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Image Credit: Airtime Rewards
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About six months ago I received an email from EE introducing me to Airtime Rewards. It's an app you can download, add your credit and debit card details to and it sits in the background and logs your spend with the participating retailers. You then earn rewards for every eligible purchase and those rewards become money that you can use as money-off your mobile bill. I've received £30 off my mobile phone bill in the last few months and considering I only spend £10 a month, that has been three months of free service for me!
I love getting things for free and I'm sure you do too, and Airtime Rewards comes without any hassle or risks so I knew I had to spread the word and let others know about it too. So here is my lowdown -
Which Networks are Eligible?
The easy answer is all the big ones. Three, EE, O2, Vodafone, giffgaff, Virgin Mobile, Tesco Mobile, ASDA Mobile, Lebara mobile, Lycamobile and Now PAYG. You can also use the reward for money off your pay monthly or pay-as-you-go contract.
How do I use Airtime Rewards?
1. Download the app for
Android or
iOS. Complete the registration with your details including your mobile number, network and card details (you can register multiple cards and it takes around 24 hours to activate the card to start earning). Use my
referral code Y7A844HB and we both make some money from it (see further down for more information).
2. Spend as normal and allow Airtime Rewards to do the work in the background. You can keep track of your spending if you want to and if anything is missed you can fill in the form within the app to log a missing transaction if it hasn't logged after 14 days. I don't bother, I literally sit back and wait for the cash to roll in!
3. Keep an eye on what rewards you are earning. Then when you hit the minimum threshold for your network so can redeem the reward, or store them up for another day.
It really is super simple and feels like money for nothing.
Which retailers can I earn rewards with?
There are around 80 retailers that you can earn rewards with at the moment and these include big names like Boots, Primark, Debenhams, Top Shop, Holland & Barrett, Argos and Wilko. The retailers change all the time; when I first started earning there were Morrisons and Waitrose on there and now neither are, although Waitrose is due to come back. Each month new retailers can be added or one can choose to stop offering rewards, so if you are only keen to spend with a particular retailer to get the rewards, do check on the app before you spend.
The amount that the retailers offer as a reward can change too. Currently, the rates for most retailers seem to be around 2-5% back on the purchase amount, but in the past, I've seen it as high as 10%. I suspect that the current economic climate and local lockdowns are having an impact. You can clearly see the information when you search for a retailer on the Retailers tab.
In normal times 35 days is the average time it takes for a transaction to complete, but of course, things are a little different right now. Due to the current economic climate, many of the retailers have increased their payment pending times. I see that Argos is currently 60 days, Groupon 120 days and Debenhams 180 days, but as I've said before, as I view this as free money/ a nice little bonus I don't get caught up in the fact it will take a while, as I know the reward is coming and will be very welcome when it arrives.
At any time you can go to the History tab within the app and click on an individual purchase to see how long it is until it completes and is payable.
Is it just for online purchases?
No, this part is really great. As your cards are registered with Airtime Rewards and the tracking is done via Mastercard and Visa talking in the background, it means you'll earn on your purchases in eligible stores as well as through online purchases. I love the fact that it is so easy to earn your rewards, as you don't have to remember to click to any site via a browser or through another site, nor enter a code. Airtime Rewards really is painless once it is set up and it just keeps on rewarding your spending in the background.
It is worth being aware that not all retailers accept apple pay and Google pay (some do) and none of your spending with American Express, PayPal, Klarna, Clearpay or store cards/ vouchers will be eligible. So when you're making a big purchase have a think about the way you pay beforehand. I realised recently I had spent around £80 with Boots and used PayPal and therefore missed out on my reward.
Can I use a cashback site too?
Great news, yes you can! If you use a site like Quidco or Topcashback you can still do the classic click-through from their site and then if you pay with a Visa or Mastercard that is signed up to your Airtime Rewards account you'll earn in both places! Winner.
How do I redeem the money off my mobile bill?
Depending on the requirement of your network, you'll need a minimum of £5 or £10 in your reward account before you can request that the money is taken off your mobile bill. For me on the EE network, it is a minimum of £10 that can be redeemed and I have found it really easy to redeem.
Within the app I can press the redeem button and the amount of my choosing (in multiples of £10) will come off my next bill. Or I can gift an amount to another Airtime Rewards member if I like, this is very useful with kids.
Things to Note
- I didn't get a reminder when my credit card expired, so it was just by chance that I noticed it was no longer there. So make it a habit that when a new card arrives, you go in the app and update it.
- You can opt into marketing emails and I have found them quite useful, as sometimes they negotiate particular deals with your favourite retailers. You can also get push notification as well or instead of emails if you prefer.
- Airtime Rewards are PCI compliant and all your credit card information is encrypted for safety.
- If you're not sure about anything check out the Airtime Rewards FAQs
Why don't you join too?
If you think that Airtime Rewards sound good, why don't you sign up too and if you use my referral code we both benefit? If you use referral code Y7A844HB we get 50p each for you joining and £1 each when you spend on one of your registered cards at an eligible retailer within 7 days. Super simple and as I said before, money for nothing!
Enter the referral code in the Promo Code box under Promotions in the My Account area.
Isn't it fab friends? I just love it but do remember to still exercise caution when you are spending. Never let any kind of cashback/ reward push you into buying something you can't afford.
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