Christmas is coming, so here’s a chance to make it extra special for one lucky winner!
I’ve joined forces with some of my fellow UK bloggers in this festive giveaway with a prize valued at over£1,000 in total. That’s made up of a unique homeware upgrade package worth over £600 from Norwich-based lifestyle and homeware brand Arca, plus a cool £400 in cash. You can read more details about this amazing prize below.
Entering the giveaway is free of charge and full instructions can be found below. There are multiple ways to enter, and the more you do, the better your chances of winning. But note that where an entry requires following a social media account, you will need to continue following this account until the winner has been drawn on 20 December 2021. Before the winner is announced the organisers will check that they are still following the account in question. If not, they will be disqualified and another winner drawn.
2021 has undoubtedly been another challenging year, though (fingers crossed) we are emerging from the pandemic now and life is slowly getting back to normal. Whether you win this giveaway or not, I wish you and yours a very happy and peaceful Christmas 2021. Here’s hoping that 2022 is a better year for us all, and we can finally put the spectre of Covid in the past where it belongs!
This giveaway has been organised by my fellow blogger Neesha Rees, who blogs at Reinventing Neesha. Please check out her blog and those of the other talented bloggers taking part (listed below). And read on to find out how you could win this mammoth prize!
Your home is your sanctuary, so surround yourself with things you love.
One lucky winner will win a unique homeware upgrade package worth over £600 from Arca plus £400 in cash!
Arca Lifestyle is an eclectic lifestyle and homeware brand based in Norwich. With a range of hand-curated products from across the globe, Arca provides the latest trends to brighten any home as well as original gift ideas for those you love.
Arca has been created with the goal to help individuals find homeware pieces and prints that spark their soul, offering unique products that are not available elsewhere.
Once you have completed the above entry options, via the Rafflecopter widget below you will unlock more ways to enter. The more you complete, the more chances you have of winning.
The competition ends at midnight on Sunday 19th December and a winner will be drawn on Monday 20th December.
For full entry terms and conditions please see the rafflecopter widget below.
Although the pandemic is now largely behind us, many of us are seeing bills rise as a consequence of lockdowns and other government measures, world-wide supply chain issues, gas/electricity and petrol price rises, the war in Ukraine, and so forth.
So today I thought I would set out some ways you may be able to make a few pounds extra to help defray the rising cost of living. None of these is likely to make you a fortune, but together they can certainly help keep your bank balance ticking over.
I have linked to relevant posts on Pounds and Sense for further information where appropriate. I have direct experience of all the methods set out below and therefore know that they work and are not scams.
1. Prolific Academic
Prolific Academic is a platform used by academic researchers world-wide to recruit participants for online studies/surveys. These are varied and often surprisingly interesting. They require anything from two minutes to an hour to complete, with payments based on how long (on average) they take. I’ve earned almost £400 to date from Prolific. For more information, see my blog post Make Money and Help Academic Researchers With Prolific Academic.
2. MobileXpression
If you have a smartphone, this is an easy way to make money from it. Just install this app (which tracks your browsing anonymously) and every few weeks you will receive a £20 Amazon voucher for your trouble (Amazon vouchers are pretty much as good as money, as you can of course buy almost anything there). You can read my full review of the MobileXpression app in this post.
3. Shop and Scan
Shop and Scan is a market research programme run by Kantar Worldpanel. Anyone can apply to become a panelist, and when you are accepted (which may be immediate or after a few weeks) you receive a barcode scanner and guidebook in the post. You are then required to scan all your shopping when you bring it home (or it’s delivered) and scan and submit your receipts..For doing this you get points. When you have enough, these can be converted into vouchers for a wide range of online stores (again, I normally pick Amazon). You can earn extra points by performing other tasks such as completing online questionnaires, so it doesn’t take long to earn enough points for a £10 voucher. For more information, see my blog post Make Money From Your Shopping With ShopandScan.
