Seven Ways to Save Money in London

picjumbo.com photo
Move-in expenses somehow always turn out to be bigger than initially expected. 

And especially if you are moving to London which, according to some reports, is the most expensive city in the world to live and work in.

The good news is, when you warm up your feet, you find London a bargain paradise.

Some Londoners agreed to give newcommers a few tips where to hunt for decent discounts or freebies.

1. Pay less for your food.


picjumbo.com photo


Everybody agrees that good food is good mood. It becomes even better if you pay half price or less.

Many food stores in the United Kingdom hold sales before closing.

For example, half an hour before closing each Asian-inspired Itsu store holds sale. All sushi and salad boxes are half price.

Also look for yellow sticker discounts in Sainsbury’s, Marks & Spencer and other food stores. The later the evening, the larger reductions can be found for bread, meat, ready meals, etc.

In some areas of London you can see a small crowd of people going to supermarket for yellow sticker bargains before its closing time.

2. Enjoy a free cuppa daily!


picjumbo.com photo


Prefer your cuppa tea or coffee on the go? It’s possible to enjoy it for free daily if there is a Waitrose store on your way.

Some stores have stricter rules, while the others have a more relaxed approach to passers-by who pop-in for a free cuppa. All you have to do is register for a free myWaitrose card and check your local Waitrose for details.

3. Get very cheap or free haircuts.


Samo Trebizan photo


Foreigners often complain about eye-watering prices for a simple haircut in London’s hair salons. But it doesn’t mean you must grow long locks if you are short of cash. Be a model instead!

Many luxury hair salons need models for their trainees. So it’s a win- win situation. For instance, Hari’s Hairdressers offers a free haircut or discounted colour (from £10 – £25) for people willing to be models.

Toni&Guy Academy trainees can style your hair for £5 either 9.30am or 1.45pm Monday – Friday. Just make sure to book your appointment online or by phone.

4. Trip to another city for £1.


123rf.com photo


Need a break from London? Visit another city or town! You can find very cheap bus tickets at Megabus (http://uk.megabus.com/) if you start searching as early as possible.

The lucky ones grab one-way tickets just for £1. We checked directions to Bath Spa, Birmingham, Hull (UK cultural city 2017), Coventry, etc. and were very happy to find £1 deals.

Such prices would increase your pre-trip happiness to the max, no doubt.

5. Save 30% off train fares. Save on tube, too.


picjumbo.com photo


Travelling by train is convenient but quite expensive. The first rule for saving on train fares - plan your trip well ahead and buy your ticket early.

Also it is worth considering buying a railcard that costs £30 for one year or £70 for three years. Railcards save you 30% off train fares, which is a good deal if you travel by train several times a year.

There are various types of railcards (www.railcard.co.uk).

Young Londoners use 16-25 Railcard. But what lots of them do not know, is that it can save them 30% on tube journeys, too. All you have to do, is link your 16-25 Railcard with an Oyster card to get discounts on off peak journeys.

Those, who usually travel as a pair, can save on journeys with Two Together Railcard launched in 2014.

6. Send money home for just 99 p.


transfergo.com photo


One of the main reasons people give for moving to a new country is to make extra income which allows them to save money for such things as buying a flat or to make extra money to help out their family back home. In the past the only options for sending money back home were banks or via Western Union or MoneyGram.

Not only were these options inconvenient they were also expensive. TransferGo is the leader in low-cost money transfers. TransferGo offers low transfer rates at a fixed rate that are substantially lower than you will find elsewhere. The foreign exchange rate is also fixed.  Both the fee and the exchange rate are clearly displayed when you make a transfer, meaning there are no surprises for you or the receiver.

7. Call home cheaply.


frugo photo


Living abroad can be tough because your loved ones are so far away. We guess it is not possible to cure homesickness, but there is a way to make symptoms easier.

Call home with MOREmins app whenever you want wherever you are. It is very cheap and convenient like calling in the same country.

MOREmins works without internet. It converts your local minutes into cheap international ones.

How to be sure you are making a call via cheap international calling app MOREmins

Cheap international calling app MOREmins. Mantas Bardas photo
As we all lead busy lives, it is not a crime to get distracted or forgetful about things. But it is a real pain for us to know that our clients sometimes forget a simple action of opening MOREmins app before making an international call.

The result is dismaying: a huge bill from your mobile operator for a relatively short call abroad.

All MOREmins users know that this app has one distinctive feature. In the beginning of a call MOREmins credit balance is being checked and afterwards the client is informed how many minutes he/she will be able to talk. This message is a confirmation you are calling with MOREmins.

But we would like to give you one more piece of advice. Use your phone with a hands-free kit to be sure you are calling abroad via MOREmins app.

The phrase “Call via MOREmins” is displayed on a phone screen during the whole conversation. So you can't make an error.


The app has two distinctive features to let users know they are calling abroad via MOREmins.  Mantas Bardas photo


Also you will kill two birds with one stone because health experts advise using wired headsets to place more distance between the phone and the head.

