How to enter Cash Register (for free!)

(note: UK Cash Register is currently not running, but you can enter Make Me A Winner for free!)

Cash Register is the HUGE cash giveaway that runs across multiple UK radio stations owned by Bauer Media, including Absolute, KISS, Magic, Planet Rock, Free Radio, Gem, Greatest Hits Radio, Hits Radio, Hallam FM, Metro Radio, Pulse 1, Radio City, Rock FM, Signal 1, TFM, The Wave, Viking FM, Wave 105, Lincs FM and Pirate FM. The daily prizes can reach as high as £120,000!

Millions of pounds has been given away on the Cash Register, and although you might find it hard to believe, people genuinely do win with FREE entries – in fact, three members of my Lucky Learners Comping Chat Facebook group have won in 2023 with free entries, picking up over £200,000 between them!

The entry methods have recently changed for Cash Register, and when the free online web entry form route finished, a lot of entrants stopped taking part. However, it was replaced with an entry method which gives you a much better chance of winning – a standard rate phone call, which is free for most mobile phone users. And you can call up to 60 times every day!

Paid text entry to Cash Register costs £2 plus standard network rate (so around £2.15 per entry). Or you can enter online – this also costs £2 for a single entry, but the cost per entry reduces if you pay for multiple entries. But PLEASE don’t waste your money doing this – read on to find out how you can enter for free by making a phone call!

Do people really win Cash Register with free entries?

The Cash Register winners are selected completely at random from all entries, regardless of whether they paid to enter. With the maximum limit of free phone entries double the limit of paid entries, it’s no wonder that compers are picking up prizes more frequently these days. I asked two recent Cash Register winners how many times they had entered – one winner had made 9 free phone calls that day, and the other winner had done the maximum of 60 free phone calls. So it goes to show that people really can win £80,000 without spending a penny on their entries! There will always be thousands of people who pay to enter as the £2 text entry is the method that’s widely advertised on air, and much easier to do – so the prize fund still stays high. And of course, if you’re not a regular comper then you probably won’t be reading T&Cs to find the details of free entry methods!

How can I enter Cash Register for free?

Rather than sending a text message, or paying to enter online, you should chose the phone option. You can call any of these numbers, each one is for a different participating radio station.

  • 0330 880 4541 (Main number, advertised on Hits Radio & multiple local stations)
  • 0330 880 4594 (Absolute Radio)
  • 0330 880 4608 (Kiss)
  • 0330 880 4615 (Magic)
  • 0330 880 4629 (Planet Rock)
  • 0330 880 4557 (Greatest Hits Radio)
  • 0330 880 4572
  • 0330 880 4563
  • 0330 880 4583

The phone call is standard rate – if you have a mobile contract or Pay Monthly bundle that has inclusive minutes, this call should be completely FREE. If you use Pay-As-You-Go then the call may NOT be free, so please check your balance before and after the call to see how much money it costs you.

When you call, an automated response will repeat your mobile phone number back and you must confirm it is correct by pressing number 1 on your keypad (if you press number 2, the call will end and you will NOT be entered into the prize draw). Once you have done this, you can hang up – it takes around 40 seconds to call. Then redial!

When should I enter the Cash Register?

You can enter Cash Register at any time between 3.10pm and 3.00pm the following day. For Monday’s draw, entry opens at 3.10pm on a Friday and ends at 3pm Monday. Cash Register winners aren’t chosen on Bank Holidays, so you can enter over the Bank Holiday weekend but the draw won’t take place until Tuesday after 3pm. When Cash Register first starts again after a break, entries open at 6am on the first day.

How many times can I enter Cash Register?

You can call the phone line 60 times a day. Text entries are limited to 30 per day, and online entries are also limited to 30 a day.

How do I find out the Cash Register amount?

The Cash Register amount changes daily – it will be regularly announced on all participating Bauer radio stations, or simply check the official Cash Register Facebook page for updates.

Make a note of it on your hand, your laptop, the back of your phone… but whatever you do, please don’t forget it! I check the Facebook page every morning for the correct amount and write it in my planner. Then I have a ‘Cash Register’ labelled alarm on my phone for 3pm every weekday, which gives me a few minutes to double check the amount in case they call me!

How and when do they choose the winner?

The winning entry is chosen at random from all combined paid and free entries, after the lines close at 3pm. Bauer will have the mobile number and exact time of the winning entry, and will let the winner know which of their entries won.

What number do they call winners from?

It’s not known which number they call from, as it will show as ‘witheld number’ on the incoming call. So if you miss a call at 3.05pm from a visible number, don’t worry – it definitely wasn’t the Cash Register call!

