The post I’m Going On Tour – Secrets To Saving Money LIVE! appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>It’s been several years in the making – to take the best money saving tips around the country in a live show. Find out the dates and places below!
If I had to combine my 2 favourite things of going to the theatre and learning about ways to save money – I’d be in heaven. If you’re the same, then you’ll be as excited as me with this news.
From January – March 2022, I’ll be going on tour with a show called ‘Secrets To Saving Money LIVE!’ to 6 locations around the country.
What Can You Expect From Secrets To Saving Money LIVE?
Tips to save £100s a year that you might not know, prizes up for grabs, freebies for every attendee and a free night out.
Whether you want to learn more bargain hunting ways, or think of yourself as an expert – there should be something for everybody!
I’m honestly so excited to be doing this – it’s something I’ve wanted to do for such a long time.
After the past 18 months that we’ve been through, it was so important for me to do something to put a smile back on people’s faces (and have a free night out). Hopefully this does just that!
How Much Are Tickets?
I’m delighted to say that tickets are FREE at every venue!
It was important to me after the awful few years we’ve had to get people out for a night of entertainment at a local theatre for free – and save some money too.
As the events are expected to be extremely popular, free tickets will be slightly oversubscribed to make up for inevitable no shows. It’s recommended you arrive early to claim your seat.
There is also a paid for ticket option costing £5, that gets you a seat already reserved at the front – so you won’t need to worry about getting there early.
Sponsors
It would not be possible to get tickets away for free without the backing of my sponsors for the event.
I had a vision and a dream for the event, and if it wasn’t for them, it wouldn’t be a reality.
Please do check out the sponsors for this event (all money saving companies), and show them some love!
What Cities Am I Visiting?
I tried my absolute best to cover as much of the country as possible – and I’m so sorry if I’ve missed your city.
Theatres were much more expensive than I first thought – so budget and time restraints may be the reason for that.
Here are the cities (and dates) I’ll be visiting in 2022:
Southend-On-Sea – 7th January 2022
Sheffield – 29th January 2022
Birmingham – 16th February 2022
Peterborough – 26th February 2022
Portsmouth – 13th March 2022
Aldgate, London – (TBD March 2022)
Where Can I Find Out More?
You can find out more about the tour on the brand new tour website.
If you wanted to book tickets for a specific stop on the tour – you can click on the links in the itinerary above.
You can follow my Facebook page for updates on the tour as and when they happen too.
I can’t wait to see you all there!
It would be amazing if you could share this around with your friends to let them know about the tour – especially if they live close to one of the venues.
If you’d like to help out even more with the tour and become a volunteer – I’ll need some help at each destination. Please email me at Hello@SecretsToSaving.co.uk
The post I’m Going On Tour – Secrets To Saving Money LIVE! appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>The post Brits Paid Up To €200 To Visit Malta This Summer appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>Note: This story is constantly changing – and will continue to update when we have more information
It’s been a long time since I’ve gone abroad on holiday – but this €200 incentive to visit Malta this summer is very tempting…
With a little bit of luck, summer holidays could be coming back to us this year.
I for one hope that’s the case. It’ll mean those travelling to ‘green’ countries can travel to and from without quarantining – just tests.
But one country is very eager to get tourists back. So much so, that you could be paid for going there.
Here’s everything we know so far about getting paid to go to Malta this summer:
Get Paid To Visit Malta This Summer
Quite honestly, it does sound too good to be true. But from what I’ve seen, it’s very real.
The country of Malta is incentivising people to come and visit the island by paying up to €200 when booking a qualifying hotel on the island directly through the hotel website.
You’ll receive the bonus if you book three nights or more after June 1st 2021 and complete your stay.
We’re yet to know the full details of how this will work. There is a total of €3,500,000 invested into this from the Malta Tourism Authority, and will be available until the funds run out.
So it may only last a short while – or it could last for months. Hopefully the latter!
I’ve put a brief summary of how the scheme would work – and will continue to update this blog with new information when it comes out.
All information comes from Malta’s official tourism website where hotels sign up to the scheme.
Bonus Cash Breakdown
The key words in all of this is ‘up to’ €200. When the scheme starts, you’ll get the full amount of €200 paid to you if staying at a 5* hotel.
If you’re staying at a 4* hotel, that bonus will go down to a still decent €150.
And finally at 3* hotels, you’ll get €100.
It’s still unclear as to whether you’ll receive this in actual cash, hotel credit or some sort of spending money.
I’ll update the blog here when we find out more.
Related: Coupons UK – How to find them
How Much Will A Holiday Cost Me With This Discount?
Again, because it’s unclear how you’ll get the money, it’s difficult to work out.
What I can tell, from my examples, is that is has the potential to make your holiday VERY cheap.
I tried to have a look at what the cheapest 3 night trip to Malta would be in a 4* hotel, over a weekend and here’s what I found:
3 night trip to Malta – 4* hotel
Dates – Fri 15 Jun – Mon 18 Jun
Flights – £26 each with Wizz Air (Gatwick)
Hotel – £120 for 3 nights at Solana Hotel & Spa 4*
Total: £172 for 2 people
Amount of Euros due: €150 for a 4* hotel (£130 ish)
Grand total cost: £42 for 2 people
Now of course… take this with a grain of salt, as there are still a lot of unknowns here.
We may not be able to travel that soon, this hotel might not be included and you may not get the bonus in actual cash… but this just shows you what this deal could do.
Related: Birthday Freebies 2021 – 10+ Free Treats To Claim
Can I Go To Malta On Holiday In June?
The government guidelines as of April, is saying that international travel can be opened up on May 17th at the earliest.
If this timeline is met, then legally, we should be able to travel to selected foreign countries.
