Pink Sherbet Photography/Flickr

Updated 26/4/12

Here at Moneymagpie we’re always on the lookout for a good freebie. And we’re not interested in the type that no-one would want in the first place – we only get excited about the good stuff. So here are our top 50 ways of getting the treats that we want without ever parting with a penny. Enjoy!

• Free fun
• Free health and beauty
• Free travel
• Free technology
• Free money savers and money makers
• Free food
• Free shopping

To get you in the freebie spirit check out the story of Kath Kelly, a teacher from Bristol, who took on the mighty challenge of living for an entire year on just £1 a day. It’s a great read full of money-saving tips and funny stories. She really did survive a year on just £365 and still managed to have loads of fun and even a holiday! You can buy her book How I Lived a Year on Just a Pound a Day from Amazon. Used copies are going for £8.99, or have a look on the great site ReadItSwapIt where new books are added every day and if you find it you can swap it just for the price of postage!

Free fun

 

1. Free music online

Go to Musicovery to listen to music for free online. You get to choose what you listen to by mood (such as energetic, calm), or by year or genre and the site forms a playlist for you. Last fm is another site that allows you to listen to music for free by creating your own personalised streaming playlist. Jango is also worth a look – and it’s ultra simple to use, simply type in the name of the band or artist you want to listen to and it will start playing you a song!

Spotify is another great website a streaming service website which allows you to listen to millions of music tracks online completely free (and completely legally!) – all you have to put up with is the occasionaly 30 second advert every five minutes or so – a pretty small price to pay for free tunes!

2. Win big on free competitions

Don’t turn your nose up at competitions! We know it might seem unlikely that you’ll win, but your chances of success are usually a lot better than you think. Why? For the simple reason that people rarely bother to enter competitions because they think they have no chance of winning. This opens the doors for clever Moneymagpies to swoop in and claim all the big prizes. Why not give them a go, and then check out our article on how to make money from competitions.

Warning! To enter an online competition you’ll be asked to supply your email address. This means there’s a good chance you’ll start receiving lots of pesky spam. Get around this problem by setting up a separate email account, and have anything competition related sent there.

3. Get six free magazines

The Week magazine is a firm favourite here in the Moneymagpie office. There’s no jargon,  no waffle – just an entertaining overview of all the stories that people are talking about. Everyone from Jon Snow to Dawn French seems to read it – and now you can too, by getting six issues absolutely FREE. It’s then just £22.49 every 13 issues, but there’s no obligation - you can just enjoy the six freebies and then cancel without paying a penny. See what you’re missing here.

4. Free gigs

Music lovers can make the most of all the free gigs around the UK with AllGigs.co.uk where you can search for gigs by artist, town or type (there’s also an under £10 and under £5 section). Also, sites such as ClashMusic and NME’s dedicated music news section provide updates on free gigs from bigger artists so it’s worthwhile keeping an eye out for your fave bands and singers on those too.

5. Free cinema

Sign up to See Film First and you could get the chance to see films before they’re released for free. Once you’ve signed up you’ll receive emails with a screening code which you can enter into the website to receive the free tickets. Others such as Freecinematickets and Momentum Pictures offer similar preview screenings so it’s worth signing up to all three to get as many freebies as you can.

6. Swap for free books

Head to ReaditSwapIt where you can get free books by swapping the ones you’ve already read. This is such a great idea and a brilliant way for people to share costs. There are plenty of new books available so take a look and search for by author, title, or description. Once you’ve finished reading a book register it with ReadItSwapIt then find a book that you want to read. All you have to do is click ‘Swap with this member’ and the owner will be sent an email letting them know you’re interested in swapping. They then search through your library of books and if they find one they want to read they can confirm the swap. You’ll receive an email along with the address to post the book to. Find out more about the way the process works here.

7. Free internet hotspots

If you need to find your nearest free Wi-Fi connection use FreeHotspot which pinpoints free wireless internet hotspots all over the UK – search by street, town or country.

8. Sign up for free shows

Go to the BBC website to apply for free tickets to your favourite TV show, tour, and live and promotional events for new music. You can also try Lost In TV where you can apply for tickets to other TV network shows like The Cube and The Apprentice. Add yourself to their mailing list to receive updates on any new dates of upcoming shows, and check out the websites for regular updates.

