MyWaitrose Little Treats Explained: How the New Reward Scheme Works
- The Penny Pincher Team
- 44 minutes ago
- 4 min read
How the new nationally rolled out Waitrose Little Treats Scheme Works
If you’ve got a MyWaitrose card, there’s a new perk worth knowing about. Waitrose has rolled out a scheme called Little Treats, nationally, after a limited store trial, offering rewards when you hit monthly spending milestones.
It’s a gentler version of what Tesco Clubcard and Nectar Prices are doing, but with more of a “reward for loyalty” flavour.
I dug into how it works, what you actually get, how to avoid overspending, and whether it’s worth adding into your money-saving toolkit. I also tried it myself recently, and the outcome was a pleasant surprise.
What is the Waitrose Little Treats scheme?
Waitrose launched Little Treats nationwide in November 2025, after a successful trial in a limited number of stores earlier in the year.
The system works like this:
Spend £50 in a calendar month → unlock your first treat
Spend £100 → unlock your second treat
Spend £250 → unlock your third treat
Treats include things like free items, bakery products, flowers, pizzas and small vouchers worth up to around £5.
Your tracker resets on the 1st of every month, giving you a fresh chance to unlock rewards.
My own recent experience with MyWaitrose
I haven’t been much of a Waitrose shopper purely because there isn’t one close to me, but over the last few weeks I’ve been passing a branch and decided to scan my MyWaitrose card again. It turned out to be an unexpected and pleasant treat.
The app instantly gave me personalised vouchers that were actually useful:
50p off fruit
50p off bakery items
£1.50 off cheese
50p off a tin of tomatoes
They lasted about a week each, which helps because you’re not rushed. One even worked on yellow-sticker tomatoes, stacking nicely with the reduction, which is good as I don't find the Waitrose yellow sticker reductions to be all that impressive/cheap to be honest, but most of them do tend to be 50% off, which is a decent saving, but as the prices are more to start with, those savings don't always register as being. 'bargain' sadly!
Because this was an in-store shop, I checked the app again after paying, and a new coupon popped up for a free 150g box of Waitrose Christmas Cinnamon Knots, normally £2.25!
As I'm the Penny Pincher, I turned straight around, walked back into the shop, grabbed the box of cookies, and went through the till again, scanned my coupon and walked away with it having been completely free!
They'll be tucked away for Christmas, unless my wife or son finds it sooner!
It was an unexpected and pleasant little win: money off items I was buying anyway and a free box of biscuits.
It definitely makes me want to pop in more often, which is of course the aim of the loyalty scheme!
And yes, I know Waitrose is pricier; same as M&S, but they’re my guilty food-shopping pleasures.
If I had the budget to shop there all the time, I would. The foodie in me, and the trained chef side of me, loves seeing the produce, it does look really appealing!
Is the Waitrose Little Treats loyalty scheme actually worth it?
Where it does well
Great if you already shop at Waitrose or pass a branch regularly.
Rewards stack with personalised vouchers.
You can get up to 36 treats a year if you naturally hit the thresholds.
Treats are automatic, no codes or receipts to scan.
Where it can fall down
If your monthly shop at Waitrose is under £50, you won’t unlock anything.
The £250 tier is out of reach for many households.
Treats are small in value, so you shouldn’t chase them!
Waitrose base prices are higher, meaning overspending can cancel out any savings.
Money-saving example
If you spend £70/month at Waitrose naturally:
You’ll hit the £50 tier
You probably won’t hit £100 unless you shift more of your shop there
Value you’ll get: maybe a £5 pizza, a £2 bakery item, or small vouchers
Cost of shifting more of your shop → likely higher base prices than Aldi/Lidl
Little Treats should be seen as a bonus, not the reason to shop there! The treats are offered in addition to the nine benefits already available through the free loyalty scheme. Benefits include: personalised vouchers, free hot drinks, 20% off selected service counter products on select days, offers on Uber Eats, prize competitions, free Waitrose Food magazine, and ScanPayGo enabling members to shop more quickly in store.
Last financial year, the number of active members in the My Waitrose free loyalty scheme grew by 7% to 4.6 million. Over 27 million weekly offers were redeemed and over 13.3m hot drinks were enjoyed by loyalty members.
Alex Lovell, Head of Loyalty at Waitrose says “The launch of ‘Little Treats’ is a massive moment in strengthening My Waitrose as a club for food lovers. It's a way for us to say thank you to the growing number of loyal Waitrose customers. Loyalty has been a big focus for Waitrose in 2025, and we hope that each time a shopper claims their ‘Little Treat’, free Waitrose Food Magazine or personalised offer, it acts as a reminder of just how much we value them.”
FAQ's
Does Waitrose Little Treats work online and in-store? Yes. Your spend counts both online and in-store, and vouchers are redeemable either way.
Do I need to activate Little Treats manually? No, but you do need to activate personalised vouchers in the app before checkout.
What items do the rewards include? Historically: Waitrose Foundation flowers, No.1 pizzas, bakery items, small vouchers.
Does Little Treats stack with personalised MyWaitrose coupons? Yes, and in some cases those coupons even apply to yellow-sticker items.
Can I hit the thresholds across multiple shops? Yes. It’s cumulative monthly spend.
Is the value worth it versus discounters like Aldi or Lidl? Only if Waitrose is already part of your routine. Base prices are higher.
Little Treats won’t change your bank balance on its own, but it’s a solid perk if you’re already shopping at Waitrose. Activate your vouchers, don’t chase the higher tiers, and treat the freebies as small wins that chip away at your monthly spend. A freebie plus money off items I was buying anyway is enough of a nudge for me to pop back in when I’m passing.
You can join MyWaitrose here.