We do know that when travel opens up to other countries, there will be a traffic light system that is at follows:
Green: Passengers will not need to quarantine on return from their trip, but take a test before going out and coming back
Amber: Passengers will need to quarantine at home for 10 days after return, as well as testing before going and 2 PCR tests on your return
Red: Passengers will have to stay for 10 days at an airport ‘quarantine hotel’ at their own expense. Test on departure and 2 PCR tests on return
It is very likely that Malta will fall into the green category, due to low infection and high vaccination rates.
But of course, there are still a lot of questions, and if the governement’s plan of international travel from May is pushed back, it may make it tricky.
There’s also the question over whether you need to be fully vaccinated to go abroad.
A very low number of people under 40 will be fully vaccinated by June, and of course there are people that don’t want the vaccine that this may affect.
I’ll update this blog more when we know about the requirements of travel.
Related: Free Lotteries – 10 Sites To Win £100s
When Do We Find Out Which Hotels Are Involved?
Hotels that want to take part in this scheme are currently signing up right now.
It’s likely that there will be a website or list of hotels taking part in the scheme in the coming weeks, so travellers can look through the options and book.
The hotels listed will have to be booked directly (if you book through Booking.com or similar – then you won’t get the bonus).
Related: Amazon Tricks – Save Money On Amazon
Should I Book A Holiday To Malta?
I don’t think anyone really has the answer to this question.
People are very keen to start booking trips, and the travel industry is desperate for bookings… but I’d be wary.
If anything changes in restrictions in the UK or abroad, the whole trip can be put into jeopardy.
If you are really keen to do this when the hotels are announced, then make sure you book hotels and flights than have free cancellation just to protect you.
Related: Money Quiz Questions – Test Your Knowledge
Conclusion
I hope this blog has helped you! If things go according to plan, this deal can make a fantastic cheap getaway.
With a little bit of luck, the budget from the Malta Tourism Authority will last a while, meaning you have longer to snap up the deal.
Will you be looking to go to Malta with this incentive? I’d love to know in the comments below, on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook.
The post Brits Paid Up To €200 To Visit Malta This Summer appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>The post Birthday Freebies 2021 – 10+ Free Treats To Claim appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>Your birthday is a great time of year with presents and cake galore. But did you know you could actually get £50 worth of UK Birthday Freebies in 2021 without spending a penny?
When most people think of birthday freebies – you think of the ‘deals’ like ‘get a free main meal… when you buy another”.
But did you know, you can actually sign up to a bunch of different loyalty programs and schemes in which you’ll be sent freebies with no spend required.
It’s not all just food too – you can claim vouchers with no minimum spend in stores including Body Shop, Paperchase and more – meaning you can buy yourself your own presents and not spend a penny.
How To Get Birthday Freebies 2021
It’s worth mentioning, that if you sign up to a lot of these, you may get a bit more spam than usual. But there’s a way to combat this…
You can start up a separate email account just for your birthday freebies (that way they don’t get lost too).
If you’d like to listen to each birthday freebie, you can listen to the podcast episode I did on the subject! You can find it here:
You can find all of the freebies and links below.
During the pandemic, birthday freebies in 2021 are a bit more lenient – allowing you more time to use each one.
I’ve written in the standard date of usage for each offer though – just in case things get back to normal.
Without further ado – here are some UK birthday freebies in 2021 for you to claim:
Birthday Freebies in 2021 – High Street Shops
Paperchase £5 Off
- £5 off with no minimum spend
- Valid for 14 days after date of issue
Paperchase is a high street cards and craft shop, mostly found in shopping centres and in London.
To get the birthday freebie, you’ll need to pick up a ‘treat me’ card – which you can get online or in store.
Once you’ve registered it online, you will receive £5 worth of credit on the card on your birthday.
You’ll receive an email notifying you that you have a birthday freebie, and it’ll be added to your card.
It’s valid for 14 days, so you don’t have to use it straight away – and there may be extensions too while shops are shut.
The Body Shop £5 Off
- £5 off with no minimum spend
- Valid for 1 month after date of issue
The Body Shop is a skincare brand available both online and found on many UK high streets and shopping centres.
To get £5 to spend in store for free with no minimum spend – you’ll need to sign up to the Love My Body Club.
On your birthday, you’ll be sent the £5 free voucher to your email inbox – so you’ll need to look out for it.
It lasts for 1 months after your birthday, and most offers are extended if your birthday falls during lockdown.
Hobbycraft £5 Off
- £5 off with no minimum spend
- Valid for 14 days after date of issue
Hobbycraft can be found in a lot of shopping centres and complexes around the UK. You can buy all manner of craft equipment here as well as cards.
To get yourself this birthday freebie, you need to sign up for a Hobbycraft account. It’s free to sign up to with a few details including name and email address.
When your birthday comes around, you’ll get a free £5 emailed to you – so look out for it in your inbox.
There’s no minimum spend and you have 14 days to use it – though during the shutdown this will be extended.
Ikea £5 Off
- £5 off with no minimum spend
- Valid for 7 days after date of issue
There are 22 Ikea stores around the UK, which you’ll likely get lost in after a few minutes of browsing.
To get the £5 birthday freebie, you’ll need to sign up to the Ikea Family Club.
There is a caveat with this birthday freebie. It doesn’t go out to everyone. I’m not sure of the algorithm that decides who to send it to – but it’s worth trying for it.
If you do receive an email getting your £5 free, then you have 7 days to use it, and it’ll be assigned to your card.
Signing up for the card also gets you perks such as free tea/coffee each visit to the store, £1.50 full english breakfasts and more.
Birthday Freebies in 2021 – Food & Drink
When you think of birthday freebies, you immediately think of the free sweet treats you can get.
There are plenty of goodies that you can claim on your birthday, from free doughnuts to milkshakes.
If you head round to all of these freebies, you might be able to stuff yourself for free – which is a great way to spend your birthday in my opinion!
Here are the best freebies you can claim to nibble on:
Greggs Free Sweet Treat
- Worth £1ish with no minimum spend
- Valid on your birthday only
Greggs bakeries can be found on most high streets and some in drive-thru. The highest concentration of stores are in the north, but there are plenty in the rest of the country.
