Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

The following is the text of Martins Money Tips Email sent on 10 November 2004

Hiya. An apology to start, many hate the aberration of saying ‘Xmas' not Christmas. Forgive me! It's purely to save space.  On with the MoneySaving.

LOOPHOLE. BUY XMAS PREZZIES NOW AT JAN SALES PRICES.  New Article.  Two credit cards say ‘buy on the card & find it cheaper within 60 days and we'll refund the difference', unintentionally allowing you to buy goods in December then claim back the difference in the sales.  New Article: Goods in time for Christmas at Jan Sales Prices.

£30 CASH TO SWITCH CURRENT ACCOUNT.  Lloyds TSB is paying new internet current account customers £30.  For those in credit, earning over £16k, it pays a minimum 3.75% and factoring in the cashback it then beats Alliance and Leicester which pays 5.5%, but only on the first £2,500.  Those who are overdrawn:  A&L offers new customers a 0% overdraft for the first year. Apply/View Lloyds*, Apply/View A&L* or read Top Current Accounts article

Best lend for Xmas Spend. Sainsbury 12 month 0% on purchases Apply / View*, Article

Updated article:  Cut your Water Bills Cost-cutting article

Reminder: Get a solicitor to draft you a will for free.  November Only Will-Aid Details

GREAT ‘CHEAPEST CHRISTMAS DVD BOX SETS' HUNT.  Great Hunts are all about tapping MoneySavers' collective research to find the best buys.  This one is DVD box sets. 

Make your suggestions or read others' for Star Wars, Sex and the City, Lord Of The Rings and lots of others.  

Selected Past Great Hunts: Virtually Free Stocking Fillers, Cheap but Romantic Gifts, Way to get a Flight Upgrade, The Cheapest Freeview Box Hunt, All other great hunts

NEW The MoneySaving Tools Red Bar Flights, Tarts, Calls and budgeting!  

All MoneySaving Technology is now in a Red Bar on every webpage and at the end of this email.  It comprises the Tart Alert, a text/ email reminder of 0% card end-dates, the fully automated ‘Budget the MoneySavingExpert way' planner, the Calls Checker finding the cheapest calls provider for any country and the Ryanair flight checker revealing all its dirt cheap flights (soon to cover other airlines).

Reminder: Cheapest Car insurance Cost-cutting system

Reminder: Northern Ireland MoneySavers, you've your own NI MoneySaving chat

Reminder: Asda Loophole 4% interest – last chance Boost your Xmas spending power

CALLING MORTGAGE TARTS!  M'new Tart Alert service sends you a free text or email reminder before your 0% rate ends.  London & Country mortgages has a similar free mortgage alert reminder service.  Use it/ read more.

WARNING. New load of scam emails to grab your cash.  Professional looking bank e-mails asking you to click and verify your security details are likely to be scams, known as Phishing.  Special Briefing:  Phishing, don't get caught includes examples of Phish emails.

LATEST QUICK CHAT TIPS (also see Chat Tips Gold)

• Travelodge rooms for a tenner Tennertastic's back
• Beam your digital TV signal to any room. £28 at Tesco In-store only
• 13-bottle wine case £34.98 incl delivery via a little work-around
• Acoustic Solutions DVD player £24.99 Can you beat it?
• Don't just pay solicitors' bills Get them audited 
• Charity shop savings tips Charity begins… well, here
• Nominate Post of the Month winner for November

BARGAIN HUNTERS NEW DAILY UPDATE.  Every day the previous day's ten most popular Chat Forum threads will now be listed.  See this week's daily top discussions.

VIRGIN NOT SO INNOCENT.  Last week I noted Virgin's card was the top for Super Balance Transfers after it confirmed it didn't charge long standing customers a balance transfer fee (see transcript).  Yet it has now admitted this is incorrect (I vented my spleen in no uncertain terms).  Admittedly, it is still as good as its equivalents, it just isn't better. My apologies.  Super BT relevant articles:  Half price plastic loan, short term 0% overdraft, REVENGE free cash, best balance transfers.

Andrea's Freebies (also see Freebies GOLD)

Epson or Canon inkjet cartridge, Calpol digital thermometer (recommend friends), Slimfast bar (still available), Bird Food, Sounds of Life CD, Photo blending software (10-day trial)

CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA? New poll.  How much do you expect to spend this Christmas?  Vote or Discuss. See the Are you a Tart? Poll results.

It's time for Martin's final thought.  Some MoneySavers have found there can occasionally be a downside to collecting freebies.  I won't go into detail here but if you sent off for the Peperami firestick freebie a couple of weeks ago you may well have an idea what they're talking about. 

Also please do forward this e-mail to friends and suggest they join up in time for Christmas (a prezzie for them and me).  There's going to be a stack of bargains and ways to cut the cost over coming weeks.  That's it for this week.

I hope you save some money

Martin

*Affiliated link:  Click via this link and a contribution is made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay ad-free, sponsorship-free and free to use.  This in no way impacts any editorial decisions (what I write), costs you anything or changes the product.  For an identical link which doesn't help the site go to www.sainsburys.co.uk, www.lloydstsb.com or www.alliance-leicester.co.uk.  For more on how it works and the site's non-profit driven ethical and financial policy.

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