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October 15, 2018   |   Articles

Duty-Free shopping: Does it really save you money?

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Are the Duty-Free discounts as good as they seem, or can you do better on the high street?

I quite enjoy a mooch around Duty-Free at the airport. Not only is it the only time I ever drink whiskey in the morning (it’s only a tiny free sample), but it’s a chance to save some money on some booze. Or at least it appears so.

With some very competitive prices in the supermarket, I wanted to find out whether you really can save money at Duty-Free. So on my recent trip to the States I took some photos of a few items both at Gatwick and Orlando airports so I could compare them with deals open to everyone.

What is Duty-Free?

First of all though, what exactly is Duty-Free? Well it’s shopping exempt from VAT – which is currently 20% for most items. But you only get this if you leave the EU.

So you’ll see different prices once you’re in the shops past airport security. f you’re flying within the EU there’s one price, and if you’re flying further afield there’s another. Actually you won’t see two prices on the same item. Instead there are different products for each. The lowest prices are usually for outside the EU. Obviously this could all change once / if Brexit is agreed.

So really the “tax-free shopping” signs you see displayed won’t be for everything on sale. There are also limits to what you can buy – at least for spirits and cigarettes – before you do have to pay tax.

Right, here’s how a handful of items compare against supermarkets and the high street.

Duty-Free Alcohol vs the supermarkets

I looked at a couple of big brands – a gin and a whiskey.

Bombay Sapphire Gin (1 litre) – Available for flights outside the EU only

This cost £23.99 at Gatwick (£2.40 per 100ml). A deal to buy two bottles was £36.29, making it £18.15 a bottle.

At Orlando’s international airport it cost $27. In current money that’s roughly £20.50. There was an offer to save 15% if you bought two bottles, which would drop it down to £17.50ish.

In Morrisons you can get it for £22, though it was £27.50 at most of the others.

Winner: Duty-Free

Bombay Sapphire Gin (700ml) – Available for all flights

This bottle was £18.99 at Gatwick, yet it’s on offer for £15 at Asda. That’s £2.14 per 100ml, so cheaper than the bigger bottle.

This size wasn’t available in Orlando.

Winner: Supermarkets

Jack Daniels (1 litre) – Flights outside the EU only

The Gatwick price was £26.19, though a double pack would cut that to £24.70.  You’ll pay $31 in Orlando, which is £23.60.

The best supermarket price though is currently in Sainsbury’s at £23.

Winner: Supermarkets

Jack Daniels (700ml) – Available for all flights

This bottle sells for £24.99 in Gatwick, and you can’t buy it in this size in Orlando airport.

Asda is currently selling this bottle for £15 – that’s £2.14 per 100ml, better than the larger 1 litre bottle from Sainsbury’s mentioned above.

Winner: Supermarkets

Duty-free tech vs the high street

iPhone Xs (64GB)

Dixon’s at Gatwick was selling the brand new iPhone Xs for £979. Yep it’s a saving, but only £20. For the larger memory capacity versions the saving was £30.

Now these are better than nothing, but if you are flying to the US then you’d get a much bigger saving buying the phone at your destination.

Winner: Duty-free (just)

Duty-Free choc vs the supermarkets

Toblerone (360g)

The classic last-minute airport purchase when you forgot to buy work some local treats! These are normally a right rip-off, but I saw at Gatwick the £4 bars were also in a three for £10 deal. Which isn’t bad at all.

But the UK supermarkets can match or beat this, with Asda selling them at £3.

Winner: Supermarkets

Lindt Lindor

Wow, this was a mega rip-off at £13 for 400g tubes. This isn’t the standard weight box, but the prices is well off the mark!

A 337g box from the supermarkets is slightly smaller, but way cheaper. You’ll pay £5.50 at the moment in Sainsbury’s.

Winner: Supermarkets

Duty-Free fragrance & cosmetics vs the high street

Chanel No 5 Eau De Toilette Spray (50ml)

This costs £61.50 at Gatwick, but it’s only £54.50 at John Lewis or The Fragrance Shop.

I didn’t find this at Orlando’s Duty-Free shop.

Winner: High street

Does Duty-Free save you money?

Based on my research, most of the time the answer is no. It doesn’t mean the prices aren’t low at the airport – it’s just you can often beat them on the high street. Of course, some of those lower prices, especially at supermarkets, are from special offers which won’t run all year, or might not be at a supermarket you have access to, making Duty-Free more appealing.

And it obviously depends where you are flying. If you go to the EU the chances are very low you’ll get the best saving, at least going out of London. But you might save on local spirits on your way back, even in Europe. US prices are generally lower on the whole. And when I went to Cuba a fair few years back bottles of Havana Club were about 25% of the price back home.

How to find a Duty-Free bargain

Look for exclusives

Duty-Free locations can often sell larger sizes and special flavours. For example. in Gatwick there was a “Bottled in the Bond” litre bottle of Jack Daniels. It cost £32.49 and it tasted good. Really good. And you can’t get it anywhere else at the moment.

Sometimes these exclusives aren’t premium options, just different flavours or takes on a brand at the same prices as the standard offering.

Double up

Some of the lowest prices were from multipacks or discounts when you purchased more than one bottle. So these are good opportunities to bring down the price you pay.

Check if it’s a deal

If you’ve got data you can use overseas, or are connected to wi-fi, you can check prices at home via the app MySupermarket.

As it happens, there’s also now a World Duty Free website where you can see prices in advance! So you can research before you fly what deals you can get.

