Martin Lewis' money-saving deals of the week
Is your EHIC leaving you unprotected? £4.20 champagne trick, free fitness classes, Tesco points double-up and more. These are our Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis’ Deals of the Week.
Remember, deals can change quickly, even while I’m on the programme. So always double-check the terms and conditions before spending. Plus, while I hope these deals will save you cash, don’t spend if you can’t afford it, don’t need it, or won’t use it.
Web exclusive: 40% code off Clarks, Nike, Sketchers and more
If you go online to footwear retailer Brantano you can get 40% off selected items when you enter the code EVENT40 by 11.59pm on Sunday 2 August. Delivery's £2.50, or free if you're spending £20+ after the discount. Even with the code not everything's cheapest from Brantano, so do your own checks before buying.
Is your EHIC leaving you unprotected?
The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) gives you access to GPs or state hospitals in the EU at the same price as a local. Yet 5m+ cards are out-of-date and invalid so check the expiry date (point 9) on the bottom right of your card now.
If it's already expired, or is about to, renew it now by applying on the EHIC website, or by calling 0300 330 1350. DON’T pay for an EHIC – they’re free and any site charging you is a con – even if it’s promising a fast track. Generally, it'll take about seven to 10 days for it to come through. Kids must have their own cards.
£4.20 champagne trick (min. six bottles)
Sainsbury’s is currently running three different promotions (not available in Scotland), which mean that if you have your order delivered/collected until Sunday 2 August, newbies to Sainsbury’s online can effectively get champagne for £4.17 a bottle – the cheapest I’ve everseen it. Though you have to buy at least six. Even if you’re an existing Sainsbury’s online customer, you can still get it for £7.50 a bottle. Here’s how:
Step 1: Henry Dumanois champagne is reduced from £12 to £10 a bottle – it is however selling quickly, and Sainsbury’s told my team at 4pm yesterday that stock is limited. The same trick also works on the £14 Etienne Dumont Brut NV (which obviously costs more, although there’s more availability).
Step 2: Buy six bottles of any of the promotional wine or champagne, before Sunday 2 August, and you’ll automatically get a further 25% discount. This makes the Henry Dumanois £7.50/bottle if you buy six, plus delivery charges (or you can buy in store, or pick it up in store for free).
Step 3: If you’re new to Sainsbury’s grocery online, use the code PPCFJULYVA and you’ll get £20 off when you spend £60+. However you can’t use this just on booze, to make it work you’ll need to put £20 of other stuff in your basket too – just your normal groceries. This brings the effective cost of the champagne (if you assign all the discounts to it), to £4.17 a bottle, plus any delivery charges.
Martin’s quickies
Unlimited free yoga, Zumba, pilates etc. If you go online to free fitness initiative ParkLives – or Our Parks if you live in London or Bedfordshire - you can sign up for completely unlimited, free exercise classes (normally costs £5-£10ish) for adults and children. These are being held in more than 180 locations across Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester, Newcastle, and London.
Train delayed, now you’re due cash back. Until recently, you were only entitled to a refund in National Rail vouchers, which meant you could only spend them when making a further journey (and had to use them by a certain date before they expired). But in July this year the rules changed - and you can now demand a refund in cash. Halve gadget and other costs via new points double-up. From Monday 3 August, you can swap every £5 of Clubcard vouchers for £10 in various categories at Tesco, and for the first time in a year on most things in its Tesco Direct catalogue (its equivalent of Argos), eg, Kindle Fire £40 in vouchers, Nutribullet £42, PS4 £145.