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In these difficult economic times any savings and offers on products are worthwhile pursuing, no matter how small they are. That is why I was very excited when I discovered Quidco a couple of years ago. I must admit to feeling a little sceptical when I first joined but I’ve not been disappointed and would highly recommend the site.

Quidco was voted the UKs number one cashback website at the annual Consumer Moneyfacts awards last month. The award felt particularly special to the 60 member team running the website because it was the result of customer votes.

The website was developed in 2005 by Paul and Jen Nikkel and it now has over 1.8 million members. Quidco is free to join and there are a number of ways to save money which I will describe in more detail below. In order to provide funding for the site, the owners retain up to 5% of each member’s annual savings. The site has over 3000 merchant partners and the list is expanding all the time.

There are 7 different ways to save with Quidco:
• Cashback deals-this can either be a fixed amount or a percentage of the product’s purchase price.
• In-store cashback-it is possible to register your debit and/or credit card online with Quidco and you will then receive cashback at designated stores when you shop there. Some of the shops signed up for this include Debenhams, Halfords, Blockbuster and Little Chef.
• Printable vouchers-these can be used in restaurants and high street stores.
• Quidco compare-this compares car insurance from over 70 insurance providers as well as cashback.
• Freebies-these include a small cashback when registering with certain companies and taking part in competitions.
• Voucher codes-these can be used at the checkout for a discount in shops and restaurants and over 95% of the voucher codes include cashback.
• Quidco mobile app-this app is free to download onto an iPhone, iPad and Android. The app lets users know when money-off deals are available nearby, enables cashback when items are bought in the high street and gives cashback for just walking into certain stores.

The website is very well laid out and extremely easy to negotiate. When I initially joined, I often forgot to go to Quidco before buying the item I needed which was very frustrating and I missed out on a few offers as a result. That is easily remedied, however, because Quidco provides a downloadable toolbar which is invaluable.

A special offer may not be available when you want it but there is always the cashback to consider which is usually worthwhile. The great thing is that Quidco tracks the cashback and keeps you informed of the progress. I tend to forget about it so it is a welcome surprise when I receive an email telling me how much I’ve earned.

According to Quidco, someone saved £7,950.60 in 2007, the highest saving by a user so far. I have a very long way to go before reaching that sort of saving but every penny counts.