The festive season is right around the corner, and for many, that means it’s time to start thinking about hosting family at home, heading away on a holiday or buying gifts. But just as quickly as Christmas creeps up on us, so too do the costs. Thankfully, a bit of savvy pre-planning can alleviate some of the end-of-year financial stress and save you money at Christmas.
We’ve split this guide into two parts – how to save cash on your Christmas shopping, and how to earn points and rewards from purchases.
How to save money on your Christmas shopping
1. Stack supermarket rewards points
This one falls into both ‘money-saving’ and ‘points-earning’ hacks, depending on how you redeem your supermarket rewards points. You just need to earn them first!
Australia’s major supermarkets offer comprehensive loyalty programs that allow you to earn a stack of points from your shopping. Bonus points are typically offered for purchasing certain items or reaching a spending target so you can earn rewards quicker.
Maximising your rewards from Coles’ Flybuys program or Woolworths’ Everyday Rewards program throughout the year is the key to saving more at Christmas. Both programs offer the ability to convert 2,000 points to $10 off your shop. So if you save your points, come Christmas, you could have enough in the kitty to cover a family lunch or groceries for a camping trip. Everyday Rewards even has a feature called ‘bank for Christmas’, where your points can only be accessed during December.
It’s not too late to begin earning if you hope to save this Christmas. Learn more in our beginner’s guide to earning Flybuys points and how to earn Everyday Rewards points.
2. Compare prices before buying
Shave dollars off your Christmas bill by comparing prices before you buy. Melbourne-based Zyft is an extension that instantly compares prices across thousands of Australian retailers. To find the best deal, you can view real-time pricing and availability in your web browser or the Zyft app. Because when it comes to Christmas shopping, every dollar of savings counts!
Disclaimer: Point Hacks is affiliated with Zyft.
3. Use cashback sites
Arguably one of the easiest ways to save money at Christmas, cashback sites award you with literal money back into your account for minimal effort. You’ll complete your order via your favourite online retailer as usual, but the cashback site tracks your purchase and awards a percentage back as cash.
Some popular cashback sites in Australia include Cashrewards, Shopback and Topcashback. To get started, you need to create an account on your chosen cashback site. Many offer browser extensions or mobile apps to make it easier to shop online. Cashback is normally credited to your account 30-90 days after your purchase, so you can look forward to recouping some of the money you’ve spent on Christmas gifts.
Also read: Make the most of your shopping with Cashrewards
4. DIY Christmas gifts
Would you prefer to build or craft a Christmas gift for that special someone? Handmade gifts are extra thoughtful and can save you money at Christmas. And if you need some supplies to get started, you can use any of the tips above to earn rewards.
For instance, when shopping at Bunnings, Officeworks or Kmart, you can pocket Flybuys points on your purchase. Craft and fabric retailer Spotlight is available on all major cashback sites, so you can earn money back when shopping for DIY supplies. It’s a similar story for popular sites Etsy and Vistaprint, where you can order personalised gifts and earn cashback.
How to earn points from Christmas shopping
5. Earn points when buying gift cards
Gift cards can give your recipient the flexibility to choose a redemption, and they also make great stocking stuffers or add-ons to a hamper or bottle of wine. And for you, the giver, there are points to be earned from buying gift cards, too.
Keep an eye out for promotions from Flybuys or Everyday Rewards, where you can often pocket 10-20x points on the value of the gift card. The types of gift cards change weekly, but you’ll often find cards that can be redeemed at JB Hi-Fi, EB Games, IKEA and more.
Then, as we covered above, you can redeem those supermarket rewards points for money off your Christmas shop. It’s a win-win.
Also read: How I easily earned 10,000 bonus points with gift cards
6. Earn points from wine
Are you hosting Christmas lunch or need a simple gift for clients or employees? Purchasing wine from Qantas Wine can earn you a tidy sum of points. Bonus points are often available with certain cases, and Qantas Points Club members enjoy triple points and free delivery on orders. It’s a hassle-free way to stock up your cellar in preparation for Christmas while getting rewarded at the same time.
7. Click through a shopping portal to earn frequent flyer points
Qantas and Velocity’s online shopping portals operate similarly to cashback sites, but you’ll earn points from your online purchase instead of money back.
If you’re looking to earn Qantas Points, head to Qantas Shopping. Here, you’ll find hundreds of retailers offering points on eligible purchases. You’ll complete your purchase as normal on the retailer’s website. The only difference is you’ll click through Qantas Shopping, which will track your order and award points based on your spending. Most stores offer a base rate of one Qantas Point per dollar, but you’ll often find bonus promotions allowing you to earn 7 Qantas Points per $1 – sometimes more.
Similarly, you can earn Velocity Points by shopping via Velocity e-Store. It’s worth comparing the two portals to determine which one will award you more points from your chosen retailer.
Shopping portals are just for physical gifts, either. In the example below, you could earn frequent flyer points via Qantas Shopping when purchasing a RedBalloon experience. With so many retailers and services available, you could gift a skydive, a hot air balloon ride or even an Endota spa day and pocket points.
8. Use a points-earning credit card
Finally, a points-earning credit card can be combined with any of the strategies above to help you earn rewards and save more at Christmas.
Cards like the NAB Rewards Platinum offer bonus points at eligible grocery stores, which can be handy for large shops over Christmas. Otherwise, you could use points-earning credit cards to boost your rewards when shopping in-store or online.
American Express cardholders can access Amex Offers, offering discounts and savings with bonus points or statement credits when making eligible purchases. There’s also MyAmexShop, a cashback-style portal exclusive to American Express customers.
But what can you do with all those points earned from your Christmas shopping? Well, you could start planning next year’s getaway to Hamilton Island or Japan, or gift a loved one a First Class flight for Christmas. The opportunities are endless.
Of course, we don’t recommend using a credit card to spend beyond your means at Christmas. Rewards credit cards are best used for purchases you were planning to make anyway.
Summing up
Planning ahead can help you save dollars at the checkout this Christmas. And, with some of our tips above, you could even earn points and other rewards while doing so.
As always, you shouldn’t go out of your way or spend more than you need just to earn points. But if the opportunity is there – like through a cashback site, shopping portal or grocery rewards program – then picking up points can be a nice bonus on top of a purchase. It’s important to prioritise cash savings where possible – particularly at Christmas.
Featured image: Heidi Fin, Unsplash.
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