*Introduction*



Hotbargains UK is a relatively new website which rewards its users for performing simple tasks online. Whereas sites like this one (Ciao) rewards its users for writing product reviews or for answering surveys, Hotbargains UK rewards for different various things - signing up to websites, clicking links, purchasing goods and much more. There are plenty of already established websites in the mould of HBUK, all in competition with each other, with some of the most famous being Rpoints and Ipoints. All of these websites perform in exactly the same way, offering financial gain in return for online-activities.



*How it works*



Normally when I talk to my friends about the HBUK website, I am greeted with confusion and bewilderment - how can a website offer money for performing such mundane tasks, like clicking a link? The response is quite simple - the website gets a higher reward for the tasks we do, and so they can offer part of the reward to us. For example, say HBUK offers 8p for performing a search at a search engine. The search engine is probably giving HBUK about 14p for every search, and so HBUK will be earning 6p for every search. This way it keeps everyone happy - the users are earning and HBUK is earning.



*To sign up*



To join the HBUK website you simply need to go to the website and click on the register link. You will be greeted with a simple form to fill in, with the only details required being your name, username (choose one), e-mail and password. Then HBUK will send you a confirmation e-mail which includes a link to activate your account. The website is obviously free to join, and there are no requirements to meet to be able to become a member. You will now be well on the way to earning your first HBUK money.

*Earning*



As mentioned earlier, you can earn money for clicking links (searching at search engines, for using product-price comparison websites etc) for joining free websites, and for purchasing goods online. There is a section on the site called 'recurring points.' Basically this section displays the activities which can be done on a daily basis to earn you points. Every day you can perform these 'clicks' as they are often referred to as, and they only take a few minutes to undertake too. Though the points available often changes due to companies withdrawing and new companies joining, I will try and list the recurring points available to date.



Search Anything Credit Cards - Earn 15p limited to one search per day
Kelkoo - Earn 8p limited to one search per day
High Street Web - Max of 4 actions a day, 2p per price comparison and 5p per search
Priceguide UK - Earn 6p per visit, limited to one per day
Dealtime - Earn 6p per link clicked to merchant site, max of 5 leads per day
CarSource - Earn 2p per search, max of 3 per day

So basically you can earn 85 pence in about a minute or two. I know this doesn't sound like much, but if you do it every day for a month you've earned £26.85 from something which only takes a few seconds. Plus they are often adding new recurring links. Ebay have only recently been removed from the recurring points scheme, where previously they were offering 8p per bid on ebay, and about 40p per Buy It Now transaction. It's a shame that they've gone from the program now, though hopefully they'll come back.

There are other simple ways to earn money on the HBUK website. If you are going to purchase something online, such as some clothing or something, then why not do it from the HBUK website? They have a partnership program with many websites which means that they are able to offer cash back on purchases made. The amount is only about %5 or so, but still this is better than nothing - you're still saving money on your purchase. There are many shops listed on HBUK and you can easily suggest a shop to add if you have a regular favourite.

The final way to earn on the HBUK website is from registering at the listed websites, or by performing their listed activity. For example there are many gambling websites listed on the HBUK website, and you can easily take advantage by joining them via this website. Coral UK are listed on HBUK and you can earn £3.50 for joining them, and they usually have a promotion on too - like deposit £10 and get a free £10 bet.

There are other websites listed which you can join for free, and still earn money from it. All you have to do is fill in a simple sign up form, and your done. For example if you join Loppy Lotto from the HBUK website you will earn 30p.

*Checking your earnings*



Every week that you actively earn points on HBUK you will be e-mailed your statement showing all activity from the HBUK website. This will be in a MS Word format, and will be detailed with a brief description of each of the earnings (usually just the website used to earn, such as Kelkoo) and the amount earned from that activity, followed by the date the activity took place, and then finally the reward date. It usually takes about 3 weeks from the date the activity took place till the points are actually awarded, which can be frustrating but this is the same with all 'cashback' websites. You will notice that throughout the website and on the statement, the earnings are listed as points. These points are just transferred to pence - 1point being 1 pence.

*Claiming your earnings*



You can only claim your money when you have reached the minimum amount of £30. The points have to be in the 'earned' stage, and not the 'pending' stage (usually takes about 3 weeks). These earnings will be paid to you by paypal or by cheque, and this will be sent to the address which you used when registering.

