Tesco Christmas Delivery Slots 2026: Sign Up by 2 November for Early Booking on 3 November

Tesco customers must sign up to a Delivery Saver plan by 11:59pm UK time on Monday 2 November 2026 to book Christmas delivery slots early from 6am on Tuesday 3 November, and everyone else can book from 6am on Thursday 5 November, Grocery Gazette reported on 1 November. UK time is Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) at this time of year. A side-by-side table of every supermarket is below, with a free booking planner to print.

We could not check Tesco’s own Christmas page, because tesco.com and tescoplc.com block automated access. Every Tesco date here comes from two newsrooms that agree: Grocery Gazette (1 and 14 October 2026) and MoneySavingExpert (MSE), edited 23 October 2026, which quote Tesco. Sainsbury’s has an official help page, and that one we checked.

When do Tesco Christmas delivery slots open in 2026?

Grocery Gazette reported that “general Christmas delivery slots will open on Thursday 5 November”. Delivery Saver customers get in first. MSE gives the same two times, 6am on Tuesday 3 November and 6am on Thursday 5 November.

Tesco was quoted by Grocery Gazette as saying it has “60,000 more delivery slots available than last year”. The same report says delivery windows run from 6am to 11pm, and same-day delivery is offered when an order is booked before 3pm. For the calendar days around the booking, see our November 2026 printable calendar.

Which Tesco plan gets early access before 2 November?

Grocery Gazette says to sign up to “a Delivery Saver plan” by 11:59pm on Monday 2 November, and that an Anytime Delivery Saver plan offers priority access to Christmas slots. MSE is more specific: it lists early access for the Anytime Delivery Saver and for the Click+Collect plan, and it does not list the Off-Peak Delivery Saver. If you want the early slot, confirm with Tesco which plan you are buying before you pay.

Tesco plan (MSE)	Price	Early Christmas access in MSE’s list
Anytime Delivery Saver	£7.99 a month for 6 months, or £6.99 a month for 12 months	Yes
Off-Peak Delivery Saver (free delivery after 3pm)	£4.99 a month for 6 months, or £3.99 a month for 12 months	Not listed
Click+Collect plan	£2.49 a month for 6 months	Yes

MSE adds that a plan needs a £50 minimum shop for free delivery and £25 for free collection, and that otherwise there is a £5 fee.

What are the Tesco Christmas delivery dates and edit deadlines?

MSE gives Tesco Christmas delivery from Sunday 20 December to Thursday 24 December. Festive Food to Order can be edited until 11.45pm on Monday 14 December. Everything else can be edited until 11.45pm the day before delivery.

When do Sainsbury’s, Asda and other supermarkets open Christmas slots?

The table combines MSE and Grocery Gazette. The Sainsbury’s pass date is also on its official help page, which says “For Christmas 2026, Delivery Pass holders can access Christmas delivery slots from 16 October.” Iceland’s date rests on MSE only.

Supermarket	Early or pass booking	Everyone	Delivery window	Edit or order cut-off
Tesco	Tue. 3 Nov, 6am (plan holders)	Thu. 5 Nov, 6am	Sun. 20 Dec to Thu. 24 Dec	Festive Food to Order: Mon. 14 Dec, 11.45pm; the rest the day before delivery, 11.45pm
Sainsbury’s	Fri. 16 Oct (Delivery Pass)	Fri. 23 Oct	Fri. 18 Dec to Thu. 24 Dec	11pm the day before
Asda	Tue. 13 Oct (pass holders)	Tue. 20 Oct	Mon. 21 Dec to Wed. 23 Dec	Food to Order: finalise by Tue. 15 Dec
Morrisons	Not applicable	Open to all	Fri. 18 Dec to Thu. 31 Dec	Not given
Waitrose	Not applicable	Open to all	Sun. 20 Dec to Thu. 24 Dec	Food Made to Order: Tue. 15 Dec, 11.59pm
Ocado	Smart Pass customers who signed up before 1 September 2026	Remaining slots released in staggered batches, no date	Sun. 20 Dec to Thu. 24 Dec	11.59pm two days before; £90 minimum for Christmas shops
Marks & Spencer (M&S) Food to Order	Not given	Not given	Collection Tue. 22 Dec to Thu. 24 Dec in England, Scotland and Wales; Wed. 23 Dec to Thu. 24 Dec in Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and Jersey	£50 minimum paid up front
Iceland	Not given	Opens 28 calendar days ahead over Christmas	Example: Wed. 23 Dec bookable from Thu. 26 Nov, according to MSE	Not given
Co-op	No dedicated Christmas booking	Book up to five days ahead	Not given	Not given

MSE reports that Aldi and Lidl have no online grocery delivery of their own. If you already hold a slot, delivery timing for parcels is a separate matter: see the Royal Mail last posting dates for Christmas 2026.

Which dates should you mark for a Christmas food shop?

Our planner lists the booking dates and delivery windows above, built from the same reports. Use it with the December 2026 printable calendar and the Christmas Day date page. Shops also close around the holiday, and our story on UK Christmas bank holidays and the Boxing Day substitute on 28 December has those dates. Another November date for shoppers is covered in Black Friday 2026 in the UK.

Not covered here: Christmas opening hours for 2026, which we have not found announced, and prices of Christmas food.