April 2021

HSBC, First Direct, M&S Bank and John Lewis Finance are making a second set of payments to some customers who have been in arrears in recent years. Having previously paid some customers compensation for substandard service, they're now issuing refunds – in one case paying out over £7,000 – for interest and charges that shouldn't have been due. So if you get a cheque out of the blue, DON'T bin it thinking it's a scam or spam.

The cost of buying school uniform for children in England could fall later this year after a new law was passed which will mean schools must try to keep prices down and keep branded items to a minimum.

If you starting using your car to commute during the pandemic and plan to continue to do so, you may need to notify your insurer ASAP. A temporary extension of cover organised by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) trade body ends at 11.59pm on Friday (30 April), and if you don't have the correct insurance in place you could be fined and left unable to claim. Some insurers don't need to be notified immediately though and have automatically extended cover further - we've full details below. 

A pilot scheme in eight towns across the UK will test new ways to boost access to cash in local communities – with measures including local shops offering cashback, new 'bank hubs' in Post Offices and more free ATMs. And while it's a small-scale trial at the moment, if successful these measures could be rolled out more widely in future. 

Conservative MPs have struck down a proposed amendment to the Financial Services Bill, which would have seen interest rates capped for certain mortgage prisoners. But the Government has announced it will launch a review looking for other solutions and MoneySavingExpert.com won't give up the fight. 

Music streaming giant Spotify is to hike the price of its Student, Duo, and Family paid-for 'Premium' packages, with some customers set to pay an extra £2/month, or £24/year. However the price of its Individual subscription - currently £9.99/mth - doesn't appear to be changing.

Members of the House of Lords have called on the Government to protect access to cash and to do more to prevent the poorest from being excluded from access to financial services. The call for action comes as part of a report published today by the cross-party House of Lords Liaison Committee.

Student loan interest rates are set to drop for many students from September. Current students in England and Wales, for example, can expect to see the interest rate they're charged fall from 5.6% to 4.5%. Meanwhile, many former students with outstanding loans will likely see their rates dip too – though the changes are yet to be finalised by the Government, so for now we can only predict what'll happen.

E.on has agreed to pay out more than £650,000 after it took 1.6 million customers' direct debits up to two weeks early in December, leaving many without cash in their accounts just before Christmas. If you were hit with extra charges as a result and haven't been compensated yet, get in touch with E.on now. Here's what you need to know. 

Sainsbury's has stopped offering some Nectar cardholders weekly points bonuses, as part of an under-the-radar shake-up to the loyalty scheme which has left some shoppers confused and frustrated. It has only given us scant details so we've pieced together that info with MoneySavers' reports to get to the bottom of it.