Know what the currency conversion really is

I use an app called XE which lets me enter the price in any currency and instantly converts it to pounds. It has the most recent rate depending on when you were last online, so it makes sense to load it up before you leave the hotel wi-fi if you can’t use mobile data.

You know this already, but make sure you use a fee-free card such as Halifax’s Clarity card or a Starling current account.

Buy local

You will save more money if you buy something made in spades nearby. So rum from the Caribbean or tequila from Mexico. The same goes for cosmetics and clothes. L’occitane, for example, would be cheaper in France than elsewhere in the world as that’s where it’s produced.

Shop at the supermarket while you’re away

You might even be able to beat Duty-Free while you’re at your destination by shopping in a local supermarket, department store or liquor store and packing it all in your luggage. Just make sure it’s not carry on if you buy any liquids.

October 10, 2018   |   Podcast

Cash Chats 70: Mental health and money w/ guest Charlotte Burns

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It’s World Mental Health Day, so in this episode, I talk to fellow money blogger Charlotte Burns about how mental health and money problems are interlinked.

Make sure you subscribe to get every episode, and it would be great if you can also leave a leave a review over on iTunes or whichever podcasting app you use.

This week’s links

Charlotte’s blog is Lottyearns.

You can find links to the tools and websites we discuss in this companion blog post.

Ways to manage your money and mental health

The last time we talked about the topic on Cash Chats with Money & Mental Health’s Helen Undy

Cash Chats podcast episode 17 Money and Mental Health special w/ guest Helen Undy

October 7, 2018   |   Articles

Budget long-haul flights: Can you really avoid the extra charges?

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Yes the fare seems a bargain, but there’s a good chance you’ll have to pay more by adding on hold baggage, seat reservations and food.

Thanks to EasyJet and Ryanair, we’re used to flying no-frills for a lower price. And in the last few years, the rise of budget transatlantic airlines has had a big impact on the traditional carriers.

Both BA and Virgin now offer a basic rate that doesn’t include hold baggage, cutting rates by around £60 on a return journey. And I’m sure it’s no coincidence that this has coincided with increased competition and some of the lowest fares to the USA I’ve ever seen. Good news for consumers.

But it could be too good to be true. Just last week one of these challenger airlines went bust with no notice, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Primera Air – which only launched long-haul trips from the UK in March – promised £99 one-way flights to the US but found the budget business model and high fuel prices impossible to tally.

And in reality, whether with BA, Virgin, Wow or Norwegian, I’m not sure these lower prices are a real representation of what you’ll actually end up paying.

On a weekend city break in Europe you should be able to pack light and take a few snacks for the journey. Even not sitting together isn’t a massive problem. It’s a different story flying further afield.

For a start, you’re likely to be going for a week at least – meaning more or heavier bags. Then you’re going to be on a plane for eight or more hours – so food and drink, as well as seat choice, become more important. And each of these adds to the expense, making the budget price not so attractive as it first seemed.

Can you really avoid the long-haul flight extra charges?

I wanted to put the budget prices to the test. So on my recent trip to Orlando for a money bloggers conference, I chose to fly with Norwegian Air.

My ticket was £325 and that was the cheapest option available at the time of booking. To check in a bag it would cost £35 each way. To choose my seat it was also £25 each way. And food and drink, another £25 per flight. There was also an option to get all three for £50 more, so £100 return.

But my mission was to avoid these extras as much as possible and keep to the basic option. Here’s how I fared.

Baggage

The weight limit for carry on with Norwegian is 10kg across two bags – one small suitcase and another smaller bag. That’s not much at all when going away for a week. Still I can travel light and I aimed to pack as little as possible.

It’s always difficult to gauge weight so during Amazon’s Prime Day I snapped up a cheap luggage scales gadget so I attached it to my suitcase. 12kg!!

I ditched the laptop and charger, but that still wasn’t enough. So out went a few items of clothing. I was just over the weight limit but there was literally nothing else I could go without. I basically had clothes for each day and toiletries.

My hope that I could get away with it were dashed at check-in. All carry on bags were weighed. So in the queue I stuffed my coat and jeans pockets with as much as I could. Plug adapters, my kindle, swimming goggles, business cards, glasses case.

The final weigh-in was 9.6kg. I’m not sure how much the stuff if my pockets weighed but it would have been tight. If I’d been overweight, I’d have had to pay £70 to put my bag in the hold – double the advance rate.

Once through security I repacked, but had a fright at the depature gate. At random some passengers were having their bags weighed again! Fortunately I wasn’t selected and managed to get onboard with my slightly overweight bag at no extra cost.

On my return I decided to take the hit and pay £35 in advance. I’d bought a few things in a spare moment not working and didn’t want to risk the £70 fee at the desk. Fortunately I’d factored in that £35 against the prices I paid when shopping – otherwise it’d have been cheaper to buy things back home. But it certainly reduced my savings.

Result: Tough but possible if you’re going for less than a week and travel light. If you’re travelling as a couple then you could check just one bag each way. But I think most of the time you’ll need to factor in between £25 and £50 on top of the ticket price you see. 

Other airlines

On the flights I checked, just taking carry on with Virgin’s Economy Light fare saves you £50 each way, but there’s the same 10kg limit. You’ll pay £45 to check-in a bag if you change your mind or if your carry on is too heavy.

