Best student and NHS discounts: Plus, how anyone can check they’re getting the best price online

Consumers can get discounts of up to 50 per cent when shopping online – and there are even additional special offers available for groups such as students and NHS workers.

Online shopping is big business. In fact, almost a third (30.2 per cent) of everything bought in the UK in November 2022 was bought over the internet, according to the Office for National Statistics.

With that in mind, it makes sense to save as much money as possible when buying items online.

Fortunately there are plenty of ways to find cheaper deals and money-off vouchers that can cut your shopping bills by up to half.

Web shopping: One in three items purchased in the UK is now bought online, according to Government figures

Use the right technology

When you’re looking for online discounts, it makes sense to use online tools.

Special websites and browser extensions can help take a lot of the heavy lifting out of finding deals online and saving money while you shop.

Browser extensions are smart bits of kit that work by sitting in the background while you browse online. They then automatically let you know of any money-saving coupons or lower prices available on items you are interested in.

For example, the free extensions Honey, Coupert and Pouch work by spotting coupon codes available on more than 30,000 websites, including Amazon. These then pop up when you go to pay for certain items and mean that, if the code is still active, you will get money off.

Cashback websites such as TopCashback and Quidco give you some of your money back when you buy something through them.

These websites require you to sign up and log in, then look for the item you want to buy. You then click through to the retailer’s website and buy what you want as normal.

TopCashback says members earn £345 on average a year through cashback on purchases, while Quidco users get £300.

Quidco users can get up to 40 per cent discounts at Curry’s and 7 per cent at Boots, while TopCashBack customers currently get 18 per cent off at Holland & Barrett and £10 cashback at Asda.

TopCashBack is free to join, with a £5-a-year premium option, while Quidco is free with a premium option of £1 a month.

Meanwhile, websites such as VoucherCodes, MyVoucherCodes and VoucherCloud, as the names suggest, show money-off codes for everything from travel to retail and fashion.

Signing up to company email alerts can also get you money-off codes, but unless you are a big fan of a particular firm it does mean you have to sift through emails you might not be interested in until that happens.

Tips and tricks to be aware of

Firstly, when shopping online beware of ‘fake sales’. This is the retailer practice of hiking prices before a key sales period, then dropping the price and displaying an enticing ‘saving’. However, many of these ‘sale’ prices are higher than they were before the initial price hike.

This is particularly common during big online shopping periods such as the Black Friday and New Year sales. 

To get around this, websites like PriceSpy and Camel Camel Camel allow users to see the price history of a particular product and whether it is currently at its cheapest.  

Dynamic pricing is another trick retailers use to make you spend more money. This works by websites tracking what you are interested in then hiking up prices if they think you are very keen on something in particular.

In practice, dynamic pricing can mean you are charged a higher price if you look at something online then come back and make a purchase later, for example.

The best way to get around this is either to delete your browser cookies or use an incognito browser. 

Adding something to an online shopping basket then leaving it can also mean you are offered money off.

This is because the retailer assumes you were interested in making a purchase but the price was too high. If they know your email address, some retailers will send a discount code to entice you to buy an item.

Also, don’t forget to include shipping costs in the overall price of an item. Some online retailers use a low up-front price to entice shoppers to buy, but then make money back with above-average postal costs. 

Best student discounts

For those at college or university, student discounts can be a big money saver. 

Retailers such as Amazon Prime, Spotify, and BoohooMan are currently offering students discounts of up to 50 per cent, according to comparison firm Uswitch. We have listed the retailers with the biggest student discounts below. 

Max Beckett, broadband expert at Uswitch, said: ‘The costs of going to university can quickly add up, from rent to societies to study materials for your course. 

‘This means budgeting for living costs is an exceptionally important part of preparing for life at university. However, rising bills and inflated prices have pushed students to be more stringent with their finances, encouraging them to seek deals and discounts.’

Best discounts for NHS and emergency services

Many professions are also offered steep discounts – if they know where to look.

For example, NHS workers, social care staff, members of the armed forces and other emergency service staff can get discounts using the Blue Light Card scheme. This gives cash off over 15,000 possible purchases both online and in stores.

For example, Asda offers 10 per cent off supermarket shops, while Currys has up to 10 per cent off electrical items. 

The scheme costs £4.99 to join for two years, and users have to prove they are in an eligible profession by showing a work ID or recent payslip. 

Once registered, users can get discounts in areas ranging from holidays to new cars, insurance, retail and hospitality.

The scheme is also open to people working for HM Prison Service, the Border Force and staff at UK Visas and Immigration.

This post first appeared on Dailymail.co.uk