How many hours a day do we spend on social media without even realizing it? Let's shake, we watch videos, we like it... and in the end what do we really have left? Little or nothing. What if instead we dedicated part of that time to activities capable of generating a concrete economic advantage?
One of the most underestimated opportunities concerns electricity and gas suppliers, in general, the points collection programs linked to the services we use every day. With a minimum of attention, can turn into a continuous economic advantage.
Time is money (Really)
We are used to thinking of saving as a sacrifice. Actually, often it's just about allocate our time better. A few hours a month are enough to inform yourself and join programs that can translate into direct discounts on your bill, economic bonuses, useful prizes (not just useless gadgets) and cashback or shopping vouchers.
It's a "job" with one of the best hourly wages possible: a few hours of attention can lead to tens or hundreds of euros in savings per year. When we choose an electricity and gas supplier, we often stop only at the price per kWh or Smc. But today many operators offer much more.
Loyalty programs
Some providers reward customers with:
- Points earned by paying bills
- Bonus for direct debit
- Rewards for using digital services
These points can be redeemed for:
- Discounts on your bill
- Gift card
- Useful products for the home
Bonus on your bill
One of the most interesting opportunities is represented by direct bonuses, eg:
- Monthly or annual discounts
- Welcome bonus
- Credits to be used on future invoices
Translated: you pay less without changing habits.
Collect points: not all of them are useless
When it comes to collecting points, many immediately think of prizes that are not very useful. But reality has changed.
The smartest points collections today offer:
- Fuel vouchers
- Shopping vouchers
- Direct discounts on essential services
- Cashback
The key is to select only the programs that offer real economic benefits, not superfluous objects.
Strategy: how to really exploit them
E’ important select a few programs, better 2–3 good programs than 10 useless. Focus on economic benefits such as discounts on the bill, cashback and shopping vouchers. Automate where possible through direct debit of bills, the use of Apps to monitor points and notifications for deadlines
The real comparison: social vs savings
Let's take a concrete example:
- 30 minutes per day on social media = approx 180 hours a year
- 10 hours a year dedicated to optimizing suppliers and points collection
Result:
- Social → momentary entertainment
- Optimization → real savings (even €100–300 per year or more)
It's not about deleting social media, but say rebalance time. The next time we pick up the smartphone, let's ask ourselves: “We are just consuming time… or investing it?”
The difference, at the end of the year, you can definitely see it.
Alex Gaetani