Shoppers may think twice about their next lunchtime selection as a new calculator reveals which retail meal deals are getting you the most bang for your buck.
To finally answer the question that has dominated office floors for decades, Betway has analysed more than two million possible combinations of mains, snacks and drinks to create a new tool which determines what is the best value-for-money meal deal.
The new Meal Deal Calculator determines the return on investment of every possible meal deal combination across six retailers – Tesco, ASDA, Boots, Sainsbury’s, Co-op and Morrisons.
The calculator found that meal deal pioneers Boots offers the best value-for-money meal deals with its Coronation Chicken Triple Wrap, Del Monte Melon Chunks and Vita Coco Natural Coconut Water taking home the top spot with a return on investment of 215.54%. The deal would cost shoppers just £3.99 (£3.60 with an Advantage Card), whereas if they were to buy the items separately, that would total a staggering £8.60.
Morrison’s meal deals were also found to be among the best value for money as its Chicken & Bacon Sandwich, Chicken Tikka Kebabs and Coca-Cola combination boasted a top-five finish in the rankings and an impressive return on investment of 213.00%.
The top ten meal deals by return on investment were as follows:
Rank | Supermarket | Main/Deal | Meal Deal Price | Individual Combined Price | Return on investment (%) |
1 | Boots | Coronation chicken triple wrap Del Monte Melon Chunks Vita Coco natural coconut water 500ml | £3.99 | £8.60 | 215.54% |
2 | Boots | BLT, prawn mayo and chicken salad triple Del Monte melon chunks Vita Coco natural coconut water 500ml | £3.99 | £8.55 | 214.29% |
3 | Boots | Coronation chicken triple wrap Del Monte melon chunks Innocent coconut water 500ml | £3.99 | £8.50 | 213.03% |
4 | Morrisons | Chicken & Bacon Sandwich Chicken Tikka Kebabs Coca-Cola Original Taste | £3.00 | £6.39 | 213.00% |
5 | Boots | Coronation chicken triple wrap Del Monte melon chunks Naked red machine smoothie | £3.99 | £8.45 | 211.78% |
6 | Boots | Shapers chicken caesar salad Del Monte melon chunks Vita Coco natural coconut water 500ml | £3.99 | £8.40 | 210.53% |
7 | Morrisons | Chicken Caesar Wrap Chicken Tikka Kebabs Tropicana Smooth Orange Juice | £3.00 | £6.25 | 208.33% |
8 | Boots | BLT, prawn mayo and chicken salad triple Fulfil vitamin and protein bar peanut and caramel Vita Coco natural coconut water 500ml | £3.99 | £8.30 | 208.02% |
9 | Boots | Free from paella chicken and prawn Del Monte melon chunks Naked red machine smoothie | £3.99 | £8.25 | 206.77% |
10 | Morrisons | Deep Filled Blt Sandwich Chicken Tikka Kebabs Red Bull Energy Drink | £3.00 | £6.19 | 206.33% |
On the other hand, these are the ten least cost-effective meal deal combinations to avoid if you want a bargain:
Rank | Supermarket | Main/Deal | Meal Deal Price | Individual Combined Price | Return on investment (%) |
1 | Boots | Chicken mayo sandwich Fruit-tella Brecon Carreg still water 500ml | £3.99 | £2.45 | 61.40% |
2 | Boots | Cheese sandwich Skinny Whip snack bar strawberry and chocolate Brecon Carreg still water 500ml | £3.99 | £2.50 | 62.66% |
3 | Boots | Tuna mayo sandwich Weight Watchers cheese & onion popped snacks Brecon Carreg still water 500ml | £3.99 | £2.54 | 63.66% |
4 | Boots | Egg mayo Weight Watchers cheese & onion popped snacks Brecon Carreg still water 500ml | £3.99 | £2.54 | 63.66% |
5 | Boots | Cheese and onion sandwich Snacking essentials fruit, nut and seed Brecon Carreg still water 500ml | £3.99 | £2.55 | 63.91% |
6 | Boots | Chicken mayo sandwich Trek cocoa oat flapjack Brecon Carreg still water 500ml | £3.99 | £2.60 | 65.16% |
7 | Tesco | Cheese Sandwich No Mayonnaise Haribo Fruitilicious Diet Coke 330ml | £3.90 | £2.59 | 66.41% |
8 | Boots | Cheese and onion sandwich Twix Brecon Carreg still water 500ml | £3.99 | £2.70 | 67.67% |
9 | Tesco | Just Ham Sandwich Bear Pure Fruit Yoyos Strawberry 20G Diet Coke 330ml | £3.90 | £2.64 | 67.69% |
10 | Boots | Chicken mayo sandwich Lindor milk chocolate count line bar Brecon Carreg still water 500ml | £3.99 | £2.74 | 68.67% |
The calculator allows users to select their favourite main, snack and drink from any of the six retailers, to calculate the return on investment on their own favourite meal deal and determine whether their lunchtime preference is good value for money.
Commenting on the research, Vix Leyton, consumer expert at Hotukdeals and host of False Economy podcast, said:
“Ultimately, value is in the eye of the beholder. If the meal deal price seems like good value for you broadly, the only real decision should be what you’ll enjoy the most. One thing to be careful of is the ranges that sit next to the Meal Deal but aren’t actually in it. Avoid being stung at the checkout by reading the offer carefully and making sure your lineup is included in the deal.
“Conversely, if you’re getting a drink and a bag of crisps, it’s worth perusing the ‘mains’ as it might be as cheap to throw one of those in your basket as well and keep it for meal time.”
Readers can see the calculator here: https://blog.betway.com/