4. The Viewers
The Viewers is another market research company always looking for new members for its (paid) audience panel. As the name suggests, they research people’s TV viewing habits via surveys and focus groups. They pay participants in cash (via PayPal) or Amazon vouchers. They run ‘real world’ focus groups in large cities, and online studies of various types. For more information, see my blog post Make Money Watching TV With The Viewers.
5. People for Research
This is another opportunity to make money taking part in consumer research. People for Research are constantly recruiting people to take part in studies. Some of these take place in large cities (London and Bristol especially) but many are done remotely via the phone or the internet. The studies cover a huge range of topics and are for the most part interesting and enjoyable. But the best thing is that they are fairly (and sometimes generously) recompensed – usually in cash, though sometimes Amazon vouchers. For more information, see my blog post Earn a Sideline Income with People for Research.
6. Populus Live
Populus Live is a survey website that wants your opinions and pays cash for them. You can sign up free of charge and will then receive email notifications any time they have a survey you may be eligible for. Each survey is worth a set number of points. Once you have accrued 50 points you will be paid £50 (each point is worth £1, in other words). Admittedly it can take a little while to reach the payment threshold, but £50 is undoubtedly a useful sum to have when you receive it. For more information, see my blog post Make Extra Money From Populus Live.
7. Selling on eBay
One great way to generate some extra cash is to have a clear-out of things you no longer need and put them up for sale on eBay. All sorts of things sell here, and if you have never tried selling via the site you will be pleasantly surprised by how easy it is. What’s more, as long as you are selling your own possessions (and not buying stuff to resell) it’s tax-free too. For more tips about this, see Twelve Top Tips for Selling on eBay, a guest post on PAS by my money blogging colleague Luci Olivia.
8. Matched Betting
In the last year or two matched betting has undoubtedly become harder, partly due to the pandemic and partly to bookmakers becoming less generous with their offers. If you haven’t yet tried matched betting, though, there is still money to be made.
For those who don’t know, matched betting involves taking advantage of online bookmaker offers (especially welcome offers) to generate a guaranteed profit. It is emphatically not the same as gambling (which I don’t recommend at all). As per my blog post Can You Make Money from Matched Betting? if you are new to this field I recommend starting with the matched betting support and advisory service Outplayed [referral link] previously called Profit Accumulator. You can earn up to £45 (tax free) by taking advantage of the offers available to free members. You could then leave it at that or sign up as a full member with unlimited profit potential.
9. Trading 212
This online share trading platform is offering anyone who signs up and deposits a minimum of £1 a free share. This is chosen at random but could be worth up to £100. You can sell this after three days if you wish and withdraw the proceeds (including your initial deposit) after 30 days. I got a share in Ford Motor Company which was worth about £8. Obviously this wasn’t as exciting as I might have hoped, but it was still – in effect – free money for almost no time or effort. And, who knows, the value of my share could skyrocket in future if the ‘internal combustion engine’ really catches on 😉 For more information on Trading 212, including how to get your free share, see my blog post Get a Free Share Worth Up to £100 With Trading 212. Note that the current free share offer closes on 8 June 2023.
Most of us have old gadgets we no longer use that are just gathering dust. They include mobile phones, tablets, laptops, cameras, games consoles, and even desktop computers. They may still work, but we have replaced them with new and (hopefully) better products. If that sounds like you, there are lots of ways you can make money from your old tech, even if (in many cases) it doesn’t work any more. Check out my blog post How to Make Money From Your Old Tech for a range of methods for doing this.
11. Freelance Writing
This is a subject close to my heart, as for many years I was a full-time freelance writer (I’m semi-retired now). It’s a competitive field, but there is still lots of money to be made. You don’t need to be Shakespeare either, just have a reasonable grasp of written English and be willing and able to write what the market wants. Check out my blog post My Top Ten Tips for Making Money as a Freelance Writer here. You can also read my posts Should You Write a Book? and How to Publish Your Own E-book on Kindle.
