-systems.com, 12. skintdad.co.uk, 13. retail-systems.com, 14. retail-systems.com, 15. skintdad.co.uk, 16. skintdad.co.uk, 17. skintdad.co.uk, 18. www.itv.com, 19. 365retail.co.uk, 20. retail-systems.com, 21. retail-systems.com, 22. www.theguardian.com, 23. skintdad.co.uk, 24. help.sainsburys.co.uk, 25. retail-systems.com, 26. www.kamcity.com, 27. www.theguardian.com, 28. www.itv.com, 29. www.itv.com, 30. www.itv.com, 31. skintdad.co.uk, 32. www.thegrocer.co.uk, 33. www.retail-week.com, 34. help.sainsburys.co.uk, 35. retail-systems.com, 36. apnews.com, 37. www.itv.com, 38. www.itv.com, 39. skintdad.co.uk, 40. retail-systems.com, 41. skintdad.co.uk, 42. help.sainsburys.co.uk, 43. www.itv.com, 44. www.kamcity.com, 45. www.thesun.co.uk, 46. skintdad.co.uk, 47. retail-systems.com
