Gift cards are rarely reduced because stores are afraid that people will take advantage and play the system. We’ve spotted a cracking deal at Tesco, so we’re going to take advantage and play the system…
It’s back for 2015! Until Sun 22 Nov, you can get 20% off selected Monsoon, Accessorize, New Look, iTunes, Pizza Express or Mitchells & Butlers gift cards in store at Tesco (the discount will be applied automatically at the checkout) or online – delivery’s from £1.50 or free for digital gift cards.
We’re not big fans of giving these as gifts at MSE, because if a firm goes bust its gift card is usually rendered useless, and often people forget to use them before they expire. So we suggest you buy them for YOURSELF, provided those are stores you’d shop in anyway, then double the discount when there’s an offer on.
What’s more, if you spend £50 or more on these gift cards (AFTER the discount), and swipe your Clubcard, you’ll get an extra 150 Clubcard points (worth £1.50 in store or up to £6 in rewards).
Save them for the January sales…
Pre-Christmas is generally an expensive shopping time, the January sales the cheapest. As most goods are full price before Christmas, there are usually lots of codes and discounts available, but few in January for the sales.
This allows you to turn that around by buying the gift cards now, for the stores you usually visit, effectively as a cheap form of credit to use in January when prices are cheaper. While the gift cards have expiry dates, they usually last at least 24 months (it depends on the company see below).
As mentioned, in the unlikely event one of the firms went bust in the short amount of time before January, the card would become valueless. Yet in the past when that’s happened – if you bought the gift card at a separate major retailer (eg, a supermarket), it has refunded you, which mitigates the already low risk. Though that’s not a guarantee.
A few things to watch
– Monsoon – have to be bought in bundles of £25. Can spend them in Monsoon stores only. Expires 24 months from date of last use.
– Accessorize – have to be bought in bundles of £10. Can spend them in Accessorize stores only. Expires 24 months from date of last use.
– New Look – have to be bought in bundles of £25. Can spend them online and in New Look stores. Expires 24 months after last use.
– iTunes – have to be bought in bundles of £25. Can spend them online only. No expiry date.
– Pizza Express – have to be bought in bundles of £20. Can spend in the restaurant only. Expires 18 months from date of purchase.
– Mitchells & Butlers (pub and restaurant brand including Harvester, Toby Carvery and All Bar One) – have to be bought in bundles of £20. Can spend in the restaurant only. Expires 12 months from date of purchase.
There’s a maximum of five gift cards per transaction. You can use Clubcard vouchers to buy them, but check first that this is the best use of your vouchers, as you could get up to four times their value with Clubcard Boost.
The offer’s available in every Tesco store that sells gift cards, but not every store will have the same range. If you’re planning a special trip, it’s worth calling ahead to check if your store stocks the one you’re after.
It’s worth noting, gift cards are non-refundable.
