Studying abroad can be expensive, but shopping on a budget can help you save money and make your experience more efficient. In today’s sharing, I will highlight and focus on payment tips tailored for students, from using loyalty cards to mobile apps that streamline the checkout process. Let’s explore smart payment methods and take advantage of special offers at major supermarkets to make your study abroad journey more affordable and organized!
1. Carte fidélité (Loyalty card)
Different supermarkets have their own carte fidélité with a wide array of customized deals: Auchan’s Carte Waaoh, Carte Carrefour, Carte E.Leclerc, to name a few. Many people may hesitate to register for a carte fidélité thinking the points accumulated may not lead to any significant discounts. However, take the Waaoh card as an example.
- Every 2-3 months, you receive a €5 discount on a €50 bill;
- Access to exclusive discounts for loyalty cardholders, with savings converted into a cagnotte (account balance) on the card, which can be used later;
- Participate in 100% cashback promotions;
- Retain receipts on the Auchan account for one year, or five years for products with a warranty;
- Use the Rapid’Auchan scanner for easier shopping;
- Spin the lottery for a chance to win discounts (try it, I always win, even the biggest reward is a €5 discount, it is still enjoyable haha).
2. Scannette (Personal scanner)
As soon as you enter the door, grab a shopping cart and swipe your carte fidélité to get a rapid scannette. This tool is essential for managing the total cost of items in your basket. Moreover, it speeds up the checkout process by eliminating the need to wait in line and helping staff avoid scanning items individually. The scanner also allows you to decide whether to keep certain items, such as ice cream, yogurt, and snacks, or withdraw them from the cart.
3. Carte cadeau (Gift card)
At the beginning of the month, I immediately ordered 04 cartes cadeaux on the supermarket’s website. Although there are no discounts, why do I still encourage you to use carte cadeau?
- By purchasing 04 cartes cadeaux for 04 weeks of groceries, you avoid paying through the nose during the month.
- Using the carte cadeau helps you to stick to your budget, limiting the purchases that exceed your allowance and then saying “it is just a little more”. I carefully calculated so that each time, I only need to pay below than €5 extra, or sometimes nothing at all, due to the reductions from my cagnotte.
4. Lyf Pay – Cardless payment app
Given my “golden fish brain” nature, forgetting my card at home when going outside is common, especially when I often use carte cadeau or carte fidélité. Lyf Pay, in these cases, becomes my lifesaver. Simply choose to pay with Lyf Pay on the supermarket’s payment machine (on scannette or caisse automatique), enter your phone number, enter the code, scan the barcode on the app, and you are done. The receipt is also saved on Lyf Pay for later check. Lyf Pay is now available in almost every major supermarket chain in France, such as Carrefour, Casino, Franprix, Auchan, etc.
To sum up, these methods enable you to keep track of your expenses, benefit from exclusive discounts, and reduce the hassle when going for groceries. Remember, every little bit helps, and with these tips, you can enjoy a more organized and cost-effective shopping routine.
