A few months ago I came across a smartphone app called MobileXpression. It offered the opportunity to generate a sideline income by sharing some details of your mobile phone usage.
The company behind MobileXpression conducts research on mobile internet use. On their website they say:
The goal of MobileXpression is to develop a better understanding of the trends and patterns affecting the mobile Internet. Just as television uses ratings to determine which programs are the highest rated and most watched, MobileXpression uses the knowledge of its members’ mobile Internet habits to determine the popularity and importance of various mobile web sites and applications. Companies can then use this market research to make informed decisions regarding their mobile marketing strategies.
In exchange for letting MobileXpression access your mobile phone data, the company offers incentives. In the US these include a range of vouchers, but as a UK user the only one I have ever been offered is for Amazon UK. Amazon gift vouchers are almost as good as cash, of course, so I am perfectly happy with this 🙂
UK users of MobileXpression receive a £5 Amazon voucher by email after using the app for just one week. After that you are allocated 2 ‘credits’ every week you remain a member. Once you have 20 you can exchange them for a £20 Amazon voucher.
This has been working well for me, and I have now accrued over £100 worth of Amazon vouchers for very little effort. The only problem occurred on one occasion when there was a delay in issuing my voucher. I raised a support ticket about this via the app, and the voucher duly arrived a few days later.
Pros and Cons
Based on my experience using the app, here’s my list of pros and cons for MobileXpression.
PROS
Rewards arrive reliably.
Anyone can join (you don’t have to be a heavy mobile internet user).
Once the app is set up, there is little else to do (just log in occasionally to claim your credits).
Amazon vouchers are a good reward and can be used to fund a huge range of purchases
MobileXpression will have access to data about your smartphone usage, although they say they don’t monitor your calls.
Some people have reported that the app slows down their phone, although I haven’t noticed this myself.
Summing Up
Overall, I have been very happy with MobileXpression. Clearly nobody is going to get rich from it, but based on my experience it can provide a regular source of hassle-free, passive income in the form of Amazon vouchers.
If you have a suitable phone and aren’t too concerned about the privacy aspect of having your usage monitored, I therefore recommend giving it a go. The app is available for both Android (in Google’s Play Store) and iOS for iPhone.
If you have any comments or questions about MobileXpression, as always, please do post them below.
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I’ve discussed matched betting a few times on Pounds and Sense. Despite the name it’s not gambling but a genuine way of making a risk-free sideline income.
Matched betting involves (legally) taking advantage of bookmaker special offers. By doing this you can generate a guaranteed profit for no risk, regardless of how the event/s you are betting on pan out.
Although it’s not essential to subscribe to a matched betting advisory service, if you are new to betting in particular it is highly advisable. There are various services, the best known of which include Profit Accumulator and Odds Monkey. Today, however, I want to look at a rival service called Profit Squad, which has its own unique set of tools and features, and in my view is especially suitable for people who already have some knowledge of matched betting. That being said, it also has all the advice, tools and information someone new to matched betting would require.
Profit Squad were kind enough to give me complimentary membership of their service so I could see what they have to offer. Here’s what I found…
First Impressions
Profit Squad is now owned by the same company that runs MatchedBets.com (which I reviewed here), so you may not be surprised that there are some similarities in appearance between the sites. While MatchedBets.com has a rather garish colour scheme, however, Profit Squad (see below) is more restrained. Personally I prefer this, as it makes the site look more professional, as well as being more readable.
As you will see, the main navigation menu is at the top right of the screen. If you hover the cursor over Offers or Tools, a sub-menu will appear. It’s all quite logical and intuitive.
As with all matched betting advisory services, the site is organized into a number of sections. The main ones are listed below:
Training
Offers
Tools
Calendar
Forum
I’ll look at each of these in a bit more detail below.
Training
This is (of course) the training area of Profit Squad, and is the place where new matched bettors should start. It is neatly and attractively set out. There are 22 articles here, covering everything from how to get started in matched betting to reload offers and advanced strategies (including online casinos)..
The articles consist mainly of text and screen captures, with videos also used in some cases. I found the articles clear and well written. While I am already familiar with the basics of matched betting, I found some of the articles (e.g. on each-way dutching and how to profit from online slots) genuinely eye-opening.
Offers
This is divided into sub-sections, including:
New Customer Offers
Existing Customer Offers
Accumulator Offers
Free Bet Clubs
Horse Racing Offers
Casino Offers
Advanced Casino Offers
These are all pretty self-explanatory. In New Customer Offers, for example, all such offers are listed in order of expected profit, the highest first (see below).
