Valid Voucher Codes
There are numerous websites that claim to offer discounts online but what most of us want are valid voucher codes - Offer UK has got an extremely good track record of providing them.
When the owner's of this site approached existing customers to write about their own experiences of using discount vouchers, I was happy to do so. For me, there's a mixture of happiness and despair involved in using these creations.
My experience of voucher codes
So when did I first find out about voucher codes? Well, I think it was probably in 2006. I'd heard friends mentioning that they'd been making savings online using some magical codes that they'd discovered. By that point, I was already used to shopping online for many items.
One of the great advantages of shopping online, we were all told, was that it was a great way to save money. In truth, I think I'd turned to internet shopping for convenience as much as anything. I liked the fact that I could get the items delivered to my door, rather than having to nip down to the shops. Maybe it was just me being lazy! Anyway, I digress.
Although convenience was important, I was forever looking for the best possible deals. I think that's human nature - we all want to feel that we're getting something of a bargain.
The transparency of the internet means that you can often see whether you're paying a reasonable amount. I was already making use of price comparison sites to see whether products were cheaper at one store or another. The differences often weren't massive on things like CDs and books but it was clear that prices could vary considerably on larger purchases - items of furniture or other bits and bobs for around the house were available at quite large price discrepancies.
Given the scene at the time, I was interested in seeing if I could make more savings. Voucher codes seemed to be the way forward.
Back in 2006 there were less voucher code listings sites than there are today - there were few to choose from, but they broadly had the same advantages and disadvantages of those that we select from now.
The biggest advantage, of course, was that we now had the opportunity to find discounts that wouldn't have otherwise been available to us. It became a habit to check for a discount voucher code before making just about any purchase. Fortunately, many shops and stores seemed to remind you to check - they still do - by actually asking whether you had a discount code when you went to pay at their online checkout.
The disadvantages of using listings sites often surrounded frustrations with finding valid discount codes. In some cases sites were simply not updated regularly enough. Others seemed intent on not providing valid codes.
In recent times I've encouraged others to use sites like Offer UK - I generally look for listings sites that are free to use and seem to be making an honest stab at providing the latest valid voucher codes. It's still a bit hit and miss but often worth it - I reckon that I've saved hundreds of pounds by making using of online discounts.
Discount vouchers and discount codes
The whole subject of discount vouchers and discount codes can be confusing if you're not used to the terminology. For starters, what's the difference between a discount voucher and a discount code?
In reality, there is no difference - the two terms both mean exactly the same thing. You may also have heard other terms used to explain the same concept - these might typically include discount voucher codes, online discount codes, shop discount codes, promotional discount codes and uk discount vouchers.
They all mean the same thing. They were all introduced by UK retailers as a means of helping UK shoppers to save money online and to encourage customer loyalty. The thought is that customers who make savings because of discount vouchers are likely to return and to use the same store again.
Discount vouchers are almost always made available free of charge. Unfortunately, some websites will charge users in order to access them. We don't believe this is fair, which is why we make all discount codes freely available. If you know of a discount that is not shown on Offer UK then please let us know about it - we try to include every uk voucher and promotional code that we possibly can.