A SAVVY saver has earned hundreds of pounds in free cash which has helped him pay for two holidays this year.
Graham Leydon, 31, downloaded a cashback app a year ago and has never looked back.
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He uses JamDoughnut “near enough every day” and has so far earned £350 which he’s put towards two holidays to Dublin and to Spain.
Graham, from Scotland, told The Sun a “massive chunk” of his payments and spending money were taken care of through using the app.
The JamDoughnut app gives you money back on your shopping, but requires you to spend the cash first.
Initially, the money comes back in the form of points which then wrack up and withdraw.
You spend the money by digitally putting money on a gift card for the store you want to shop at.
Then when you make the purchase, you get a certain percentage of it back in points.
The amount you can earn ranges from 3% to 20%.
One point is 1p, so 100 points would equate to £1.
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If something were to happen and the company goes bust while you still have money on a gift card, you’ll get a refund on any vouchers up to a month old to make sure your money is protected.
Graham said he uses JamDoughnut every day things like at Costa for a coffee, or at Asda for his food shop.
JamDoughnut, which is similar to rival TopCashback, gives you points when you go through the app to spend with retailers.
The app has been available for everyone to download since March this year, and some were able to try it out before that.
Graham was among those who has been able to use it for longer, and he now uses it all the time.
He said it has made him “more savvy” and he’s always on the hunt to see if there’s a good deal around.
Graham, an operation coordinator at a tech company, uses the app for most of his in-store and online purchases.
He said this is what sets JamDoughnut aside from others in his opinion, that it’s so easy to use in store.
A lot of the websites like TopCashback and Quidco are generally used for online purchases.
Graham said: “We’ve all got to save at the moment, with everything as expensive as it is.
“I’m surprised more people don’t use it, all of us want the best deal for our money.
“I only ever use the app when I’m buying something anyway, so it’s like an added bonus without even trying.”
How Graham made £350 in cashback
Graham said he uses the JamDoughnut app practically every day.
That means for the past year he’s been earning cash just through a few taps on his phone.
“If I’m out and about and I know I’m going to get a coffee and cake somewhere, I’ll have a quick look to see what offers are around,” Graham said.
He added: “If I know I’m going to do a big food shop, I’ll have a look at the offers available at the supermarkets that are closest to me and make a smart decision.
“I’ll check where I can save the most and also see what offers the supermarkets have on too.”
Graham said the most he has had back so far is 20% back when he booked one of his holidays online.
If you do spot a good deal on the app, you then need to add the amount you want to spend to the gift card.
The app will then tell you how many points you’ll get back and this is added instantly to your account once you pay at the till or online.
The app presents you with a barcode to scan at the till.
How quickly you get the cash back into your account depends on how quickly you wrack up the points.
Once you reach £10 worth of points you can withdraw it and it’ll go back onto your card.
Although, Graham said he tends to cash out at £100 as it feels like a nice enough chunk to get back.
You can download the JamDoughnut app for free from the Google Play or Apple App store.
Then all you need to do is create an account – which is also free.
At the moment, there are over 140 brands available on the app including Ikea, Primark, Air BnB, Uber Eats, M&S, Morrisons, and Pizza Express.
Plus, on Christmas Eve JamDoughnut is doing a gift card give away so you could be in line to win even more.
There are £2,500 worth of gift cards ranging from £5 to £500 across brands including Uber Eats, Wayfair, Sainsburys, M&S, Pizza Hut, Morrisons, Currys, Sports Direct, Costa, Nintendo.
On January 2 everyone who entered will be added to a draw and winners will have the vouchers added to their accounts.
To enter all a user has to do is spend via the app, each spend is one entry to the competition.
Graham’s top tips for using the app
Graham said his biggest piece of advice for JamDoughnut users is to use it as much as possible.
He said that being prepared is also key, pre-plan where you’re going to do your grocery shop to make sure you’re getting the most bang for your buck.
Users on the app can also get points by referring others.
Graham said he’s done it for most people he knows because “we’re all looking to save right now”.
By referring people to the app, you can get 250-300 points – which equates to £2.50-£3.
However, he urged to “spend within your means” and only buy what you would anyway.
Last month a cashback fan shared how he paid for most of his Christmas presents this year by using a site.
Meanwhile, another man revealed he never pays for Christmas as he’s made £20,000 through a cashback site.
