I rarely buy anything without first quickly checking that I can’t get it cheaper elsewhere.
And if I do find a lower price, there’s an extra step I sometimes take – I’ll have a quick look to see if I can get the deal price matched.
My go-to place has always been John Lewis, whose ‘Never Knowingly Undersold’ scheme has saved me hundreds of pounds over the years on everything from a new oven to a jacket. But the department store has just announced this will stop in the summer. So is this the end of price matching?
Well, it won’t be the same. The range of items at John Lewis meant you could use the scheme on lots of purchases. But it’s not the only place you could do this.
A number of other retailers including Currys, AO, All Beauty, Richer Sounds, Mamas & Papas, The Fragrance Shop, Blacks and even Halfords all offer some kind of price matching.
They’ll have different terms and conditions on what you can match and when, but if you’re accepted you’ll get the same product for the price you spotted it elsewhere.
Now, you might be thinking, what’s the point? Surely you’d just buy it at the cheapest shop? Sometimes, yes. But there can be advantages to picking a different retailer. There might be an extended guarantee, free delivery or a more friendly returns policy.
But the big benefit for me is if the retailer price matches after you buy. Yes, after. For example, if you buy from AO or Curry’s and the price drops with them or elsewhere within a week you can claim a refund for the difference. And if it drops again, you can do it again.
It doesn’t always go to plan. Price matching isn’t always instant, and I’ve missed out on a handful of items at clearance prices because the initial retailer was out of stock by the time the other store had a look.
Some retailers might be excluded (hello, Amazon), and you also need to be comparing the exact same product. I’ve fallen foul of the latter, with some shops having exclusive versions of certain goods.
The end of John Lewis’s scheme is a knock back for the dedicated bargain hunter, but it’s still a useful money-saving hack.
Andy Webb is an award-winning blogger and podcaster from Be Clever With Your Cash. Follow Andy on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram via @andyclevercash
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