But if you’re travelling on BA’s Basic Economy then you have a much higher weight limit – 23KG per bag, and you get to bring a small handbag or laptop case as well as your suitcase. It looks like it’s another £30 each way per person to check in a bag. This is the best of the bunch.

WOW Air’s Basic fare only includes a small bag as carry on. And I mean small. Think laptop size. You need to pay close to £40 to bring a bigger carry-on suitcase, and that has a weight limit of 12kg, The airline also charges £51.99 during booking, and increases in tiers up to £74 if you are forced to check in hand luggage at the gate. That’s the cost one-way!

Seat choice, boarding and ticket flexibility

I was travelling on my own so I wasn’t fussed about my seat. At least not fussed enough to pay £50 extra.

If you don’t pay up front you have a seat automatically assigned to you on check-in. If you don’t like it you are meant to pay £25 to change it, though I’m sure if you ask nicely they’ll try to accommodate requests. I forgot to ask for an aisle seat, but I got one anyway.

If you travel as a couple or group on the same booking you should be sat together, but the only way to guarantee this is to pay. I’ve been on flights where families have been separated leaving kids on their own!

Equally if you want to avoid sitting by the loos, or like the idea of exit row seats, you’ll have to pay.

Boarding was the same for everyone, filling up the plane from the back to the front.

Flexibility also comes at a cost. You can’t change the lowest prices with Norwegian at all.

Result: While you can avoid the seat fee, I imagine plenty of people will decide to stump up the cash. Again, that’s at least £50 more for a return flight per person.

Boarding is trickier, but if you’re at the gate on time and among the first of your boarding group to get on the plane you’ll hopefully be ok.

If you think there’s a chance you might need to change the day or time you fly then the extra cost to have a (sort of) flexible ticket may be worth it, especially if you’re already paying more to check in luggage.

Other airlines

Both BA and Virgin will charge you extra to choose your seat in advance if you choose a basic fare. Virgin allows you to pick your seat at check-in.

Virgin has standard boarding, with no option to upgrade to priority boarding. On BA you are the last to get on the plane – no matter where your seat it. This could increase the chance you won’t be able to put your bags above your seat. You could even have them put in the hold if the plane is full.

Wow Air is a lot cheaper. It charges £7.99 for priority boarding and £3.99 to get a budget seat.

Neither Virgin and BA allow any changes with their basic fares. Again, this flexibility comes with the next tier of pricing – though you will pay further fees if you need to make alterations.

Food & drink

Food is the easiest win. Airline food is notoriously bad. At best its disappointing. It’s never good. Plus I always end up starving while I wait for the first meal, then stuffed when they bring out the second just a few hours later. So I’m very happy to skip in-flight food.

Instead you can either bring your own sarnies and snacks to get you through. My outward flight was delayed by three hours, so my expected two hours wait turned into five, and the flight was another nine. That’s a long time just on snacks!

So I grabbed a full English from Wagamamas (yes, really), and a meal-deal from Boots for a mid-flight meal. This was topped up by pre-purchased supermarket extras.

In total I spent £18 on food. You could say I’d have been better off just paying the £25 for the plane food, but I’d still have needed to get something beforehand. So I think I saved £15 on my outward flight by not adding this option to my ticket. The return flight was overnight so I go by just on a few more snacks.

I’ll always bring a few bottles of water with me. You can bring empty ones through with your carry-on bags, and most airports have a fountain for you to top them up. Even so, even Norwegian will give you free water if you ask nicely.

If you like a mid-flight tipple there’s obviously no alcohol included either. I’m not much of a drinker on flights, especially long haul. I get dehydrated enough without adding in booze. So it’s not a great loss to me. But if you do like your free wine or whiskey when flying, then bear this in mind.

There is the opportunity to buy food and drink on board with Norwegian. A bottle of water was $3 (roughly £2.30 at the time of writing), while a sarnie was $7. A small wine or craft beer was around £5.

Result: Due to my delay I spent more than I expected at the airport, but I still enjoyed a better meal and could eat on the plane as and when I wanted. And I did this for less than the add-on price. Though drinks are included in the £25 meal charge, I didn’t miss not having booze on tap. This is an easy saving for everyone.

Other airlines

You’ll get the full meal and drink service with all long-haul fares from BA and Virgin. It’s extra with WOW and must be pre-ordered.

Entertainment & extras

The film selection with Norwegian was pretty poor, and quite small. However I’d downloaded lots of programmes on the iPlayer and Netflix apps, and brought my Kindle, so it was no great loss.

There’s no pillow or blanket with Norwegian, but you still get this included with bigger airlines. Norwegian also charge $3 for headphones, so make sure you bring your own.

Result: These definitely aren’t worth paying more for if you’ve got the tech to use yourself. Bring a neck pillow if you need one and don’t forget layers.

Other airlines

You shouldn’t need to pay for headphones with BA and Virgin, and you should get a better and bigger selection of films.

You’ll also get your blanket and pillow with Virgin and BA. Saying that, the days of getting an eye mask and toothbrush from Virgin are long gone.

Conclusion

As expected, the reality of the low fare was that it was near impossible to travel without topping up – so always treat the headline price as a starting point.

You should be able to work around the extras for food, drink, priority boarding and the little extras. But I’d expect almost all of you will need to add on at least £60 for carry-on luggage, and potentially another £50 return to pick your seat.

The only airline where it could work is with BA with the higher weight limit on carry-on bags. Since you also get your food and drink included it’s probably worth paying a little more to fly with them than a cheaper airline where you need to buy add-ons.

