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August 1, 2025 | Articles

Best ways to collect and spend Nectar points

Written by Andy Webb

If you have a Nectar card, are you making the most of your points?

If you shop at Sainsbury’s, you’ve probably got a Nectar card, and may even collect the points every time you visit without thinking much about it. And if you’ve been collecting points, you’ll need to spend them to get the most out of your rewards. But do you know how to use your Nectar points?

Unlike Clubcard and other loyalty schemes, you can rack up points at other retailers, including Argos. When it comes to redeeming points, you can spend them when shopping, exchange them at face value, or even swap them for Avios points.
In this article, we’ve explained how Nectar works and how you can sign up. Plus, we share tips for both collecting and spending Nectar.

Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.

What is the Nectar loyalty scheme?

Nectar is the loyalty scheme for Sainsbury’s and Argos, where you can earn points on your purchases. It’s actually owned by Sainsbury’s, though points can be collected and redeemed with other brands. As a member of Nectar, you can also access discounts on specific items when shopping, a bit like Tesco Clubcard Prices.

How Nectar points work

One Nectar point is worth 0.5p, meaning if you earn 1 point from a purchase it’s the equivalent of 0.5% cashback. 100 points are therefore 50p, 200 points equal £1 and so on.

The value of different loyalty card points varies quite a bit, with Nectar points equating to half the value of Tesco Clubcard points. However, when redeeming Nectar points at other participating retailers, you could get more value out of them – so it’s worth keeping an eye out for the latest deals.

Nectar points value conversion

1 Nectar point = 0.5p (or half a penny)
2 Nectar points = 1p
100 Nectar points = 50p
200 Nectar points = £1
500 Nectar points = £2.50
1,000 Nectar points = £5
2,500 Nectar points = £12.50
5,000 Nectar points = £25

How to collect Nectar points

You earn points when you shop at participating retailers and scan your Nectar card. Bonus points can be earned at specific retailers or through special deals and promotions.

To collect Nectar points when shopping in stores, you’ll need a Nectar card. Your card can be either a physical plastic one or a digital one stored on the Nectar app. When shopping online, you’ll need to either connect your Nectar card to the relevant account or shop via the Nectar website.

You can also earn when spending via Nectar credit cards, or by converting Avios points into Nectar points.

How to spend Nectar points

Your options for using Nectar points are more limited than other reward schemes. You can use them in-store and online, such as at Sainsbury’s, to donate to charity, or spend them with a handful of partners.

To redeem your points, you’ll need to swipe your card or scan the app in-store, while you can select to use them online. With some partners, you’ll need to convert your points into vouchers first. You can also swap them for Avios points.

How to sign up to the Nectar scheme

The Nectar loyalty scheme is free to join. You can get a Nectar card online, via the app, or by picking up a form in a Sainsbury’s store.

Once you’ve got set up, a physical card will be posted out, though you’ll have a digital card to use via the app straight away.

8 places to collect Nectar points

1. Sainsbury’s

Earn points as you spend

You’ll get one point for every £1 spent at Sainsbury’s. 500 points are worth £2.50, so this works out at 0.5% cashback.

Scan your Nectar card at the till to get your points, and keep an eye on the app or digital account for special offers which boost the number of points you’ll get.

You might also get vouchers for extra points at the till, sometimes doubling or tripling points on your next transaction, it’s just a matter of remembering to bring them to your next shop. If you wanted to, you could even buy a single, cheap item at the start of your shop to use any vouchers printed out on the rest of your shopping.

Get bonus points via weekly offers

As well as generic offers, you’ll also get ones tailored to your shopping habits. These change every Friday.

You have to save the offers to your account, though there’s a handy “save all offers” button. And of course you still have to scan your card at the till.

Nectar Prices

Nectar Prices are discounts for Nectar holders, similar to Tesco Clubcard prices. To get these, you just shop as normal, looking out for the Nectar price on the shelves. At checkout, you need to make sure you remember to scan your Nectar card, and the discount will be applied.

Your Nectar Prices

This sounds like it could be the same as Nectar Prices above, but Your Nectar Prices are specific to you. These come through weekly and will be based on your shopping history, potentially saving you money on things you’ll actually buy. There are only a few offers each week, but it’s worth having a peek when you get the notification.

2. Argos

You can also earn points at Argos. It’s one point per £1 spent, though it’s occasionally doubled. You’ll need to link your Nectar and Argos accounts before you can earn points.

3. ESSO

Esso replaced BP on Nectar back in 2019. You can earn 1 point per litre of fuel, or swipe in-store to get two points per £1 spent on other things, so roughly 1% back in points. When you get to 300 points it gets you 5p off every litre of fuel.

4. Avios

You can convert 400 Avios points to 400 Nectar points, which is handy if you’ve got a surplus of Avios points that you won’t use. You can also swap them back the other way (you’ll only get 250 points though). This is also a way to boost the value of Amex Reward points. Find out everything you need to know in our step-by-step guide to convert Avios to Nectar points and vice versa.

5. Via Nectar credit cards

If you shop at stores that are part of the Nectar scheme often, it might be worth getting a Nectar credit card.

The American Express Nectar credit card is your best bet and will earn you up to two points for every £1 spent, worth 1%. There’s also a bonus worth £100 when you first sign up and spend £2,000.
If you’re thinking of getting a Nectar credit card, check out our best cashback and reward credit card promotions to see if there are better options for you.

6. Via Amex membership rewards

You can convert American Express Rewards points to Nectar points at a value of one to one, meaning one Amex point would be worth 0.5p. This could be a good use for large Amex welcome bonuses, which can be worth between £100 and £500, depending on the card.

7. Via utilities & insurance

You can earn bonus points for signing up for other Sainsbury’s Bank products such as home insurance, as well as Sainsbury’s Energy. Though they could be worth it, these offers shouldn’t be a reason to choose Sainsbury’s over other providers as they could work out more expensive than options you find via a full comparison.

8. At other retailers

You’ll see many other brands listed on the Nectar website, such as Expedia and Very. To earn points via these retailers you have to click through via the Nectar portal. Most of the time you’ll get two points per £1 spend, so the equivalent of 1% cashback, but they can be more or less. There are often points boosting offers to look out for.

Participating Nectar retailers include:

ASOS
Just Eat
Expedia
Groupon
Europcar
Very
Dominos
Wayfair

These extra places to earn points might sound appealing, but I would avoid using them since you can usually beat these rates by clicking through a cashback site instead for a better bonus.

Where to spend Nectar points

Sainsbury’s shops

To use your points in Sainsbury’s stores you must have used your Nectar card in that specific store in the last year. You can also use them online on the Sainsbury’s website.

They can also be used on petrol but you have to pay in the kiosk, not at the pump.

Argos

You can use multiples of 500 points at Argos, each worth £2.50. To spend them in an Argos store, simply scan your card. To spend online, you must have connected your card to your Argos account.