12. Cashback Websites
I’ve mentioned cashback sites a few times on PAS. These are sites such as Top Cashback and Quidco, where any time you make a purchase with a certain online store, if you go via the cashback site, you get some money refunded to your account. Obviously you aren’t actually making money in this case – but if you were going to make the purchase anyway you get some money back, and over time this can add up to a tidy sum. In addition, there are some offers listed on the sites where you can get ‘cashback’ without actually making a purchase. For more information, see my blog posts Save Money With Cashback Sites and Six Ways to Make Money With Cashback Sites. You may also like to check out my recent posts about Cashback Angel, a cashback site comparison service, and My Money Pocket, a new and upcoming cashback site.
13. Comping
Okay, comping, or entering consumer competitions, isn’t a guaranteed way of making a sideline income. Nonetheless, there are stacks of cash and prizes on offer at any time, and somebody has to win them. There’s no reason it couldn’t be you! There are lots that you can enter online – just check out competition listing website Loquax, for example. For hints and tips on getting started, see How to Win Cash and Prizes in Consumer Competitions, a guest post on PAS by Cora Harrison. I also highly recommend the book Superlucky Secrets by my UK blogging colleague Di Coke (also known as Superlucky Di). You can read my review of this in-depth guide to comping here.
14. Free Online Lotteries
This is obviously another opportunity where returns are not guaranteed. Nonetheless, there are various online lotteries you can enter free with a chance of winning (in most cases) cash prizes. Typically you have to return to the lottery site every day to see if you are a winner. My favourite such site is Pick My Postcode [referral link]. This site offers multiple chances to win every day, with prizes ranging from £10 to over £1,000. I have a particular soft spot for PMP, as back in the days when it was called Free Postcode Lottery, I was lucky enough to win £614.53 on it. You can learn more in my blog post titled How to Cash in on Free Lottery Websites.
I make money this way, and there’s no reason you couldn’t as well. Blogging is by no means a get-rich-quick opportunity. But if you are prepared to put some time and effort in, the rewards will come. You can blog about any subject you like (though some subjects are easier to make money from than others). Once your blog is up and running you can earn from it in various ways, including advertising, affiliate marketing, sponsored posts, and so on. To get an idea how this works, check out this guest post by Ruth Hinds titled Five Things You Really Need to Know About How to Make Money from Blogging. In addition, my UK blogging colleague Emma Drew has an excellent course about making money from blogging called Turn Your Dreams Into Money, which i reviewed here.
17. Online Design and Print
This is a great home-based sideline earning opportunity. No special skills are needed beyond a little imagination; although if you do have art and design skills, so much the better. I’m talking here about designing and selling clothes and other products, from tee-shirts to tote bags, hoodies to coffee mugs. By designing I mean coming up with slogans and/or graphics to adorn these products that will appeal to a particular target market. This opportunity has been opened up by web-based companies such as TeeMill that allow you to design and sell your products online. They provide all the back-end services, including taking payments and fulfilling orders. They charge you a set fee for this, which is covered from the fee paid by your customer. You charge your customers a bit more, and your profit is (of course) the difference between the two. For more information, see my blog post How to Make Money with Online Design and Print.
18. Virtual Assistant Work
There is a steady demand for virtual assistants who can perform a wide variety of tasks from home via the internet. The sorts of things VAs do may include research, writing, proofreading and editing, graphic design, publicity, data entry, programming and other technical tasks, and much more. Social media management is another very popular area. You can read my in-depth blog post on how to make money as a virtual assistant here.
19. Fiverr.com
As you may know, Fiverr is US-based site that lets anyone advertise ‘gigs’ they are willing to perform for five dollars (hence the name, of course). Gigs range from the serious (e.g. write a press release) to the creative (e.g. write a customized solo piano track) to the downright quirky (e.g. write a message, name or URL in chocolate). Most gigs are services delivered electronically, though there is nothing to stop you selling physical products if you wish (you can charge extra for postage). Obviously $5 isn’t a lot, but if you can perform your gig in just a few minutes it can still work out as a decent hourly rate. It’s also possible to charge additional amounts for ‘extras’ such as rapid delivery or upgraded features. See my blog post How to Make Money on Fiverr for much more information about this.