October 4, 2018   |   Deals

Cheapest ways to watch The Walking Dead season 9

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Watch every episode of The Walking Dead without subscribing to Sky, Virgin or TalkTalk.

Season nine of The Walking Dead returns on FOX on 8th October and will be live every Monday after that for about eight weeks – and I’ve found a way for you to watch it for free!

If you’re catching up, it’s also possible to watch all the previous seasons for free – there have been 107 episodes so far! More on this at the bottom of the page, or jump with these shortcut links.

[box]  QUICK LINKS

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

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FOX is available if you get your TV from Sky, Virgin or TalkTalk, but these all come with expensive and long-term subscriptions.

However, there is a cheap and legal way to watch the latest episodes, and all the old ones, without committing to months and months of payments. It’s called NOW TV.

It’s like Netflix for Sky channels, and you can watch the programmes live, or on catch up for around four to six weeks. However you can’t download them to watch offline (yet).

The Entertainment pack costs £7.99 a month, and you don’t have to commit to any longer than 30 days at a time. It not only comes with FOX, but also Sky Atlantic, Comedy Central and Sky One.

 

Watch the new series of The Walking Dead (Season 9) for free on NOW TV

If you’ve not signed up to cashback site Quidco or NOW TV before you can watch the new series for free! In fact you’ll make a little profit.

Here’s how it works.

  • Sign up to Quidco via this special NOW TV cashback link
  • Search for NOW TV and then choose the Entertainment pass
  • You should be redirected to NOW TV and be presented with a special offer to get three months for £14.47. Choose this.
  • Quidco will then add £8 to your cashback account (it can take a while for the money to be confirmed)
  • You’ll also then get a bonus £10 cashback as a new Quidco customer

So for your £14.47 spend you’ll get £18 cashback, meaning you’ll be up £3.67. Plus you’ll be able to watch not just all eight episodes of the new series, but you’ll also have NOW TV until early January.

This deal stack only works for new Quidco members and new NOW TV subscribers. Do check the cashback rate as this can change daily.

> Get up to £18 cashback when you buy a NOW TV pass through this Quidco link

 

 The cheapest way to watch The Walking Dead season 9 for existing NOW TV users

If you’re not new to Quidco or NOW TV, there are still plenty of ways to save. I normally manage to pay around £3 a month by getting the best deals when they appear.

I regularly update out the latest offers in my NOW TV deals page, but your best bet at the moment is probably going to be to order a three-month month gift card from Amazon for £11.99, saving you 50% vs buying a pass month by month direct from your NOW TV account.

> Get three months of NOW TV entertainment for £11.99 from Amazon

> Find the latest deals and discounts for existing NOW TV customers

 

Cheapest ways to catch up on previous seasons of The Walking Dead

You can watch the previous season on Amazon Prime and NOW TV.

Watch seasons 1 to 7 on Amazon Prime for free

If you’re new to the series, you can stream series one to seven on Amazon Prime Instant Video. The 30-day free trial should get you through a couple of series. After that it’s £79 a year, though you also get other Amazon Prime perks.

> Try Amazon Prime for 30-days for free

Watch seasons 1 to 8 on Now TV and Sky On Demand

The only way to stream season eight is via Sky and NOW TV, which both have the added bonus you can watch the new season too, as explained above. It also has the other previous seasons, though this is only until the end of November.

> The best deals to get Sky’s subscription free NOW TV

 

Buy Season 8 on DVD or download

Your final option is to buy the DVD, Blu-Ray or digital copy.

The cheapest I found is at Amazon for £23 (DVD) and £29.99 (Blu-Ray).

Cheaper is to buy the season from Google Play and watch it digitally. It’s currently £13.99.

October 3, 2018   |   Articles

When online supermarket shopping goes bad – and how to fix it

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With Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Amazon all offering same-day grocery delivery, it’s never been easier to get your groceries brought to your door – and there are plenty of offers out there to encourage you to try. But is it worth it when you add in extra charges and ridiculous substitutions?

The pros of online supermarket shopping are pretty obvious. Yes, it’s convenient that I can order from my sofa. Yes, having heavy items brought to my door when I want them is great. And yes, there are no massive queues.

Even better there aren’t any bored toddlers screaming the shop down (though you might have that at home…). It can save you cash too if you stick to a list and avoid impulse “special offers”. Plus there are lots of discounts for new customers. All good reasons to order food online.

However, I’ve mixed feelings about online supermarket shopping. You might have spotted in the news this week that an Asda driver refused to help a heavily pregnant woman carry her shopping up the stairs. This isn’t unusal, and many supermarkets say they won’t carry the items up flights of stairs – some won’t even bring good beyond the front door. In this instance Asda apologised (and offered a bottle of champagne – for a pregnant woman!), but it’s just one example where online shopping supermarket deliveries aren’t as great as they sound.

I think the downsides can often outweigh any of the benefits. Still, even with these in mind, there are solutions.

When online grocery deliveries go bad – and how to fix it

I’ve eight key frustrations as listed below, plus how you can work around them if you feel the same.

1. Delivery charges and minimum orders

I hate to pay extra for any delivery. It’s probably unfair as there will obviously be costs involved, from the picker to the delivery driver – and if we drive to a supermarket instead we’d pay for petrol anyway.

Still it’s annoying that you can pay up to £8 a delivery. And all supermarkets have a minimum order, ranging from £25 to £60, sometimes forcing you to buy more than you actually need.

