From freebies to money off, if we spot a great deal on beauty products we’ll list them here.
You can always get beauty discounts and freebies at various retailers. Here’s our pick of the best savings right now.
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.
Body Shop discounts
Before buying anything at Body Shop, look for a special offer. Sites like Vouchercodes or Vouchercloud always have one kind of deal or another, usually at least 15% off. It’s rare to get above 30% off now.
Also, take a look at your bank’s cashback offers. I’ve often seen extra discounts on Halifax and Santander’s apps.
£10 off £40 The Body Shop spend
You can currently get £10 off a £40 spend at The Body Shop using the code SAVE — but be aware that this puts you back under the £40 minimum spend to get free delivery.
Download the Lidl Plus app, and in the partner offers section you’ll find you can claim a free eye test (worth £30) and get 30% off frames, as long as you spend £50 on prescription glasses at Vision Express.
If you join Lush’s UK loyalty club then new or existing account holders can get a £3 welcome voucher if they sign into the latest version of the app before 8 October 2024.
You don’t need to do anything to trigger the coupon, though do check if it’s showing in the banner on the app or in the ‘Rewards’ section of the app.
You’ll be able to use the £3 in-store or on purchases via the app. It’ll last three months from activation.
You can get two or three full-sized products from Grüum (worth up to £43) for just the cost of delivery (£3.95).
There are several bundles to choose between, although some are often out of stock. The options include skin cleansers, shampoo bars, body wash bars and body oils, to name a few.
You have to pay £3.95 for delivery, but for a couple of products, that’s not bad.
You can get an unusual beauty subscription box from Liberty. If you deposit £25 per month into your Liberty “beauty bank” (essentially buying store credit), then you get a “Discovery Box” four times a year for £5 per month, worth a total of £300 per year.
You’ll still have the credit in your account that you deposited (except the £5 fee for each box), but it can’t be refunded or withdrawn.
What’s in the beauty box?
The box is called The Beauty Drop. You get four per year full of trial-sized products. They’re sent in January, April, July and October and they’ll be worth up to £300 throughout the year.
Remember that just because Liberty would sell the products for £300, it doesn’t mean they’re worth that for you.
The drawbacks
Your typical bank account has protection – you’re protected by up to £85,000 if your bank goes bust. However, your money in the “beauty bank” at Liberty isn’t protected. This means that if Liberty were to go bust, the money you have in the account likely won’t be refunded to you, much like a gift card.
You could mitigate this by spending the money you deposit as soon as you can and not letting a large balance rack up, but Liberty’s high prices might prevent this.
This is a decent opportunity to stock up on beauty essentials (and luxuries) as you can get up to 20% off at Space NK until 9 August 2024.
You must spend at least £100 before delivery (if shopping online) and the maximum discount you can get is £200. For website purchases use the code ‘EXPLORE’.
This includes rarely discounted brands such as Diptyque – only a handful of brands are excluded, which you can see here. You can’t use the deal on gift cards or sale items either.
Pay less for wine and other booze in the supermarket, shops and in pubs
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Spirit deals
Baileys: 1L for £10
You can currently get 1L of Baileys from Tesco for just £10 if you have a Clubcard. It’s £22 full price and usually this offer is for a 700ml bottle, so this is a great deal. Ends 9 December 2024.
Andy got the link to the deal after ordering the mini bottles below, which Laithwaites says you can share with friends and family. So we’re offering it to all of our Be Clever with Your Cash community, obviously!
Choose from four red wines, four white wines or four mixed.
Good Pair Days: free cooler set with your first box
If you sign up for the wine subscription Good Pair Days then you can get a free cooler (with a cheeseboard lid), wine tumbler and insulated bottle with your first box. Look out for a pop up with the promotion.
You need to put at least three bottles of wine into your box – these can be just under a tenner each. Delivery costs £5 but it’s free if you order four or more bottles – so adding an extra £10 bottle will only cost you £5.
Ultimately it means the four bottles of wine and the freebies could come in at around £40, which we think is pretty good.
When we looked at some of the wines elsewhere they were £1-£2 cheaper, so this subscription box isn’t value for money without the freebie. Remember to cancel the subscription if you don’t want to continue it.
Zoe in the team has tried it and the actual cooler, tumblers and bottle are great quality, and the wines (so far) have been decent.
Sign up to the Virgin Wine Bank and you’ll be able to buy six bottles for £29.94.
But there is a catch. If you don’t stop it, the Virgin Wine Bank will take a default payment of £25 every month to add to your account for future purchases. You’ll get 20% extra added to your credit.
However, it’s easy in the account to pause or reduce this payment. To cancel you’ll need to get on live chat, on the phone or send an email. You can also withdraw unused money.
You can choose between six white, six red or six mixed.
There are lots of beer-related offers out there, so I’ve set up a separate page to help you save money on craft beer from supermarkets, specialist shops and online beer clubs, including discount codes for Beer52 and Honest Brew.
Investment firms often give incentives like free cash to get you to give them your money.
These offers are extra cash payments and freebies you can get via starting an investment. We’re only sharing these promotions as a way to get some free cash rather than a recommendation of individual investment platforms or funds.
If you are wanting to invest for the best returns then we recommend you do your research and look elsewhere as these won’t necessarily have the lowest fees. And remember, the value of investments can go up as well as down.
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.
Free share offers
When you open these accounts you can open up an ISA and a general investing account. If you haven’t used your full £20,000 ISA allowance this financial year, and you don’t plan to do so before 5 April, then that’s the best account for you as any gains you make will be tax free.
If you can’t or don’t want to add any more to an ISA, you can opt instead for the general investing account. In this account you’ll only pay tax on profits after selling your share if it brings you over the Capital Gains Allowance – which is £3,000 in 2023/24.
Trading 212: Free fractional share worth up to £100
Going via our link in the button below will give you a free fractional share on the Trading 212 app if you’ve never had an account before. The value of the share is between £8 and £100.
When I signed up a few years ago my freebie was for General Electric and valued at $10.70, which converted to £7.92.
You get the free share if you sign up by this link or entering the code BCWYC. It’s only eligible for the Trading 212 Invest account (a General Investment Account) or Trading 212 Stocks & Shares ISA. It won’t work for the Cash ISA or CFD accounts.
Once the account is open, you then need to add at least £1 to your account within 10 calendar days. You can keep that in the account and choose to invest it, keep it as uninvested cash or you can withdraw it.
It will take about three days for the share to be added after adding the £1. You can sell your free share as soon as you get it, but it will take 30 days for you to receive the cash. Or you can keep it invested.
Remember, the value of any money invested, which includes your free share, could go up or down.
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Cashback bonuses
Cashback via ISAs
If you sign up for a Stocks & Shares ISA via Quidco or TopCashback you will be able to earn some cashback. Among the providers you can choose between are:
Scottish Friendly Investment ISA,
Scottish Friendly Junior ISA,
Shepherds Friendly Junior ISA,
Shepherds Friendly Stocks & Shares ISA,
Foresters Friendly Society,
Fidelity Stocks and Shares ISA
Moneyfarm Stocks and Shares ISA
Interactive Investor ISA
Nutmeg ISA
Make sure you read all the terms and conditions of these accounts, for example you might need to keep investing for a number of months, and there might be exit fees if you take the money out before a set date.
One we spotted required you to keep your money invested for five years or pay an exit fee.
There are often extra bonus cashback rates offered for short periods, often towards the end and the start of a financial year.
Again, this is a great hack to get bonus cashback. If your priority is investing you might want to consider other platforms.
With Scottish Friendly you’ll also get access to further deals (see below).
