We’ve all seen the adverts and either think that the Meerkats are incredibly cute or need running over by our newly insured cars. But adverts and competitive pricing aside, using Compare The Market comes with a big bonus – its discount programme. Take a look at which restaurants are part of the Meerkat Meals scheme, what else is included and how you can become a member without shelling out £100’s.
Which restaurants do Meerkat Meals?
There is currently a lack of major chains offering Meerkat Meals. At the moment, you can find:
- Domino’s
- Papa Johns
- Pizza Hut
- Prezzo
- Sbarro
You will also find lots of smaller, independent restaurants included with your membership. However, because there are hundreds to choose from, it’s impossible to list them all here.
Please note that since the pandemic, lots of restaurants no longer participate in the Meerkat Meals scheme, including Frankie & Benny’s, Harvester, Papa John’s, Giraffe, Ask Italian, Zizzi, Handmade Burger Co, Kaspa’s, Toby Carvery and Strada. But this isn’t unique to just this scheme, with Tastecard and Kids Pass also losing members recently. Whether they will return once life is a little more ‘normal’, we will have to see.
How much is a Meerkat Meals discount?
In restaurants, there are two main offers available. You’ll either be given 2 meals for the price of 1 or you’ll be given 25% off of your bill. But bear in mind that there are extra restrictions. The majority of restaurants will only give you a discount between Sunday and Thursday, although some only run the offer from Monday to Wednesday. Make sure you check before you eat!
But it’s not just eating out that will give you money off of your food. Papa John’s and Pizza Hut Delivery will give you 50% off when you spend £30 and have your food delivered. And there are no restrictions, so it’s available any day of the week. Plus, the local takeaways listed will give you at least 10% off of your order.
What other benefits are there to Meerkat Meals?
But it’s not just food that you can save money on if you become a member of Meerkat Meals. On a Tuesday and Wednesday, you can also get 2 for 1 on cinema tickets. Most of the major chains are included, such as Cineworld, Vue and Odeon, along with smaller independent cinemas.
How to find a cheaper membership
To become a Meerkat Meals member, you’ll need to make a purchase through comparethemarket.com. This can be for:
- Car, Bike or Van Insurance
- Home Insurance
- Pet Insurance
- Travel Insurance
- Landlord Insurance
- Life Insurance
- Business, Shop and Professional insurance
- Completing a Credit Card, Loan, Mobile Phone or SIM application
- Switching your energy supplier or broadband, telephone or TV provider
Now, a lot of these products could cost you several hundred pounds. And even though Meerkat Meals can provide you with a handy discount, it’s not worth paying more for an insurance policy if you can find a much better deal elsewhere.
But one of the above policies can be far cheaper than the rest – travel insurance. And I’m not talking about a round-the-world trip for a family of 5. No, you can get travel insurance for just one night in the UK. And the cost for this is often just over £1. Now, even if you only use your membership once, that will far outweigh the cost of your insurance policy.
What to do after you join Meerkat Meals
Once you have made your purchase, you should be sent a membership confirmation, although this can take up to 48 hours. When it arrives, download the Meerkat app and confirm your membership. Then, you can choose which offers are best for you. In fact, there’s nothing to stop you from downloading the app before you make a purchase. It will still tell you what offers are on in your local area.
Claiming 2 for 1 meals
If you want to use your membership towards a meal, check the terms in the app first. In some cases, you will need to book a table before you arrive. If this is the case, then let them know you’re a Meerkat member. And then you need to show your digital card when it’s time to pay.
Claiming 2 for 1 cinema tickets
For cinema tickets, just generate a code from the app. Then, print it out or show the code from your phone when you buy your tickets. But as you can only use the offer on a Tuesday or Wednesday, the code will expire at 00:01 on a Thursday morning. But you can just generate a new code.
Is it worth it?
Meh is all I can say. The list of restaurants offering Meerkat Meals has decreased a lot over time and cinema deals can be found elsewhere. I would not choose Compare The Market over a competitor for this perk alone.
Any decent alternatives to Meerkat Meals?
If you don’t fancy taking out a new insurance policy or the offers on the table aren’t particularly attractive to you, then there are a couple of alternatives you can look at.
Tastecard – this offers 2 for 1 meals, although the restaurants available are slightly different to those listed on Meerkat. You can also find discounts on cinema tickets (not restricted to days), plus money off tickets to major attractions across the UK.
Kids Pass – offers very similar deals to Tastecard. However, you also have access to discounted gift cards at major stores like Amazon and Currys.
Now, although both of these schemes are more comprehensive compared to Meerkat Meals, they both come with monthly fees. So you need to weigh up whether spending the extra is worth it.