Clicking on Instructions takes you to detailed instructions on how to apply the offer. These generally include a short video plus written instructions. Again, I thought these were very clear, and I like the way the key points of each offer are set out in checklist form at the top of the page.
Offer Calendar
This is a feature of Profit Squad I really like. Just by visiting the Calendar page you can see all the day’s recommended offers, along with the expected profit and a link to full instructions for doing them.
Odds Matcher
Of course, every matched betting service needs an odds-matching tool, which helps you find the best bets for matched betting offers. Here’s a capture of the one provided by Profit Squad.
As you would expect, you can filter results according to sport, odds (minimum or maximum), start time, odds percentage, liquidity available at the exchange, and so on.
One feature I particularly like is that odds are shown in real time, so you don’t have to keep refreshing the screen. This also avoids the situation that can occur using other odds matching software (e.g. on Profit Accumulator) where the information frequently lags behind, so you think you have found a great match only to discover it has already gone.
Acca Backers
As mentioned in this blog post a few months ago, accumulator offers are a particular favourite of mine. These are where you take advantage of bookmakers’ offers to refund your stake if one leg of your accumulator loses. This gives punters an in-built edge and means they should enjoy steady profits so long as they back and lay appropriately.
Profit Squad’s accumulator software offers four different ways to make money from accumulator offers: Lay Sequential, Lay at Start, Lay With Lock-In, and No Lay. All four methods are explained in the Training area, mentioned earlier. This is more advanced than other platforms’ accumulator tools, which typically only offer three options.
As you may have noticed, with Profit Squad by default you see all four types of offer listed according to their expected value (average profit generated). However, if you prefer one particular type of acca (e.g. Lay With Lock In, which I prefer personally) you can set the filter to show only this type.
Horse Racing Matcher
This tool is provided for use with horse racing offers, e.g. your money back if your horse is second to the SP favourite. By careful backing and laying you can generate a good return when a refund is triggered and a small qualifying loss otherwise, hopefully producing steady profits overall.
As you will see, the Horse Racing Matcher is still in Beta at the time of writing, but appears to be working well. As with the Odds Matcher and Acca Backers, the odds in this software tool automatically update when they fluctuate on betting exchange and bookmaker sites.
Calculator
This is another standard feature on matched betting advisory service sites, but the one offered by Profit Squad is undeniably impressive. Although it looks simple at first sight (see below), it is actually a very powerful tool.
As well as standard matched betting calculations for qualifying bets and free bets, you can use it to calculate bonus on win, bonus on loss, enhanced odds as free bets, and several more. Pretty much any bonus situation is therefore covered. You can also use the calculator to work out what to do in the event of incomplete lays, and if you want to overlay or underlay a bet.
Forum
Likewise, every matched betting service needs a forum, where members can ask questions, share offers and opportunities, or just discuss anything matched betting related (or otherwise).
The Profit Squad forum (see below) is neatly set out and works well. It isn’t as busy as some forums, e.g. the one owned by the market-leading Profit Accumulator. There is plenty of good content, though, and staff are usually around to assist as required.
In addition to the forum, Profit Squad has a discord chatroom for members, which is great for discussing opportunities in real time.
Other Features
Profit Squad has a range of other features as well. If I tried to list them all this review would be at least double its already excessive length!
One tool I should definitely mention, however, is the Each Way Dutching Calculator. Each way dutching is a method of backing multiple or all runners in a horse race (or other event) with different bookmakers at their best prices. With suitable races this method can be more profitable than standard backing and laying, and it is also generally less hassle. Full information about how to use the Calculator is included in the training area, of course.
Another thing I should mention is that Profit Squad tracks all your betting activity automatically. It keeps a record of your profits and bet details, and displays them in your account. This makes it easy to see how you are doing overall, and does away with the need to maintain your own spreadsheets (although personally I still like to do this).
One final comment is that the site is fully mobile optimized – so if you like to bet on your smartphone, you should find using Profit Squad a pleasanter experience than with some rival services.
Pricing
Joining Profit Squad currently costs £15 a month. That is cheaper than most other matched betting advisory services, e.g. Profit Accumulator currently charge £17.99 a month. They don’t have a free trial offer like some other services, but for just £1 you can get a 14-day trial giving you full, unlimited access to the service. In many ways this is a better deal than the free limited membership offered by other services, as you can do as many bookmaker offers as you like (or can fit in) during your 14-day membership.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I have been very impressed with Profit Squad. It offers high-quality matched betting training, and a comprehensive range of software tools, tips and information..