Remember, new users of the cashback sites can get a bonus on your first purchase. More details here.
Remember, we’re just sharing offers here and not recommending any individual ISA investment platforms, so do your research before applying.
InvestEngine: Up to £2,500 ISA transfer bonus (expired)
Transfer your existing Stocks & Shares ISA to InvestEngine and there’s a bonus ranging from £20 to £2,500 available.
You need to be a new InvestEngine customer, though do check in the app if you already have an account as you might find a similar offer.
The offer ends 31 May 2024, and you must keep the amount you transfer in the new ISA for 12 months AFTER you get the bonus, which will be within 30 working days of the offer ending. So that means you may need to keep your cash invested there until the end of June 2025.
Since transfers can take a while, you just need to start the process by the end of May this year to qualify.
It’s the initial amount you transfer that qualifies you for the bonus, not the value of your investments at the end of May 2025. Here’s how much you can expect:
Open a Stocks & Shares ISA with Trading212 before 30 April 2024 and you’ll get 1% cashback on your deposit.
Since the most you can add to a new Stocks and Shares ISA is £20,000, the freebie is capped at £200.
You must:
Open a Trading 212 ISA for the first time
Activate the ISA between January 29, 2024 and April 30, 2024
Have an active Trading 212 Invest account
Be a UK resident aged 18 or above
The cashback won’t count towards your ISA allowance, but you won’t be able to access it for 12 months.
To ensure you’re eligible, its worth clicking on the Trading 212 ISA tab on the app and seeing if the offer shows. If not, keep an eye on your email as you might be sent confirmation of the offer later.
Remember, under the new rules you’re able to add money to more than one Stocks & Shares ISA in a financial year, though you’re still limited by the £20,000 annual allowance cap.
Open an ISA with Scottish Friendly and you’ll get access to “Friendly Rewards” which offers discounts at cinemas, shops, restaurants and more. I use it to get 6% off each time I do the shopping at Waitrose. There’s also the chance of cashback on top.
It pays to get the lowest price, even after you’d bought something.
Shopping around is key to getting a decent price. You can do this by using comparison sites such as PriceSpy or Idealo. Now, you’d think the next step would be to buy the items at the cheapest shop.
But actually it can be advantageous to actually buy it elsewhere if that shop has a price matching policy. And you can even sometimes price match after purchase if prices dop again.
Here’s more about how price matching works, and where you can take advantage.
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 price matching
Price matching is exactly as it sounds. A retailer will sell you an item at a lower price if it’s sold for less elsewhere.
This isn’t just about the listed selling price. You can also often price match voucher codes and sale prices.
John Lewis is probably the most famous shop to offer a price promise, with its “Never Knowingly Undersold” slogan a key part of branding. Though it was closed a few years ago, the department store brought it back in the summer. And it’s not alone – you can also take advantage at shops including AO, eBay and Curry’s.
I’ve done price matching a number of times, from smaller items such as Diptyque candles through to a new TV and sound system. When we did our kitchen a couple of years ago I got our oven, fridge, freezer, dishwasher and flooring for hundreds of pounds less – all thanks to price matching.
And it’s not just “things” you buy that can be price matched. It’s possible to save money on hotels, holidays and other services if you look around. You can even find supermarkets matching the prices on some items sold by competitors.
It’s not just about getting a lower price
Since the price you pay will end up the same you might be thinking surely it’s easier to just buy it at the cheaper shop in the first place and avoid all the hassle.
Well, price matching to a different store might give you additional benefits. These include extended warranties, free delivery or longer return rights.
You might even be able to stack on extra savings on top, such as using a cut-price gift card or cashback. All of these can be worth a little extra, whether financially or just in terms of peace of mind.
Some retailers will beat the lower prices
Also, you might find a retailer will give you extra money off the lower price you find at a competitor.
It’s also worth checking if a high street shop will match its own website if there’s a difference in price (this does happen!).
Price matching after purchase
Best of all, some shops that price match also allow you to price match if prices drop elsewhere after you have bought the item. This is a great trick to use during big sale periods such as Black Friday.
I’ve actually done this a few times – even after I’d already price matched to get a lower price. When the price dropped again I was able to put in another claim and get the additional discount refunded.
So it can sometimes pay to choose a shop that offers this over another even if they are the same price – just in case there’s a significant drop later on.
First look for a cheaper price. I tend to use sites such as PriceSpy or Idealo to compare. Or just a quick Google search can do the job.
Every retailer has a different policy, but in general you’ll need to provide proof that you’ve seen the item on sale elsewhere for less. This could be a webpage for an online retailer, or the price matching shop might want to phone up a physical shop.
You’ll also need to check that the shop does price match the place you’ve found the cheaper option. They might only price match certain competitors.
Some retailers will have a phone number you can call to put in your price match claim. Others have a form you fill in.
You generally have to wait for confirmation that your item is price matched before you can buy it, though some let you do it retrospectively. In this instance, you’ll also need to provide proof of purchase.
Once you’ve bought something it’s worth keeping an eye on prices for as long as the price promise lasts. To help you can set price alerts on both Price Spy and Idealo which will email you if the price does drop.
What can stop price matching
However, not all shops have a price matching policy, and they won’t always match every price you find.
The key one to watch out for is retailers that only match certain other shops. Many also exclude online-only retailers (i.e. they don’t want to price match Amazon!). Even some sellers which have a showroom or two can be excluded – often the case for the low prices found online for appliances.
The items will usually have to be the exact same model, colour, size and so on. This can prove frustrating if there’s a slight difference, and many retailers will only sell a version that’s exclusive to them that can be hardly noticeable.
The price must also be available to everyone – which means you wouldn’t be able to match a member or staff discount. Others might not match clearance sale prices, or some voucher code uses.
Items also usually have to be in stock at the cheaper retailer and available for delivery. Or if they’re in smaller local retailers you might find you have to live within a certain number of miles.
You might also find it’s rejected if there’s a difference in extras such as the type of delivery or the length of warranty on offer. For instance, if the cheaper model has one year but the price matching retailer offers two years then the latter can claim it’s not the same package.
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This isn’t an exhaustive list, but I’ve highlighted some of the big retailers across a range of products and services that are worth looking into.
Just because somewhere isn’t on the list doesn’t mean it won’t price match. It’s always well worth asking if a shop has a price promise – even an unofficial one.
If you know of any more retailers that offer this service, then please do let me know via the comments.
All Beauty price matching
You can price match in advance at All Beauty if you find the product for less at selected retailers including Boots, LookFantastic, House of Fraser and The Perfume Shop.
As well as price matching before buying, there’s the option to request a price match seven days after purchase, although this is “at their discretion”.
AO price matching
To price match at AO you need to call their team with the product code of the item you want to buy and the link for where you’ve seen it for less. You can price match up to seven days of buying an item – great if the price drops again.
Retailers price matched:
UK retailers and websites selling UK products
Beaverbrooks price matching
Beaverbrooks will price match up to seven days after purchase if you find the items advertised cheaper by an authorised stockist with a physical store. Discount and voucher codes will also be matched if they can be verified at the time of reviewing the price promise request
Blacks price matching
You’ll not only get the difference back at Blacks but an extra 10% too. The price promise is valid for seven days after purchase. However, you can’t match the price against shops also owned by the parent company JD Sports, which includes similar shops Millets and Go Outdoors.
Booking.com
Matching hotel bookings can be a bit of a faff as it’s often hard to find the exact same listing as the booking sites often have a slight variation, such as check-out times or free breakfast.
But it’s certainly worth a look, and Booking.com is one that offers a refund if you find the exact same room and dates for less elsewhere. You need to contact them at least 24 hours before your check-in date.
