Tesco opens its Christmas 2026 delivery and Click+Collect slots at 6am on Tuesday 3 November for customers on an Anytime Delivery Saver or Click+Collect plan. Everyone else, including Off-Peak Delivery Saver members, can book from 6am on Thursday 5 November. That makes Tesco the last of the big online grocers to open its festive calendar, and it leaves a window of a little over 24 hours: shoppers who want priority access must join the Anytime plan by 11.59pm on Monday 2 November.
The retailer says it will offer a record 60,000 more Christmas slots than last year, according to a company statement published on 30 September. Most of its rivals opened weeks ago. Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose are already taking bookings from all customers, Ocado has opened to Smart Pass holders, and M&S is taking Food to Order collections. This guide sets out every booking date, the delivery windows, the fees and the editing deadlines that decide whether your Christmas food shop arrives on the day you want it.
In short
- Tesco opens on 3 November: Anytime Delivery Saver and Click+Collect plan members book from 6am on Tuesday 3 November; all other customers from 6am on Thursday 5 November.
- The sign-up deadline is 2 November: Tesco says new Anytime Delivery Saver members must join by 11.59pm on Monday 2 November to get priority Christmas access. The Off-Peak plan does not include it.
- 60,000 extra slots: Tesco calls it a record increase on last year, split between home delivery and Click+Collect across the UK. Its Christmas slots run from Sunday 20 to Thursday 24 December.
- Most rivals are already open: Waitrose opened to everyone on 30 September, Morrisons on 7 October, Asda on 20 October and Sainsbury’s on 23 October. Ocado is releasing slots in stages after its Smart Pass window.
- Food to order closes mid-December: Tesco’s Festive Food to Order checkout closes at 11.45pm on Monday 14 December; Asda and Waitrose close their food to order ranges on Tuesday 15 December.
When exactly do Tesco Christmas delivery slots open?
Tesco has set two opening times, both at 6am. Customers with an Anytime Delivery Saver plan or a Click+Collect plan can book from Tuesday 3 November, two days before the general release. Everyone else, including members of the cheaper Off-Peak Delivery Saver plan, can book from Thursday 5 November.
The company statement is specific about who counts. Anytime Delivery Saver members can book either home delivery or collection early, while the early-access benefit for Click+Collect plan members covers collection slots. According to a guide published by FEAST Magazine, Tesco has told customers they may be placed in an online waiting room when booking opens, which is how the grocer manages the surge of logins on release mornings.
The 2 November deadline for priority access
The notes to editors in Tesco’s statement say customers who sign up to the Anytime Delivery Saver plan will get priority Christmas slots for 2026 “as long they sign up by 11:59pm on 2 November”. In practice, that means anyone who joins on Monday evening can be in the 6am queue on Tuesday morning. Anyone who joins on Tuesday has missed the priority window and books with everyone else on Thursday.
It is worth being clear about what the plan does and does not promise. Early access is an earlier chance to book, not a guaranteed slot on a particular day or hour. FEAST Magazine makes the same point in its guide, and Tesco’s own notes say slots are “subject to availability”.
Tesco’s Christmas delivery and collection window runs from Sunday 20 December to Thursday 24 December, according to both MoneySavingExpert and the personal finance site thinkmoney. Tesco says the latest slot before Christmas Day will be either 23 or 24 December depending on where you live, and FEAST reports that Christmas Eve home delivery is available only in selected areas.
Once slots are open, the company says shoppers can book all of their December slots at once, not just the days immediately before Christmas. That matters for households planning a staggered shop: a drinks and cupboard order in mid-December, then a fresh food order as close to the day as possible.
What is changing at Tesco this Christmas?
The headline change is capacity. Tesco says it is offering “a record 60,000 more slots than last year”, made up of a mixture of home delivery and Click+Collect slots across the UK. The company has not published its total number of Christmas slots, so the 60,000 figure is an increase on an undisclosed base rather than a count of everything on offer.
The second change is timing. For the first time, Tesco customers have been able to browse the Festive Food to Order range and add items to a shopping list since Tuesday 29 September, ready to move them into baskets when slots open in November. The range runs to 108 products, according to a separate Tesco announcement. Laura Ramsell, Tesco’s online customer director, said in the statement that “Christmas should be all about spending time with family and friends, not worrying about getting the big shop done”.
Tesco also used its Christmas announcement to promote Whoosh, its rapid delivery service, which it says now serves three-quarters of the UK with deliveries in as little as 60 minutes. A promotion offering free Whoosh delivery on orders over £25 until 11 January 2027 closed to new sign-ups on 18 October; we covered the terms of that offer when Tesco made Whoosh delivery free until January. Whoosh is not a substitute for a full Christmas shop, but it is the grocer’s answer to the forgotten cream or extra bottle of fizz on Christmas Eve.