20. Investing for Income
This is obviously a different take from the preceding ideas. If you have money in the bank earning a derisory rate of interest (or nothing at all), however, you might like to consider investing some to provide an additional income stream for you.
This is obviously a huge subject and I can’t go into detail about it here. There are lots of possibilities, though. One would be to invest some of your money in dividend-paying shares. This subject was covered in an excellent guest post for my blog by Lewys Lew titled How to invest For Income From High Yield Share Dividends.
Of course, you should research any possible investment carefully and be prepared to lose money in the short term at least (see below). Note also that some companies – e.g. the big banks and oil companies – cut their dividends during the Covid crisis, so it’s important to pick your sectors carefully.
Regular readers will know I am also a big fan of the robo-adviser investment platform Nutmeg. They are primarily aimed at helping people build a savings (or pensions) pot rather than providing an income, but you can of course withdraw money from your account as and when you wish. You can read my full review of Nutmeg here.
Of course, all investment carries a risk of loss, so you should always do your own ‘due diligence’ and take advice if in any doubt before deciding to invest. You should also ensure you have enough cash and/or easily accessible savings to get you through a period of three to six months in case of emergencies.
As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below. And keep reading Pounds and Sense for more money-saving and money-making ideas in the weeks and months ahead.
Disclosure: Some of the links in this post (and elsewhere on PAS) include my referral links. That means if you click through and make a purchase (or perform some other defined action) I may receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the price you pay or the products/services you are offered.
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Summer is here, so it’s high time for another exciting giveaway on Pounds and Sense 🙂
I have joined forces with some of my fellow UK money bloggers to bring you the chance of winning a fantastic Virgin Experience Days Scarlet Collection voucher, worth £100. You can use this voucher on any of a huge range of experiences: from an introductory microlight flight to dinner for two at Coombe Abbey; a pamper day with cream tea for two at a Hallmark Hotel to a three-hour oriental cookery class at School of Wok.
After the last eighteen months we all need and deserve a treat, so here’s your chance to grab one for free!
This giveaway has been organized by my colleague Dan from The Financial Wilderness blog, so I should like to thank him very much for this. More details provided by Dan himself, along with instructions on how to enter, can be found below…
The Prize
The wonderful prize on offer today is a voucher allowing a choice of experience from the Virgin Experience Days Scarlet Collection.
This voucher worth £100 gives you the opportunity to choose a variety of exciting experiences, with something for just about everyone. To give you a flavour of the options on offer in the Scarlet Collection:
For the adventurous – A rally or Porsche driving thrill experience
For the foodies – A range of afternoon teas and dinner options
For the sporty – Have a round of golf at some great courses or learn archery
For the relaxed – A collection of overnight breaks around the country
You can view details of all the available experiences with the Virgin Scarlet Collection on the Virgin Experience Days website here.
The Bloggers Taking Part
This giveaway in run in conjunction with some of my fellow UK Money Bloggers – we run these events to help each other out, so please do visit at least some of the excellent blogs concerned 🙂
Enter to Win a Virgin Experience Days Scarlet Collection Voucher!
Use the Rafflecopter Widget below to make your entry. You’ll need to fill out your basic details and click ‘claim 1 entry’ to be in for the competition.
You also have the opportunity to claim bonus entries by performing an action relevant to the above websites, such as following an account on Twitter or visiting an article. You can do as many or as few of these as you like.
1. There is one top prize of a voucher for Virgin Experience Days “The Scarlet Collection.”
2. There are no runner up prizes
3. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway
4. Closing date for entries is midnight on 18.09.21
5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the blogs involved, but you only need to enter on one blog
6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget, and complete one or more of the tasks – each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw
7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw.
8. 1 winner will be chosen at random.
9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their delivery address, or a replacement winner will be chosen.
10. The winners’ names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this).
11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their address.
