The travel hack that saves £100 on National Trust and English Heritage membership

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A new hack enables UK heritage lovers to save more than £100 on National Trust and English Heritage membership.

Individual National Trust membership currently costs £91.20 a year, while English Heritage retails at £63 per year, with concessions available and the option to pay monthly.

However, by purchasing an annual Heritage New Zealand pass as an “overseas resident” you can gain access to hundreds of popular tourist destinations across the UK thanks to a reciprocal agreement with the two heritage bodies.

UK residents can purchase the Heritage New Zealand pass for £96 (NZ $200), which also offers free entry to many historical sites across the Pacific Ocean nation.

Heritage New Zealand pass-holders can simply show their card for free access to hundreds of UK sites.

It’s worth noting that the pass does not include parking, unlike National Trust and English Heritage membership, which is a significant drawback to the loophole.

The amount of savings available will depend on how often you use your membership.

Another money-saving trick involves purchasing membership to the National Trust for Scotland.

Individual membership costs £69.60 – that’s £21.60 less than National Trust membership for England, Wales and Northern Ireland – and grants free access to all National Trust sites across the rest of the UK.

As with the New Zealand hack, you do not need to be a Scottish resident to apply for membership.

As Europe’s largest conservation charity, the National Trust cares for miles of coastland, woodlands, countryside and hundreds of historic buildings and gardens.

And English Heritage, which is also a charity, cares for over 400 historic buildings, moments and sites, from Roman forts, to world-famous prehistoric sites, such as Stonehenge.

The National Trust increased the cost of its annual membership by 8.5 per cent in February, while English Heritage is planning on increasing membership fees by 4.5 per cent from 23 March, according to The Telegraph.

A spokesperson for the National Trust said: “While we are acutely aware of pressures on people’s finances at this time, we believe that the new prices still represent fantastic value for money; a family membership with the National Trust costs the same as buying one takeaway coffee a week.

“Without our members, we would not be able to fund our critical conservation work or keep the more than 500 places we look after open for people to enjoy.”