Asda, TK Maxx and other major retailers offer huge discounts in little-known scheme
Supermarket giants such as Sainsbury’s, Asda and designer fashion retailer TK Maxx are giving thousands of people a huge discount on their shopping.
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Hide AdSome people are saving around £100 a month on their shopping, thanks to the scheme - but few people know about it.
Here we take a look at what the scheme is, the offers available and who is eligible.
What is the scheme?
The Discounts for Teachers scheme is different to the Blue Light Card.
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Hide AdRhian Roberts, 29, is a primary school teacher and keen user of the Discounts For Teachers scheme and said it has saved her hundreds, if not thousands of pounds.
This scheme gives money off and vouchers for things like shopping, gym membership, financial services deals, bills and more.
Current deals include £16 off a £60 shop at Sainsbury's, 50% off on certain products at Amazon, Office and Harvey Nichols and 20% discounts at Oasis.
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Hide AdThe scheme also gives money off holidays, like 15% off at Haven and 10% discounts at Hoseasons.
Hotel stays are also included - like 15% off some stays at booking.com.
Rhian estimates she saves around £100 a month using the scheme - £50 on groceries and £50 on other shopping, reports the Mirror.
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Hide AdBut the teacher had not heard of the scheme until a colleague announced it in her school's staff room.
Rhian said: "She said 'thank goodness we have got Discounts For Teachers', but a whole group of us had never heard of it before"
"It's definitely meant savings in the hundreds of pounds over five years.
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Hide Ad"It's made a huge difference since the cost of living started going up, especially as I have had a pay cut every year since starting my job when you factor in inflation.
"I get a lot of use out of it, and I use it most weeks. It is great when buying gifts for people. I can get people things I would not be able to afford otherwise."
Rhian's favourite deal was discounted AA Breakdown cover - because her car broke down two months after buying it.
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Hide AdWithout the cover, she said she would have been forced to pay for overnight accommodation and the cost of a mechanic - and wouldn't have been able to afford food and rent for the month.
Who can sign up for the scheme?
The discount scheme is not just for teachers but for anyone who works in the education sector.
This includes university staff, cleaners, administrative staff and more - and even volunteers and retired education workers can use it.
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Hide AdIt is free to sign up for the discount scheme, but there is an optional paid-for Ode Card that lets you earn cashback on purchases at 50 retailers.
This card is free for 12 months, then costs £2.99 a year.
But it lets users earn cashback of 3% in Waitrose and Sainsbury's and 2.5% in Asda.
In the M&S department store you can get 3%, and in John Lewis it's 5%.
It also lets users get 4% cashback in Wilko and B&Q and 5% in Argos and Halfords.
A version of this article originally appeared on NationalWorld.com