Which supermarkets are already taking Christmas bookings?
Tesco is late to open by the standards of this year’s calendar. MoneySavingExpert, which has tracked supermarket booking dates since 13 October and last updated its guide on 23 October, lists Asda, M&S, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose as open to all customers, Ocado as open to pass holders, and Co-op, Iceland and Tesco as not yet open. Aldi and Lidl do not appear in any list because neither runs its own online grocery delivery service.
| Supermarket | Pass holders could book from | All customers could book from | Christmas delivery window |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | 6am, Tue 3 November | 6am, Thu 5 November | Sun 20 to Thu 24 December |
| Asda | Tue 13 October | Tue 20 October | Mon 21 to Wed 23 December |
| Sainsbury’s | Fri 16 October | Fri 23 October | Fri 18 to Thu 24 December |
| Morrisons | Thu 1 October | Wed 7 October | Fri 18 to Thu 31 December |
| Waitrose | Early access (date not published) | Wed 30 September | Sun 20 to Thu 24 December |
| Ocado | Smart Pass holders who joined before 1 September | Staggered release, subject to availability | Sun 20 to Thu 24 December |
| M&S Food to Order | No pass scheme | Open now (collection only) | Tue 22 to Thu 24 December (GB) |
| Co-op | No pass scheme | Five days before delivery | Standard service |
| Iceland | No pass scheme | Rolling (see below) | Standard service |
Sources: Tesco company statement (30 September 2026); MoneySavingExpert (13 October 2026, updated 23 October); thinkmoney (19 October 2026); Be Clever With Your Cash. Dates are subject to local availability, so check each retailer’s website before relying on them.
Asda and Sainsbury’s
Asda gave Delivery Pass holders a week’s head start, from Tuesday 13 to Monday 19 October, before opening to all customers on Tuesday 20 October, according to MoneySavingExpert and thinkmoney. Its Christmas deliveries run on just three days, Monday 21 to Wednesday 23 December, which makes it the narrowest window of the big grocers. Sainsbury’s opened to Delivery Pass holders on Friday 16 October and to everyone on Friday 23 October, with slots from Friday 18 to Thursday 24 December, subject to availability in each area.
Morrisons, Waitrose and Ocado
Waitrose was the first to open, releasing Christmas delivery and collection slots to all customers on 30 September, according to Be Clever With Your Cash. Morrisons followed on 7 October after a Delivery Pass window from 1 October, and stands out for running Christmas deliveries all the way from Friday 18 to Thursday 31 December, covering New Year’s Eve. Ocado opened first to Smart Pass customers who signed up before 1 September; MoneySavingExpert quotes the company as saying it will “stagger the release of remaining slots, subject to availability”, so non-members need to keep checking.
How much will a Christmas delivery cost?
Booking a slot is free at every grocer, but delivery charges and minimum basket rules differ widely, and Christmas slots are often priced at the top of each retailer’s range. The cheapest route for most households is a delivery pass, which removes the per-order fee as long as the basket clears a minimum spend. The table below sets out the subscription prices and minimums reported by MoneySavingExpert and, for Tesco, confirmed in the company’s own statement.
| Supermarket | Anytime pass price | Midweek or off-peak pass | Minimum basket and fees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tesco | £6.99 a month (12 months) or £7.99 a month (6 months) | Off-Peak £3.99 to £4.99 a month (no Christmas priority) | £50 for free delivery on a plan; otherwise around £5 to £7 per delivery |
| Asda | £6.95 to £7.95 a month, or £69.50 a year | £3.95 to £4.50 a month | £40 minimum for free pass delivery |
| Sainsbury’s | £7.50 a month, £43 for 6 months or £80 a year | £4 a month or £40 a year | £50 for free pass delivery; £7.50 next day or £9.50 same day below £50 |
| Morrisons | £8 a month, £45 for 6 months or £70 a year | £5 a month or £40 a year | £25 minimum with a pass; £3 small-basket fee for non-members on £25 to £40 |
| Waitrose | £8 a month, £45 for 6 months or £85 a year | None listed | £40 minimum on every order; fee of at least £2 without a pass |
| Ocado | £9.99 a month or £99.99 a year | £4.99 a month or £49.99 a year | £90 minimum for Christmas shops, pass or not |
Tesco’s statement says a 12-month Anytime plan at £6.99 a month saves an average of £176 a year in delivery and collection charges, a figure based on comparing the plan with one weekly delivery at £5. Customers also earn Clubcard points on the subscription and can use Clubcard vouchers to pay for it. Ocado’s £90 Christmas minimum is the highest among the grocers and applies whether or not the customer has a Smart Pass.
Is it worth buying a pass just for Christmas?
