Compare a delivery membership before renewing it

Check the renewal you are facing

Open the account directly through the provider’s official site. Find the next charge, billing period and renewal date. Note how the provider says you can cancel or change the plan, and save the relevant terms.

Check whether the price or included benefits are changing. A trial, introductory rate or old membership price should not be used to estimate the next paid period.

Count only eligible orders

Look at a recent period that resembles your expected shopping. For each order, ask whether the membership actually removed a charge you would otherwise have paid. Exclude orders that already qualified for free delivery.

Check minimum baskets, excluded sellers, postcodes and delivery speeds. Do not count an unwanted order as a saving just because shipping was included.

Compare with paying as you go

For an illustrative calculation, a £24 plan needs more than six genuinely avoided £4 delivery charges to save money on delivery alone. Six simply recovers the fee. Replace both figures with the provider’s current terms.

Give optional benefits a value only if you would pay for them separately. If your likely orders do not cover the renewal, compare a shorter plan or paying delivery charges when needed.

Record the decision and follow through

If you change or cancel, use the provider’s stated process and keep its confirmation. Check the account’s renewal state rather than assuming that closing the page or deleting an app cancelled the arrangement.

If you keep the plan, add a reminder before the next renewal and record the assumptions behind your decision. A change in household routines or retailer choice can change the calculation.

Your next steps

• Use the next renewal price, not the original promotional price.
• Count only delivery charges you expect to avoid.
• Keep confirmation of any account change.