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Countdown – saving you money for 40 years

As Countdown turns 40 in 2010, Richard Kelly reflects on its longstanding special relationship with the NUT and looks at the benefits of being an NUT Countdown member.

All NUT members automatically join the Countdown scheme, as your NUT membership card doubles as a Countdown card. This gives you access to significant savings in many big name stores and local independent retailers, as well as discounts on dining, leisure, entertainment, travel and more.

It all adds up to a huge range of places to save money over a year, with the added bonus that regular use of your NUT Countdown card will easily save the cost of your annual NUT subscription – good news in any financial climate.

More for your money

There are many great aspects to your NUT/Countdown membership. Here’s a reminder of what you receive:
• a personalised NUT membership and Countdown discount card
• Countdown’s National Savings Guide, providing essential information on where and how to save
• a Local Savings Guide, with details of independent outlets in your area offering discounts and deals to members. There are over 10,000 such outlets nationwide, all listed on our website.
• a website: www.countdowncard.com with even more high street and local savings
• Countdown’s regular e-newsletter, full of exclusive and special money-off deals, when you sign up online
• new and special offers you can’t afford to miss
• a money-back guarantee, exclusive to Countdown: in the unlikely event that you can’t obtain a listed saving, the applicable discount will be refunded (subject to terms and conditions).

Getting to know you

Over the years Countdown has built its reputation on getting to know and listening to NUT members, as this helps us identify appropriate new offers and improve our services. By attending NUT annual conference and meetings with division secretaries and, more recently, meeting young members at the young teachers’ conference and freshers’ fairs, Countdown immerses itself in the union’s culture to get things right.

Life begins at 40!

Countdown is proud to have been part of the NUT family for 40 years, and looks forward to saving even more members even more money in the future. We’ll continue to provide a comprehensive array of money-off deals, which the majority of cardholders are able to use, whatever their age, interests and geographical location.

For instance:
• If you’re planning a new kitchen, bathroom or other home improvements, you can save 8 per cent at B&Q by buying B&Q giftcards through Countdown. One member saved nearly £1,000 on his new kitchen last year.
• Starting a family? Cut the cost of kitting out the nursery with savings of up to 10 per cent when you buy Adams Kids or Mothercare vouchers through Countdown.
• Planning a holiday? Choosing a volunteering trip, Eurocamp, Thomas Cook or a week on a canal boat? You can save up to 20 per cent on all of these through Countdown.
• If you’re shopping for gadgets or bikes, use Comet or Halfords and save up to 15 per cent with Countdown.

Countdown is always working to bring members great savings and better ways to communicate the latest deals. This year you’ll benefit from our new website with improved usability, exciting new features and more great offers.

Find details of new and exclusive offers for NUT members in the Countdown corner section on the Your union pages of The Teacher – and don’t forget that the Staffroom confidential pages are sponsored by Countdown too. This year, for the first time, a whole new group of student teachers will be offered NUT Countdown membership, giving them a fantastic money-saving start to their teaching career.

So whether you use one or 40 offers a year, keep saving – and remind those who don’t just how much they’re missing out! Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52