Save £150 this Christmas by getting gifts for less with cashback king Lee Parry’s tips
CRAFTY Lee Parry saves £1,000 a year with discount codes, cashback and loyalty points to avoid paying full whack for virtually anything.
He is just an ordinary bloke from Swansea, with a normal job in insurance, but he uses his spare time to learn every trick in the book and never misses a chance to save money – so much so that cashback site Quidco has named him one of its best earners.
Following Lee’s advice, you can save too – starting with any plans you have for Black Friday buys.
Deals are starting earlier this year to allow more time for deliveries or click-and-collect as many stores are not allowed to open normally until December.
Lee, 46, claws back his £1,000 a year on his everyday spending, which goes towards holidays and buying Christmas gifts
He said: “Even if I’m only saving a pound or two on a purchase, it all adds up.
“It’s actually good fun to see how much you can get back.”
Lee shares his top tips.
Check gift list twice
ONCE you’ve got your Christmas list sorted, check out the cheapest deals on several price comparison sites, such as Google Shopping, PriceSpy, Kelkoo or Pricerunner.
They don’t all monitor the same retailers so not checking could mean missing out on lower prices.
For example, the lowest price for a Duplo Frozen Ice Castle on Google Shopping is £36.99 plus £9.90 delivery by UPS, making it £46.89, but PriceSpy has it for £38.93 including delivery, saving £7.96.
Lee says a good way of finding the lowest price on the market is to search the Hotukdeals site, where shoppers share deals they have found.
He said: “I recently bought a Shark vacuum and knew from Hotukdeals that £199 was the best price going for that particular model, so I didn’t waste time searching elsewhere.”
TYPICAL SAVING: £6
Will it get cheaper?
SEE what items have previously sold for.
Website keeps tabs on Argos prices, while does the same at Amazon.
This week nine-carat gold twist earrings cost £49.99 at Argos but pricehistory shows they were £16.99 in June 2016.
A reduction is likely, as last year it was £10 lower.
To anticipate cuts, Lee suggests Googling the item’s name, plus “Black Friday 2019”.
He said: “From Google I know The White Company usually has a 20 per cent Black Friday discount.”
TYPICAL SAVING: £10
Get to the points
LEE uses an Amex credit card to collect Avios points for free flights, and is now looking forward to flying first-class to LA in May for just £500.
He also never misses a chance to collect loyalty points, and is saving his Nectar points for a Sainsbury’s double-up event on November 11, where £50 of points can be redeemed for £100.
He said: “I have lots of people to buy presents for so this will come in handy for gift shopping.”
TYPICAL SAVING: £50
Lie in wait
REGISTER with sites such as Lovesales and Pricespy so they email you if any price drops on your chosen items.
Lee uses Amazon price-tracking site Camelcamelcamel, which will alert you when an item falls to your desired price.
He said: “Jack Daniel’s whiskey is often reduced to £20 in the run-up to Christmas so I have an alert to let me know when it’s that low, so I can buy it for presents. It might save me £5 or £10.”
TYPICAL SAVING: £10
Insta-grab bargains
IF you have a Twitter, Facebook or Instagram account, like or follow your favourite stores for news on deals, competitions and early access to sales.
Also set up a “junk” email account and sign up to retailers’ newsletters.
Topshop offers 15 per cent off your first order when you sign up
Lee had an unexpected success when he signed up to Direct Blinds for a five per cent discount.
He left a product in his online basket without paying, and they emailed him offering a ten per cent discount, or £15.
TYPICAL SAVING: £15
Cashback vs codes
LEE has earned more than £6,000 over the past decade by buying everything, including insurance policies, holidays and groceries, through the cashback site Quidco.
Typically he gets back £400 a year, or £33 a month.
Lee also likes to use discount codes which are codes you enter at the online checkout to give you money back.
He said: “Codes are not hard to find – just Google the name of the retailer along with “discount code”. Try Hotukdeals or search for the retailer’s name on Instagram. Lots of influencers are sharing them.”
You can’t normally get cashback and use a discount code at the same time, so you’ll need to weigh up which is worth more.
Remember, cashback bonuses are not guaranteed.
TYPICAL SAVING: £66 in next two months
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