Last-minute Christmas shopping trick could save you money, Martin Lewis reveals

Christmas is practically here, and with that, it means that the final posting dates for guaranteed Christmas delivery are fast approaching, too.

So for any last-minute gifts or essentials, time is ticking to get your online orders in. However, if you’re willing to risk it, there’s a little known 'abandoned e-basket trick', that could help you save on these purchases - and Martin Lewis has revealed there’s 'still time' for you to take advantage of this.

Appearing on ITV’s This Morning, the Money Saving Expert spoke about the trick of shoppers abandoning their online shopping baskets in order to - potentially - be offered a discount from the likes of 'Argos, Currys, Morrisons' and 'lots of other stores'.

Speaking to Dermot O’Leary and Christine Lampard, Martin explained, 'So, if you have a membership of a store that you shop at… you always need an account. What you do is, you go in, you put in what you want to buy… and then you don’t complete the transaction'.

While Dermot and Christine agreed that the retailers 'hate that' and often bombard you with emails afterwards, Martin explained why it might not be a bad thing.

"'What they often do is email you and say 'You looked at this, would you like to buy it? Here’s 10% off... Here's 20% off to help you complete your transaction'.

Spotlighting some real examples from the survey he and his team carried out, Martin shared that one customer was offered 10% off his abandoned shopping cart for Thorntons Chocolate, and then the next day he was offered free delivery on top of that.

And this isn't a one-off. Comments on the post when shared to social media were flooded with people agreeing and sharing their own examples.

One person wrote, 'I used it for a Dell laptop and I have been offered 5% the next day" while another added, 'Do this all the time. They almost always offer discount couple of days later'.

For anyone hoping to get a last-minute present, with a saving to boot, Martin suggests that 'this is sort of the last chance' to try this savings trick.

People still have time to 'put your stuff in' and 'walk away for a couple of days, as long as you’re still in the free delivery period'.

While Martin would 'normally wait 48 hours' to make sure retailers are offering their very best discounts, you might have to consider Christmas delivery dates before going all in on this.

Royal Mail’s last posting dates for Christmas 2025

• Wednesday 17 December: 2nd Class and 2nd Class Signed For
• Friday 19 December: Royal Mail Tracked 48
• Saturday 20 December: 1st Class and 1st Class Signed For
• Sunday 21 December: Royal Mail Tracked 24
• Tuesday 23 December: Special Delivery Guaranteed.

Other companies and retailers will have their own Christmas delivery deadlines, so always double-check when making an order.