Frequently Asked Questions
Tokens
A Whirli subscription gives you a token allowance, and you can order any of our toys, so long as the Whirli toys in your home are within your allowance.
Once you have spent your token allowance you can order something else by returning your unwanted toys. We’ll give you back these tokens so you can spend them on something else. We call this a ‘swap’.
When you sign up to Whirli, you can choose between 4 plans, which come with a token allowance:
Toy Sack | 80 tokens |
Toy Box | 120 tokens |
Toy Trunk | 160 tokens |
Toy Chest | 240 tokens |
You use these tokens to order toys. Our toys are priced in tokens, where 1 Whirli token is equivalent to around £1 RRP, so a toy worth £20 brand new would be priced at 20 Whirli tokens.
For example, 80 tokens is equivalent to around £80 RRP worth of toys.
No, your token allowance is fixed for the duration of your subscription. You will need to make a swap (that’s code for ‘return your unwanted toys’) before we return tokens to your account, ready for you to order something else.
Our tokens are great value. For example, 80 tokens allows you to order toys worth around £80 RRP at any one time. You can swap these toys at any time, meaning the value of the toys you are playing with quickly adds up. Plus it’s much better for our planet too.
We always recommend spending all your tokens so that you get the most out of your subscription. Any unspent tokens won’t be carried over to the next month.
It may be your family has fallen in love with a toy and you want to keep hold of it for a little longer. Rest assured, you will never spend more than the RRP value of a toy with Whirli, no matter how long you play with it for. That’s why we pledge that if you have a toy for 12 months, it’s yours to keep forever at no extra cost, no questions asked.
New subscribers on a pay monthly plan are offered a reduced token allowance for the first 3 months. We do this to combat theft. But rest assured, you will always play with toys worth more than the cost of your subscription.
Month 1 - 25% of maximum token allowance
Month 2 - 50% of maximum token allowance
Month 3 - 75% of maximum token allowance
Month 4 and onwards - full token allowance
Pay half-yearly: full token allowance immediately
Pay yearly plan: full token allowance immediately
Value
It certainly is. For every £10 spent with us, the average customer plays with £40 worth of toys.
This is because Whirli subscribers are swapping and not shopping. Any toy that is unloved or outgrown can be swapped at any time for something else. No money has been wasted on unwanted toys, collecting dust. With Whirli, you only pay when you play.
How can I get great value quickly?
By swapping. We'll give you an example.If you swap 120 tokens worth of toys every month for 6 months, you will have played with toys worth £720 RRP in that time (6 X 120 tokens ).
How did we work that out?
It's based on our token currency. We price our toys in tokens, where 1 Whirli token is equivalent to around £1 RRP, so a toy priced at 20 tokens would have cost £20 RRP brand new.
It sure is! There’s great value when you swap, even in the introductory period.
After 3 months, the average Whirli subscriber has played with toys worth around £200 RRP yet paid only £50 including delivery.
The more you swap, the better value you get from your subscription.
We place no limits on the number of times you can swap, even in the introductory period, so stop shopping and start swapping.
How did we work out the value?
Our toys are priced in tokens, where 1 Whirli token is equivalent to around £1 RRP, so a toy worth £20 brand new would be priced at 20 Whirli tokens. If you swap 20 tokens worth of toys in your first month, you will have played with toys worth £40 RRP, all for just £12.99 + delivery.
Referral
Introduce us to a friend and you’ll get £10 credited to your account and your friend gets 10% off their first payment. Earn £10 credit for every successful referral you make*
How to share the joy:
Share your unique referral code
(you can find your code here)
Terms of use
£10 will be credited to your Whirli account when your friend uses your unique code to
successfully subscribe to any Whirli plan. Your friend must be a new subscriber and if
they cancel within their first month, we will not honour the credit awarded.
Credit earned from referrals can be used against any Whirli service but cannot be paid
out in cash.
Whirli referral codes are intended for sharing with your friends and family and to your
own personal social media accounts, and not to be posted onto third party websites such
as voucher code websites. If we find your referral code on any third party websites
(such as voucher code websites) we will not be able to honour any credit received from
these referrals and we will issue you with a new code.
Referral codes cannot be used in combination with any other discounts or codes,
including gift codes.
Whirli reserves the right to update these rules at any time.
As an ambassador, you'll receive a custom discount code to share with your friends and followers. They'll get 30% (or £10, whichever is greater) off their first payment and you'll get £40 credited to your account for every successful referral you make.
How to share the joy:
Share your unique ambassador code
(you can find your code here)
Terms of use
£40 will be credited to your Whirli account when someone uses your unique code to
successfully subscribe to any Whirli plan. They must be a new subscriber. Credits earned
from referrals can be used against any Whirli service but cannot be paid out in cash.
Whirli ambassador codes are intended for sharing with your friends and followers on your
own social media accounts, and not to be posted onto third party websites such as
voucher code websites.
If we find your ambassador code on any third party websites (such as voucher code
websites) we will not be able to honour any credit received from these referrals and we
will issue you with a new code.
Ambassador codes cannot be used in combination with any other discounts or codes,
including gift codes.
Whirli reserves the right to update these rules at any time.
