I wanna be mortgage free!

gallygirl

SmlSave wrote: »

Just popping to agree that camping is brilliant!

Hmmm, not so hot in the 2 man bath, rose petals, chocs & champers stakes though is it :rotfl:

Glad you enjoyed it Twinks :T

twinklie

Contemplating a last minute holiday! Leaving boxing day and going snowboarding somewhere! Hmmm...sounds good.

SmlSave

Ohhhhh, that sounds lovely!

twinklie

I've just discovered airmiles. Why did nobody tell me about this before? ha ha

Martinslovechild

twinklie wrote: »

I've just discovered airmiles. Why did nobody tell me about this before? ha ha

Twinklie,

I've been collecting AirMiles for years - so far, I've had two trips to Los Angeles, a trip to Jersey and a trip around the world (Singapore / Fremantle / Sydney / Auckland / Hong Kong) all on AirMiles.

Recommendations - E.ON have a number of tariffs which give you 1 Tesco Clubcard point per £1 you pay, that can work out at 1200 clubcard points per year (288 AirMiles) if your gas/electric is the average of £1200.

Tesco Clubcard points can be automatically converted to AirMiles (you'll need to first register on the Tesco website) at a rate of 250 clubcard points -> 60 AirMiles.

Also register for Tesco Shopping Surveys. This is called Shoppers' Thoughts and you can register at https://www.shopperthoughts.com/getpage.aspx?page=home. They pay anywhere between 150-250 points per survey (36-60 AirMiles).

Also sign up for a Shell Drivers' Club card at https://www.shellsmart.com/smart/index.html?site=en-en. When you purchase fuel, you'll be given points which again can be automatically converted into AirMiles.

Besides all these things, you can also purchase items through the AirMiles website from many stores. Again, you'll receive a number of AirMiles per purchase (usually a certain number per £ spent).

It's amazing how fast they accrue - I don't personally spend that much at Tesco, but I generally receive between 800 and 1,000 AirMiles per quarter into my AirMiles account just by doing the things above - that's a completely free flight to Sydney, Australia every 2.5 years!!

Good Luck.

twinklie

OMG....I love you! I'm getting straight on all these suggestions. Except the Shell one...the only Shell garages near me are well out of my way! Although probably worth getting on anyway....just in case!

I do all my shopping at Tesco's so hopefully should build up some points there. OH is with Eon for his electricity so I'll have to check that out. Hmmm...I sense a big trip coming at the end of his PhD!!

pammyj74

Martinslovechild wrote: »

Also register for Tesco Shopping Surveys. This is called Shoppers' Thoughts and you can register at https://www.shopperthoughts.com/getpage.aspx?page=home. They pay anywhere between 150-250 points per survey (36-60 AirMiles).

I would like to join this but it asks for a activation code which i assume you get from an invitation?

twinklie

Right tried to get productive this evening - by sorting out my self assessment. But stupid me I blocked myself out of the site!! Can't get on for another 2 hours by which time I'll be going to bed! Doh!

Nevermind. I'm so blonde sometimes.

Oh and DH has had his electricity supply swapped to Eon - airmiles!! Woop woop.

Martinslovechild

pammyj74 wrote: »

I would like to join this but it asks for a activation code which i assume you get from an invitation?

From memory, I received an email from Tesco which probably contained the code.

In the 'Frequently Asked Questions' section, I notice it says:-

We’ve invited a broad range of our Clubcard Members to take part. We have only chosen people who have indicated in their Clubcard preferences that they are happy to take part in market research.

It might be worth checking your preferences by logging into the main Tesco site. If you can't find them there, then I would be cheeky and phone Tesco up on the main Clubcard Helpline Number (0800 59 16 88).



Lines are open:

1. Monday to Friday: 9am - 8pm
2. Saturday: 9am - 5pm
3. Sunday: Closed.

Hotel Loyalty Schemes

I nearly forgot to mention - I don't know how many of you regularly stay in hotels but I always sign up with the various loyalty schemes. Holiday Inn operates one of the best schemes (www.priorityclub.com) which offers either points which can be redeemed for hotel stays or a selection of products, or airline miles (not AirMiles - but many others including Qantas Frequent Flyer which is the one which I opted for).

It's also worth checking out Hilton HHonors, Mariotts Loyalty club and the many others which are in operation. Every time I go on holiday now, I always ask the question when I check in - "do you operate a loyalty scheme or offer airline points for stays?", quite often they do and I walk away with an extra amout of points.

It's amazing how many people don't bother joining the various schemes, but not only have I received airline points as a result, but I've also had free upgrades, free breakfasts & newspapers, 20% discounts on restaurant meals, half-price services such as spa treatments etc and bonus points towards free hotel nights in the future.

A good piece of advice is to check the hotel's website - they usually have a link there if they operate such a scheme. Note that budget hotels don't tend to operate such a scheme (e.g. Premier Inn, Travelodge) but restaurants next to Premier Inns quite often offer Nectar Points for meals (e.g. Beefeater), so it's always worth stuffing your wallets/purses with all the various loyalty cards.

Also - search around for vouchers; if you know you'll be visiting a particular restaurant/hotel which offers points, see if any bonus point vouchers are available online beforehand - quite often you can find yourself on the receiving end of 100 bonus points or equivalent.

Good Luck...

twinklie

Went shopping in Asda on the way home. I kept setting the alarm off on the self checkout thing...couldn't figure it out until I realised I was scanning my Tesco card...in ASDA!!! Doh!

I launched my Psychology course with a meeting at breaktime. OMG....WAY more kids than I was expecting. Was :eek: I'm thinking it's going to be a big class afterall!! BOO!

Still, it's something I love so I'm excited about it anyway! DH is off to his works do tonight so no phone calls....bed early for little moi I think.