Cashback Apps Reviewed
We look at Quidco and TopCashback - two cashback apps that can help you make money when you shop online or on the high street - do they work? We look at what the apps claim.
Listen to, or download, FrequencyCast Show 88 (30 mins) |
Make money whilst shopping online:
Transcript continues from Show 88: Memory Upgrades
Pete:
Right, Kelly - time to talk applications, and this is a new feature we're going to add to the show: application of the month. Shall we start with yours or mine?
Kelly:
Oh, go on - you show me yours first.
Pete:
What I need you to do first - have you got your handbag handy?
Kelly:
I do - why?
Pete:
Could you get your purse out for me, please?
Kelly:
OK.
Pete:
And we're going to have a quick game of snap. Out of my wallet, I produce a Tesco Clubcard - where's yours?
Kelly:
I don't have one of those.
Pete:
OK, I'm going to get my Nectar card out - where's yours?
Kelly:
I don't have one of those.
Pete:
This isn't going as well as I'd planned. Boots Advantage card?
Kelly:
I don't have one of those either.
Pete:
Where are your loyalty cards? - go on, get your loyalty cards out.
Kelly:
I don't have any. Oh, look!
Pete:
A Caffè Nero card!
Kelly:
I have one Caffè Nero card - that is all I have.
Pete:
Now, you see, I look in mine - I've got a Waterstones card; I've got Shell for my petrol. I've got more loyalty cards than I know what to do with. You don't seem to have any. Do you not believe in loyalty cards, or have you just got not enough space in your purse there?
Kelly:
It depends. Part of me doesn't really shop in the same place regularly enough to bother with a loyalty card, but I also don't really like the idea of people being able to see what I buy in my weekly shop.
Pete:
Do you really care that Tesco know how many loo rolls you use? Does it really matter that much to you?
Kelly:
No, I mean it's not a huge, huge problem for me. It's more that I think Tescos is becoming an incredibly powerful company as it is, and it doesn't need any more of my information to grow any further.
Pete:
So the reason we're talking about loyalty is, I've come a little bit late in the day to these two applications: QuidCo and TopCashback. Any experience of those?
Kelly:
Neither.
Pete:
Basically, they are intended to give you money for doing certain types of shopping. So if I open this up, I can look at some of the nearby stores, for instance; stores on the high street, or online stores. So if I just look at my application here, Aviva car insurance - I can get £70 for insuring my car through them; 5% off shopping online at Debenham's; £110 back from Orange, for getting a new phone; £55 for getting a bank account with Santander. The idea is, you do what you would normally do, and you get money off from these large companies.
Support us: Sign up to Quidco |
Support us: Sign up to Top Cashback |
Kelly:
OK, so you go via the app to the store to do your purchase?
Pete:
Absolutely - on the web, or on the smartphone. Basically it's because these companies want your business, and they will offer companies like QuidCo a kickback for sending a referral, basically. The upshot is, you as a customer, if you were going to order a new Orange phone, do it through their app, and you could save £100.
Kelly:
I like it.
Pete:
I've seen these before - this isn't anything particularly new, but these two apps that we're looking at here do some rather clever things. QuidCo, for instance, you see, if we click "nearby", what do we get here?
Kelly:
Lloyds Pharmacy, Halfords and B & Q.
Pete:
OK, now I get 5p if I walk into one of these stores and hit "check in".
Kelly:
Why?
Pete:
It's to encourage you, as a customer, to go to Halfords, and also, you can see, if you click on this, not only do you get 5p for walking in, you also get 3% off for buying something in store.
Kelly:
OK, it kind of makes sense, but then surely that can be abused?
Pete:
There's people that can make hundreds a month from using this, and what they do is, they take out a credit card or do their car insurance, and get £25, £100, £50 - whatever, for just doing what they normally do. I had to order a pizza the other week - I got £1.20 for ordering a pizza through this app; the same pizza - I save £1.20.
Kelly:
I think it's a really, really good idea, providing it doesn't get abused.
Pete:
So I'd be interested to find out, I'd like you to install it on your phones - see how you get on with it, see if it changes your behaviour, but more our listeners - if you've got one of these two applications installed, how much can you actually get back? Does it work for you? Go to our show notes, and see the links for QuidCo and TopCashback. Also, for referring you, dear listener, we get 50p. So out of curiosity, give it a try, and we'd like to see if you can install this and make any savings, and you can support either Kelly or I by signing up, and trying these apps. Worth a go?
Kelly:
Oh, definitely.
Transcript continues: Contactless Payment Problems
Listen to, or download, FrequencyCast Show 88 (30 mins) |
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