Half‑term on a budget: easy ways to save on days out

Half‑term can get expensive fast. Between days out, meals, and travel, the costs really add up, especially with kids in tow. The good news is you can cut your spend by using loyalty points, supermarket schemes and, if you’re a thinkmoney SmartPlus customer, your PlusSave^ discounted gift cards.

Here are the best ways to save money on days out this half‑term, plus ideas you might not have thought of to keep the kids entertained.  

Save on cinema trips 

A cinema trip is a classic half‑term treat. And with the right offers, it doesn’t have to cost a fortune. 

10% off Cineworld with PlusSave 

If you use PlusSave to buy a Cineworld gift card, you’ll get 10% off your spend. Because it works like a discounted gift card, you can often stack this saving with Cineworld’s own deals, some of which include:

• Cineworld Family Ticket - Valid for 1 adult + 3 children or 2 adults + 2 children (aged 14 and under); adults pay kids prices.

• Movies for Juniors from £3.99 a Ticket - weekly discounted screening perfect for younger kids or first-time cinema goers.

There's lots to see during the school holidays as well. Films landing just before half‑term include The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie, GOAT and Stitch Head. 

Stack with Tesco Clubcard too 

Tesco Clubcard gives you 2x the value of your vouchers at Cineworld.  There’s also a £5 Tuesday offer for Clubcard members on 2D films. So between PlusSave + Tesco vouchers + Cineworld’s own offers, you can save a chunk on a family cinema day. 

Save on theme parks and family attractions 

Want a bigger day out? You can save on some of the UK’s most popular attractions. 

5% off your Merlin Gift Card with PlusSave 

Merlin gives you access to 30+ attractions across the UK, including: 

• Alton Towers 

• Thorpe Park 

• Chessington World of Adventures 

• SEA LIFE 

• The Dungeons 

• Madame Tussauds London 

Buy a Merlin gift card through PlusSave to get 5% off, then use it to pay for your tickets online; you can't pay with the Merlin gift card on site, so make sure tickets are booked online and in advance.

Boost your savings with Tesco Clubcard 

If you prefer using points, Tesco lets you swap Clubcard vouchers for Merlin tickets. Every 50p of vouchers becomes £1 at attractions like Thorpe Park — a nice way to stretch your points further. 

Save on Virgin Experience Days  

If you want a day out that feels a bit different, Virgin Experience Days has options for all ages. With PlusSave, you get 20% off gift cards. Here are just a few examples of experiences we found that could suit your kids.  

For teens (and big kids!) 

Junior Supercar Driving lets your little ones experience luxury car driving for the first time.

• Kids aged 11+ can drive cars like Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini or Porsche 

• Costs £70 normally but £56 with PlusSave 

• A fun “big kid” treat for half‑term with 41 locations in the UK.

For families with older teens 

Murder Mystery with Dining on a steam train is a great way to channel your inner Murder on the Orient Express with your kids in tow.

• Set on the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Railway 

• Normally £100 for two or £80 with PlusSave 

• Minimum age: 16 

For younger children 

Storybook-Themed Steam Train Day Out is perfect for younger children and parents who want to create a bit of magic in their lives.

• Two adults + one child 

• 50–75 minute ride with character meet‑and‑greet 

• Available at 10 UK locations 

• Costs £65 normally — around £52 with PlusSave 

Save on travel: Eurostar Deals

If you’re thinking of heading to Paris or Amsterdam and taking the train to get you there, you can save on Eurostar too.

Eurostar tickets are notoriously expensive around the holidays; a family of four looking to do a London-Amsterdam return trip during half term could spend in the region of £870 on return tickets for a few days away (and these are among the cheaper options we found when we ran a search just now). However, there are ways to save.

5% off Eurostar with PlusSave

Buy a Eurostar gift card through PlusSave to save 5% on your spend; that’s around £45 off the total price of your Eurostar tickets.

Use Nectar points to bring the cost down further

If you shop at Sainsbury’s, you can use Nectar points towards Eurostar bookings.

• 500 points = £2.50 off

• You need at least 2,000 points to redeem (£10 off)

This is a great way to cut the cost of the journey, so you have more to spend once you arrive.

Save on eating out with Kids Eat Free offers 

There are loads of places where kids eat free or for £1 during half‑term. We’ve rounded them up in our article on the 20+ UK restaurants where kids eat free this half term

To save even more: 

• Use PlusSave gift cards for your adult meals 

• Use Tesco Clubcard at some restaurants (many let you triple the value of Clubcard vouchers, but just make sure you can stack them on top of other offers first)  

Small savings add up fast when feeding the whole family. 

Don’t forget supermarket loyalty points 

Most people save their points for their food shop (or worse, let them expire), but you don’t have to. 

Many supermarkets let you convert your points into vouchers for restaurants, theme parks, cinema trips, or travel, and you often get more bang for your buck that way too.  

Tesco Clubcard points are often worth more when you use them with their partners. Also, through PlusSave, you can also get 4% off your Tesco spend and keep earning points.  

Sainsbury’s Nectar points can be spent with their partners like Eurostar, and PlusSave gives you 3.25% off your Sainsbury’s spend too.  

If you stack savings cleverly over the year, you can save a chunk off school holiday activities just by doing your regular food shop.

Final tips to make the most of half term savings  

• Stack offers whenever you can (PlusSave + loyalty points + retailer deals) 

• Check offer terms before you go 

• Use supermarket loyalty schemes on more than just food 

• Plan ahead — some deals only work online or need gift cards bought in advance 

Half‑term doesn’t have to cost the earth. With a bit of planning, you can enjoy great days out, family meals, and even mini‑breaks, all for less. 

^Offers are subject to change and may vary. Check the thinkmoney app for the latest offers.