Alternatives to 1-Click Ordering that earns more Airmiles
Being a very savvy shopper, one who has been buying online since the '90s, I've recently been seeing the rewards coming through each month via Airmiles.
Amazon's 1-Click Ordering is a wonder, but I do wonder if it's all worth the increased efficiency? I love shopping on Amazon, it's easy, quick and the real benefit is the product reviews. I've bought most of my consumer electricals on Amazon.co.uk and researched many more on the back of reading the consumer reviews. But my passion for making sure I get a good deal, makes me look elsewhere on the web.
The obvious place to look for a deal is eBay. The biggest e-commerce site in the UK and largest marketplace of large and small online retailers selling millions of new products. Not only do I spend a fair amount online, given the opportunity, I also like to save some money or get some reward for the effort.
Since December, I've had 2 special % off discount voucher codes for eBay.co.uk for purchases that could have saved me up to £200. That's a cracking deal. Although I didn't spend the full amount to qualify for the maximum saving, it certainly got me spending my money before the codes expired.
Now saving money is one thing, but what additional rewards can I earn for my troubles? You can haggle offline, but not so much online, so there has to be something in it beyond the expected cheaper price than in-store.
One way is to shop online but take advantage of the loyalty schemes that give you something tangible back. There is no point taking all the time in the world to earn some points over the course of the year, to the value of something you are never going to use.
Airniles however is something that puts you on a plane to a destination as far as your spending power with take you. The more you spend, the further you fly. Want to go to Australia for free? Easy. Keep spending sunshine!
But you have to get smart. Don't fall into the trap of buying crap you just ain't going to use. Figure out if Airmiles have partnered up with a supplier or retailer that you'd normally use, and buy online via their website. Likewise, see if the small increase in price via Airmiles is worth it, considering you will earn the milage on the spend, vs a slightly cheaper retailer not in their programme.
Not only can you earn miles with Airmiles for shopping via them, but you can redeem your Tesco Clubcard monetary vouchers for airmiles. A £2.50 voucher is worth 60 miles. If you do most of your shopping at Tesco and have a Clubcard, there's some free miles for the taking.
Now if you were to pay with a Lloyds TSB Duo credit card, you earn more airmiles on the spend with the two cards you can use, American Express and Mastercard. If you use the Amex, the miles per £1 spent is more, so try at every opportunity. John Lewis now take Amex so think of those big expensive purchases you have coming up and reach for the blue square on your plastic!
But if you want to go for the daddy of loyalties and rewards, how about this for an idea...
Visit eBay.co.uk via the Airmiles website, buy an item on the Buy It Now format that's a great deal, pay immediately with PayPal using the Lloyds TSB Duo Amex card linked to the account, and use an eBay discount code at the checkout stage. Save money and earn loads more miles.
Make sure you buy something expensive that you need and want, to make the most of it.
If only Tesco's were on eBay as a Powerseller with an eBay shop, that allowed you to enter your Clubcard number and earn points from this vibrant shopping channel. You could then get great value and earn the triple crown of airmiles.
However, Airmiles announced this week that you should not be hoarding your miles if you're not actively collecting them. So if you've got them, and have enough to fly somewhere special, book that flight as soon as you can. The last thing you want to be left with is BA... Bugger All.
Hunter Wellington boots, original wellies that last
Britain has come to an absolute standstill due to the snow, and I only wish I had some Hunter Wellington boots to really get stuck in. These original wellingtons are built to last, and are one of the most popular and highly regarded wellies you can buy online and across the country.
Wellington boots are steeped in history, and with these welly boots being called gum boots in other countries, they remain the footwear of choice for millions of people.
Rubber boots were even the major product of Nokia before they turned to mobile phones. They come in various colours and styles, but the quality of them can be the difference.
This week I've worn my standard wellingtons and now have blisters on each ankle where they have rubbed. Not surprising though, considering they are the most basic. However if I'd had some Hunter Original Wellington boots, I'd have the luxury of a better finish and style, and pampered feet. Add in the sock warmers, and I'd be out in the rain, mud or snow all day!
