FIND SECRET SHOPPING VOUCHERS ONLINE (shhh!)
You can’t haggle when you shop online, but you can get money off if you know how. Mike Plant reveals the apps and web tools that will bag you a bargain
In Issue 508’s Final Straw (page 74) our resident Mr Angry Ken Rigsby, bemoaned the lack of tools for finding the best deals online. But as long as you know how, finding a bargain online isn’t as hard as you might think. Here we reveal several brilliant apps and websites that will get you the deals you’re looking for, whether you’re after a new PC or a new vacuum cleaner.
MONEY-SAVING APPS Hotukdeals
Android: www.snipca.com/25755 IOS: www.snipca.com/25759 All the bargains you’ll find on Hotukdeals are suggested by its members. If you create an account (tap the menu icon, ‘Log in’, then ‘Create an account’ to sign up) you can suggest deals yourself. Once a deal has been proposed the members of the site vote for or against it. The accumulated votes will either make the deal hot (a bargain) or cold (worth avoiding).
Find a bargain If you’re looking for a particular product, let’s says a Dyson vacuum cleaner, tap the search icon (magnifying-glass icon), type dyson, then tap the green search icon on your onscreen keyboard. You’ll see a list of deals (expired ones will be greyed out) with a ‘Get deal’ button. Tap this and you’ll be directed to the retailer. Each deal has a temperature, the hotter the better. If you want to hide the expired deals, tap the filter icon (to the right of the magnifying glass), tap the ‘Show expired’ slider, then tap Apply.
If, for example, you want to keep an eye on Dyson products for a potential future purchase, you can follow the Dyson group to see any relevant deals quickly with a single tap. Tap the menu icon (three lines at the top left), ‘Find groups’, then the ‘+’ to the right of Dyson in the list (see screenshot right). If the product you’re interested in isn’t listed, search for it using the search icon (top right).
To view the Dyson group, go back to the main screen, tap ‘All deals’ (at the top), then tap Dyson. To remove groups from this list, tap the Menu icon, ‘Find groups’, the Followed tab, then untick everything you want to remove.
Idealo
Android: www.snipca.com/25756 IOS: www.snipca.com/25761 Idealo lets you compare prices across multiple online stores. It also has a barcode scanner so you can quickly compare the prices of items in a high-street shop with those on sale online. The first time you open the app you’ll see a ‘Where would you like to shop’ screen – select the UK.
Find a bargain Use the search field at the top of the app to search for specific products, or tap the barcode icon to the right of the search bar to use the barcode scanner. Tap the product you want in your search results, then – if prompted – tap the version of the product. When we searched for a Moto G4, for example, we had to choose between a white and a black model. You’ll then see all the sites selling that product (with lowest price first). For a more accurate price, move the ‘Incl. Delivery’ slider to the right. To go to a deal tap the To Shop button.
If current prices are too high, tap the alarm-clock icon (top right) to set an alert. Enter your ideal price, move the ‘Incl. Delivery’ slider to the right, then tap Activate. You’ll now receive a notification should the product become available at your chosen price or lower.
Vouchercloud
Android: www.snipca.com/25757 IOS: www.snipca.com/25762 Vouchercloud is the app equivalent of cutting out and keeping vouchers that you can use at your local shops and restaurants, or online.
Find a bargain When you first open the app it will ask permission to access your
location. Tap Allow, and when the app loads, scroll down to the ‘Offers near’ section, then tap Map. You’ll see a map of of local shops and restaurants that offer voucher deals (see screenshot above). Tap one to see details of the offer. You can also use the magnifying glass at the top right to find vouchers for specific shops.
Stocard
Android: www.snipca.com/25784 IOS: www.snipca.com/25785 If you’re weighed down by multiple loyalty cards in your wallet, why not keep them on your phone instead? Stocard lets you save digital cards for stores and companies such as Waitrose and British Airways. To start adding your cards, simply tap the ‘+’ at the bottom right, then scan the barcode on your card. The next time you’re at the checkout, tap the relevant store in your app, then scan the barcode shown on your phone’s screen.
Find a bargain Stocard isn’t just storage for your loyalty cards. Tap Offers to see all available discounts associated with the cards you’ve added to your app.
MONEY-SAVING SITES & EXTENSIONS The Forklift
http://uk.theforklift.net This brilliant website sifts through thousands of cut-price products available from the Amazon Warehouse discount website.
Find a bargain The first thing you’ll notice is how quickly the products listed on the site are rotated. This gives you only a few moments to make a decision. But if something catches your eye, you can click the Pause button (top right), to freeze the page before the product disappears.
To narrow the choice of items to only those that interest you, click Filters (on the left). Here you can set the price range, percentage saving, category and condition (new, refurbished, and so on) of the products. By default, every category is selected. If you only want to see certain categories, click the Toggle All Off button to deselect all, then click those you want to select (see screenshot above). You can also use the ‘Keyword filter’ search bar to focus on specific products.
The Pouch
www.joinpouch.com Recently featured on business reality TV show Dragons’ Den, The Pouch is a voucher-finding extension that searches for discount codes when you visit an online store. Though only available for Chrome, Firefox and Safari browsers at the moment, it will soon be an option for Edge users.
Find a bargain Visit an online store, then click the Pouch’s extension icon to see any available discount codes and vouchers. If you see a discount code you want to use, click the Copy Code button, then paste the code into the store’s discount code box before you buy.
The Camelizer
Chrome: www.snipca.com/25770 Firefox: www.snipca.com/25771 The Camelcamelcamel browser extension ( https://uk.camel camelcamel.com) lets you view the pricing history of thousands of products on Amazon UK. You can also set up email notifications so you’ll be informed when a product you’re interested in dips below the price you specify.
Find a bargain Click the browser extension (camel icon) while you’re viewing a product on Amazon to open a chart showing the product’s price fluctuation over the past year. Keep an eye on the green line, which represents Amazon UK’S price. The other lines represent prices from Marketplace sellers – both new products (blue) and second-hand (red). These are less useful as an indicator because they may or may not include extras like delivery. The green line’s lowest point indicates the lowest ever price of a product – a good comparison for the current price. To create a notification, enter your email address, type your ideal price in the Desired box (to the right of Amazon – see screenshot left), then click Create Price Watches.