10 Smart Ways to Save Money in the UK

Top Tips for English Learners visiting or living in the UK

The UK is a great place to live, work, or travel, but it’s no secret that it can be expensive. If you're an English learner living in the UK or planning a visit, knowing how to manage your money wisely can make a big difference.

These are the things that I do in order to save money!

1. Use Public Transport Wisely

As I don’t drive, I am reliant on public transport whenever I visit family and friends in the UK. The costs can be astronomical, but there are things you can do to make big savings!

Use Trip.com! As well train tickets, it’s also great for booking flights, hotels and holiday homes, and tours and attractions. It’s one of those apps I wish I had discovered sooner!

When you book train tickets through Trip.com, you will see all the available routes and the cheapest options. I have learnt that when I use Google Maps to look for trains, it doesn’t always show me the most  affordable route. This is particularly true when traveling to and from airports. It will generally give you the option to travel via the airport express train, but there are often other equally fast, much cheaper routes you can take. I always book my tickets via Trip.com for this reason. It shows me the cheapest tickets and often includes a discount as well.

Make sure to get a railcard and use it when booking your tickets! Can visitors to Britian buy them? Yes! Simply make sure you choose the ‘digital’ option. I have a Network Railcard, and it saves me a fortune!

How can you get railcard? First take a look at the different options available to you. You can find all the information here.

Once you have decided which railcard is right for you, go to the Trip.com app to get up to 15% off the usual price!

Some people recommend getting an Oyster Card if you’re in London, but nowadays, it’s no cheaper than using contactless payments, so I wouldn’t bother.

For disabled passengers

In England, if you are disabled, you can get a free bus pass, which can be used anywhere in the country. Drivers are legally required to give reasonable assistance to disabled people getting on and off buses. If you need help getting on and off a coach, make sure to ask for it when you book your ticket.

If travelling by train, you can get a third off with a disabled person’s railcard. Make sure to check whether the station has accessibility features before you travel.

Get full details on transport services for disabled people here.

2. Open a UK Bank Account – Tips

Opening a UK bank account can be tricky, especially for international students or new residents. However, having a local account will save you money on currency exchange fees and make payments easier.

To open an account, most banks will ask for:

·       Proof of identity (passport or national ID card)

·       Proof of address – a utility bill (gas, electricity, water), rental agreement, or a letter from your university)

If you’re a student, many banks accept a university acceptance letter instead of a utility bill.

Lloyds Bank, HSBC, Barclays, and NatWest all offer student accounts as well as basic ones. If you don’t wish to or are unable to open a UK bank account, you could try an online bank such as Wise or Revolut. These are easier to open and have no monthly fees. Wise and Revolut are great options, especially to begin with, as you can transfer money easily while waiting for a UK account.

As I travel a lot, I have a Wise account. It allows me to have bank accounts in various currencies and to easily transfer money between my accounts. They have a referral system where you can earn up to £75 (this varies depending on region) by sharing Wise with 3 friends. Your friends get a FREE transfer up to £500, so everybody wins! You receive your £75 once all 3 of your friends make a transfer of over £200 in another currency.

Here is my referral link if you’d like to give it a try! Simply join via the link and you will get a free transfer of up to £500. Then you will have access to your own referral link to share with your friends!

3. Use Supermarket Loyalty Cards

Most UK supermarkets offer loyalty cards. They are free and can be found on the supermarket’s website or app. There are often special offers that are only available to loyalty card holders, so it makes a big difference to the price of your shopping.

Try the Sainsbury’s Nectar Card, the Tesco Clubcard, Lidl Plus, Morrisons More, Iceland Bonus, My Waitrose, Co-op Membership, and Asda Rewards.

You can find a review of these cards here.

You can also get loyalty cards for some cafes!

Save on toiletries (things like shampoo, shower gel, deodorant…) and cosmetics, among other things, with a Boots Advantage Card. This is my favourite of all the loyalty cards, partly because I love shopping at Boots. It’s the shop I miss the most when I’m in Spain.

4. Save on Online Shopping with TopCashback

For online shopping, you can’t beat TopCashback! I just found out about this on my last trip to the UK and joined via my brother’s referral link. They have a refer a friend option, so he gained an extra £20 cashback because I signed up via his link. I then mentioned it to some friends and found out that they have been using the site for years. Why did nobody tell me until now?!

Simply go to their site, create an account, enter the shop you would like to visit and see how much you can get back on your shopping! For example, I just entered ‘Boots’ and they have a 6.8% cashback offer (true at the time of writing) if you visit the site via Top Cashback. This means that however much you spend, they will give you 6.8% back! They also have voucher codes and deals.

Use my referral link or visit their website directly.

Once you have joined, you will be able to generate your own referral link to share with your friends. Once your friend has earned £10 within 3 years of joining, you will receive your bonus of £20. You will be able to withdraw your bonus once your friend's cashback is payable. You can request your payout via bank deposit, PayPal, Amazon gift card or American Express® Reward Card.

5. Make the Most of Free Activities

The UK is full of free attractions. You can visit many museums, galleries, and parks without spending a penny. Some examples:

• The British Museum and Tate Modern in London.

• National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh.

• Explore nature in places like Hyde Park or the Lake District.

Walking tours are also often free, though if the tour is good, it’s nice to tip your guide. They’re also a great way to meet other tourists/travellers!

6. Learn About UK Discounts

If you’re a student, sign up for a TOTUM card or register with UNiDAYS for discounts on travel, restaurants, and shopping.

If you work for the NHS, there are special deals on everything from holidays to clothing. Find out more about NHS discounts here.

7. Cook at Home and Pack Lunch

Eating out is fun but costly. Whenever I’m in the UK, I save money by cooking at home and packing my own lunch for when I’m out. If you don’t have the time of facilities for that, check out supermarket Meal Deals. You get a main (sandwich, salad, wrap…), a side (crisps, chocolate bar, nuts…), and a drink for an affordable price, usually around £4 to £5. Check out this Good Housekeeping blog post for a review of the best ones!

8. Use Budget Airlines for Travel

A  lot of people complain about budget airlines like Ryanair and Easy Jet, but I’ve been using them for years and have never had an issue. Nine times out of ten, I fly with Ryanair. I find that even after adding on bags and any other extras, it’s more economical than other airlines. Remember to book early for the best prices.

9. Manage Mobile and Internet Costs

The UK has some great mobile phone and internet deals. This is one of the few things that I find to be better and cheaper in the UK than in Spain, where I currently live. In many cases, you can get a pay-as-you-go SIM to cover all your mobile and data usage, including home internet!

Choose a SIM-only plan with companies like 1pMobile or Giffgaff, which are often cheaper than big-name providers.

When I’m in the UK, I use 1pMobile. Their 30-day plans start at just £5, they can be changed at any time, and there’s no long-term commitment. Cancel whenever you want! If you need to add extra calls or data, you can buy top-ups from 1GB to 200GB, with unlimited UK calls and texts. Order your SIM card(s) online and receive them within a few days.

Giffgaff are also very good, though, for me, 1pMobile wins because I use it more for data than calls, and I find them to be better in this respect (just my personal experience!). Check them both out and see which works best for you!

10. Improve Your English for Free

If you’re learning English, use the many free resources available in the UK. Libraries often have free English courses, books, and DVDs, and many cities have language exchange events. Simple google ‘city + language exchange’. The first search result for ‘London language exchange’ is Language.Exchange, and there are many others!

Saving money in the UK is all about being smart with your choices. Whether you’re travelling for a short time or staying longer, these tips will help you get the most out of your experience without overspending.

Have you discovered any other ways to save money in the UK? Share them in the comments below!

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