To get a birthday freebie from Greggs, you’ll need to sign up to Greggs Rewards, which you can do for free.
On your actual birthdate, you’ll get a freebie under the ‘rewards’ tab on the app. Usually you can only claim it on that one day, but this may be extended while in lockdown.
You can choose between a doughnut, creamcake or cupcake – all which are worth around £1 ish.
Hotel Chocolat Free Chocolate
- Worth £2ish with no minimum spend
- Valid for the whole month
Hotel Chocolat is one of the best chocolatiers on the high street – and can be found throughout the country.
To get your birthday chocolate, you’ll need to sign up the the Hotel Chocolat rewards scheme called VIPME.
Once signed up, you’ll get a free box of chocolate to claim in store the whole month of your birthday – so plenty of time to get it.
This box of chocolate is worth around £2 – with a few different flavours and fillings to taste.
Shopmium Free Ferrero Rocher
- Worth £5ish with no minimum spend
- Valid 5 days after your birthday
Shopmium, the supermarket cashback app offered me a free 200g pack of Ferrero Rocher when it was my birthday this year.
This is worth up to £5, and you’ll need to buy it in any supermarket, and take a picture to of the receipt to get your cashback.
As long as it costs up to £5, you’ll get 100% of your money back paid into a PayPal account.
For full information about Shopmium and how to get a free tube of Pringles for new subscribers, see my blog here.
Krispy Kreme Free Doughnut
- Worth around £2 with no minimum spend
- Valid on your birthday only
Krispy Kreme is one of the king of doughnuts (@ me if you disagree). Stores can be found throughout the country.
To get a birthday freebie from them, you’ll need to sign up to Krispy Kreme Rewards – and you get a free doughnut for signing up too.
On your birthday, you’ll be sent an email giving you your free doughnut – which must be claimed on the day. During lockdown however, this should be extended.
While you can find Krispy Kreme stands in Tesco stores, you can only claim it directly in Krispy Kreme stores.
Ed’s Easy Diner Free Milkshake
- Worth £4ish with no minimum spend
- Valid on your Birthday only
Ed’s Easy Diner is an American food restaurant, found in shopping centres and restaurant complexes.
Their milkshakes are to die for… and you can get a free milkshake worth £4.25 on your birthday.
To get it, sign up to Ed’s Club and you’ll receive an email on your birthday with a voucher to claim it.
You don’t have to buy a meal with it, can simply get the freebie and leave (in a takeaway cup if you want to).
It’s valid on normal shakes only (not deluxe) and must be claimed on your actual birthday. There will be leeway while we’re locked down though.
Brewhouse and Kitchen Free Pint
- Worth £3ish with no minimum spend
- Valid for a week after your birthday
Brewhouse & Kitchen is a pub chain found in select locations around the country.
If you do happen to live near one, you can sign up to their newsletter and you’ll receive a free pint of beer voucher on your birthday.
You’ll be sent the freebie via email and you’ll have up to a week to claim it, but probably longer if they are shut right now.
You can sign up to their newsletter at the bottom of their website.
Boost Juice Free Smoothie/Juice
- Worth £5ish with no minimum spend
- Valid on your birthday only
Boost Juice shops can be found in shopping centres and around London. Healthy and fruity drinks are their specialty.
If you have a Boost nearby, you can pick up a ‘Vibe Card’ in store or sign up online.
Once signed up, you’ll receive an email getting you a free juice of your choice on your birthday.
This is usually valid on your birthdate only – but is extended while shops are shut.
Barburrito Free Burrito
- Worth £6ish with no minimum spend
- Valid on your birthday only
Barburrito is a mexican burrito restaurant mostly found in London with a few other restaurants around the country.
On your birthday, you can get birthday freebie of a free burrito of your choice – worth £6.25.
To get it, you’ll need to sign up to a loyalty card in store and register it online.
Usually you’re only able to claim it on your birthdate, but while restaurants are closed, it should be extended.
Conclusion
That’s all birthday freebies that I could find (and have signed up to myself). Hopefully this gives you a little something extra to look forward to when you turn another year older.
It’s worth signing up to them well in advance, as you might not get some if you sign up just before.
It may not be your birthday, but everyone can get some free food through signing up to apps.
Do you know of any birthday freebies in 2021 in the UK I’ve missed? I’d love to know in the comments below, on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook.
The post Birthday Freebies 2021 – 10+ Free Treats To Claim appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>The post Exclusive: 15% Off Buyagift Code appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>Note: This blog contains affiliate links
If you’re struggling for Christmas present ideas, this might be a good option for you – and I’ll be a little cheaper with a 15% off Buyagift code.
This is a pretty exciting day for me… as I’ve managed to get my first exclusive code for you guys to use – and with Christmas coming up, hopefully it’s useful to you.
You can get 15% off orders at Buyagift with my voucher code – which is available on all experiences.
Here’s what you can get with the discount and all the T&Cs you need to know:
15% Off Buyagift Voucher Code
When shopping on the Buyagift website, enter the code JCOX15 to get 15% off your total.
This discount can be used over Black Friday, and until December 31st.
Don’t worry about rushing to use them too – when you buy an experience you have 20 months to use it (hopefully when lockdown is over).
Here’s a few deals that I found, that you can get with the code:
– Afternoon Tea For Two – £21.25 (Was £25)
– 3 Course Meal for Two + Wine at Prezzo – £25.50 (Was £30)
– “I Love You” gift voucher – choose from 1,000+ experiences – £33.99 (Was £39.99)
– Spa Day for Two with 25 min Treatment Each – £46.75 (Was £55)
– Two night hotel break for two – £84.15 (Was £99)
T&Cs
This code JCOX15 is available for use until Thursday 31st December, and be used on any experience on the Buyagift website.
You can use the code on as many items as you like, and can order multiple times and still get the money off.
The discount does not apply to delivery fees, although with most experiences you can choose for it to be emailed which is free.