Converting to Avios points

We think that most people are better off using cashback credit cards and air mile reward credit cards. You’ve got the flexibility to use your earnings how you want, and not be restricted to certain flights.

However, if you are an Avios fan, then you can boost your points by converting 400 Nectar points to 250 Avios.

Donate to charity

Nectar Donate allows you to give your points to charities using Crowdfunder. The points are worth the same as usual, so 1,000 points will be a £5 donation. There’s a minimum of 200 points, and it must be in multiples of 200.

Other ways to redeem Nectar points

Nectar offers just a fraction of the partners you get with Tesco Clubcard, and fewer opportunities to boost the value. Some retailers let you swipe your card or link your card to use points. Others require you to exchange the points for a voucher or code via the Nectar website.

Spending your points isn’t particularly flexible or as straightforward as you might think. To recap, 500 points are usually worth £2.50. You also have to spend Nectar points in chunks (usually 500 points or 1,000 points) rather than choose how many you’d like to use.

For example, you can exchange 2,000 points for £10 off purchases at Eurostar. Other poor options include swapping for movie rentals at Sky Store since you can get far cheaper rentals elsewhere. There are much cheaper ways to rent movies out there, so don’t rely on Nectar to save you lots of cash.

Featured savings deal

More Details

Trading 212 Cash ISA

AER (variable)

4.38%

Minimum

£1

New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.53% AER to 4.38% for 12 months

More details ▼

Additional Info

Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%

FSCS Protected?: Yes

Allows transfers in?: Yes

Flexible ISA?: Yes

▲

Nectar points special offers

Occasionally, there are offers that increase your points at Sainsbury’s and other Nectar partners, both to earn extra points and sometimes (though more rarely) to use them.

You can usually find any points offers in the Nectar app and website, so it pays to check every now and again, before your weekly shop, or when you’re looking to save a little extra.

When we spot any really good Nectar points deals, we’ll share them on our loyalty scheme offers page.

How to check your Nectar points balance

Not sure how many Nectar points you have? The Nectar app and website both contain your current points total, as well as a record of where and when you earned your points.

How to lock your Nectar points

One downside of Nectar in the past was that anyone who found or stole your card could use your points. This was particularly bad news for those who had earned tens of thousands of points using credit card welcome offers. Earlier this year, Nectar introduced a feature that lets you lock your points to ensure they can’t be used without your authorisation.

To lock your Nectar points, you’ll need the latest version of the app.

Log in and you’ll see your points total near the top of the app screen, and below that a line telling you whether the points are locked or unlocked
Tap this to bring up a locked/unlocked switch
Toggle between these for when you want to use your points
It should unlock immediately, but it’s worth doing it a little before you want to spend the points to be safe, rather than wait until you’re at the checkout

This feature will only work for the main account holder, not additional cardholders.

August 1, 2025 | Deals

Tastecard & Gourmet Society trials & offers

Written by Andy Webb

A Tastecard membership gives you 2-4-1 and up to 50% off meals and cinema tickets across the country

Tastecard, Gourmet Society, Dine Card and Hi-Life Dining are the leading restaurant discount schemes, which often also come with savings at the cinema. Here are the latest offers, as well as more about how the memberships work and whether they are any good.

The bulk of these offers are for digital memberships, which means you access your card via the app on your smartphone. However, at times there are a couple of deals which come with a physical card – but do check when you click through.

Top Tastecard offers

Most Tastecard offers are 2 for 1 or 50% off food. For when there aren’t any free trials of Tastecard, it’s got a £2.99 monthly membership option, which means you can still give it a go without paying for a full year.

Tastecard: 90 day free trial

There’s currently a free trial on offer through the link below where you can get a Tastecard membership free for 90 days. The membership will auto-renew at £29.99 at the end of the trial unless you cancel it, which you can do at any time.

Unfortunately we don’t know when this offer is ending.

Get a Tastecard free trial

Tastecard: Free 90 day trial with Lidl+

If you have the Lidl+ app then you can get a 90 day free trial of Tastecard. You’ll need to click through via the app. This is available until 19 January 2026.

Get the Lidl+ app

Tastecard: £2.99 per month

If you want to give Tastecard a go without committing to a full year, then you can opt for the monthly membership for £2.99 per month, but remember to cancel it if you don’t use it.

Get Tastecard for a month

Tastecard: One year for £29.99

Here’s a reduced option for a whole year if you know you’ll want it for a full 12 months. Sometimes there are offers to lower this further.

Get Tastecard for a year

Tastecard: Free with Totum student card

If you’re a student, or if you’ve ever had a Totum card from NUS or graduated in the last three years, you can buy an NUS Totum card which now comes with a free Tastecard. You’ll also get discounts at Apple, Co-op and more.

How to get a student card when you’re not a student

Top Gourmet Society offers

On the surface, Gourmet Society looks like a similar offering. But the deals can be different. For a start, it tends to offer 25% off the full bill including drinks, which could work out as a bigger saving for you. So do check the restaurants and deals before deciding which is best for you.

Gourmet Society: 60-days free membership

This free trial will get you 60 days. When the deal ends it will auto-renew at £5.99 a month.

Get Gourmet Society free for 60 days

Gourmet Society: Free with Club Lloyds current account

You can get a year of Gourmet Society membership as a ‘Lifestyle Benefit’ via the Club Lloyds bank account. However, you might be better off choosing free cinema tickets or a magazine subscription. More details here on the account and the different benefits.

Compare different Club Lloyds lifestyle benefits

Other dining club deals

These are similar, if not the same, as Tastecard and might represent better value depending on where you live and places you eat at.

Meerkat Meals: One year for £1(ish)

If you buy a one-day travel insurance product via Compare the Market you get access to both Meerkat Movies and the new Meerkat Meals. It’s more restrictive than Tastecard and Gourmet Soc, but it’s not a bad deal when paired with the movie offer. We’ve written more in detail about what you get with Meerkat Meals and how it compares.

What is Tastecard?

Tastecard restaurant offers

Tastecard is a membership scheme primarily offering money off at restaurants in the UK.

There are thousands of restaurants listed on Tastecard, from your local Indian to chains such as Pizza Express and Prezzo. They offer up to 50% off or 2 for 1 discounts. Do look for exclusions such as weekends or the number of people you can use the membership for on a table.

The membership is digital only, which you access via the Tastecard app. You simply show the card in the participating restaurant, normally before you order and certainly before you ask for the bill. Some restaurants require you to book in advance and to tell them you are using Tastecard. If this is the case, it will be listed on the specific restaurant tile on the app.

Tastecard + cheap movie rentals

A recent addition to Tastecard is the ability to get £1 off e-vouchers to use on movie rental site Rakuten.