How to beat it: You can often cut the delivery costs by ordering for weekdays and off-peak times.

Plus by saving up certain items for one big order you might be able to get free delivery (e.g. Sainsbury’s is £100, Waitrose £60).

If you’d prefer to shop online almost every week then a few supermarkets offer Saver Passes, with greatly reduced delivery fees paid up front.

2. Quality of fresh produce & short use by dates

If I can I don’t order easily damaged fruit and veg like salad leaves or berries. These are the products I always inspect in a supermarket, making sure they aren’t too bashed.

But you can’t do that with online orders. Even if ones delivered have survived the trip, they rarely last long.

Often that’s because the use by or best before dates can be very short. It’s not just fruit and veg. I’ve had yoghurt, meat, bread and more which need to be eaten in a day – all things I’d avoid if I picked it myself.

How to beat it: If something arrives that’s not up to scratch, you can send it back when you receive the items.

If you don’t notice until later on, then get on to customer services. I’ve had bad items refunded to my card this way, but you’ll need to do this within a day or two.

3. Substitutions / missing items

It’s rare I get a full order delivered, and often the substitutions are a little odd, or just stupid.

How to beat it: if there are essential ingredients you need on a certain day, try to get that order a few days before. Then you’ve time to pick up any missing items at an actual shop.

Most supermarkets allow you to turn off substitutions, though seeing as you can reject unsuitable ones at the door I generally see what come along – even if I tend to send most back as unsuitable.

4. You can’t pick up reduced bargains

I unashamedly enjoy checking out the reduced aisle at the supermarket (to be honest I’m a little addicted). There can be real bargains found, and with online orders you not only lose out on this, you might even be paying full price for something that should really have a yellow sticker.

How to beat it: Sadly no online supermarket offers reduced stock (though there is Approved Foods – well worth a look).

5. It can take longer to shop

At a supermarket you can whip down an aisle and see everything available in just a few seconds. Online it’s death by scrolling, or just as bad it requires endless clicks of “show me more”.

How to beat it: Don’t browse. Instead just buy what you actually need. And since you’re in your home it’s easy to look in the cupboards and fridge to see what’s missing. It’ll save you money too!

6. Lack of available delivery times

The later you leave your order, the more inconvenient a delivery slot you’ll get. Plus they’re often more expensive at peak times such as weekends, or in the days leading up to Christmas.

How to beat it: Not only are some slots cheaper the further in advance, you can change your order with most supermarkets the day before, if not on the day. So if you think you’ll want a delivery just throw in a few expensive things (e.g. Champagne) to lock in your slot and process the payment. Then edit or cancel it nearer the time.

7. The bags

Please, no more bags…

How to beat it: Some supermarkets will allow bagless deliveries. I’ve started to order without bags from Waitrose and I bring a box to the front door. The delivery driver empties the food into this and I then carry it through to my kitchen. It adds a minute tops to the whole process. Or if you order via Ocado or Morrisons you can give back unwanted bags and get a refund for each one.

8. Late or early deliveries

Finally, despite booking a set slot, it’s rare my orders arrive during that time. More often they are late, or even early. That’s fine if you don’t have plans, but I generally do!

How to beat it: Sadly you’re at the whim of the driver here.

In part two of this series I’ve compared the services you get from the different supermarkets, including last delivery times, new member special offers, and whether the driver will take your order past your front door.

Read more about the different minimum orders, special offers and delivery charges at the different supermarkets in my comparisson article

What are loyalty card points worth?

 

October 2, 2018   |   Podcast

Cash Chats ep69

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This week on the podcast I’ve shared my Christmas money checklist.

There are just 12 weeks left until Christmas Day which means it’s time to think about how much you’re going to spend over the next few months.

Please do leave a review over on iTunes – and of course you can subscribe to make sure you don’t miss out on new episodes.

If you’d rather read than listen then I’ve written up this episode as an article which you can read in the blog section of the site.

Your Christmas money checklist

This week’s links

September 25, 2018   |   Articles

Tricks to save more money at Amazon

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Most of us shop at Amazon, tempted in by low prices or one of the many extras. And it’s often the case that once you’ve started shopping with the online giant you don’t stop.

That’s generally how it is for me. Not all the time, but the majority of my spending is via Amazon. A few clicks and then the next day the package is at your door. My headphones broke yesterday and today I should receive a new pair later today thanks to my Prime membership.

But it’s easy to get complacent with Amazon. Just because it’s usually cheaper, it isn’t all the time. You might actually you might be paying more for the convenience with a number of your purchases.

However there are a few tricks I use to make sure this doesn’t happen. And a handful more to save even more money.

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This article might contain affiliate links, which help fund the blog. However they won’t affect the price you pay or the blog’s independence. Read more here

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Watch the price history

Almost every time I shop on Amazon I head over to Camel Camel Camel. This fantastic website tracks the prices of every item sold, whether by Amazon itself or a third party.

The prices on Amazon are “dynamic” which means they move up and down all the time – often in reaction to price elsewhere. Camel Camel Camel allows you to see the average selling price and look for any patterns in fluctuations.

So if you don’t need something urgently it might indicate if you should wait – and what price you should hold out for.

1. Set price alerts

The easiest way to do this is to use Camel Camel Camel for price alerts. Simply enter the price you want to pay and you’ll be emailed when the price drops to or below that figure.

