Love2Shop e-voucher, how to redeem?

[anonymous-user]

This morning, completely unexpectedly I have received a Love2Shop e-voucher through work. I thought it was going to be £50 or so, so was quite surprised when it turned out to be £1000 when I validated the code.

It is currently sitting inactivated in my Love2Shop wallet but I am completely at a loss at how I spend it. If I activate it, do I have to select one shop where I want to spend the entire amount of money.

I have read that it is possible to convert it to a pre paid credit card but you lose 5 or 10% of the value?

Annoyingly there is also nothing I really want so can't just go and buy a new TV at Currys tomorrow.

Does anybody know exactly how these e-vouchers work?

[skilly1]

I have just used these for the first time. You convert the voucher into codes to spend at various shops. When you shop, you then enter the code to get the money off.

You have to choose the specific shop vouchers you want, select the amount you want and they send you the voucher codes. I did it for Argos as we needed a new dryer (exciting!)

You don't have to spend them all at once, or all to the same shop.

[anonymous-user]

This is where I am so far, it kind of implies that I can only buy things through the Shop?

Edited by anonymous-user on Friday 20th August 12:56

[L_G]

If thinking about going down the 'credit card' route it is worth bearing in mind that some of their 'partners' will only accept the card in their shops and not on their websites.

This can make spending the money in a useful way rather harder than it really should be.

[Rob_125]

Love to shop is such a stitch up. I recieved a physical voucher, which couldn't be used online...not ideal mid pandemic. (I appreciate this reply is totally useless to you)

[Superbad]

Rob_125 said:

Love to shop is such a stitch up. I recieved a physical voucher, which couldn't be used online...not ideal mid pandemic. (I appreciate this reply is totally useless to you)

Were you given a physical card? Because you can just exchange it for an e-gift card for loads of places including John Lewis without any fee on the Love2Shop website

[anonymous-user]

Superbad said:

Were you given a physical card? Because you can just exchange it for an e-gift card for loads of places including John Lewis without any fee on the Love2Shop website

No, just an email code. After more investigation it appears there are two websites, one in the UK and this one which I think is in the US. In the end I ordered 13 £75 and 1 £25 physical cards for the UK site.

It appears the US site pushes you to buy things from their catalogue, it is £882 for an iPhone 12 that is £679 in Currys.

Ordering the gift cards seems the only way out of having to order from the catalogue. This whole experience has been a joke, no idea why anybody thinks gift vouchers are a good idea.

Once I get the cards I will register them with the UK site and see how it goes from there.

[skilly1]

It’s the same will all gift card / vouchers, they are so restrictive, why not just give cash.

The money made from expired vouchers is quite eye opening, so much so that some states in the US tax the profits from them very highly.

According to Which, just in the UK alone £100m vouchers expired during lockdown.

Interesting article here
https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/thehustle.co/what-h...

Edited by skilly1 on Saturday 21st August 09:53

[CoolHands]

I hate this sort of st

That is of no help to the op though.

[anonymous-user]

CoolHands said:

I hate this sort of st

That is of no help to the op though.

Agreed, I am amazed that anybody buys vouchers any more and even more amazed enough people buy them to keep Love2Shop in business. I know other people who have received the same voucher as me and they just bought things from the catalogue they didn't really want just to use it.

It would be annoying if this was £50, but to me £1000 is a lot of money and no way am I just giving up on it or buying stuff I don't want just because Love2Shop have made it awkward to actually use it.

So having ordered the physical gift cards, the only shops in the list I can possibly see I could spent it at are:

Argos in-store and online
Currys
Ernest Jones*
Foot Locker
H Samuel
Wilko

• Ernest Jones - cannot be used for the purchase of the following prestige watch brands: Breitling, Omega, Tag Heuer, Longines, Cartier, Tudor, Zenith, Bremont and Jaeger LeCoultre.

As I said earlier, there is not one thing I need, I bought a gaming laptop last week and a new TV less than a year ago. Over the next 12 months it looks like I need to spend £1000 in the shops above, most likely on things I don't actually want.

Never has spending money been made so awkward.

[md_ph]

Hey OP, on that £1000 you recieved from work you will likely end up with a tax bill when it goes on your P11D at year end.

you can only give £50 as a trivial benefit to each employee in the tax year from what I know.

[anonymous-user]

md_ph said:

Hey OP, on that £1000 you recieved from work you will likely end up with a tax bill when it goes on your P11D at year end.

you can only give £50 as a trivial benefit to each employee in the tax year from what I know.

It gets even better, I did wonder if this was the case. Fantastic, so to spend £1000 on things I don't even want is going to cost me £400+ of real money out of my salary.

Great.

Just to add, the way the email reads it is a personal gift from the ex owner of the company who has just sold the business. Is this going to make a difference?

Edited by anonymous-user on Monday 23 August 10:25

[Hoofy]

I think Argos and Currys are going to be the most helpful because you can buy stuff for the house. Shame you just bought a TV and laptop. Unless you could find out if anyone you know needs a new TV or laptop and you offer them a 10% discount?

[CoolHands]

It’s dozy HR personnel that buy this kind of crap. They think it’s all staff wellbeing and that kind of bks