Curry’s price matching
Call up Currys price matching team before you buy and share where you’ve found it for less. Currys will match both high street and online prices, including the use of voucher codes and offers, but not member exclusive discounts.
Normally, you can make a claim up to seven days after purchase, but it’s usually extended over Black Friday. In 2024, you can make a claim on purchases between 30 October and 2 December, as long as you let them know by 9 December. If you bought in-store you’ll need to go back there. If it was online you can use a webchat.
Retailers price matched:
Any UK retail store or website
Deichmann price matching
Deichmann price match if you find an identical pair of shoes on sale at any UK high street or online retailer at a cheaper price within 14 days of purchase.
As well as the price match they also give an additional £1 to the customer. Price matches and refunds are processed by Deichmann sales staff in-store or by the Deichmann Customer Services team by emailing [email protected]
eBay price matching
You can even price match at eBay! It’s only for new items sold on the Amazon, Currys, Argos, Asda, John Lewis and Tesco websites. You apply online and if successful will be sent a voucher to use on your purchase within 24 hours.
You can only ask for one price match per day per eBay user and it’s only in advance of purchases – not after.
ebuyer.com states that their prices are lower than competitors. But if you find any of their products cheaper elsewhere within 7 days of purchase, contact their customer services and they will match that price and refund the difference.
However, this will only be as credit on your account, and that has to be used within three months – so it could be that there isn’t anything you want or need to buy from them that doesn’t require you to spend more on top of the credit.
Euronics price matching
Euronics offer an in-store only price match guarantee and may include discount codes advertised by competitors. The price match policy is only available prior to order completion and can not be claimed back after the purchase.
The Fragrance Shop price match
You can match prices instore on the day of purchase at The Fragrance Store. However they won’t match promotions or bulk discounts.
Retailers price matched:
Boots
Superdrug
Debenhams
The Perfume Shop
House of Fraser
John Lewis
Selfridges
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Goldsmiths price matching
Goldsmiths jewellers offer a price match promise, in-store and online. For in-store price matches, the competitor must be within 15 miles of the store the price match is requested in. For online price matches, the competitor must be a national authorised stockist.
Go Outdoors price matching
Similar to the Black’s price promise, you’ll get 10% back on top of the difference. However you do need to have a Go Outdoors Discount Card which costs £5 a year.
Halfords price matching
With Halfords it’s just the published selling price that is price matched – so you can’t use any additional vouchers or offers on top, such as buy one get one free or clearance. You’ve seven days after purchase to make the claim.
You can also price match instore if the items is sold for less on the Halfords website.
Retailers price matched:
UK based
Within 10 miles if price matching a service
H.Samuel price matching
H.Samuel is another jeweller that offers a price match promise online where they will price match jewellery or watches if you find them at a lower advertised price.
There is an easy online form to submit before purchase, but for in-store purchases I can only find information about price matching watches which they will do in over 300 stores nationwide
Hughes Electrical price matching
You can phone Hughes Electrical or use a live chat or webform to request a price match before or up to seven days after purchase.
They’ll match:
AO
Currys
Marks Electrical
Richer Sounds
Jessops price matching
Jessops only price matches against prices at authorised retailers for the brands they stock. It won’t match clearance prices.
Retailers price matched:
Argos
Currys PC World
Park Cameras
WEX
They also run a Black Friday price promise where they’ll refund the difference if your purchase with made between 1 and 28 November 2024 with is reduced during those dates.
John Lewis price match
The John Lewis Price Promise that returned in September 2024 was different to the one we were all used to pre-2022. For a start it’s limited to seven rather than 35 days after purchase to make a claim.
And the other change is only 25 retailers will now be accepted – though that does include Amazon now. We’ve gone into more detail how John Lewis price matching works in a separate article.
Mamas and Papas price matching
Companies trading in the UK can be price matched at Mamas and Papas, but not any closing down. You can do this in advance or within 14 days of your purchase. Retailers must have a UK high street presence.
Richer Sounds price matching
If you buy with Richer Sounds and find it cheaper you’ll get an extra discount on top of the difference up to 14 days after purchase. You can also price match in advance.
The beat the difference promise ranges from £5 extra on products up to £300, through to £100 on anything over £4001.
Wickes price matching
Wickes’ price match promise is in-store only. It’s valid before a purchase and up to seven days after. You’ll only be able to match with shops within 10 miles of the Wickes you shopped at.
With 10 million customers and counting, Monzo’s popularity has swept across the UK as customers flock to get their hands on its hot-coral card. The digital bank led the way with a variety of features to help customers manage their money from the comfort of their phones.
From spending insights and overdrafts to opening a savings pot, you can handle most aspects of your finances from the Monzo app. This review focuses on Monzo’s standard free-to-use current account rather than the paid-for options.
Find out how Monzo works and whether it’s worth getting an account.
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 Monzo?
Monzo is a digital bank that is operated entirely through its smartphone app. It started its days back in 2016 as a prepaid card, but Monzo is now a fully-fledged bank with millions of customers across the UK.
Monzo has upgraded its features over time, and now offers several types of current account and other services like borrowing, savings and even investing products to help you manage your money. We’ll be putting our focus solely into its free standard current account for this review, though we also have reviews of its Extra, Perks and Max accounts.
Types of Monzo account
Monzo’s expanded its offering over time, so it currently offers seven different types of accounts, with another on the way soon.
One of the reasons Monzo is as popular as it is is the app. This is where you manage your Monzo account as there aren’t any branches.
Design and customisation
The design of the Monzo app has been through a few iterations over the years, with the latest one a major update to the home screen design.
A big part of this is customisation, so you can choose what you see and where. Straight away it makes it a lot easier to see your main Monzo account, and access key features such as your card and get statements.
Above this you’ll see selected insights into your spending, while Pots can also be reordered and customised, giving you the choice between the “classic look” (with pictures) or a list.
You still have the Trends, Payments and Help tabs at the bottom of the screen to quickly jump between these sections. You’ll find more settings by hitting your initials (or a photo if you’ve set this up) in the top left corner.
Categorisation and notifications
When you make a payment, you receive a notification about the transaction, along with how much you’ve spent that day. The transaction is also automatically assigned to a category. With the standard account, you’re limited to a set number of categories, but they pretty much have all the ones you’d want, including groceries, shopping and bills.
It’s easy to change the category of a transaction, and when you do, it offers to change similar past and future transactions in one go, so you don’t have to manually change several transactions in a row.
You can also add tags and additional notes to your transactions to help sort your payments – this is particularly helpful in the joint account to better communicate a transaction.
Budgeting features
One of the big benefits of Monzo is that it helps you budget effectively. Although, if you really want to get into the nitty gritty then you might be better off with a third-party budgeting app.
Monzo offers “Monzo Trends”, which gives you an overview of your finances in the app, both on the home screen and in a separate tab.
Here, you can see your individual and combined balances across your different Monzo accounts and any Pots you’ve set up and track your spending and see how much you’ve paid for different categories of expenses.
For example, it’ll show how much you’ve spent on things like transport, entertainment or groceries to name a few. It also lets you compare your spending insights month on month to highlight any changes.
You can set targets for your spending each month — this can be broken down into specific categories as well. This will then show you how much you have left to spend of your overall budget (and for each category if you’ve set specific targets for those).
In addition, you can create up to 20 Monzo Pots. These can be used for different expenses, such as bills, food, and nights out. This is very similar to the “jam jar” or envelope budgeting method.
You’re also able to see a list of all of your regular outgoings each month including bills and subscriptions.
More on Monzo Pots
Monzo Pots can be customised with pictures and bespoke titles.