2. Check it’s not cheaper elsewhere

Whether you buy now or wait, the lowest price on Amazon doesn’t mean it’s the lowest price everywhere. Use sites like Idealo to make sure you’re not missing out on further savings at another retailer.

3. Grab free credit when you top-up

Amazon regularly gives away free money. Yes you need to spend a bit of cash to get this bonus credit, but if you shop at Amazon regularly you will spend it at some point anyway.

The most common offer is to buy an Amazon gift card or top up your Amazon account. You’ll then get free Amazon credit on top.

Usually this extra credit can only be spent on items sold or fulfilled by Amazon, but that should be easy enough to find. And though the gift card or top up will last 10 years, the bonus usually expires in a few months.

4. Earn cashback each time you shop

On Prime Day this year I picked up an Amazon Platinum Credit Card. Though the deal which gave me an extra £20 bonus comes and goes, you can still get money back every time you shop on Amazon with one.

I think it’s mainly worth it if you have Prime as this boosts your cashback from 0.75% to 1.5% on Amazon spend. You actually get 3 points for every £2 spent. On other spending it’s just 0.5%, whether you have Prime or not.

You get the payout as a £10 Amazon voucher each time you earned 1,000 points. That’s roughly £666 spent, so this is only for regular and high spenders. There are also better options for cashback credit cards if you shop elsewhere.

> Read more about this and other cashback credit cards in my guide

5. Wait for the big sales

The lowest prices at Amazon are usually during November’s Black Friday or July’s Prime Day. This won’t be for everything, and obviously you often need to buy things now, and not wait a few months.

But if you can time it for these big sales, you’ll not only pay less, you might also be able to pick up further discounts. This is especially the case for Amazon devices like Kindles and Echo speakers.

6. Get Prime – including a 30-day free trial

Of course the best of the deals on these days and throughout the year are usually reserved for Amazon Prime members.

Prime costs £79 a year, or £7.99 a month, but everyone is entitled to a 30-day free trial. You’ll not just get exclusive offers and extra savings. There’s also free next-day delivery and film and TV streaming.

> Get your Amazon Prime free 30-day trial

Sadly the days when you could take out the trial every 12 months seem to have gone. Amazon now says only “new members” can sign up.

However if you or other members of the household are yet to take advantage, then it’s well worth it. I’ll also refer you to the trick above… wait until there’s one of the big sales so you can max out the benefits.

Students get an extended six-month trial and then half-price membership for three years. If you were savvy enough to pick up an NUS card as a non-student then don’t forget to use this before your card expires.

> Read my review of Amazon Prime and it’s benefits

7. Check out daily and Lightning deals

Every day Amazon runs these limited time and limited quantity offers. These happen every day, but there are a significant number more during Prime Day and Black Friday – with bigger savings too.

There’s a huge amount of randomness here, making it tough to keep track. You will have missed that thing you want at some point!

The only way to track them is to check the tab on Amazon’s website each day. There you can see the deals of the day, available all day, and the Lightning Deals, which might only be available for a few hours.

It’s worth clicking ahead a few pages to check out the upcoming deals. You won’t know the price, but if there’s something you like the look of you can “watch it”.

When the deal you wants goes live you don’t ha e to refresh the page. It’ll change to active automatically so it’s worth having the webpage open beforehand. Then simply add to cart as soon as it comes along. Do that and you’ve then got a limited time to buy it.

If you missed out then join the waitlist. If someone had it in their basket but didn’t buy it in time it’ll become available again – if you’re fast it’s yours.

Once more Prime members have an advantage. You’ll get 30 minutes early access to all lightning deals.

8.Get free delivery

You can get free next day delivery with Prime, but if don’t want to pay for that delivery will cost extra on many orders.

Standard delivery takes three to five working days and costs £4.49 for most items, or £2.99 for books, music, DVD, video games or software. But it can go up to £5.99 for priority or one-day delivery.

However you can get free or cheaper standard delivery by spending £20, or £10 if you buy books. And there are a couple tricks to get you up to that total.

The cheapest is to add clothing to your order as these are, on the whole, the only items you can return for free if you don’t like them. Just check the item you add does specify this. It’ll have to be sold or fulfilled by Amazon.

Or if you’re not far off £20 look for “add-on” items. These are generally just a few quid – but cheaper than paying £4.49, and hopefully it’ll be something useful like batteries.

9. Earn digital credit

Another one for Prime members. At checkout look for “no-rush” delivery. This means you get standard rather than next-day delivery. But in return you get £1 digital credit to spend on videos, MP3s, ebooks or apps.

You used to be able to do this on any order and split things down to get multiple credits when you bought more than one thing. However recently it only seems to appear on baskets over £20.

Occasionally the credit will be for another Amazon service such as free Amazon Pantry delivery.

10. Order items sold or fulfilled by Amazon

If Amazon itself ships your order then I’ve found you get better customer service is something goes wrong. I tend to go via the web chat function, but you also phone or email.

How’s this money saving? Well it can stop you having to buy things again when they break. From CDs that never arrive to headphones that broke within warranty, I’ve been able to get refunds or replacements really easily.

11. Use Amazon coupons

Hidden away on Amazon are a number of coupons which you can activate to apply to your purchase.

It’s a random collection of products so it’s well worth a look to see if you can save some extra.

12. Subscribe and save

If you’re buying toiletries or food then it’s worth seeing if you can save with a regular subscription. If you order one items this way you get 5% off, and it goes up to 15% off of you order six.