Tastecard + cinema deals

You can get discounted tickets at Showcase, Odeon, Vue, Picturehouse and Cineworld. Though do compare the discounted price with the box office price – it’s not always cheaper!

Gourmet Society and other schemes

Gourmet Society, High Life and Meerkat Meals are all run by the same company as Tastecard, and have a lot of similar deals. But each offers a slightly different discount and a few different restaurants, so it’s worth comparing them all to see which is best for you. Read our comparison of Tastecard, Gourmet Society, High Life and Meerkat Meals.

Are dining membership cards worth the money?

At full price (£79) I don’t think a Tastecard is worth the money, but around £30 isn’t a bad price as you’ll be even after a couple of meals out. Then the savings start. I’d definitely try a trial offer first just to see whether you’re likely to use it.

Before buying, check the Tastecard site to see what restaurants are included near you. If that looks good, take advantage of the offers below and go grab it!

For more details check out my comparison of all the different restaurant cards.

Cancelling your Tastecard

In the past, there have been issues with people forgetting to cancel before their free trial or annual membership ends.

Tastecard auto-renews your membership but you can cancel at any time in the app. To be safe, do it more than four days before your renewal date.

July 30, 2025 | Deals

Travel deals

Written by BCWYC Team

From flights to trains to taxis, here are some great travel deals, discounts, voucher codes and offers we’ve uncovered.

I’ll update with any special sales and codes when they happen. Also do read my guide to getting the best value when booking hotels.

Bike and cycling deals

Santander Cycles: free day passes every Sunday in August

Santander Cycles is offering free day passes every Sunday this month. It can get you 60 minutes at a time for the whole day, and you can even use it to get an e-bike for no additional cost.

To get it, just use the promo code for the correct date:

3 August – CYCLESUNDAYS
10 August – CYCLESUNDAYS10
17 August – CYCLESUNDAYS17
24 August – CYCLESUNDAYS24
31 August – CYCLESUNDAYS31

You can rent a bike with the Santander Cycles app or just use the machine next to a docking station.

Rides lasting 60 minutes are free, but you’ll have to pay if you go over — on a pedal bike, this is an additional £1.65 for another hour, while an e-bike is £3 for another hour. However you can avoid this by docking your bike and renting it again within the hour.

Find your nearest bikes

Brompton: three days free hire (ended)

Brompton is currently offering three days of free hire of its bikes when you download the app and use the code 3DAYSFREE in the discount code box, found in “settings”.

Before you can access this screen, it asks you for credit card details and takes 1p from your account to verify it. This is running until 28 February 2025.

Download from App Store

Download from Google Play

Flight deals and discounts

We’ll update here with any decent sales when they happen. Also, read our guide to saving money when booking flights.

Wizz Air: All You Can Fly subscription

If you travel a lot, then this new membership from Wizz might appeal. You’ll pay £599 a year for unlimited flights.

In sounds good, but there are a number of catches:

Booking only starts in September 2024
There’s an extra 9.99 Euro fee on each flight
You can only book seats on flights that depart in the next three days, making return trips a little risky
It doesn’t include handheld or checked bags (so they’re extra)
Only one personal item is included (max. size 40 x 30 x 20 cm)
If you miss three flights your membership will be cancelled without a refund
It’ll automatically renew each year unless you cancel

Overall it sounds like more hassle than it’s worth, especially when you consider there are cheap tickets available in advance from Wizz and other airlines.

However, if you’re retired or have the flexibility to travel regularly and at the drop of a hat, it could be worth a look.

Get Wizz Air’s subscription

Train deals and discounts

Train & railcard discounts

From £5 off through to flash sales, we’ve listed the best train ticket savings in a separate deals page here.

Our top train offers and deals

Petrol and motoring deals

Halfords: free 5-point winter car check and bike check

Halfords is offering motorists a 5-point winter car check, which includes:

Headlight and brake light check
Wiper blade condition check
Battery health check
Windscreen chip check
MOT due date reminder (UK only)

If you’ve got a bike, you can also get a free bike safety check. Halfords says there’s no obligation to get an estimate for repairs or servicing, if any issues do come up.

You’ll need to book in advance on the Halfords website.

Get free car and bike check

Halfords: Free 10-point car check and £5 voucher

If you join the Halfords Motoring Club for free, you can get a free £5 voucher to spend online or in-store at Halfords and a free 10-point car check, worth £15.

There’s a Premium tier for £49 per year that gets you your MOT (worth £44.99), 2 10-point car checks, a free fitting of wiper blades or headlights and 5% off at the autocentres and in-store.

This is generally a pretty good deal, but definitely worthwhile if you’re having enough work on your car to make the most of the 5% off, don’t know how to change your headlights or windscreen wipers and would usually do your MOT at Halfords.

Taxi and minicab deals

Money off your first Uber journey

Use the code 5ngkw on the Uber app to get a discount on your first ride. This is for first-time users only.

Get Uber

Featured savings deal

More Details

Trading 212 Cash ISA

AER (variable)

4.38%

Minimum

£1

New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.53% AER to 4.38% for 12 months

More details ▼

Additional Info

Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%

FSCS Protected?: Yes

Allows transfers in?: Yes

Flexible ISA?: Yes

▲

Bus, tube and tram deals

£2 bus fare cap – extended to December 2024 (ended)

Bus fares will be capped at £2 one way in England from January to the end of December 2024. Not all bus companies are taking part – you can see a detailed list of the companies and routes here. After the end of the year, buses will be capped at £3 instead, until the end of 2025.

Find out if your local bus company is participating

Loyalty travel deals

Uber Member Days: 20% back on car hire, flights and trains (and more deals) (ended)

Subscribers to Uber’s ‘Uber One’ membership can get additional benefits from 16 May to 23 May as part of its new promotion ‘Uber Member Days’.

Plus, you can get a month trial for free until 23 May, even if you’ve tried it before. Although after this, it’ll renew at £4.99 per month or £49.99 per year. We have a full guide on the membership, but it’s worth noting that this gets you Disney+ if you get the annual membership, so it’s worthwhile if you pay for Disney+ anyway.

Offers for Uber Member Days include:

20% back in Uber credits for car hire (max £250 back)
20% Back in Uber Credits on Trains
20% Back in Uber Credits on Flights
25% off selected alcohol at Waitrose
50% off snacks from selected supermarkets
50% off Pizza Express items
Free Courier Trip (up to £10 off)

More about Uber One

July 29, 2025 | Articles

Free and cheap magazines: tricks to save money

Written by Andy Webb

Don’t pay full price when you can get free or discounted magazine copies and subscriptions.

For about 20 years I subscribed to the film magazine Empire, but I’ve not paid at all in the last decade – thanks to different deals and hacks to get it, and other titles, for free. And if they don’t work, there are ways to pay less too.