What time do they call Cash Register winners?

The winning Cash Register call is made just after 3pm – the winners I asked received their call at 3.07pm. The winning call is recorded, edited and played on air around 30 minutes later.

What happens if I miss the Cash Register call?

You have five rings to pick up the call – if you don’t answer in that time, you’ve missed out and the money will not be won that day.

What is a Cash Register rollover?

If the phone is not answered within 5 rings, or the wrong cash amount is given, there will be no winner and all entries from that day will be entered again into the following day’s prize draw. This can happen multiple times! The unclaimed money is NOT added to the next day’s total, though.

Do I need to say the correct Cash Register amount as soon as I answer the phone?

No, the caller will say Hello and chat to you normally before asking for the correct daily amount, so you have time to check your notes to confirm the amount. For Bauer’s similar Make Me A Winner competition, you DO need to answer with the correct phrase – but you DON’T need to know the prize cash amount!

When does the Cash Register end?

The Cash Register competition usually runs for a month or two, but the T&Cs are updated on a week-by-week basis so a final ending date is not usually confirmed in advance. When it ends, other big cash giveaways like Make Me A Winner usually take its place after a short break.

What happens if I win the Cash Register?

After the initial phone call, winners will receive a second phone call to confirm they have not won a prize valued at £500 or more from Bauer within the previous six months. They will then receive an email confirmation of the win, and may be asked for a photograph or to do on air interviews. To confirm identity, photo ID and proof of address will also be requested. Once everything is validated, the money will usually be transferred into the winner’s bank account within a week.

Where can I see full terms & conditions?

Full terms and conditions for Cash Register are on the Planet Radio website.

Other helpful information

  • Cash Register is only open to UK residents aged 18 and older
  • If you – or anyone living at the same address as you – have won £500 or more in any Bauer Media Competition over the past 6 months you are not eligible to win. So if you’ve won a big prize on one of the radio stations listed above recently, do not risk entering Cash Register until your 6 month ‘ban’ is up!
  • As well as entering Cash Register, Northern Irish residents are also eligible to enter a similar competition, Downtown Cash Call, on Cool FM – and Scottish residents can currently enter their own Cash Register comp. These only run for limited periods and offer the standard rate phone entry option.

Have you won the Cash Register with free entries? I love to hear winners’ stories so please tell me in the comments!

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15 Responses

  1. if i win it is a life time change your day to day struggles will be less harder and knowing the value of money u have to respect it more and the wait on your shoulders will ease of that u can sleep easy and wake up being happier

  2. Marion says:

    I listen to cash register all the time I think really wonderful that generally people have got something to hope for During these bad times

  3. Ellen Boulden says:

    Do you have to put your mobile number when you send your message

  4. Gerrard Grady says:

    Would be a dream come true

  5. Lilly says:

    Is it actually worth entering this or is it just a waste of time with how may people enter it? I have been entering since January and just do not know if it is actually worth trying to even win as my luck is never great…

    • Di says:

      I make the calls while I work, as it’s easy to just tap redial or even ask Siri to ‘call Cash Register’ – having heard of several compers winning and with the prize being so huge it seems a shame not to get at least one free entry into each daily draw!
      Saying that your luck isn’t great isn’t a good attitude for a comper – you really need to have persistence and be positive, and also make sure you enter a lot of local comps, comps with lots of prizes, and purchase comps where you have a far higher chance of winning too! Combining looking for these type of comps, and occasionally entering the huge prize comps like Cash Register is a good mix. Other radio comps – especially where you call in to the studio or register for free online for a call back – give you a much higher chance of winning, so make sure you try those too!

      • Suki Singh says:

        WHile I havent won and probably wont, I have to say that just being in the draw each day has really been fun and exciting. Thanks for posting this comp and expalining the free rote Di. Been doing it for fortnight and felt great.

  6. Rheia says:

    How do you know which number is for which radio station? I only listen to HITS

    • Di says:

      I’ve edited in the ones I know – but the final three, I’m not sure which stations they belong to. A lot of local stations are 0330 880 4541 – the same as Hits Radio –

  7. Nikki Hayes says:

    I don’t have any photo ID would this be a problem?

    • Di says:

      I’m not sure Nikki – but if I were you, I would probably get a CitizenCard for £15. There are many competitions where you need to send photo ID to claim your prize (usually cash, alcohol, etc) so I think it’s a worthwhile investment! https://www.citizencard.com/

  8. Jonathon Price says:

    I have never won a single prize from Bauer entries in 6 years!

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