While the cost of most items seems to be soaring, there are some things that have had sizeable price cuts as a result of summer promotions.
Here we round up a few of the best time-limited deals.
• Trainline is offering 33% off digital railcards for a limited period. You can get a one-year railcard for £20, reduced from £30, or a three-year one for £47, reduced from £70. Use the code SUMMER33 at the checkout to get your discount.
There are seven digital railcards available that typically offer a third off eligible train journeys.
This deal will end either when 400,000 railcards are sold or on 31 August, whichever comes first.
• English Heritage is offering 25% off annual memberships bought during August. It means you pay £49.50 per adult (down from £66), or £86.25 for two adults (was £115).
Senior (65-plus) membership, which usually costs £59, is now £44.25, while young adult (18-25) or student membership, usually £53, is now £39.75.
Membership provides unlimited access to the charity’s 400-plus historic sites, including attractions such as Stonehenge, Dover Castle, Osborne on the Isle of Wight and Hadrian’s Wall, and each adult member can take up to six accompanying children under 18 for free. That means a single-parent family can enjoy unlimited days out at its sites for less than £50 a year, and a two-parent family for less than £90 a year.
This summer, some sites are offering events such as falconry and period re-enactments for no extra cost.
• The cost of living crisis has made life tough for many in the arts world. Many plays and musicals were already having a tricky time because of the coronavirus pandemic, and the hot weather and rail strikes have compounded this. But it does mean there are some great ticket deals available.
One of the most eye-catching is for the big-budget revival of My Fair Lady at the London Coliseum, where you can get great seats normally costing £87.25 for £27.25. The offer is valid Monday to Friday evenings until 26 August, although at the time of writing you needed to book before Tuesday 9 August. When booking using the venue website, enter the code MFLWOS25 after selecting your date. (The offer doesn’t work on the premium seats.)
Meanwhile, “for a limited time” you can get good seats at selected performances of the hit West End musical Frozen for £25, £35 or £45. This offer applies to performances from 31 August to 21 October, and you must book by 14 August.
The TodayTix app offers tickets to dozens of London shows, and big savings on offer at the time of writing include the chance to save 67% on tickets to the musical South Pacific at Sadler’s Wells, and 55% on seats for Anything Goes at the Barbican.
• Similarly, some gigs and festivals are doing deals to get people through the doors. Keep an eye on the offers pages of websites such as Ticketmaster, as you will often find discounts and two-for-one promotions.
• Costs can add up over the school holidays, so Tesco is offering free children’s meals to Clubcard holders with any item bought in 311 of its cafes, all day every day, until 26 August. The “kids eat free” promotion means parents and guardians can spend as little as 60p on a piece of fresh fruit to claim one free children’s meal worth up to £3.25.
