Discounts aren’t just for students – anyone can get them if they know where to look! From grocery shopping to home furnishings, travel to Christmas gift bargains, you can get a discount on almost anything if you know how. Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to get discounts and deals to save every time you spend. Join a professional body or union Did you know that most trade unions and professional bodies will have special discount codes for their members? It’s one of the lesser-known perks of joining a union or trade body, but it can net you significant discounts on everything from software to magazine subscriptions and even international travel.
It’s also worth checking your employer's intranet or handbook to find out if you can access corporate discounts through your job. This could be for gym membership, therapy, or even health insurance. Get a discount card The old NUS card used to only be for students.
But it is now called TOTUM and members of professional bodies or trade unions can sign up for one. So can people who work for various institutions like universities. It can nab you discounts from hundreds of brands online and in store.
If you’re a key worker, you could be eligible for a Blue Light Card . Teachers, healthcare workers, social workers, police staff, firefighters and more can get hold of exclusive discounts on everything from grocery shopping to car leasing. Sign up to newsletters If you have a particular retailer or supplier that you use regularly, sign up for their email newsletter.
You’ll often receive an initial welcome discount to use on your next shop, but it’ll also make sure you’re the first to know about sales, deals, and introductory promotions. You can also download the app for the retailer if they have one, as many will offer app-only discounts and deals, or an introductory coupon for downloading the app. Remember to sign up for the free MoneyMagpie newsletter which sends the latest deals and freebies every week, too.
Use loyalty cards Retailers, restaurants and cafes, hotels, and even airlines offer loyalty schemes, which can save you a lot of cash if you’re a regular user of their products or services. For example, Boots Advantage Card is a hugely successful loyalty scheme, and is a great way to save up points on healthcare, hair and beauty products, as well as glasses and eye tests. Most Advantage card users make the most of their points at Christmas, thanks to special deals and using points to pay for their Christmas gifts.
Grocery shops have loyalty schemes that can either earn you points to spend in store or on other things (such as Tesco Clubcard and Sainsbury’s Nectar card), or convert to cash to spend in store (like Morrisons ). Even your local coffee shop is likely to run a stamp-for-a-coffee loyalty collector scheme, which earns you free coffee and snacks over time. Keep an eye out for loyalty schemes to make the most of your regular custom.
Use a perk-laden credit card for travel While we’re on the subject of loyalty, frequent travellers could benefit from signing up for a credit card that earns air miles as you spend. These cards are only worth it if you will pay off your balance each month. You can spend your points on air fares, hotels, and earn access to first class lounges.
There are a few different credit cards with travel perks, so it’s important to do your research as you can’t transfer points from one scheme to another. There are three main schemes: Virgin, Avois ( British Airways and partners), and Amex (various partners). Negotiate! When making big purchases such as furniture or a property, never assume the listed price is the actual price.
Learn to negotiate! This applies to regular contracts, too. When your broadband, mobile phone, or insurance policy contracts are coming up to renewal, shop around. Compare prices online and find a cheaper like-for-like quote from other providers.
Get in touch with your provider’s customer service support and ask if they can better (or at least match) the cheaper quote. Use price tracking tools If you can afford to wait for your big purchase or want to know if something really is a good deal on Prime Day , use online tools to help. Price trackers can help you find out if something is a really good deal, or if the price was artificially inflated prior to going on sale.
This is particularly important for things like Amazon Prime Day , where a common practice is for sellers to inflate the price for a month or more before the sale event to make it seem like you’re getting an amazing bargain. Our favourite tool is called CamelCamelCamel and it’s free to use. It’ll tell you about the product's price history and you can set up alerts for when a product drops in price.
Price Spy UK is another site which covers price monitoring across the internet, and we’re big fans of the Daily Deals page in particular. Go for display items on furniture If you need to make a big purchase like a sofa, not only can you negotiate on the price (or added extras), you can get a further discount if you’re willing to wait for an item. Ex-display units come with hefty reductions because they will have some wear and tear from being in the showroom.
However, if you’re after a great deal for some furniture that will take heavy daily use anyway (such as wardrobes or kitchen cabinets), this can be a way to save a huge chunk on kitting out your house. Use cashback sites Cashback sites are a great way to always get a little extra back on everything you spend online. More than that, they often have exclusive discount codes to use which gets you an extra discount on top of receiving cashback.
You can cash out your reward money as cash, or convert it to gift cards to use online with hundreds of retailers to choose from. Often, choosing the gift card option will give you an extra bonus amount on top of your original cashback earnings. Our favourites at MoneyMagpie are Quidco , Topcashback, and Swagbucks – and we suggest signing up to all three as some have exclusive deals with retailers.
Before you buy online, check with each one to find the best cashback and/or discount code. Check for local shopping deals All of these tips are for the big corporate organisations – but did you know you could nab the best deals and discounts with independent retailers and suppliers? Supporting local business helps your town or city thrive, but it also means a more personal service – and often, exclusive discounts. Some regions will also have a residents’ scheme, which either offers regular discounts at local independent retailers or special days throughout the year with exclusive discounts for residents.
Check on your local authority website or your local retail consortium to find out more about local schemes in your area. Some of the brands and websites we mention may be, or may have been, a partner of MoneyMagpie.com.
However, we only ever mention brands we believe in and trust, so it never influences who we prioritise and link to..
