Money

Earlier this month, First Direct and HSBC cut their market-leading regular savings rates from 5% to 2.75% on new accounts, leaving M&S Bank as the sole 5% survivor. The cut means that, excluding M&S, the next best rate that's accessible to all is 3% from Virgin Money, much closer to rates offered on other types of savings accounts. So, are regular savers still worth saving in? We run the numbers to find out...

I usually write blogs as the 'MoneySavingIdiot', chronicling my attempts to practise what we preach at MSE (the last one was on switching bank accounts). But as this is a more personal blog, written ahead of World Mental Health Day 2019 on Thursday, I thought it would be better coming from MSE Kelvin. So, here's my tale of my own mental health struggles and how I've battled credit card debt...

Did you miss the first two sure-to-be-award-winning MoneySavingIdiot blogs (on train delays and travelling abroad)? If so, then here's the idea. Although working at MSE means I help people save money, I suck at doing the same for myself. So I'm attempting to improve my cash-related competence and help inspire other non-natural MoneySavers. This week: credit scores.

Couponing and in particular, extreme couponing, took the UK by storm in 2012-2013 and many of us have enjoyed years of free goodies and following the escapades of couponers like our Coupon Kid, Jordon – see how he got £105 of shopping for £1.62 as an example. Recently, although the availability of coupons ebbs and flows, we’ve seen the rise (and sometimes fall) of cashback websites begin to outstrip traditional coupons. So, is it just a blip or is couponing kaput?

Every week it’s the same old, same old. First, a reader expresses shock (and even disgust) at the size of their insurance renewal quote. It sparks an angry phone call to an indifferent insurer which in turn triggers an urgent visit to a price comparison site. Big savings then emerge (£100s and even £1,000s) – often with...

You know what, the headline is wrong. I didn’t invest – I gambled. I bought £250’s worth of cryptocurrency – Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin – in December. I know nothing about them, I just saw the price rising and thought I could make a quick buck. Yet I only bought what I could afford to lose, as...

Pensioner Bonds are simply fixed-rate savings accounts, launched in January 2015, paying a massive 4% interest for the three-year version (and 2.8% on the one-year version which matured in 2016) – though, as the name suggests, they were only available to those 65+. In total, just under 900,000 people took one out between January and May that...

The deadline for spending old round £1 coins is fast approaching – after Sunday 15 October they’ll no longer be legal tender. But before you rush to get rid of your old coins, turn ’em over. Some might be worth more than their face value, with a few even fetching up to £20… We’ve been telling you for...

While many of us may have ‘friends’ on Facebook we haven’t spoken to in years, it’s unlikely you’re connected with a robot – though with the new wave of ‘chatbot’ tech, this looks set to change. Which brings us onto Plum, a new-ish chatbot. A chatbot is a computer program you can interact with online, and this...

According to a recent piece of research, UK households are hoarding millions in expired foreign currency. But if you still have ancient foreign notes and coins, the good news is they’re not worthless – you CAN still exchange them. Now, it’s important to note that this research comes with a major health warning. Bureau de change firm...