These do not have their own sort codes and account numbers so you’ll mostly need to manually transfer cash into them, however, you can set Direct Debits to come out of specific pots – handy for allocating cash each month for things like bills. If there’s not enough in a pot, Monzo will pull cash from your main account — so you don’t have to worry about a transaction declining if you’re a little disorganised.
Monzo’s auto-savings feature allows you to round up your payments on the card to the nearest pound and it puts the extra money into a pot for you. This can build up to a nice chunk of change over time!
You can connect to a service called IFTTT (If This, Then That) to trigger auto savings. This can be anything from the 1p savings challenge through to moving money when an event happens such as rain. It’s a unique feature which might make it easier to add to your savings without any effort.
Integrations
The Monzo app is secured with biometrics or a passcode. You can also be emailed a “magic link” to log in.
You can use Monzo with a great deal of apps that let you connect your account via Open Banking, including Cheddar, Emma, Plum and Airtime Rewards.
In addition, you can use IFTTT, which we touched on earlier. This can be used for auto-savings, but there are actually a fair few different things possible with this, from ridiculous (saving money whenever you Tweet) to sensible (putting your transactions into a spreadsheet or taxing yourself when you get a takeaway).
These are, realistically, a bit of fun, but they could help you save money in alternate ways, like doing more steps – yep, you can connect it to Fitbit. You can even connect it to your Octopus Energy account and put away money when you save on energy.
You can pay with Apple Pay and Google Pay, as well as using a smart watch like a Fitbit or Samsung Watch.
You can decide if you want a lower cap for contactless spending, set by default at £100 for single taps and £200 cumulative before you need to enter the PIN. You can also block transactions to gambling websites and services through the app.
Monzo allows you to check your PIN and debit card details, including the CVC, in the app. You can also copy these to paste elsewhere, though I find this doesn’t always work.
If you think you’ve lost your card, you can freeze it in the app to stop payments from going through until you find it.
Virtual cards are limited to the Premium account holders. If you think you’d like an account that offers virtual cards, Starling might be a good option.
Sending and receiving money in the Monzo app
If you need to send or receive money, you have a few different options.
Firstly, you can easily share your account number and sort code via messenger, email and other apps. It preps a message for you with all the details, so you don’t have to go back and forth.
If you’re requesting money from people, you can send them a QR code or create a unique Monzo.me link in the app for people to pay you back. You can choose the amount you’re asking for, too. You can use this to pay people, too.
How to find your Monzo.me link
It’s a little tricky to remember where this is in the app if you don’t use it regularly. Go to the Payments tab at the bottom of the app, then click the QR code icon at the top of the screen. You’ll then find a “Share link instead” button on this page. You can also access it from the “Request money” selection.
If you have friends on Monzo, you can split bills and payments in the app by selecting “Split bill” from the transaction. You can find people with Monzo accounts nearby if you’ve got Bluetooth turned on, too. Great when you’ve just had dinner with your friends and don’t want to faff with entering bank details.
If you’re regularly splitting bills with the same people, such as your partner, you can also set up a shared tab. This is similar to what Kroo offers, as it lets multiple people assign transactions and choose how to split the payments, and then it works out who owes who what when you choose to settle up.
What happens to my Monzo account if I lose my phone?
If your phone is lost or stolen, you can freeze your account to prevent any payments or transactions from being made. You’ll just need to log into Monzo’s emergency webpageto activate the freeze. It’s a really basic version of Monzo that only allows you to see your accounts, check your balance, view recent payments from the last 90 days and freeze or unfreeze your card.
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As a current account, Monzo is pretty decent. It’s a good choice for using abroad, although other accounts definitely trump it, certainly for longer holidays.
Account basics
You get Monzo’s classic hot coral card with the account, although there have been promotions that can get you another colour when you refer friends. The card is sent out for free and you can get a replacement for free if you lose it.
In addition, you can start using the card before it even arrives by setting it up with Google Pay and Apple Pay.
You’re also able to set up or amend standing orders or direct debits directly from the app.
To pay in cash, you need to deposit it at a PayPoint. Monzo charges a £1 fee for making the deposit. You can deposit £5 to £300 at one time, and can pay in a maximum of £1,000 every 180 days. It appears in your account within ten minutes.
You can pay in cheques with your Monzo app, too. These previously had to be posted, but you can now pay in a cheque up to the value of £500 using your phone’s camera.
There’s a £10,000 daily transfer limit to UK bank accounts. This is lower than most banks typically offer, with Chase offering £25,000 and Revolut letting you transfer £50,000 per day. Starling is higher than this, at £1m.
Unlike most other banks, there’s a limit to the amount of cash you can withdraw — you can take out up to £400 every 30 days in the UK (after that a 3% fee applies). However, if you’re using Monzo as your main bank there are no limits at home or in the EU.
How to make Monzo your main bank
If you want to lift some of the limits with the free Monzo account you need to do one of the following:
Pay in £500 and have one active direct debit in a rolling 35 day period
Have a student loan payment made into your account in the last rolling 8 month period
Received a DWP payment in the last rolling 35 day period
Have a joint account with someone who’s met one of the above conditions
You can switch your bank account to Monzo using the Current Account Switching Service (CASS). This is likely to satisfy at least one of these points by default.
Can I use Monzo abroad?
Monzo is a fairly decent account to use abroad. You can spend fee-free all around the world, and if you have it as a “main account”, then there’s no cap on cash withdrawals in Europe either.
However, if not, then you can only withdraw up to £400 for free per month in EEA countries. All users are capped at £200 of withdrawals in non-EEA countries. If you go over these limits a 3% fee applies.
This isn’t the best account on the market — Chase offers fee-free spending and withdrawals and 1% cashback on your spending. Check out our roundup of the best debit and credit cards to use abroad for more.
Monzo account fees
Although Monzo’s standard account is free to use, the following fees may kick in for certain payments or services:
Cash withdrawals in the UK: Monzo charges 3% on cash withdrawals over £400 in a 30-day period in the UK.
Cash withdrawals abroad: A 3% charge applies to withdrawals over £400 in EEA countries and £200 in countries outside of the EEA.
Cash deposits: You’ll have to pay £1 per cash deposit into your Monzo account
Card replacements: Monzo charges £5 for card replacements unless you meet the criteria for 2 free cards per year, your card expires, is stolen or you’re the victim of fraud.
You get free card replacements if you use Monzo as “more of a bank”. Monzo doesn’t exactly explain how they decide this, but it’s likely to be regular money in and out of the account. You’ll get two replacements per year per account.
Monzo overdraft
Monzo offers an overdraft on its account. Depending on your credit score, this could be 19%, 29% or 39% to use it. These rates are lower than most other banks, but it’s still an expensive way to borrow and there are better options.
You can borrow up to £2,000, though Monzo chooses this based on your credit score and current borrowing.
Monzo keeps a tally of how much your overdraft will cost you each month based on the amount you have overdrawn and for how long. This stays at the top of your account, so you can keep tabs on the cost.
Other things you can do with the Monzo current account
Monzo has a few additional features, including a salary sorter, loans, credit cards and a teen account. Here are the details.
Salary sorter
This feature splits your salary across different pots, such as money for spending, bills and savings. It works for any sums over £100 coming into your account with one of the below payment types. You can choose your sorting settings within 72 hours of money entering the account.
Eligible payment types include:
Bank Transfers
BACS
Cash Deposits
CHAPS
Cheques
Peer to peer
Get paid early
If your salary is paid into Monzo, you can be paid the money at 4pm the day before. This is for BACS payments up to £20,000. This is simply Monzo clocking that money is due to enter your account and passing it over a day early. It isn’t considered to be borrowing, so it won’t impact your credit score.
