How Your Shopping Can Earn You A Free Holiday

As a frequent flyer, I’ve become well versed in how to travel for less, and even free! All it takes is a little smart shopping. Today I’m going to show you too how you can fly and go on holiday for free using Cashback Websites and Avios. It’s so simple.

Before we begin my favourite cashback websites are the following;

• Top Cashback (usually the highest cashback rate)
• Avios (collect Airmiles instead of cash)
• Quidco
• BOOM25 (instead of getting cash back every 25th shopper gets their spend back)
• Swagbucks (sign up through our link to get a £3 start-up bonus)
• Kidstart (savings are paid into a child trust fund or JISA)
• 20COGS (sign up through our link to get a £5 start-up bonus)
• Quick Rewards
• Reward Me Now (enjoy stackable discounts)

Let’s see how this works then. Take a cashback website and we’ll just hypothetically take 5 shopping transactions. A return flight to Vegas for 2 business class, a return flight to Doha economy for one, a 4-night hotel booking in Ibiza, a £50 grocery spend online and purchase of a winter coat at a well-known retailer.

We’re going to use Top Cashback for example. So here we go. 

Of course these are large spends and are hypothetical for the purposes of this example, however, you get an idea of how booking holidays through cashback sites can give you money back for another holiday.

You don’t need to be making big purchases either. 10% cashback when you buy the latest pair of Vans you’re desperate for at Schuh. 3% cashback when you buy the newest Call of Duty. 6% cashback when you buy your Mum a new handbag from kate spade for her birthday. Even get 4.2% cashback on your Just Eat order! 

Of course, each cashback website will have different cashback offers. So if you’re super savvy you can research these before making a purchase to ensure that you get the largest cashback amount possible. As you spend on everyday items online, your pot of cashback will grow bigger. Which you can save up to take the family away for a free holiday (or put it towards something else).

Collecting Airmiles

If you’re like me, and an avid traveller, you’ll also want to collect Airmiles. You can do this by being part of frequent flyer clubs such as Avios. Regardless of where you book flights through you can also collect Airmiles for your flights by adding your frequent flyer number to your booking where applicable. You can do this on the following airlines

• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Finnair
• Iberia
• Japan Airlines
• LATAM Airlines
• Malaysia Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Jordanian
• S7 Airlines
• SriLankan Airlines.

These are just the partners of Avios (or One World part of BA). If you’re travelling Virgin airways they also have their own Airmiles programme. However, my preferred airline when travelling to the USA is BA so use their frequent flyer programme.

Once you have accrued enough Airmiles you can use them against flights, hotels and even car hire. I do recommend though, collecting them to use against flights. You can use them to fully pay for flights, for part-payment or for upgrading. 

Related Read; 

• There will be two major contenders today: Budget vs Avis
• 3 Places You May Uncover an Unsolved Mystery on Your Next Holiday?

The higher tier you are the more you’ll receive as a bonus too. For example, back to our booking of 2 return business flights to Vegas. They were booked through Expedia and £506 cashback was paid. We added our frequent flyer number to our booking and each receives over 18,000 Airmiles which is already a return flight to Rome, Madrid, Budapest or Venice (with 5,000 spare). Or a return flight to Athens or Moscow or 17,000. However, a return flight to New York is 26,000 and in the scheme of things, it’s probably better to try and accrue an additional 8,000 Avios Airmiles to fly long haul to New York return. How do you do that? Simple.

You use Avios like a cashback website. I use the BA Executive Club (remember about the tier system) to collect my Avios. Every time I go to purchase something I look to see if it’s more beneficial collecting Avios or using a cashback site. If Avios works out the best option I purchase through the tracked link and then receive my Avios. You can even exchange Tesco Clubcard vouchers for Avios points and you better believe that’s what I use my Clubcard vouchers on!

If you are flying anywhere with BA or their One World partners, especially long haul. Then do make sure that you sign up for their programme regardless of which cabin class you’re flying as your miles add up….6,000 points came from an economy cabin from London to Qatar and even London to Stuttgart accrued 375 points. Every little adds up. 

Credit Cards with Airmiles Bonuses

• Virgin Atlantic – get between 5,000 and 15,000 bonus points simply for opening an account
• BA American Express – use to build up Avios points

Cashback Kings & Queens

If you’re already booking holidays or making online purchases and using a cashback site (and/or Airmiles), you can easily generate enough in your cash back wallet to pay for a holiday if you’re smart and consistent! If you’re using your cashback to book, withdraw your cashback money. Then book your holiday through your chosen cashback site again and you’ll get cash back on the cashback money you’ve already saved. 

You have absolutely nothing to lose and you may as well be rewarded (and get your own money back) for making purchases right?

Let me know if you’re a cashback website lover and which are your preferred websites below.