For Tesco shoppers the maths is simple to set out, if not to settle. A six-month Anytime plan bought before midnight on 2 November costs £7.99 a month, so about £48 over its term, in exchange for priority booking on 3 November and free delivery on baskets of £50 or more. A household that would otherwise pay £5 to £7 for each of four or five December deliveries recovers a large share of that cost before the new year, and anything after that is a saving.
A household that orders online only once or twice a year will struggle to justify the subscription on delivery charges alone. For them the value lies purely in early access, and the question is how much a preferred slot on 23 December is worth. MoneySavingExpert’s advice is not to spend more than you otherwise would just to secure a slot, and to compare basket prices across grocers before committing.
What are the deadlines for food to order and basket changes?
The booking date is only the first deadline. Christmas centrepieces, party food and prepared dishes are usually sold through a separate food to order range with its own, earlier cut-off, and grocers close their ordinary baskets the day before delivery. Missing either deadline can leave a slot booked but the turkey missing.
- Tesco: Festive Food to Order checkout closes at 11.45pm on Monday 14 December; other items can be changed until 11.45pm the day before delivery.
- Asda: Food to Order items, including centrepieces, must be finalised by Tuesday 15 December; everything else by 11pm the day before delivery or collection.
- Waitrose: Food Made to Order items close at 11.59pm on Tuesday 15 December; other items at 10pm the day before delivery.
- Sainsbury’s: orders can be finalised until 11pm the day before delivery.
- Ocado: orders can be edited until 11.59pm two days before delivery, so a 20 December slot locks at 11.59pm on 18 December.
- Morrisons: cut-off times vary and are set out in the confirmation email.
The Ocado rule catches people out every year because it is a day earlier than most rivals. It also matters for M&S fans who shop online, since M&S food for home delivery is sold through Ocado and so follows Ocado’s slot and editing rules rather than M&S’s own Food to Order system.
M&S Food to Order is collection only
M&S does not deliver its Christmas Food to Order range. Customers collect from a store between Tuesday 22 and Thursday 24 December in England, Scotland and Wales, and between Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 December in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Jersey, according to MoneySavingExpert. The minimum order is £50, paid upfront when booking, with any balance settled on collection.
What about Iceland, Co-op, Aldi and Lidl?
Not every grocer runs a separate Christmas booking calendar. Co-op does not offer specific Christmas bookings at all: MoneySavingExpert says customers can book its home delivery only five days before the date they want, cannot change an order once it has been paid for, and need to spend at least £15, with delivery fees starting at £1.99. Co-op groceries can also be ordered through Amazon, Just Eat and Uber Eats, where minimums and fees differ.
Iceland’s position is less clear, and the published guides disagree. MoneySavingExpert reports that Iceland will open bookings over the Christmas period 28 calendar days in advance, so a delivery on Wednesday 23 December would be bookable from Thursday 26 November, against a usual five-day window. Be Clever With Your Cash says Iceland slots can be booked six days ahead of delivery and notes that last year it released slots at midnight on 18 December. Iceland shoppers should check the retailer’s own website before planning around either date; the minimum for free next-day delivery is £40.
Aldi and Lidl, which together account for a growing share of British grocery spending, still do not run their own online grocery delivery services, MoneySavingExpert notes. Shoppers who do their main shop at a discounter therefore have to choose between a store visit in the busiest week of the year and switching their Christmas order to a rival with delivery. The discounters’ expansion has drawn regulatory attention of its own: the competition watchdog recently designated Aldi and Lidl as large grocery retailers, bringing them under the same land-agreement rules as the big four.
How do you get the slot you want on release morning?
Christmas slots go quickly, and the evening slots on 23 December and the morning slots on Christmas Eve are typically the first to disappear. The practical advice from MoneySavingExpert, FEAST and Be Clever With Your Cash is consistent: preparation done the night before matters more than speed of clicking at 6am.
- Sign in the night before. Check that your password works, your delivery address is correct and any saved payment card has not expired.
- Know your plan. If you are relying on Tesco’s priority window, confirm that your account shows an Anytime Delivery Saver or Click+Collect plan, not Off-Peak.
- Pick a first choice and two backups. FEAST suggests choosing alternatives that fit work, travel and who will be home to receive the order.
- Book with a small basket. MoneySavingExpert recommends securing the slot with a few items and then editing the order later, as long as you note the editing deadline.
- Consider collection. Click+Collect slots are usually easier to get than home delivery and often cheaper.
- Keep checking for cancellations. Slots return to the system when other customers change or cancel, so it is worth checking again, especially early in the morning.
If Tesco’s waiting room is busy, refreshing the page repeatedly is unlikely to help and can lose your place. Splitting the shop is the other common fallback: book an earlier December delivery for drinks, frozen and long-life items, and buy fresh food in store nearer the day. Be Clever With Your Cash also notes that supermarkets often reduce Christmas vegetable prices in the final days before the holiday, which is a further reason to leave fresh vegetables off an early order.
Will the shop cost more this year?