16-17 account
Younger students aged 16-17 can apply for a Monzo account as well. The Monzo 16-17 account works in the same way as the standard one, except there are spending blocks built into the account for age-restricted things like gambling.
Mortgage tracker
You can connect your mortgage to the Monzo app and track your payment progress, explore overpayments and get more insights. Though, how useful this will be is questionable.
Loans and credit cards
Monzo offers loans of up to £25,000 for eligible account holders. It also offers Monzo Flex, which is basically a credit card with Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL). You can split the cost of your purchases into instalments over three, six or twelve months with this.
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Monzo rewards
Monzo’s not offered much in the rewards space during its time, but it’s slowly improving this.
Savings rates with Monzo
To save money with Monzo, you can make use of the Pots feature to separate money from your main account. However, to earn interest on this money you’ll need to open a specific savings pot. This pays 3.6% at the moment, though there’s an account at 4.02% via Shawbrook too. Both can be beaten with other savings accounts.
Monzo switch and referral offers
Monzo doesn’t offer any switching deals currently, though you can still switch as you would to any other bank using the Current Account Switch Service (CASS).
We have a round-up of the best bank switching dealswhich will tell you which providers are offering top-paying welcome bonuses, cashback and rewards if you switch to them.
You can get £5 for you and a friend if you refer a friend.
Cashback with Monzo
Monzo launched cashback in late 2023.
You can’t earn cashback on all of your spending, as Chase offers. Instead, Monzo has a list of participating retailers, where you can earn cashback on your spending. These change fairly often, with Monzo notifying you each week of your cashback offers. At the time of writing, I can get 3% cashback at Sainsbury’s, 5% from Just Eat and 10% from Krispy Kreme.
These need to be loaded before you can use them, and cashback will go into a separate pot, so you can keep track of what you’ve earned. We’ve written a full guide on how it works.
You can apply for a Monzo account for free, here’s how:
Download the app: Search “Monzo’” in the App Store or Google Play, then hit download. It’s worth seeing if any friends already use Monzo as you might be able to get a £5 referral link to use when joining.
Personal details: You’ll fill in the first section of the application with personal details such as your name, home address, employment status and phone number.
ID checks: Monzo will then verify your ID by asking you to snap a picture of your ID. You can use your passport, driving licence, national ID card or biometric residency permit. Then record a selfie video.
Choose your account: Once your ID is confirmed you can choose your Monzo account and card.
Activate your card: You’ll need to activate your card in the Monzo app to start using it. (It usually takes a couple of days for it to arrive at your home address).
Will there be a hard credit check when you apply?
Monzo is one of the few UK current accounts that doesn’t perform a hard search on your credit report when you apply – as long as you don’t apply for any borrowing such as an overdraft or Monzo Flex.
This means it can be a good “dummy” current account for bank switching. Though be aware that if you switch away you’ll have to wait at least 30-days to open another – and there’s no guarantee they’ll offer you one.
Is Monzo safe?
Monzo is a fully-fledged bank and is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). That means that it’s legally required to treat customers fairly and protect their funds.
Up to £85,000 of the money held in your Monzo is protected by something called the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).
This basically means that if Monzo goes bust, you’ll be able to get up to £85,000 money back.
However, if you add money to some linked savings accounts (though not all), they may held with other banks. It’ll be clear who this is (if it’s not Monzo) when you open that savings pot.
What is the FSCS scheme?
FSCS protects up to £85,000 of your money held in banks regulated by the FCA. It’s important to note that the protection applies to a banking licence and multiple banks can be held under each one licence.
So, let’s say you have three current accounts with different banks under the same licence – e.g. Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, that means the £85,000 coverage would be split across all three, rather than applying to each account. Here’s more.
Will Monzo close my account?
There are often reports of Monzo closing or freezing bank accounts – there’s even a Facebook group devoted to impacted customers. And they’re not the only bank to come under fire for this, NatWest, Barclays, Monese and Revolut have also hit headlines for bank account closures too.
Ultimately, as with all banks, Monzo has the power to freeze, block or close your account to protect other customers.
Some of the reasons why they might close your account include:
Unusual activity: If they suspect your account is being used for criminal activity it may be blocked or closed. (This includes if their fraud systems pick up that someone else might have access to your account to protect your money from being stolen.)
Risky customers: Any account holders that are flagged as a risk to Monzo or other customers may have their accounts closed.
Police instruction: Monzo will close your account if they’re asked to by the police as part of a financial crime investigation.
We don’t think it should be something to worry about over other banks. Monzo argues they might appear to close more accounts, but that’s because their technology means they’re better equipped to spot dodgy behaviour.
However, they won’t always get this right. So if you are affected, then contact the Financial Ombudsman.
Positive reviews of Monzo’s standard current account highlighted the ease of use, app features and savings pots.
Negative reviews of Monzo’s standard current account had issues contacting customer service and getting their queries resolved.
How to get help with Monzo
Monzo is a completely digital bank and doesn’t have any physical branches for you to visit. So, most of the customer service is managed within the app.
You can get in touch with Monzo’s customer services team 24/7 with urgent queries by tapping the “help” tab and starting a chat (at least you should be able to – check out the next box if it doesn’t appear for you).
Why isn’t the chat function showing in Monzo?
Though some Monzo customers will be able to easily click to chat with Monzo, some users won’t find this option (including our Editor Andy). Luckily we’ve uncovered a workaround.
On the Help tab, type “Contact support” in the search box, and it’ll pull up a page where you can open up a chat via a link called “Tap here to get started”.
You’ll see some preset options, and even if these don’t relate to your query you can keep answering questions until you’re shown the option of “ I need to chat with someone”
Monzo also offers customer support via call between 7am and 8pm. You can call for free on 0800 802 1281 if you’re in the UK or +44 20 3872 0620 if you’re calling from abroad.
There are some things Monzo can’t help with over the phone though. This includes sharing account information and updating your mobile number or email address registered to your account. (You can update these in the settings on your app).
Pros and cons of Monzo
Pros
Simple to set up and use
Lots of budgeting features and some spending insights
Fee-free spending abroad
Automated savings including round ups and your own scheduled savings pots
Ability to combine with IFTTT to boost savings
Potentially lower cost overdrafts
FCA-regulated and FSCS protection
No credit checks unless you apply for an overdraft
Cons
3% charges on cash withdrawals over the free allowance in the UK and abroad if it’s not your “main account”
No bank branches or face-to-face customer support
£1 fee for each cash deposit you make (and you can only deposit £1,000 every 6 months)
You have to pay for full functionality
No virtual cards on the free account
No bank switching offers
Summary: Is Monzo any good?
Beyond the fandom, Monzo’s standard current account is a decent all-rounder for spending and budgeting.
The redesign is a return to a more intuitive experience, and it still offers lots of features that help you get to grips with managing your money, setting budgets and saving too.
Little things like being able to view your debit card number or PIN make paying so much simpler as well (though of course, many others offer this too).
Overall, if you’re looking for an easy way to budget and manage your everyday spending, it’s worth giving Monzo a look – as long as you’re comfortable with a fully digital banking experience.
However, we think there are better options, which we’ve listed below.
For an everyday banking experience, Starling still has the edge in our opinion. Plus there are no limits on cash withdrawals and the ability to use the Post Office for cash.
Chase is also very easy to use but comes with the added bonus of 1% cashback at home and abroad.
Alternatively, you could look at a reward based account from more established banks that have much-improved apps as well as access to high street branches (as long as they’ve not been shut down). Freebies include free Disney+ from Club Lloyds or £5 a month from Halifax Rewards.