Conclusion
I hope this is helpful to you, and saves you a bit of money. I’m usually someone who doesn’t want for anything at Christmas, so experiences is a great gift idea.
Do let me know if you get an experience, and what it’s like!
Have you found any great deals on Christmas gifts for loved ones recently? I’d love to know in the comments below, on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook.
The post Exclusive: 15% Off Buyagift Code appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>The post Cheapest Fuel Near Me – How to Find It appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>Fuel prices have seen a dramatic drop recently, so it’s a cheap time to fill up your tank. But although prices are low, it can fluctuate from one fuel station to the next.
If you wanted to know where to get the cheapest fuel in your area, instead of driving around, there’s a way to find out prices in advance of your trip.
Whether you’re on the go, or in the comfort of your own home, it’s well worth knowing about this!
Petrol Prices
The website PetrolPrices.com and mobile app for iOS and Google Play is the best tool for checking fuel prices in your local area.
Once you’ve signed up for a free account, you’ll have access to updated prices from petrol stations throughout the country, so no matter where you are, you can see where to go.
Once you’ve entered your postcode, you’ll find a map of your options within a five mile radius (which you can expand if you wanted a wider search).
The results displayed are based on prices for unleaded petrol. Fear not if you have a diesel car though – simply click on a petrol station and you’ll see other prices (including premium fuel if they have it).
The website is powered by a mixture of data from the company and users – so if the prices near you need updating, you can help another fellow driver.
In general the prices are kept well up to date, but in the odd time it’s a bit behind, you can update it yourself.
Mobile app
If you download the mobile app, it works in exactly the same way. You can filter results by brand, distance and price.
It is also based from your current location, so if you’re in a place you’re not familiar with, you can do a search for the nearest and cheapest petrol station.
Should I Buy The Cheapest Fuel Near Me?
What most people might not know, is that filling up with the cheapest petrol on the market all the time might not be the best for your car.
My boyfriend (see more about him here) is a massive car fan – so it’s only fair he explains it in his own words:
“Something to bare in mind when regularly buying supermarket fuel; it is known by most vehicle mechanics that constantly using cheap supermarket fuel can cause reliability issues further down the line.
This is most likely attributed to the poorer quality fuel. Using supermarket fuel every so often should cause no issue, but there is a reason supermarket fuel is less expensive than the big brands”
So, should you always fill up with cheap supermarket fuel? Perhaps not. Fuel from Shell, Esso and buying the ‘premium’ fuel every so often should keep your car running for longer.
Conclusion
Hopefully this will help you make sure you’re always getting the best price for your fuel, no matter what you fill up with.
Of course, if you can combine using this tool along with reward schemes from the big brands – it will amplify your savings even more.
Will you be search for the cheapest fuel prices using this tool? I’d love to know in the comments below, on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook.
The post Cheapest Fuel Near Me – How to Find It appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>The post Meerkat Meals & Movies – How To Get It For £3 appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>With a little trick, you can get a years worth of 2 for 1 meals and cinema tickets for just £3.
Cinema tickets at the moment cost you over £10 each, and main meals at restaurants are setting you back £10-15… so it’s more important than ever to find deals to reduce the cost.
This trick is probably one of the best ways to do so – though oddly enough comes as a deal through purchasing insurance.
Insurance companies have competing offers to tempt customers to shop with them. Confused have recently launched their own rewards scheme getting you up to £54 worth of rewards to compete.
But this deal of Meerkat Movies and Meerkat Meals is the best out there. Here’s everything you need to know about them and the trick to get it for just £3.
Related: How to find coupons in the UK
What is Meerkat Movies/Meerkat Meals?
Both Meerkat Movies and Meerkat Meals are offers from Compare the Market, as a reward for purchasing insurance through their website.
Meerkat Movies gets you 2 for 1 cinema tickets on any film on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at most major cinema chains including Odeon, Vue and Cineworld.
Meerkat Meals gets you 2 for 1 on starters, mains and deserts at 1,000s of restaurants nationwide including Frankie & Benny’s, Cafe Rouge, Prezzo and many more independent restaurants. (See the full details of the scheme here)
You can claim the 2 for 1 at breakfast for certain restaurants including Frankie & Benny’s, but the rest are available from lunch onwards.
Both of the deals are valid for a whole year from the day you purchase insurance through their website. You’ll need to download the app in order to claim both of them, using a code that is emailed to you after purchase.
Luckily for you, both of the offers are included when you get insurance – so you don’t have to pick one over another.
How do I get it for £3?
This is a little trick to get you access to the deals, even if you don’t need insurance. This is something you can do each year when your time runs out too.
In order to get the deal, you’ll need to purchase any insurance on the Compare the Market website.
As you can purchase any insurance, it means there isn’t a minimum spend, and you can buy the cheapest insurance on the site. I think you can see where this is going.
After searching around for the cheapest insurance you can get – there’s a great option that only costs £3.
Although you may not need it, if you search for single trip travel insurance in the UK for one day, it should be the cheapest insurance you can get. When I searched, the price came out at £3.19.
Once bought, you’ll receive an email with a code to enter on the Compare the Market app to unlock the deals waiting inside.
How to get 2for1 meals/cinema tickets
Once you have the app installed on your phone, and you have entered the code sent to you via email, you’ll be able to claim the deals.
If you’re looking to get your 2 for 1 cinema tickets, click onto the cinema tab on a Tuesday or Wednesday and you’ll be given a code.
This code you can then put into the online booking form for the major cinema chains, and you’ll get a ticket for free when booking two.
For the restaurants, there’s a giant map telling you which restaurants in your local area take Meerkat Meals. Then click on the ‘2 for 1’ gold logo in the top right corner and show the server your voucher.
Meerkat Meals Restaurants
There are a vast array of restaurants you can use Meerkat Meals on. There are plenty of local restaurants, but the big chains include Prezzo, Pizza Hut, Ed’s Diner, Ned’s Noodle Bar and more.
