How to save thousands on wedding and engagement rings with clever Google tip
SHOPPERS are paying up to thousands of pounds more for their wedding rings simply by Googling the wrong thing.
Typing in certain words such as “wedding” and “engagement” could inflate your bill because of a premium that businesses charge shoppers for these goods.
reported Google was flogging pricier rings to Brits looking to tie-the-knot, with sellers pushing prices of wedding items up to make-up for losses made over the pandemic.
It comes as couples looking to get hitched were dealt a blow last week, when Boris Johnson announced "freedom day" would be pushed back until July 19.
However, rules capping ceremonies at 30 people have been scrapped from today, which means venues will be allowed to choose safe numbers.
Couples having ceremonies on private land - for example, their gardens - can have as many guests as they wish, as long as they carry out a risk assessment.
But Brits have been racing to book ahead, with venues booked up for two years due to a Covid backlog for couples looking to say "I do".
When The Sun checked prices of rings online, we noticed you could save a whopping £1,179 on average just by tweaking the words you're using in your search.
We looked at the average price of the first five rings that Google flagged to shoppers on three different searches.
Typing in "women's wedding ring" showed us five blingy bands with an average price tag of £1,538.
While searching for "women's engagement rings" prices were bumped up even further, with the average price of five rings sitting at £1,712.
However, we saw dramatic savings when typing "women's ring" into the search bar, as the average price of five rings shown was £533.
Although leaving out wedding-related keywords in your searches will bring up rings not necessarily marriage-appropriate, some of them are still suitable.
And leaving out these keywords meant you could bag a ring for as low as £70.
Compare that to the eye-watering £2,500 ring advertised under the “wedding ring” search term, and you’ll be saving £2,430 - so changing the way you're searching really could save you cash.
Consumer group Resolver consumer expert Martyn James said the inflated prices were due to a premiums that businesses slap shoppers with when they buy wedding goods.
Venues and suppliers can add extra costs onto your bill - from photographers, DJs and food - just because you're throwing a wedding.
But there is no tax, rule, law or regulation that says companies can charge higher prices for wedding services and items, Martyn said.
"For far too long businesses have been hitting couples with the ‘wedding tax’ - vastly inflated prices when you mention marriage," he said.
"It’s outrageous how businesses are allowed to exploit couples by hiking prices just for getting married. "
Martyn added that simply removing "wedding" from any of your google searches could mean shaving cash off your bill.
"Unfortunately the only way you can avoid being ripped off is to hide the fact you’re getting married when looking for quotes," he said.
"But this practice is unacceptable and needs to be stamped out."
Changing your Google searches isn't the only way you can save on your wedding.
The most popular - and expensive - time to get married is between May to October, so setting the date between November and February could help you bag a bargain.
Scouring auction websites for wedding items, such as centre pieces, can help you save hundreds instead of buying them straight from the shop.
Keep an eye out for booze deals at supermarkets too to bag fizz for less - last month Asda was offering 25% off boxes of prosecco, wine and champagne.
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