Hands-free device reduces the amount of radiofrequency energy exposure to the head because the antenna, which is the source of energy, is not placed against the head.

And, last but not least, talking this way allows you to move freely and use a spare pair of hands for simple tasks and errands. ;)

When should I use MOREmins app?

We have noticed that people still do not know the difference between international calling and international roaming. This is why it is easy to confuse rates for your mobile calls.

From June next year, roaming in the EU will be abolished completely.

But international calling rates remain unregulated and many operators keep them high.

MOREmins provides cheap international calling services.


Call abroad from the country you live in (international call)




MOREmins is a service for people who want to make cheap international calls. Just open the app and call. 

You should call abroad from the country you live in.

Example: you live in the UK and subscribe to UK mobile operator. When you call abroad from the UK via MOREmins, you are making a cheap international call.  

       
Don't use the app when you are traveling abroad (roaming)



MOREmins uses your local minutes for internet-free calling. 

In most cases, it is better not to call via MOREmins when you travel outside your home network or to put it simply, when you use your phone abroad.

Your mobile operator will apply roaming fees if you use MOREmins while traveling abroad.

Example: you live in the UK and subscribe to UK mobile operator. Roaming is when you make calls and receive calls while traveling abroad. Usually this happens during holidays or short business trips abroad. 

New Cheap International Calling App

Hey MOREmins friends!

We would like to share some good news with you! MOREmins has released a new cheap international calling app. 

It works without internet and converts your local minutes into cheap international ones. 

People who live in Ireland, Lithuania, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Spain, United Kingdom and USA can use our app. 

Download MOREmins cheap international calling app for iPhone: https://goo.gl/e4qbiM. 
And for Android (Samsung, HTC, LG, Huawei etc.): https://goo.gl/wtDMuJ. 


Feel even MORE joy calling your dearest ones who are abroad!



Cheers,
MOREmins

Mobile phones: Data roaming charges will be abolished

Extra costs of using a mobile phone in countries across the EU are to be scrapped, MEPs have agreed, after years of negotiations.
The ban on data roaming charges from 15 June 2017 has received a final green light in the European Parliament.

Sky Garden in Walkie Talkie Building


Although London's Walkie Talkie has been voted the ugliest building in Britain, which has melted cars and caused great gusts of wind, we still have decided to visit its Sky Garden.

And it did not disappoint us at all. 

Actually, we had a perfect opportunity to admire the views of London.

If you would like to visit the Sky Garden, make sure to book free tickets here well in advance as they sell out very quickly. Also do not forget to bring an ID with you.

The 37-storey office building is in the City of London. It is officially called the 20 Fenchurch Street skyscraper but has been nicknamed 'The Walkie-Talkie' because of its distinctive shape.












Tips for Choosing Your Cheap International Calls Provider


One of the main criteria in choosing international calls provider is a low price. 

But we've noticed that customers get tricked by one marketing sentence that sounds something like this: "calls to country x - Yp/min."

The truth is that usually the number Y does not show the full price of a call.

But to know that before ordering a service people have to read terms and conditions. And we all hate small letter texts.

So what hidden or additional fees we should look for when choosing cheap international calls provider?


1. Connection fees. 


2. Minimum call charge. 

There may be 30 seconds, 1 minute, etc. minimum call charge. So if you finish your call after 10 seconds, you should know that you will pay more than that.

3. Are your calls rounded up? 

Are you charged by seconds or by minutes? It is a very important question to find out.

If you pay by a second, after a 30-second call you will pay for 30 seconds.

But if your calls are rounded up to the nearest minute, after a phone call that lasted the same 30 seconds, you will be charged as if you have talked for 1 minute.
 
4. Credit/ balance validity period.

You might get thousands of bundled international minutes. But if your credit expires after one month or even after three months, you should consider if there is a point in ordering it. This leads us to the next point.
 

5. How many minutes will you really use up?


6. Account top-up fee.

Usually we think that we top-up our accounts for free but it is not always the case. For example, we came upon providers which ask you to pay 4.99 EUR for topping-up your account by 3,5 EUR.

7. Minimum top-up amount.

Sometimes you have to top-up relatively large sums of money to get low international rates.

8. Access number charge.

Cheap international calls may be provided via access numbers. You have to dial an access number manually (for example, when using calling cards) or an access number may be automatically dialed for you (for example, when using international calling apps).

Cheap international calls provider does not charge you for this part of a call, but your
mobile network operator might do.

Usually calls to access numbers are included in your mobile network operator's inclusive minute bundles. But in some cases your mobile operator might charge you for calling to premium rate access numbers (usually they are not landline numbers).
Our advice is simple - check your detailed phone bills and find out if your calls to access number are included or excluded (charged additionally) from your bundle.

9. Will you need internet for any part of your call?

That's right! Keep in mind, that internet costs as well;)

Customers get tricked by one marketing sentence that sounds something like this: "calls to country x - Yp/min." 


Have a nice day!
MOREmins