Morrisons bait-and-switch promo code: UK consumer rights advice

What the shopper reported

A consumer posted to r/LegalAdviceUK on 27 May 2026, describing a series of events involving a Morrisons promotional code. The offer, which the shopper said was still displayed on Morrisons’ website front page at the time of writing, advertised £15 off a £60 basket. When the code failed at checkout, the shopper called Morrisons customer service. A representative told them the promotion actually required a £70 spend, a condition the shopper said did not appear anywhere in the promotion or its published terms and conditions.

The customer service agent then attempted to resolve the issue by adding extra items to the basket to meet the £70 threshold, and walked the shopper through the checkout process step by step. The discount still did not apply. The shopper was then offered 3,000 More points as a goodwill gesture, which they calculated to be worth approximately £3. A formal complaint followed. More than a week later, a Morrisons representative called back and acknowledged the problem directly.

“Yeah, not gonna lie, we’ve had a lot of issues with this promotion.”

Morrisons customer service agent, as reported on r/LegalAdviceUK, May 2026

Despite this acknowledgement, Morrisons declined to offer further compensation and told the shopper that any escalation would be handled “internally,” meaning the consumer would receive no further response.

What “bait-and-switch” means under UK law

The term “bait-and-switch” is used colloquially to describe a situation where a trader advertises one offer to attract customers and then applies different, less favourable conditions at the point of sale. In UK consumer law, this falls under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 (CPRs), which prohibit misleading commercial practices.

A promotion can be considered misleading if it gives a false impression about:

• the price or how it is calculated
• the conditions under which the goods or services are supplied
• the existence or nature of any specific advantage being offered

If a retailer advertises £15 off a £60 basket but applies a £70 threshold that is not stated anywhere in the published terms, that discrepancy is potentially a misleading commercial practice under Regulation 5 of the CPRs. You can read the full regulations on legislation.gov.uk.

The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is also relevant where the service or transaction itself did not match what was described or agreed. If you paid a price that did not include a discount you were led to believe would be applied, there is an argument that the contract was not performed as described. The full Act is available at legislation.gov.uk.

Why the “you paid for the goods” argument has limits

Morrisons’ response included the phrase “not blaming you, but you did ultimately pay for the goods.” This argument has a significant flaw in this particular case: the shopper did not navigate to checkout independently. A company representative talked them through each checkout step while the discount dispute was still unresolved.

In contract and consumer law terms, the circumstances in which a consumer completes a transaction matter. If a trader’s agent directs a consumer to proceed with payment, it is more difficult for the trader to characterise that payment as free and voluntary acceptance of an amended or undiscounted price. This does not guarantee a legal remedy, but it is a relevant factor if the matter were escalated to a small claims court or considered by a mediator.

Citizens Advice notes that when traders use misleading or aggressive practices that cause a consumer to make a transactional decision they would not otherwise have made, the consumer may have a right to a discount or unwind the contract. Their guidance is available at citizensadvice.org.uk.

The advertising standards angle

Separately from consumer contract law, the advert itself may be subject to a complaint under the CAP Code, which is administered by the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). The CAP Code requires that promotions be administered fairly and that all significant conditions are clearly communicated. If the promotional terms displayed by Morrisons did not include the £70 threshold condition, that could constitute a breach of the Code.

The ASA does not award compensation to individual complainants, but a ruling against a retailer can require the advert to be withdrawn or amended and creates a public record. Details of the CAP Code are available at asa.org.uk.

Which? also provides a plain-language overview of the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations and how they apply to promotions at which.co.uk.

What you can do today

If you have experienced a similar issue with a supermarket or retailer promo code, here are the practical steps available to UK consumers:

1. Raise a formal written complaint with the retailer. Keep a record of all correspondence, including dates, names of agents spoken to, and any reference numbers. Email is preferable to phone because it creates a paper trail.

2. Request a chargeback from your bank or card provider. If the goods or services were not as described, you can ask your bank to reverse the transaction. For credit card payments, Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974 provides additional protection for purchases between £100 and £30,000.

3. Report to Citizens Advice. Citizens Advice operates the consumer helpline and passes reports to Trading Standards. Call 0808 223 1133 or visit citizensadvice.org.uk. Trading Standards can investigate and take enforcement action against traders who systematically mislead consumers.

4. File a complaint with the ASA. If the advert itself was misleading, report it at asa.org.uk/make-a-complaint. This is separate from getting your money back but puts the issue on record.

5. Consider the small claims court (Money Claim Online). For amounts up to £10,000 in England and Wales, the small claims track is designed to be accessible without a solicitor. If the retailer has acknowledged errors and refused compensation, that acknowledgement may be useful evidence. More information is available at gov.uk.

6. Document everything now, before memory fades. Screenshots of the promotional page, timestamps, names of agents, and transcripts of any calls are all valuable if the matter escalates.

What Morrisons has not done

At the time of publication, Morrisons has not issued a public statement about this promotion or acknowledged the reported discrepancy between the advertised and applied discount thresholds. The internal acknowledgement from a customer service agent (“we’ve had a lot of issues with this promotion”) suggests the problem affected more than one customer, but figures on how many consumers were affected are pending verification.

Recharge UK has not independently verified the promotional terms or the basket threshold at the time of the complaint. Readers who have experienced the same issue are encouraged to report it to Citizens Advice and the ASA to build a picture of the scale.

How this compares to established consumer rights case law

Misleading promotions by UK retailers are not new territory. Trading Standards has previously taken action against retailers where advertised “was/now” pricing was misleading, and the Office of Fair Trading (now the Competition and Markets Authority, CMA) has issued guidance on promotional pricing practices. The CMA’s pricing guidance makes clear that promotional conditions must be prominently disclosed. Figures on enforcement actions in this specific context are pending verification, but the regulatory framework is well established.

For a broader look at how retailers use urgency and incomplete terms in digital promotions, see our related article on online shopping scams and misleading retail tactics.

This article reports on a consumer case shared publicly on Reddit and sets out the relevant UK legal framework. It does not constitute legal advice. If you have suffered financial loss, consider speaking to a solicitor or contacting Citizens Advice.