As a member of Save Our Playgroups, you'll receive a custom discount code to share with your group members. They'll get 30% (or £10, whichever is greater) off their first payment and you'll get £20 credited to your account for every successful referral you make.
How to share the joy:
Share your unique playgroup code
(you can find your code here)
Terms of use
£10 will be credited to your Whirli account when someone uses your unique code to
successfully subscribe to any Whirli plan. They must be a new subscriber.
Credits earned from referrals can be used against any Whirli service but cannot be paid
out in cash.
Playgroup codes are intended for sharing with members of your group via promotional
assets (posters and flyers) or on your own social media accounts and email newsletters,
and not to be posted onto third party websites such as voucher code websites.
If we find your playgroup code on any third party websites (such as voucher code
websites) we will not be able to honour any credit received from these referrals and we
will issue you with a new code. Playgroup codes cannot be used in combination with any
other discounts or codes, including gift codes.
Whirli reserves the right to update these rules at any time.
Toys
We have over 1000 toys for 0 - 8 years of age in our toy library, where you can find all of the latest must-haves. You can browse our toy library before you sign up.
If there’s something you would love us to stock, then we are very open to suggestions. Email us at [email protected].
We stock toys for babies, toddlers and children up to 8 years of age. You can easily filter your toy searches by age, toy type, skill and token value - perfect for finding the right toy for your family.
Absolutely, hygiene and safety are really important to us. All our toys are returned to our central facility where everything we send out is checked, sterilised and ready for play. It’s likely they’re cleaner than the second-hand toys at your daycare or school setting. And to further put your mind at rest, all Whirli toys meet UK and EU safety standards.
We find that children learn to treat toys well once they understand that the toy is going to another child after them. But we know accidents happen. Fair wear and tear is a given and we know that children are really good at playing hide-and-seek with them.
If we need to replace a toy we will charge a fee that we deem to be fair, but rest assured we will never charge more than the RRP of the toy.
-
We consider:
if the toy can not be repaired
if the toy is no longer safe
if the condition of the toy is deemed to be less than good
if the toy can no longer be played with as it was intended
To get into the nitty gritty, our fee is based on the Residual Value of the toy. We calculate Residual Value by taking the retail price of the toy and how long you have had the toy, divided by 12 months. For example if a toy is worth £30 and you kept a toy for 6 months, you would be charged 6/12 times £30 = £15. Or if you kept the toy for 9 months, then you would be charged 3/12 times £30 = £7.50. This way you never pay more than the retail value of replacing the toy.
More information on how we calculate Residual Value can be found in our Ts & Cs.
If you’ve had a toy at home for 12 months, it's yours to keep it forever, at no extra cost. Hooray!
Or at any point in your subscription you can buy a toy for less-than-retailprice.
To buy a toy, go to your Whirli account and tap 'keep toy'. You'll see how much it is to keep and you can purchase it. The toy will be removed from your account and you’ll get the tokens back to spend on something else.
Returning a hired toy
Returning a toy if it is no longer wanted or is unsuitable, can be made as part of your subscription. It does not entitle you to a full or partial monetary refund but allows you to select another toy(s) of equal token value, referred to as ‘making a swap’.
Returning a purchased toy
If you have elected to purchase a hired toy from us, we do not accept returns, refunds or swaps of this item.
Subscription refunds
We do not provide refunds for subscriptions for any reason, with the exception of the Cooling Off Period. Please refer to ‘7. Cancellation Rights’ within our subscription terms and conditions for more information.
That’s a great idea. And one we’ve had as well. Soon you’ll be able to donate toys in exchange for Whirli credit. With any toys we can’t use, going to kids in need. Watch this space.
Delivery
We deliver to any UK address (including Northern Ireland and British Isles).
You can choose from standard and premium delivery options.
| Pay as you go | With Delivery Booster* | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard delivery (3-4 business days) | £5.49 | FREE |
| Nominated day delivery | £7.49 | £2.00 |
| Standard return (drop at Post Office) | £5.49 | FREE |
| Home collection RM return | £7.99 | £2.50 |
| Home collection DPD return (nominated day) | £11.99 | £6.50 |
*equivalent to 1 swap per month
Delivery Booster is a handy way to pre-pay for your Whirli postage for an additional £6.49 per month. This will allow you to have two Free standard Deliveries or two Free Returns (Maximum of two Free in total), or a combination of both, one Free delivery and one Free return, per 30 day rolling period.
As well as free standard deliveries and returns, you get discounted premium delivery options too - with many (such as nominated day and home collection) at over 50% off the pay as you go price. See the full price breakdown here.
Delivery Booster runs for the same term as your main subscription - so if you’re on a half-yearly plan your Delivery Booster will be valid for a half-year too. You can select Delivery Booster when you sign up via our pricing page or add it mid-plan from your account. If you add it mid-plan you will only be charged pro-rata for the remaining time until your next renewal. So if you have 3 months left on a 6-month plan, you will be charged 3 x £6.49 = £19.47.
You can downgrade from Delivery Booster for your next term when your renewal date approaches.
