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Aldi has trolled rival supermarket chain Lidl over a major loyalty scheme change last week. Lidl switched to a points-based loyalty scheme on Tuesday, May 5, but had previously offered rewards for customers in the form of Coupon Plus, available in the Lidl Plus app. This system saw shoppers given "freebies" and coupons after reaching certain spending thresholds, MoneySavingExpert.com explains.

Rewards included 10% off your next shop after spending £250, a free pain au chocolat after spending £10, or a fresh vegetable when spending £50 or more. These were time-limited offers that expired each month. But the new approach uses a points-based system akin to the likes of Sainsbury's Nectar scheme, or Clubcard at Tesco. Under the new Lidl Plus Points scheme, a point is accrued for every £1 spent.

These points can then be used to get free or reduced items in the app's Rewards Marketplace without a "countdown" to the end of the month. However, shoppers still automatically receive money-off coupons for a weekly selection of personalised items, as they did before.

And while some have welcomed the change, as they didn't spend enough to redeem benefits previously, others have complained that the new loyalty economy is less generous, according to BBC News.

One irate X user wrote: "Have you seen Lidl's rewards update? ... Gone from 10% off when reaching £250 in a month to spend £100 for a free cucumber."

You could have picked up a free cucumber after spending £50 under the old fresh veg rule, but a cucumber is now 100 points.

Aldi UK quickly picked up on the cucumber meme and sought to mock its fellow German retail competitor, posting on its official Instagram: "POV you heard Lidl GB are charging 100 points for a cucumber so you force your boss to let you give away thousands of cucumbers on a random Friday in May."

Aldi, which doesn't have a loyalty scheme, followed up with a video of a woman standing outside with a Lidl in the background holding up an "Aldi free cucumbers" sign and handing out the veg from a shopping basket. That was accompanied with: "POV your boss actually approves the cucumber giveaway."

However, despite the pushback from some shoppers and jibes from Aldi, Lidl has insisted that, in practice, shoppers will consistently rack up more than a point per £1 due to double and triple-point promotions, as per The Grocer.

Lidl GB argues that the combination of investment into coupons, combined with a focus on rewarding customers over the longer term, actually presents better value than the old system.

A spokesperson told Reading Chronicle: "We do not see Lidl Plus Points as a downgrade. This year, we are investing significantly more into the Lidl Plus app, helping customers save even more when shopping at Lidl.

"That includes a significant 60 % increase in investment into personalised coupons, responding to demand from shoppers who want more deals on the things they love."