Tastecard

holidaysforme

Thinking of taking up this offer, as have had a code sent to me to buy for £29.95, and my gourmet card membership is coming to an end early next year.
Can anyone tell me if like most other restaurant cards, december is excluded?
If that's the case i would wait till janruary to purchase. Bought one really cheaply from e bay a couple of years ago but have never seen any as cheap since. Is this the cheapest i'm likely to get it?

cte1111

holidaysforme wrote: »

Can anyone tell me if like most other restaurant cards, december is excluded?
If that's the case i would wait till janruary to purchase. Bought one really cheaply from e bay a couple of years ago but have never seen any as cheap since. Is this the cheapest i'm likely to get it?

It depends on the restaurant. Most don't exclude December, I have found. If you search in your area, you will see which have a DEC with a cross through it.

http://www.tastecard.co.uk/search

I looked in my area and found about 4 out of 5 were OK for December.

I've just got a new Taste card by taking out 2 subscriptions from Isubscribe. Well it's not actually come yet, they sent me a code and then I filled in an online form, hopefully it's on its way.
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/Specialxmasoffers/

If you have a browse round the site, you should find some that are 3 for £1, making a very good deal.

Here are some 3 for £1 offers from isubscribe, just pick 2 to get a free taste card:
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/Money-Observer-Magazine-Subscription.cfm
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/TES-Scotland-Magazine-Subscription.cfm
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/Practical-Parenting-Magazine-Subscription.cfm
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/Junior-Magazine-Subscription.cfm
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/First-News-Newspaper-Subscription.cfm
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/SelfBuild-And-Design-Magazine-Subscription.cfm
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/Moneywise-Magazine-Subscription.cfm
http://www.isubscribe.co.uk/TES-Magazine-Subscription.cfm

pickoftheday

pringleator1 wrote: »

I found the same - it's embarrasing.
changed now from an annual tastecard to a Hi-Life Go smartphone app which is free for a month and then lets you pay as you go and just top up whenever you want for only £1.99 a month - perfect coz then if im not eating out that month i doesnt cost me anything.

I applied for a tastecard last year but it never came but I know they received my order because I began receiving lots of spam and stuff in my email.

I contacted them but got no reply.

This hi life go sounds interesting though.

markjam82

I got my Tastecard a while ago from work. I'm so glad I didn't pay for it myself because I've found it to be very disappointing.

Zizzi (Newcastle) - "Due to huge demand, unfortunately Zizzi is unable to accept the cards ALL DAY on Friday and Saturday and throughout the month of December or on any other special days throughout the year (eg. Bank Holidays, Valentine's Day, Mothering Sunday, and Father's Day)." -
As today is the Thursday before a bank holiday weekend Zizzi will not accept Tastecard bookings for tonight or for all this weekend either !! I've had the same response from other places too.

So, unless I try to book at Zizzi (or anywhere decent) when they're not busy, my (£80) tastecard booking will be rejected because "we [the restaurant] wont make any money from customers with tastecards" <- what happened to the £80 I paid for my membership??

Tastecard is a Con !! Get the free trial and then you'll realise.

bigmaz

I had a Taste card and loved it. 50% off, how can you go wrong? The only annoying thing that some of the places dont accept it at the weekends. And not sure about the variety of choice outside main cities.

creddish

markjam82 wrote: »

I got my Tastecard a while ago from work. I'm so glad I didn't pay for it myself because I've found it to be very disappointing.

Zizzi (Newcastle) - "Due to huge demand, unfortunately Zizzi is unable to accept the cards ALL DAY on Friday and Saturday and throughout the month of December or on any other special days throughout the year (eg. Bank Holidays, Valentine's Day, Mothering Sunday, and Father's Day)." -
As today is the Thursday before a bank holiday weekend Zizzi will not accept Tastecard bookings for tonight or for all this weekend either !! I've had the same response from other places too.

So, unless I try to book at Zizzi (or anywhere decent) when they're not busy, my (£80) tastecard booking will be rejected because "we [the restaurant] wont make any money from customers with tastecards" <- what happened to the £80 I paid for my membership??

Tastecard is a Con !! Get the free trial and then you'll realise.

Tastecard do make restrictions clear in the "How to use your tastecard" page on their website. The restrictions are also shown against each Venue in the search results. Great value for money IMO. If you do a google search you can find much better purchase options than the standard £79.95 per year price, often as little £29.99.

Colin

santer_2

Mine was £29.95 and stays the same if renewed, it also includes their two for one cinema club

cwcw

I would just like to say, I am in a 3 month trial of the Tastecard, and I've found it absolutely pointless so far.

The first time we tried to use it was at a Pizza Express outside a cinema, after a film. We were told they only took it if you booked in advance by phone. How can you book a table for a time when you don't know exactly when the film will finish? Besides, booking at a Pizza Express or similar large chain would never have occurred to me, as they're never full, even on Saturdays.

