MEAL DEALS are a godsend for many workers in a rush – but how do you make sure you are getting the most bang for your buck?
Shoppers get a main, drink and side for a set price and all major high street stores offer their own version of the scheme.
A range of sandwiches and drinks are usually up for grabs with some more pricey than others if you bought them as a standalone item.
In the last few months, Tesco and Sainsbury’s have hiked the prices of their meal deals in a blow to savvy lunch time shoppers.
Tesco said on Tuesday, August 20 the price of a standard Tesco meal deal will rise from £3.40 to £3.60 for Clubcard member later this week.
Meanwhile, Sainsbury’s raised the price of its meal deal from £3.50 to £3.75 this July.
With that in mind, The Sun has shared how to get the most out of your meal deal the next time you are on your lunch break.
Price: £3.99 or £3.60 with Boots Advantage Card
Max saving: £4.86 without loyalty card or £5.25 with one
The high street chemist pioneered the meal deal in the 1980’s and has been a popular lunchtime location for customers since.
The most expensive main Boots sells is a Chicken Triple Sandwich for £3.60, the same price as the meal deal if you have its loyalty card.
In terms of a snack, the GetPro Protein Moose for £2.50 is the priciest option.
The Vita Coco Natural Coconut Water 500ml for £2.75 takes the crown as Boots’ most costly drink option.
If you were to buy all these items individually it would cost £8.85, so picking these up in a meal deal makes a saving of £4.86 without an Advantage card or £5.25 with one.
Price: £3.60 with Tesco Clubcard or £4 without, it’s premium meal deal costs £5 with a Clubcard or £5.50 without
Max saving: £3.89 with a Cubcard or £3.49 without or with the premium meal deal – £4.20 without a Clubcard or £4.70 with it
From today, the price of a standard Tesco meal deal will rise from £3.40 to £3.60 for Clubcard members.
TESCO'S Clubcard scheme allows shoppers to earn points as they shop.
These points can then be turned into vouchers for money off food at the supermarket, or discounts at other places like restaurants and days out.
Each time you spend £1 in-store and online, you get one point when you scan your Clubcard.
Drivers using the loyalty card get one point for every two litres spent on fuel.
One point equals 1p, so 150 points gets you a £1.50 money-off voucher, for example.
You can double their worth when you swap them for discounts with “reward partners”.
For example, £12 worth of vouchers can be swapped for a £24 three-month subscription to Disney+.
Or you can swap 50p worth of points for £1 to spend at Hungry Horse pubs.
Where you can spend them changes regularly, and you can check on the Tesco website what’s available now.
Tesco shoppers can also get Clubcard prices when they have the loyalty card.
The discounted items change regularly and without a Clubcard you’ll pay a higher price.
These Clubcard prices are usually labelled on shelves, along with the non-member price.
But it’s worth noting that just because it’s discounted doesn’t necessarily make it the cheapest around, and you should compare prices to find the best deal.
You can sign up to get a Tesco Clubcard in store or online via the Tesco website.
Those without a Clubcard will have to pay £4 for the same meal deal, up from £3.90.
With that it mind you might want to go with the below option to make sure you are making your money stretch:
If you bought these items independently they would be priced at £7.49, so this makes a saving of £3.89.
If you are feeling fancy you can upgrade to Tesco’s premium meal deal range, which offers more expensive food at a marked down price.
There are still options to make your £5 stretch, for example opting for the Yo Sushi Cripsy Salmon Dragon Rolls for £4.75 as your main.
Then for a snack choose for King Protien Snack Bar for £2.20 and a Jimmy’s Iced Coffee Original for £2.75.
This takes your total to £9.70, making a saving of £4.20 without the clubcard offer included and £4.70 with the Clubcard price.
Price: £3.75
Max saving: £4.05
The UK’s second biggest grocery chain is a fan favourite amongst workers.
If you plan to hit up your local for your next lunchtime you might want to go with these options to make the most of your money.
