Last Updated on 6 August 2021 by Dan
Here at the Financial Wilderness we’re always on the looking for new apps, resources or ways of putting a little extra in our pocket. Today I’m going to look at the Shopmium app, which allows you to try new products either for free or at a significant discount in your supermarket of choice.
I was intrigued when I read about the Shopmium app, partly because it claimed to allow you to save money by shopping, and partly because it was offering free Ben and Jerry’s as a referral launch offer (sorry, this has since finished for any newer readers!) and if there’s one thing your author loves it’s some ice cream…..
So I downloaded the Shopmium app and signed up!
What is the Shopmium app and how does it work?
I’d describe Shopmium as a “try something new with a voucher” than a pure “save on shopping” app. Let me explain:
- On the Shopmium app a variety of products are listed, usually a new range that the manufacture is keen for you to try in the hope that you like it and buy it in future. Each listing is accompanied by an offer for a discount or in the best cases to try out the product for free.
- You purchase the product at full price at the supermarket.
- You accept the offer in the Shopmium app, and scan the barcode of the product to show you’ve bought it.
- Finally, you take a photo of your receipt and submit in the Shopmium app to prove you’ve made the purchase.
- The money is put in your bank account via the Shopmium app.
Is the Shopmium App free?
Yes, the app is completely free – however as per above if you’re looking to take advantage of an offer you will have to buy the product at the price it’s at in the Supermarket, and the Shopmium app will effectively refund you the voucher value.
My experience of using the Shopmium app
Keen to give this a go, I sauntered off to Waitrose and got my Ben and Jerry’s. Hooray!
Then I got home, and tried to scan it. And it didn’t work….. Argh!
I don’t know if I was my somewhat older (I prefer to think of it as mature) phone or the app itself, but I just could not get the camera to focus on the barcode within the required box on the app. It felt like the round and curved nature of the ice cream carton was causing me the issues. I gave it about 10 minutes, and then gave up. D’oh! Not a good start. Unfortunately, there’s no way to manually enter a barcode. (Shopmium people if you’re reading this – please add this feature).
Determined but thirsty, I set off to Tesco to pick up a FuzeTea which was being offered for free. Acquired, scanned into the Shopmium app and….success! No a problem at all. The money back from the discount was paid into my account the next day.
So rather a mixed bag trial run on the practical side.
My Original 2020 Review of the Shopmium App
I can see how you would save some money with the Shopmium app and I will keep it on my phone, however can only see myself using it to check if there’s something I’d like to try when going to the supermarket anyhow. The product selection was somewhat limited when I first started using it, but seems to have expanded quite a bit since.
I think the biggest barrier is that some products are unique to certain supermarkets – great if you happen to be going to Sainsbury’s if that’s what you want, but a saving of £1 on some yogurt is unlikely to be enough to get me to make a special trip.
If it grows and can expand it’s product offering substantially, there’s a lot of potential for the Shopmium app to be a really useful moneysaving tool – but it’s still very early days. It’ll either fly or burn, and is at least worth keeping an eye on.
An updated 2021 review of the Shopmium App.
I have kept on using the Shopmium app since I wrote my original review above, and so I thought I would also include an update on how I’ve got on with it over time. I’m pleased to say I have kept it on my phone, and actually my use of the Shopmium App has gone up over time.
I’ve found the Shopmium app has generally become a bit more expansive since I’ve first reviewed it – the selection of products can still be a bit limited and is never huge, but is substantial enough that I do regularly check it in the supermarket, and often I do actually find something that I’d like to try.
I haven’t had any further issues with barcode scanning after that first try issue in the original review, and have found that the approval to obtain a payout from the Shopmium app tends to happen very quickly if the scan is accurate.
The app increasingly encourages you to use their Cashback feature when shopping online. Whilst I’d always recommend getting cashback, I don’t use the Shopmium app for this – in each case I’ve looked at I haven’t found it’s beaten the cashback rates available on TopCashback, so I would use this instead and you can find further details on TopCashback and why I think it’s one of the best money saving tips available here.
Shopmium App Referral Sign Up Bonus
If you’d like to try Shopmium, you can sign up or download the app from the Shopmium website. If you use referral code s32tu4, you’ll get a freebie (I’m afraid the Ben and Jerry’s offer I used have since finished, but you’ll still get a bonus!).
(Note: We may receive a small commission for referring you using our link, but it won’t affect the service you receive and per our editorial policy, we always write honestly about what we review, no matter if we get paid or not).
Any questions?
I’d love to hear about your own experiences using the Shopmium app and how you’ve found it, or if you have any questions about how the Shopmium app works. Just drop them in the comments box below.
If you’re a savvy Supermarket shopper, you may also be interested in our fantastic guide to the best UK Supermarket Loyalty Schemes.
And that’s it!
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