Free magazines tricks

Free digital magazines and newspapers from your library

Libraries don’t just lend books and DVDs – you can also borrow digitally. As well as (non-Kindle) e-books, magazines and newspapers are available. The service will vary depending on your library, but for me I’ve got access to the Press Reader app.

You just need to join your local library, and many will let you do this from their website – even if you don’t have proof of residency. Others will require you to visit the library itself.

Once signed up you can access different magazines that can be downloaded to your tablet, phone or viewed on a computer. It doesn’t take much getting used to reading them on a tablet; an extra bonus is you can zoom in on any bits that are a little too small to read.

I’n the past I’ve regularly download Empire, Radio Times and Wallpaper for free, and my wife has chosen Vogue, Good Housekeeping and Newsweek – and there are dozens and dozens of other options.

Free magazine subscription via a Club Lloyds bank account

Every year with this bank account you have the choice of a free annual magazine subscription, six free cinema tickets or a year of Disney+ with Ads.

Though you’re limited to just one personal account, you can get another as a joint account. That means a couple could have three Club Lloyds accounts, and three freebies. So even if you prefer Disney+ as your first choice, you could easily add a magazine via one of your other accounts.

You do need to pay in £2,000 a month into the current account to avoid a £5 monthly fee, but you don’t have to keep the money in the account, nor does it need to be in one go. We’ve more details in our Club Lloyds review.

There’s also sometimes a switching bonus for Lloyds if you close an account at another bank and move everything over so it’s worth keeping an eye out for that.

Free magazines with the Club Lloyds bank account

The magazines available include (updated 29/7/25):

Best
Bike
Bird Watching
Car
Classic Cars
Cosmopolitan
Country Living
Country Walking
ELLE Decoration
ELLE
Empire
Esquire
Garden Answers
Good Housekeeping
Harper’s Bazaar
House Beautiful
Improve Your Coarse Fishing
Inside Soap
Landscape
Men’s Health
Modern Games
Mojo
Practical Classics
Prima
Red
Runner’s World
Spirit & Destiny
Steam Railway
Today’s Golfer
Trail
Women’s Health

Free online magazines with Amazon Prime

A less well-known feature that Amazon introduced for Prime members called Prime Reading. Here you get free access to a number of books and magazines.

The selection rotates each month so you won’t see the same titles featured every month, but there’s a decent mix to choose from. At the time of writing you can pick up 59 different magazines including Top Gear, Elle and Today’s Golfer.

You don’t need a Kindle to read them, in fact they work better if you use the Kindle app on your tablet.

Prime costs £8.99 a month or £95 a year, though you can get a free 30-day trial each year.

Cheap magazine subscription tricks

Try a multi-magazine digital subscription

If you don’t have the RGB service at your library, you can try a couple of different Netlflix style services where you pay a monthly fee for unlimited access.

The two main ones are Readly and Magzter, and both have free or cheap trials to give them a go. Right now, Readly offers a two-month free trial, while it’s 7-days free at Magzter. Both have thousands of titles, many of them designed specifically for tablets making them a far more interactive read.

Once the trials end it’s a bit pricey at £12.99 and £14.99 a month respectively. However, it’s not bad value if you’d normally buy two or three magazines a month – and even better if you can split the subscription with friends or family. There are often more ways to save, so hunt for deals.

Featured savings deal

More Details

Trading 212 Cash ISA

AER (variable)

4.38%

Minimum

£1

New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.53% AER to 4.38% for 12 months

More details ▼

Additional Info

Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%

FSCS Protected?: Yes

Allows transfers in?: Yes

Flexible ISA?: Yes

▲

Buy a cut-price subscription online

If print is more your thing, please don’t pay full price for a subscription. You’ll almost always be able to find a cheaper deal online.

If you have Tesco Clubcard vouchers, you can exchange 50p in points for £1 to spend on a variety of titles.

Sites such as Great Magazines and iSubscribe offer money off full price, though you’re unlikely to get more than 40% off. Occasionally you can also get a free voucher (eg Amazon or Ticketmaster) with a reduced subscription.

Check cashback sites too, as they may have bonuses for orders. And if you’re not already a TopCashback or Quidco member, make sure you sign up via our links for up to £20 extra back on top.

Check for deals

From time to time there are other special offers to help you save, and we’ll share significant ones in our magazines and newspaper deals page. Recent examples have included a huge stack of deals on Which? and £1 a month deals for The Athletic.

Haggle for trials and discounts

Finally, if you’re already paying for a magazine, don’t just auto-renew. As with many other bills, call up to cancel to see what they’ll offer. Turn down their initial deal, and see if they can get prices down even more.

And if you don’t have a current subscription, you can still haggle. In the past I was constantly called by the Empire sales team as a former subscriber. At one point I got 12 issues for less than £10!

Or you can contact the magazine publisher direct. Go to their website to find the number and see what you can get.

Just make sure you cancel before the full Direct Debit starts.

July 28, 2025 | Deals

Latest John Lewis offers and deals

Written by Andy Webb

The best John Lewis discounts and sales.

If we spot any standout John Lewis offers or discount codes we’ll share them on this page.

John Lewis codes and discounts

Daily reward with ‘Treats of Summer’

John Lewis is offering rewards every day between 28 July and 3 August for My John Lewis members.

While not confirmed by John Lewis, the offers are thought to be:

Monday 28 July – 15% off John Lewis Nightwear & Swimwear (confirmed)
Tuesday 29 July: free pot of Jude’s Ice Cream
Wednesday 30 July: competition to win SharkNinja products
Thursday 31 July: 20% off Le Creuset
Friday 1 August: free pot of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
Saturday 2 August: 20% off John Lewis summer bedding
Sunday 3 August: competition to win a West End weekend break to see Matilda The Musical

Just tap ‘Treats of Summer’ in the app to reveal the reward. Treats expire at midnight on the stated expiry date of each one.

Join My John Lewis

Featured savings deal

More Details

Trading 212 Cash ISA

AER (variable)

4.38%

Minimum

£1

New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.53% AER to 4.38% for 12 months

More details ▼

Additional Info

Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%

FSCS Protected?: Yes

Allows transfers in?: Yes

Flexible ISA?: Yes

▲

MyJohnLewis vouchers

John Lewis regularly offers MyJohnLewis members (it’s free to join) special deals and discounts.

It’s always worth logging in to see if you have anything worth using, though you might find there’s nothing showing.

We’ve seen vouchers like £10 off beauty and £15 off fragrance, although the offers vary by user.

Check your MyJohnLewis account

MyJohnLewis Anniversary gift

Keep an eye on your MyJohnLewis account around the anniversary of when you first signed up as you’ll usually get a gift, perhaps a £5 voucher.

Sign into MyJohnLewis

£5 off clothes when you donate old items

If you’re looking to buy clothes from John Lewis stores (sadly not online), then it’s worth returning some old items in order to get a £5 discount.

