July 2021

Prospective university and college students who plan to go through a process known as 'clearing' to get onto a course should not wait for their exam results before applying for student finance. The Student Loans Company (SLC) says people should instead apply as soon as possible. Students who've already been offered a place but have yet to apply for funding should also do so now.

The Financial Conduct Authority has revealed details on how it plans to regulate prepaid funeral sellers from next summer, with measures including a ban on cold calling, a set penalty-free cancellation period and providers requiring authorisation.

Savers with a best-buy Marcus or Saga easy-access savings account or cash ISA can boost their interest rate by 0.1 percentage points so long as they don't already have a bonus rate attached to it. It comes as Goldman Sachs – the firm behind the two popular savings brands – rolls out a higher rate for new customers too.

Card provider American Express is making a number of changes to its two British Airways reward credit cards from 1 September. The shake-up will see annual fees hiked on one of the cards, while the spending threshold to earn a 'free' companion flight is falling on the other card - although users will only be able to redeem this on economy class tickets going forward. Here's what's happening. 

Motorists paying for fuel at many self-service pumps face having up to £100 on their debit or credit card temporarily "reserved" while they fill up, to make sure they can afford the petrol or diesel. While people will naturally spend some of that £100, many report waiting days for the unspent portion to be returned, which could leave them struggling to pay for bills in the meantime. 

Anyone with a piggybank, money jar or even a sofa (that may have cash down it) should check for old coins and notes. It comes as new stats reveal there's at least £1.4 billion in old paper £5 and £10 notes, and old £1 coins out there. Here's what to look for and how to make this cash spendable again.

The government's Online Safety Bill is "doomed to fail" and will leave millions of internet users in danger of losing money and/ or sensitive information if it does not include protection from paid-for scam adverts, warn campaigners including MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis. 

More than two in three employees in full-time or part-time work say they're financially better off now than at the start of the coronavirus pandemic – but only one in three of those who are self-employed feel the same, a new MoneySavingExpert.com poll has found. 

Lloyds Bank has launched a new credit card that enables holders to earn 0.25% cashback on up to £4,000 of annual spending and 0.5% above, with no cap on how much you can earn. You can also earn a £20 bonus if you spend £1,000 in the first 90 days. But Lloyds' cashback rate can be beaten by American Express - here's how it compares. 

Virgin Mobile is to close down its pay-as-you-go (PAYG) services from January 2022 in a move that impacts 123,000 customers. Here's what it means for your plan, mobile number, and unused credit.