There’s a certain amount of flexibility. So you can choose how often you want them delivered, and pause future deliveries if you don’t need them yet. I’ve used this feature for products as diverse as flour and tissues.

For regular deals and offers at Amazon, check out my regularly updated deal page.

Amazon vouchers & deals (May 2021)

September 18, 2018   |   Podcast

Cash Chats ep68: The death of the department store?

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Is this the end of Debenhams, House of Fraser and John Lewis? And what do their struggles mean for customers?

We’ve had all three major department stores hit the headlines over the last few weeks, so I’ve taken a look at what’s happened, including news that House of Fraser customers might not get their money back on cancelled orders and returned gift cards.

Listen here, or download at iTunes. If you’re over there, please do leave me a review and rating – it helps others find the podcast. Oh, you can subscribe too so you get every episode.

Show notes

I tried things a little differently this week. I wrote an article and then used it as a form of script. Of course I went off on tangents and added more detail, but for those of you who tell me you’d rather read than listen then you can get most of the detail below. You’ll also find the links I mention in the episode in the copy below.

House of Fraser customers losing out

House of Fraser has been troubled for a while, and last month it went into administration, only to be snapped up by Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley. I boycott Sports Direct, so it looks like I’ll be boycotting House of Fraser too.

But that doesn’t help customers who made orders in the days before the change of hands. All those orders were cancelled, with a promise of a refund. Now it turns out anyone owed money will have to apply to the administrators for their cash – which means there’s very little chance of getting much of it back.

Likewise anyone with unspent House of Fraser gift cards could lose out too. As I advised back on the podcast back in May, the risk with troubled retailers is gift cards become worthless if the shop goes under. And that’s what’s happened here. Existing card and vouchers are no longer accepted and customers with any that weren’t spent were asked to send them into Sports Direct. So far there’s been no news about what will be done with those which were returned, and following the announcement about refunds I imagine it’ll be a similar story here.

Which leads us to Debenhams

Debenhams under pressure

Debenhams is also in trouble – and there are rumours Ashley could have his eye on this department too.

Last week it was leaked that Debenhams management team brought in consultants to look at options. Then, since Sports Direct owns 30% of Debenhams, it was speculated that they’d try for a merger – or worse – hope to snap it up on the cheap if it enters administration too.

So even if it’s not on the verge of collapse, it’s certainly struggling.

So if you have any gift cards for Debenhams. Spend them now. And don’t get any or ask for any more.

Why are department stores suffering?

So why are these stalwarts of the high street not performing?

They aren’t particularly inspiring places to visit. I’ve been to Debenhams a few times recently as there’s one in my new hometown. It’s a ghost town. No one in there,

House of Fraser too. The one on Oxford Street in London was always deserted. Neither are enticing shopping experience.

That didn’t use to be the case – at least not that I remember

First to me a department store suggests that you were getting luxury. Now it’s all own brand tat or overpriced brands. And not very inspiring.

A big part of the romance was the window displays. The displays you get in the windows in New York, Paris can be fantastic. Apparently Andy Warhol started out designing window displays. You only really get something exciting here in London at Christmas. You simply can’t replicate that scale around the county.

Growing up, Christmas in particular was one of the special elements of a department store. That’s where you met Santa as a kid. Now you can do that in garden centres.

Another unique aspect should be the idea that you can visit all the departments in the same day. Now we’ve got big out of town retail parks with furniture, fashion and clothing next to each other on a scale few department stores can match.

And they were the main retailers to hit in the Boxing Day and New Year Sales. Now it’s just easier to shop online.

And online has got to be the biggest killer. And the department stores just can’t compete on price.

Ever since I started my blog in 2014 there have been “Brand Events” at House of Fraser and Blue Cross sales at Debenhams. These used to be once or twice a year sales. I think there’s been one every two months – at least.

These offered deep discounts across the stores in an attempt to get shoppers through the doors – or at least online.

But they’ve obviously not worked. In fact, they’ve had a knock on at the one department store you would have thought was impervious to the high street’s troubles.

John Lewis in trouble too

John Lewis – sorry John Lewis and Partners as it’s been renamed – announced last week that it had a drop of 99% in profits. It made just £1.2 million in the six months to 28th July.

The chairman says there are a few reasons behind this. First Brexit uncertainty and a weak pound as a result of Brexit.

But £40million pounds was lost on John Lewis’ “Never Knowingly Undersold” price match policy. A lot of that was matching the big, desperate sales at Debenhams and House of Fraser.

But I don’t think that’s the only problem. I’ve noticed a decline in what makes John Lewis so special – the customer service. That’s what it prides itself on, but it’s not as good as it was.

It’s small things. For example, harsher refund rules on electronics. My mum tried to return a phone that didn’t have a strong a signal as she hoped. The shop said she couldn’t return it as the box had been opened. Now I get that an opened box means it’s harder to sell again, but it’s a sign that they’re moving away from the friendly, supportive retailer you expect.

As it happens she was able to return it as she’d bought it online. But it’s one of the niggling things that I think is putting some customers off.

I don’t think we need to worry just yet about John Lewis. They’re in a better place than the other department stores. But it’s wasn’t that long ago the same was said about Marks and Spencers.

I’d love to know what you think about John Lewis. Has it got worse?

If you want to know more about the price matching, I’ve a video over on the blog. I’ll put the link with Be Clever With Yourcash.com/cashchats68.

Finally, while researching this week’s episode I found an interesting article in the FT on the history of the department store. If that’s something you want to know more about, I’ll also link to that on the same link.

