I found cheapest Xmas gifts around using FREE app for toys, video games & more

IT’S the most wonderful time of the year, as well as the most expensive, which is why so many of us will be desperately looking for ways to cut costs this Christmas.

The average Brit household spends a staggering £3,173, £713 more than the usual month, in the run up to December 25 according to the Bank of England – but a totally free bit of kit means it doesn’t have to be that way.

Of course you can go old school and compare high street and online prices, but with so much choice that can be really time consuming.

Fortunately, there is a little-known tool on your phone that can do all the hard work for you, sussing the cheapest places to buy everything from clothes and toys to homeware and even food.

The app is Google Gemini, the tech firm’s real-time speaking AI assistant that can see anything around you using your mobile’s camera.

It’s great for anything from advice on an unknown plant to ideas on how to decorate your living room. But it’s pretty nifty with price comparisons too.

I’ve previously used it to save money on food shopping in an instant, just by holding up a product and asking for the cheapest possible price (which found Aldi and Lidl weren’t always the best value to my surprise).

So now I’m using it for Christmas gift shopping – here’s how I got on…

Toys

Of course, if you’ve got kids toys are one of the biggest expenditures over the festive period.

And there are some fun looking options on shelves this year.

I started off in The Entertainer where I saw the Disney Frozen Fashion Doll Elsa & Baby Bear Set for £22.

I whipped out Gemini and it instantly told me the same product is cheapest on Amazon.

Sure enough, the online retailer is selling it for £16.49 at the moment, so that’s a possible saving of £5.51 (as long as I pick a free delivery option).

On to TG Jones (formerly WH Smith) and I spotted a great Harry Potter Dobby Lego set.

Lego is always quite pricey and this particular product was £24.99.

Amazon was identified as cheapest again but B&M was as well at £17.99, a possible saving of £7.

However, the app struggled with some requests.

For example, a Paddington Bear teddy in TG Jones was £20.

Because there are so many different sizes and shapes around, it failed to find a comparable item.

Gift sets and fragrances

Gift sets are always an easy option for Christmas present, especially when you’re all out of ideas.

For the young blokes, a Lynx gift set is a regular staple.

I spotted a duo one in Boots for half price at £4.50 – but this wasn’t the absolute cheapest.

Turns outs Savers has it slightly cheaper at £3.99, so a modest saving of 51p there.

Gemini sometimes has to be asked to double check prices and occasionally you have to be very specific, as the AI is still evolving.

Initially, it failed to identify a cheaper price – but knowing Savers might be less expensive I asked it to check Savers specifically, at which point the AI realised it had made a mistake and missed a better deal.

For women, I found a Vaseline 3 set collection for £4.75 in Boots.

Gemini told me it’s cheaper in Asda at £4.50, so another small saving of 25p – but not to be sniffed at when every penny counts at this time of year.

Perfume is where you could see more substantial savings.

I tried it against Calvin Klein Eternity for Women Eau de Parfum 100ml, which is £44.50 at Boots.

Gemini came back with an obscure website I hadn’t heard of before as the cheapest option, so I asked it whether Superdrug or Savers had it cheaper.

Sure enough, Superdrug was lower at £36, so that’s £8.50 less.

Video games

Video games for PS5, Xbox and Nintendo Switch are often high on Christmas lists – and are hugely expensive.

One big release many will expect to see is EA SPORTS FC 26, which is generally about £57.

Gemini helpfully pointed out a saving I wasn’t aware of.

A special TopCashback offer running with Argos at the moment meant you can get £15 off the game if you’re a new member to the site.

This particular deal only ran until Thursday but others come and go all the time, so it’s definitely worth asking Gemini about any video games you plan to buy as there may well be more.

Chocolate

Chocolate tub savings are constantly changing between supermarkets at the moment.

Gemini helpfully scanned a 550g tub of Celebrations and told me the cheapest place is Tesco for £3.95 with a Clubcard.

Gift cards

Gift cards are a great last resort if you’re all out of ideas – and there’s nothing wrong with them as it gives people some choice to get what they want.

I had been looking at a gift card that offered a number of restaurants and pubs, but Gemini came back with an alternative I hadn’t heard of before with a very welcome saving.

The Pub Tokens gift card works in 1,750 pubs and restaurants across the UK.

At the moment, you can get 20 per cent off the cost with discount code FESTIVE20 at pubtokens.com.

So a £20 gift card will only cost you £16 meaning your mates’ can get more pints for their money.