And, when it comes to saving, you’re probably better off automating the money you’d like to set aside to go to an account with another provider. This means that you’ll be able to take advantage of the best savings rates out there.
£5 back when you spend £15 at small shops won’t return this year
Every year, American Express runs a Shop Small offer giving money back for every £15 spent at small businesses. You can get money back from shops, restaurants, pubs and even places like hairdressers, galleries and dentists in the form of a statement credit.
But it won’t be returning in 2024. Here’s everything you need to know.
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What’s happening to Amex Shop Small in 2024?
One of my favourite perks for being an American Express customer has always been Shop Small. You’d spend a set amount (most recently £15) and get a fiver back. It encouraged you to support local businesses and make some money!
However in recent years it’s got smaller and smaller. reducing how many times you could use the promotion and how long the offer ran for. Last year it was just three times over just three days – a far cry from the two weeks and 10 redemptions from not too long ago.
Well, American Express has quietly killed it off completely in 2024. Their press office told me that a competition announced last month is instead of the cardholder credit offer, rather than as well as.
If you want to take part in the competition, cardholders can nominate their favourite independent retailers.There will be 50 cardholders who win £1,000 credited to their card. You can enter 10 times until 7 December 2024, though it has to be a different shop for each nomination.
In addition, 10 of the nominated small shops will get a £10,000 grant.
Hopefully that’s not it, but it certainly looks like it.
When is Amex Shop Small 2024?
American Express won’t be running in 2024. Small Business Saturday will still be happening, and this takes place on Saturday 7 December 2024.
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How Shop Small 2023 worked
Though it won’t be back this year, here’s how it ran in 2023.
The pretty big change was a reduction in how many times you can use the offer
Earn £5 back for a spend of £15 or more (before 2021 this was £5 for every £10 spent)
You can get the offer at up to three different small shops (previously five shops in 2021 and 2022, and before that in ten shops)
There’s a cap of £15 earned per card (previously £25 in the last two years, and £50 before that)
It also lasted for just three days. THREE. This reduction was a huge difference to previous years. In 2022 it lasted for 10 days, down on the 13 of winter 2021, and 16 days in the years before this.
Other conditions stayed stay the same, including the rule that you can only earn a Shop Small credit once per retailer, per card.
Here’s how could take advantage of the offer when it was running, and how to double or more your access to the credit. Note the following all refers to the offer as it ran in 2023.
Add the offer to your card
The offer isn’t automatically applied to your account. You need to “add” the offer to your card to take advantage. If it’s not showing right now, keep an eye out in the week. You’ll be able to find it in the offer section of your online account or app.
Throughout the year you’ll also see other decent offers. Over the years I’ve gained £250 off a £500 United flight, £20 back from a Eurostar trip, 10% off LNER bookings and £100 back from a £250 hotel booking spend – and there are plenty more. I reckon I easily make another £50 to £100 each year from these offers, sometimes much more.
Add it to your partner’s card
If you’ve got an additional, or ‘supplementary’ card on your account for your partner, then make sure they also add the offer to their card.
This means you can both take advantage of the promotion, and it also means you can shop twice at the same retailer – once with each card.
You’ve got time to request an additional card if you don’t already have one – though since you are responsible for any spending on the card make sure the person you give it to won’t go on a spending spree.
Apply for an extra American Express credit card
You’re also not limited to a single American Express card. Since the offer is per card not per person if you get another card or two in your name it increases the retailers you can spend at. Remember to perform an eligibility check before applying.
It might even be that you can get a welcome bonus on a second or third card as the Platinum and BA Premium Plus have different eligibility conditions, depending on which cards you already hold. I’ve written more about how to get multiple Amex signup bonuses here.
It’s easy to always buy things at the same big shops, or visit the same places. Well, this is your chance to try new stores and businesses.
Some of the businesses I’ll be looking out for:
Off-licences – great for stocking up on wine and beer
Corner shops – again, good for booze, but also food and random household things
Cafes and restaurants – plenty of places to get a cheaper lunch or meals out
Bars and pubs – don’t forget about hotel bars too
Small boutiques – a good opportunity to find small gifts
Museums and galleries – even if you don’t want to see an exhibition, check out the shop or cafe
Services like dentists, dry cleaning or picture framing
Buy gift cards
If there’s nothing you want to buy right now but you know there will be purchases you’ll make at specific businesses in the short term then you can buy a gift card using Shop Small and it should track fine.
Just remember there are risks with gift cards. They can be lost or expire, or the business can go bust before you get to use the voucher.
Stack your savings
I love a good deal stack, where you use multiple promotions at once. So when you’re using Shop Small, look for other offers. A really good one is the set menu at participating restaurants.
Split the bill
If you’re using Shop Small at a restaurant and you’re with someone else using Amex, you can split the bill so you both get the credit. Be careful if you do this with more than one of your own cards as I’ve seen reports of cards being cancelled as a result – though it’s not happened to me.
Pay off the card each month
Obviously you should only spend money you can afford, so though it’s great to support small businesses, especially now, only spend money you have. It’s vital you don’t get charged interest on your purchases so try to clear the full balance each month.
How to find out what shops are taking part in Shop Small
Lots of shops will have a Shop Small sticker in the window, but there’s an easier way to check who is taking part.
On the American Express website, you can use a Shop Small map with a postcode tool that shows you all the businesses near you.
It helps to zoom in and refresh the map as it won’t display every shop if you’re looking at a large area. You can also filter by shop, entertainment, eating and drinking, travel and ‘services’.
Make sure the Shop Small logo is displayed in the search results, otherwise you might be seeing just a retailer that takes Amex but isn’t part of the promotion. Ticking the Shop Small filter will help avoid this.
Last summer it was a bit erratic (some local shops were showing up as in the middle of the Atlantic ocean!). Hopefully the issues I spotted have been fixed.
What if the shop says it’s not taking part in Shop Small?
I’ve had this happen to me a few times. It’s listed on the map as taking part, but when you go to pay you’re told they don’t take American Express.
It’s frustrating and potentially embarrassing. At a shop you can just say you’ve changed your mind, but in a restaurant you don’t have that luxury if you’ve already eaten!
If this happens, make a note of the shop and keep your receipt, then call up Amex. They’ll investigate but as long as it’s on the map with the Shop Small logo they should pay you the money. This tends to happen to me once each year and I’ve always had the credit applied.
What if the Shop Small credit isn’t applied?
When credit is applied to your account it says which retailer it relates to. This should happen within five days. But sometimes the credit doesn’t come through.
As above, if you’ve paid with American Express at a shop that’s listed as part of the promotion but the credit isn’t added to your card you should call up. They’ll probably ask you to wait for 90 days after the offer ends.
I’ve had this happen a few times, so it’s worth keeping track of where you’ve spent the money and what hasn’t come through so you can ask for the manual credit.
Who pays for Amex Shop Small discounts?
Don’t worry – the money all comes from American Express. So the shops and retailers won’t be out of pocket at all. You genuinely are helping shops by using this offer.
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The changes to the promo in 2021 changed how I take advantage, and that’s even more so with the latest cuts in 2023.
Where as over the last few years I’d mainly spend in restaurants and bars, using it as an opportunity to enjoy a meal out with a little discount, that’s going to be harder over a weekend, especially over multiple cards.
So this year I’ll also look out for retailers that sell gift cards. This means I can extend the offer by a few weeks and months. Though be careful here not to forget you have the voucher or let it expire.
How to get an Amex credit card for Shop Small
If you don’t already have one, you can still apply for one and should get it in time for the promotion. It could take up to two weeks for your card to arrive, though it’s usually much quicker. Even so don’t delay if you want to use it during Shop Small.
