Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

The following is the text of Martin's Money Tips e-mail on 17 June 2004

Hiya. A quick note.  The site's huge growth means unfortunately it's getting slower, especially just after each tip is e-mailed. My webmaster is looking at it as a priority & it'll be sorted soon.  Sorry. Please bear with it.

NEW ARTICLE. HEALTHCARE CASHPLANS –  A CRACKING DEAL: Healthcare cashplans policies (sounds boring, but it's serious MoneySaving) are nothing like private medical insurance.   You pay £4 - £30 a month, then when you use NHS or private treatments such as dentistry, opticians, osteopaths or hospital consultants you claim the cost back.  HSA is the famous one, but my full comparison reveals much better - the winner can repay early six times its costs.  Read it

NEW BEST LONG TERM DEBT TRANSFER CREDIT CARD: If shifting 0% card to 0% card is too difficult, or your credit score won't cope the best option is a ‘life of balance' transfer offer, where the cheap debt lasts until you've paid all the debt moved off.  The Texaco card now has a 3.9% offer, making it joint best buy with Capital One. Details in Best Balance Transfer Article

A T-T-T-TENNER OFF TESCO SHOPPING:  The stuttering ‘Tenner' is because there's there potential to repeat this again and again and again.  The key is vouchers you print off the internet for discounted shopping.  As they're on the net they're reprintable (check this doesn't breach their terms).  Someone has kindly collated a £10s worth for easy printing.  Read it

GAS/ELEC PRICE RISES OF UP TO £100 A YEAR! From 5^th July customers of Atlantic Energy will see price rises of up to 22% on gas and 16% on electricity.  Powergen and Scottish & Southern Energy are hiking costs too.  It's ditch and switch time again folks, read the cheapest gas and electricity article.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR HALFAX CASHBACK CREDIT CARDHOLDERS.  Your cashback is being halved to a pitiful 0.25% - time to change (unless you've credit score issues).  Read my “best cashback cards” article.  Though do note I've a fully updated version coming Sunday – however the current article's main recommendations are correct.

URGENT SCAM WARNING: Be ultra cautious about calls supposedly from ‘Visa' or ‘Mastercard' security departments.  Do NOT give out any information – even confirming details, such as your 3 digit security number.   This growing scam has criminals working off a very plausible script – it sounds legit.  Always tell them you will put the phone down and then dial your own card company to check.  How it works. (please warn everyone you know) Discuss it

QUICK CHAT FORUM TIPS

2 cases of beer for £20, can you find cheaper Click here

Supermarket shopping on a budget discussion Click here

Insider's note on Theme Park MoneySaving Click here

Gameboy Advance TV Tuner £10.99 Click here

Cheaper Orange Text Discussion (read through it) Click here

50 digital prints for £5 Click here

Chart CDs £7.49 (with online discount voucher) Click here
2.2GHz Packard Bell laptop £499 Click here

Up to 50% off at Lego.com Click here

Beat your best car tyre quote Click here

Andrea's Freebies:  Sunflower seeds, Avent (baby food)
Princess Diaries book freebies, Nikwax products
Ecover washing up liquid, Free Children's Travel on bus & tube
Try Me Free, Freebies GOLD

URGENT REMINDER: BARCLAYCARD 14 MONTHS 0% CARD AVAILABLE ONLINE.
What? The longest 0% new customer offer the market has ever seen.  Read how to ‘use it but not get screwed'.  if you've already read it, you can apply here* or ask a question/discuss it. Barclaycard holders who want long 0% can read here read here for details of the next best 

Why it's urgent? The 0% lasts until 1 August 2005 regardless of when you get the card – the sooner you apply the longer the 0% period.  Plus heavy marketing is coming soon so it's likely get blocked up – so if you want it – be quick.

HAGGLING ON VINE: Many who heard my haggling phone in on Radio 2 last week have asked “where's the guide to UK haggling on the site?” I'm afraid there isn't one, but there is a full chapter in The Money Diet.

ANOTHER REMINDER: BARCLAYCARD EXISTING CUSTOMERS DON'T GET CAUGHT. Sorry to go on, but it's so crucial you don't get this wrong, Barclaycards cracking new balance transfer offer to existing customer deal is now online too, there is a major catch, however I've got a loophole.  Read it

INTEREST RATE RISE AGAIN – SO MORTGAGE SPECIAL TIME AGAIN!

Cheaper Mortgages.  Variable or discount rate mortgage repayments will rise this month.  A further 0.5%-075% is predicted by the end of the year. To reduce costs read sneakily get ‘the best mortgage advice for free or the full ‘Remortgaging Guide'
Savings for those who can't move their mortgage.  My book The Money Diet explains how to turn an inflexible mortgage into a flexible one.  Another massive saving, £500+annually, is possible on Mortgage Payment Protection Insurance MPPI and Mortgage life assurance.

POPULAR PAST TIPS AND ARTICLES

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Free Travel MoneySaving E-book Click here

Most Popular Chat Tips Ever (with links) Click here

90,000 thank yous and a scalp too!  The site has hit another landmark, over 90,000 people now receive this e-mail, amazing as it's only 16 months old.  Most is due to word of mouth – thank you so much.  Please do keep telling people about the site and especially the e-mail, the more of us, the more MoneySaver's power (my ambitions always been 100,000).  Also according to www.alexa.com website rankings (via its toolbar) the site is now bigger than Thisismoney, the Daily Mail group's money site.  I'm blown away by that.  To discuss MoneySavingExpert.com click here.

As a finishing note this week, I thought I'd point out the Supermarket Budgeting Discussion mentioned in quick Chat Tips - the way the MoneySaving community reacted genuinely moved me.  The internet is often rightly derided as a danger, but it also has wonderful human qualities.

I hope you save some money

martin

*Affiliated link: This Barclaycard link invisibly takes you via commercial price comparison site Moneysupermarket. Each click means it makes a contribution which helps keep MoneySavingExpert free to use and free of ads.  It no way impacts any editorial decisions (what I write), costs you anything or changes the product.  To do the same thing without this contribution click www.barclaycard.co.uk.  For more on  the site's ‘non profit driven' ethical and financial policy click here.

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Questions? Pls don't email, instead ask here. Technical problems: please e-mail forumteam@moneysavingexpert.com Martin's Next Broadcast Appearances List: click here

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To read more click here.  To compare shops prices and buy it for less click here.    To discuss it click here

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