MSE's weekly round-up
Car finance redress delayed, Standing Charges trials launched, bargain Butlin’s & more
Welcome to the hottest MSE content from the past week! See our latest top tips, hot deals and news-you-can-use, plus Martin's musings, all in a quickfire bite-sized format. Here's what you need to know from this week.
The week in brief...
We've the full round-up below, but first, here's a quick look at this week's top content:
Bag a broadband bargain, see car finance reclaim latest and play a free lottery – from this week's Money Tips email.
Low Standing Charge energy trials launch, but don't assume they'll save you money.
Car boot bargains, Premium Bonds and returns – this week in the MSE Forum.
MSE's Money Tips email: Bag a broadband bargain, see car finance reclaim latest and play a free lottery
Some highlights from this week's email include...
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Stop being ripped off with slow broadband. We round up the cheapest broadband deals on the market.
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The car finance redress scheme has been delayed. However, you should still complain in the meantime if you've been affected.
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See our success of the week. One reader won more than £3,000 on Pick My Postcode – you can sign up yourself for free.
Key MSE News: Several energy firms launch low Standing Charge trials – but don't assume they win
EDF, E.on and Octopus have launched limited 'low Standing Charge' tariff trials.
These tariffs – in which you pay just for the facility of having gas and electricity, even if you don't use any – could cut costs for very low-use households, but medium and higher users could end up paying more overall.
As always, the cheapest way for many to save is to get off the Price Cap, as our story details.
The latest from Martin Lewis: MPs back Martin Lewis's student loan repayment criticism
The cross-party Treasury Committee of MPs has backed MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) founder Martin Lewis's criticism of the planned Plan 2 Student Loan repayment threshold freeze in its report on Student Loans.
Martin has long condemned the move to freeze repayment thresholds, calling it "a breach of natural justice". This is because it changes the terms for existing borrowers after the fact, pushing up repayments for people who signed up years ago.
Hot deal: Save on a staycation with 85p Butlin's tickets
Kids aged 14 and under can get a Butlin's day ticket for 85p until Thursday 16 July, or while spaces last, when visiting with an adult. Weekend visits are included at Minehead and Skegness, though Bognor Regis is sold out.
Adult tickets cost £15 to £19 depending on the resort, and you'll need to pay extra for things such as food, drinks and parking.
From our social channels: Paws before you travel: pet rules have changed
This week's social post flagged an easy-to-miss travel cost for pet owners. Most Brits can no longer use EU pet passports, so will usually need to pay for a single-use Animal Health Certificate before each trip.
It's worth factoring into your holiday budget considering these certificates can cost up to £150.
What's new on MSE: Try our new broadband speed test tool
Fresh off the back of launching our Broadband health checker, we've also unveiled a new Broadband speed check tool. It tests both your download speed (the rate at which you get data) and upload speed (the rate at which you can send data) so you can see whether your connection is delivering what you pay for
We'll also point you towards practical next steps – whether that's trying simple speed boosters, checking if you're on the right broadband package or comparing new deals.
And finally, from the MSE Forum: Car boot bargains, Premium Bonds and returns
Some highlights from the MSE Forum this week include...
Can you still find car boot bargains? Readers are weighing up whether car boot sales are still worth it.
Tell us how you got in July's Premium Bonds draw. There's plenty of chat about the results, including one forumite celebrating a £5k win.
Poll: How often do you return items bought online? The latest poll asks how often people send things back after ordering online.
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