SAVVY shoppers can multiply their savings this Boxing Day and beyond by combining a bunch of wily money-saving hacks, HOAR can reveal.
The post-Christmas sales will slash prices on hot items, but you can save even more by scouring the internet for cashback offers and discount codes to use on top of bargain prices.
Here we show you how to get the most out of sales season – and throughout the year.
1. Find a great offer
HAVE a look online to compile a detailed list of Boxing Day deals on what you’re looking to buy.
This is also a great way to get inspiration for a master wish list you can work from even after the sales have ended.
When we contacted retailers to get their best Boxing Day offers, Lakeland sent us a deal on a Nespresso coffee machine that was on sale for £79.99, reduced from £179.99.
River Island’s white faux fur coat – originally £90 – is on sale today for 50 per cent off at £45.
2. Use a price-comparison site
ONCE you’ve found a cracking deal, use a price comparison site like Pricerunner, Kelkoo, or Google Shopping to check that you’ve got the item for the best price.
This alone can save you loads as some items vary greatly in price from retailer to retailer.
I need a new coffee machine myself so I ran the Lakeland Nespresso machine through Google Shopping to make sure Lakeland had the best deal and found AO.com had the same machine for £69 – 13 per cent cheaper.
This goes to show that even when you have found a great price it’s worth double checking on a comparison site – you never know how much more you might save.
You can also use a browser add-on like Pouch or Honey while you shop online which scans the internet for discount codes you can use to boost your savings.
If any are found, they will be automatically applied to your basket at checkout so you don’t have to do a thing! You can also search for discount codes manually but this can get fiddly and time-consuming so we recommend sticking to cashback or using an add-on like Pouch.
Just keep in mind that these codes often can’t be used along with cashback offers (more on those below) so you may need to weigh up which will offer the greatest savings.
If what you want isn’t on sale – or is still too pricey – head to a site like Idealo to set an alert for what you are willing to pay and it will email you when the price drops to this.
You can also see the item’s price history on Idealo so if you find it was priced lower a few months back, it is likely to return to that price again if you’re willing to wait.
If you’re an Amazon person, you can use CamelCamelCamel.com to do exactly the same for items sold on Amazon.
3. Get some cashback
YOU’VE found a great price – and now you can save even more with cashback sites like Quidco and TopCashback.
Clicking through from Quidco can earn you 1.5 per cent cashback on that Nespresso coffee machine for an additional saving of £1.04. On the River Island coat it would net you 8.25 per cent cashback or an extra £3.71.
Retailers pay these cashback sites every time a customer clicks through from them and buys an item and that fee is split between the cashback site and customer.
Just note this money does not come off at checkout. It is paid later and your money will be stored in a dedicated account on the cashback site and you can transfer these rewards into your bank account.
If you already have cashback rewards on Quidco, you can swap them for store vouchers – and get a payment uplift. For River Island it’s an 8 per cent boost meaning you get £108 for £100.
Currys and AO.com don’t have that option on either Quidco or TopCashback but many other stores, restaurants, and firms do. For example, there’s a 5.5 per cent uplift at Primark with TopCashback, or 25 per cent uplift at Virgin Experience Days with Quidco.
Remember it can be a few months before the money can be withdrawn so you may not get immediate access to your funds.
4. Use card for more cashback
YOU can bump up your savings by taking out a cashback credit card, many of which offer promotional deals for new customers.
The American Express Platinum cashback card offers 5 per cent back for the first three months (capped at £125) then 1 per cent after that on spending up to £10,000.
Just make sure you treat this card as you would a debit card and pay the full balance off every month to avoid the interest, which could wipe out your cashback savings.
This would knock another £3.45 off the Nespresso machine bringing the grand total down to £64.51 – a total saving of £115.48.
The cashback Amex would get you an extra £2.25 off the River Island coat bringing the final price down to £39.04 – saving you more than £50 in total.