The Fashion Cycle scheme requires you to be a member of the My John Lewis scheme. You’ll need to spend £20 too.

More on this and other recycling schemes

Earn cashback at John Lewis

Both Quidco and TopCashback offer cashback. Though rates change, it’s usually on most items, with some departments occasionally boosted to 4%.

If you’ve never used either site before then you can earn a welcome bonus on top, worth up to £20! You can find the best options here.

Get up to £20 as a cashback site welcome offer

Buy discounted John Lewis gift cards

Apps like Cheddar and Jam Doughnut allow you to buy gift cards to spend at John Lewis and earn cashback on that initial purchase. You can also buy Waitrose gift cards this way to spend at John Lewis. It can be worth as much as 6%.

The best cashback site welcome offers

Find out how to get a bonus when you first sign up and spend at all the leading cashback sites

July 27, 2025 | Articles

Travel money: Find the best currency exchange rates

Written by Andy Webb

Here’s how to get the most Euros, Dollars and more for your Pounds when you’re getting travel cash for your holiday

Looking for the best ways to get your currency? Well, coins and notes aren’t going to be the best way to pay, and I rarely use them. In fact, when I go overseas the bulk of my spending is with a debit or credit card (a fee-free one naturally).

But from giving a tip through to buying from street vendors, not everywhere takes cards – and ATMS can charge per withdrawal. So having some cash with you makes sense, and here’s how you can get the best exchange rates.

Ignore “0% commission” signs

One of the most misleading signs on the high street is the one that says “0% commission”. It makes you think that you’re not getting charged anything to change your cash – but you will be.

Rather than add a commission on top of your swap, the bureau de change will simply set their own exchange rate! You can read more about this in my “Why 0% currency commission is a lie” article.

Don’t get travel money at the airport

Since bureaus and banks are allowed to set their own exchange rates, it makes sense that the worst rates around will be at the airport. Once you’re there, and particularly once you’re through security, there is nowhere else you could go to get travel money than the bureaus in the departure lounge.

The only workaround if you really have left it too late to go elsewhere is you can order in advance online to collect at the airport, and you’ll get a better rate than just walking up to the booth. You will often need three or four hours notice though.

Compare for the best exchange rates

Instead of just popping to your bank or the Post Office as many do, it’s better to compare all the different rates available in your area. The tool I use for this is Money Saving Expert’s Travel Money Max. You can choose between collection, delivery and even airport collection, and you’ll be shown the best rates.

Your choice will increase massively if you live in London, but you’ll still get a decent range of options elsewhere. Do check whether you need to order in advance to get the rate you see – some will charge you a worse rate if you don’t.

Don’t use a credit card to swap your cash

Once you know where you’ll get your cash, you want to avoid any extra charges on your swap. This means paying with cash or a debit card. That’s because using a credit card is what’s known as a “cash advance“.

With this you’re effectively taking money off your card as cash and then using the cash to make the transaction – even if you don’t actually get your hands on any physical notes and coins to hand over.

Featured savings deal

More Details

Trading 212 Cash ISA

AER (variable)

4.38%

Minimum

£1

New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.53% AER to 4.38% for 12 months

More details ▼

Additional Info

Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%

FSCS Protected?: Yes

Allows transfers in?: Yes

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Get a specialist card for extra cash machine withdrawals overseas

Don’t take too much cash with you. Apart from the risks of losing it, if you don’t spend all of it you’ll get a poor rate when you try to swap it back to sterling. So instead I’d recommend you only take out enough to cover essentials for the first few days – depending on the infrastructure at your destination of course.

Then, if you need more cash, you can use an ATM. Though some of these will have local fees set by the bank you use, you won’t have any charges on the exchange rate at all if you use a specialist card such as Chase or Starling.

July 23, 2025 | Deals

The best cheap theme park deals

Written by Andy Webb

How to get two-for-one, Kids go free and other deals to save money and get you cheap theme park tickets.

I love a good theme park – but ticket prices for UK theme parks such as Alton Towers and Thorpe Park can be more terrifying than the fastest ride, especially for a family. But it’s actually really easy to pay less.

Here are some of the best deals right now to get cheap theme park tickets.

Cheap theme park ticket rules

These are the basics that should help you avoid paying full price.

Use a promo code

Every single year there are discount codes, usually offering 50% off or two for the price of one tickets, to all the major theme parks. Smaller parks might have smaller discounts, but there are still savings to be found. We’ve listed below some of the best ones available right now from products you’re likely to buy.

Book in advance

Whether you’re using one of the codes below, or just paying full whack (why?), it makes sense to book in advance as prices are much cheaper. Often, the earlier you book, the better, with online prices on the day often more expensive (though still cheaper than buying on the door). You can sometimes stack a 2-4-1 code with these cheaper prices, meaning you’ll pay even less.

The annual pass trick

You can often pick up a season pass, giving unlimited access to one or multiple Merlin theme parks for the cost of a single ticket. Of course, if you’ve used the other promotions listed on this page you should only have paid 50% of the entry price. But if you are going to go at least twice in a year, then you may as well buy the season pass – even if you don’t go again.

Do check again for any restrictions, for example August weekends and special events are often excluded unless you buy a premium pass.

You can get season passes at locations including:

Alton Towers
Legoland
Thorpe Park
Chessington World of Adventures

Try for cashback

While you likely can’t get cashback with some of the offers below, as they’re often booked via promotional websites, if you’re going directly to get tickets, it could be worth trying Quidco or TopCashback for a little something extra — this is only 1.5%-2% at the time of writing, but that could stack up when you’re booking a whole family. Plus, if you don’t have either of these sites already, you can get a £20 welcome bonus when you sign up.

Latest theme park special offers

You can regularly get deals on promotional packs of anything from cereal to soaps. Many do have exclusions, including weekends in August and sometimes October half term. So do check. We’ve put in links with the exclusions and also the lists of participating theme parks, where possible.

National Rail Days Out: 2 for 1 or 1/3 off tickets

If you catch the train to a theme park, then you can get 2 for 1 or 1/3 off tickets on the National Rail website. You have to pre-book with a lot of the attractions, and it’s worth checking what else you’ll need. It’ll often specify that you’ll need a ticket to a nearby station on the day you’re booking. For example, to book Cadbury World, you’ll need a valid train ticket to Bournville station for each visitor and for the same day as your visit.

This is valid until 31 May 2026, although this is renewed every year.

Attractions include zoos, museums, theme parks, boat trips, galleries and activities.

See available attractions

Merlin: two visits for the price of one

Merlin is currently offering a slightly different kind of two-for-one ticket. Instead of getting two people in for the price of one, it’s offering tickets to two theme parks for the price of one. So you can get two days out for the family for the price of one.