In my view it is particularly suitable for people who may already have some experience in matched betting, who are now looking for more advanced strategies to keep the money rolling in.
Profit Squad is particularly strong on online casino strategies, including slots, roulette and blackjack. I know from my membership of various matched betting Facebook groups that this is now a very popular approach among experienced matched bettors who have exhausted the bookmaker welcome offers. There are some risk-free casino offers, and others that may not be risk-free but have a positive ev (expected value). That means by the law of averages if you do these offers you will make a long-term profit, but will likely suffer some day-to-day losses. This is all covered in detail in the training, of course.
Profit Squad also have some of the best matched betting software tools I have seen, covering pretty much the entire range of bookmaker welcome and reload offers and more besides. About the only drawback I can see with it compared with a service such as Profit Accumulator is that the forum isn’t as active, but of course this is likely to change in future as more members join the service.
If you are thinking of giving matched betting a go – or are looking for an alternative advisory service featuring more advanced strategies – I strongly recommend checking out Profit Squad. They are adding new tools and features all the time, and joining now will ensure you have access to them at no extra cost. In any event, the 14-day trial for £1 is basically a risk-free opportunity to see everything they have to offer. Do just one risk-free offer during this time and you should cover your £1 outlay multiple times over.
As always, if you have any queries about Profit Squad or matched betting generally, please do post them below.
Disclosure: This review includes tracked affiliate links. If you click through and sign up with Profit Squad, I will receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect the service you receive (or the price you are charged) in any way.
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If you are 50 or over, you will almost certainly at least have heard of Warner Leisure Hotels. The company have 14 country and coastal resort hotels across England and Wales. They have a strict adults-only policy, and appeal mainly to an older clientele (based on my experience, the average age is late sixties or early seventies).
As well as accommodation, they offer a range of leisure activities, including day trips, quizzes, guided walks, archery and bowls, social dancing, swimming, and so forth. Most of these activities are included in the price, as is the evening entertainment.
Accommodation is generally on a half-board basis, including breakfast and evening meal. Guests typically book short stays of two to four days, often focused around a particular headline act. Some of those in the current line-up include Motown, Abba and Franki Valli tribute acts, plus the real Leo Sayer, Paul Young, Russell Watson, Alexander Armstrong, Jane Macdonald, and many others. There are also seasonal breaks, spa breaks (at the Thoresby Hall hotel), bowls breaks, and more.
I have been to two Warner Leisure Hotels, Bodelwyddan Castle in North Wales (pictured above) and Alvaston Hall in Cheshire. I thought I would therefore take the opportunity to share my impressions here for others who might be contemplating this type of short break holiday.
My Review
As my partner passed away five years ago, I went to both venues on my own. I am in my early sixties, and felt very young compared with some of the other guests!
In both cases I found the accommodation spacious and comfortable, with all the facilities you would expect at a good hotel. I was on the ground floor at both, and had a small private terrace with a metal table and chairs, which was pleasant to sit out on. Here’s a picture of the accommodation block in which I stayed at Alvaston Hall.
I thought the food was generally very good. The dining area was large and could be a bit noisy, but the waiters and waitresses did a great job of getting meals out quickly. You are allocated a table at the start of your stay and keep that for the duration. As a solo guest I was offered the opportunity to be matched with another solo male as a dining partner. I declined this, as it seemed a gamble whether I would have anything in common with them.
At Alvaston Hall the evening meal is combined with the entertainment. So, basically, you have your meal followed by a show, all the while sitting at the same table. I liked this idea in theory, but in practice I discovered it had a few drawbacks.
For one thing, if you have been allocated a table towards the back (as I was) it can be quite hard to see what is happening on the stage. In addition, for me anyway it felt a long time to be sitting in one place. Really I preferred the arrangement at Bodelwyddan Castle, where you had your meal in the restaurant then went over to the main hall for the evening entertainment (for which you could sit anywhere).
I must admit I was slightly disappointed by the entertainment programme. The evening entertainment in particular was targeted at an older clientele and I didn’t particularly relate to it, despite being no spring chicken myself!
Both hotels seemed very big on social dancing, with guests being invited to ‘take the floor for the foxtrot’ or whatever. Not my thing at all, I’m afraid. I had been hoping for something more akin to cruise ship entertainment, with song and dance shows and cabaret acts, but perhaps that was asking too much.
