Hello everyone! Today we’re taking a look to review the Meerkat Meals and Movies app which is a promotion run by UK comparison site Compare the Market.
Meerkat Movies and Meals has come from a memorable (or annoying, depending on perspective) advertising campaign feat meerkats, hence the slightly odd choice of a name for the promotion!
However, Meerkat Movies in particular offers quite a few strong benefits, so we thought it was worth highlighting these today.
How do I get the Meerkat Meals and Movies app?
In order to qualify to use the Meerkat Movies and Meals app, you’ll need two things.
- You’ll need to have purchased a qualifying policy from Compare the Market. A qualifying purchase consists of one of:
- A purchase of one piece of insurance: car, van, bike, caravan, taxi, motorhome, home, pet, life, health, over-50s’, income protection, landlord, business or travel insurance.
- Switching one of the following: broadband, home telephone, digital TV, or domestic energy (gas and/or electric).
- An application for one of: a credit card or loan, or mobile phone contract.
2. Once you have made your purchase, you’ll need to download the Meerkat app from your relevant app store and log in to your Compare the Market account.
If you’ve made the qualifying purchase, it’ll automatically register you qualify for Meerkat Movies and Meals
This qualifies you to access Meerkat Movies and Meals for a whole year. You can access the schemes on the “Rewards” section of the app as shown below:
What is the cheapest way to get Meerkat Meals and Movies?
The length of the insurance you take out with Compare the Market doesn’t affect your eligibility for Meerkat Movies and Meals – you’ll still get it for a year regardless.
As a result, the cheapest way to get access to Meerkat Meals and Movies is to buy a day’s worth of travel insurance, which is somewhere in the £1-3 area.
Even one use of Meerkat Movies to save on a cinema ticket makes this worthwhile – it’s frankly amazing value.
(Regardless, instead of buying a small piece of insurance for the sake of it, it’s always better to buy insurance you actually need!)
Let’s move onto the benefits of Meerkat Movies and Meals…..
Meerkat Movies
What is Meerkat Movies?
Meerkat Movies is a promotion where on a once a week basis, you can access a code through the Meerkat app which will enable you to get a 2 for 1 cinema ticket, when buying one full price ticket. It’s a great excuse for date night or going to see something with a friend you’ve wanted to catch in a while!
How do I use Meerkat Movies 2 for 1?
Once you’ve got your code from the Meerkat app, go to the website for that cinema and enter the code as a promotional code – some will have a specific section for Meerkat codes. It’ll apply it to your order automatically.
You can also turn up on the day with your code to present it at the cinema.
(Note: Several cinemas do unfortunately now charge a booking fee when reserving online).
What days can I use Meerkat Movies 2 for 1 on?
You can use Meerkat Movies on any Tuesday or Wednesday night.
How many times can I use Meerkat Movies 2 for 1?
You can use Meerkat Movies once a week, and will get a new code every week – you can’t however go on both a Tuesday and a Wednesday in a single week.
Where can I use 2 for 1 Meerkat Movies?
Most of the bigger chains are eligible for Meerkat Movies – Odeon, Cineworld, Vue, Picturehouse, Empire and Reel are options. Whilst the offer is generally for a standard ticket, some premium cinemas like the Odeon Luxe near me do also work.
If you go into the Meerkat Movies section of the app and scroll down to the bottom, you can find a list of your nearest participating cinemas.
Is Meerkat Movies worth it?
Yes absolutely – just one use of Meerkat movies pays off really well and depending on the location of your cinema acts as a £6-£15ish type save, although you can find cheaper independent cinemas sometimes that can still be better value.
Used repeatedly, the value of Meerkat Movies can really add up!
Meerkat Meals
If anyone ever had a Tastecard, Meerkat Meals is similar to that – it offers discounts when dining out at certain restaurants (in fact, the scheme is actually powered by Tastecard and Gourmet Society between them).
You have to be a bit careful with Meerkat Meals, as the validity period isn’t standard, and can vary by the specific restaurant you’re going so, so always check this first.
There is also the option to use Meerkat Meals for pizza delivery, however only at larger spend of over £30. This is treated slightly differently to the rest of Meercat Meals so we’ve expanded on this further down.
How do I use Meerkat Meals?
Go into the Meerkat Meals section of the “Rewards” piece of the Meerkat app. By default, it’ll bring up the closest restaurants to you, but you can adjust the location to any area at the top, or use the search bar just below to try and find a specific restaurant.
Once you’ve decided on your choice, click on the restaurant and it will show you any restrictions on days, number of people allows and what the specific offer is and if you need to book in advance or can walk-in. Check this carefully!
Once you’ve selected, click “use membership card” underneath. It’ll present you with your virtual membership card to present at the restaurant. For some that accept it, it can also generate a QR code.
Whilst you should only have to mention it when asking for your bill, it’s usually best to say you’re using it when booking, just to avoid confusion.
What do I get with Meerkat Meals?
A discount on dining in, which is restaurant specific but usually takes the form of either 2 for 1 on most menu items, or a flat 25% off. Drinks are not usually included in any discounts.
When can I use Meerkat Meals?
It varies depending on the restaurant. Going into each restaurant in the Meerkat app will tell you specific validity, but you’ll find that often Friday and Saturdays are excluded as the most popular days.
What restaurants take part in Meerkat Meals?
It’s largely small independent restaurants – I didn’t find any major chains in the ones around me, but there were some well-rated option.
As such, your experience is likely to vary depending where you are.
How does the Meerkat Meals Pizza offer work?
Meerkat Meals can get you 50% off an order (available for delivery or collection) of over £30 from Domino’s, Papa John’s or Pizza Hut, so covering the three major pizza delivery suppliers!
To get this, go into the Meercat Meals bit of the app under Rewards, and just below the search bar you’ll see an option to select Pizza Delivery.
There’s links within this page that will take you through to the website of your pizza delivery company of choice, and will automatically apply the offer once followed.
You can benefit from this offer seven days a week, at any time.
Is Meerkat Meals worth it?
I’ve found Meerkat Meals less useful as a service, just because the selection of restaurants is still fairly limited. However, if there’s a place you like near new, absolutely worth having what can be a good discount where going.
We think the biggest benefit of Meerkat Meals is actually the pizza offer – if you’re ordering pizza for a family however, the fact that there’s a substantial discount offered on major chains is very worth it and a really good save, especially when takeaway pizzas are expensive. The fact that it’s available seven days a week is particularly generous factor and we give the scheme a major plus for this.
Meerkat Movies and Meals Cafe Nero offer
A more recent addition to the Meerkat Meals and Movies app is a voucher for 25% off Cafe Nero at any time. It’s very easy to use – simply scan the QR code at the till after ordering.
It’s available seven days a week, and the discount will apply to drinks that are made in-store by a barista (I.E you can use it on a coffee, but not a bottle of coke from the freezer) and pastries.
You can use a code twice a day for the discount. If you’re making a return visit on a single day, there’s a button that will allow you to generate a new QR code (as you can’t scan the same one again).
Don’t forget to also scan your Cafe Nero loyalty card if you have one as your purchase will still qualify for this – it’s one of the inclusions in our article on the best loyalty apps in the UK.
And that’s it!
Let us know your experiences using the Compare the Market Meerkat Movies and Meals app, and if you have any questions using the comments below. We’d love to hear from you – let us know your favourite films that you’ve seen with your 2 for 1 voucher!
And that’s it!
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