Delivery slots are only one part of the Christmas grocery bill. Food inflation has been easing through the autumn: the Food and Drink Federation cut its Christmas food inflation forecast to 3.9%, while shop price data from the British Retail Consortium showed overall shop price inflation picking up to 2.1% in October. Neither figure suggests a repeat of the steep rises of 2022 and 2023, but both mean the same basket costs more than it did last Christmas.
That puts the delivery fee into context. On a £150 Christmas order, a £7 delivery charge adds about 4.7% to the bill, which is more than a year’s food inflation on that basket. For households already watching every line of the receipt, the case for a pass, for Click+Collect, or for booking a cheaper midweek slot is as much about the fee as about the slot.
Supermarkets are competing on Christmas convenience
Online grocery is one of the few areas where the big chains still compete openly on capacity. Tesco’s decision to advertise 60,000 extra slots, rather than a price cut, says something about where it thinks the Christmas battle is won. Its festive campaign makes the same point: Tesco’s 2026 advert, one of several we covered when Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Argos launched their Christmas ads, features comedian Roisin Conaty as a delivery driver.
Behind the marketing sits a costly operation. Home delivery is the most expensive way for a grocer to fulfil an order, which is why the industry leans so heavily on subscriptions, minimum baskets and click and collect. Our explainer on grocery delivery economics and who actually makes money sets out why the peak weeks before Christmas are both the most valuable and the hardest to serve profitably.
What should you do now?
The timetable for the next few days is short. Tesco shoppers who want priority access have until 11.59pm on Monday 2 November to join the Anytime Delivery Saver or Click+Collect plan, then need to be ready at 6am on Tuesday 3 November. Everyone else can book from 6am on Thursday 5 November. Shoppers at Asda, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose can book now, while availability lasts, and Ocado customers without a Smart Pass should keep checking as the company releases remaining slots.
Beyond the food shop, the same week marks the start of the wider Christmas logistics season. If you are sending gifts by post rather than ordering groceries, Royal Mail has already set its Christmas 2026 last posting dates, and those deadlines arrive earlier in December than the supermarket cut-offs. A note of both, with each food to order deadline added, is the simplest way to avoid a missing centrepiece on 24 December.
For Tesco’s own terms and to join a plan, the company’s Christmas delivery announcement sets out the plan rules and notes in full. Dates for other grocers come from their published Christmas pages as reported by MoneySavingExpert, thinkmoney and Be Clever With Your Cash, and may change if retailers release extra capacity.
Frequently asked questions
When do Tesco Christmas delivery slots open in 2026?
Tesco opens Christmas delivery and Click+Collect slots at 6am on Tuesday 3 November for Anytime Delivery Saver and Click+Collect plan customers, and at 6am on Thursday 5 November for everyone else, including Off-Peak Delivery Saver members.
Can I still get early access to Tesco Christmas slots?
Yes, if you join the Anytime Delivery Saver plan by 11.59pm on Monday 2 November. Tesco says customers who sign up by that time get priority Christmas access for 2026. The Off-Peak plan does not include priority access.
What dates can I get a Tesco Christmas delivery?
Tesco’s Christmas delivery and collection slots run from Sunday 20 to Thursday 24 December. The latest slot before Christmas Day is either 23 or 24 December depending on your location, and Christmas Eve home delivery is available only in selected areas.
Which supermarkets have already opened Christmas slots?
Waitrose opened to all customers on 30 September, Morrisons on 7 October, Asda on 20 October and Sainsbury’s on 23 October. Ocado has opened to Smart Pass holders who joined before 1 September and is releasing remaining slots in stages. M&S Food to Order collections are also open.
Does a delivery pass guarantee a Christmas slot?
No. A delivery pass gives earlier access to book, but slots are limited and subject to availability in your area. It improves your chances of getting a preferred day and time rather than guaranteeing one.
When is the deadline for Tesco Festive Food to Order?
The checkout deadline for Tesco’s Festive Food to Order range is 11.45pm on Monday 14 December. Ordinary grocery items can be changed until 11.45pm the day before your delivery.
Do Aldi and Lidl offer Christmas home delivery?
No. Neither Aldi nor Lidl runs its own online grocery delivery service, so there are no Christmas delivery slots to book. Shoppers need to visit a store or use another supermarket for delivery.
What is the minimum spend for a Christmas delivery?
It varies by grocer. Ocado requires at least £90 for Christmas shops, Tesco and Sainsbury’s need £50 for free delivery on a plan, Asda and Waitrose £40, and Morrisons £25 with a pass. Shoppers without a pass pay a delivery fee on top.
What can I do if I miss out on a Christmas slot?
Try Click+Collect, which is usually easier to get, check regularly for cancelled slots, especially early in the morning, split your shop across an earlier delivery and a store visit, or try a different supermarket with spare capacity in your area.