Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco, Waitrose shoppers face age limit rule

Shoppers have been warned they are being excluded from loyalty scheme offers and cheapest offers and prices - with customers facing an "age limit" rule. Which? warns vulnerable groups in society such as young carers and homeless people may find themselves excluded from lower prices at some stores.

Many popular loyalty schemes offer lower prices for members. But Which? said some shoppers are unable to sign up due to restrictions that are often beyond their control – such as minimum age requirements, having a UK address, and needing an email address or an app.

At Boots you must be 13 and a UK resident, at Co-op you must be 16 (or junior membership for any age if under 16 and using a card purchased by parents), at Lidl, you must be 18, and customers must download the app, and need a phone number and email address.

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Morrisons has a 16 age limit rule, while at Sainsbury’s (Nectar), you must be 18 (except where they are an additional collector on the Nectar account of a parent or guardian), have a UK address, and physical cards are available.

If a customer contacts the Nectar helpline they can be registered without an email address. At Superdrug, you must be 13, a UK resident (someone does not need an actual address), and at Tesco, you must be 18 years old with a UK address.

Waitrose has a 18 age limit rule and you must be a resident of England, Scotland, Wales or the Channel Islands. And the retailer says customers need to have access to the internet and an email address to sign up.

Which? looked at major supermarkets’ schemes, as well as those offered by health retailers and pharmacy giants Boots and Superdrug. It published its findings today alongside warnings for customers across the country.