Pouch, a new discount code tool, promises to save you a lot of money when shopping online. We find out if it’s worth downloading.
Trawling through coupon code websites can be a hassle when looking to save money. It’s even more frustrating when the coupon code isn’t working or has expired.
Pouch, which has been backed by investors on Dragons Den, says it can save you around 10% on anything you buy online.
But rather than take it at face value, we decided to give it a go.
What is the cover?
Pouch is a service that automatically shows you discount codes when you visit a retailer’s website, which means you don’t have to go looking for them yourself.
How it works?
This is a web browser plug-in – available for Chrome and Firefox – that shows you the promo codes available when you shop online.
The Cover icon will appear in the upper right corner of your browser next to any other plugins you have.
Once you click on a store with a discount code, a little pop-up notification will appear in the top corner of the screen, as you can see below. Just click on the offer you want to redeem and the voucher will be copied to your clipboard.
Insert it in the discount code box at checkout and it will automatically apply your discount.
To register, you’ll need to provide your name and email address, but the people behind Pouch say personal information won’t be sold.
Where can I get discounts?
The folks at Pouch say you can save with over 3,000 retailers, including The Body Shop, Argos, Topshop, and Ocado.
What you see will depend on the discount codes available when you shop.
Get cashback on your purchases with a reward credit card
Does it do the job?
We tried a handful of websites with the plugin to see what we could potentially save. Available offers are shown in italics and those we have used are underlined.
Body
30% off hundreds of items
Spend £ 25 get £ 10 off
How was it?
We went with the second option because it was difficult to determine which items are available in the first offer.
To find out, you would have to put individual items in the basket and apply the code to each item. It is probably easier to find the terms and conditions on the coupon code websites in this case.
The second deal worked well though, saving a ten on mango eyeshadow and shower goodies – result!
Dominoes
30% discount on orders of £ 20
Spend over £ 25 and get 35% off
Free Garlic Pizza Bread for orders over £ 20
How was it?
Again, a tricky one. In a surprisingly customer-friendly gesture, Dominos gives you a comparison of offers at the checkout that will give you the cheapest option. We would have spent more using the promo code.
Virgin Experience Days
15% discount on experiences
How was it?
We tried to book a session at the ArcelorMittal Orbit slide in the London Olympic Park for an adult and a child and it didn’t work leaving it at £ 27.
Disney Store
The Disney Party range is now available – from 99p!
FREE personalized invitation – now at Disney Party!
FREE Mickey or Minnie Mouse birthday call with the purchase of a Disney Party product
How was it?
It’s hard to say – these are deals as opposed to cash. All of the copied codes appeared as N / A so there were no savings on our Toy Story towels. Dead is however excited by a free phone call from Mickey Mouse.
Myprotein
Up to 15% discount for new customers
Up to 30% off any item
How was it?
We saved a respectable £ 1.19 on a massive 1kg jar of peanut butter. That said, the “Mystery†discount code is listed next to the products, so it doesn’t really need the plugin.
Ocado
25% discount on your first store + free delivery
How was it?
The difficulty with trying Pouch in supermarkets is that you have to register and order a full store before you can redeem the code.
Still, we saved £ 8.02 on our cart and got free shipping, but apparently we could have saved more.
What we like
Pouch is very easy to use and download, which is convenient for buyers on the go.
It’s also clear where there are discounts available, what the offers are and when they expire – all the essentials.
Many offers were also offered by big brands, rather than more specialized retailers.
What we don’t like
Even though Pouch includes the important details, it does not detail the terms and conditions, which is confusing for some offers. As we mentioned in the first Body Shop deal, you will need to put different items in the checkout individually to see if they are eligible.
Some of the notifications are from previous searches, which is also confusing. For example, we thought Vue had six promo codes available, but it was a postponed notification from a Waitrose search.
Is it worth downloading?
If you are a regular online shopper, Pouch could prove to be a handy tool. It has noticeable pop-up notifications that aren’t too intrusive. It could also save you a lot of time.
A lot of it depends on what you’re spending and what discount codes are going around at the time.
The cover has some technical issues to straighten out, but it is still in its start-up phase and can therefore be forgiven. Overall, it’s a useful plugin that has a lot of potential to change the way people shop.
For more ways to save, check out: Online Shopping Tips That Could Save You Hundreds.
Get cashback on your purchases with a reward credit card
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