ApplauseStore – Get tickets to see big shows like The X Factor and Never Mind The Buzzcocks.

Go to the Deal or No Deal website to see Noel and the Dream Factory in Bristol – your chance to boo the banker and cheer the winners!

SRO audiences has tickets for Mock The Week, Alan Carr: Chatty Man and All Star Family Fortunes, to name just a few.

TV recordings – this is the place to get tickets for the award winning Harry Hill’s TV Burp.

You can also email relevant contacts for information on shows not covered by these studios, just check on the ITV website here for email address to studios in the North of England.

9. Free festivals

Work for Oxfam at next year’s festivals and you can see all your favourite bands for free. You will need to hand over a deposit but you get that back as soon as you turn up. You work in shifts (which vary depending on the festival) and in return you get a free ticket to the event. Once you’ve finished your shift the rest of your time can be spent enjoying the festival. Find out much more about free festivals in our full article. Register your details here and be the first to know about next year’s applications.

10. Free fun with the kids

Get free Disney pictures from the Disney Print Station and free CBeebies characters from the BBC website for the kids to colour in. Get your kids to send in letters, pictures and poems to Blue Peter to earn themselves a badge. If they can get their hands on a Blue Peter badge they can gain free access to hundreds of venues in the UK. Blue Peter badges are only awarded to children aged six to 15 years old. There are six altogether – blue, silver, green, orange, gold and the team player’s purple badge. Apply for a badge here. Click here for more ways to entertain the kids for less.

11. Free entry to London nightclubs

You can’t beat a night out on the tiles in your favourite city. Unfortunately nights like these do tend to break the bank, leaving you hard-up for the rest of the week (or the month, if it was a really good night). London in particular is notoriously expensive, but lots of clubs do offer free entry. Check out View London’s list of London nightclub’s that are free to enter.

12. Free UK events

Make the most of all the UK freebies with Free-events.co.uk which lists all the free festivals, parades, carnivals etc that are going on in the UK. Londoners can also go to What’s On for info on the many free events in the capital.

13. Free theatre

It used to be that under-26-year-olds could get to free theatre shows under an Arts Council scheme called ‘A Night Less Ordinary’. That has stopped but there are still ways that the young people can get to the theatre for free or very cheap. This website has lots of tips and links to free and very cheap theatre in your area.

Free health and beauty

 

14. Free treats from Boots

Did you know that you can now rack up even more Boots Advantage Card points by shopping through Treat Street? Shop at loads of favourites from Apple to Waterstone’s and collect points so you can treat yourself at Boots – a perfect way to get something back from your essential summer  shopping!

15. Free dental work

Get some free treatment by going to dental students at a UK dental school. Visit the British Dental Health Foundation for contact details of participating universities and read more in our guide to free dentistry here. Don’t panic – although they aren’t fully qualified, there are always trained supervisors on hand to help out throughout. It will take longer than usual however so do bear that in mind.

16. Free health snack box

If you’re trying to control those cravings for something tasty between meals then the Nibble Box from Graze is a great guilt-free snack.  Choose online from a variety of health foods including dried fruit and olives and they will deliver the box to your door. Use the promotional code “OFMFREE” for this voucher to get your first box for free and your next two boxes half price!

17. Free beauty parties

Grab your friends and family and host a product party, and you can try out loads of  free beauty goodies. For The Body Shop at Home go to the ‘Party at home’ link at the top of the UK website, follow the links to hosting a party then fill out your details. A Body Shop consultant will be sent round to your house and give you a bunch of products to test out as well as show you the best way to use them. You’ll be given expert tips on skincare, the best ways to wear make-up or the best fragrances for you.

Virgin Vie also offers product parties – they sell cosmetics, homeware and jewellery and you can choose whether to sell products from all three sections or just focus on one. Simply visit their website here and enter your details to get started. Get all the details and find out how you could take this a step further by becoming a consultant here.

18. Free cosmetics

If you’re over the age of 18 you could try your hand at doing some cosmetic research online with ClixResearch. It’s really easy, you just try, review and keep new hand-creams, moisturisers, children’s products and all sorts of other goodies. There’s no unnecessary forms to fill in, all you need to do is provide your email address, a long-term home address (so they can send you products to review) and a phone number. It’s a really great way to get hold of some new products in exchange for a review.