Tickets cost from £34 if your first trip is to Alton Towers or Legoland, £33 if your first attraction is Thorpe Park or just £32 per person if your first visit is to Chessington. They can be bought on the website of your chosen attraction to go to first – look at the “offers” tab and select “twice the fun” to find them.

Then, once you’ve booked your first visit, you’ll have a barcode on your ticket which you can use to pre-book your second visit at Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland Windsor, Alton Towers or Thorpe Park. The first and second attractions don’t need to be the same.

You can get the offer until 17 August.

Legoland: £17.50 tickets via Sky

If you pay for Sky TV, then take a look at the Sky VIP section in your account to get a unique code for £17.50 tickets to Legoland this summer.

Tickets are available throughout the remainder of the season, including Legoland at Christmas, but tickets are expected to sell out fairly quickly. You need to buy them before 31 August 2025. You can book up to six tickets each time.

Get Sky VIP

Merlin theme parks: 25% off with Kelloggs

Buy a promotional box of Kellogg’s cereal or a Snack Pack and get 25% off up to two online advance-priced tickets at 25 participating Merlin attractions, including Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures.

To get it, scan the QR code from a promotional Kellogg’s pack or go to their website. You’ll need to register or login with a Kellogg’s account and enter the 10 digit KPIN code from the promotional pack. You’ll then get a discount code emailed to you with a link to book.

With Snack Packs, you must bring the promotional pack with you, along with your pre-booked e-ticket and show it at the ticket desk.

Tickets are valid until 30 June 2026. Exclusion dates apply and do check the terms and conditions.

25% off Merlin days out

Tesco Clubcard points

If you’re earning points, you can get double value at theme parks, including Alton Towers. Personally, I’d say you’re better off using your points elsewhere, particularly for the Merlin-owned attractions.

That’s because although this promo is in theory the same as the 2-4-1 style offers, the prevalence of the latter means you’re effectively only getting 25% off that lower price. More on Clubcard deals here.

Kids Pass / Little Bird

These subscription-based membership sites offer money off at the major theme parks, including some which aren’t part of the Merlin group. More on them and how you can get cheap trials here.

Featured savings deal

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Trading 212 Cash ISA

AER (variable)

4.38%

Minimum

£1

New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.53% AER to 4.38% for 12 months

More details ▼

Additional Info

Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%

FSCS Protected?: Yes

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Expired deals

Adults go free with Kellogs (expired)

Though the wording is different, it’s essentially the same thing, it’s just the adult ticket is free when you buy another full price adult or kids ticket.

Once again it’s for Merlin attractions, so the main theme parks are Thorpe Park, Chessington and Alton Towers.

Any vouchers you collect will be valid until 30 June 2024. Details here. You’ll need to keep the promotional packaging to share at the venue entrance.

How to claim your free adult ticket

Merlin Annual Pass: get £20-£60 off (expired)

Merlin has launched another sale on its annual passes. These run for a full year from when you buy them, so you’ll be able to get until April 2025 if you get one while the deal is on. The sale is on until 7 April 2024.

This gets you into any Merlin attraction – this includes Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, LEGOLAND, Sealife Centre and the London Eye. The different stages of pass have different perks – for example, the Gold one includes parking (usually £5-£10 each time), and there are restricted days on the Silver and Discovery passes. Some of them also have a sign-up fee if you go for a monthly option.

Remember, you’re unlikely to need to pay full price for entrance thanks to other deals, so you’ll need to weigh up whether the pass will represent good value depending on how often you’ll visit the attractions.

Here are the discounts available:

Pass	Sale price (per year)	Normal Price (per year)
Discovery	£79	£99
Silver	£129	£169
Gold	£189	£239
Platinum	£239	£299

Get a Merlin Annual Pass

July 22, 2025 | Articles

Cut the cost of using your mobile phone abroad

Written by Andy Webb

Don’t blow your holiday budget on your mobile bill

Since Brexit, most major mobile networks have reintroduced roaming charges. And with the constant desire to stay connected, and use your phone to get around, you can end up with a huge bill.

Here’s what you need to know about roaming charges for the major networks, and a few tricks to help you keep costs down.

Can you get free roaming?

Until the end of 2020, you were able to use your inclusive data, calls and texts when travelling in Europe. And some mobile companies, such as Three, offered the same deal in countries further afield, including the USA and Australia. O2 is the only major network to carry on offering this — here are the rules for each of the networks.

O2 & Virgin Mobile – free roaming continues

The only major network to retain free roaming is O2, with extra benefits if you also get Virgin Broadband. You can call and text UK numbers from abroad and use your data up to the limits in your monthly allowance or 25GB, whichever is lower.

This only applies in European countries, and you’ll be capped at 25GB of data a month if your normal allowance is above this.

For travel outside of Europe, you can buy an O2 Travel Bolt On for £7 a day which covers 27 worldwide destinations (full list here). You’ll get unlimited data each day, plus 120 minutes of talk time and texts to UK numbers. Some more expensive packages include this, usually those with 30GB of data or more.

If you’re on Pay As You Go, you can get the O2 Travel Bolt On for £1.99 a day in selected destinations.

Or, if you’re with Virgin Media for your broadband then you can link your accounts to get this Bolt On added to your phone tariff for free.

Vodafone – ended January 2022

General roaming charges now apply to anyone who took out a Vodafone contract after 11 August 2021. There’s no change for contracts taken out before this.

However, pay monthly plans and Pay As You Go include roaming in the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Iceland and Norway.

Some more expensive contracts will include roaming in the EU and beyond, but if you’re on a basic plan you’ll pay £2.57 a day if you’re travelling in Europe. You can reduce this with an eight-day pass for £15 or a 15-day pass for £20.

EE – ended March 2022

Your roaming charges will depend on your plan and where you’re travelling.

For example, if you pay monthly for your EE phone contract, you’ll be charged £2.59 a day or £15 for seven days if you’re travelling in Europe. If you’re visiting the USA, it’ll cost £5 a day or £25 for seven days. The most you’ll pay is £15 a day if you’re going to Zone 4 countries including Nepal and the Maldives.

If you have a 30-Day plan/Saver plan you’ll need to pay £2.50 a day or £10 for seven days to use your allowances in Europe if you signed up for a new or renewed contract after 7 July 2021. Existing customers before this date won’t see a change.

If you’re on EE’s Full Works plan, you’ll get its EU and Roam Further Pass included, although this is one of the more expensive contacts.

Three – ended May 2022

This used to be huge money saver when travelling outside Europe. But on 23 May 2022, this Go Roam benefit ended for anyone who took out a new contract or renewed a contract after 1 October 2021.

However, older customers were forced to move from their old tariff, losing the Go Roam benefit.

Now Three offers roaming for £2 a day in Europe, or £5 a day for the rest of the world to use your existing allowances. There’s also a £5 a day Data Passport which offers unlimited data abroad.