The second time we tried to use it, I checked the website more carefully and we went to Ask Italian, somewhere we don't regularly go. I knew it didn't need booking in advance. When I mentioned the card at the start, they said they didn't accept it because it was a Saturday. I checked the Tastecard website during the meal and sure enough, a small little grey icon with Sat (and another for Fri) had a cross through it.

We would only eat out at the weekend anyway. I checked other restaurants nearby and they are all the same - no Friday, no Saturday, no December, and many only take it if you book in advance, which is no good for the main type of chain restaurants on there that you would generally go to as and when, after a shopping trip or film at the cinema. I would feel too embarassed to use a card like this at a small, independent restaurant, but from what I've read, you get treated like dirt by them!

So, in summary, if you like to eat out at the weekend, don't bother buying a Tastecard. Even if you like to eat out midweek, there are normally loads of 2 for 1 offers on the various voucher websites for the large chains that Tastecard promotes, the only difference being, they are FREE! You don't have to pay £60 a year or whatever it is, to be told you can hardly ever use it.

mattyprice4004

cwcw wrote: »

I would just like to say, I am in a 3 month trial of the Tastecard, and I've found it absolutely pointless so far.

The first time we tried to use it was at a Pizza Express outside a cinema, after a film. We were told they only took it if you booked in advance by phone. How can you book a table for a time when you don't know exactly when the film will finish? Besides, booking at a Pizza Express or similar large chain would never have occurred to me, as they're never full, even on Saturdays.

The second time we tried to use it, I checked the website more carefully and we went to Ask Italian, somewhere we don't regularly go. I knew it didn't need booking in advance. When I mentioned the card at the start, they said they didn't accept it because it was a Saturday. I checked the Tastecard website during the meal and sure enough, a small little grey icon with Sat (and another for Fri) had a cross through it.

We would only eat out at the weekend anyway. I checked other restaurants nearby and they are all the same - no Friday, no Saturday, no December, and many only take it if you book in advance, which is no good for the main type of chain restaurants on there that you would generally go to as and when, after a shopping trip or film at the cinema. I would feel too embarassed to use a card like this at a small, independent restaurant, but from what I've read, you get treated like dirt by them!

So, in summary, if you like to eat out at the weekend, don't bother buying a Tastecard. Even if you like to eat out midweek, there are normally loads of 2 for 1 offers on the various voucher websites for the large chains that Tastecard promotes, the only difference being, they are FREE! You don't have to pay £60 a year or whatever it is, to be told you can hardly ever use it.

Or for those who can't be bothered reading what has been covered several times, read the T&Cs, make sure the card is right for you and actually follow the instructions and you'll be fine.

Not their fault you can't read their terms!

Altarf

cwcw wrote: »

The first time we tried to use it was at a Pizza Express outside a cinema, after a film. We were told they only took it if you booked in advance by phone. How can you book a table for a time when you don't know exactly when the film will finish? Besides, booking at a Pizza Express or similar large chain would never have occurred to me, as they're never full, even on Saturdays.

Couldn't be bothered to read the instructions that came with the card, or are they too difficult for you to understand?

Surely even a ten year old is able to add the film running time to the start time (plus 20 minutes for adverts) to estimate the finish time of a film.

cwcw wrote: »

The second time we tried to use it, I checked the website more carefully and we went to Ask Italian, somewhere we don't regularly go. I knew it didn't need booking in advance. When I mentioned the card at the start, they said they didn't accept it because it was a Saturday. I checked the Tastecard website during the meal and sure enough, a small little grey icon with Sat (and another for Fri) had a cross through it.

And even after the first time, you again didn't bother to read the instructions properly?

Are you not embarrassed posting that on a public forum?

cwcw wrote: »

I checked other restaurants nearby and they are all the same - no Friday, no Saturday, no December, and many only take it if you book in advance, which is no good for the main type of chain restaurants on there that you would generally go to as and when, after a shopping trip or film at the cinema.

So perhaps it would have paid for you to have thought about what you were buying, before before you did so, not after. Perhaps a valuable lesson.

cwcw wrote: »

I would feel too embarassed to use a card like this at a small, independent restaurant,

Why? Nobody forces the restaurants to sign up with a gun to their head. They do it because it makes good business sense.

cwcw wrote: »

but from what I've read, you get treated like dirt by them!

Not my experience.

cwcw wrote: »

So, in summary, if you like to eat out at the weekend, don't bother buying a Tastecard.

Yes, that it pretty clear from the information on their website, if you had read it.

cwcw wrote: »

Even if you like to eat out midweek, there are normally loads of 2 for 1 offers on the various voucher websites for the large chains that Tastecard promotes, the only difference being, they are FREE!

And they only give you 2 for 1 on the main course, not 2 for 1 on all courses or 50% off.

cwcw wrote: »

You don't have to pay £60 a year or whatever it is, to be told you can hardly ever use it.

Apart from the fact that the card is usually £29.99, and is often available free (I haven't paid any money for mine for the last three years), their website tells you all that for free.

All you need to do is bother to read and understand it.