Just a quickie today to share details of a free-to-enter competition from my friends at All Free Stuff. You can win 1 of 1000 Dior J’adore Absolu samples (see cover image). This is a great women’s floral fragrance by Dior.
To enter, all you have to do is sign up to the Free Stuff email newsletter. This daily email contains all the latest freebies, free samples, competitions, and more (of course, you can unsubscribe any time). Entrants must be over 18 and live in the UK. For the full rules and to enter the competition, please click here.
Good luck, and I hope you win one of the 1000 prizes!
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.
If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:
Spring is here at last, and for once there is plenty of good news in the air.
The vaccine roll-out is going well, cases are way down, and across the UK Covid restrictions are being relaxed. I had my first swim for four months yesterday in the outdoor pool at David Lloyd Lichfield, and tomorrow will be having my first haircut in almost six!
To celebrate all of this, I thought it was high time for another giveaway. I have therefore got together with some of my fellow UK bloggers to offer a bundle of top-quality health and beauty products worth almost £400 for the lucky winner. You can see the full list below ↓↓↓
This giveaway has been arranged and co-ordinated by my blogging colleague Emma at www.MakeMoneyWithoutAJob.com. Do take a look at her site, where (among other things) you can sign up for a free, daily £10 prize draw. There are also articles on money-making topics from How to Make £1,000 Every Month to Online Jobs for Teens, Free Money Offers to How to Make Money Watching Netflix. Literally something for everybody!
The Bloggers Taking Part
Please show your support for all the bloggers taking part in this giveaway by visiting their blogs. They are:
One lucky winner will receive a health and beauty bundle worth almost £400.
Included in this bundle is:
La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo+ Blemish treatment 40ml
Marc Jacobs Perfect 50ml
Glo32 Teeth Whitening System
CYO Makeup Bag Top Up Bundle
Olay Regenerist Luminous Anti-Ageing Brightening And Protecting Face Cream SPF20 50ml
Footner exfoliating socks
Liz Earle Cleanse and Polish 50ml
Champney’s Calm Reed Riffuser
Champney’s Slumber Body Butter 300ml
Maybelline Sky High Mascara x 2 (Black; Waterproof)
EcoTools – Daily Essentials Total Face Brush set
L’Oreal Paris Men Expert Get Better With Age Anti-Ageing Duo Giftset for him
Too Faced Hangover Wash Away the Day Cleanser 125ml
La Roche-Posay Anthelios Ultra-Light Invisible Fluid Sun Cream SPF50 50ml
Champney’s Weekend Treat Gift Set
Terms and Conditions
1. There is one top prize of a health and beauty bundle.
2. There are no runner-up prizes.
3. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway.
4. Closing date for entries is midnight on 30 April 2021.
5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the blogs involved, but you only need to enter on one blog.
6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget, and complete one or more of the tasks – each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw.
7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw.
8. One winner will be chosen at random.
9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their delivery address, or a replacement winner will be chosen.
10. The winners’ names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this).
11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their address.
12. The promoter is www.MakeMoneyWithoutAJob.com
13. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions.
The Giveaway
Complete any or all of the Rafflecopter entry widgets below to enter.
One final small point is that if a winning entry comes from following someone on social media, the organizer (Emma) will check before awarding the prize that the winner is still following the account in question. If they aren’t, they will be disqualified and a new winner drawn. So, please, don’t follow and immediately unfollow, as your entry won’t then count.
Good luck, and here’s hoping we can all look forward to even better times soon 🙂
If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:
The world is an expensive place, so it’s no wonder many people are obsessed with getting freebies.
However, when entering the freebie-hunting world it is important that you adhere to certain rules in order to make the most of it. This article will set out some top tips for novice freebie-hunters – and you may learn a thing or two as a seasoned freebie-hunter as well.
If It Sounds Too Good To Be True, It Probably Is
The excitement of (potentially) getting a freebie from a favourite brand can easily cloud your judgement.