Alternatively, Three’s Pay-as-you-go Three SIMs can still get Go Roam. So, you could pick up one of these when you go abroad and switch it over for most usage. You’ll temporarily have a different number, so you won’t get your usual calls and texts.

Other networks

Here’s what some of the other networks are doing:

BT Mobile – free European roaming remains
Giffgaff – free European roaming remains
ID Mobile – free European roaming remains
Lebara – free European roaming remains
Plusnet – free European roaming remains
Sky Mobile – free roaming ended in May 2022
Smarty – free European roaming remains
Tesco Mobile – free European roaming ended for new customers from 16 June 2022
Voxi – free roaming ended in May 2022

New rules to cut roaming fees

Mobile network providers must tell you if you’re going to be charged for roaming when you’re abroad under new proposals from Ofcom (the UK’s communications regulator). The provider has to tell you the costs, fair use limits and any relevant time limits. They should also inform you of how to set a limit on your spending.

These rules were introduced on 1 October 2024.

How to reduce your phone charges abroad

Check your destination

Even if you have roaming included or there’s the option to set a daily price cap – check that the country you’re going to is part of that deal. If it’s excluded then you’ll need to look at some of these other tips.

Switch to a different mobile network

As well as O2 and Virgin Media, many smaller networks are keeping EU roaming – for now at least. These could well be cheaper than the major networks back home, too.

If you don’t fancy doing this permanently, you could look at Three’s PAYG SIM or sign up for just one month of one of the smaller networks.

Get an eSIM

An eSIM is a handy way to get service while you’re abroad. It’s essentially a digital SIM card that you can load onto your phone to use local network providers. You can get ones that are just data, or you can get one with a local phone number to also make calls and send texts.

We have a full guide on eSIMs here where we explain how they work, the benefits and the savings you can make.

Cap your charges

If you don’t want to switch, you should find out what your network will charge where you are going.

It’s worth seeing if your network has a cap on overseas charges, particularly for data. This will stop your bill getting out of control – but don’t assume you’ll get this. You often have to ask for this to be implemented.

Featured savings deal

More Details

Trading 212 Cash ISA

AER (variable)

4.38%

Minimum

£1

New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.53% AER to 4.38% for 12 months

More details ▼

Additional Info

Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%

FSCS Protected?: Yes

Allows transfers in?: Yes

Flexible ISA?: Yes

▲

Get a bolt-on

Another option is to buy add-on packages that give you a pre-agreed amount of minutes, texts or data to use when abroad.

Turn off your data and use Wi-Fi instead

Another option is to simply not use data at all. You need to do this before you get on the plane, train or boat. Go to your settings and turn off data roaming or mobile data – and keep it off until you’re back in the UK.

This also means the apps on your phone won’t automatically access data behind the scenes. It also protects against accidentally opening your email — yep, you’d get charged, even if it’s just a few seconds.

If you’re in a destination where roaming is included, check your limits. There may be a reduction in how much of your regular allowance you can use.

With data turned off, the only way to connect to the web will be using Wi-Fi. You might get lucky and get it for free at your hotel. If not, look for coffee shops and public spaces that don’t charge. You can research in advance too, using the Wi-Fi Finder app.

However, be careful using unsecured Wi-Fi with banking apps or online shopping. Don’t enter login or password details.

Write shorter texts

If your text is longer than 160 characters, it’ll count as two texts (or more), so try to watch your words. It’s also worth not sending picture messages via text (at home and abroad) as they’ll be charged extra. Use messaging apps instead (when you’re on Wi-Fi).

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Andy and Amelia with the text "Cash Chats Personal finance podcast"

Be careful when making local calls

Unless you’ve got a specific add-on which allows it, any calls you make to numbers at your destination or texts messages to local mobiles aren’t included in roaming. You might be better off getting a local SIM or calling card if you’re going to make a lot of these calls.

Don’t answer calls and turn off voicemail

Outside inclusive roaming counties you’ll often be charged to answer a call, so don’t answer unless you need to. You won’t be charged to get a text message though, so tell mates back home that’s the best way to communicate with you while you’re away.

Some networks – with EE the worst – will also charge you for receiving a voicemail when abroad, even if you don’t access it. I always used to call my provider and turn voicemail off before I left to avoid any unnecessary charges.

Use apps to make calls and send messages

When you’re connected to Wi-Fi, you’ll also be able to use apps like WhatsApp to make free calls and send messages, including photos.

This cuts out the costs of making and receiving calls overseas. However, if the Wi-Fi signal is weak, it can be a very frustrating phone call!

July 21, 2025 | Deals

The best birthday freebies and how to get them

Written by BCWYC Team

Get more than £60 of birthday freebies from shops and restaurants

Everyone likes to feel extra special on their birthday. Which is why some companies offer birthday freebies, with everything from free cake to a bottle of Prosecco. The best thing about some of these is that you often get a few weeks to claim your freebie, letting you take advantage of more, and spread your birthday out even further.

One birthday, Editor-in-chief Andy managed to bag himself a free meal at his favourite burger joint Meat Liquor, some posh Hotel Chocolat treats, a Body Shop shower gel and he saved money on some flatpack furniture at Ikea, totalling £28 worth of freebies.

And here’s how you can get up to £60 worth of freebies for your birthday.

How to get birthday freebies

While most retailers’ emails end up unread and clogging up your inbox, when it comes to a few weeks before your birthday, it’s time to pay a little extra attention to them, just in case you’re getting a little gift.

Of course, these brands aren’t giving you something for nothing. In all cases, you need to be signed up for their newsletters, loyalty schemes or apps, which means handing over your data and dealing with constant emails.

If you’re selective, and only pick the brands you regularly shop at and want to hear about, then it’s well worth doing. And often the birthday freebies aren’t the only offers and deals you’ll get sent during the year.

Don’t forget that you can always unsubscribe from emails once you’ve had your birthday, and possibly even sign up again – though it’s worth doing this at least a month before your birthday to allow time for your details to be processed.

One of our writers Nicky Selwood, says that she always gives a different birthday, so she’s got birthdays all year round to make the most out of. The odd one might want ID, so use your real birthday for these ones.

Free birthday vouchers

With these retailers, it could be worth signing up in order to get a free voucher on your birthday. These are often only £5, but you could get yourself a few freebies or take a discount off something you’ve been eyeing up. There’s often no minimum spend, so you can get something for absolutely nothing.

I’ve ignored those that give the likes of 10% off as those kinds of codes are regularly available.

Marks & Spencer

M&S didn’t used to guarantee a freebie or voucher on your birthday, but it recently changed the Sparks scheme to get one for everyone signed up to the M&S Sparks card who has signed up for marketing and enters their birthday more than 35 days before via the app.

Had a birthday while M&S Sparks was down? Marks and Spencer has sent out belated free birthday treats if you celebrated your birthday in May, June and July, so check your app even if it was a couple of months ago.

