Points for nothing (ipoints.co.uk)

Member Name: Fiver29

Product:	ipoints.co.uk
Date:	07/05/09 (96 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Receive bonuses for shopping you were doing anyway

Disadvantages: Can't turn points into cash

I was first attracted to iPoints after finding out they were the only site left that had an incentive for buying from Amazon, unfortunately as with the cashback sites, Amazon has pulled out of the iPoints scheme.

However, that still doesn't stop it being a good site for collecting points. Basically you sign up for a free account, which is as simple as signing up to Dooyoo. Then you earn points in various ways, and these points can be exchanged for gifts or vouchers.

Shopping is the quickest way to build up points. If you know you want to buy something online, it's always worth searching their list of partners. If the shop you wish to buy from is on their list, then you just click through iPoints to the shop. You can then buy off the shop in exactly the same way as you would normally, and pay exactly the same price as you would normally. The only difference is that iPoints affiliate number and your user number will be logged automatically, and then iPoints will be able to allocate the required number of points to your account.

Apart from shopping there are some quick polls that you can fill in. These are normally worth 5 points each, and take about a minute to fill in. iPoints will also send regular surveys via email, these varying in value and length, and you have to fit the demographic in order to take part.

You can collect free points (no purchase required), these points are normally given out when you sign up for different clubs, survey sites etc. And of course you can always collect points by referring a friend.

I have found the betting shops are the most lucrative. I don't really do a lot of betting, but I do like a flutter on the big races; the Grand National, Scottish National, Ascot, etc So I signed up for one company for one race, then another for different race. Generally there are conditions to signing up, the companies I used required a £10 deposit and wager. However, I was lucky and I won half back with my selections. Plus of course I received the iPoints, so I never lost out, because I would have only spent that at the bookies anyway, and come out with only a fiver, rather than a fiver plus points.

I haven't used the points to purchase any gifts, I've stuck to collecting Amazon vouchers, and even though it says to allow 14 days for delivery of your voucher, they have always come the next day via email. You need 8000 points for a £30 Amazon voucher, which takes a bit of collecting if you're only using the free points, but it can be done.

I wouldn't recommend iPoints over cashback sites, because you can't turn the points into cash. So I only use it when purchasing items if I can't find the retailer on Getpoundsback.

The site itself is well set out. It looks clean and crisp, and it's easy to navigate and the pages load quickly.

Summary: You can't lose out by signing up