Helen Knapman

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. 

Funding for the Green Homes Grant voucher scheme is set to be slashed by around £1.5 billion from April, it's been revealed. 

Two Ryanair television adverts have been banned after the advertising watchdog ruled they made misleading and irresponsible claims about the coronavirus pandemic. The ads stated that coronavirus vaccines were 'coming soon' and encouraged wannabe holidaymakers to 'jab and go' on Easter and summer trips. 

Online fashion retailer Asos has snapped up Arcadia's Topshop, Topman, Miss Selfridge, and HIIT brands and stock for £330 million - but its high street stores aren't included in the deal and will close for good. Here's what it means for shoppers, including your gift card and return rights.  The news comes after Sir Philip Green's Arcadia Group, which operated 444 stores across the UK under its Burton, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit, Topman, Topshop and Wallis brands, announced it had collapsed into administration in December 2020 due to the pandemic "severely impacting" sales.  Stores had continued to trade in the meantime, despite Deloitte being appointed as administrator for the retail empire, though they later temporarily closed when stricter coronavirus lockdown measures were imposed across the UK.  In a similar move, online retailer Boohoo purchased Debenhams' brand and website just last week after the department store chain also fell into administration. The sale means all 118 of Debenhams' UK stores will close for good. For general info on what you can do to try to reclaim cash from a firm in administration if things go wrong, see our Administration Help guide.

TalkTalk landline customers with its Unlimited UK Calls Boost plan will see their bill jump by £24 a year from January. But if you're affected, the good news is you can simply cancel the calls plan penalty-free.

The furlough scheme set up to support those whose jobs have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic has been extended another month and will now run until the end of April 2021, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced today. And businesses will now be able to apply for Government support schemes including bounce back loans until the end of March. 

Pet owners hoping to take their pooch, cat or ferret to the European Union (EU) or Northern Ireland after the Brexit transition period ends on 31 December won't be able to use a pet passport as they can currently. But after months of uncertainty, the Government's now said you will be able to travel with your pet so long as you get a new animal health certificate and meet certain other requirements. 

The price of train season tickets and many other rail fares in England will increase by more than inflation for the first time in eight years in 2021, with passengers facing a rise of up to 2.6% - and those in Wales face a similar jump. But the hikes have been delayed from January to March, so you've still two months to buy at 2020 prices. 

HSBC, First Direct, M&S Bank and John Lewis Finance borrowers who have fallen behind on repayments between 2010 and 2019 may get up to £100 in compensation after receiving a substandard level of service – and it's not a scam, despite some confusion caused by letters arriving out of the blue.    HSBC Group, which all four brands come under, says in an internal review it uncovered instances where customers in arrears hadn't received the quality of service it expected, and it's decided to put this right. HSBC wouldn't confirm exactly what it did wrong or who is impacted but said examples of bad practice included poorly worded letters that didn't engage customers who might have been struggling to make repayments.  Regulator the Financial Conduct Authority generally defines credit arrears as any shortfall in one or more payments due, while for home mortgages it's a shortfall equivalent to two or more regular payments. HSBC has confirmed this issue affects all types of consumer banking products where you could fall behind with repayments, from mortgages to personal loans to credit cards.  The banking group wouldn't tell us how many customers are in line for a payout but as it has 14 million active UK customers across the four brands, even if just 1% were affected that would amount to 140,000 people – plus, there are those who have already closed accounts on top. Read our Debt Help guide if you're struggling. 

People on low incomes who are told to self-isolate are no longer able to claim a £500 Test and Trace support payment in some areas as funding provided to local authorities has begun to run out, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal - even though the scheme had been expected to run until the end of January.

Tesco Clubcard users have been given an extra six months to spend vouchers which were due to expire in August or November, due to the coronavirus crisis.

Asda and Sainsbury's are making big changes to what they charge for online grocery deliveries, with many shoppers set to pay more as a result. 

Shoppers using cashback site Quidco to max their gains when buying online can now earn rewards on top of cashback, but you have to actively opt in to get them.

George Osborne has pledged to save families up to £470 a year by boosting competition and cutting red tape in areas such as banking, utilities and mobile phones.

Many major providers have announced how much their Help to Buy ISAs will pay in light of their launch tomorrow, with one offering 4% interest.

The amount people get in state pension payments from next April has been confirmed by Chancellor George Osborne today, while he also revealed those who leave the UK for more than four weeks at a time will no longer receive pension credit or housing benefit.