Compare delivery costs by adding them to the price of the exact item or basket you intend to buy. The lowest product price can lose once postage, a required time slot or necessary services are included.
Check the options for your postcode before treating an offer as the cheapest. A delivery headline may cover only certain products, order values or service areas.
Use a delivered-total calculation
Payable total = eligible item prices − applied discounts + delivery + compulsory charges + services you actually need.
| Hypothetical offer | Item | Delivery | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retailer A | £29 | £4.99 | £33.99 |
| Retailer B | £32 | Free | £32 |
| Retailer C, collection | £30 | £0 collection fee | £30 before travel |
Retailer B is £1.99 less than A. Collection at C may be attractive, but consider travel and whether you are already making the trip. These are invented prices, not live retailer offers.
Check the delivery category
A shop may have separate rules for small parcels, large appliances and supplier-direct products. A free-delivery threshold for clothing does not establish the charge for a fridge.
For a current example of the distinction, Very’s delivery page lists standard delivery for everyday items as free at £75 or more and £3.99 below that threshold. Its options depend on the order; do not apply that small-item rule to every product.
Delivery policy checked 25 October 2026. Check the retailer’s current checkout options for your products and postcode; fees and thresholds can change.
Do not spend more just to get free delivery
Suppose your planned basket is £28 with £4 delivery, and free delivery begins at £35. Adding an unwanted £7 item increases the total from £32 to £35. You avoid the delivery charge but spend £3 more.
If the extra £7 item is something you genuinely need and would buy soon, compare that combined purchase with buying it elsewhere. The threshold alone cannot decide whether the addition is useful value.
Compare equivalent service levels
- Timing: compare delivery dates you can use, rather than standard shipping against an urgent service you do not need.
- Location: check postcode exclusions and any location-specific charge.
- Large items: confirm where delivery ends and whether installation, removal or recycling is separate.
- Split orders: check whether different sellers or suppliers create additional charges.
- Collection: check its fee, collection window, location and travel implications.
Watch what a discount does to the threshold
Some offers calculate free-delivery eligibility on the basket after a discount; check the actual terms. If a code lowers a hypothetical £51 basket to £45.90, it may change delivery eligibility where the relevant threshold is £50.
Use the checkout total rather than subtracting the discount from a previously noted delivered price. Do not assume either threshold calculation applies universally.
When does a delivery pass make sense?
Compare the pass price with the delivery fees it would genuinely replace. A hypothetical £20 pass replacing four £5 eligible deliveries breaks even on delivery fees alone. It does not save money if it causes you to place extra orders or your usual products are excluded.
Check expiry, renewal, minimum spend, service exclusions and the person or address covered before buying a pass. Keep any unneeded faster-delivery upgrade out of the saving calculation.
Confirm the total before payment
Remove optional extras you do not want, confirm the seller and read the final amount. The CMA’s price-transparency summary explains the importance of clear total prices and unavoidable charges.
Keep the order confirmation showing the chosen service and expected delivery. If speed is essential, check the actual order-level date rather than a general “next day” banner.
See our deal-checking guide and discount-code and cashback guide for the rest of the purchase comparison.
Divide a delivery pass by orders you would make anyway
For an illustrative £30 annual pass replacing £4 delivery fees, eight eligible orders would cost £32 without the pass and £30 with it. Seven would cost £28, making the pass £2 dearer. The comparison assumes those orders qualify and would happen anyway.
Exclude orders that already get free delivery and include any fees the pass does not cover. Do not increase shopping frequency merely to make the membership appear to pay back.
Sources and scope
Retailer and CMA guidance checked 25 October 2026. All numerical examples other than the clearly identified Very policy are hypothetical. No universal retailer delivery rate or specific product recommendation is claimed.