There were regular quizzes, though again I felt that they were often oriented towards the older guests. I did one quiz about the 1950s, a decade many of those taking part remembered well. As I was only four years old when the fifties ended, I felt at a bit of a disadvantage!
On the positive side, I went on several guided walks, which I really enjoyed. I also took full advantage of the swimming pools, and at Alvaston Hall went to an interesting demonstration of fruit and vegetable carving (see photo below).
I also enjoyed looking around Bodelwyddan Castle itself (pictured below), which is a National Trust property. Warner guests get free entry during their stay, which is a nice bonus.
Prices
As Pounds and Sense is primarily a money blog, I should say a few words about this.
I thought both the breaks I took were good value for money, bearing in mind that as well as comfortable accommodation you get breakfast and an evening meal, and a range of leisure facilities and entertainment.
When I checked just now, you could book a two-night break at Alvaston Hall for two people this weekend at prices ranging from £219.48 for a standard room up to £315.48 for a luxury suite. In my experience even ‘standard’ rooms are very comfortable, and the price above works out to just over £100 per person per night. By comparison, I have been charged well over £100 per night for bed and breakfast, with no evening meal or entertainment, in some hotels and guest houses.
If you are travelling solo (as I was) you may have to pay an under-occupancy surcharge. However, the hotels do have some single rooms, and there are also ‘no surcharge’ offers for solo travellers on some breaks. It’s definitely worth inquiring about this with the hotel you want to stay at.
Finally, I should mention that Warner Leisure Hotels often offer special deals and discounts. Once you are on their list, you can expect to be mailed regularly about these!
Summing Up
Overall, while I enjoyed my stay at these hotels, I have to say I did feel a bit young for them. The entertainment wasn’t really my cup of tea and I’m not sure it will be even when I’m ten years older. I saw one review that described Warner Leisure Hotels as ‘Butlins for old people’ and have to admit I think that’s quite apt (it’s owned by the same parent company as Butlins and Haven Holidays, incidentally). I don’t mean to sound snobby about this. When I was growing up I enjoyed regular family holidays at Butlins holiday camps and hotels. But the format does seem a little tired and old-fashioned now. In my view the company could learn a few lessons from the range of entertainment offered on cruise ships nowadays and even in tourist hotels in places like the Canary Islands.
I also think Warners could do a lot more to welcome solo guests and get them involved. At times I found staying there surprisingly lonely. Again, my experience with cruises has been that they do a much better job for solo guests, with regular meet-ups, social activities and even dedicated staff members to look after them. It would be nice if Warners did something similar. There are lots of older people who live alone, and I think the company are missing a trick by not reaching out to them.
But to be fair, I do think Warner Leisure Hotels offer an appealing combination of comfortable rooms, good food, a full activities and entertainment programme, and good value prices. I’m not planning on going again soon, but I certainly wouldn’t rule it out in future.
So those are my impressions of Warner Leisure Hotels, but what do you think? Have you stayed at one yourself, or would you even consider it? I’d love to hear your views!
For a wider range of all-inclusive holiday options in the UK and abroad, check out this article on Over 60s Discounts 🏖
Disclosure: This review includes affiliate links, so if you click through and make a purchase I will receive a commission for introducing you. This will not affect in any way the terms you are offered. Neither has it influenced in any way this review!
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I mentioned then that Free Postcode Lottery was one of my favourite such sites, and that applies even more now. Last week I logged in as usual and saw my postcode staring back at me as the winner of the main draw 😮
I honestly thought for a moment that I was dreaming, but quickly realised that I wasn’t. I looked for and found the claim button (it wasn’t quite as prominent as I expected) and clicked on it. And that was it – I had just won the Free Postcode Lottery!
The prize fund that day was £1200 and FPL said there was one other registered player in my postcode area. I must admit that I was slightly disappointed when, a few hours later, that person put in their claim as well, meaning I would have to split the £1200 with them. Still, I’m really not complaining, as an extra £600 (tax-free) has come in very handy indeed as the winter bills pour in.
And if you’re wondering, the other £14.53 is my loyalty bonus. I accrued this through introducing other players and signing up for offers on the FPL site. When you win FPL, your loyalty bonus is added to your winnings. I only wish I’d signed up for a few more offers now 😀
More About Free Postcode Lottery
I’d been meaning to write a special post about FPL anyway, so I shall say a bit more about it now.
As mentioned, this is a free lottery site. There is nothing to pay and all prizes are funded by advertising. It is not to be confused with The People’s Postcode Lottery, which is advertised on TV and you have to pay for.
