Quidco!

Firstly, let me make clear that this isn't a sponsored blog post. No one's asked me to write about Quidco, or cash-back sites in general. This is just me discussing it because I love getting cash back. It makes looking for a bargain easier and spending money less painful.

Many of you have probably heard of cash-back sites and use them in one guise or another. There's not just Quidco, although this is the one I use, others include Top Cashback and RPoints. There are also ones you can use to fundraise, like Gift for Charity. If you haven't seen them before, basically they are a middle man who offers deals to get you to buy at particular stores. There's a great explanation at Moneywise if you want to know more.

I've been using Quidco online for four or five years. I don't always remember to do it but the tool bar usually prompts me if I forget. It's generally from places I would buy anyway but occasionally I choose based on the prices I get going through Quidco. For expensive items, like car hire or holidays, it can make a big difference. I've not bought anything like that this year but just by using it for things like books and clothes I've got £244.27 cash back so far this year. For buying things I was going to buy anyway. Bargain, right? I got £70 when I changed my phone over. Everything is exactly the same as if I had done it in a store, only I had an extra £70 in my pocket. It's fab!

Anyway, Quidco has always been in the background of my PC but now, oh! now I've got the app and I'm in love with it all over again.  Not only can you earn money for "checking in" at various stores (I earned 90p today from the comfort of my chair in Starbucks) you get exclusive discounts like 25% off anything at Dorothy Perkins, or 30% off everything at the Body Shop. You can also register your card and get cash back for shopping in stores. Do you want to pay £50 for those shoes or £35? It's a no brainer.

I don't care if you use Quidco or one of the other sites, but if you're shopping then you should definitely be using one.