2021

A landmark class action case against Mastercard, which if successful could see millions of UK consumers receive £100s each in damages, is set to return to court next month. It's the latest step in a case that has rolled on for almost five years. Here's an update on the most recent developments and what the next stage means for consumers. 

HMRC has further relaxed self-assessment penalties for taxpayers. It means a possible 5% penalty for not paying outstanding tax by early March will be waived if you settle up by the start of April. However, if you’ve not yet filed your return by Sunday you face a £100 fine, so get your skates on.  

Martin Lewis has warned pension savers they could lose £1,000s, or even £10,000s, from their pension by falling foul of a trap that sees withdrawals taxed. Watch the full pensions special episode of The Martin Lewis Money Show on the ITV Hub.

Three and Vodafone customers will be hit with price hikes of up to 4.5% over the next few months, the telecoms providers have confirmed. But only those who are out of contract can cancel penalty-free. 

Millions of EDF, Eon, Npower and Scottish Power customers will see energy bills hiked by £96/yr on average from 1 April. All four firms are raising prices by the maximum allowed under the new energy price cap announced earlier in February. But most households can beat the hikes and save £200/yr by switching to a cheaper deal. 

Almost 78,000 motorists may be able to reclaim cash from payment accounts for the Dartford Crossing which have been automatically closed because they've not been used for 15 months, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal. Even if you're not owed money, it's worth checking if your account's been closed without you realising, as if it has, you could be fined if you then use the Dartford Crossing without paying another way. 

If you've got a prepaid travel card you may be hit with a £2 monthly fee if you haven't used it in over a year, which could impact many given the coronavirus pandemic has largely scuppered travel plans since March 2020. Here's what to watch out for and what you can do to avoid being hit by charges.

Around 2.3 million British Gas customers on standard tariffs will see gas and electricity bills jump by a typical £97/yr from April, after it announced it's raising prices by the maximum allowed under the new price cap. But most can beat the hikes and save £200/yr by switching to a cheaper deal. 

Tesco has mistakenly double-charged shoppers at stores across the UK in recent days, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal, due to a "technical error" which may have resulted in 1,000s of card payments being taken twice. Tesco says it's working to reverse duplicate transactions, but we've full help below on how to check if you've been overcharged and what to do if you have been.

A ban on bailiff evictions in England, which was introduced at the start of the coronavirus pandemic, has been extended for another six weeks until 31 March 2021.