According to Karen Newman at Mega Free Stuff, the majority of transactions have both an upside and a downside; however, when a transaction is free the downside is temporarily forgotten. ‘Free’ provides people with a strong emotional charge, where the individual perceives the item on offer to be more valuable than it actually is. This basically means that the person will set aside common sense if they are being offered a freebie.
Some companies are willing to give freebies, but fans of a brand are often willing to sell their soul (or at least provide all sorts of valuable personal information) in exchange for a minute sample. This is detrimental, and it is essential that you know how big the sample is and what exactly you will be getting. Be sure the freebie is genuine and always read the terms and conditions before applying for any offers.
If You Do Not Ask, You Will Not Receive
It is always worthwhile writing letters or sending emails to companies asking if they have any samples available for you to try. This may seem obnoxious and pointless to some, but those who complete this task have often received large boxes of free items or discount vouchers from the companies as a means of gaining feedback on their products. Furthermore, if you do not like a product, be honest about this. In many cases companies are happy to offer replacement freebies (plus an extra item) if their products do not meet with the user’s approval.
Do Not Expect Too Much
A full-sized freebie is a rare occurrence, with the majority of free products being delivered in small envelopes or tiny sachets. Of course, the primary goal is not to obtain a full-sized freebie but a free sample to see if you enjoy the product for a future purchase.
Furthermore, do not expect to receive all free items applied for. Even if you have claimed a free sample noted as available online, it is unlikely that you will get a 100% return. In fact, the most you can expect is approximately 70%. Do not give up hope and keep applying, and soon you will be enjoying masses of freebies. Once again, though, be sure to check that any freebie is worthwhile, and always read the terms and conditions regarding the size and number of samples.
Do Not Feel Guilty
While some individuals may feel a degree of guilt about asking for freebies, this is completely unnecessary. The company sending a freebie is not losing millions of pounds on the free products; in fact, they are benefiting from the free item. Think about it – for every sample sent out, there is the potential of a new customer. If you receive a free sample and like it, there is every chance you will make a future purchase of that product and might even become a regular customer.
Set Up a Second Email Address
One important – but often neglected – tip is to set up a second email address. To avoid receiving spam mail to your primary address, use this second address to claim freebies and enter competitions.
We have found an amazing competition here, where you can have the chance to win one of 20 Lindt chocolate Easter Eggs (see picture below). This competition ends on 1st April 2021.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for which I am receiving a fee.
If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:
As I write this we are still stuck in what feels like everlasting lockdown. But with the successful vaccine roll-out and rapidly falling case numbers – not to mention spring on the way – there are at least a few rays of hope on the horizon.
Anyway, to cheer you up, I’ve joined forces with some of my fellow UK bloggers to put together a giveaway with a top-of-the-range Dyson Airwrap worth £450 for the lucky winner.
As a mere male I must admit I had never heard of this before. But as I have read up about it now, I can tell you that the Dyson Airwrap is a high-tech hair-styling device. It harnesses an aerodynamic phenomenon called the Coanda effect, which curves air to attract and wrap hair to the barrel. So it styles using a flow of air, not extreme heat. This reduces the risk of heat-damage to your hair.
As I am currently sporting a mop of ‘lockdown hair’, I reckon I could probably do with one of these myself!
One lucky winner will win themselves the highly coveted Dyson Airwrap worth a whopping £450! The Dyson Airwrap is currently the hottest tool on the market and with it’s hefty price tag it’s not accessible for many.
The Dyson Airwrap comes with six hair styling attachments to dry, curl, wave and smooth hair. The Airwrap with intelligent heat control measures airflow temperature over 40 times a second and regulates heat, to ensure it always stays below 150°C.
The Dyson Airwrap also comes with a tan storage case to store your Airwrap and its attachments safely.
How to Enter
To enter simply complete all or any of the Rafflecopter entry options below. The more you complete, the more chances you have of winning.
The competition ends at midnight on Sunday 14th March and a winner will be drawn on Monday 15th March. If for any reason the chosen prize is out of stock at the time of the draw, the winner will be able to select an alternative prize up to the same value.
For full entry terms and conditions please see the Rafflecopter widget below.