Usually, you see the likes of Frankie & Benny’s, Chiquito and more on there, but due to the happenings this year, they are momentarily paused.
Although it requires a bit of planning – it’s a great deal that you could get a lot of use out of throughout the year.
If you’d rather a voucher for booking insurance, check out Confused for their offer. You can also save money at certain restaurants by using Airtime Rewards too.
Will you be taking advantage of this trick to get a year long food deal? I’d love to know in the comments below, on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook.
The post Meerkat Meals & Movies – How To Get It For £3 appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>The post Air miles for beginners appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>I’ve heard a lot of you asking for some information on how to get cheaper holidays. I love travelling on the cheap and have started collecting air miles to do so… and it’s quite a lucrative way to travel.
I’m going on my first business class return flight at the end of this year… It cost be £600 and 125,000 air miles from London to Los Angeles. I cannot wait for it! I know someone who has been doing it for years though, who has all the tips to make this happen for you.
Tracy is a writer at MindOverMoneyMatters, and has written a guest post teaching you the ins and outs of air miles for beginners. Hope you enjoy!
You hear words like ‘frequent flyer’, Avios, reward flights, air miles and it might seem really, really complicated… But I love air miles and have used them to travel to places including New York, Tokyo, San Francisco, Cyprus and Madrid. Here’s all you need to know to get you started with air miles.
What are frequent flyer miles/air miles?
Frequent flyer miles and air miles are different terms for the same thing. Airlines have loyalty schemes where you collect points (or miles) and use these points to spend on flights. You can use the points you have collected for other things like hotels or purchases.
But let’s stick to the flights as that’s where the value is. You don’t actually need to be a frequent flyer (or even an infrequent one) to earn the points/miles. You can earn plenty through everyday spending and other smart ways.
The loyalty schemes work in the same way as schemes like Sainsbury’s Nectar or Tesco Clubcard. You collect your points in various ways and spend them in various ways.
The two most popular airline loyalty schemes for the UK are run by British Airways and Virgin Atlantic. Both are free to join, and you must join before you can collect the points.
The British Airways loyalty scheme is the British Airways Executive Club – whose points system is Avios. You can spend your Avois on British Airways flights and any flights on airlines within the OneWorld partners (e.g. American Airlines, Cathay Pacific)
The Virgin Atlantic loyalty scheme is The Virgin Atlantic Flying Club and the currency is Flying Club Miles. You can spend your miles on Virgin Atlantic flights and partners (e.g. Delta and ANA).
What is a reward flight?
When you have enough miles or points you can redeem them for a reward flight. This means you won’t pay a fare for the flight, you’ll pay for it with your miles (and some taxes).
This can’t be on any flight you like, this is specific flights that the airlines have made available especially for loyalty club members.
British Airways releases these reward seats 355 days in advance, while Virgin Atlantic releases reward seats 330 days in advance.
This means, if you have your eye on a specific destination and date then you need to be ready and jump on those seats as soon as they are released. You can also use your miles and points to upgrade your class once booked (if seats are available).
Are the flights free?
With both Avios and Virgin Flying Club seat redemptions you pay fees and taxes. The amount of fees and taxes you pay depends on where you are flying, what class you’re flying in, and in some cases when you are flying (peak or off peak). So it is really important to understand how to use your Air Miles to get the best value.
How much is an air mile worth?
This question is tricky to answer, as the outcomes can be totally different. What we can do, is look at the value of redeeming them in different scenarios, and working out the value.
If you’re flying short haul, British Airways have a ‘reward flight saver’ fare. This is a flat fee for return flights to Europe for £35 in Economy and £50 in Business, plus air miles. The miles vary by peak or off peak dates.
Paris, Madrid (and most other European destinations) in off peak would be £35 each plus 20,000 Avios. To travel the same route in peak times (summer/winter holidays), it’ll cost £50 each plus 40,000 Avios.
You can pick up an off peak flight to Paris or Madrid etc for £30. So it would make no sense to use your miles and pay £35 for a flight you can pick up cheap anyway.
If you have a look around at other European destinations though, you could get a good deal. Take Larnaca, Cyprus for example. A peak summer return flight to Larnaca costs a minimum of £350, that’s with a budget airline and no bags.
Assuming all your Avios were earned free (rather than bought) your 20,000 Avios are worth around £315 – making one Avios point worth £1.57.
A Club Europe (Business class) BA ticket to Larnaca costs £718. So, although you need 40,000 Avios and £50 to pay for it, your Avios points work out at £1.67 each.
What about Long Haul reward flights?
To claim a long haul reward, you pay a lot in taxes in fees (usually several hundred pounds). If you are looking for the cheapest option and happy to fly in Economy, especially for popular (cheaper) destination like New York then you are better off signing up to JacksFlightClub or searching on Skyscanner.
You can get an Economy return flight to New York for £350 (sometimes cheaper in Basic Economy). Using your Virgin Flying Club miles, the taxes and fees will set you back around £255 plus 20,000 miles. The miles in this case would only be worth around £95 (or 47p per mile) – definitely not a good use of miles.
A return Premium Economy trip with miles would cost 35k miles and £455 taxes. Cash price would be £723 so a value per mile of 76p, which is slightly better.
To get the most value, we booked Premium Economy going and returning Upper class on the new A350-100 plane for 65,000 miles and £567 each. The cost of this in real money would have been £3,475 each!
This means we have technically got value of £2,908 for 65k miles which works out at £4.47 per mile. We haven’t saved that amount though, as we wouldn’t have paid it in the first place, but instead, we have maximised the joy and the value.
You can see why you can’t value an air mile! The best thing to do, is figure out where you want to go and how many miles you need, then start collecting towards that goal.
Our Virgin Miles took nearly 2 years to amass. Avios are much easier to collect and with the European flights, as you don’t need as many.
What’s the best thing about reward flights?
For us the best feature of booking a reward flight is the flexibility. If you need to change or cancel a flight, it only costs between £30 and £50 each.
