MoneySavingExpert News
March

Countryside and Taylor Wimpey ordered to remove 'unfair' doubling ground rent clauses from leases
Two major house builders have been ordered to remove 'unfair' leasehold clauses that allow them to double ground rents every 10 or 15 years. It comes after the competition watchdog found these terms can make it 'impossible' for people to sell or get a mortgage
18 March 2022

Shell Energy to axe £15 broadband switching 'cease fee'
Shell Energy is to scrap a controversial £15 'cease fee' it charges customers who switch away from the firm or cancel their contract, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal. It comes after we queried the fee with regulator Ofcom and it asked Shell Energy to explain the charge - though Shell insists it was already reviewing the fee as it prepares to take on 450,000 Post Office customers later this year.
4 October 2021

M&S Bank to close all current accounts from 31 August - so it's your last chance to switch
M&S Bank is to close all of its current accounts from August, it's been announced. But customers with credit cards, loans and insurance customers are not impacted. Here's what's happening.
24 August 2021

Morrisons scraps 'More' loyalty points in favour of personalised money-off discounts
Morrisons is to axe its 'Morrisons More' loyalty points scheme and replace it with new personalised money-off vouchers via its app
11 May 2021

McDonald’s to axe 'free hot drink' stickers on cups
31 March 2021

Martin Lewis on how to urgently beat April price hikes (BT, British Gas, council tax and more) and tax changes
MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis has urged households to sort out several bills and to check possible cash reclaim opportunities BEFORE the end of this month in his latest episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show on ITV
29 March 2021

M&S Bank customer? You can now bag £100+ switch bonuses from HSBC & First Direct no matter how long you’ve held your account
All M&S Bank customers can now switch to HSBC and First Direct regardless of how long they've been with M&S. M&S, which is closing all of its current accounts this summer, had previously said customers wouldn't be able to switch to its sister banks if they'd joined the group since 1 January 2018. But it's now U-turned on this decision.
26 March 2021

Warning: New and renewing O2 customers to be hit with inflation-busting price hikes
Mobile users who sign up to a pay-monthly or Sim-only contract with O2 from 25 March, including existing customers who renew their contracts after this date, will be hit with price hikes of at least 3.9% from April 2022. It comes as the provider shakes up its terms and conditions.
26 March 2021

Argos to dish out £5 gift cards to 114,000 customers with extended warranties after failing to make them aware of cheaper alternatives
More than 100,000 Argos customers who bought an extended warranty from the retailer between July 2019 and October 2020 will soon get a £5 e-gift card.
26 March 2021

Santander to close 111 branches by August - here's the full list and where you can bank instead
Santander is to close 111 branches - around 20% of its 563 UK branches - by the end of August. The bank, which blames the move on customers increasingly switching online, says this will leave 452 UK branches. We've full info on which outlets are closing and what to do if your local branch is affected.
25 March 2021
18 May 2022
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12 ways to save only do with apps
Free chocs, free Whopper and more
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Martin: 'Aged around 45 to 70?'
'You may be able to turn £800 into £5,500+'
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New. Top way to spend abroad
Unbeatable exchange rates and cashback
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10% off discount 'best-before' store
Eg, 23p Pepsi , £4,50 for 1kg Lindt
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Cheaper energy deals kiboshed
Martin not exactly impressed
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Lloyds' free £125 bank bribe
But others pay more
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Debt cost-cutting masterclass
Mortgages, cards, overdrafts, loans...
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Over 100,000 Vodafone customers unable to redeem Airtime Rewards to put towards their phone bill – here’s what you can do
18 May 2022More than 100,000 Vodafone customers have been unable to redeem Airtime Rewards against their mobile phone bill since the start of May due to a technical glitch. The cashback scheme has implemented a temporary fix, which sees cashback paid into your bank account, for now. Here is all you need to know. -
Lloyds Banking Group to shut another 20 Lloyds branches and eight Halifax outlets - here's what's happening
18 May 2022Lloyds Banking Group has announced a further round of branch closures, with 28 more outlets being shut across the UK between August and November this year. The closures are made up of 20 Lloyds Bank branches and eight Halifax outlets. -
Hit by passport application delays? Your travel and compensation rights explained
17 May 2022With record numbers lodging passport applications after putting off renewals during the pandemic, delays at the Passport Office are threatening to derail holidays for many. We round up your travel and compensation rights. -
Households should ignore scam emails WRONGLY telling them to claim council tax rebates from energy regulator Ofgem
17 May 2022Beware scam emails wrongly telling you to click a link to sign up for both a council tax rebate and an energy bill discount. It comes as MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) has received several reports from individuals who've received these emails. Here's what you need to watch out for. -
NHS prescription costs frozen in England for the first time in 12 years – here are all the details and how to save on your medicine bills
17 May 2022NHS prescription costs will remain frozen at £9.35 an item for the next 12 months. This is welcome news for many but remember to check if you qualify for free prescriptions or if you can save money with a prescription 'season ticket'. See below for more details.
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Martin Lewis: 'UO is just as important as UX: A tip for anyone developing their website or app'
6 May 2022I set up MoneySavingExpert.com nearly 20 years ago – when arguably the modern web was still in its infancy. With an abundance of self-belief (something I had too much of then, as I realise now) I decided not to read any books, or follow prevailing wisdom on how a site should operate – and just do it my way. -
Martin Lewis: Got a cash ISA? You should probably ditch it
3 May 2022Press the rewind button and go way back to April 2015... Possibly on the telly in the corner of your living room, I was on-air at the time urging savers as usual to use their new tax-free cash ISA allowance – because 'money was nicer in an ISA'. But things changed in 2016. -
Martin Lewis: Money and Mental Health charity 2021/22 – Covid & cost of living hell...
26 April 2022It's hard to believe the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) charity is now six years old. As the chair of trustees, each year I write the foreword to its annual report – and today the 2021/22 report is out, so I thought I'd blog my formal chair's foreword here. -
Martin Lewis: What happened to my pledge to give £10m to charity – 2022 update (spoiler: it's now £20m)
11 April 2022Nearly a decade ago, in June 2012, MSE joined the MSM Group and I pledged £10m to go to charity. As that was a public pledge and I feel I've a duty of transparency, every year or two I bash out a blog report to explain where I'm up to, and who's got what money.