Four ways to get free stuff

Everyone loves a bargain — but if something’s free, even better! Here are some tips to keep your credit card balance low and enjoy freebies year-round.

Over 70 percent of Aussie households had debt between 2003-04 and 2011-12 — from home loans to credit cards and car loans — according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. If you’re keen to slash your spending further, here are five ways to snap up free stuff!

Devour for free

If you’re keen to see samples in your letterbox, you might like to sign up to Social Soup.

That’s not to mention heading along to special events, free of charge.

When you sign up to Social Soup as a “Souper”, you’ll be eligible to receive invitations to participate in projects. From gobbling up crispy potato chips to slathering your face with beauty products, free is the name of the game. Once you complete a project, review it — feel free to tell Social Soup whether you loved or hated the product.

Get free flicks

If there’s an Event cinema in your area, you could see movies for free.

Whether you’re a fan of action flicks with special effects or indie releases, there are plenty of movies to see. If you sign up as a Cine Buzz member, you’ll earn points each time you buy tickets.

You can redeem points for free tickets. So if you’re a keen moviegoer, think about signing up. It’s free to join and for every six movies you see, you’ll get to see one free!

Share a ride

Are you keen to get out of the city for a while, but don’t want to hurt your savings account?

Consider using Carpool One or Coseats.com to nab a ride with someone in your area. In some cases, you’ll need to chip in for petrol. But in other cases, you may be able to ride for free.

Whether you’re heading 10 km or 100 km away, you may be able to travel for next to nothing — or for no cost at all! Be sure to read the tips for carpooling and read reviews of drivers to determine whether it’s a smart idea to catch a ride with a particular person.

Swipe to success

If you use your credit card to pay for household expenses, have you thought about whether you’re maximising your opportunities for free stuff?

You need to consider interest rates and annual fees when completing a credit card comparison. But it’s also worth checking out possible rewards programme. 

For instance, the Virgin Australia Velocity Flyer card gives you velocity points when you swipe the plastic, which you can redeem for flights. Then there’s the BCU Rewarder credit card. When you use your card, you’ll earn Rewarder dollars that can be spent at any store that has an EFTPOS terminal.

That means no more flicking through reward brochures boasting mediocre rewards — instead, you can treat yourself however you like.

Compare credit cards