19. Free haircuts

Get your hair cut by a student at a hairdressing college. It’s not so scary, most students have had hours of class time and there is a teacher with them at all times. Go with trusted hair salons like Vidal Sassoon and Toni & Guy – which offer free hair cuts (and mega cheap highlights). You will need to book early, you must be comfortable with a student cutting your hair, and be warned that it could take a few hours to get your hair done! Both salons only offer the services on specific dates and times so you need to book in advance. It is well worth the effort as most salons easily charge £100 for cuts and highlights.

20. Free health check for dogs

Animal charity PDSA tours around the UK to provide free health checks for dogs every year. Pet owners can come along to ask a veterinary nurse any questions about their dog’s health and have their pet’s diet, fitness, dental care and coat condition given a look over. Check the website for a list of locations and dates.

Free travel

 

21. House swap for a free holiday

Get a free holiday by swapping your house with somebody else for a few weeks. It’s great because no money is exchanged at all for the accommodation, you’ll only need to cover the costs of travel. Go to a house swapping site and read other people’s post descriptions of their house and facilities and exchange destination. House swapping is a fantastic way of getting free accommodation, but it’s CRUCIAL that you do it through a reputable agency. HomeExchange and HomeForExchange are two of the best around. Read our full article on house swap holidays.

22. Free caravan – to keep!

ParkHolidays are currently offering an unbelievable free caravan deal. The company owns over 25 holiday centres throughout southern England, many of which are taking part in this scheme. The caravan itself will be completely free of charge and you won’t even have to pay for furniture, carpets or key kitchen appliances. It’s yours to keep or rent as you wish, and you’ll also have full use of any facilities the resort has to offer, such as swimming pools, spas and kids clubs.

So what’s the catch? Well the thinking behind the scheme is to try and encourage people to ‘trade up’ in the future (i.e. invest in a bigger and better caravan). But you’re under no obligation to do that, and you can opt out at any time. Like regular buyers you’ll also have to pay the standard annual pitch fee which is usually around £2,100, plus a connection charge of around £400. It’s worth noting that some resorts are offering a 50% discount on their pitch fees which is a real bargain. Find out more information at ParkHolidays now.

23. Free photo prints

Snapfish are giving away 40 free prints if you just create an account with them – which is completely free of charge. They’ll most likely send you junk email, so it’s a good idea to set up a separate email address to ensure that you don’t go bombarded with unwanted mail. Once you’ve uploaded your images the prints will be delivered to your door within three days.

24. Reward card freebies

Get free travel treats with money you’ve already spent when you get reward points. Reward credit cards give you miles when you spend but it’s important to remember that these cards are useless unless you pay off your bill every month. You will not earn miles on outstanding balances and the interest rates tend to be higher than other cards.

• British Airways has the BA American Express credit card which gives you 1.5 Avios (air miles) for every £1 you spend. You also get 18,000 Avios as a welcome offer. This card has a typical 19.9% APR.
• Another option is the Virgin Atlantic Credit Card where you get a Flying Club mile for every pound you spend anywhere. Plus, you get two miles for every pound spent directly with Virgin Atlantic or Virgin holidays. There’s also a bonus 3,000 miles given to you on your first spend. The card has a typical APR of 17.9%, and offers 0% on balance transfers for the first six months.
• The Lloyds TSB Duo Avios card is another card which offers good rewards. You’ll receive an introductory bonus of 2,000 Avios and if you spend £500 per month for the first three months, you’ll get another 2,000 Avios. This account gives you two credit cards; a MasterCard and an American Express card.  With the American Express card, you earn one Avios for almost every £1 you spend and one Avios for almost every £5 you spend with your Airmiles Duo MasterCard.  The card offers a typical 15.9% APR.  You gain 1,500 Avios for every £1,000 transferred.  Spending abroad is rewarded with double Avios.

As a basis of reference it costs about 9,000 Avios to fly to Europe  and around 20,000 to fly to North America. To find out more about frequent flyer miles and other reward credit cards take a look at our full article on free flights.

