Meerkat trick: Spend £2ish to get 2for1 at cinemas AND restaurants for a year
Meerkat Movies* gets you 2for1 at cinemas and now restaurants too FOR A YEAR when you buy via comparison website Compare The Market.
And we’ve a trick to get it for £2ish...
It came about when we asked ourselves, what’s the cheapest product you can buy in order to qualify for Meerkat Movies*? (And now Meerkat Meals*, which works the same way).
The T&Cs state you'll be eligible for both for 12 months as long as:
- You purchase any of the following insurance – car, motorcycle, van, contents and/or buildings, pet, life, landlord or travel insurance.
- OR you switch any of the following – domestic energy (gas and/or electric), broadband, home telephone or digital TV.
- OR you successfully apply for – a credit card or loan or mobile phone contract.
Car and home insurance were too pricey – there are better rewards and cashback offers available elsewhere. So we homed in on travel insurance.
Remember, we’re not necessarily encouraging you to use these policies as they may not provide the cover you need – see our Cheap Travel Insurance guide for more info. The point of this is just getting 2for1 cinema tickets and restaurant meals as cheaply as you can.
So, one night’s UK cover for one person does the job. Do a quick search on Compare The Market* for a single-trip travel insurance policy.
The cheapest quotes when we last tried it on Tue 4 Aug:
- £2.34 – Flexicover ‘Single Standard’ (1-2 Sep)
- £2.70 – Coverwise ‘Single Standard’ (1-2 Sep)
- £2.83 - Spectrum 'Single Standard' (1-2 Sep)
At these prices, the insurance is far cheaper than the price of a second cinema ticket or a second main course, so in most cases you'll save even if you use it once.
Do bear in mind the year's membership begins from the date you made a purchase, and you can only have one active membership. If you make any subsequent purchases during the 12 months, it'll reset the clock - so you never get more than 12 months.
Will it always work?
Since first sharing this trick four years ago, we've been swamped with countless successes from MoneySavers (like Geraint below), yet at the time we didn't think it would last - a year's 2for1 for £1 seemed too good to be true. Four years later, it's still working... touch wood.
So while we can't guarantee it'll go on forever, as Compare The Market could technically close the loophole anytime it wants, it seems likely it'll keep going for a while longer yet.
If you want to learn more about how Meerkat Movies and Meals actually works (once you've done the trick), we've included a full step-by-step guide in 'More info' below. See our Cheap Cinema Tickets and Restaurant Vouchers pages for related deals.
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