2020

The Government's Job Support Scheme will be extended and the next self-employed income support grant doubled, Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced today, while businesses in England affected by 'tier two' restrictions will be given access to new cash grants.

State pensions are expected to rise by 2.5% next April under the 'triple lock' guarantee – meaning an increase of about £230/year for those receiving the new state pension in full.

Nationwide is to reduce the level of cover its FlexPlus travel insurance offers for cancellation due to coronavirus, in a blow to holidaymakers with the popular packaged bank account. Under changes to FlexPlus cover that will apply to all trips booked from January, a new Foreign Office warning against travel will no longer be sufficient grounds for a cancellation payout.

Consumers can now send packages through Royal Mail without leaving the house, as the firm launches a new collection service meaning parcels can be picked up from people's homes at a cost of 72p each. 

The Government has confirmed that the energy price cap, which limits how much suppliers can charge for poor value tariffs, will be extended until the end of 2021 – and will cover those on prepayment meters.

A huge number of graduates and other student loan borrowers repaid over £100 million more than they needed to last year, new figures obtained by MoneySavingExpert.com reveal. The vast majority of this cash hasn't been claimed back – but if you've overpaid, the good news is it's easy to reclaim.

Santander will cut the interest rate on its popular 123 account again in August to 0.6%, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal. This comes on top of a rate cut in May from 1.5% to 1% and should act as a clarion call for anyone still with the 123 account to switch to better payers – and there are still a few out there.

The new Green Homes Grant scheme is one of the Government's flagship Covid-recovery job-creation schemes, promising homeowners in England up to £5,000 free towards energy efficiency improvements. Yet it is being branded a massive flop by MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis on the back of feedback and his snapshot Twitter poll, which lays bare problems with the scheme. 

Tech giant Apple has unveiled its new handset range, the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro and 12 Pro Max, while cutting the price of the now-older iPhone 11, SE and XR. Buying a new iPhone is never MoneySaving and early adopters usually pay the most. But if you're determined to get one, we've got some tips on how to cut costs below.

App-based bank Monzo has launched a packaged account – 'Monzo Premium' – with a £15 monthly fee. It offers new features including travel and mobile phone insurance and a metal card – but is it worth it?