Savvy Shopping

Savvy Shopping

I thought I’d share with you some of my hints and tips for getting the best of out your money when shopping online. So, in no particular order…

Join a cashback website

My cashback website of choice is Quidco, but there are others available.

Once you’ve joined a cashback website, make a habit of going there and checking if the retailer you wish to buy from is on the cashback website. If it is, great! The retailer’s page on the cashback website will give you an indication of the cashback amount you’ll receive when purchasing something from that retailer. The cashback referral is traced through your browser’s cookies, so if you’ve previously visited the retailer’s website you may want to clear your cookies before going through the cashback website to ensure it tracks properly.

Over the years of being a Quidco member, I’ve earned hundreds of pounds in cashback from various retailers. I’ve earned anything from just a few pence to £75 cashback in a single transaction. Transactions like mobile phone contracts and insurance are the ones which are most likely to earn you the heftier cashback amounts, but even the smaller amounts add up.

Search for online codes and discount vouchers

Sometimes online retailers will advertise discount codes on their websites, sometimes you might just need to go looking for them.

Search Google and websites such as VoucherCodes.co.uk, MoneySuperMarket.com and MyVoucherCodes.co.uk for discounts. You can get codes for anything from money off to free postage and they’ll only take a minute or two to find.

Some online retailers just don’t do discount codes, whereas others do them all the time. You will soon get to know which of your favourite retailers accept codes and which don’t.

Beware: I don’t recommend mixing cashback websites and discount codes unless the cashback website list the code. If you use a code not listed on the cashback website, it will often result in the cashback being declined.

Make HotUKDeals your go-to website

I visit HotUKDeals on a regular basis as you just don’t know what bargains you might find.

HotUKDeals is essentially a forum where users list, well, hot deals in the UK. You’ll find deals on anything and everything from toys and technology to food and holidays. It’s well worth keeping an eye on.

Through visiting HotUKDeals, I once got a great deal on cat food from Amazon. A pack of 84 Whiskas Jelly Wet Cat Food Pouches retailed at £25 and Amazon was listing it at £21.87, but through a voucher code and Amazon’s Subscribe & Save offer, I managed to get it for £10.31! I would never have known about it if it hadn’t been for HotUKDeals.

Visit the Shopping & Freebies section of the MoneySavingExpert Forums

In this forum, you’ll find many users leaving all kinds of tips for discounts, vouchers, deals and the like. It’s well worth browsing when you’re looking for birthday and Christmas presents or even for deals in the sales. Or, if you’re after a deal for something you’re interested in purchasing, you can start a thread and maybe someone will come to your aid.

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Do you have any online shopping hints & tips you’d like to share? Did you find this helpful?

8 comments

  1. Kelly says:

    This just goes to show there are so many ways to save out there if you’re willing to put in the effort to find them. I also like that some websites (like Amazon) let you make purchases where a charity of your choice can benefit as well.

  2. Hi Nikki,

    Our nieces have got us in the habit of checking for voucher codes before we venture out of the house, as they don’t believe in paying full price for anything if they can help it!

    If we fancy eating out, it doesn’t matter what we might all fancy as a meal option, it generally comes down to a choice of the places which are offering discount codes!

    I agree with Kelly that if you can get a bargain and donate a small amount to charity, then so much the better. In fact most charities have their own Ebay and Amazon accounts these days, so we always tend to start our window shopping on these pages first.

    Some great tips and links, thanks for sharing 🙂

    Yvonne

  3. Leta says:

    This is a very helpful post! I usually try to search for discount codes as well and tracking the best offers there are. I haven’t tried cashback websites, but I will for sure now look them up 🙂

    -Leta | The Nerdy Me

  4. Alison says:

    Good points, all of them. I love getting a bargain and try not to pay full price for anything! makes me sound like a cheap skate but its just being canny isn’t 🙂

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