MSE's weekly round-up
Fast key info to boost your finances
Welcome to the hottest MSE content from the past week! See our latest top tips, best deals and news-you-can-use, plus Martin's musings, all in a quickfire bite-sized format. To catch up on all you need to know from this week, read on...
MSE's Money Tips email: Cut Council Tax, visit a castle 'for free', learn jet-fuel cancellation rights & much more
Some highlights from this week's email include...
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Are you overpaying your Council Tax? 100,000s are, so we've six ways to bring down your bill, with many facing 5% rises.
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Enjoy a 'free' family visit to battlefields, castles, palaces & more. Pick up a paper (from £1.50) and you'll find a free English Heritage family pass, normally costing £40. This gives you access to one of the charity's 400+ historical sites (with some exclusions).
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Know your rights around hotel costs after a jet fuel cancellation. MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis explains what options you have and how to protect yourself in future, with the Middle East conflict continuing to disrupt travel.
Key MSE News: Lidl revamps its loyalty scheme... but shoppers say it's worse value than before
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You can now earn one point per £1 spent in Lidl as part of its reworked Lidl Plus Points scheme, which can earn you money-off vouchers and freebies.
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However, some customers are more than a Lidl unhappy with the scheme, with one calling it a "downgrade".
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That's because some freebies now cost more: with a pain au chocolat, for example, you could get this sweet treat for free after spending just £10; now it costs 70 points – requiring a £70 spend. We've full details on the rebranded scheme in our news story...
READ THE FULL LIDL POINTS NEWS STORY
Hot deal: Grab a £50 to £300 John Lewis gift card when buying certain electricals
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Buy a qualifying electronic item – such as a TV, cooker or fridge – and you can get a John Lewis gift card, with its value increasing the more you spend.
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But given the electricals are priced from £380 to £7,000, only consider this if you were planning to buy an item anyway and always compare prices before buying.
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We give examples of some of the items and their cost, at John Lewis and elsewhere, to help you decide whether the deal's worth it for you.
The latest from Martin Lewis: Can you reclaim energy credit? Martin's updated Direct Debit cycle blog has full help
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Energy suppliers are sitting on an estimated £3 BILLION of consumer cash due to Direct Debit overpayments – and if you're owed, you can ask for some of that back.
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If you pay by monthly Direct Debit, now is the perfect time to check whether you're owed, as you should be in the lowest amount of credit at this time of year.
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It's all about the Direct Debit cycle, which Martin takes you through in his updated blog, telling you all you need to know – including how to reclaim.
READ THE FULL DIRECT DEBIT CYCLE BLOG
From our social channels: The benefits of an EHIC or GHIC
Going on holiday to Europe? Don't forget your free EHIC/GHIC (European/Global Health Insurance card). These entitle you to free or discounted medical care in the European Union and elsewhere.
Given they're free, this week's social post warns that you should NEVER pay for one, with some websites set up to trick you into paying. And while an EHIC or GHIC is not a substitute for travel insurance, they're well worth having.
And finally, from the MSE Forum: How often do you abandon an online shopping basket? Vote now
Pull out of a purchase by ditching your online basket and some retailers try to tempt you back with a discount. But whatever the reason for dropping a purchase, we want to know: how regularly do you abandon your online basket?
Vote in our poll via the link below. You can also follow it to discuss anything and everything shopping-related, and much more, with our forumites in the MSE Forum.
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