Are you a coupon crusader?

Thanks to the recession shoppers have become fearless coupon crusaders.

1 June 2012: A recent study carried out for Nationwide (May 2012) revealed that 79% of people in the UK currently collect coupons or money off vouchers and just over a quarter are using it as a way to save money; to the extent that 61% of the UK have saved up to £100 in the past year alone. Long gone are the days of social embarrassment when seen using coupons. Thanks to the recession shoppers have become fearless coupon crusaders.

Britons love a discount so much that three quarters of us look for discount vouchers before making a decision on where to eat or go on a day out as well as it affecting purchasing decisions. We also love to proudly share and promote them to family and friends with 95% of us basking in the glory of being the one to discover the latest deal and passing it on. Men in particular expressed their reason for doing this was to just get that ‘feel good factor’, which quite frankly we could all do with from time to time!

John Crossley, Head of Current Accounts at Nationwide discusses the merits of using coupons and discounts.

A top saving coupon crusader tip is to use Simply Rewards - available when you’re a current account or credit card customer with Nationwide. Simply Rewards offers great savings on top brands. So next time you’re scouring the web for the latest offers and deals, think Simply Rewards.

If so many of us are saving money and cashing in on such great deals, vouchers and coupons why would we not look to do the same with our financial service providers? Three quarters of the UK do not currently receive anything free through their current account. Whereas at Nationwide we offer our main FlexAccount customers free travel insurance*, helping them arrange their annual holiday during tough times.

So what do people look for when choosing a current account if it’s not to get additional extras for free? Over one in four people (28%) look online for advice when choosing a current account with the most important factors coming out as accessibility (26%) and interest and low charges (26%). Here at Nationwide we aim to provide customers with excellent service and great products with some of the lowest charges on the high street.

The UK’s citizens have no plans to revert back to past ways of paying full price now they have all been tempted by such great discounts. Just under half of the UK (48%) plan to continue the coupon revolution by buying their father’s day gift this year with a money-off voucher.

So don’t get caught out paying full price, continue the revolution and become a coupon crusader... but beware extreme couponing can become addictive!

* To qualify for free UK and European travel cover you must be aged between 16-73 and hold a FlexAccount  with a Visa debit card (notcash card or cash card+), and

• Have been paying in £750+ (excluding internal transfers) a month for the last three months, or;
• Complete an account transfer to us (from a non-Nationwide account) using our Account Transfer Service Qualifying conditions vary by offer.