Free technology

 

25: Recycle your gadgets for cash

Recycle your gadgets for cash. It’s quick, FREE and could make you over £200. From mobile phones to cameras, games consoles and more, by recycling your gadegts you can make a mint and help the environment. If it’s a mobile phone you’d like to recycle use the Moneymagpie phone recycling tool. Just click on the make of your phone and we’ll show you which recycling company will give you the most for it. Do it now! For all other gadgets check out WeeeBuy.

26. Free calls with VoIP

Skype is probably the most well known VoIP (Voice Over IP) service. If you’ve got broadband you can phone on the internet for free with Skype. It can be downloaded for free here. Once you’ve registered you just find the username of the person you want to call and then click the green phone. You’ll need earphones and a microphone. Some computers have microphones already built in but if yours doesn’t Amazon has a good selection of headphone and microphone sets here with several choices for under a tenner.

To make video calls you’ll need a webcam – again many computers have these already built in but if yours doesn’t you can buy them from Argos for around £10. You can also chat for free using online instant messengers like MSN messenger or AOL. Find out more by reading our article 10 ways to save on your phone bills.

27. Say no to 0870

Premium rate numbers can be up to ten times the cost of a normal landline call. But you can fight back. The website Say No To 0870 has a search engine to find alternative numbers for companies. All you do is click search to find an alternative number and enter either the number or the company name. The engine will come back with a load of alternatives so check to see if there are any freephone numbers.

28. Free texts

Run out of credit and desperate to send a text? Head to CBFSMS and text online for free! You can send as many as you like to any UK mobile. Also, on the O2 website you can register for an account and get free text messages regardless of your mobile provider – but there is a limit of ten texts per month. For international texts go to SendSMSnow which allows texts to various countries including America, Canada and India.

29. Free mobile SIMs

If you’re not bothered about having the latest phone model there are some pretty impressive PAYG deals around these days – free minutes and texts are no longer for contracts alone – all of the networks offer inclusive minutes and texts when you top up so why not nab a free SIM and take a look at the deals on offer in our PAYG guide here?

• Free T-Mobile SIM
• Free Vodafone SIM
• Free Virgin SIM
• Free 3 SIM
• Free Orange SIM

30. Free TV

Don’t panic if you’ve missed your favourite show. You can catch up with programmes online with the BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 oD (on demand). With the BBC iPlayer you can play programmes on the website simply by pressing the ‘Click to Play’ button. You can also download them and store them on your computer for 30 days. With 4oD you can catch up on the last 30 days’ TV online and watch thousands of classic programmes and films. ITV has a similar system called ITV Player for catching up with programmes you’ve missed for up to 30 days after and Channel Five runs Demand Five where you can watch all their catch-up for free.

Free money makers and money savers

31. 0% credit cards

When used properly, 0% credit cards can be a good short term solution if you want to borrow money without paying any interest. You need to be very disciplined to use one of these cards because they only work if you know you’ve got income coming in within the 0% interest period. Our advice is simple – don’t use them if you can’t afford to pay them off within that period.

• Currently the longest 0% deals on balance transfers are with the HSBC credit card (23 months at 0%) and the Virgin card (20 months at 0%).
• For new spending, we recommend the Halifax All in One Card which gives you 15 months 0% interest on purchases and balance transfers (3% handling fee applies). If you are accepted at the highest rate of 23.9% APR variable you may not be offered an introductory period on balance transfers and purchases.

Get all the details on 0% balance transfers credit cards.

32. Unclaimed assets

You could have hundreds or even thousands of pounds lying in dormant accounts and investments. There is at least £15 billion in unclaimed financial assets lying around in Britain, according to the Unclaimed Assets Register, an organisation run by credit agency Experian (get a free credit check from Experian now). Go to Mylostaccount.org.uk – this is a free online search service that will rummage through bank records for you. You have to enter your details and it will tell you if you’ve got any old accounts you’d forgotten about. You may not have long left to claim the money so get all the info now.

33. Free money from the Government

If you’re about to reach State Pension age but you’d like to keep working, even just on a part-time basis then you can put off claiming your pension and when you do take it, the Government will give you extra! For every five weeks you put off claiming, you’ll earn an extra 1% on your existing pension – which works out as just over 10% if you don’t claim for a whole year. Find out more on the directgov website.

