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.

Recent coverage in the press

Nationwide three steps needed for £100 payout The Mirror

Latest from Petar Lekarski

BT is to launch a super-cheap fast fibre broadband plan for 4.6 million households claiming certain benefits at the end of June – but there's no need to wait as many can get similar prices now.

5 May 2021

Ikea has today launched a new scheme allowing shoppers to trade in their old Ikea furniture in return for vouchers to be spent in store – here's how it works.

4 May 2021

New rules giving those in England and Wales who are struggling with problem debt a two-month grace period to get their finances back under control come into force today, in a huge victory for MoneySavingExpert.com and others who've campaigned hard on the issue.

3 May 2021

A pilot scheme in eight towns across the UK will test new ways to boost access to cash in local communities – with measures including local shops offering cashback, new 'bank hubs' in Post Offices and more free ATMs. And while it's a small-scale trial at the moment, if successful these measures could be rolled out more widely in future.

27 April 2021

Conservative MPs have struck down a proposed amendment to the Financial Services Bill, which would have seen interest rates capped for certain mortgage prisoners. But the Government has announced it will launch a review looking for other solutions and MoneySavingExpert.com won't give up the fight.

26 April 2021

Members of the House of Lords have called on the Government to protect access to cash and to do more to prevent the poorest from being excluded from access to financial services. The call for action comes as part of a report published today by the cross-party House of Lords Liaison Committee.

23 April 2021

Student loan interest rates are set to drop for many students from September. Current students in England and Wales, for example, can expect to see the interest rate they're charged fall from 5.6% to 4.5%. Meanwhile, many former students with outstanding loans will likely see their rates dip too – though the changes are yet to be finalised by the Government, so for now we can only predict what'll happen.

22 April 2021

Sainsbury's has stopped offering some Nectar cardholders weekly points bonuses, as part of an under-the-radar shake-up to the loyalty scheme which has left some shoppers confused and frustrated. It has only given us scant details so we've pieced together that info with MoneySavers' reports to get to the bottom of it.

20 April 2021

Barclaycard is to slash many customers' credit card spending limits from the end of May, with one MoneySaver reporting a £16,000 cut even though she says she's never missed a payment and has been a customer for some 15 years. It could leave people without the funds to pay for large, planned expenses.

19 April 2021

Burton and Dorothy Perkins shopfront image

Burton and Dorothy Perkins shoppers have been left struggling to return clothes because they are unable to generate return labels online and the retailers no longer provide paper versions, MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal. The brands' new owner Boohoo has apologised for the problems and says it will honour returns even if they arrive late – we've full help on what to do below.

19 April 2021

Around 8,800 London Capital & Finance (LCF) investors are set to receive compensation under a new Government scheme, the Treasury has announced today. But investors will only get back 80% of their initial investment, capped at £68,000.

18 April 2021

The House of Lords has voted in favour of an amendment to the Financial Services Bill, which could see interest rates capped for certain mortgage prisoners. But the House of Commons needs to approve the change before it can take force.

14 April 2021

Ikea shoppers now have longer to make use of £20 gift vouchers that were given out as part of its annual Christmas tree promotion, as the retailer has extended their validity until 1 August. It comes after concerns shoppers wouldn't have enough time to redeem vouchers with many Ikea stores only just starting to reopen following coronavirus restrictions easing in England, Scotland and Wales.

13 April 2021

The financial regulator has warned consumers to beware of fraudulent emails from scammers pretending to be MoneySavingExpert.com or our founder Martin Lewis, after identifying a copycat firm falsely using our name.

13 April 2021

Utility giant Thames Water has mistakenly taken thousands of customers' direct debit payments a day early after a "system error", MoneySavingExpert.com can reveal. If you've been hit by bank charges as a result, you can get a refund but you'll need to ask for it – we've full help below.

13 April 2021

Not-for-profit internet safety body Internet Matters has today launched a free ten-point guide with tips to help kids and young people build good online money management habits.

12 April 2021