(A quick aside, if you don’t feel confident you’ll be able to pay off your spending every month, then don’t even apply! The interest charges will far outweigh the benefits you get).
Right now there are a couple of boosted refer-a-friend welcome bonuses, which is normally a great extra. You can get the increased deals via:
Save money on beer from the likes of Brewdog, Beer52 and more.
This page is dedicated to special offers, sales and vouchers which will help you get already cheaper beers for less, or make rarer and more expensive small-batch beers more affordable.
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Free beer
Free 4-pack of Beavertown for Londoners
You can currently get a free four-pack of Beavertown Satellite Super Session IPA. All you’ve got to do is sign up via this link, purchase a pack from a London Co-op and upload your receipt using the link you’ll have been sent to claim the money back. You can get up to £7 for a 4-pack.
This offer ends on 30 November 2024 or when 3,600 cashback redemptions have been made.
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Beer 52
Beer52 is a monthly subscription box full of beers and there are always deals out there to save on your first box. Alternatively you can also buy individual beer as you please via an online beer shop.
Also, from time to time Beer52 also offer heavily discounted boxes of beers that are close to or just past the best before date. They’re still good to drink, and I once picked up a fantastic Stone Brewery box with 8 beers for about £12. I’ll add any of these deals I spot below.
If you don’t want to keep getting beers in subsequent months, which will be charged at the full price, you’ll need to cancel. You can choose to take holidays if you’d rather where you miss the odd month.
We’ll tell you how to find the cheapest flights, give you tips to keep the costs down, and we also lift the lid on all the so-called hacks to make your air travel as cheap as possible.
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Make use of flight comparison sites and trackers
Google Flights, Skyscanner and Kayak are just three of the many flight comparison sites out there that can help you find the cheapest price possible for the flight you want.
If you are particular about a date and a place you want to fly to, then you can set up alerts on all of these sites. Then just sit back and leave the comparison sites to tell you when it’s best to book. If the price drops (or dare we say rises), these alerts will let you know.
Alternatively, if you are not fussed about the exact date you want to fly, then you can use comparison sites to look at a whole month and use this to pick the cheapest dates.
This works too if you’re not set on a particular place as you can simply input ‘everywhere’ as your destination and see the cheapest places to visit in a particular month.
Using this method, you can even find great priced flights in the busiest travel months of the year. For example, input the month of August 2024 into Skyscanner with ‘everywhere’ as the destination and at the time of writing you’ll find return flights available to book for less than £50 to Denmark, Norway, Italy, Luxembourg, Germany and more.
Check for codeshare savings
Codeshares are a type of flight where one airline operates the flight, while other airlines may sell seats on it. Sometimes exactly the same flight is cheaper when you book through one or the other airline. You can check who will be operating the plane by checking the flight number.
That said, you will need to watch out for transatlantic flights as US airlines aren’t part of stronger EU rules on delay compensation – even if you booked via an EU or UK partner.
Book budget flights earlier rather than later
Tickets are often less with budget airlines when they first go on sale. As seats sell, fares tend to increase in price with the most expensive ones close to travel.
However, buying early doesn’t mean they won’t get cheaper, since airlines often run promotions, but generally with budget, the earlier, the better.
Watch out for flight brokers
When you use sites like Skyscanner and Kayak, you’ll usually see prices from third party agencies, and these can often appear to be the cheapest option.
Booking through them should be the same as booking via a travel agency but we’ve seen several stories where the price changes or different flights are booked.There have even been cases where bookings haven’t been even made and customer service has been non-existent.
Do a little research before using one, as most have plenty of customer reviews. If there isn’t a great deal of difference in price, then it might be better going with the airline directly or using a more established agency such as Expedia or eBookers.
To keep the costs down when looking for flights, consider flying indirect routes, as these are almost always cheaper. You can do one way or both ways indirectly.
It is best to book as one trip rather than booking individual legs separately, so you’ll be covered if you are delayed on any flight and will get moved to a later connection.
For peace of mind, it’s always best to choose connecting flights that give you at least one hour to get from plane to plane as you may need to go through customs or pick up your luggage on the way. This varies depending on the country you are passing through, so always allow yourself enough time so you’re not running to your next connection.
Just a heads up, when looking at indirect flights be aware that there are some connecting flights which require you to switch airports. I’ve seen this for US flights where the connection is in New York and you land in JFK but take off on the connecting flight from Newark airport.
You would have the cost and hassle of lugging your cases across New York, making that low cost indirect flight you found, not quite as good as you once thought!
Make a stopover
If you don’t fancy extending your flight time or enduring lengthy layovers in the airport when flying indirect, it could be better to extend the interim stop and spend the night there. You’ll often save some cash and there’s the benefit of getting to visit another destination on your trip.
Go “open jaw”
An alternative to a stopover is an “open jaw”. These flights are booked at the same time but depart from and return to different airports.
A few years back, editor Andy flew from London to San Francisco and returned from San Diego to London. This allowed him to spend a day in San Francisco before getting a separately booked short and cheap flight to San Diego. All three flights combined were actually cheaper than flying direct to San Diego!
To find options look for multi-destination options in search options. Or, if you want to book the additional flights yourself, we also like the site Skiplagged to find potential routes.
Fly into other airports
If a town has multiple airports or if there are alternative airports that are easy to travel to then it’s worth checking prices at each of those for both your departure and arrival. Do check exactly where these are though as you could find you’re adding on more time and money to actually reach your final destination for some.
You may actually find these smaller airports have less queues at passport control as they’re often quieter. I have also found with car hire it has been cheaper to pick up and drop off at the smaller airports. Obviously this is not always the case, but it’s worth checking all the costs involved with travelling before booking your flights.
Keep luggage costs down
The first price given on most airline websites is the cost of the flight without hold luggage, so if you want to keep the flight price as it is, then you need to travel light.
Now there are some circumstances where you have to take hold luggage such as if you have large cosmetics, golf clubs or a big suitcase. But rather than book the upgraded economy ticket to include this, work out the price difference if you add these as extras – it can sometimes work out cheaper.
This can really save cash when booking for multiple people as the airlines apply a seat upgrade to all the tickets you are booking. Since you won’t necessarily need a hold suitcase for each person, you can just book all the travellers at the basic rate and then add on the amount of hold luggage you’ll be taking as an extra.
This is how I book flights for my family as we never need 5 suitcases – I book the most basic ticket and add on 2 additional suitcases.
If you are adding sports equipment as an extra, such as golf clubs, and there’s space, think about packing your clothing and toiletries in with the equipment (up to the permitted weight), rather than paying for an additional suitcase. The additional padding from the clothes protects your sports equipment too!
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Make your carry on luggage allowance go further
Different airlines offer different carry-on luggage weights and size limits, but here are the airlines with the best carry on allowance included in their most basic fare, that we found:
Norse Atlantic 40 x 30 x 15 cm, no weight limit
British Airways 56cm x 45cm x 25cm and 23kg + a personal item like a handbag or small rucksack
Virgin 23 x 36 x 56cm and 10kg plus a personal item small enough to fit under seat in front (no weight specified)
Using the free carry-on luggage allowance to its max, which with some airlines will be a small suitcase and a rucksack, may mean you don’t actually need a large suitcase in the hold and this could save you money.
Make sure you read up on what you can put in your carry-on luggage as there are restrictions on liquids among other things.
Still need more room? Think about stuffing clothes into your neck pillow. You can buy one specifically designed to do this, or if you already have one with a removal cover, ditch the cushion and fill it with pants, socks, t-shirts and other soft clothes and you have a luggage carrier that’s also a comfortable neck pillow – great for those long haul flights.
