Sainsbury’s Overcharging eGift Card Users on Delivery Orders — Check Your Refunds

If you’re someone who stacks discounts using Instant cashback gift card apps like JamDoughnut, EverUp, Budgey and more, this post is for you.

You can get around 5% off your Sainsbury’s online orders using these methods (and more using cashback debit cards to purchase) — but there’s a major catch that could be wiping out your savings completely.

The Problem: Sainsbury’s Isn’t Refunding Unused Gift Card Balance

This issue has been flagged on online forums since at least January, and yet Sainsbury’s is still working on a fix. Here's what’s happening:

• When you use an eGift Card to pay for your online grocery order, and your final total is less than the value of the card (due to substitutions or unavailable items), Sainsbury’s still deducts the full value of the gift card.
• But they don’t automatically refund the difference — and your coupon balance is wiped.

This means you could be losing a few pounds per order if you're not paying attention.

How to Check If You’ve Been Overcharged

Sainsbury’s will always take at least £0.01 from your debit or credit card. So here’s what to do:

1. Look for any recent online orders where your debit card was only charged £0.01.
2. Go into your Sainsbury’s account and find that specific order.
3. Compare the "Order Summary" vs the "Receipt."

Example from a user:

- Order summary:
Trolley total: £67.59
Total: £0.59

- Receipt:
Coupons used: -£64.95
Total paid: £0.01
Remaining coupon balance: £0.00

Despite the receipt showing £64.95 used, the full £67 was taken — so they were overcharged by £2.05.

What To Do If It Happens to You

Sainsbury’s won’t:

• Automatically issue a refund
• Recredit your coupon/gift card balance

You’ll need to contact them manually to get your money back. Most users report customer service being understanding and issuing refunds — in some cases even offering a little extra for the inconvenience. But you must chase it up.