Think there’s no such thing as a free lunch? Think again.
You can get a free lunch, a free day out, a free evening’s entertainment and even a free weekly shop when you take advantage of the various free-to-join, no-strings-attached, loyalty and reward schemes out there.
So, with the May Bank Holiday looming, here’s how to make the most of the extra day off work and school, and treat yourself, your mates and your family to one fantastic – and completely free – long weekend break.
Collect enough Nectar points, switch Tesco Clubcard points into vouchers, collect Avios, Coinks and Andrex Puppy Points, and it’s possible to have an action-packed, entertainment-filled bank holiday weekend, without taking your wallet out of your pocket.
All you need to do is plan ahead a little and order your vouchers in good time, so that you have them for the weekend.
Saturday
Start the weekend with something energetic. Every £5 in Tesco Clubcard vouchers can be exchanged for £15 to spend on a day out at a Tenpin bowling club.
Or if the weather’s nice you could go to the zoo.
Every £5 in Clubcard vouchers gives you £20 to spend on admission to attractions like Africa Alive! in Suffolk, Blackpool Zoo, Colchester Zoo, Highland Wildlife Park or London Zoo, among others. Take a picnic and enjoy your free day out.
Then it’s time to head home and check out what’s on at your local cinema.
If you use Andrex toilet tissue, make sure you collect the unique code printed on the inside of each wrapper. These give you Puppy Points that you can use on all sorts of freebies and discounted products. 90 Andrew Puppy Points will get you a free cinema ticket for any 2D film at either Odeon or Cineworld.
If you fancy a night instead, grab a free film rental from Blockbuster. Nectar is one of the few loyalty schemes that don’t require you to plan ahead before spending your points.
You can simply pop into your local Blockbuster and swipe your Nectar card at the till to get £2.50 to spend for every 500 points you have.
You can even take advantage of their deals; like rent four movies for £10 – or for free in Nectar card points, in your case.
Sunday
Treat the family to a slap-up lunch. For every £10 of Tesco Clubcard points you have you can get you a voucher for £40 to spend on a meal at a variety of high street chain restaurants, from Café Rouge to Pizza Express. All you’ll pay for is drinks.
If you prefer a home-cooked meal then you can invite everyone round for Sunday lunch on you – all for free.
Coinks are available on everyday items that you can pick up at the supermarket and you can also earn points for online shopping at a host of places like Boots, Superdrug, New Look, Boden, Office and Halfords.
Just 2,500 coinks will give you £25 to spend at the supermarket. Another 1000 coinks will get you £10 to spend, while 500 coinks will get you a £5 voucher. Collect enough and you’ll be able to pick up a three course meal, with wine included, without having to fork out a penny.
Bank Holiday Monday
Take advantage of the extra day off and treat all the family to a day at Thorpe Park or Legoland. For 4,200 Avios (the new name for Airmiles) you will get a voucher for free adult entry to Thorpe Park, while a further 3,100 Avios will let a child get in for free.
A few extra Avios – 4,300 for an adult and 3,400 for a child – will get you in to Legoland at Windsor gratis.
If you’ve got enough points you could even get your hands on an annual Merlin pass, giving you 12 months free entry to 29 of the UK’s leading resorts and attractions, from Legoland to Madame Tussauds and the London Eye.
So what are you waiting for? Tot up your points total, take a look online at what’s on offer, and plan yourself a fantastic, and free, Bank Holiday weekend!
{Images: Blinking Idiot}
