Cinema tickets, travel plans and more: My top ways to save money at work

3 min read

I recently got insanely jealous when I got a peek at my coworker Jon Fulluck’s wallet — his platform wallet, that is. 

Using our employee benefits platform to get employee discounts at hundreds of retailers, he’s saved nearly £2,000, and can withdraw a sizable sum of nearly £700. Instantly.

It got me thinking, what would I do with that £700, and how can I be a little thriftier and discounts-savvy, like my buddy Jon?

So I hopped onto boom! Discounts, our name for the Reward Gateway employee discounts platform and started tracking potential savings for my future plans. Here are a few things that ran through my mind:

Do I have any movie nights coming up?

Work keeps me busy, and it can be tough to prioritise a weekend movie night with my mates. The other day, I used my cinema benefits for employees from ODEON Cinemas to buy two tickets (at the price of £7.30 per ticket) and a concessions gift certificate – I love my popcorn, with extra butter, please! So the next time I want to go see an action-packed movie, I've got these on hand, and I saved the cost of nearly an entire ticket.

What about wedding season?

Wedding season will be here before we know it and I always want to be as prepared as I can be. With many friends getting married each year (and sometimes having the duty of being best man!), I want to get my friends and family the best gifts I can.

With cashback offerings at Goldsmiths Jewellers, I can earn money while buying a new watch or cufflinks for my loved ones on their big day. It's also a nice feeling to know I can earn 12% cashback at Weddingplan Insurance when my time comes around.

Man, I need a holiday.

Recently, I’ve decided to take a page from my peers at RG and resolve to travel more, and travel often. It’s slow going, but the best part of it is scoping out deals and putting that extra money to important things, like that extra pair of sunglasses.

Some of my favourite travel vendors like Expedia are on our platform, so I always go there first to see what kind of cashback or discount is available. On a pricey trip to an island in Hawaii or a beach getaway in the Caribbean, I can earn 10% cashback and that extra money is all the more reason for me to hit “Book!” on that flight.

My mum deserves flowers.

I love spoiling people. And as the one that gave birth to me (and my six siblings), my mum deserves all the presents I can shower her with. One of the most frequent cashback items I go for is 15% cashback at eFlorist.

The delivery charge is always what gets me, and right now I can earn 15% cashback on a bouquet for Mum. Mother’s day, birthday, “thanks-for-making-me-three-frozen-dinners” day… the list goes on. Just like a nice note brightens my day, why not brighten hers with some blossoms? 

I know this won’t come overnight, and I have to be diligent like my coworker Jon about knowing what’s on our platform from those cinema benefits for employees, travel vouchers and the speciality gifts. But by working at saving each and every last penny, in time, I bet I can give him a run for his money. 

Plus, this gives me the excuse I was looking for to go buy that awesome pair of trainers for my weekend getaway. Thank you, Reward Gateway for that win-win...