Romance doesn't have to be expensive, you could have got a dozen red roses delivered, on Monday, for under £25 - although it's now too late.

But you could still pop in store and pick up a dozen from as little as £3 from Lidl or £4.99 from Sainsbury's or get 24 for just £6 at Asda. If you’re going to your local supermarket though do remember, prices often move close to the big day.

Important! Ensure you know how to shop safely before trying these deals

Tips for shopping safely

Whether it's a retailer or restaurateur, airline or air-conditioner seller, computer shop or car rental company, there are always two main risks: either it's a dodgy company, or it's a legit company that has financial problems and goes bust.

The aim of these tips is to help you minimise the risks.

What happens if a company goes bust?

Quite simply, its customers are immediately transformed into creditors.

This hits hardest if you've ordered goods or tickets from them, and not had delivery, as then you are simply one of a line of people trying to get your money back out of the company's assets, and you usually get back much less than you paid in.

Even if you've had delivery, if the company you bought from goes under and there's a problem with the goods, it can mean you've no comeback.

While MoneySavingExpert.com endeavours to check deals are valid, we don't check companies' finances - even huge names like MFI and Woolies have folded - so it's very important you use the right strategies to stay protected where possible...

DO: Pay by credit card for goods over £100

Pay by credit card for something over £100, eg, flights, kitchens, sofas, and Section 75 laws super-charge your consumer rights.

Unlike debit cards, cheques & cash, pay in full or part (even just £1) on a credit card and by law the lender's jointly liable with the retailer. This means you have exactly the same rights with the card company as you do with the retailer, so if it goes bust, you can simply take your complaints there instead and get money back if no delivery.

Yet it's important you ALWAYS REPAY IN FULL each month, so there's no interest cost. See the Section 75 guide for a full guide and Cashback Credit Cards for how to earn cash on top too.

DO: Protect purchases under £100

Section 75 doesn't apply to purchases under £100, but there's still an option which can help. It's not a legal protection, just Visa rules, but it's a good secondary back up.

Spend on a Visa credit or debit card and, if the goods don't appear within 120 days, you can ask your bank to reclaim the cash from the seller’s bank. See the Visa Chargeback part of the Section 75 guide for full details.

DON'T: Use unfamiliar sites without checking

Bogus websites are often set up to cash in on popular products like Ugg boots and Tiffany necklaces, so be wary if it's an unfamiliar site. And don't think that because it appears on a reputable search engine, that makes it a reputable site - always check.

DO: Check the site's legit

Most folks know to look for a security padlock on a website's bottom right, but that doesn't mean the site's legit, just that payment's secure.

To find out who registered the site and when, search the Whois database. Reputable firms should also appear on the Companies House site, the UK Govt's official companies register. Be very wary of businesses with just a PO BOX or email address.

Study the site's worldwide web ranking on Alexa. Anything in the top 100,000 means it's reasonably big - a good, though not foolproof, indication of legitimacy. Do a quick Google search for other shoppers’ experiences.

DON'T: Let your anti-virus run out

Crucially, ensure your security's up-to-date - free software can be downloaded to your computer in five mins. Full details in the Free Anti-Virus Software guide.

DO: Know your distance selling rights

Many people are surprised to learn you've MORE rights buying online (or telephone/catalogue) due to the Distance Selling Regulations.

This gives a legal right to send most goods back within a week for a full refund (including outward delivery costs), even if there’s no fault. You'll usually need to pay for the return delivery. Read Consumer Rights for a full guide.

However, of course this is balanced by the fact that, order online, and that automatically means a time gap between ordering and delivering - when the company has your money. So if it goes bust in that time, the distance selling rights don't help.

DO: Understand sometimes there's no protection.

Ultimately, there is always a risk that a company can go bust. If the above routes don't apply, then you have to make a decision about whether you're willing to take the risk of parting with your cash.

Don't be overly scared of this: every day we all make transactions based on trust, and this is part of that, but do balance up the amount you're spending against the risk. Don't give large amounts of money to a company you're not sure of.

Close

Flowers delivered

There's nothing like having a dozen red roses delivered to make a girl (or boy!) feel special. But it doesn't have to cost the earth, you can get a bouquet couriered to your door for under £20 vs. the £46 that some big names charge.

The cheapest couriered dozen arriving on Mon 14 Feb is the Flying Flowers bouquet, for £23.50. Asda and M&S were the cheapest but have now sold out and they've said new stock won't be available. We've left them at the bottom of the article as an archive.

