Savvy Surrey man saves £13,000 on two cars – and hundreds more on days out
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A Surrey resident has saved £13,000 on two cars, plus hundreds more on days out, by making the most of memberships and rail discount schemes.
59-year-old Paul Wallace from Walton-on-Thames combines savings by using his Two Together Railcard, along with Boundless – the membership club for working and retired public sector and civil service workers – to reduce the cost of days out with his wife, Fiona.
But the former accountant said his biggest saving came when replacing the family car after his children left home. Using his Boundless Plus membership, Paul managed to save £7,000 (22%) on a new Nissan through Griffin.
About 15 months later, his car was written off in an accident involving another driver blacking out. He was insured with LV through his membership and had his money within a week for a brand-new Nissan, on which he saved another £6,000 (18%).
Paul said: “I tell friends all the time – with Boundless you’re saving about £6,000 per car, minimum. That’s a lot of money. I also use LV multi-insurance through Boundless for my house and car, saving around 17%, which makes a real difference year after year.”
He joined the club more than 20 years ago after being referred by his father, a longstanding member of 40 years who was eligible through working for the former General Post Office.
Weaving benefits and schemes together has helped Paul save hundreds of pounds on days out, including on train tickets, theatre trips and meals out.
Paul said: “Since having a heart attack three years ago, I now work part-time as an adviser, which has given my wife Fiona and I more time to enjoy things. We appreciate every day and make the most of our time together.
“When we go to London to visit our children, we try to make a proper day of it. We might visit a gallery or museum and meet them after work for dinner. You might look at £30 train tickets and assume the day will cost £200 once you add entry passes, but it doesn’t.
“When you combine rail discounts with other offers, it really adds up. We’re going out more often now, but I still feel like I’m saving.”
The couple save around £20 per trip to the theatre with their Boundless membership, which has included cutting the cost on seeing Hairspray and Northern Soul Live, as well as taking Fiona's father to a Christmas show in December.
Paul added: “I also link in benefits like tastecard, which comes with my Boundless membership. Even something simple like Pizza Hut before the theatre can mean a £20 saving.
“Adding in Coffee Club discounts at places like Café Nero too, I’ve probably saved around £80 over the year on food and coffee alone.”
Boundless Plus offers a range of deals on days out, dining and shopping to its members. Among its latest benefits is access to the National Art Pass, giving members free or discounted entry to hundreds of museums, galleries and historic attractions across the UK. Paul and Fiona used their membership to visit the D-Day Experience in Portsmouth.
The pair have also visited cultural sites such as HMS Belfast, as well as making the most of discounted Boundless member days at Dunsfold, where Top Gear is filmed, and Port Lympne.
Paul said: “We’ve had a fantastic time on these days out, in total saving more than £150. We’ve also met some very friendly people on member days and picked up useful suggestions from others in the queue.
“Another favourite is WWT Arundel in Sussex – it’s a beautiful setting with a nice café and makes for a lovely few hours out. As we get unlimited entry, we can save more than £28 per trip.”
As well as making the most of membership discounts, Paul says planning is key to saving money on days out.
He added: “If you’re clever, you can link benefits together and make them go further. Booking holidays well ahead also helps – we can go on twice as many holidays now compared to when I was working full-time because we can choose when to book the best deals.
“Boundless is an exceptionally good value product, especially in the current climate where every pound really matters. People always say, “What’s the catch?” There isn’t one. It’s just good value.”
For more information, please visit: www.boundless.co.uk
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Editors notes
Boundless is a membership club for civil service and public sector workers who are looking for inspiration on getting the most out of their free time. With a heritage and expertise dating back more than 100 years, Boundless offers its 150,000+ members deals on hundreds of unique experiences, events, volunteer activities and things to do. It’s also mutual, so all profits go straight back into the club to benefit members.
