The ENTERTAINER, a buy-one, get-one app, says on its website that ENTERTAINER Abu Dhabi members save an average of AED 2,715 every year. That’s equivalent to 18 150-dirham, mid-range meals in good restaurants, around eight 300- to 350-dirham brunches, and depending on the price, four to 12-hour-long massages or spa treatments.
Indeed, a BOGO app can save you a significant amount of money. Since the above figure is the average an ENTERTAINER member in Abu Dhabi saves, it stands to reason that you can save even more.
Below are some under-the-radar, practical tips that go beyond the usual advice you’ll find online. Follow the guidelines below to maximise your BOGO app savings.
- Use screen mirroring for group planning.
If you’re out with friends or planning a group outing, mirror or cast your phone screen to a TV or laptop and scroll through deals together. More people mean more eyes, so you’re bound to spot hidden opportunities faster. Through the process, your friends also become more invested in the idea of using a BOGO app to save, so they’re more likely to engage and participate.
- Create a BOGO calendar.
Review all the vouchers you can use. For instance, if you purchased the ENTERTAINER Abu Dhabi 2025, dedicate at least a few hours one day to check out every voucher included in your package.
Look at your calendar and note the important dates: birthdays, anniversaries, pay days, holidays, your scheduled leaves, etc. Next, match each of these dates with a likely BOGO deal, e.g., “60-minute rejuvenating facial at Soul Senses Spa & Wellness Premium – Abu Dhabi for 2” on your best friend’s birthday.
Plotting BOGO deals on your calendar helps you maximise your vouchers but ensures your redemptions remain aligned to your lifestyle.
Important: Make sure the BOGO deal can be used on the date you matched it with. Some deals may have blackout dates and usage restrictions. Furthermore, add a calendar reminder to book your appointment, table, stay, or experience, as most deals require prior reservation.
- Double dip with loyalty programmes.
Does your BOGO app have some deals for merchants you already do business with? Check if those merchants have their own membership programmes. If you’re allowed to use a BOGO offer concurrently with membership perks, consider signing up for the merchants’ loyalty or reward programmes.
Doing this will let you maximise the returns on every dirham you spend. With the BOGO deal, you essentially get the product or service at half price. Additionally, your membership or affiliation with the merchant will let you earn loyalty points with your BOGO spend; these points, you can later redeem for freebies, discounts, exclusive access, or other rewards.
- Pay with a credit card to get cashback or rewards points.
Banks and credit card issuers offer membership perks, too. They may reward you with cashback that is automatically deducted from your bill or reward points you can redeem for freebies, discounts, or bill adjustments.
One of the ways to maximise your BOGO deals is to pay for all your BOGO-related expenses with your credit card. This way, the AED 300 you pay for a BOGO massage does not only earn you another AED 300 massage for your friend (so, effectively a 150-dirham discount for you), but also a corresponding cashback or reward points from your credit card issuer for the spend.
Illustration
Massage 1: Full price
Massage 2: Free
Payment for the full price massage: Gets you 2–5% cashback from your credit card company
This lets you save in two places.
- Prioritise High-Value, Limited Redemptions
Some merchants only allow a limited number of redemptions from app users. Hit such deals early before they cap out, especially if they’re high-value; think hotel stays, spa packages, or luxury dining. You can use your app’s filters to spot these.
Doing this will save you the most from your BOGO app usage.
Maximising Value Without Spending for the Sake of “Saving”
Just remember one thing: Maximising savings doesn’t mean spending indiscriminately. Make sure you’re using as many of the BOGO vouchers as you can, but balance the urge to rack up BOGO savings with wise spending.
This excludes dining out, staying at a hotel, getting a treatment, or buying theme park tickets for the sake of redeeming BOGO offers. Getting the free product or service must not be your sole reason for redemption. It should be, “I’m making the purchase anyway. Isn’t it great that I can get it at half price or that I can get two of them for the price of one?”
Thus, if you love the afternoon tea at Café 302, getting a BOGO afternoon tea voucher from that merchant is a real score. Were you planning to go on a staycation in Bab Al Bahr within the year? A BOGO offer for Fairmont Bab Al Bahr that gives you a two-night stay for the price of one night is an excellent deal.
Meanwhile, getting a theme park ticket when you don’t really want to get another free theme park ticket is a bad strategy. You’ll just end up with two theme park tickets you don’t like or need.
Make the Most of Your BOGO App
Choose deals with your friends, create a BOGO calendar, earn points and rewards from merchants’ membership programmes, earn cashback or reward points from credit card issuers, and prioritise limited and high-value BOGO deals. These are the ways you can maximise your BOGO app’s value. Just remember not to get so carried away with accumulating savings that you end up over- and mis-spending.
