10 ways to ace your Christmas shopping

Spoil your friends and family without spending a fortune

1

SEEK OUT OUTLETS

If you’re looking for a special gift, a visit to an outlet village can be a great way to snap up a bargain. But did you know lots of high-street shops have stores and outlets on ebay? Use ebaystores.co.uk to find discounts of up to 60% from retailers such as Argos, Oliver Bonas and Lakeland.

2

SEND PARCELS CHEAPLY

Use Parcel2go.com to compare prices. Simply enter the weight of your parcel and the destination and it will give you a range of quotes from different couriers so you can choose the cheapest option.

3

CHECK REVIEWS

If you’re not sure about a product, don’t impulse buy. Instead, check online reviews before parting with any cash. Sites such as Trustpilot (uk.trustpilot.com) review retailers. If you want a specific product review, try searching for it on Amazon to read customer feedback or, for unbiased reviews of tested products, go to goodhousekeeping. com/uk/buying-guides.

4

PLAY SAFE WITH PAYPAL

If you use Paypal to pay for goods online from well-known stores, you can get a refund through the retailer or Paypal itself if anything goes wrong. If your transaction qualifies for Paypal Buyer Protection (most items online do), you’re covered for the full purchase price, plus the original shipping charges.

5

KEEP TRACK OF SPENDING

Rather than downloading an app for every bank or credit card you have an account with, use the free Yolt app* (available on Android and IOS), which brings them all together in one place. You’ll be able to track all your spending on one dashboard with ease.

6

CASH IN WITH CASHBACK

Use a cashback site, such as Quidco or Topcashback, when shopping online, rather than going directly to the retailer’s website. The shopping experience is the same but you’ll get some money back if you buy.

7

ADD DISCOUNTS AUTOMATICALLY

Use the Vouchercodes ‘Dealfinder’ plug-in on Chrome to be instantly alerted to deals when shopping online. Go to vouchercodes.co.uk/dealfinder and click ‘add to Chrome’. Once installed, Dealfinder will automatically find you the best promotion codes available for the site you’re on.

8

ASK FOR A PRICE MATCH

Some shops, such as John Lewis & Partners and Currys, have a policy that if you find a lower price, they will beat it. While this isn’t the case at all retailers, it’s always worth asking. Do your research online first so you can back up your claim.

9

GRAB A BARGAIN

Note Black Friday (27 November) and Cyber Monday (30 November) down in your diary for great deals. If you’re shopping on Amazon, use camelcamelcamel.com, which tracks the prices a product has been sold at during its lifetime, to make sure you’re getting a genuine bargain.

10

SORT FOOD EARLY

Finding a delivery slot can be tricky at the best of times, and especially so at Christmas. As soon as delivery slots are released (usually about three weeks in advance – set a reminder for the week of 23 November), put something above the minimum spend in your basket and check out. You’ll usually have up until the day before delivery (check with your supermarket) to replace this item with festive food.