To request a payment, you have to log in to the HBUK website, and then click the 'My Account' link in the top left of the screen. Then click on 'Support' and then type 'Withdrawal' in the title and write the amount you wish to claim in the body. Then submit the ticket, and your request will be processed within about 3 days. Requests are normally processed really quickly, and I've received my cheque in the post within a few days when I've requested mine, its all gone through really well.

*The Forum*



The forum is a place where HBUK users can post queries with the website, or find out the latest news or just talk with other HBUK users. Though there is hardly any activity on the forum (has just been announced on the forum that there are now 800 members) it is still a very important function of the website. There are plenty of helpful members and staff who will respond nearly instantly to any problems posted related to the HBUK website. Competitions and things are often running too on the forum, and at the moment the fantasy football league is quite a popular option with prize money standing at £20, plus it's a lot of fun too. Another useful part of the forum is the freebie section - where people post various freebies available online. Usually they include free samples of aftershaves, etc.

It's a shame that hardly any of the 800 members of HBUK actually use the forum, but I think It could partly be due to the popularity of other websites such as Rpoints - they have such a massive forum which people constantly post in, so they probably don't feel the need to use HBUK (most people use various cashback websites, not just one). This situation is probably hindered by the HBUK forum too - its often quite cluttered and awkward to navigate around, with a few annoying bugs still present, and a lack of clarity involved - especially compared to the Rpoints website.

*Support*



This is made readily available thanks to the forum, and the ticket system in place on the website. If you feel you have a problem with the HBUK website which you want to discuss, such as you can't find the link to the recurring points section, you can easily post a message in the support section of the forum. This is usually followed by a quick response by moderators or other HBUK users, who are always quick to help others out. The other way to gain support is by submitting a ticket. This is done by logging into your account, and then by clicking on 'My account' in the top left corner of the screen. Then click on 'Support' and then 'Submit a Ticket.' Then you simply give it a title and write the bulk of your problem in the main section of the page. By submitting your ticket, you are basically sending a message to the staff at HBUK, and you will be put in a type of waiting list. They will respond to your ticket usually within about a day, and are generally very helpful. Tickets are mainly used for problems such as points not appearing on your statement when they should have.

*Referrals*



Probably the best feature of the HBUK website is its referral scheme, which was recently been modified. Previously you could choose two options when referring a new member - either to earn £5 when the new member earns £30 in awarded cashback, or the more popular option which was to earn %25 of a new members lifetime earnings at HBUK. The first option has now been dropped, so by referring a new member you stand to receive %25 of anything that they earn at the HBUK website. This is an excellent scheme, so much better than the Rpoints one which offers £5 when the new member earns £30. On this scheme you are guaranteed money, as long as the new member uses HBUK.

*Overall*



Hotbargains UK is an excellent alternative to the other more prominent cashback sites currently available. Though it is reasonably new, and still has a relatively small user-base compared to the rest, it still manages quite adeptly to compete with the likes of Rpoints and Ipoints. Some of the offers available on the competitors' websites are a little more lucrative than some of the ones on HBUK, but this isn't by a great margin. In other areas, HBUK is a better site - particularly in its refer-a-friend scheme. HBUK's scheme offers far more than the Rpoints and Ipoints scheme, and so this is a clever move by HBUK to compete with its already-established competitors. Then again though, the forum on HBUK's website is nothing in comparison to the one on Rpoints, so there are a few varying points which sway for and against HBUK.

I feel HBUK could easily be improved though, and I feel this is quite essential if it were to ever be able to compete with the likes of Rpoints. The colours and general feel to the website is a bit dull, and it doesn't look too professional. I think simple touches need to be changed - like the header on the top of the page, which again looks a bit untidy and doesn't look to be of good quality either. The menu system on the left hand side of the page is often changing, and it's hard to find certain pages at times. Again, on the forum the menu system gets a bit complicated, and it's a bit daunting too - it's easy to get lost within the forum, with so many links active on the page.

Putting its design and usability aspects aside, HBUK is still an excellent site which really encourages its users to earn as much money as possible. Thanks to the refer-a-friend scheme the popularity of the website has been soaring recently, and so the forum is slowly but surely building up with activity. There are plenty of ways to earn money on HBUK for even the simplest of tasks, and I just recommend that you give it a go - what do you have to lose? In my eyes you can only earn from websites such as this one...