34. Free money for your children

If you register with online reward scheme KidStart, you get cashback whenever you shop through them, and the money can be put into an account for your kids. Plus, you can get other family members to contribute by doing their shopping that way too. It’s completely free to join, so if you’re going to be spending the money anyway, you might as well do it through them and put something away for your children.

35. Cashback sites

Use a cashback shopping website that pays you to buy your shopping through them. Start with the sites that give you instant cash just by signing up such as Cashback Shopper which gives you £5 and Ecashback, where you’ll get £2.50. Get all the info on making money with cashback sites here.

36. 0% balance transfers

The credit card from Nationwide is a great all rounder. It offers 0% on balance transfers for a full 17 months (with a 3% transfer fee and a rate of 15.9% thereafter) but it also offers commission-free foreign purchasing and cash withdrawals in Europe.

Even better, Nationwide offers a positive payment hierarchy so once the introductory 0% period is over your repayments will be automatically allocated to the most expensive debt first. We really think this one is a winner. Find out how you can apply before you go on holiday at the Nationwide website.

37. Free mortgage advice

London & Country are one of the best independent mortgage brokers in the UK. You can speak to them for free about your mortgage needs. You don’t have to buy then and there, but the sooner you do some research the easier it will be to find out which mortgage deal is right for you.

38. Free financial help

For some free financial guidance you don’t even have to sign up for anything. Just compare all the best financial products on our comparison pages and make sure you switch to the best credit cards, insurance policies, utility bills and bank accounts. There is also lots of advice in both our savings articles and debt articles.

39. Free newsletter

Don’t forget to sign up to our free newsletter. We send a newsletter once a week to thousands of people full of money-making and money-saving tips plus a whole host of bargains and freebies. You’ll also receive a FREE eBook on how to make £80 in an hour. Sign up now!

Plus sign up to the free weekly bargain alert - guaranteed no spam, just one email each week letting you in on loads of exclusive deals and offers on saving money in every aspect of your life.

40. Collect and go!

We Moneymagpies can’t get enough of these freebie sites. There are nearly always sofas, beds and desks on offer. All you have to do is contact the owner and collect the item.

Snaffleup: This free item site works in the same way as all the others. If you’ve got something you need to get rid of and you don’t think it’s worth selling, then you can list your items on the site and if someone’s interested they’ll come and collect it from you. Alternatively if you’re looking to get something for nothing all you need to do is email the person offering the item and pick it up from them.

No money is allowed to change hands. You can register your postcode so the search prioritises items that are in your area. We’ve tried out Snaffleup ourselves and got our hands on a huge tv within a couple of hours of emailing the person who was offering it. Brilliant!

Gumtree: Just go to the website and under ‘Stuff for Sale’ click freebies for a list of free things in your area. You will have to collect the items but it’s a small price to pay for a free sofa or washing machine! Just click on the items you want then email the owners to organise a time to collect – but be quick as they tend to go quickly. You can also try posting an ad of your own saying what items you need and someone might get in touch.

Craigslist: This is similar to the other two and lets you get your hands on stuff other people are getting rid of. Click on the city of your choice menu then choose your nearest city. Look on the ‘for sale’ menu for the ‘free’ option and see all the items that are available to you for no money. All you have to do is pick it up. People often use the site when they are moving house so are keen to shift stuff as soon as possible.

Freecycle: This is another way to get free items that people are throwing out. Go the website where you sign up for free and join a Freecycle network near you. You can browse the networks by your region here. Once you become a member of a local group you can view the items being given away and post your own items. Everything posted must be free, legal and appropriate to all ages.

41. Freebie sites

Companies are always trying to market and promote their stock. So far we’ve found that you can get free samples of shampoo, breakfast bars, washing powder, razors, cameras, books, pens, perfumes, CDs, cinema tickets, T-shirts, chocolates, sweets, tea, coffee, SIM cards, toys, posters and magazines – and there will be much more out there as well!

There are lots of websites gathering all of these freebies in one place so you can go and find what you want. It’s not just samples either, they also group together free trials or coupons and vouchers that you can print off and use to get your discount. FreebieSiteUK.co.uk is a good place to start, and for all the latest freebies and giveaways check out our article Free stuff: top freebies, discounts and vouchers.