For a main, go for the Sainsbury’s Brie, Bacon & Chilli Chutney Sandwich for £3.15 and the Sainsbury’s On the Go Greek Style Yogurt with Mixed Berry Compote & Crispy Granola as your snack for £1.75.
This already takes you to £4.90 so we are above the set meal deal price already.
Add a can of Red Bull for £2.60 and this takes your total to £7.80.
Price: £5
Max saving: £5.10
Waitrose only introduced meal deals to its stores last year, as the cost of living crisis drove its upmarket shoppers to sniff out a saving.
It sells a range of sandwiches, salads and smoothies, but which can you save on the most?
Waitrose GLO salads, which feature delicacies such as smoked salmon, can cost upwards of £4.80, making it the priciest option for the main.
For your snack, you will need to search for its King Prawns & Cocktail Sauce for £2.50 to make your £5 stretch.
The Emmi Caffe Latte Cappuccino Mr Big Iced Coffee for £2.80 will be the best value drink if you are in search of a saving.
Without the meal deal, this would cost you £10.10, so you are saving more than double if you go with these choices.
Price: £4 or £3.50 with Morrisons Go Card and the premium meal seal is £5.50 or £5 with Go Card
Max saving: £4.69 or £4.19 for nonmembers and for the premium it’s £4.10 or £3.60
Morrisons is beloved by many for its selection of sandwiches and snacks, and it recently launched a premium option for a quid more.
If you are sticking with the basic option, you will want to choose the Morrisons Spicy Chicken Baguette as your main as it costs £3 on its own.
To make a saving on your snack the Nomadic Protein + Granola Vanilla and Yoghurt for £1.89 is your safest bet.
The supermarket sells hot Costa Coffee drinks in store, which are included in the meal deal, so picking up a large of this for £3.30 will be the best move for your drink.
This totals £8.19.
If you have a Morrisons Go Card you can get the meal deal for £3.50, which makes an even bigger saving.
Premium meal deals tend to offer more expensive products such as sushi.
If you opt for this version at Morrisons you will want to pick up the YO salmon poke bowl for £4.75 as a main and a Morrisons Chicken Tikka Kebab for £1.75 as your snack.
Already we are over the £5 mark, and if you add a Naked Smoothie for £2.60 it brings your total to £9.10.
Price: £4 or £3.50 for members and £5.50 for premium meal deal members and £5 without
Max saving: Non members save £2.25 and members save £2.75 and on premium the max saving is £5.90 and non member is £5.40
If you are shopping at Co-op for a meal deal your best saving option might be Chicken and Bacon Sandwich for £3.25 as a main.
For a drink, why not got for the innocent recharge super smoothie for £2.75 and as a snack the Ginsters Cornish Pasty for £1.75.
This takes your total to £7.75 making a saving of £2.25, and you can knock off a bit extra if you have a members card.
Here are the best savings for the Co-op more high end meal deal.
The total works out as £10.90 if you are a member, making a saving of £5.90. For non-members you would save £5.40.
Price: Three for two on cheapest item
Max saving: £1.75
The UK’s third largest supermarket does not call its offer a meal deal, but instead runs a three for two on products you would buy for lunch.
What it sells is very similar to the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s such as sandwiches, snacks and drinks.
To make this work to your advantage, pick up Pastrami & Emmental New York Style Deli on Thick Rye Bread as your main for £3.50
For a snack, why not go for a Peperami Original Salami for £1.25 and then grab a Naked Smoothie for £2.30.
This works out as £7.15, but at the till the price of the salami would be knocked off so it would cost £5.90.
The winner of our comparison is Co-op which offers a saving of £5.90 on its premium meal deal offer.
However, it really depends if the shopper does not have any dietary requirements that do not limit what they can buy.
It also important to shop around of the best options that suit you and budget the best.
There are also other ways to save when shopping at lunchtime such as bringing food from home or just buying a signaller item.