One final small point is that if a winning entry comes from following someone on social media, the organizer (my colleague Neesha Rees) will check before awarding the prize that the winner is still following the account in question. If they aren’t, they will be disqualified and a new winner drawn. So, please, don’t follow and immediately unfollow, as your entry won’t then count.
Good luck, and here’s hoping we can all look forward to brighter times (and better hair) soon 🙂
If you enjoyed this post, please link to it on your own blog or social media:
Today I’m highlighting a fun and free way you may be able to boost your income in 2021. And all you have to do is check the website in question once a day to see if your postcode is a winner!
Main Draw Each day one postcode is picked at random for this draw, which has the biggest prizes. The main daily prize – which I was lucky enough to win – can be over £1,000. When I had my own win, the prize was £1,200, though as one other person in my postcode area also claimed, the prize was split between us. So I got £600 plus a small bonus (explained below) – not a life-changing amount, but certainly a day-changing one 😀
Video Draw – To see the winning postcode in this draw, you first have to watch a short video. Though to be honest I find that you just have to watch the ad that plays first and the winning postcode is then displayed – you don’t have to watch the whole of the video unless you want to. This draw pays a minimum of £50, with the prize rolling over to the next day if not claimed. I have seen up to £400 on offer in this draw.
Survey Draw – To see if you have won this draw, you first have to complete a very short survey (generally just one question). As with the Video Draw there is a minimum prize of £50 and it rolls over to the next day if unclaimed. When I checked today there was a £300 prize, so it must have rolled over for a few days previously.
Stackpot – The Stackpot lists a variable number of postcodes with £10 prizes for those claiming them. When I checked this morning there were 14 prizes up for grabs and one that had already been claimed (it is first come, first served with the Stackpot).
Bonus Draw – With the Bonus Draw there is a daily £5 prize, £10 prize and £20 prize. To be eligible you need to have built up a Bonus (see below) equal in value to the prize in question by visiting the site regularly. So to qualify for the £20 Bonus Draw, you need to have accumulated a Bonus worth at least £20 yourself.
All lottery prizes are tax-free, of course, in accordance with UK gambling laws.
One is £5 Flash Draws. These appear at random on advertising spaces around the PMP website. They look like the sample image below. They appear to individual visitors at random. I have never seen one myself, but obviously it’s worth keeping an eye out for them. If you spot one, you just have to click to claim (it doesn’t matter about your postcode). The £5 prize is paid by PayPal as usual.
As for the Bonus, this is a sum of money that is added to your prize any time you win (with the exception of the £5 Flash prizes). It accrues over time as you visit the site. It increases by 1p for every new Main Draw, Survey Draw or Video Draw that you check. That may not sound much, but if you return to the site every day it soon adds up. My Bonus is up to £41.90 now!
If you wish, you can boost your Bonus even more by referring friends and neighbours and taking up some of the offers that appear on the site.
It’s important to note that you can’t withdraw your Bonus until you win a prize. But even £10 in the Stackpot or £5 in the Bonus Draw will qualify. So if I were to win a £10 Stackpot or Bonus Draw prize today, I would actually receive £10 plus £41.90 = £51.90. Another good feature is that your Bonus is added to your winnings every time you win a prize – it doesn’t reset to zero after a win.
I am not normally a great one for lotteries, but I make an exception for Pick My Postcode. As I said above, it’s free to enter, there are loads of prizes on offer, and the longer you go on playing, the bigger those prizes can become. And obviously, having previously won over £600 on the Main Draw myself, I know that it’s genuine and would love to win again!
Finally, if you still need further reassurances about the site, check out the reviews on the independent Trust Pilot website (average 4.8/5 stars, with 94% of people rating it ‘Excellent’).
As always, if you have any comments or questions about Pick My Postcode, please do leave them below.
Disclosure: This post includes my referral link. If you click through and sign up for free, I will receive a small commission for introducing you. This will not affect your potential earnings in any way.