You get all your miles back and the balance of the payment. If you have ever had to cancel a flight that you have paid for you know that you pretty much lose most of your money. Who knows what will happen between now and your booking?
How do you collect air miles?
Once you have registered you will find many opportunities to collect Avios, and to a lesser extent Virgin Flying Club miles.
Credit card signup bonuses
If you are new to collecting air miles and don’t have an American Express card, then this is the quickest way to boost your collection. The air miles sign up bonuses are not as generous now as when Jordon did his trip, but there is still value to be had. Some of the minimum spends for claiming the bonus might be tricky for some however.
To start with, the American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card is your best bet. The sign up bonus is 10,000 points when you spend £3k in the first 3 months. 1 point is equal to 1 Avios or Flying Club mile.
The Virgin Atlantic Credit card has decent sign up bonuses at the moment too. On the free version of the card, you get 5,000 Virgin miles when you make your first purchase (no minimum spend). The paid version (£160 annual fee), you’ll get 25,000 miles on your first purchase.
Time these cards right to hit the spend triggers, put all your normal spending on these cards and pay off IN FULL. I use mine like a debit card, as soon as I pay something on it, I clear it. It’s not a card for borrowing, it’s a card for points.
On the Gold Amex you also get 2 free lounge passes a year (and only £20 each for any additional visits). This card is free for the first year, £140 thereafter, so diarise to cancel if you don’t want to pay for it.
Credit card spend
Put your everyday spending on the Amex and you get 1 point for each £1 spent, whilst the Virgin card gets you 0.75 miles for every £1 spent. It’s worth noting that not everywhere accepts Amex but you can link it to PayPal.
Flying with airlines
You earn Avios or Flying Club miles when you book with BA or Virgin. This includes holidays as well as flights.
A return flight to New York with Virgin in Economy Delight would earn you 10,371 miles, bizarrely in Economy Light it’s only 1,729! Look out for offers too, British Airways often do double miles promotions and the Virgin Atlantic miles booster offer appears a few times a year.
Exchanging for points
You can exchange your Tesco Clubcard vouchers to both schemes and there’s often bonuses offered for signing up to exchange them. I set the vouchers to auto convert to Flying Club miles to get the bonus (usually 1,000 miles).
There are loads of ways to collect them, and once you get going, it’ll be easier to collect them. This is only the beginning… there’s a whole world of 2-4-1 vouchers, deals, tricks and destinations out there.
Want to find out more about air miles and ways to spend smarter and travel smarter? Head over to MindOverMoneyMatters where we share another side to saving money with ideas and tricks to help you maximise joy and maximise value. Happy travelling!
So what do you think? Do you collect air miles (or will you start now?) Thanks so much to Tracy for this guest post. I’d love to know your comments below, on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook.
The post Air miles for beginners appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>The post Groupon £99 mystery holiday – is it good value? appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>There’s always a lot of buzz over the £99 mystery holiday with Wowcher and Groupon – but are they worth a punt or are you better booking yourself?
Deals website Groupon have been running mystery holidays for years. The concept is simple – you pay £99pp for the deal, and a third party holiday company will book and plan you a holiday to one of 40+ destinations.
Most of the destinations are European city/beach breaks – but a few lucky people will win star prize trips to places like New York, Bali, Dubai and more.
The £99 price is based on two people sharing – so you’d have to buy two vouchers at £99 each and pay an admin fee of £5 to secure the deal.
In return, you get a two night trip to a mystery location (or bag a star prize) on the dates that you selected. In total for your 2 night trip, it will cost you £204 per couple for flights and hotel.
Not too long after booking, you’ll receive a call revealing your mystery destination and you’re given your itinerary.
You can choose which dates you travel, and weekend trips are available – which is a bonus for many people.
It all sounds good in principle, but is it really a good value? And what have people’s thoughts been on the trip? I did some digging.
My experience – it wasn’t really a £99 mystery holiday
I booked a £99 mystery holiday around 6 years ago, and it worked out very well. The excitement of not knowing where you are going straight away adds something to the experience.
When they initially phoned us up to tell us our destination, they told us we were going to Paris for the weekend – which we weren’t as thrilled about, as we’d already been there, so we asked if there was anywhere else we could go.
15 minutes later they phoned us back and informed us that we were going to Pisa in Italy, which instead we were much happier with.
The hotel they picked for us was just outside of the city centre, but still walking distance from everything. The only issue that we had were the flight times.
Our flight left London Stansted at 7am in the morning, which meant that we had to fork out a little bit more for an airport hotel, or we wouldn’t have made it.
Our flight home wasn’t the best too – it left at 10pm, which meant when we checked out of our room at 12pm, we were hanging around a lot waiting for our flight.
So in reality, it didn’t cost us £99 each with the extra hotels and airport parking, but we still had a good time – and we probably never would have traveled to Pisa otherwise.
Related: TopCashback 2021 Autumn Treats Promotion
How do the prices stack up?
I did a little analysis into this deal to figure out if it was really good or not. I had a look at all 41 locations that they could send you to and did a price comparison of how much it would cost for two of you to take a trip there on one of the dates within the trip.
There are a total of 11 luxury trips, which not surprisingly were a good deal at £204. However when we look at the other 28 places you could go (which are the ones you’re most likely to get), a lot of them weren’t good value.
I managed to make my own 2 day break to the Algarve for £94 for two people – less than half the price of booking through Groupon.
Even city breaks such as Dublin, Prague and Berlin were around £140 (£60ish cheaper), and you get the freedom of where you want to travel to.