Get ready for a special offer! For a limited time, your first month's Delivery Booster comes at no cost. Simply click "Add Delivery Booster" on your account and use code DB100*.
*only applicable to the first full or pro-rated month of your Delivery Booster, in line with your subscription cycle.
We offer two ways to return toys.
1. Drop off at any Post Office branch, using the returns label we provide in each box we send you. The Post Office will accept boxes up to 20kg and measuring 61 x 46 x 46cm - our standard size boxes fall within this, but for especially large toys please use the Home Collection option.
2. Home Collection via DPD. Book a slot for up to a week in advance and DPD will collect from your doorstep. There’s no need to print a label, just pack the toys and seal the box.
For both options, use any box you like (many customers keep their delivery box, but we support re-use of any suitable box!). We also pop some packing tape into your orders so you’re good to go.
1. Once payment has been made for the Royal Mail home collection you will be redirected to the Royal Mail home collections website
2. From here you will need to use the Tracking Number on the Royal Mail returns label
which was in your toybox on delivery:
3. If you have more than one box to collect, you can use the 'add another item' button
to add multiple boxes. Please note, you must use another Royal Mail tracked returns
label with a different tracking number. If you do not have another returns tracking
label, please email
[email protected]
to request one to be sent to you by email.
4. It's very important all Royal Mail returns label have your unique USR/user numbers on the labels (these should already be on the returns labels if your using the ones in the toybox that was delivered to you). Any additional returns labels used for additional boxes, must also have the USR/user numbers on them.
5. Once you follow the steps for the collection, you will be given a date for the home
collection, please ensure:
a. All boxes have your USR/user numbers on them
(without the USR/user numbers on the box this will cause delays in your return being
processed).
b. You must retain your proof of postage in case
there are delays in receiving your parcel or it is lost.
6. If for any reason the above steps are completed without the £7.99 Royal Mail home collection being charged for, you will be retrospectively charged for the amount to cover the cost of the home collection service.
We do! Simply book a home collection whilst you are placing your online return from within your account.
Collections are available on weekdays and you have the choice of a morning or afternoon slot.
Have your boxes ready and taped up for your collection slot.
You do not need to put a label on the box, the collecting driver will do this for you.
Swapping
On the day your family has outgrown or shows no interest in a toy, simply hop onto whirli.com and place a return from your Whirli account.
There's no need to swap all your toys at once. Just the unloved ones.
We'll instantly return tokens to your account, ready for you to order something else. We'll even ship your new toys before we've received your unwanted ones, so there's no downtime. Just playtime.
We place tape and a returns label in every box, so you always have them to hand. There's also a wide range of shipping options, as well as a home collection service for large items - all available to book whilst you are placing your online return. Our delivery and returns fees can be found here .
Remember to flat-pack your Whirli box so you have it to hand for your return. If you don't have a box, see if there’s a random unwanted one at home. We hate waste and love to reuse and we really don’t mind if we received your returns in another retailer’s box.
As often as you like. On the day your family has outgrown or shows no interest in a toy, simply make a swap. There’s no need to swap everything at once. Just the unloved toys.
Not at all. There’s no need to swap everything at once. Just the unloved toys.
Flexibility
Should you wish to cancel, we’ll be sorry to see you go.
Cancellation eligibility
Pay monthly: | You can cancel your plan at any time. |
Pay half-yearly or yearly: | You can cancel from 14 days before your next renewal date. |
Simply follow these steps and please allow enough time before your renewal to complete each step.
Cancellation steps
1. Mark all your toys as returned in your online account.
2. Pop them all back to us and remember to keep that proof of postage.
3. Once we’ve received your return, we will send you an email confirming it has been
processed.
4. You can then hop on to your Whirli ‘My Account’ page to cancel your subscription
online before your plan renews.
Upgrade
You can always upgrade your plan through your account page.
Any time that you have remaining on your current plan will be deducted from the upgrade price.
Downgrade
If you would like to downgrade, you can do so as follows:
Pay monthly: | Downgrade at any time. |
Pay half-yearly or yearly: | Downgrade from 14 days before your next renewal date. |
Before you can downgrade you will need to follow these steps and please allow enough time before your renewal to complete each step.
Downgrade steps
1. Return any toys that take you over the token allowance of the plan you want to
downgrade to.
Toy Sack | 80 tokens |
Toy Box | 120 tokens |
Toy Trunk | 160 tokens |
Toy Chest | 240 tokens |
3. Pop them back to us and remember to keep that proof of postage.
4. Once we’ve received your return, we will send you an email confirming it has been processed.
5. You can then hop on to your Whirli ‘My Account’ page to change your plan online before your plan renews.
Packaging
Your toys will arrive unboxed from their original packaging and in reusable Whirli cotton bags. Significantly less toy packaging is generated through our service, which saves enormous amounts of energy in recycling.
We deliver your toys in cardboard Whirli boxes that you can flat pack and save for returning your swapped toys.
Credit
Whirli credit is added to your account when you redeem a gift card. When your next payment is due, we always take money from your outstanding Whirli credit before we charge your bank card. Credit can be used for any Whirli payment, such as delivery and returns postage, plan renewals, plan upgrades, toy purchases and so on.