January 2022

Boots has announced a new discount scheme for Advantage cardholders that will see them eligible for exclusive deals on everyday items when they shop in store.

MCE Insurance Company, which was one of the UK's biggest motorbike insurers, is to cancel all of its 105,000 remaining policies after falling into administration last year. The moves comes despite the insurer initially promising to honour existing cover.

Millions of BT, EE, Plusnet, Shell, TalkTalk and Vodafone customers will be hit with price hikes of up to 9.3% this spring on the back of a sharp increase in the cost of living. For many, this year's hikes are more than double last year's. We've full info and a handy table below on what's happening and who's affected. 

Amazon has shelved plans to stop people using Visa credit cards to buy items on the shopping platform from 19 January. It means users no longer need to update their payment details, although they can continue to do so in order to be awarded free credit. 

The Bank of England has increased base rates to 0.5% from 0.25% after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted in favour of a rise. The base rate is used by the central bank to charge other banks and lenders when they borrow money – and influences what borrowers pay and savers earn.

Were households right to follow MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis's "do nothing" energy mantra and stick with the price cap since October 2021? Martin answers this question in his new video on the energy crisis below, as well as explaining what might be next for energy bills. 

Airline passengers on domestic flights within the UK could be compensated if their trip is delayed by just one hour under sweeping new proposals put forward by the Government. The plans also include strengthening consumers' rights to complain when the airline won't help in the first instance. 

Customers of the majority of the UK's biggest banks and building societies will be able to continue to use Post Office counters for basic banking until at least the end of 2025, as part of a new agreement announced today (Monday 31 January), making life easier for those who rely on cash.

University leavers from England and Wales who started university in or after 2012 will pay around £110 a year more than they would've done from April as the Government has announced a plan to freeze the student loan repayment threshold - the earnings level at which loans begin to be repaid. 

Bereaved families face a sharp rise of up to 76% in probate fees after the Government introduced a flat fee of £273, replacing the previous two-tier system where families would pay a £155 or £215 fee depending on how they applied for probate.