Don’t pay to book seats when you book your flight
To book airline seats or not to book seats? A question everyone wants answered, but there’s no right or wrong answer.
If you want to ensure you are sitting with your travel companions or, if you have a preference for a particular seat on the plane, then expect to pay a hefty price to guarantee this. The airlines are really cashing in when it comes to seat allocation and you can expect to pay anything from a few pounds to a few hundred pounds to guarantee your seats.
But Which? recently surveyed the major airlines who, all but Ryanair, confirmed they have systems that will always try to seat groups on the same booking together.
So if you check in as soon as you’re able to, you should in theory get to sit together, as long as there are seats available. Now if the flight is busy and lots have decided to pay upfront for their seats, then this may stop you from getting seats together.
But you can keep checking the seat allocation on your flight right up to check-in. By going to the ‘manage my booking’ section of the airline’s website, you’ll be able to look at what seats have been taken and what’s available by doing a mock seat purchase.
The reserved seats will usually be greyed out so you’ll be able to see how much space is available on the flight and make a call as to whether it is necessary or not to pay to reserve seats.
If you’re willing to wait until check-in to select seats, ensure you check in at the soonest you can. This will vary by airline, also by ticket type and even by loyalty card status. For example, BA bronze executive club members get to select seats one week before departure whilst for Blue members and non-members it’s 24 hours.
Check your options if you’re travelling with kids
If you’re travelling with kids, then most airlines will aim to sit you together or as close as they can. Again it’s no guarantee, but they do go out of their way to ensure this happens so you don’t have to pay to reserve seats.
RyanAir is a bit different and allegedly it separates parties unless you pay to reserve seats. To guarantee sitting with your children, they insist you pay to reserve a seat so bear this extra cost in mind before booking.
Make sure you pick a good seat
Before you book your seats, use a site like seatguru to find out which seats are the best and which ones should be avoided, as it maps out each plane and colour codes seats according to how good they are. If they’re colour coded green, then the seat has had a positive review.
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If you collect the various airline points, then don’t forget to check the price of flights by paying with points in part or in full as you may be able to snag yourself deal.
Most of the time we think you’re better off swapping your Avios into Nectar and shopping around for flight deals, but if you have companion vouchers you may be able to save on your tickets.
Use “incognito” or private browsing
Experts differ with their opinions on whether this actually happens or not but some say that flight websites use tracking cookies when you’re looking for flights to change the price if you’ve searched for the same route a few times. It’s been reported that you might even get higher prices if you use an Apple Mac rather than a PC.
There’s no guarantee you’ll get lower fares, but if you use the incognito option in Chrome or private in Safari you can hide your search cookies from them. Just remember to close the windows and open new ones for each search.
Sign up for deals
Sign up free to Jack’s Flight Club and get an email every week with the best flight deals they have found. There’s also a premium membership at £39 a year where you’ll be sent even more deals. I’ve not signed up for this, but if you have the flexibility with work and family to get away on a whim, it could well be worth it.
Secret Flying is another site worth looking at if you want a rock bottom price for a flight and are open to different destinations.
Tastecard, Dine, Meerkat Meals, Gourmet Society and Hi-Life Diners Club all offer good deals on dining out, but are they worth shelling out for?
You know me, I’m always looking for deals and discounts, and dining cards seem like a fantastic way to save some cash when eating out. But could you just be paying for something you don’t really need?
Rather than review them individually, I’ve compared what you get with each of the options and shared not just how much they cost, but whether they represent good value for money.
What restaurant discount cards are available?
There are currently four main options:
Dine Club
Gourmet Society
Meerkat Meals
Tastecard
How do dining cards work?
Sign up for one of the memberships and you’ll have access to discounts at thousands of restaurants in the UK. You can find out which restaurants are participating and what you’ll save via their websites and apps.
Once you join you’ll either be sent a physical card to put in your wallet or a digital card you access via an app on your phone.
Some restaurants require you to book in advance, but plenty allow you to just turn up. Let them know you’ve got one of these cards, present it when you ask for the bill, and you should get the money off your meal. Easy.
What discounts are available?
The offers used to be quite different, but now they are pretty similar. If there’s more than one type of deal it often depends on the individual restaurant which one applies.
Tastecard: 2 for 1 or 50% off, plus 25% off Caffe Nero
Meerkat Meals: 25% off the entire bill, 50% off pizza delivery
Gourmet Society: 25% off the whole bill including drinks, two for one meals or 50% off food
Anything to watch out for?
A few things you need to be aware of:
There are often exclusions on weekends, and some restaurants don’t let you use the card in December
Some restaurants have a limit of two people per card, though some let you use more than one card on a table
You might also have to book in advance
They will auto-renew! Make sure you cancel soon after you buy the card to avoid this as full-price is often (though not always) a rip-off. You’ll still be able to use it for the length of your membership and you can then look for a better deal if you choose to renew
I’ve had restaurants I’ve visited tell me they’re no longer accepting the cards, even though they’re still listed, so it’s worth checking before you turn up
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You’ll find some restaurants on all or most of the memberships, while others will only be on one.
Ultimately, which is best comes down to where you live and the type of place you want to eat. So if your local fave you often eat at is only with one membership, then that’s possibly the best for you.
There are plenty of chains too. You can check which restaurants are near you on the various websites and apps.
What free trials are there?
Half of the memberships offer free or £1 trials, with periods ranging from 30-days up to 90-days.
A year of Meerkat Meals can be picked up for around £1 using a simple little trick – and you get Meerkat Movies too.
With the others, an annual membership is likely to be the most cost-effective once you’ve had the free trials.
You can also choose to pay month by month for some of the memberships, which works out more expensive over a year, but possibly cheaper if you only need it a few times a year. And the £1.99, 24 hour deal from Dine Club is great to use if you’re not a frequent restaurant goer.
What extras can you get?
Tastecard and Gourmet Society have discounts on cinema tickets and days out whilst Meerkat Meals goes hand in hand with Meerkat Moveis.
The cinema offers tend to be discounted tickets at most major chains and some independents. This is pretty good, but as my ultimate guide to ways to save at the movies shows, there are other ways to save – often with bigger discounts. And you have to be careful that your local cinema doesn’t have an offer that beats this.
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Should you get a restaurant discount card?
I think these memberships can each be really good value – but it mainly depends on four factors:
The price
If you have paid around £40 you only need to eat out two or three times to break even. As long as you’d do that anyway, it’s a no-lose situation and you will start saving afterwards. If you think you’ll use the cinema discounts too, then even better.
The discount
Two for one is great for two people, not for three. And though one card might give you 50% off food, another might give 25% off food and drink. Depending on how much you spend on booze, you might find the lower discount actually saves you more money.
The restaurants near you
It’s always worth checking what’s available near where you live and work as these are the places you’re more likely to visit – and then check if there are other savings you can get for free.
Will you actually use it?
I found that when I lived in London there were so many quality restaurants I wanted to eat at that I rarely used my membership cards. I’d rather enjoy my meal or try something new than go somewhere simply because there was 50% off.
But of course, if your fave place to eat is listed, then these can be brilliant ways to spend less when eating out.
Andy’s top tips
I’d recommend taking out the trials rather than buying one straight away. This will help you see just how much you will use one. If it’s not much, then you know these might not be for you.
And you’ve always got the option with most to take out a monthly membership. Though your savings per meal will be less, you’ll be better off in the long run.
Do try, if you can, do support local restaurants though over the chains. So many are shutting their doors that our support can make a big difference.
