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Consumers can get discounts of up to 50 per cent when they shop online – and there are even additional special offers available for groups such as students and NHS staff.
Online shopping is big business. In fact, according to the Office for National Statistics, almost a third (30.2 per cent) of everything bought in the UK in November 2022 was bought online.
With that in mind, it makes sense to save as much money as possible when purchasing items online.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to find cheaper deals and coupons that can cut your shopping costs in half.
Online shopping: One in three items bought in the UK is now purchased online, according to government figures
Use the right technology
When you are looking for online discounts, it makes sense to use online tools.
Dedicated websites and browser extensions can help take much of the heavy lifting out of finding deals online and saving money while you shop.
Browser extensions are clever bits of kit that work by staying in the background while you surf online. They then automatically let you know if money-saving coupons or lower prices are available for items you’re interested in.
For example, the free extensions Honey, Coupert, and Pouch work by spotting coupon codes available on over 30,000 websites, including Amazon. These then appear when you go to pay for certain items and mean you get money if the code is still active.
Cashback websites such as TopCashback and Quidco give you part of your money back when you buy something through them.
These websites require you to sign up and log in and then search for the item you want to buy. You then click through to the retailer’s website and buy what you want as usual.
TopCashback says members earn an average of £345 a year through cashback on purchases, while Quidco users get £300.
Quidco users can get up to 40 percent off Curry’s and 7 percent off Boots, while TopCashBack customers can currently get 18 percent off Holland & Barrett and £10 cashback on Asda.
TopCashBack is free to join, with a £5 a year premium option, while Quidco is free with a £1 a month premium option.
Meanwhile, websites like VoucherCodes, MyVoucherCodes, and VoucherCloud, as the names suggest, display discount codes for everything from travel to retail and fashion.
Signing up for email alerts from companies can also get you discount codes, but unless you’re a big fan of a particular company, that means sifting through emails you might not be interested in until that happens.
Tips and tricks to watch out for
First, when shopping online, watch out for “fake sales.” This is the practice of retailers to raise prices for a major sale period, then drop the price and display an enticing “saving.” However, many of these ‘sale prices’ are higher than they were before the initial price increase.
This is especially common during major online shopping periods, such as the Black Friday and New Year’s sales.
To get around this, websites such as PriceSpy and Camel Camel Camel allow users to view the price history of a particular product and see if it is currently the cheapest.
| Products | Number of false discounts |
|---|---|
| Xbox One games | 20% of sales are fake |
| Running shoes | 12% of sales are fake |
| Keyboards and mice | 11% of sales are fake |
| PC cases | 12% of sales are fake |
| Coffee machines | 10% of sales are fake |
| Credit: PriceSpy |
Dynamic pricing is another trick retailers use to get you to spend more money. This works by websites tracking what you are interested in and then raising prices if they think you are very interested in something in particular.
In practice, dynamic pricing can mean that you pay a higher price if, for example, you view something online and come back later and make a purchase.
The best way around this is to delete your browser cookies or use an incognito browser.
Adding something to an online shopping basket and then leaving it behind can also mean that you are offered a discount.
This is because the retailer assumes you were interested in a purchase, but the price was too high. If they know your email address, some retailers will send you a discount code to entice you to purchase an item.
Don’t forget to include the shipping costs in the total price of an item. Some online retailers use a low upfront price to entice customers to buy, but then recoup with above-average shipping costs.
Best student discounts
For those attending college or university, student discounts can save a lot of money.
Retailers such as Amazon Prime, Spotify and BoohooMan are currently offering students discounts of up to 50 percent, according to comparison agency Uswitch. Below we have listed the retailers with the largest student discount.
Max Beckett, broadband expert at Uswitch, said: ‘The cost of going to university can add up quickly, from rent to associations to study materials for your course.
“This means budgeting for living expenses is an extremely important part of preparing for college life. Rising bills and high prices, however, have prompted students to be more strict with their finances, leading them to look for offers and discounts.’
| Retailer | Best discount |
|---|---|
| Amazon Prime | 50% |
| Spotify | 50% |
| Boohoo Man | 50% |
| LNER | 40% |
| Reebok | 35% |
| Dominoes | 35% |
| Adidas | 35% |
| Pizza Express | 30% |
| Bella Italy | 30% |
| Wel iguanas | 30% |
| Source: Uswitch | |
Best discounts for NHS and emergency services
Many professions also get hefty discounts – if they know where to look.
For example, NHS staff, social care staff, members of the armed forces and other emergency services personnel can get discounts using the Blue Light Card scheme. This yields more than 15,000 possible purchases, both online and in stores.
For example, Asda offers 10 percent off supermarkets, while Currys has up to 10 percent off electrical items.
The scheme costs £4.99 to join for two years, and users must prove they are in an eligible occupation by presenting a work ID or recent pay slip.
Once registered, users can get discounts in areas ranging from vacations to new cars, insurance, retail and hospitality.
The scheme is also open to people working for HM Prison Service, the Border Force and UK Visas and Immigration staff.
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