A MAJOR supermarket has hiked the cost of food deliveries just before Christmas, leaving customers fuming.
Iceland has introduced a fee for shoppers who book a delivery slot more than 24 hours in advance during the festive period.
Delivery was previously free for customers who spent more than £40, no matter when they chose to have their food delivered.
But Iceland is currently only offering free delivery for people who book a slot for the next day.
Iceland said the price of delivery slots will vary throughout the festive period.
When The Sun tried to place an order with Iceland, the supermarket was charging £4 for an order two days in advance, £6 for three days and £8 for four days.
This makes Iceland the most expensive of the major supermarkets for home delivery.
Sainsbury’s charges between £1 and £4.50 for orders over £40.
If an order doesn’t quite add up to £40, then you will be charged £7 for standard delivery.
Meanwhile, Tesco charges between £2 and £7 for home delivery.
Supermarket giant Asda charges shoppers anywhere between £2 and £6.50, depending on the delivery time they choose.
Morrisons say its charge vary depending on delivery address, the day and time of the slot and the value of the order.
All delivery charges are shown to shoppers before they place their other.
Discount supermarkets Aldi and Lidi don’t offer home delivery on groceries.
But Aldi does offer shoppers the option to do click and collect, with all slots priced at £4.99.
The change has prompted outrage from shoppers, who have taken to social media to slam the supermarket.
Posting in the Reduce Your Supermarket Spend Facebook group, one Iceland customer wrote: “I spent £104 and still had to pay for delivery.”
While another said: “I would rather struggle back from the shops.”
And a third simply said: “Looks like Iceland are cashing in on Christmas early.”
Responding to a customer on Twitter, Iceland confirmed it has “made a couple of changes” to its deliveries.
It said: “Deliveries booked for the next day will still be free, as long as the next day still has slots available to book.
“Deliveries booked after next day will have a charge.”
In a statement, Iceland told the Sun it has introduced variable charging for delivery beyond next day.
The supermarket said charges to future slots to allow it to manage volume and maintain high delivery standards.
The Sun has asked Iceland for the exact date its variable charging will come to an end.
It comes as shoppers scramble to finish their shopping ahead of Christmas while keeping costs down.
And the price hike will hit households in the pocket, who are already facing soaring prices at the supermarket.
Festive food costs have jumped by 9.3% since last year according to research firm Kantar.
And an average meal for four now costs £31, up from £28.36 last year.
But Iceland aren’t the only supermarket who have made changes to their deliveries.
Tesco changed the way shoppers could use Clubcard vouchers to cut the cost of online orders.
Shoppers had been urged to use their Tesco Clubcard delivery codes before the changes took effect in November.
Tesco delivery saver codes had been worth three times the amount of Clubcard vouchers for those who use the scheme.
But, The Sun exclusively revealed in August that the vouchers will only be worth their face value when buying a delivery pass.
How else can I save on my supermarket shop?
There are plenty of other ways to save on your supermarket shop.
You can try looking out for yellow or red stickers on products which show when they’ve been reduced.
If the food is fresh you’ll have to eat it fast, or freeze it to have another time.
Making a list could save you some money too as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.
Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.
That means going for “own” or “value” type products instead of “finest” or “luxury” lines.
Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes as well where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.
For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.
In other news, B&M shoppers are rushing to buy a White Company “dupe” Christmas decoration that’s only £2.50.
Plus, we tested perfumes from Aldi, Lidl and Superdrug and a £6.99 bottle smells identical to a designer brand costing £295.
