Top Tips to Save Time and Money at Ikea

Love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Ikea has radically changed the way many people furnish their homes. There are plenty of ways that you can save money at Ikea and time too – take a look at our tips.

Get an Ikea Family Card

No family? No problem! The Ikea Family Card is simply a loyalty card and it comes with loads of perks. You can either apply for the card online, fill in a form and take it into your local store, or use one of the self-service machines in stores and get the card printed instantly.

Benefits of having a card include:

Members-only discounts
Minimum 20% saving on all items marked Ikea Family
Free coffee and discounts on meals
A gift on your birthday (discount voucher or similar)
Workshops and events for members only
Extra 10% discount on Ikea sales
Additional promos that vary by store (choose your local store online to see the latest offers)
Discounts from other companies near to your chosen store (check online).

Download Ikea’s apps

On Ikea’s app you can check their general catalogue, create your shopping list and check the latest promos and offers. Offers normally change weekly, so if you’re not interested one week don’t forget to take a look the following week.

The Ikea app is a great time-saver too; you’ll be notified if the items you want to buy are in stock at your chosen store, thereby saving a wasted journey when there’s no stock.

Check stocks online

If you don’t use the app you can also avoid spending time and petrol only to find that the items you need are out of stock via Ikea’s website. Search for the item online and check stock available at your chosen store.

If you won’t be visiting on the day you check stock online, click on “ver disponibilidad estimada” to get an idea about how much stock will be available over the next few days.

Choose the right website

Make sure you choose the right website for product availability and prices: choose from Mainland Spain, Balearics or Canary Islands.

If you use Ikea’s website in English there may be small differences with the Spanish version. For example sometimes the weekly promos are not shown.

Create a shopping list before you go

With a shopping list you can check for availability in store (some may have to be ordered). You can also print out, or save on your mobile, all product references. For some stores it’s even possible to sort by order of location in the warehouse.

Get free replacement Allen keys and screws

Either visit your local store and check if there’s a vending-style machine (free to use), or they may be available at the returns desk. Alternatively use Ikea’s online form for free home delivery (may need receipt).

Think about which day to visit

People tend to return items at the weekend, which become part of the clearance “oportunidades” section on a Monday. Shopping at the beginning of the week means more clearance stock to choose from.

Free childcare

Smaland installations at Ikea stores will look after your kids for 1 hour (may be 45 minutes at peak times) whilst you quickly go and buy what you need.

Childcare is supervised and at most centres is only available for children 95 to 124 cm in height.

Check popular times and avoid the crowds

Google “Ikea (chosen location)” and check the graph that appears on the right hand side to see how busy the store is at different times of the day. Change the day of the week to see which one is less busy.

Get a free Ikea credit card

If you have both the Ikea Family Card and their Visa card you’ll get 10 months interest-free credit on your purchases. Additional cards for family members are also free and there’s no need to change bank.

Go in through the exit door!

Avoid the labyrinth in Ikea – it’s carefully planned to entice you to buy. Avoid temptation by entering through the exit door straight to the warehouse with your shopping list. If you you do go to the sales floor, use the signed shortcuts (“atajo”).

Need to return items? Go first thing in the morning

Time is money, and the returns queue in Ikea can be very long.

To return items go as early as possible and then go to the cafeteria for your free coffee and cheap breakfast (with your Ikea Family Card of course).

Let Ikea sell your old Ikea stuff

Ikea furniture items such as tables, chairs, wardrobes, shelves and drawers can be sold at many stores. How does it work?

Fill in a form online, include four photos of each item and indicate in which store you want to sell them.
Ikea will take a look, let you know if they will accept them for sale and give you a valuation.
If you agree, take your assembled items to the store. If the item isn’t assembled, Ikea will let you borrow the necessary tools.
An Ikea employee will check that the item(s) coincide with the photos you sent. If everything is OK you’ll get an Ikea gift card for the value.
Your items will be included in the clearance section for the same price you’ve been paid.

What about buying online?

Ikea’s online store only delivers to the Spanish mainland. Take a look at your options, one is even free:

Click and Collect (C&C) at Correos (under 25kg) from 4€.
C&C at Ikea stores: pay 5€ which is refunded as a voucher.
C&C at a pick-up point: 29€.
Home delivery (under 25kg): from 4€.
Home delivery over 25 kg: from 39€.
More options for home delivery for purchases in store.

Need a van?

Around any Ikea store there tend to be a lot of people offering their transport services. But watch out! These unauthorised transport services are not insured and if anything happens to your purchases, or if they simply never arrive at your home, you won’t be able to make a claim.

Ikea offers van hire via Hertz, check prices online. Tip: even though the morning and afternoon tariffs are the same, the afternoon gives you 7 hours hire compared with 5 hours in the morning.

Take a look at Pikeando

Pikeando is a website where people sell their second hand Ikea goods. Ads are free and you can filter by area or items. There are two main sections:

“Escaparate”: goods that are still in the Ikea catalogue (so you can compare prices and see if it’s worthwhile buying second hand).
“Rastro”: shows items no longer sold by Ikea.
“Busco”: when you’re looking for an item.

Bear in mind that this company has no commercial relationship with Ikea.