6 winning strategies to maximise discounts during 11.11 & 12.12

November is upon us, which means the most wonderful time of the year — the year end sale season — is here again.

And if you, like this writer, are a plebeian, you have probably experienced the utter despair of yearning for something deeply before your pitiful salary gave you a rude wake-up call.

Do you find yourself nodding vigorously? Ah, then you’ve come to the right place.

Here are some hacks to help you maximise your savings during 11.11, 12.12 and everything in between, so you can finally buy (some of) the stuff your heart desires.

1. Start hunting early

First and foremost, start your research early. Some sales start before 11.11 and continue beyond 11.11, lasting until 12.12.

By doing your homework beforehand, you’ll have more time to hunt for, and collate stackable vouchers for bigger discounts.

In case you weren’t aware, Shopee platform vouchers and shop vouchers are now stackable, allowing bargain hunters to unveil your maximum potential.

UOB One Cards and Shopee Singapore, in particular, are also coming together this festive season to bring you the best savings throughout the entire sale period.

Here are some of the deals you can enjoy on Shopee as a UOB One Credit or Debit Cardmember.

• Get up to 10 per cent rebate when you cart out on Shopee.
• From now till Dec. 31: S$5 off s-mart (Shopee’s version of an online supermarket) products with a minimum spend of S$55.
• Every Monday to Friday until Nov. 11: Exclusive UOB One flash vouchers of up to S$8 will be up for grabs during Shopee Livestreams
• Every Wednesday until Dec. 31: S$5 off with a minimum spend of S$60. Applicable to all UOB Cards. Other terms and conditions apply.
• Nov. 10: S$18 off vouchers up for grabs with a minimum spend of S$150.
• Nov. 11: S$12 off vouchers up for grabs with a minimum spend of S$150.

Terms and conditions apply.

Exciting.

2. Login daily

Are you committed to maximising every dollar you spend?

E-commerce platforms like Shopee typically reward you for being a loyal user with one to seven coins for every consecutive day of logging in.

Each coin is worth S$0.01. While it’s not a significant amount, there’s nothing quite like the cheap thrill you get from completing the seven-day challenge.

If you’re more of a big picture thinker, there are many fun and exciting games on Shopee you can play daily to entertain yourself while earning bigger prizes.

Here are some 11.11 special edition Shopee games to look out for.

• Shopee Flappy: Win up to S$25,000 worth of vouchers and Shopee Coins when you play a game of flappy bird with UOB One Cards. Find out more here.
• Shopee Link: S$10,000 worth of prizes to be won when you match the pictures of Shopee’s ambassadors to win. Mechanics here.
• Shopee Lucky Prize: S$1,000 worth of prizes to be won with a simple jack-in-the-box unveiling. List of ongoing and upcoming prizes here.
• 11.11 Big Sale Squad Challenge: S$11,000 worth of staycations, electronics and more to be won when you earn points from shopping with a squad of three to five members. Full list of prizes here.

3. Collate your orders

In a perfect world, shipping will be eternally free. Alas, reality is often disappointing.

To save on the dreaded shipping costs, find some kakis to cart out together to hit the minimum amount for free shipping, or split the cost.

Bonus tip: Since the winners of the 11.11 Big Sale Squad Challenge is determined by your spending, gather people outside of your squad to fill up your cart for some additional “members” if you’re gunning for the top prize.

4. Set an alarm

Presuming that you’re a forgetful person (I’m guilty as charged), you should always prepare an alarm. Sales like 11.11 and 12.12 typically start from 12am, with merchants having limited stocks. The early bird gets the worm.

5. Add to cart

You might not be in your best condition to add items to cart if your heart is beating furiously and your palms are getting sweaty from hyperventilating about exhilarating sales.

To prevent yourself from feeling flustered and overwhelmed by the sheer number of products going on sale, add your entire wishlist to the cart.

This pushes you to consider your purchases in terms of size, colour, quantity and make necessary back-up plans.

You’ll also have ample time to take the measurements you need beforehand. Some common measurements online stores give are pit-to-pit (armpit to armpit measurement, also known as PTP), chest, waist and length.

Once the clock strikes 12, all you need to do is refresh the page and check out immediately to enjoy the discounts.

This way, you’re less likely to run the risk of your desired product being sold out too.

6. Add your card

The next step of checking out is payment. To minimise the time you spend fumbling at the check out stage, save your credit card details to your account before 11.11.

Bonus tip: Use a cashback or rebate card for maximum returns. By collating orders from your friends, you can even accumulate reward points from their purchases!

If you find yourself deliberating between which card to use every shopping spree, why not consolidate your spendings to maximise your cashback without having to go through this dilemma every time you check out?

UOB One Card announced a partnership with Shopee recently, giving cardmembers up to a whopping 10 per cent rebate on Shopee purchases.

Not only that, UOB One Cardmembers get to enjoy additional privileges like:

• Special discount on Big Campaign Days
• Exclusive deals on Super Brand Days
• Exclusive promotions on pre-launch products
• Selected free shipping, 30 per cent cashback and more

Don't have a UOB One Card yet? Apply now and get up to S$280 as a welcome gift. The terms and conditions are listed here.

Top image via Shopee / Facebook.

The writer of this article sponsored by UOB is ready to grab those sweet, sweet deals.