Coles and Woolworths quietly overhaul paid memberships, leaving customers worse off

Exclusive: Australia’s major supermarket giants have quietly delivered a double blow to shopper wallets this week, rolling out sweeping overhauls to their paid membership programs.

While Woolworths and Coles insist the updates are designed to streamline their offerings, frustrated customers argue the changes leave them paying noticeably more for essentially the same service.

Woolworths retires annual savings tier

Woolworths Everyday Extra members will no longer be able to pay for their subscriptions annually, with this payment option being retired for new members and phased out for existing members following a 30-day notice period.

An annual membership used to cost $70, but customers will now end up paying $84 for the year under the new monthly membership model, an increase of $14 or 20 per cent.

Woolworths Everyday Extra customers received a notice regarding the change which read: “We’ve made the decision to remove our annual plan option, and will be moving all Extra subscriptions to a single monthly plan.

“This means that your subscription will roll onto a monthly plan at the end of your current subscription period, and you will now pay $7 per month ($84 over 12 months) instead of $70 per year.

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“As a valued Everyday Extra subscriber you will continue to enjoy 10 per cent off every month at Woolworths, double points at Woolworths and Big W, as well as Extra perks from time to time.”

Everyday Extra first launched in June 2022 and the monthly subscription price has remained the same since it first launched.

A Woolworths spokesperson has told nine.com.au the annual membership option ended on July 2026, with the only remaining option the monthly plan of $7 per month.

They added that while the “annual plan option will no longer be available, all the subscription benefits remain exactly the same”.

Coles raises the free delivery bar

Coles has also announced changes to their Coles Plus subscription. Customers have been informed that as of September 9 Coles Plus will be renamed Coles Plus Delivery to “better reflect the delivery benefits included with your subscription”.

With this change will come major change to subscriber benefits, with the minimum threshold for free delivery increasing from $50 to $75.

Coles Plus is available as a monthly subscription of $19 per month or an annual subscription of $199 per year.

A Coles spokesperson has told nine.com.au: “We know our members value the convenience of having their groceries delivered, the flexibility to plan ahead and the chance to get more from their shop through Flybuys.

“This change will help us continue offering free delivery while giving members plenty of ways to save time, shop more easily and get more value every week.

Time to audit your direct debits

Today Money Expert Joel Gibson has told nine.com.au these changes signal a good a time as any for consumers to audit their direct debits.

“As anyone who has a streaming subscription knows, they never get cheaper. They only go up or the inclusions go down. Subscriptions are victim to inflation just like fuel bills and grocery bills. And because they’re paid by direct debit many subscribers will never notice.”

He said that while these latest changes seem locked in, supermarkets do listen to customer feedback, and shoppers are free to contact Coles and Woolworths to express their concerns.

“Three years ago, Woolworths  tried to remove the 10 per cent discount from online shops in their Everyday Extra subscription but due to an outcry from subscribers, they reinstated it. So businesses do listen to feedback sometimes,” Gibson said.

He added: “It’s really important to do an annual audit of your direct debits and check you’re still getting more out of them than they’re costing you. If not, cut them loose!”