Meet the mum who enters competitions for a living – and has won over £35k worth of prizes including cash, gift cards, holidays and tailored suits.
Rebecca MacBain, 37, says she first started entering competitions while on maternity leave in 2016 – and after her first win was hooked.
And when she went back to work and realised she was spending £800 per month on childcare, she decided to quit her job – and enter competitions full-time.
She now won thousands of pounds worth of prizes – and says “comping” has allowed her to give her family experiences she could never have afforded.
They have been on holidays to Poland and Milan as a result of Rebecca’s competition entries.
And she even won a £1k luxury suit for husband Rod MacBain, 54, as well as clothes, toys and pet products.
The mum-of-two says she finds the competitions she enters through Facebook groups, newsletters and websites and says there’s a huge community of compers who support each other.
Rebecca, from Preston, Lancs., said: “It’s an absolute buzz, it doesn’t matter if it’s a big prize or a little prize, it’s all the same buzz.
“It means I can give my family something I wouldn’t usually be able to give them. Anyone can do it, you just have to get started.
“The first thing I won was in 2016, I had a eureka moment when I was on maternity leave and had a bit of extra time and it went from there really.
“I quit my job and started entering more competitions – I’ve won holidays to Poland and Milan, cash prizes, clothes and vouchers.
“The best prize I’ve won was a trip to the Isle of Man, it was just beautiful and the company that ran it paid for everything – food, the cabin on the ferry, all the kids activities, it was a wonderful few days away.”
The mum started entering competitions in 2016 – and says she quickly won a hamper full of baby products and clothes.
Spurred on by her success she started entering more, and after quitting her job in 2017 to save money on childcare she began taking the hobby more seriously.
She spends two hours per day entering around 100 competitions per day – while her youngest child is napping – and says in seven years she’s won over £35k worth of prizes.
Rebecca says depending on the prize she’ll either keep it or sell it to raise some extra funds. And her top tip to people looking to get into comping is to find competitions with a low number of entrants.
“It’s given me the opportunity to do things we wouldn’t usually be able to do, so it’s helping to improve my lifestyle”, said Rebecca.
“They’re not life changing prizes, maybe £50 to £100 here and there, gift cards, clothes for kids and adults, a lot of toys, pet products and stuff for the house.
“Without it we probably wouldn’t be able to afford to go on holidays or on extra days out, so it helps fund that.
“The biggest place I find them is the comping community ‘Lucky Learners’ on Facebook – I also use magazine competitions and forums online.”
