Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

New credit card shuffle: full update of best offers
There's a conspiracy in the credit card world to make you think you need new cards to cut your interest. Yet you can batter down interest by up to 70% without any – great for those who are rejected or to protect your credit score. This fully rewritten article includes the UK's only list of existing customer offers. Article: 'The Credit Card Shuffle'. (Special mini-mutterings)

Free Marks & Spencer fiver
Ring up, get a quote for health insurance and bag a £5 M&S voucher. Just don't get the insurance. More info

Cheapest ever personal loan: 5.5% launched plus new poorer credit scorers' best
Alliance & Leicester's Moneyback loan's now 5.5%, a historic market cheapest.  It hopes you'll get its protection insurance too, but don't, it's only cheapest for uninsured loans.  Liverpool Victoria's also dropped its rate to 5.8% (via price comparison site MoneySupermarket), its big advantage is it manually credit scores people borderline applicants.  Apply/View: Moneyback*, Liverpool Victoria * Updated Article (with more options): Cheapest Personal Loans (Special mini-mutterings)

Boing boing boing!
I don't know why, but every time I include a trampoline in the tip, it's ultra popular. Great Chat Forum spot; an 8ft trampoline for £75

Maximize your interest: new instant access savings best buys
After the base rate drop there are some new best buys.. Top Clean Account:  First Direct* 5%, provided you don't intend to withdraw cash. Otherwise:  Cahoot* 4.85%, with total access. Updated Article: Instant Access Saving

Mobile phone cost cutting plan: new twist makes it speedier and better
The crafty way to get a decent deal is use a comparison site to find the best tariff, then find which supplier sells it cheapest. One of the comparison sites OneCompare* can now search which retailers sell tariffs at different rates – it's not totally comprehensive, but massively speeds up the process. Updated Article: Mobile Phone Cost Cutting

Cheaper laser eye surgery via eBay (yes really!)
For last week's great hunt I asked MoneySavers to share their tips on cutting the cost (but not the quality) of laser eye surgery.  Ideas included Optimax on ebay, Laser surgery in Turkey, NHS employees and Lasik-eyes.

Act now on missold endowments; make £2,000 in 5 minutes
Just got this message: "BIG THANKS for the endowment prompt. I duly wrote to Standard Life. They emailed me a question which I answered and then offered me just over £2,000 mis-selling compensation. Was really easy and the whole process only took about 6 weeks." Link: More details on fighting mis-selling

Goodwill hunting! When they let you down, ask for compensation
Filming a makeover for Make Me Rich, I spotted an error in Tracey's (the makeoveree's) electricity bill. She was still paying for her old address.  Towards the end of the call, after much hassle (they didn't know it was on TV), I pushed her to ask: "will you give me a goodwill payment after all the hassle?"  The immediate reply was "yes".  Remember to ask for compensation.  Discuss

FLIGHTCHECKER SALES WATCH  URGENT! ENDS MIDNIGHT THURS Free flights
Ryanair's sale is still on! Just pay taxes & charges, usually c.£20 (what it calls free flights) on almost all routes. Use the free FlightChecker to find the seats in seconds. Also includes Flybe's Autumn Sale.

Free international calls from your mobile
M'system for making totally free international calls from your mobile, using your inclusive minutes, is now available on Orange again (as well as T-mobile, Vodafone and O2). Article: Free International Calls from your Mobile

Amex launches Nectar card – but top cashback still better
Amex has launched a new Nectar card. In very specific circumstances, its worth using (see full review) but for most people the top cashback is still better. Top cashback cards: Amex Platinum* for higher spenders or Amex Blue* for others (Read Best Cashback Cards). Meanwhile Amex's new Nectar card is now available. Read about its pros (and mostly) cons

Free book: Which? Wills & Probates
I've blagged 5 copies of the newly issued Wills and Probates book to give away.  If you want to bag my blag Reply here. Plus Free Wills Fortnight for the over-55s, where charities pay solicitors' fees. More Info

How do you tell your partner you've hideous debts?
Join the moving and educative Chat discussion, from someone facing this right now.

HEADS UP: New cheapest home phone system under research, to be published very soon.

Board of the week: Silver Savers
Specifically set up for over-50s MoneySaving.  Discussions include Half price over-60s coach travel, Free Wills Fortnight and Free Passport for over-75s. Related Article: Pensions Credit: A Brief Guide

This weeks Martin's Musings: Spot the non-deliberate cheesy moment.
 'This site is the one to watch apparently….' and 'Make Me Rich 7: What a lovely lady and she gave me a bright idea'. Read m'Blog. PS. It now has an RSS feed

JEREMY VINE NOTE:  I'm on Radio 2 this Fri (1-1.40pm) and the topic's "What's the cheapest...?"

Youngest ever MoneySaver's post  Just 8 hours old

PET POLL: Buy insurance or self-insure? Vote or Discuss. Also, see last week's Petrol Poll results

That's it for this week. First though have a quick shufty at what I found the other day.  This site will have you humming for hours.

I hope you save some money

Martin