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2020 has been a stressful and difficult year, but here’s a chance to end it on a positive note. I’ve joined forces with some of my fellow UK bloggers to put together a giveaway with a Samsung 50-Inch Smart UHD TV for the lucky winner.
Read on to find out how you could win this amazing prize in time for Christmas. And please do check out the other talented bloggers who have collaborated on this giveaway.
One lucky winner will win themselves a Samsung 50 Inch UE50TU7100 Smart Ultra HD TV worth a whopping £400! This smart TV is compatible with the following smart apps: Now TV, Disney+, Netflix, BBC iPlayer, Amazon Prime and YouTube. It also has its own built-in Internet browser. To quote from the sales page:
Experience crystal clear colour HDR powered by HDR10+ as the film-makers intended. Crystal Processor adapts to provide the very best 4K picture and targeted sound based on what you are watching. Works with Alexa and Google Assistant. Slim design with very narrow bezel.
How to Enter
To enter simply complete all or any of the Rafflecopter entry options below. The more you complete the more chances you have of winning.
The competition ends at midnight on Sunday 13th December and a winner will be drawn on Monday 14th December. If for any reason the chosen prize is out of stock at the time of the draw, the winner will be able to select an alternative prize up to the same value.
For full entry terms and conditions please see the Rafflecopter widget below.
One final small point is that if a winning entry comes from following someone on social media, the organizers will check before awarding the prize that the winner is still following the account in question. If they aren’t, they will be disqualified and a new winner drawn. So, please, don’t follow and immediately unfollow, as your entry won’t then count.
Good luck, and here’s hoping we can all look forward to a happier Christmas!
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Autumn is on the way, but before it arrives here’s a chance to make the summer of 2020 even more memorable 😉
Along with a number of my fellow UK bloggers, I am offering one lucky winner the chance to win a £100 hamper of their choice from Marks and Spencer – for example, this Windsor Hamper with Prosecco and red wine (pictured above)..
The competition is being promoted by my blogging colleague Emma Drew and is (of course) free to enter. Full details provided by Emma can be found below. Basically you just have to open the Rafflecopter widget and complete the simple tasks described. Each completed task will then earn you one entry in the giveaway.
The Bloggers
The following bloggers have all teamed together to contribute towards this competition, offering you a fantastic prize.
Please show your support by visiting some of the bloggers taking part just by clicking on the name of the blog below.
Up for giveaway is a £100 M&S hamper of your choice.
With plenty to choose from, you can pick yourself a lovely treat!
Rules and How to Enter
1. There is one top prize of a £100 M&S hamper of the winner’s choosing.
2. There are no runner up prizes
3. Open to UK residents aged 18 and over, excluding all bloggers involved with running the giveaway
4. Closing date for entries is midnight on 31.08.20
5. The same Rafflecopter widget appears on all the blogs involved, but you only need to enter on one blog
6. Entrants must log in to the Rafflecopter widget, and complete one or more of the tasks – each completed task earns one entry in the prize draw
7. Tweeting about the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget will earn five bonus entries into the prize draw.
8. 1 winner will be chosen at random.
9. The winner will be informed by email within 7 days of the closing date and will need to respond within 28 days with their delivery address, or a replacement winner will be chosen.
10. The winners’ names will be published in the Rafflecopter widget (unless the winner objects to this).
11. The prizes will be dispatched within 14 days of the winner confirming their address.
12. The promoter is www.EmmaDrew.info
13. By participating in this prize draw, entrants confirm they have read, understood and agree to be bound by these terms and conditions
To enter simply complete any or all of the Rafflecopter entry widgets below
One last small point is that if a winning entry comes from following someone on social media, Emma will check before awarding the prize that the winner is still following the account in question. If they aren’t, they will be disqualified and a new winner drawn. So, please, don’t follow and immediately unfollow, as your entry won’t then count.
Good luck, and I really do hope you win this fabulous prize. But even if you don’t, I hope you enjoy entering and discovering some other amazing UK bloggers!
As always, if you have any comments or questions about this post, please do leave them below.
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