Martin's Quick Deals
Tesco points double up, check your Apple Music account, 50% off Laura Ashley gift set and 40% off The Body Shop. 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.
Tesco Clubcard Christmas double-up
If you’ve a stash of Tesco Clubcard points ready to spend in the run up to Christmas then hang on just a couple of days, as from Monday Tesco will be doubling their value. So, you’ll be able to swap £5 in Clubcard vouchers for £10 of vouchers to spend in-store or online in certain departments, including clothing, electricals, entertainment, health and beauty gifts, home, opticians, sports equipment, stationery and toys.
I’ve had a look and found a Barbie Glitter Hair Doll for £10 in vouchers, usually £20 and an Oral B toothbrush for £10 in vouchers, currently on sale at £19.99 but usually £39.99.
You won’t be able to swap the vouchers back into points or cash so before you exchange them make sure you’ll use them all. You have until Sunday 27 December to exchange the vouchers and they must be used by Wednesday 30 December.
Don’t forget to also check your Clubcard account online to see if you’ve any unused vouchers or able to reclaim lost ones going back two years. Full help to do that in Martin’s reclaim Tesco point guide.
Another way to boost your Clubcard points further is to exchange them for vouchers with its partners where you can quadruple their value. My top ones are exchanging £2.50 of Clubcard vouchers for £10 in restaurant vouchers, including Prezzo and Café Rouge, £4.50 of Clubcard vouchers gives you an adult cinema ticket, and get £10 worth of days out tokens, including London Zoo and Hampton Court Palace, for £2.50 in Clubcard vouchers.
Reclaim for unwanted Apple Music
Apple Music launched with a fanfare in June. The streaming service which aims to take on Spotify offers a free three-month trial – many who took it at launch are now starting to be charged up to £14.99 a month if they didn’t cancel. So if you haven’t come to the end cancel now – just turn off the auto-renew settings in the Music app. Yet there's a way you can get this charge back if you forgot to cancel after your free trial.
Get in touch with Apple customer support by phone or online chat and explain what's happened. Though there's no rule that Apple has to refund you, I've heard of people getting full refunds, like Tom who tweeted me “Got a refund after complaining and 3 free song downloads for the trouble!” But it’s probably fair to say that it’ll be harder to get a refund if you’ve used the service since.
50% off Laura Ashley gift set.
For lovers of floral, as part of its weekly 'Star Gift' Christmas promotion, Boots has reduced its Laura Ashley Ultimate Indulgence bath set from £40 to £20, when you order online or in-store until next Thursday. This tends to be very popular with forumites in the lead up to Christmas and the gift set includes a bath soak, body lotion, shower cream, hand and nail cream, hand soap, soap dish, soap dispenser and candle. Based on the full sized items I totted this up to have stuff sold separately for around £42.55 in it, so it's a decent deal for £20.
40% off at The Body Shop.
Go online or in-store to The Body Shop and you can get 40% off most items, including those already reduced by up to 50% in the sale. You'll need to enter the code 14664 (or show it on your smartphone or take a printout in store) and it's valid until 9am on Tuesday 3 November. You'll also get free delivery for orders over £20, otherwise it's £2.49. I found a Chocomania Body Butter for £3.90, down from £6.50 (was £14 before the sale) and an Amazonian Wild lily shower gel for £1.95, down from £3.25 (was £6.50 before the sale).