A BRITISH holidaymaker has shared her money-saving hack for eating at the airport.
Danielle Cardone had given her “finances a bashing in Amsterdam” but still fancied something to eat before her flight home.
While outlets and quality varies between airports, there is one universal trend about airport food: it is way more expensive than buying a meal in the real world.
Your usual coffee order can cost up to £2 more, and a mere burger and chips meal from traditionally cheap fast food restaurants can cost well over £15.
But thanks to Danielle’s savvy hack, we won’t be counting pennies out on the counter next time we return from a holiday.
The savvy Brit shared that you can pick up Too Good To Go bags in airports.
With shopping and takeaways at astonishing prices amid the cost of living crisis, Too Good To Go has taken the UK by storm.
The app allows restaurants, takeaways, cafes and shops to flog unsold food at the end of the day, rather than chucking it in the bin.
Many food outlets (including big brands) have partnered with the app to provide so-called Magic Bags.
The Magic Bags are stuffed with unsold food and flogged for a fraction of the price – typically around £5.
Danielle managed to pick up two full bags of Starbucks food at Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam for a cool £6.38.
She described it as an “absolute feast”.
“After giving our finances a bashing in Amsterdam, we weren’t too keen to spend a fortune on airport food,” Danielle penned in Facebook group Extreme Couponing and Bargains UK.
“Then I remembered Too Good To Go and got an absolute feast for two, all for £6.38.
“In each bag there were two sandwiches,baps or wraps, a pot of mango overnight oats and two sweet pastries or treats.
“Upper Crust (next to Starbucks) also had bags available.”
EVERY day huge amounts of food is thrown way as supermarkets get rid of food that's about to go off, and restaurants and cafes don't toss out things that aren't fresh.
Too Good to Go is an app that is trying to stop that.
Many restaurant, café and food brands have partnered with Too Good to Go and will provide a “magic bag” of unsold food to users at the end of the working day.
Download and set your location on the Too Good To Go app and you can choose from nearby stores listing their unsold food at a reduced price.
Listings show how much a bag of food costs and how many are left as well as where you need to pick it up.
You pay through the app and get given a slot before closing time to go and pick it up.
Looking for more apps to slash your costs? Here are some of our favourites.
Can you claim a refund?
If you have any order-related issue, you can contact Too Good To Go’s Customer Care team.
Simply reach out via the app by clicking “More” at the bottom right side of your screen > “Orders” > Click on the order you’re referring to.
They’ll then get in touch with you.
She added that the feast kept the pair “going until their flight”.
One impressed Brit commented: “I didn’t know they did Too Good To Go at the airport.
“Everyday is a school day.”
I never thought of using it in the airport – I would have saved a fortune
Facebook User
Another penned: “I never thought of using it in the airport – I would have saved a fortune.”
A third added: “Now this is what I call a life hack.”
Others dubbed it “genius” and vowed to give the hack a go on their next international jolly.
To use Too Good To Go, download its app on your smartphone and create an account.
You can then select your area by entering your location and drop the pin on where you’ll be picking up your surplus food bags.
On the app, you can select the distance you’d be willing to travel, based on whether you’ll be walking, using public transport or driving.
The app will then show you the Too Good To Go locations available in your area.
These are grouped in categories including supermarkets, groceries and baked goods.
There are also options to collect food straight away, or later for dinner.
You can then scroll through the app to see what’s available and click “see all” to check all the options within a category.
Too Good To Go will then tell you how much you can save with each surprise bag.
Prices usually range between £2 and £6, with shoppers saving at least 30% on every order.
When clicking on a listing, you will get information on the exact location of the cafe, restaurant or supermarket, as well as collection times available, and the price of the bag.
The listing also shows the average rating other users have given that particular business.
Once you’ve decided what you want to pick up, simply click the “reserve” button to ensure it is assigned to you.
You’ll be asked to add your bank details to confirm the reservation and you’ll then receive an email including an invoice and a time window for your collection.
Then go to the shop at the assigned time, show your collection on the app to a staff member and enjoy your discounted surplus food.
