There are many financial products that offer bonuses when you meet certain spend thresholds. These can vary a lot, with offers available for £3000 in 3 months, £25,000 in 6 months, and anything in-between.

As a rule of thumb, don’t buy things you wouldn’t have otherwise purchased. A better idea is to purchase upfront what you would’ve purchased anyway. Store credit and gift cards to use later are great options. Depending on your spending habits, some of these may apply or not

• Amazon store credit
• Supermarket gift cards (Waitrose, Asda, Morrisons)
• Uber or Uber Eats credit (all credits are shared between the two)
• Deliveroo credit
• Travel credit (Airbnb, Hotels.com, Eurostar)
• A lot more you can see through a dedicated gift card store. See our Airbnb article for details

A different option could be to pay in advance for a subscription you plan to keep anyway.

• Gym membership
• Utilities (may allow you to add credit to your account)
• Council tax (depending on your local council, you may be able to pay by card)
• A limited number of organisations offer lifetime membership. National Trust, Historic Royal Palaces.
• Uber One

Purchase a holiday in advance. BA holidays, EasyJet holidays or separate hotel bookings usually give you the flexibility to change or cancel your holiday if your plans change. If you have the opportunity, book for your friends too and have them reimburse you.