Whilst these welly boots aren't cheap you can get buy them online for around the £50 mark. The wellington ranges include the Hunter Originals, Festival, Balmoral, Huntress and can go over £100, plus there is a Young Hunter range for children.
Having almost slipped up today on the ice, I think I will be investing in some of these quality wellies. The biggest decision will be what colour?
One thing is for certain. If I bought the Limited Edition Hunter Veuve Clicquot Wellington boots, I wouldn't be entering a welly wanging competition. I'd rather be drinking the champagne and not making a right wellie of myself!
Download movies in iTunes, but rate the movie not the price
It will be 8 months next week, since Apple added movies to rent in iTunes, but they are still plagued with poor user reviews against the price, and not the film.
This is a real shame in the credit crunch as users vote with their wallets and disuade others. I've just read a review that was posted saying something along the lines of, "I'd like to buy 100 movies rather than 10 at this price".
So the price if a recent release is £10.99 to download to own, and £3.49 to rent. Older movies tend to be £6.99 to own and £2.49 to rent. This to many is a bit pricey when you can buy some of these movies cheaper on DVD. Also the movies have DRM which prevents the transfer of movies to your PSP for example.
The comments on iTunes makes purchasing a real hassle as you can't see the wood from the trees. There doesn't seem to be any manual removals of blatant ratings abuse, which should be addressed. Apple please sort this out, or let other iTunes users report the posts.
There is a rental of the week for 99p to rent, which can sometimes offer a retro gem, such as The Cable Guy a couple of weeks ago.
For the convenience of watching a film on the train, bus or even in bed, if you download a film guaranteed to be a winner and one you'll watch a few times, then the download to own price is okay. The rentals are a great way to watch the classics that you might not own. But the price is sure to come down in time, and the demand increases and the movie studios relax their policies on pricing.
However I own Shooter, Cloverfield and Jumper, and got my money's worth. Now I hope that the rentals 21 and What Happens In Vegas are good enough to remind me how I should have played the casino last week.
Organise your DVD collection with Slappa cases
Have you got a growing DVD collection that is causing the bookcase to warp or you're running out of space? I have the solution, Slappa.co.uk.
I can't remember who recommended me to check out their website, but I am so glad they did!
The quality of their leather cases and the finishing, really does mean a financial investment on your part, but you'll be thankful for it. They are not cheap, but having got them out for some friends, they have followed suit with purchases and are in total agreement.
So with over 350 DVDs and Blu-Rays, the investment into a storage solution that lasts is imperative. The amount of wasted space from all those cases doesn't bear thinking about.
You will have noticed that movie companies over the last few years have been a bit tight on adding any inserts inside the cases, you know the booklets. It is a real disappointment when you open the case, to find only the disc. What a waste of packaging!
So imagine the amount of wasted space on that bookcase. I therefore went ahead and bought the CD cases, note, not the DVD ones.
I have four of the 240 HardBody PRO CD cases in Graphite, £39.99 each, and now my collection takes up a fraction of the space. Each page has the ability to store 8 discs in 4 pockets, or 4 discs with a CD cover. But being DVDs you really don't need to include the artwork.
I have decided to keep 1 movie per pocket, with the special features disc behind. Or if there is a sequel, I'll group the movies together. With season collections such as 24, Friends, The Office, they are all in one case to make it easy to find.
For almost all movies, you can see the name of the movie on the disc, or you can recognise the movie from the images. A few tough ones include Fight Club and Usual Suspects. You will find movies that you haven't watched for years and will have them queuing up at the DVD player ready to play.
Buy what about all the cases? Good question, they are taking up the space in plastic boxes in the attic!
Slappa have launched a DVD version of the cases, but I find that they are expensive for what they are, and they number of discs you can store. I have one for the PS2 and PS3 games and store them with the booklet instructions. More recently they have a DVD box solution, but that's difficult to lend to a friend of take round to a house party.
Only problem I find is knowing what movies are in each case. It is unrealistic to sort A to Z, so writing them down and keeping them the list in the front pocket could be an idea. But recently I have found the website Collectorz.com, which has a database of movies, games, etc, for people to keep tabs on what they own and can share online their collection. This is something that I'm going to investigate!
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