All manner of businesses can employ ‘non-deals’ and crafty labelling, designed to trick a consumer into thinking they are getting something for nothing – only for them to have a nasty surprise later.

PromotionalCodes.org.uk have picked out common offers that could be costing, instead of saving, consumers money. Below is a list of deals that aren’t deals – and advice how to avoid them, and what to go for instead.

Happy hour cocktails

When out on a Friday night, a reduced price cocktail may be tempting – but they can still cost around £8 a pop. It’s possible to buy more glasses of wine or pints for the same price, and get better value for money.

Confusing multi-buys

Raising the price of an item when it’s on offer is more common than one might think. Watch out for these deals, and check the weight, size and brand to see if it’s better buying just one.

Twin packs

Twin packs of food, drink or clothing often work out more expensive than buying the two items separately – often, consumers pay extra for additional packaging.

Sign up online for 10% off

Online retailers offering discounts in return for signing up to their newsletter, or off an initial purchase, are to be avoided.

It might seem like a great deal, but you could be buying something for the sake of an unnecessary discount.

If a brand is on sale, still go own brand

If a well-known brand is on sale for a week, the own-brand will still be just as good – and a lot cheaper.

Online shopping spend over £30 (or more) for free delivery

These non-deals rope consumers into spending more than they originally intended at an online retailer, often far exceeding the original charge.

Pre-bagged fruit more expensive than loose

Loose fruit and veg is generally a lot cheaper than packaged fruit and veg. Make sure to compare prices.

‘Only £1’

If it’s screaming out it’s a great deal, it probably isn’t.

Again, check the alternatives and check you’re getting good value by comparing weights and package sizes with food.

BOGOF  

‘Buy one get one free’ can be a good deal – but watch out for ‘buy two get the third free’, as that’s only a 33 per cent saving.

Also beware items with a short shelf life. If buying a large multi-pack of perishable items means you get one free, will you realistically get through them all before their use by date.

£20 signs in clothing retailers

Watch out for big savings in clothing stores, they might look like the actual ticket price – when actually it’s just money off an artificially pricey item.

Loyalty cards

Loyalty cards should be used wisely. While vouchers received from loyalty card ownership should be used, watch out for their expiry date – and only use ones that save money short-term, as opposed to just double loyalty points.

Extended warranties

Stores offer extended warranties so they can profit. It might seem like a great deal on a TV that will last five years, but generally mean consumers spend more than the TV will cost to replace.

Furthermore, by the time it defaults there’s a good chance the warranty won’t even cover whatever goes wrong.

Free trials 

Free trials are initially great, but generally come with a sting in the trial.

Many places will ask for your bank details when signing up; once your trial is up, they start charging you straight away. If you do want to sign up, make sure you take note of the day you sign up, and cancel at least a day before your trial is up.

Store credit cards

Some store cards come with a sizeable credit limit, which can escalate into monstrous debts you can’t pay off.

Unless you’re able to pay off your bill every month, it’s not worth it.

Free gifts

When shopping for beauty products, watch out for ‘free gifts’ enticing you into forking out extra. It might seem you’re getting more for your money, but these gifts are often small samples, or out of season products.

“No matter if you have a strict budget or stick to a list, somehow these deals can always catch you off guard,” said Darren Williams from PromotionalCodes.org.uk.

“Supermarkets and big brands will use many clever tactics to make you part with your cash, but they are easy to avoid once you know which offers will benefit you and which will leave you worse off.

“A lot of the time the ploys are psychological, happy hour even has happy in the title so you will think you’re making a great saving on what is essentially a cocktail you wouldn’t normally drink.”

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