Utility Warehouse (Telecom Plus) Discussion

MillicentBystander

Excellent - let's have a link to it. TY.

PS Would Quentin class it as risky, though? Can't be too careful these days (taps nose)

payless

http://www.nhscashback.co.uk/black-gold-discountcard.php?gclid=CNGr3L-c4qYCFcxO4Qodik5O0g

yep these cards ( NHs, Uw et al )are risky in that no fscs protection on credit balance- its a risk I'm currently prepared to take

TwittersPVFC

Looks good but obviously not comparable to the UW card as it isn't available to the general public.

MillicentBystander

payless wrote: »

http://www.nhscashback.co.uk/black-gold-discountcard.php?gclid=CNGr3L-c4qYCFcxO4Qodik5O0g

yep these cards ( NHs, Uw et al )are risky in that no fscs protection on credit balance- its a risk I'm currently prepared to take

Ditto with my use of the UW card. A £300+ million cap. LSE listed company which is eminently profitable doesn't cause me to lose a wink of shut eye.

Still, it's far less risky than the one arch worrier Quentin keeps banging on about but refusing to name for fear of ridicule, the babee card. The way you get your discount there is to either order shopping vouchers or gift cards (I'm assuming there's no PIN protection on these as they are sold on ebay regularly) at a discount, have them sent by regular post then cart them to the shop in your pocket/wallet/purse/down your sock/in yer bra. No, absolutely no risk there, eh Q? :eek:

MillicentBystander

payless wrote: »

why bdo you pay 35p to load- my card that offers the same benfits as UW ( issued by same provider ) doesn't charge if over £200 load

Swings and roundabouts here. That's for bank transfers which can take almost a week to be showing on your card balance. UW also charge 35p for instant card load-ups from your debit card, the nhs card charge a whopping £2.50 for this. :eek: I have often loaded money up quickly from my debit card if I've seen a hot, limited time offer at one of the listed retailers. I did this for a netbook I saw in Sainsburys which had been massively reduced - the money was on my card almost imstantly at a cost of 35p. I got £7.50 cash back on the transaction, less 35p.

Does it cost anything to top-up my NHS Black Card?
Yes - it will cost 40p to load your card on a Standard Service unless the amount requested is over £200 when it is free. This service takes 4-5 days from your request for the funds to clear from your Bank to ours. You can also request an `instant` top-up where the funds are available immediately - this will cost £2.50. Please see our Terms and Conditions on the web site for full fees chargeable which will always reflect the most current version.

http://www.nhscashback.co.uk/black-gold-discountcard.php?gclid=CNGr3L-c4qYCFcxO4Qodik5O0g

payless

I used to use MBNA liftestyle to get vouchers ..discounts were higher , but always paid for special delivery, so purcahsed in bulk... usually on 0% credit card deal ( no fee ). they were protected - ie gave me a refund on Woolies vouchers. That said vouchers were more hassle than a prepay card

MillicentBystander

payless wrote: »

I used to use MBNA liftestyle to get vouchers ..discounts were higher , but always paid for special delivery, so purcahsed in bulk... usually on 0% credit card deal ( no fee ). they were protected - ie gave me a refund on Woolies vouchers. That said vouchers were more hassle than a prepay card

How big a bulk, exactly? The special delivery minimum charge is £5.05 and that only insures you for up to £500, it's almost £6 for up to £1,000. That is sort of eating into the discount somewhat. And then you have to take them shopping knowing if you should, heaven forbid, lose them any randomer could spend them for you. Add in the fact you can't get change on them IIRC and I have to agree, a pre-paid cash back card (pin protected) is definitely the way forward. Amazingly, Quentin calls the UW card (and by inference the nhs card) 'risky' in the same post as recommending we buy non PIN protected gift cards and 'finders keepers' shopping vouchers at a discount and have them sent by regular post! You couldn't make it up...:p

payless

I generally would buy between £800- £1500 at a time. Special delivery cost- as levied by MBNA/ provider was £4.75, they would cover the extra cost for higher amounts.

so that was around 0.5% cost BUT discounts were higher - like 4-5% on supermarkets , 7%on love2 vouchers, 9-10% on likes of Boots, B&Q. Also purchased when mbna offered 6-9m interst free on purchases on my existing cards. ( so effectively still had money in bank whilst buying/ spending vouchers)

So more hassle than a prepay card but bigger savings. Suppose I would say I'm indifferent.

MillicentBystander

:eek: You clearly are very disciplined when it comes to spending money on a credit card, I suspect for many people in the UK doing what you did could end in tears. I agree, although the discount is higher, lots of hassle and, if you were the worrying type, a stressful way to get discount. Agreed, pre paid cards (pin protected but not linked to your bank account and with absolutely no credit limit) is the way forward for cash back. Order online through a cash back site and you can add to the discount (depending on delivery charges, of course).

dacouch

This is not a bad deal for mobile users http://www.hotukdeals.com/deals/250-mins-unlimited-texts-truly-unlimited-internet-10-a-month-giffgaff-no-referra/865252