Elsewhere on the blog this week

 

September 15, 2018   |   Articles

Bank switching: How I’ve made £1,900 in five years

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I’m a serial bank switcher. In total I’ve moved my banking business seven times – and it’s given me the easiest money I’ve ever made.

My first bank switch was five years ago in September 2013. This was when the Current Account Switch Service (CASS) launched, prompting banks to offer a number of incentives to get you to pick them. The most lucrative being the cash bonus – free money just for moving your account over.

Over the last half decade around one million switches have taken place each year. That’s a lot. But it means many more millions haven’t done it – or they’ve only done it once.

And all those people are losing out on free cash. If that’s you, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t switch now, and then do it again. And then a third time. And a fourth…

Just like I have. I’ve switched a number of accounts at different times, most of them using just one account which I use just switch – and get bonus after bonus.

The total gain of £1,884 over the five years and seven switches averages out as £376.80 a year, or £269 per switch. Seeing as each one took me no more than 30 minutes that’s without a doubt been one of my most profitable money hacks.

The only limit is how many banks offer a bonus and whether you’ve already got an account with that bank. The later ruled me out of moving to both First Direct and TSB – which would have been worth another £250 odd. I thought I’d used up all the options, but I managed another two this year.

What is bank switching?

It’s as the name implies. You move your account from your current bank to another. All your cash will be transferred across, as well as Direct Debits and standing orders. Plus any money paid in will forwarded over too.

Some of the offers that come with bank switching require you to have a couple of active Direct Debits or make a minimum deposit every month.

These promotions also require a “full switch” where you must close your old account as part of the move.

There’s also a Current Account Switching Guarantee which means if something goes wrong (it never has for me) you won’t be out of pocket.

How to switch bank

You obviously need a bank account already to switch. But if you don’t want to lose that one, or it comes with some other benefits, there’s a way to get around it – albeit it won’t be instant.

To do this you need to open up an account elsewhere (my pick would be Lloyds Club so you can nab some free cinema tickets), keep it for a few months, then switch.

When you switch you need to make sure the new bank is part of the guarantee (the logo should be prominently displayed in branch or on the website). During the application for this account you’ll be asked if you want to switch, and then you enter the details of the account you want to close.

Simple as that. You can usually set a date you want to switch to go through, and you might need to visit a branch to provide ID – I’d say this happens to me half the time.

You’ll get a new bank card, sort code and account number. Then you can carry on using it as you did your old one.

Keep on switching

All done and got the money? Great. After a few months you’ll be all set to switch again. And you can keep doing this until there are no more banks offering deals.

Do check the terms and conditions of the switching offer as some require you to stay a certain amount of time to get all the money. HSBC for example often runs a promotion where you get £150 within a few months and another £50 if you stay for a year.

Since you’ll be credit checked for each new account it’s worth spacing new switches out a bit, and perhaps avoid it if you’re planning a big credit application like a mortgage in the next six months or so.

My bank switching story

Below you’ll see all the switches I’ve made and how much I’m better off as a result. Then I’ve shared the best deals available right now. Though they’re not as good as they used to be, you can still make some decent cash.

My figures can be broken down by the cash bonus or reward I got for switching and then any ongoing benefits the accounts have which I accumulated while having the account. For a handful, I’ve also included a small amount of money I’ve not got yet but will get in the next year as a result of the switch.

But don’t forget, switching isn’t the only way to benefit from changing your bank. You can also open up new accounts without closing old ones and get access to high interest on savings, cashback on bills and free cinema tickets. I’ve easily made thousands more through these!

Switch one: Barclays to Halifax  (£310)

  • £100 switching bonus
  • £5 a month reward for 30 months = £150
  • £3 a month reward from Feb 2017 for 20 months until September 2018 = £60

Switch two: Santander to Nationwide (£665)

  • £78 cashback from TopCashback for switching
  • 5% interest on £2,500 for first year = £125
  • 1% interest on £2,500 for next 20 months = £42
  • 5% regular saver for first year (£500 saved a month) = £160
  • 5% regular saver for the second and third year (£250 saved a month) = £160 *
  • £100 referral bonus

* The third year doesn’t mature until early 2019

Switch three: HSBC to Yorkshire  (£150)

  • £150 switching bonus

Switch four: Yorkshire to Co-op  (£202)

  • £150 switching bonus
  • £52 cashback from TopCashback for switching

Switch five: Co-op to M&S  (£300)

  • £100 voucher on switching
  • £10 voucher every month for 12 months = £120
  • 5% regular saver for one year (£250 a month) = £80

Switch six: M&S to NatWest  (£125)

  • £125 switching bonus (into an existing NatWest account)

* I’ve not included the cashback on bills as I had this account already

Switch seven: Lloyds to Barclays  (£132)*

  • £11 a month (after fee) for 12 months for switching = £132

* I won’t get this full amount until next June

What you could do now

Most of the offers I used are either different or gone. But it’s still possible to make a tidy sum. As I write you can get

  • £200 from HSBC,
  • £185 in vouchers from Marks & Spencers Bank,
  • £75 from Halifax
  • Rewards such as a £150 Expedia voucher from First Direct.
  • £100 from Nationwide if another customer refers you.

Look out too for offers from Natwest and TSB which could well return. The deals change regularly, so I’ve got a page with all the different bank incentives which I update all the time.

The best bank switching, cashback, interest & overdraft offers (May 2021)