BLACK FRIDAY OFFER: Get a FREE tastecard membership for 90 days

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• drdan says:

  28 Nov28 November 06:28

  Please note the auto-renewal thing!!

  I’ve used the free trials cyclically for years but you gotta be one of those that remembers to cancel a few days prior… Or ‘gotcha’

• David says:

  28 Nov28 November 07:38

  There is also a fiddly supermarket discount apparently.

• Greenpen says:

  28 Nov28 November 07:54

  Do people really buy a milky coffee for £4.20 on a regular basis?

  If so, the world has left me in its wake!

  • Rob says:

    28 Nov28 November 08:37

    My out of home coffee bill is probably £1,500 per year and over £2,500 with add-on food. My Pret bill, separate to this, will be over £3,000.

    • Andrew. says:

      28 Nov28 November 09:32

      That’s quite a coffee bill!

      By comparison, my annual bill for a full main meal every day in the staff canteen (today it’s a Turkey Roast with all the trimmings to celebrate Independence Day) is approximately £1200.

      We do have both a Starbucks and Costa on site, but I like black coffee, so just have a drip machine in the office.

      • Neil says:

        28 Nov28 November 15:12

        What country celebrates Independence Day on November 28th?

        • Erico1875 says:

          28 Nov28 November 19:20

          Not sure. but it is Thanksgiving in USA

  • Stuart says:

    28 Nov28 November 11:56

    Greenpen, don’t forget that HfP is written by rich Londeners for rich Londeners so such things are just pocket change. I could not drop +£8 per day on coffee/snacks.

  • Alex says:

    28 Nov28 November 12:00

    If you are working from home like me, invest yourself a proper espresso machine. Looking at Rob’s number, you will get your monies worth back after a year.

    • Matt says:

      28 Nov28 November 12:10

      Love my Sage barista pro! I recommend rave.com for coffee beans. Roasted to order and a fair price point.

    • CJD says:

      28 Nov28 November 20:36

      I just have a hand grinder and a cafetière as I drink my coffee black.

  • Spaghetti Town says:

    28 Nov28 November 12:30

    Big 4 worker here. Just drink the office coffee, it’s cheaper

• ba says:

  28 Nov28 November 08:09

  I took advantage of the September offer. I haven’t used any of the eatery/entertainment discounts, but now swing past Black Sheep most days. I guess they got me hook, line and
  sinker.

  • Matt says:

    28 Nov28 November 09:04

    Since the £1 sign-up, only managed to use it once so far as the restaurant options are just garbage. I did go to Zizzi last week for the first time in years and realised how crap chain food really is. If you’re used to proper home made food on a daily basis, all this chain crap just tastes weirdly artificial and generally just bad food. It’s also wildly overpriced (£18+ main courses for factory made ready meals heated up on the premise), so the 2-4-1 brings it down to what it should actually cost IMO. The country is hooked on chain food though, probably because we’re just too bone idle to cook proper home made food anymore, we kid ourselves we’re too busy but that’s rubbish i.e. we count watching Netflix as being busy.

    • Camille55 says:

      28 Nov28 November 09:17

      Interesting points and very relatable! Go out less, but spend more for food that’s actually cooked, makes sense. If smaller/independant eateries are on the list, then Tastecard might be worth a look.

    • ba says:

      28 Nov28 November 10:04

      Well exactly – I didn’t sign up for the food – don’t really eat at these chains. But like Rob in the comment above I have a large out of home coffee bill, so this more than pays for itself even at full price (and I will continue with it after this year)

    • jj says:

      28 Nov28 November 10:23

      @Matt, like you I avoid chain restaurants on the grounds that they are injurious to my health, and I don’t have a spare body if I damage this one.

      If I’m out and about and can’t find a restaurant that cooks on site from fresh ingredients, I simply skip a meal. If I’m with others who want to eat, I order a black Americano. Nothing bad happens if you go without food for a few hours.

    • ken says:

      28 Nov28 November 10:37

      what is despressing, is that these chains can’t even quality match say an M & S 3 course deal £15 for 2 or an Aldi Waygu burger (if they still do them).

    • tony says:

      28 Nov28 November 10:43

      Is the country hooked on chain food? Or is it simply that without very deep pockets and a team of skilled accountants knowing how to work (or game) the system, most independent restaurants simply cannot survive as the price point is too high for the majority?

      • ken says:

        28 Nov28 November 11:10

        People like consistency no matter how sh*** it actually is.

        I will never fathom people going into say Starbucks or Pizza Hut but they seem to thrive.

        Rents in locations like retail parks, leisure destinations and high streets are utterly brutal.

      • Matt says:

        28 Nov28 November 11:30

        Interesting that rural France (certainly Normandy from personal experience) can offer independent restaurants providing excellent quality food at great value (cheaper than UK chain restaurants), I think the key being menu du jour concept with 2 choices per course take it or leave it. Bayeux certainly has its fair share of tourist trap dumps but it’s easy to avoid those. So I maintain the problem is British people being hooked on chain restaurants that offer massive menus.

        • ken says:

          28 Nov28 November 14:02

          I think France has same decline of independents as here but just started from much higher base.

          People leaving rural France for cities
          Drink driving laws
          people drinking less.
          owners getting old and no one to replace them.

          Even 10% VAT on restaurant food only helps a little.

        • louie says:

          28 Nov28 November 17:53

          Main difference from here, as I understand it, is that most of the small restaurateurs in France own their own premises (thus no rent) and work in their businesses (so lower wage bills). Don’t need to charge such high prices to make the business work.

    • BBbetter says:

      28 Nov28 November 14:00

      Nando’s probably gets the balance right. Food is ok, but for the price point, you’ll find it difficult to beat.

• Kassie Melnyk says:

  28 Nov28 November 08:29

  I’ve used the link and they are quoting £39.99 not £29.99. Then have instantly emailed to say they have ‘accidentally’ taken the money now but will refund in 3-5 working days… clearly the system is set up to automatically tell you they’ve taken the money ‘in error’. Why not go offline and fix the problem, or is this a way to bump the cash flow?

• ankomonkey says:

  28 Nov28 November 09:22

  What’s the attraction with Madame Tussauds? I was taken as a child but now wouldn’t go if it was free.

  • Dubious says:

    28 Nov28 November 10:12

    I thought that but when I got a free ticket I still went. After all, it is something to do.

    • Dubious says:

      28 Nov28 November 10:14

      PS. It made a good opportunity to create Christmas photo quiz for the family…’guess who’s chin is this…’

      • ankomonkey says:

        28 Nov28 November 18:50

        LOL!

• Ts says:

  28 Nov28 November 09:31

  I took up the £1 offer they ran a while ago and they promptly told me a week later I’d won 3 years of membership. I’ve failed on every attempt to use the restaurant offers due to restrictions. I’ve simply given up. As others have said, the quality in these places and their base pricing is just silly. Total washout imho

• Martin M says:

  28 Nov28 November 10:56

  It’s a no brainer for £29.99 a year. I managed to get 1 recently at £29.99 for 15 months and this is similar so I’d recommend it as well

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.