Millions helped, billions saved, campaigns success... and a Top 40 hit: MoneySavingExpert turns 15

MoneySavingExpert by the numbers

It's not all about the stats of course, but to give you an idea of just how big MSE has become, here are a few key figures:

• 43.4 million – number of posts to date in the MSE Forum
• 13 million – number of people now opted in to receive the weekly email
• 7.1 million – number of bank charge template letters downloaded to help consumers claim
• 6.7 million – number of PPI reclaim letters downloaded
• 3.2 million – number of Cheap Energy Club members
• 453,000 – number of delayed-flight reclaim letters downloaded
• £153,000 – biggest PPI reclaim success via MSE that we've heard of
• 780ish – total number of weekly emails sent (give or take)
• 6 – number of MoneySaving weddings – ie, weddings after MoneySavers first met in the forum. (That's the number we're aware of, but let us know if you know of more.)

Our biggest campaign successes

From the very beginning we've always aimed to protect consumers and give them the tools they need to fight back, and we're proud to say this has been at the heart of everything we've done. Here are a few highlights:

• 2005 onwards – Our long-running battle against unfair bank charges began, eventually reaching the Supreme Court. It is thought to have helped consumers save almost a billion pounds a year in lower fees.
• 2006 onwards – We started our campaign highlighting PPI mis-selling.
• Jan 2007 – MSE launched its council tax rebanding system to stop millions overpaying each year.
• Jul 2008 – Carol Vorderman quit doing secured loan adverts, two years after MSE was at the forefront of a petition to ask her to stop doing them.
• May 2011 – After a long slog, the banks threw in the towel on PPI mis-selling claims and since then we've been inundated with successes from users who've reclaimed PPI for free.
• Oct 2011 – Then Prime Minister David Cameron and Energy Secretary Chris Huhne chose to reveal their plans to tackle rising energy costs by writing exclusively for MSE.
• Feb 2013 – We launched our Cheap Energy Club, which monitors the best deals for you and tells you when to switch.
• Sep 2013 – We finally won our campaign to make financial education compulsory in English schools.
• Jun 2014 – Martin was awarded an OBE for services to consumer rights and his charitable work.
• Sep 2016 – The MSE Credit Club was launched to show you your credit score for free and tell you if you're likely to be accepted for credit.
• Oct 2017 – We won a notable victory for graduates after years of campaigning when Prime Minister Theresa May agreed to raise the student loan repayment threshold.
• Nov 2017 – MSE delivered its landmark report Sharper teeth: The consumer need for ombudsman reform after being commissioned by a cross-party group of MPs to investigate the effectiveness of ombudsmen.

Share your MSE memories with us on Twitter using the #MSE15 hashtag.

And finally... what about that Top 40 hit?

Yep, it really happened. In January 2008 the bank charges protest song I Fought The Lloyds, featuring Martin in the video and the unforgettable instruction to "Open up Mozilla and go to MoneySavingExpert.com", entered the Top 40 chart at number 25.

Surely the first-ever chart entry to feature lyrics about "sexy little template letters", the song has become part of the MSE legend. Read the full story here, and watch below. Enjoy...

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