2015

Energy firms are facing increased pressure from the Government to pass on a fall in wholesale costs – the price providers pay for energy – to consumers by slashing household bills.

Three has backtracked on a promise it made to customers last year not to hike prices mid-contract.

BT home phone customers should check their bills, as well as those of older relatives, to see if they're unnecessarily paying to rent their handsets – some say they've unwittingly paid the fee for 20 years.

Savers will be able to stash away more cash in Premium Bonds as the limit rises today, but there is still no guarantee you get a return on your investment.

If you run a small business or employ a nanny or carer, you may need to start paying into a pension for them as part of the Government's next phase of auto-enrolment.

MSE update: Friday 12 June, 10.47am – since this story was published, Vodafone announced that from 10 August, its new access charge for 08, 09 and 118 calls will be 45p/minute, up from the 23p/minute charge it will be bringing in from 1 July. This will make Vodafone the most expensive provider in terms of its access charge.

Consumers who bought payment protection insurance (PPI) on loans and credit cards may have a new avenue for demanding compensation following a Supreme Court ruling.

Update: 1 June 2015: The Government has today announced that the 30 hours of free childcare for three- and four-year-olds will actually roll out in September 2016 in some pilot areas, ahead of the full expansion in September 2017.