Here’s a full breakdown of each location (and the cheapest I found it for) when I did some searching:
| Good value? | Destination (cheapest price we found) |
| Yes | 3 night New York, 3 night Las Vegas, 7 night Bali, 3 night Dubai, 7 night Thailand, 2 night Iceland, 4 night Rome & Venice including transfers, 2 night Disneyland Paris including park tickets, 3 night all inclusive Greece, 3 night all inclusive Croatia, 3 night Switzerland Bernina Express, 2 night Brussels |
| No | Algarve (£94), Riga (£101), Costa Del Sol (£102), Krakow (£110), Costa Dorada (£111), Costa Brava (£114), Porto (£114), Bucherest (£116), Lake Garda (£124), Warsaw (£129), Malta (£134), Ibiza (£136), Budapest (£136), Dublin (£140), Prague (£141), Berlin (£143), Turin (£144), Lisbon (£150), Verona (£152), Mallorca (£156), Rome (£160), Madrid (£166), Venice (£172), Barcelona (£172), Marrakesh (£176), Milan (£176), Pisa (£187), Florence (£197), Paris (£198) |
With that being said, the cheapest trips that I found were usually midweek, so if that isn’t an option for you, and are booking a weekend, these trips might be good value (but it’s always worth checking yourself).
If you fancy it, it’s worth doing a quick check on comparison websites like Tripadvisor for hotels and Google Flights. That’s how I managed to piece together a trip for the prices you see above, and it only took a five minute search for each.
There’s a lot to think about with this, so here are the main points pros and cons to help you decide:
Pros of the £99 mystery holiday
- If you can only go away on weekends, it will probably end up a good deal.
- If you just like things to be planned for you, this is perfect for you. Very little planning is needed.
- You have the chance to win a luxury break to a far flung destination, and still get a holiday out of it if you don’t get one of the big ones.
Cons
- If you are flexible on dates, you could potentially save 50% on the price (depending on location).
- There may well be extra costs on airport hotels etc which will bump up the price.
- You don’t have much control over where you go – which means you could be going to the beach in the heart of winter.
So there we have it! Hopefully it’s given you some insight as to whether a £99 mystery holiday is a good option for you.
It might not be as cheap as it seems with extra costs, however if you’re a busy bee or can only do weekends, it’s something to consider! You can view the deal here.
If you want to start saving cash for a holiday, you can do that with a new app called Airtime Rewards. See all about it here.
Have you ever gone on a Groupon £99 mystery holiday? What were your thoughts on the trip? I’d love to know in the comments below or on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook.
The post Groupon £99 mystery holiday – is it good value? appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>The post Vancouver City Review appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>Price
Vancouver is one of the most expensive cities in Canada, but like every city, there are cheap or free things to do everywhere. to bring the costs down while you are there.
When I visited Vancouver with my mother, we ended up spending around £1,500 for the two of us for a week all-told including flights, hotel and food & activities – and we also banked 37,000 Virgin Miles through RocketMiles too. It was part of an epic voyage which took us to Vancouver and Dallas, Texas in one trip.
For a trip to the west coast of North America, I didn’t think this was too bad, considering we spent quite a bit on tourist attractions such as trolley buses while we were there to make the most of the amazing landscape.
First impressions
The first thing you notice about Vancouver is obviously the scenery and the great outdoors. The second thing you may notice is the homelessness (especially in the downtown area). I’m not sure if where we stayed in Vancouver was a hotspot for it, but there seemed to be a lot of people living on the streets, I’m told due to the high rent and costs of living in Vancouver.
If you are exploring the parks and the nature of Vancouver, then you shouldn’t come across it too much, but when exploring downtown, don’t be surprised to have people begging. Its not an excuse not to visit – but just something that was apparent to me when exploring.
Free Attractions
There are plenty of free things to do in Vancouver if you are on a budget. As Vancouver is surrounded by nature, you can easily plan your trip around the free attractions. Here are some of the freebie attractions we got to see:
Stanley Park
One of Vancouver’s top attractions. Stanley Park is over 1,000 acres of parkland to explore and easily get lost in, featuring trails, public gardens and even beaches (though I wouldn’t recommend that in winter!)
There is a handy walking trail along the seawall that takes you around the whole outside of the park and coastline of English Bay, meaning you can get some very cool pictures.
You may need strong legs and some stamina to get up there, however Prospect Point (the highest lookout point in the park) is a must do! It has a breathtaking view overlooking the stunning mountains, flowing rivers and Lions Gate Bridge linking North Vancouver to downtown.
Granville Island
The hotel concierge told us “If you haven’t seen Granville Island, then you haven’t seen Vancouver” – so our hopes were high. It’s basically an entourage of industrial warehouses containing public markets, restaurants shops and theatre.
The public market is a very cool place to go – even if you don’t want to buy anything. It is filled with venders and stalls selling freshly made bagels, pies, sweet treats and more – and quite a few of them give away free samples. We scored some free cheese, chocolate and smore popcorn samples just by walking around.
Paid for Attractions
Vancouver’s top attractions have a hefty price tag to them, but if you want to truly experience Vancouver, they are a must do. We went to several of the highly recommended experience during our week stay there. Here’s what we thought:
Capilano Suspension Bridge
One of the biggest attractions in the Vancouver area is the Capilano Suspension Bridge. It spans the length of the Capilano river, and offers several trails around the tree tops of the forest.
Typically, the day we chose to visit happened to be the wettest day on record, but the rain did not dampen our spirits, or the views below from the middle of the bridge.
There is more than just the main bridge with several trails for you to take. You’ll need a strong set of leg muscles however, as there is a lot of walking… and a lot of bouncing when walking over the suspension bridge!
There is a free coach that will take you to the main entrance of the Capilano Suspension Bridge that leaves from Canada Place every 15 mins. Unfortunately, entry is incredibly expensive costing $42.95 per adult and $14.95 per child (age 6-12). It is an experience worth doing, but unfortunately might leave a hole in your wallet.
Fly-Over Canada
If the weather while you’re there isn’t that great, you can get an indoor virtual view of Canada with Fly-Over Canada. If you have ever seen the Epcot ride ‘Soarin’, it is exactly like that, where you sit on a paraglider while watching a very large screen – so it looks like you are flying over the whole of Canada’s scenery and landscapes.
