How To Save Money With tastecard
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Do you love eating out at restaurants, drinking fancy coffee and going to the movies? Today I’m looking at tastecard, a membership service that gives you generous discounts on all of these things for one small annual fee.
I’ve written before about how some of my worst money habits are around food.
While I do love cooking and buying yellow sticker items to make cheap meals, I also love eating out at different restaurants and we do have a takeaway more often than we probably should.
As someone that is passionate about saving money, the above two things don’t always quite go together.
However, I’m always keen to find ways to reduce the cost of eating at my favourite restaurants.
What Is tastecard?
You’ve probably heard the phrase “Sometimes you need to spend money to save money” and this couldn’t be more true than when it comes to tastecard.
tastecard is an annual membership service, whereby you pay an annual fee to get access to discounts at a range of chain and independent restaurants as well as at cinemas and some coffee shops.
You can also get discounts on pizza takeaways so that midweek takeaway is suddenly looking a lot cheaper too!
How Much Does tastecard Cost?
Annual tastecard membership costs £39.99 per year and I think this is a small price to pay for the discounts offered, especially if you eat out more than once a month and choose restaurants with that offer 2 for 1 meals.
If you’re not sure whether tastecard will be worth it, you can also do a trial membership which costs just £1 for 60 days and then auto-renews at £39.99.
How Does tastecard Work?
Once you’ve purchased your tastecard, you can download the app to get access to your discounts and find local restaurants straight away.
Some restaurants may ask that tastecard guests book in advance or that you mention tastecard on arrival (rather than at the end of the meal when asking for your bill).
Don’t forget to double-check the days tastecard discounts apply and any other terms and conditions.
After your meal, show your server your tastecard and the relevant discounts should be applied to your bill.
And it’s as simple as that – you’ll be saving money in no time at all!
You can use your tastecard to get discounts on cinema tickets and days out too. For these, you’ll need to book and pay for tickets in advance.
How Much Money Can I Save With tastecard?
The discount you will get using your tastecard will depend on the restaurant (or other outlet) but food discounts are usually as follows:
- Restaurants: 2 for 1 meals (this may also include starters and desserts), 50% off or 25% off
- Takeaway Pizza: 50% off
- Coffee: 25% off Barista-made drinks with the coffee club.
On average, tastecard says that their patrons save £23 per meal when dining at a restaurant.
Even better, some restaurants allow the discounts to be used for up to six people, meaning even bigger savings that can be passed on to your friends and family when you all eat out together.
You can also use tastecard no matter where you are in the U.K. As many people are choosing to holiday closer to home thanks to the cost of living crisis, purchasing a tastecard could really help with the cost of dining out while away.
I’m currently planning a city-based mini-break for my husband’s birthday and I’ll definitely be looking out for 2 for 1 meals Bristol with tastecard to help keep costs down.
As someone that loves discount shopping it’s also worth mentioning you could use tastecard at Prezzo in Clarks Village Shopping Outlet so you’d be saving money on food as well as any other purchases while there.
tastecard Example Savings
So, I thought I would put together an example of what you can save when dining out with tastecard, using Prezzo Bristol’s 2 for 1 offer. This is based on two people eating three courses.
Crispy Fried Mozzarella £7.95 (Free with tastecard)
Calamari £8.95
Tre Gusti Pizza £14.95 (Free with tastecard)
Chicken Alfredo Rigatoni £15.95
Honeycomb Smash Cheesecake £7.95
Tiramisu £7.25 (Free with tastecard)
Total = £63.00
tastecard Discount = £32.85
Savings = £30.15
Of course, this doesn’t include drinks or side orders but is still a significant saving.
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Which Restaurants Are Included With My tastecard?
One thing I love about tastecard (aside from the discounts!) is that you can choose from both a range of chain and independent restaurants.
I think chain restaurants definitely have their place as sometimes it’s nice to know exactly what you’re getting. However, independent restaurants are great for when you want to try something new and exciting!
Here are some of the many chain restaurants covered by your tastecard:
- Prezzo
- Zizzi
- Bella Italia
- Cafe Rouge
And here are some of the independent restaurants in Bristol where you can use your tastecard (I chose Bristol as it’s my nearest city, but just type your own city into the search function on the app to see what’s near you)
- Tikka Flame
- Oh, Calcutta!
- Krishna’s Inn
- Ray’s Pizzeria
Pizza Delivery:
- Papa John’s
- Dominos
- Pizza Hut Delivery
Are There Any Restrictions When Using tastecard?
There are some restrictions when using your tastecard, but these are always clearly listed alongside the restaurant or venue details on the app.
For example, discounts are sometimes only available on certain days of the week, or may not be available during bank holidays or special occasions such as Valentine’s Day.
Even with these restrictions, there is still plenty of scope to save money with your tastecard.
Is tastcard Worth It?
If you eat out at least once a month then I would say that yes, a tastecard is definitely worth it provided there are restaurants you would regularly use listed on the app.
Even if there aren’t, it could be a great way to try some new places without having to pay full price.
And if you’re really not sure whether a tastecard would work for you, you could always do the £1 trial and see how often you use it before committing to the annual fee.
Overall, tastecard is definitely worth considering if you like both eating out and saving money!