Important notice! The last date you can order for these to be delivered on Valentine's day is Sat 12 Feb, 3pm.

• Flying Flowers, a dozen red roses £23.49, courier delivered on Mon 14 Feb.
  
  Flying Flowers' Valentine's Simple Classic is £19.99 plus £3.50 for courier delivery on Mon 14.
  
  Order by 3pm Sat 12 Feb for Monday delivery.
  
• Serenata Flowers, a dozen red roses £24.98, courier delivered on Mon 14 Feb
  
  Its Dozen Red Roses Bouquet* is £19.99 but to get it courier delivered on Mon 14 Feb it'll cost you another £4.99
  
  Order by Sun 13 Feb to ensure Mon 14 Feb delivery.
  
• Next, a dozen red roses £25.99, courier delivered on Mon 14 Feb
  
  Next has its Passion Bouquet for £25.99 delivered by courier, on Mon 14 Feb.
  
  Order before 3pm on Sun 13 Feb to ensure Monday delivery, though Next has recommended it's best to order before this date as many of the delivery slots will go quickly.
• Waitrose/John Lewis, a dozen red roses £29.50, courier delivered on Mon 14 Feb
  
  Waitrose/John Lewis is offering this Kenyan Dozen Bouquet* for £29.50 delivered by courier on Mon 14 Feb.
  
  Order by 7pm Sat 12 Feb for delivery on Monday.
• Bunches, a dozen red roses £34.99, delivered by courier on Mon 14 Feb

  Get it's 12 Red Roses bouquet* for £34.99 and get free milk chocolates thrown in. They'll be delivered by courier on Mon 14 Feb.

  Order by 11am Sat 12 Feb to guarantee Mon 14 Feb delivery.

• Asda, a dozen red roses, £19 courier delivered on Mon 14 Feb - SOLD OUT
  
  Get a Simply Roses bouquet* delivered by an Asda Direct courier on Valentine's Day for £19 from Asda.
  
  Order these by 4pm on Sun 13 Feb to ensure Mon 14 Feb delivery.
• Marks and Spencer, a dozen red roses, £19.99 courier delivered on Mon 14 Feb - SOLD OUT
  
  Get a Fair Trade dozen red roses bouquet* delivered by courier on Valentine's Day for £19.99 from M&S.
  
  Order these by 5pm Sat 12 Feb to ensure Monday delivery.

Here are a couple of things to watch out for:

• Don't leave it till the last minute. If you do, you may pay more for delivery that was free. Most retailers ask orders to be in by Sat 12 February to guarantee delivery for Mon 14.
• Check if delivery is by courier or Royal Mail. Courier delivery guarantees delivery on a specific day where as Royal Mail, although cheaper, only ensures delivery around a specific day.

In-store deals

Who said a dozen red roses have to break the bank? With a bit of creativity you can make a five pound bouquet look like a bunch Elton would be proud of. Decorate them in some fancy paper (circa £1) and they'll be none the wiser. Below is a list of the best budget buys for 12 red roses to pick up in store.

While these are the prices retailers have given for the Valentine's period, it's possible they'll reduce prices further in competition with other stores. If that happens, prices here will be updated.

• Lidl, £2.99 for a dozen red roses, from Sat 12 Feb.

• Sainsbury’s, £4.99 for a dozen Fair Trade red roses.

• Aldi, £4.99 for a dozen red roses.

• Tesco £5 for a dozen red roses.

• Morrison's, £5 for a dozen red roses with white gypsophila.

• Somerfield/Co-op, £5 for 11 mixed bunch roses, £10 for twelve red roses.

• Asda, £6 for 24 sweetheart red roses.

• M&S, £10 for a dozen Fair Trade red roses.

• Waitrose, £14.99 for a dozen red roses.
  

Long stem and specialist roses will cost considerably more than these. For these reduced prices expect short stemmed standard roses.

Perfumes

If you're buying perfume for your other half this Valentine's Day it's possible to slash the cost by up to half if you know how. The trick is to buy via a specialist online perfume discounter. You can speedily compare the biggest retailers by using a fragrance comparison service.

Just enter the perfume you’re looking for and it'll list the cheapest including delivery. For full details plus more tricks on how to cut the cost of perfume online and on the high street read the Cheap Perfume article.