It’s a pretty cool experience, and something to do of an evening when not much is open, however prices for the ride are quite steep at $22.95 for adults and $14.45 for children (up to age 12) if you book online. Buying tickets at the door will set you back more.
When we went, they had a whole Halloween theme to the ride, which in my opinion made it quite confusing and sort of killed it. The actual ride itself is a nice way to see a bit more of Canada (albeit virtually). It is located at Canada Place (on the riverfront of the downtown area).
Accessibility
Vancouver is easy enough to navigate due to its grid street system (much like New York), and has a decent amount of public transport. It offers a metro service, local buses and even some free buses up to the mountain attractions such as the Capilano Suspension Bridge and shopping malls from Canada Place.
The metro can’t take you many places within the downtown area, if that’s how you were looking to get around, with only a few stops on its two lines at the major destinations, so if your hotel is downtown, you may need to do a bit of walking. Luckily, nothing is ever a million miles away in downtown Vancouver, so everything should be within a 30 minute walk.
One of the things that Vancouver was lacking for me was use of Uber. This is one of the main ways I tend to get around in a foreign city (as its generally cheaper than a cab, and gets you where you need to go!) The Canadian government however had ruled against the licence of Uber operating – which meant using expensive yellow cabs that were tricky to get a hold of.
Uber and other ride sharing services have been announced for Vancouver and other cities around Canada, but there are still no dates planned – so be sure to plan ahead.
Food
We had some great food while we were in Vancouver (when we avoided the fast food chains for convenience). Here are some of my recommendations:
Old Spaghetti Factory
Despite being a semi chain restaurant in Canada and the US, the Old Spaghetti Factory had some amazing food and a relaxed atmosphere. You are served freshly baked warm sourdough bread once you arrive at your table with regular and garlic butter – which I had to stop myself from eating the whole thing!
We couldn’t go to a place called the ‘Spaghetti Factory’ and not have its namesake, so opted for the spaghetti in meat sauce – which was incredible. Despite being a massive plate full, I had the whole thing (including mopping up all remaining juices from the leftover bread).
The price for lunch here was only $14.95 for a starter, main course, unlimited tea and bread – which was very reasonable. I’d definitely recommend a visit if you were in the area.
Mahony & Sons Irish Pub
Seriously… put Mahony & Sons Irish Pub on your list. Now I know what you’re thinking “why would you go to Canada to go to an Irish Pub?”, but this one is seriously worth it! It is located right on the riverfront near Canada Place to give you great views of the mountainous scenery while eating some great food.
There was a lot on the menu that we could’ve easily devoured, but me and mum decided to share both plates of food, with me opting for a Turkey Dip sandwich and mum for bangers & mash. The turkey sandwich was one of the best I’ve had, with the meat being so tender, and a yummy gravy sauce to dip in. I don’t think I’ve tasted creamier mash before than the mash I tried here either, with juicy sausages to soak up even more flavour.
Tim Hortons
Now I can’t go through a Canadian city review without mentioning Tim Hortons… which I may be slightly obsessed with. Their doughnuts are a must have, with my favourite being the chocolate dip. It’s a chain cafe (much like Starbucks) but famous for its doughnut selection, and iconically their ‘Timbits’, which are round doughnut balls.
Hotel
We stayed for a week at the Best Western Chateau Granville for the week, the hotel cost us £800 – which was one of the cheapest options for downtown Vancouver for the time we were looking.
The hotel itself was very nice (although a bit outdated in some areas) with all guest quarters having a living area as well as a bedroom and balcony. I especially liked this as it meant I didn’t have to watch TV from my bed, and could watch it from the sofa in the living room space.
The location of the hotel was something I wasn’t a fan of. It is located on Granville Street (which is one of the hotspots for shopping and restaurants)… but it is further down from the main attractions than we first thought. The main attractions were located from around 100-700 Granville, and we were on 1,100 Granville, which meant a 10 minute walk each way to the main centre.
There seemed to be an elevated number of homeless people camped out around the hotel, as it is out of the way of the hustle and bustle. The hotel is located opposite Vancouver’s oldest sex shop (which may be your thing… just thought I’d mention it!)
Booking through Rocketmiles – 37,000 frequent flyer miles
We could’ve booked through Hotels.com or a similar website and earned a free nights reward, but instead we used a website called Rocketmiles, and because of which, earned 37,000 frequent flyer miles.
Rocketmiles is owned by hotel website Priceline and offers you anywhere from 500-10,000 airline miles per night on over 40 airlines by booking hotel rooms. You can credit miles to schemes including British Airways and Virgin Atlantic, or you can select other rewards such as Amazon Gift Card or Uber credit.
It’s a great option for those looking to boost the points balance of their frequent flyer schemes. If you wanted to give RocketMiles a go, you can use my referral link to get a bonus 1,000 miles on your first booking.
When booking through Rocketmiles, it’s worth checking that the prices are competitive with other hotel websites, as sometimes the prices are inflated. You can use hotel comparison websites such as Trivago to check whether you’re getting the best price. When we looked however, the prices of the hotel we were looking at matched other sites.
For the money that we paid (and the 37,000 free miles), I don’t think it was a bad option, as some hotels were quoting £2,000+ for a week! If the hotel was just in a different place, perhaps nearer to the action, it would’ve been far better.
Vancouver Overview
Vancouver is a great city to visit. If you’re an outdoorsy person, there is plenty to do and its an easy city to get lost in with the many parks and outside spaces. If you prefer more inside activities, then it may not be for you – as the draw of the city is seeing the nature.
I personally feel that its a one-visit city… where there wouldn’t be much you haven’t done if you go back for a second time. I don’t think there is much we missed when in Vancouver, so won’t be rushing to return, however we had a very nice time while we were there.
Have you ever visited Vancouver? Do you want to visit now from reading this? Let me know in the comments below, on Twitter @Jordon_Cox or on Facebook. See my other travel blogs.
The post Vancouver City Review appeared first on Jordon Cox.
]]>