Watch episode 2 of Shop Talk where CarrieMumsnet discusses how to reap those shopping rewards NOW CLOSED

[KatieBMumsnet]

Last week MNers were asked whether they would spend £50 cash differently to £50 in reward points. Watch episode 2 of Shop Talk now to see if your comments made it on the show!

Barclaycard Freedom Rewards, in association with Mumsnet, have created a new weekly online chat show: Shop Talk. Over the next few weeks, they'll be looking for MNers' shopping tips and tricks on a range of topics.

Here's what Barclaycard have to say about the show: "Shop Talk is a weekly chat show where we tackle the big shopping stories that you're talking about. A different presenter will host each show each week and this week its Julia Bradbury. Two panellists, including shopping blogger Emily and Carrie from MNHQ, joined Julia to discuss what you can spend your rewards points on in preparation for the winter.

With regards to the Barclaycard Freedom Rewards credit card, Barclaycard say: You can redeem your freedom points at the broadest range of high street brands, as well as big online names, worthy causes and great places to spend time with your family. You can even choose how you redeem your rewards points, e.g. vouchers, gift cards, e vouchers etc.

Next week's Shop Talk, hosted by Ben Shephard: shopping online vs the high street, which do you think is best and why? Share your thoughts on next weeks thread here and you could win £150 worth of Apple Store vouchers.

Thanks,

MNHQ

Oh and I do collect Nectar Points, not just with Sainsburys but also when I shop online I sometimes get Nectar Points, such as with ebay. I save these up during the year and then spend all my points on a Christmas shop at Sainsburys.

I also have a savings account which rounds up anything bought on my debit card and deposits the loose change into a savings account. The amounts are so tiny that I don't notice (such as rounding up 45p to 50p and putting 5p in the savings account) but over time they do add up. I also use this for Christmas shopping. All these things just help the spread the cost a little.

£50 cash would just go into household expenditure.

American Express cashback went to new garden furniture from Homebase this year (lot of cashback)
Advantage points I just hoard and then sometimes them at end of month when cash short. Nectar points again just get used as a cash (even though I know not very efficient)

£50 cash would be spent on little treats in local shops - going out for coffee, buying pocket money toys for the kids, magazine, treats from the bakery etc etc.

£50 reward vouchers would be spent in a shop to buy a bigger luxury item - like something I would want for a birthday present. I've just spent some on expensive face cream rather than cheaper cream from the supermarket, last year my perfume came from reward vouchers for a department store.

Online rewards tend to just get transferred into our bank account, from topcashback for example, so don't really get spent on anything specific.

I tend to shop around and use discounts for monthly living expenses and save rewards for more special things that we have denied ourselves, such as days out of going out for a meal. Last year we had 2 days out at a theme park and several meals out with reward points. If we'd have paid full price that would have cost us £100's.

Reward points and vouchers - the ones from the supermarkets probably get used for luxury food and drink at xmas or birthday parties.

Boots rewards keep me in skin care products.

Cash would probably go.on a family treat

£50 cash would get swallowed up into bills/shopping etc

£50 reward vouchers - depends on when we got them - if it was close to Christmas or a birthday then they would be used to help pay for presents

If it was summer - then a treat for the family

I usually use reward points for things I can't really afford, like La Roche Posay creams with my advantage points, or copper bottom pans from Sainsburys with my nectar points.

£50 cash? Now that might be a meal out, a treat for DH and I, but in reality, it would probably go on boring, everyday essentials!

I always spend vouchers on Christmas treats. If I had the extra cash would try a new hobby, like learn to horse ride, the rest would go on eating out.

Like a lot of others, £50 cash would probably end up covering general household expenses though maybe a tenner would survive for a takeaway or bottle of wine.

Reward vouchers are used for treats in our family, eg meal out, especially if there's a way of multiplying their value like tesco rewards.

I spend rewards on extra treats, for example days out and our summer holiday was heavily subsidised with Tesco Boost Vouchers (ferry crossing and all of our days out). At the moment an extra £50 would go on a family meal out.

I save vouchers/points for a special purchase but cash just gets spent on whatever and is never kept for something. If I had £50 in cash it would get spent on something and nothing, bills/food/etc.
Vouchers can be saved as can points so I prefer that.

vouchers are spent on frivolitities that you wouldnt usually biy - which is no bad thing - we all need a treat now and again

Reward points are so limiting, I would rather have the cash as you can usually make more use out of it, hunting down the items available on Amazon for less than the special offer offered by the points company. So unless the offer really is amazing, and actually something I want, show me the money!

i would use cash more wisely i think.vouchers,rewards points seem more like treats.cash is just needed at the moment so its more thought through.

I would spend £50 cash on childcare and £50 reward points on a family day out. Reward points feel a bit like monopoly money somehow!

Vouchers are more useful and help me control my spending and I spend it more meaningfully where as cash just gets absorbed into daily spending.

50 pounds cash would just get used up in my purse, paying for small things, where as if I had 50 pounds in vouchers I would probably buy something I had wanted for a while or put it towards.

As for reward points, I always save them up until it is a decent amount, usually so I can buy a birthday or christmas present.

If I had £50 cash, I'd spend it on a babysitter and take my DW out for a well-deserved romantic dinner.

If I had £50 reward points, I'd most likely forget about them until after they expired, and then be irritated with the company for giving me something not as useful as cash.

Oh god I hate reward points, they're such an annoying awkward thing to remember you have and then spend, I'd probably spend them as soon as I could on any old normal shop just to get rid of them

For me £50 cash would just be absorbed into our normal spends, where as £50 points isn't something we have factored into our budget. So would be used for treats, probably cinema, birthday presents, dvds etc.

Depends on the vouchers. I use up my Nectar points and JL credit card cashback vouchers to cover most shopping for food etc in December, which means Christmas is actually a cost-saving month!
A voucher I had to redeem in some complex way like getting someone to phone up for me would just annoy me but would probably use it. Cash would be better - either way would make it more of a 'treat".

I like vouchers because it means I can buy something different from normal (be it for me/DH/kids/others). With JL vouchers we tend to buy a treat for the kids. With M&S vouchers I typically buy treat food. With cash it just disappears into the general money black hole. I appreciate that this is because I do have enough money to live on - would be very different if we didn't.

I prefer cash because you have the freedom to spend it as you wish and don't have to worry about it 'expiring' or forgetting to use it. Sometimes vouchers are nice though as it feels like you've received a gift so it can be used for special occasions and treats.

Like many others on here cash would just vanish. I am going to cash in my freedom rewards shortly to spend on ds for christmas.

vouchers seem more of a treat than cash which always gets ploughed back into the house somewhere. I would spend a voucher buying dp some Christmas presents as he seems to be getting forgot in my buying for the children

i like to save up my rewards to treat the children to days out, as a single parent with five children any money or voucher towards days out eases the cost and means we can go to places we wouldnt otherwise be able to afford. I enjoy treating my children and vouchers are ideal.