What’s the catch you ask? For most of the free samples you just need to provide a mailing address so they can get to you. Sometimes you may have to join a program or sign up to get the offer, so always check the details before signing onto anything. Also, we suggest that you set up a separate email account that you only use for these sites. Loads of them like to spam you with nonsense once you have signed-up so if you set up a separate email they can all go into that and not clog up your real inbox.

Some sites cannot update fast enough and there can be expired links on there but the good sites enable you to let them know about expired links. None of the sites are overall fancy in their style, but who needs to be when you’re getting free stuff! There are many more sites but we’re only listing the best ones because after you search the first two or three the specials begin to repeat. Anyone can make up a freebie site, they are just taking the work out for you by finding the information first.

42. Free chores and services

Swap your skills with other people to get jobs done for free. Local Exchange Trading Schemes (LETS) have been set up all over the country to help communities swap their skills. They work by creating a unit of ‘currency’ which can be collected when you provide a service – and then used to ‘pay’ for someone to provide a service for you. For example, if you’re a great cook you can bake someone a cake and then use those credits to get someone to do your gardening. Check out LETSLinkUK for more information and to find your nearest scheme. Find out all about it in our full article.

43. Free courses

Learn a new skill and boost your job prospects for free. There are lots of free courses around for example, the BBC offers free online courses on all kinds of subjects, and Vision2Learn has various free courses to hone your computer skills, money management and much more. OpenLearn is another free online learning site which uses material from Open University courses – this is great if you want to supplement your education or if you just want to get a flavour of what the OU has to offer. For tips on how to get free training and boost your job prospects, check out our article dedicated to the topic here.

Free food

 

In these recession-hit times restaurants are pulling out all the stops to ensure they get our custom. If you check our article on where to find the latest cheap eats vouchers and 2for1 deals you’ll save an absolute fortune on dining out. Or if you can’t find what you want there, take a look at Toptable or 5pm.co.uk who both offer fantastic restaurant deals. With both sites you earn reward points for booking your meal through them. You can then use the points to get free meals, gifts and other goodies. They also have exclusive special offers and are both completely free to join. Planning on eating out any time soon? Then read our latest cheap eats vouchers and 2for1 deals article today.

45. Grow your own

If you enjoy eating fresh fruit and veg you’ll no-doubt be aware of just how expensive they can be to buy. Grow your own and you’ll soon have that luxury completely free. Find out how in our article ten ways to make money from your garden.

46. Be a ‘Freegan’

If you’ve got no qualms about ‘best before’ dates, then this could be right up your street. It involves rifling through bins at the back of supermarkets to get a hold of left over food destined for the scrap heap. Most of the stuff thrown away is perfectly all right to eat, just past its sell-by date. Currently supermarkets chuck out about 5% of their food each day because they’re required to by law, not because it’s bad or harmful. The more Freegans cleaning up, the better, they say. It’s not for everyone, we know, but if you hate to see good food go to waste, then dig in.

47. Pick for free

Make the most of what the great outdoors has to offer by going foraging. Blackberries, elderflowers, shellfish, seaweed and nettles are just a few of the natural delights you could feast on – without paying a penny. For everything you need to know about foraging (in particular what not to eat) invest in a copy of Food for Free by Richard Mabey. We’ve also dedicated an entire article to this fascinating topic, so check that out too: Free food from foraging.

Free shopping

 

48.Take a day off spending

Challenge yourself to a day off spending and encourage your friends and family to do the same. This year’s National Buy Nothing Day falls on Saturday 24 November and is a great reason NOT to put your hand in your pocket. Have your own ‘Buy Nothing Day’ once a month and watch the pennies pile up.

49. Pick up free things by mystery shopping

Mystery shopping is a great way to bag yourself some freebies, like meals out, products and even cash. We know one Moneymagpie who makes up to £400 a month as a mystery shopper. You will have to sign-up to a decent agency but they’re usually free to join and you certainly shouldn’t part with any cash to be on their books. Check out JKS Mystery Shopping, TNS Global, Gfk NOP and Storecheckers, who are all well known, reputable mystery shopping agencies. Or for a more information read our article on how to become a mystery shopper.

50. Swap clothes for a new wardrobe – for free

Big Wardrobe allows users to swap dresses, shoes, bags and other accessories. Plus, membership is free.  Or are you happy to part with a little cash? Then check out our article on how to revamp your wardrobe for under a tenner.