Zeek - a win-win app for shopping vouchers (review)

When Zeek got in touch to ask if I'd like to try out their new app, dubbed the number one market place for gift vouchers, I have to admit, I'd never heard of them. However, as I read more about what they offer, it sounded like a fabulous idea, for both buyers and sellers. Have you ever received a gift voucher for a store you never really use or maybe won some in a competition? Maybe you're strapped for cash and think it would be wiser to exchange your fashion gift vouchers that you got for your birthday or Christmas for money that could be spent on the weekly grocery shop? Apparently over 30% of vouchers are wasted worldwide each year, which equates to over £65 billion being effectively thrown in the bin.

Zeek makes it easy to earn cash on your unwanted vouchers - using your smartphone, simply take a picture of your unwanted gift card or voucher and upload it directly to the platform. Fill in some additional details and set your selling price. The seller is charged a processing fee ​of £​3 on every transaction. Once sold, you will receive the cash directly into your chosen bank or PayPal account. It couldn’t be simpler.

I haven't tried selling a voucher but I was given a code to test out the buyer's side of things and that is very easy too. After downloading the free app to my ipad, creating an account and using a code sent to my phone to verify the account, I was ready to go. I was tempted to buy a New Look or Next Voucher, either for me or Sophie, but decided I'd be sensible and go for a supermarket voucher instead. I found a £55 Sainsbury's voucher on sale for £50 and went for that.

I instantly got a congrats message to say that the purchase had been successfully completed.

Sure enough, it was there in "my vouchers" section.

I also instantly received an email to confirm my purchase and to explain the rest of the procedure. The seller is informed of the purchase and has to send the voucher by registered post to the Zeek offices. They check it's all OK then send it on. That sounded quite time-consuming to me but they promise it will be with you in seven days and it was actually quicker than that. I purchased it on Wednesday and it arrived on Saturday morning which was quicker than I expected. If you purchase a digital voucher, you will receive it instantly.

It's a new app so not all stores are represented yet - I started off by searching for ASDA which wasn't on it yet, but as soon as someone tries to add a voucher for a store that isn't already on there, Zeek will check out the brand's reliability and add it to the list.

I was impressed at how easy the buying process was and, when I had a slight problem with the promo code for the review, the Zeek support team were on the case and had it all sorted within minutes, which was a pleasant surprise.

If Zeek sounds like a good idea to you, I have another piece of good news for you - I have a special code that you can use when you make your first purchase which will give both you and me £5 extra credit to use. I told you it was a win-win situation ! My code is 2vdvx8.

When I searched for Zeek on the app store, I had trouble finding it - it just bought up some Japanese manga type apps, which seemed a bit dodgy to me ! - but using the direct link brings it up instantly.

You can download here and don't forget my code for £5 extra credit (for both of us !) - 2vdvx8

Disclosure : I received £50 credit in order to try out the app and write an honest review.