To be eligible for prizes on FPL, all you have to do is sign up on the website, including your postcode, email address and PayPal account details (any winnings are paid into this). You then have to return to the site every day to check whether your postcode has come up. If a prize isn’t claimed the fund rolls over to the next day. With the Main Draw, it currently goes up by £400 a day. The prize can easily rise to over £1000 if a few days go by without anyone claiming.
One thing I really like about FPL is that there are multiple draws, greatly boosting your chances of winning. As well as the Main Draw (which I was lucky enough to win) there is also a Survey Draw (where you may have to complete a survey to see the winning postcode) and a Video Draw (where you have to watch a music video). There are also Stackpot and Bonus Draws, with smaller prizes. And finally, there is a £50 gift card to be won every week by courtesy of the price comparison website Quidco. All six draws can be accessed via the tabs at the top of the page, as shown in the screen capture below.
It only takes a few moments to check all the draws. Personally I use the Tab Alarm add-on in Firefox to open up FPL and all the other free lotteries I am registered with at the same time every day. That means they can all then be checked in five minutes or so. It also ensures that I don’t forget on the day my number comes up!
Good luck, and if you have any comments or questions about Free Postcode Lottery, please do post them below.
UPDATE MAY 2018: Free Postcode Lottery is now called Pick My Postcode, after they were threatened with legal action by the company behind the paid-for Postcode Lottery. The URL is now https://pickmypostcode.com.
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In late 2014 I invested £30,000 from an inheritance on premium bonds. I liked the idea of making a tax-free income this way, with the (admittedly slim) chance every month of winning a life-changing sum.
Initially anyway it went fairly well, though all I ever won were £25 prizes. Then in June 2016 the interest rate and hence the prize fund was reduced, and almost immediately I saw a big drop in the number of prizes I was receiving. For comparison purposes, here are the prizes I got from November 2014 (the first month my bonds were eligible for the monthly draws) to May 2016…
Month/Year
Number of Prizes won
Total Prize Value £s
11/14
1
25
12/14
2
50
1/15
1
25
2/15
1
25
3/15
0
0
4/15
2
50
5/15
2
50
6/15
2
50
7/15
0
0
8/15
0
0
9/15
0
0
10/15
1
25
11/15
1
25
12/15
0
0
1/16
3
75
2/16
1
25
3/16
4
100
4/16
3
75
5/16
0
0
TOTAL
23
600
In contrast, here are my winnings after the change was made in June 2016.
Month/year
Number of Prizes won
Total Prize Value £s
6/16
0
0
7/16
2
50
8/16
1
25
9/16
0
0
10/16
0
0
11/16
2
50
12/16
1
25
1/17
0
0
2/17
0
0
TOTAL
6
150
So in the period November 2014 to May 2016 I won 23 prizes totaling £600 in value, and from June 2016 to February 2017 I won 7 prizes totaling £150 in value.
Obviously we aren’t comparing like with like here, as the first period is 16 months and the second period just nine months. So here are the pro rata figures for the returns both pre- and post-June 2016.
Pre-June 2016 – 600 x 12/16 = £450 per year
June 2016 onward – 150 x 12/9 = £200 per year
So, in effect, my rate of return has more than halved since the June 2016 changes. When you calculate this as a percentage return on my £30,000 investment it looks even worse.
Pre-June 2016 – 450/30000 x 100 = 1.5%
June 2016 onwards – 200/30000 x 100 = 0.67%
By current standards, a tax-free return of 1.5% per year isn’t too shabby – it compares pretty well with cash ISAs, for example, even though the return with the latter is guaranteed (until the rate changes anyway).
On the other hand, 0.67% is clearly disappointing. I would have made more keeping the money in my Santander 123 current account which pays 1.5% (3% pre-November 2016), even though they only pay this on the first £20,000 in your account.
It’s hard to quantify what the chance of winning a big prize is worth. On the one hand you probably won’t – but on the other hand, somebody has to!
So What Action Am I Taking?
After nine months under the current premium bond terms I have decided enough is enough.
I withdrew £25,000 of my £30,000 today and plan to put this in a variety of equity-based investments. Obviously these are not guaranteed either, but by a conservative assessment they should generate an annual return of around 5%, or about eight times what I am getting from premium bonds currently.
I am going to keep £5,000 in premium bonds for the time being. At least it gives me a bit of excitement at the start of every month. And I am never going to lose this money, although obviously in time its value will be eroded by inflation.
So that’s my view of premium bonds, but what do you think? Are they still a worthwhile investment or are they now a mug’s game? Please leave any comments below as usual!
