Nine Ways To Get Free Money

I’m sure we could all do with some extra money whether that’s to be able to spend more on yourself, or have extra money leftover at the end of the month. Forget searching jeans pockets for coins, there are some much easier ways to get free money.

These tips and ways are not designed to encourage you to spend more, but just to earn extra on what you do spend. This includes maxing out discounts, benefits, scheme and tax breaks.

Get free money through cashback

I’ve spoken about cashback loads before as I use Quidco for my cashback. But anytime you spend money online or buy insurance policies use cashback sites to purchase them. It won’t cost you any more money but you’ll get back a few % in cash back into yur account.

Get a credit card that gives you extra

If you use a credit card often then it might be worth switching to one that gives you cashback, or earns you points. You can compare cashback credit cards at MoneySavingExpert to choose what’s best for you based on fees, rates offered and any conditions. I use American Express so that I can earn points to put towards flights and travel.

Get free money through birthday freebies

Loads of retailers, restaurants and more offer birthday freebies and deals. This might be in exchange for signing up to newsletters or marketing emails, or via loyalty schemes. By getting birthday deals you may be able to get free meals/ extra freebies/ money off purchases. If you’re planning to go out for dinner for your birthday then you can get free money by saving on your meal. If you’re worried about all of the emails then set up a separate email account for these discounts/ newsletters.

Use loyalty cards

Loyalty cards can help you get free money vouchers and points through spending. If you’ve lost track of your cards, or don’t have space to carry them all around you can use the app Stocard to store them all so you don’t miss out. I love using my Boots advantage card, especially when there are points deals. I store up the points when I buy Christmas presents and then store them to use when I need to buy things.

Get free money by checking premium bond prizes

Apparently there’s over £67m worth of unclaimed prize money, but there’s no time limit on claiming. It’s thought that many prizes are owed to people who received Premium Bonds as kids but haven’t checked. Or they’re owed to heirs of deceased relatives and owners who got the bonds a long time ago. You can check unclaimed premium bonds here.

Get free money through survey sites

My favourite survey site is Prolific as you can do some super quick surveys and the money adds up pretty quickly. I can spend about half an hour a day and earn about £20 a week doing surveys. The great thing about Prolific is because the pays out are very quick compared to other sites. But there are loads of other survey sites out there where you can earn some extra free money.

Check you’re paying the right tax

Your tax code is used by your employer to work out how much Income Tax to take from your pay. When you start a new job you may be put on an emergency tax code where you pay more tax than you should. If you think your tax code is wrong you should contact the HMRC. And if you’ve overpaid then make sure you check after the end of the tax year to make sure you get this back. While this isn’t free money as you should never have paid it anyway it’s a way of controlling your money.

Get free money by claiming for late trains

Train delays are annoying but you can be compensated for unexpected delays and cancellations over 15 minutes. It’s thought that only 37% of passengers claimed for the last eligible refund according to the Department of Transport. You’ll need to claim through the train company running the delayed service, even if that’s not who you booked through. You have 28 days to claim, just search Delay Repay and fill in a form. You’ll need to include the ticket or provide an image when you claim.

There are loads of other ways to get free money so I’ll be doing further parts to this series.

What’s the best way to get free money you can think of?

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