Clinton Cards Review

Costs:

No need to become a member in order to purchase products.

Sample card prices:
- Photo greeting cards from £2.72.
- Invitation cards from £1.54.
- Augmented reality cards from £2.57.
- Blank greeting cards from £0.99.
Sample gift prices:
- Gift boxed helium balloons from £14.87.
- Gift-boxed wine from £14.87.
- Keepsakes and trinkets from £0.76.
Experiences:
- Ferrari driving experience: £246.98.
- Paintballing day for 4: £24.80.
- Deluxe afternoon tea for two: £26.04.
Flowers:
- Fresh flowers delivered from £15.86.
- Personalised romantic bouquets delivered: £34.71.
Party products:
- Decorations from £0.58.
- Tableware from £0.74.
- Costume accessories from £0.44.

Payment options:
- Credit card:
  - Visa.
  - Mastercard.
  - Solo.
- Checkout with Amazon.co.uk:
  - Credit card:
    - Visa.
    - Mastercard.
    - American Express.
    - Solo.
    - Maestro.

Prices are subject to change. For the most up to date information, please refer to the actual website.

Features:

Clinton Cards is the largest specialist retailer of greeting cards in the UK and was founded in 1968. This successful formula has now been transferred to the web.
Get high quality Clinton cards and other merchandise without having to visit a store.
Browse an extensive range of greeting cards and invitation/announcement cards as well as a range of other gifts and party merchandise.
Look for greeting cards arranged by occasion and recipient.
Purchase printed greeting cards for birthday, anniversary, congratulations, good luck and general themed cards.
Filter cards by occasion, recipient, character/range and more to speed up your browsing.
Use the on-site search facility to pinpoint a specific product.
Simple, step-by-step card editor allows you to upload your photos to add to cards and add your own message.
Hi-res zoom lets you inspect all aspects of a card before you personalise and order it.
No minimum order restrictions. Buy cards singly or in in multiples.
Browse a range of quality gifts including balloons, wine & champagne gift boxes, photo mugs and much more.
Buy party products. Choose from a wide range of decorations, tableware, costumes and more.
Register for an account and create your own wishlist, get reminders of important dates, etc.
Pay for your products through ClintonCards.co.uk or buy using your Amazon account, giving you more ways to pay.
Request an exchange or refund if you're not entirely satisfied with your purchase.
Detailed FAQs section to help you with any queries or problems, plus email support should you need further assistance.

Editor's Verdict:

ClintonCards.co.uk is an online version of the well-known high street card store. Unlike some of the other sites in this category, ClintonCards.com specialises in greeting cards and so doesn't offer them as just a sideline. The site looks very good, having an almost cartoon-like quality about it. There are plenty of features on the homepage, including articles and animated features giving you an idea of what the site offers. Another nice thing about the site is that it's relatively uncluttered, so you shouldn't have too much trouble finding your way around.

Near to the top of the homepage you'll see a number of clickable orange tabs that link to the products available on the site. Hovering over 'personalised' brings up a menu by which you can browse their range of personalisable greeting cards by occasion (e.g. anniversary, birthday, general), by recipient (for her, for him, for kids), as well as a range of personalisable gifts (e.g. champagne & wine, jigsaws, keyrings). Probably the easiest way of browsing cards is to do so by occasion. Selecting an occasion takes you to a thumbnail display of all available cards for that occasion. The number of cards will vary depending on the occasion you're interested in. At the time of this review there were 402 birthday cards, 84 general greeting cards and 26 anniversary cards. Moreover, there were very few retirement (5), get well (5) and thinking of you cards (4), all of which were lumped into the miscellaneous category, 'other'. This means that, depending on your reason for wanting a card, you could be well catered for or left feeling disappointed.

The advantage of other sites (e.g. Zazzle.co.uk) is that there are vast possibilities for cards, whereas here the choice isn't as great. In addition, because cards aren't printed to order, it's possible that a particular card may be out of stock. However, you're compensated by the quality of cards and the designs available; it's essentially buying high street quality cards online. Unless you're artistically adept, your own creation, no matter how original, might still seem a little naff compared to what you get here. Once you've chosen your occasion, you can filter cards by a number of criteria such as card size, recipient, character/range, age and style. Whilst all cards can be personalised with your own text messages(s), not all cards feature photo upload customisation (only 58 out of the 402 cards in the birthday category offer this). A personalisation key next to the thumbnail lets you know what you can do in terms of personalising that card. So, if you're keen on uploading your own images and making a photo card, this site lacks the scope of other sites (e.g. Zazzle.co.uk). However, the filter feature can be quite handy if, say, you want a card for a particular relative, or just want to browse funny cards.

The card quality is very good, just as you'd expect from the top-end high street card stores. The card editor is also very good, with a great high-res close-up zoom view of your card so you can check every detail and a simple step process to help you personalise the card. You can also choose things like envelope colour. Pictures can be uploaded from Facebook or your webcam in addition to images stored on your computer. An additional card feature is that of the 'augmented reality' card (21 designs available). It works by embedding a code in your card that the ClintonCards.co.uk website recognises via your webcam. This creates an interactive experience that brings the card to life. It sounds a little whacky, but you can see how it works by watching the video on the site. Instructions are given on the back of the card, so it shouldn't confuse the recipient; just make sure that they have a computer and webcam. Whilst adults probably won't appreciate the novelty, kids would enjoy it, so an augmented reality card may be worth getting for the younger person in your life.

You can supplement the occasion by purchasing gifts (e.g. balloons, books and calendars, champagne and wine), experiences (e.g. Ferrari driving, paintballing and tea for two), flowers and party accessories, to make your celebration even more special. There are plenty of products to peruse, the prices are reasonable, and you can get your celebration more or less kitted out in one fell swoop. If you require any help, you'll also find a detailed FAQs section and email support should you need it.

ClintonCards.com offers a range of tried and trusted quality products that you'd find on the high street, with the added convenience of buying online. Whether it's cards, gifts or other party products, you're sure to find something here. The limited range of cards is a slight downside, but you're unlikely to be disappointed by what's in store.

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Clinton Cards Reviews