Valentine's Day 2023 deals
If you're celebrating Valentine's Day this year, we've a bouquet of cheap gift ideas that'll keep the costs low and the romance high.
Romance is lovely, but over-commercialised pressure isn't and there are plenty of free things you can do instead of buying gifts. Why not snuggle up with a movie on Freeview, bake each other special treats or do some virtual stargazing online?
Yet if you are going to spend (there's no need), we've rounded up the top deals below. Plus, see our Cheap perfume guide for ways to cut the costs on your favourite scents. We'll be updating this page over the next week or so with more free and cheap gift ideas.
0 Current Deals
Valentine’s gifts shouldn't be about how much you've spent. Use our free Valentine’s gift cheques to make your other half a promise straight from the heart – pledge to do something nice (or naughty). Thoughtfulness melts the heart far more than a pricey prezzie. Promise your loved one a massage, brekkie in bed, or dinner.
For a homemade gift idea, see MSE Rhiannon's 'Fancy chocs were £20 at Fortnum & Mason – so I made my own for £3ish' blog.
WARNING! Things can go wrong with the delivery of flowers, and in the past we’ve featured deals from several floristry firms only to be swamped with sad messages after flowers didn’t arrive or, worse, arrived dying or dead. Hopefully that won’t happen to you, but there’s always a risk, so weigh that up before buying.
We don't currently have any deals.
We don't currently have any deals.
We don't currently have any deals.
We don't currently have any deals.
-
For activities up to 31 December
Look out for promotional packs of Heinz including beans, soups and sauces (normally £1 to £4), at most major supermarkets or from Heinz to Home, to get free entry to over 2,700 venues and activities. To claim this offer, you'll need to purchase a marked promotional item and enter its batch code online at Heinz Dayz Out by 11.59pm on 31 October 2023. Your free entry voucher will be valid until 11.59pm on 31 December 2023.
Heinz told us there are 27 different activity types to choose from at 2,765 venues across the UK, including bowling, go-karting, trampolining and swimming, as well as a few animal and theme parks such as Dudley Zoo and Gulliver's – see the full list of venues and activities at Heinz's website.
One code is only valid for one person and vouchers can't be used together – if you go as a group, others will need to pay full-price. You can't use multiple free-entry vouchers in one go. Of course, for some venues where you wouldn't necessarily need to book as a group (an animal park for example), you could each buy your own Heinz promotional pack to get a free entry voucher and each book separately for the same day. Note that most vouchers are for adults only, but for some venues it's a free child entry.
How do I claim a 'free' day out?
Purchase any of the following promotional items from a participating supermarket (all the major ones plus a few more – see 'More info' for the full list). The packs are also available online at Heinz to Home.
- Beanz (415g can)
- Beanz four-pack (4x415g cans)
- Beanz No-Added-Sugar (415g can)
- Beanz No-Added-Sugar four-pack (4x415g cans)
- Cream of Tomato Soup (400g can)
- Cream of Tomato Soup four-pack (4x400g)
- Spaghetti Hoops (400g can)
- Tomato Ketchup (910g)
- Tomato Ketchup (460g)
- Tomato Ketchup 50/50 (880g)
- Seriously Good Mayonnaise (775g)
- Good Mayonnaise Light (815g)
- Classic BBQ Sauce (480g)
The cheapest option to buy when we checked on Friday 7 July was Heinz Spaghetti Hoops (400g can) for £1.25 at Tesco. The promo packs will be available while stocks last – Heinz told us it anticipates the items will sell out fully around mid-to-late September.
Buying a four-pack will get you four separate free entry vouchers, BUT each voucher can only be used by the same person and at a different venue each time. You can't go as a group and use the four free entry vouchers for Dudley Zoo for example.
Once you've purchased a promotional item, you'll need to enter its batch code at Heinz Dayz Out. For tins, this is the eight digits on the second row of the numbers printed and found underneath the tin. For sauces, this is the 11 digits on the second row of numbers printed and found on the side of the lid.
Heinz told us in some cases, you may be required to provide proof of purchase. You can only claim a code once, and you can register up to two codes per day.
Select your activity and you’ll receive an email with your single-entry voucher. Some venues may require you to contact them directly to book entry in advance. You may also be required to pre-book online using a unique code which will be emailed to you once redeemed. For two activities – Diggerland and go-karting – a minimum of two people need to book, but only one free entry can be used, so the other person has to pay full-price.
Fancy a free day out for the kids? See how you can claim a 'free' kids sports session at Aldi.
See all deals: Heinz (1 deal) -
MSE weekly email
FREE weekly MoneySaving email
For all the latest deals, guides and loopholes simply sign up today – it's spam-free!
-
Over 250 attractions
If you register with Days Out Guide and buy a National Rail ticket, you can get 2for1 entry to 250+ UK attractions, including Thorpe Park, Kew Gardens, Chessington World of Adventures, Alton Towers and Legoland Windsor (see the full attractions list). You must pre-book the attraction tickets online – though confusingly, the 2for1 is only valid on full-price tickets, so you can't get 2for1 on the usually-cheaper 'advance' price.
How to get 2for1
- Choose which attraction you want to visit at the Days Out Guide website and you'll be given a 2for1 code.
- Go via Days Out Guide to the attraction's own website and use the code to book two full-price tickets online.
- On arrival at the attraction, you'll need to present your tickets alongside a valid train ticket (one for the station nearest the attraction) dated for the same day. Only one discount voucher may be used per two people. You must print your ticket – those shown on a phone will not be accepted.
If you don't present a valid train ticket at the attraction on the day, you'll be required to purchase your second ticket on the gate.
Check if booking online without this deal is cheaper
The 2for1 is based on the 'on the day' gate price (despite needing to book online), and these can be over-inflated at some attractions compared to the online advance price, which can be much cheaper at some venues – so always compare prices first.
We've picked out a few of the top attractions and compared the total cost of getting 2for1 tickets via this deal and the total price of simply booking in advance.
Attraction Total 2for1 price with this offer Total advance price for 2 adults booking normally Alton Towers £68 £72 Thorpe Park £64 £64 Chessington £64 £74 Legoland Windsor £66 £76 Kew Gardens £16 £39 Warwick Castle £39 £64 St Paul's Cathedral £23 £41
While for some the 2for1 saves a decent amount, for other attractions it's the same or very close to the advance price – and of course you need to factor in the cost of train tickets, to decide whether this deal is worth it or not.What if I live near the attraction/am travelling by other means?
If you're not travelling by train but this deal would still work out cheaper for you, you can buy a cheap single ticket (usually for a couple of quid) to the nearest station to your attraction – just get a train ticket from the next station along.
Other need-to-knows
- You can visit multiple attractions on the same day that your rail ticket is valid, so if you're travelling to 'London Terminals', you can go to several attractions in London on the same day.
- Electronic ticket barriers can sometimes retain your ticket (especially if it's a single), so to make sure you don't lose your proof of travel, ask a member of the station staff at a manned gate to help you through.
- Excludes Oyster cards, Freedom Passes, DLR, bus, Eurostar, Heathrow Express and tickets and travelcards bought from London Underground.
- This deal can't be used with other offers or promotions. However, Railcard-discounted National Rail tickets are valid for the offer.
Visit the full Days Out Guide terms and conditions for more.
See all deals: National Rail (3 deals)
These are some of the cheapest prices we see throughout the year for prosecco and champagne. While the very cheapest time is usually during the festive period, many of the prices of the bottles below are the same as they were then, so this can be a corking time to buy.