Tesco, the UK’s largest retailer, has announced that it will be increasing the minimum spend for home-delivery orders from £40 to £50, effective from 2 May. Additionally, customers who do not meet the minimum spend requirement will now be charged a £5 fee, up from the current £4 fee.

However, the minimum spend for click and collect orders will remain at £25 across all Tesco stores. In comparison, Sainsbury’s requires a minimum spend of £40, with a £7 fee for orders that fall below this threshold. Asda requires a minimum spend of £40, but only charges £3 for orders that do not meet the threshold.

This news comes as Tesco announced that it has surpassed its target for the rollout of its rapid delivery service, Whoosh, which is now available in 1,000 Express stores across the UK. However, the retailer is also reducing the value of Clubcard vouchers spent with reward partners, with vouchers only worth two times their previous value when exchanged at any of its reward partners from 14 June.

Tesco defended its delivery fee increase, stating that the change is necessary to ensure that it can continue to serve its online customers effectively. A Tesco spokesperson added that the change is the first of its kind in almost eight years and that the vast majority of its customers will not be affected by the new threshold.