ipoints.co.uk

I stumbled across ipoints while answering an online survey. I activated my account and now check this site out before I do most of my online shopping.

Seemed like a good way of getting something for free while I'm using the internet anyway, and with all the media panic about the credit crunch, we're all looking for ways to reduce our spending.

I took the initial profile survey which gave me a few points, but then stupidly wasted them on a spin the wheel game (which I lost!). I answered all the little surveys at the bottom of the page for 5 points a go (I find the answers a little one-sided..."Am I looking for a new conservatory... with options of "already got one", or "looking for one" - but no option for "I live in a 2nd floor flat, why would I want a conservatory?").

Since then I've been doing the least amount of effort possible and seeing whether I can collect the points just by carrying on my regular shopping habits (not, how they hope, by encouraging you to shop more!) and even though my points total has been quite low there are a few little nuggets in the rewards list such as £10 vouchers for stores such as Argos, Sainsburys etc. I find these vouchers much more valuable than an old DVD which I have not bought already because I didn't want to see it in the first place...not much of a reward if you ask me!

Despite the blatant marketing approach and poor selection of rewards, I recommend signing up to ipoints if you're a medium to heavy internet user and get rewarded for just doing what you would normally be doing anyway. I know I've rated it in the middle for most of the criteria below, but so long as you use it right, you'll win out of it.

My recommendations:
- use a new email address specially created for it. You're gonna end up with loads of newsletters and automatic marketing emails that will fill your inbox (or just set up a good set of email filters!)
- click through on the emails that come through for between 10 and 100 points a time (some users have experienced problems with not receiving them, but I've found them to arrive very regularly!)
- get up to 2500 points within a month or two, and cash them in for a voucher, dont hold off for a bigger product - use them for what you'd normally spend your money on.
- don't get sucked into spending more than you would have done or entering online gambling unless it's your regular habit anyway, it's a standard marketing principal that if you offer a loyalty reward then it will actually encourage you to spend more than usual.