Freebies could include:

Chocolate Marks bar
All Butter Cookies 8-pack
Outrageously Chocolatey Rounds
All Butter Scottish Shortbread Assortment
Percy Pig sweets
Colin the Caterpillar sweets
Grapes
Blueberries

Join Sparks

Hobbycraft – £5 voucher

Register for Hobbycraft Club and you’ll be sent a voucher to spend in-store or online on the month of your birthday. You’ll also get a 15% off voucher when you sign up.

Hotel Chocolat – £5 voucher

For a free fiver with a £5.50 minimum spend, you just need to be signed up for Hotel Chocolat’s VIP.ME scheme.

The voucher can also be combined with other offers.

Andy actually forgot to do this and registered a few days after his birthday and I still got sent the £5 voucher a few weeks later, so it’s worth giving a go!

Free food and drink

From smoothies to doughnuts, here’s all the free food and drink you can get on your birthday. We’ve ignored a lot of the offers where you get a free main or bubbly when you buy a main, though there are a couple listed at the bottom of this page. They’re still decent offers, but we’re more excited about the freebies.

If you manage to get a bill for £0, it’s still pretty good form to leave a tip.

Barburrito – free burrito

Barburrito is offering a free burrito on your birthday, as long as you’re signed up to the loyalty app. A few days before your birthday, you’ll be emailed a voucher for a free burrito, which should also show in the app. Show this at the till, and you can eat for free.

You only get four days to claim it, so you have to be quick.

Benugo – free drink

Coffee shop chain Benugo is giving away a free coffee on your birthday. You just need to sign up to the mailing list and you’ll get a free coffee and another on your birthday.

Boost – free drink

If you sign up for the Boost Vibe Club (you can do this online), you can get a free drink on your birthday.

This can be claimed up to 3 days before and 3 days after your birthday.

You need to have earned at least one point and you’ll need to show ID proving that it’s your birthday.

Burger King – free whopper

Add your date of birth to the BK Rewards app and you’ll get a free burger!

Caffé Nero – free cake

If you’re signed up for the free Caffé Nero app and ensure you have your birthday in your settings, you’ll get a voucher for a free slice of cake on your birthday. Plus you can get a free drink for signing up here.

Costa – free cake

If you’re signed up for the free Costa Club you’ll notice a reward for a free slice of cake appear in your app. Costa lets you know it’s there with an email too.

Make sure you’ve told Costa when your birthday is, you can do this in the app.

Greggs – free cake or doughnut

Sign up to the Greggs Rewards scheme via the Greggs app and you’ll be able to claim a free doughnut, cupcake or cream cake. The voucher is valid for a month.

Krispy Kreme – free doughnut

You get a free doughnut via the Friends of Krispy Kreme scheme each year, though it’s only in full shops, not the ones you find in Supermarkets.

With this offer, you can choose any doughnut during your birthday month. When it comes to claiming it, you will need to add the birthday reward to your wallet in the Krispy Kreme app.

Lidl – free doughnut

If you haven’t quite had enough free doughnuts on your birthday, donut worry — you can claim another one from Lidl.

This one is found in the Lidl Plus app and is valid for 7 days from the birthday listed in your Lidl Plus Account.

Lola’s Cupcakes – free 5-inch cake

If you join the Lola’s Cupcakes Love Club more than 30 days before your birthday, then you can get a free small cake on your birthday for free.

You have to show ID that confirms your birth date and you have to prove you’ve been a member of the Love Club for at least 30 days. This excludes Lola’s Bakery in West Hampstead.

Muffin Break – free Muffin

There’s nothin’ like a free muffin on your birthday. By signing up for the Muffin Break loyalty scheme, you can get a free muffin in the month of your birthday.

There’s also a free doughnut for joining, too.

Starbucks – free drink

One for regular Starbucks users. If you join the free Starbucks Rewards scheme and reach Gold level (you need to earn 450 Stars, roughly a spend of £150) you’ll get a free drink on your birthday. You’ll also get other freebies throughout the year at this level. You get a free drink for every 150 stars you collect, so you’ll get 3 free drinks on your attempt to reach Gold.

Subway – free cookie

Join Subway Rewards, add your date of birth and you’ll receive a treat on your birthday, usually a free cookie.

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Episodes every Tuesday.

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Extra points on your birthday

Boots – double points for the whole month

Boots Advantage cardholders get double points for their whole birthday month. This will pop up in your Boots app on the first of the month, and you need to load the deal to your card before you scan it in-store. Check your details in the app to make sure Boots knows its your birthday.

Superdrug – triple points on your birthday

If you have the Superdrug Beautycard, you get triple points on your birthday. The offer is valid for 2 weeks after your birthday. You don’t have to opt in or add it to your card, just make sure Superdrug knows when your birthday is.

Birthday gifts

Shopmium – free gift

Cashback app Shopmium often provides a special extra offer on your birthday. Andy’s managed to snag a free box of Celebrations.

You’ll need to buy the item and scan the receipt to get the cashback. Here’s more on how the app works and a sign up offer.

Hobbs – free gift

Sign up for the Hobbs newsletter to get a free birthday gift. We’re not sure what you get, but in 2021 it was a candle. You also get 10% off your first purchase when you sign up.

Space NK – free gift

Again, it’s often a £5 off code but it could be a free miniature. And again you’ll get it by signing up to a membership scheme – for Space NK it’s called N.dulge.

This is a loyalty scheme, so you’ll earn points each time you spend money, which can be converted into money off future purchases.

Featured savings deal

More Details

Trading 212 Cash ISA

AER (variable)

4.38%

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£1

New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.53% AER to 4.38% for 12 months

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Additional Info

Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%

FSCS Protected?: Yes

Allows transfers in?: Yes

Flexible ISA?: Yes

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Good birthday offers that aren’t freebies

Sometimes you’ll be sent a discount voucher or a free meal/ bottle of bubbly as long as you get another meal. These can be good and might be worthwhile if you’d like to eat there anyway, but they’re not strictly birthday freebies.

Here are some of the things you can be offered:

Meat Liquor – 20% off the bill

Meat Liquor is one of Andy’s favourite burger places. A few years back you could get a free main meal and a side on your birthday, which he took advantage of.

Sadly it’s now 20% off the entire bill – but that’s still decent if you like the food there. Sign up to the mailing list and you’ll get sent a unique code to use, valid for a week before and after your birthday.

Bills – “free” bottle of Prosecco

Again, not strictly a freebie, as each diner has to order a main meal.

Make sure you’re signed up for the Bill’s Newsletter 4 weeks before your birthday and you’ll get an email with the gift.

You’ll also need to pre-book a table. It’s valid for 5 weeks from the date that you get the email.

Do you know of any other birthday freebies or discounts worth signing up for? Let me know in the comments below.