MSE's weekly round-up
Fast key info to boost your finances
Welcome to the hottest MSE content from the past week! It's a bite-sized run-through of our latest top tips, best deals and news-you-can-use, plus (of course) Martin's musings. To catch up on all you need to know from this week, read on...
MSE's Money Tips email: Save £10,000s on your mortgage?, bag supermarket freebies, grab £255 for switching bank & much more
Some highlights from this week's email include...
-
Could overpaying your mortgage save you £10,000s? With the UK base rate cut again last month and savings rates falling, now could be a good time to overpay your mortgage and cut your overall interest costs.
-
Save in the supermarket with top freebies. They include protein bowls, dog treats, yogurts and more – check out 40+ supermarket coupons.
-
Help yourself to a free £255. TSB is offering the biggest mainstream bank-switching bribe so far this year, to tempt you to switch to its Spend & Save account.
Key MSE News: Water bills to rise AGAIN
-
Most homes in England, Scotland and Wales will see their water bills rise again from April.
-
See how much your bills are expected to rise by with our firm-by-firm breakdown (England and Wales). Average increases are set to be £33 a year (5.4%) in England and Wales and £42 a year (8.7%) in Scotland.
-
We also reveal our top tips for saving on your water bills, and cover the plans for a new water ombudsman and regulator.
READ THE FULL WATER BILLS STORY
Hot deal: Get 25% off eyewear at Vision Express
-
Save 25% on contact lenses, glasses and prescription sunglasses at Vision Express.
-
Grab the deal by following this Vision Express link* and entering the MSE Blagged code AFFMSE25 at checkout.
-
The code works on a range of branded (including designer) and own-brand glasses, and is available until 11.59pm on Sunday 1 March.
The latest from Martin: Warning... Plan 2 repayment thresholds are being frozen – should you overpay your student loan?
-
In his latest blog, MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis explains whether those on a Plan 2 student loan should overpay. In short: for some, yes, but for many, no.
-
Martin warns that the Government's planned freezing of the repayment threshold means that, as wages rise but the threshold stays the same, Plan 2 graduates will have to pay back more of their income.
-
His long-read blog also covers what's changed to make Plan 2 worse, how millions who have overpaid can reclaim £100s, how Plan 2 compares with current Plan 5 loans and more.
READ THE FULL PLAN 2 STUDENT LOANS BLOG
What's new on MSE: Know your heat network rights with our updated guide
-
We've refreshed our Heat network need-to-knows guide following new regulations that came into force this month, with Ofgem now the official heat network regulator in England, Scotland and Wales.
-
Before now, heat networks had no specific regulations or protections – leaving consumers potentially facing higher prices, inaccurate bills and limited access to redress for customer service failings.
-
We detail your new rights if you're connected to a heat network (a system that provides heating and hot water to multiple properties from a single source).
READ THE FULL HEAT NETWORKS GUIDE
And finally, from our social channels: Switch phone provider, keep the same network
Believe it or not, there are actually only four UK mobile networks (EE, O2, Three and Vodafone). All other providers piggyback on their signals.
And these alternative firms are often much cheaper, so it's possible to switch and save while remaining on the same overall network.
Our social post outlines which brands use which main networks – to help you determine which options you have to save.
Share this guide?
