Petar Lekarski

Assistant Editor – News & Investigations

Petar joined MoneySavingExpert in 2019, but his passion for all things MoneySaving goes back much further – as evidenced by his 'Part of the furniture' badge on the MSE Forum.

He developed his in-depth knowledge of bank accounts, credit cards, loans and savings in the Money team before moving across to MSE News. He has written about a wide range of personal finance topics, covering everything from mobile roaming charges to supermarket loyalty schemes to railcards.

In 2021, Petar researched and wrote MSE's comprehensive and massively popular guide to diesel emissions legal claims, and he continues to maintain it as the cases progress.

Petar has also worked directly with Martin Lewis as his researcher, supporting the MoneySavingExpert with his eponymous ITV show and other media appearances over a period of 18 months.

When he's not polishing prose or crunching numbers, you'll find Petar at the cinema, eating spicy food or cycling around London on a rented bike. He also enjoys playing video games, bouldering and lists of three.

Latest from Petar Lekarski

Nearly 12 million pensioners should have received their £150 or £300 cost of living payment by today, the Government has said. The non-repayable grants were paid as part of the existing Winter Fuel Payments scheme starting in November last year. Here's what to do if you think you're due the payment but haven't yet got it.

13 January 2023

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Credit providers SafetyNet and Tappily have collapsed into administration and stopped taking on new customers – but there's no immediate change for existing borrowers. Both former and existing customers can still submit mis-selling complaints, though there's no guarantee you'll get anything back.

11 January 2023

Flat-owners impacted by the cladding crisis in England may now be able to sell or remortgage their homes, with six major lenders agreeing to offer mortgages under new industry guidance. But the measures only cover properties in buildings of 11m and over and so not everyone affected will benefit – and we're yet to see how it will work in practice. Here's what we know so far.

10 January 2023

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Major energy suppliers STILL have millions of pounds worth in grants – in some cases worth thousands – available to support households experiencing financial difficulties. So check now if you're eligible to claim.

29 December 2022

Virgin Media, RAC and Sky are the top firms to haggle with, a new MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) poll of over 3,000 people has found, with over 80% of those who tried negotiating with these three firms having some success, compared to 66% on average.

22 December 2022

High street banks including HSBC, NatWest and Lloyds are set to close at least 193 more branches next year – we've rounded up the planned closures for each bank and what the alternatives are if you still want face-to-face banking.

22 December 2022

We've the latest on the testing and self-isolation rules for travellers visiting popular destinations abroad, plus full refund and insurance rights for overseas and UK travel.

21 December 2022

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MoneySavingExpert.com and its founder Martin Lewis are among a coalition of organisations today calling on energy firms to take urgent action to ensure households on traditional (non-smart) prepayment meters can access the Government's vital energy help.

20 December 2022

First Direct is now accepting new applications for its current account, after temporarily pausing them on Friday 16 December. It had initially told MoneySavingExpert.com it had made the move in order to maintain its customer service standards and let staff catch up and have a break over the Christmas period, but has now decided it has the resources to process applications as normal.

17 December 2022

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Higher earners in Scotland will be hit with income tax rises from April next year, while most Scottish social security benefits will rise by 10.1% in line with inflation, deputy first minister John Swinney has announced. The changes come as part of today's Scottish budget – we round up what the new measures mean for you below.

15 December 2022

As the festive period draws nearer, we've searched the aisles and crunched the numbers to find the cheapest supermarket for your Christmas dinner – with Aldi coming out on top.

9 December 2022

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More than one in five energy users on traditional prepayment meters say they're yet to receive EITHER of their £66 Government energy help vouchers for October and November, with customers of British Gas being the worst hit, according to a MoneySavingExpert.com (MSE) survey of over 5,500 people.

6 December 2022

Four million Tesco Clubcard holders using Tesco's smartphone app will now get personalised coupons every two weeks, offering extra discounts and bonus points on specific purchases. The shake-up could be good news for eligible Tesco shoppers – but the supermarket giant hasn't said how much the new coupons will be worth or when the scheme might be expanded to the remaining 16 million Clubcard holders.

6 December 2022

HSBC has announced another round of bank branch closures, with 114 more outlets set to shut between April and September next year. The move is on top of the closure of 69 branches earlier this year. Below we list the branches disappearing and what the alternatives are if you still want face-to-face banking.

30 November 2022

First Direct is doubling the interest rate on its regular savings account from 3.5% to 7% on Thursday 1 December. It's the highest rate we've seen on this type of account since 2012. But there are a few catches – here's what you need to know.

29 November 2022

£80 million of Premium Bond prizes remain unclaimed

More than two million Premium Bond prizes worth a combined £79.4 million remain unclaimed, according to the latest figures from National Savings and Investments (NS&I). If you have or have ever had Premium Bonds, here's how to check if you've won.

29 November 2022