Boots and Superdrug accused of misleading shoppers with ‘dodgy’ reward card deals
High street pharmacy giants Boots and Superdrug have been accused of misleading customers with “dodgy deals” following an investigation into loyalty pricing in their stores.
Consumer champion Which? It compared prices at the two businesses over a six-month period in 2025 and found hundreds of cases showing loyalty deals saving members more than they actually did.
Which? It says it has referred both Boots and Superdrug to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), claiming the companies defied the watchdog’s guidance on loyalty pricing promotions.
One of the examples given by Which? is an Avene moisturizer on sale in a Boots store for £16.50 for loyalty scheme members and £22 for everyone else. But just before the deal it was being offered for £17.60 to all customers, down from £22.
Following the loyalty deal, it was offered at £16.50 for all customers, still at the “previous” price of £22. Which? claims this is misleading as the product does not cost £22 for at least one month either side of the loyalty promotion period.
Which? It compared nearly 700 loyalty deals made by Boots over a six-month period and found 119 (17 per cent) were presented in a way that could be misleading. It compared 6,000 deals at Superdrug over the same period and found similar problems in 162 cases (3 per cent).
Which prices did Superdrug argue stand out? It was only a small portion of the thousands of loyalty price promotions.
At Superdrug the consumer group found a sample of the Simple skincare pack, priced at £4.98 for loyalty members and £9.98 for other customers. But just before that the bundle was priced at £4.80 for everyone (and marked “discounted” from £9.98) and after that it was £4.49 for everyone (also “discounted” from £9.98).
The CMA previously said in a report on loyalty pricing that “concerns” could arise under consumer law where the price of a product subject to promotion is changed to make the promotion appear more attractive.
He added: “This may occur if the non-loyalty price is increased at or shortly before the start of a loyalty price promotion and then reduced when the promotion ends or shortly after.”
Research by the consumer protection watchdog in 2024 found that loyalty card discounts in supermarkets often lead to real savings. But researchers add that 40 percent of shoppers are skeptical.
Which? Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy, said: “Boots was a loyalty program pioneer with its Advantage Card, but the retailer appears to be taking its customers on a journey by making some of its deals look better than they actually are.
“It is worrying that Boots rival Superdrug is using similar seemingly dodgy pricing tactics, meaning shoppers from two of the health and beauty industry’s biggest players are at risk of being misled.
“The CMA must be prepared to use its powers to create a meaningful deterrent effect against secret pricing practices, so consumers can trust that deals are real.”
A spokesperson for Boots said: “At Boots, we work every day to offer our customers great value for money. Boots Advantage Card members benefit from earning points on their purchases, enjoy an ongoing 10 per cent discount on Boots own brand products and have access to special promotional prices.
“We welcome the CMA’s loyalty pricing report and the clarification it provides. Boots is a strong supporter of transparency with consumers and consistent standards across all retailers in the industry. We have adopted the report’s guidance and are working diligently to ensure all our promotions comply with this.”
A Superdrug spokesperson said: “As an accessible health and beauty retailer, we strive to deliver value to all our customers, especially our Health and Beauty Card members who save more with our most competitive pricing and a range of points and rewards opportunities.
“We offer regular promotions and members-only advantageous pricing to all our customers throughout the year. This ensures our prices are competitive across the market, but also ensures our most loyal shoppers can purchase at the best prices through our most frequent member events. We always aim to offer customers value and savings, being open, fair and rewarding loyalty.”
