Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Grab 5.15% instant access or beat Base Rates for 4 years! New Instant Access Savings Article
Whilst troubled at launch a year ago most feedback on ICICI's* 5.15% savings account is now good. That's welcome as it's a massive market leader. This is a fully re-researched and rewritten article and it includes the new Capital One Base Beater*, it pays 4.55% but guarantees to beat the base rate for the next four years, so it's a good lazy option for those who don't want to keep monitoring interest and switching accounts. New Article: Top Instant Access Savings Account Related Articles: Where to Start with Savings, Regular Savings Accounts, Top Cash ISAs (mini-mutterings)

Chart CDs for under £5 worth of Nectar Points. Urgent!
Throughout the summer Nectar's got a ‘Double Redemption' promotion; it changes every week. This week it's CDs and magazine subscriptions, 875 points (about £4.70 worth) buys a chart CD, compared to the normal 1,750. Full details Related Articles: Loyalty Point Maximising, Internet Shopping Techniques

Find yours and relatives' old bank accounts, pensions & investments before they're grabbed
The latest official plan on what to do with the UK's billions worth of unclaimed financial assets is to set up a social bank with the cash. So if this money belongs to you (or your deceased relatives) then find and grab it. Don't worry, you don't need a detective, or to pay any of the companies that try to charge, you can do it yourself for free. Many are entitled to £1000 in relatives' assets they don't know about. Updated Article: Reclaim Lost Assets for Free (mini-mutterings)

2for1 Go karting, diving, bowling, bungee jumping plus more. Twice the thrills

A New MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Fund? Possibly £150,000 to donate!
I've always been very proud that as part of running this site, I've been able to donate a portion of the revenue to charity (see How This Site is Funded). Over the last year it's been £75,000 and next year could be double that (see Charity Fund). As such I want to set up a full grant-giving trust to help educate and aid consumers towards MoneySaving. It's a sketchy idea at the moment, so I'd love your feedback. Read my blog then discuss

Watch & listen to this e-mail free each week! The last 'Martin's Mutterings' Podcast Got To No.7 in the charts!
The trial video podcast of my mutterings (a commentary to accompany this e-mail), was a gobsmacking success: it went to no.7 in the chart, up there with Ricky Gervais and Skinner & Baddiel, staggering to think MoneySaving can do that. So from this week I'll try and do it weekly. Watch the video podcast or listen to the audio podcast via iTunes or on your PSP. If this is all gobbledygook to you but you want to see the video then read an explanation plus feel free to discuss it

STOP YOUR FRIENDS WASTING CASH! PLS SUGGEST THEY GET THIS EMAIL

Ignore Tesco's 'internet phone ad': the normal phone is massively cheaper!
Tesco's launched a multi-million ad-campaign for its new internet phone (calls from a computer to a normal phone). Yet other internet phones are much cheaper, and none are cheaper than the top normal phone providers anyway. It charges 2p/min to call a landline, yet you can get it for 4p/call. It charges 10p/min to call mobiles, yet they're available for 4p/min. Don't touch it with a barge pole! Related Articles: UK's Cheapest Home Phone Provider, Free PC to PC Calling

Equity release, why I've not got an answer.... read my blog!

Great What to Buy in Duty Free Hunt (includes £5 off voucher)
It's easy to be seduced by all those 'special offers' in airports, yet before you come back laden with more bags than Coleen McLoughlin, stop and ask whether you're getting a genuine bargain. I thought I would tap MoneySavers' collective knowledge to find the top duty free buys worth bringing back. Ideas already include using Dixons' pre-airport price checker, and a £5 off duty free voucher. Add your ideas/read others Past Great Hunts:  Airport Parking, Cheap Fake Tan and Factory Shops

Flexible loan rates on the rise.... Act quick if you need one
With flexible loans, unlike normal loans you're free to make overpayments or underpayments (within limits) without penalty; very useful when you need a short term bridging loan, or expect a windfall soon to pay it off in full. However, M&S just pulled out of the market and others may go up. Current cheapest is Cahoot* at 8.9%, though this is subject credit score. Do be aware that unlike normal loans where the rate is fixed, here it's variable. Yet the ability to repay more quickly or in full is valuable in some circumstances. If you don't really need flexibility, the standard cheapest uninsured loans are Moneyback* and Direct Line*, both at 5.6%. For full info read Updated Article: Cheapest Personal Loans

12 Free bottles of wine Smile loophole. The Smile* Chat Tip was so popular I've turned it into a Full Article

Help! How to keep the kids happy through the summer hols
Last week I asked MoneySavers to give their suggestions on free ways to entertain the kids this summer Tips you had included Museums without charges, Crafty websites and Fun with salt dough

Got an ICICI account? I've started a new feedback poll, please help

FLIGHTCHECKER SALES WATCH  Milan, Berlin, Dublin, Stockholm c. £20 each way
Budget airline Ryanair currently has a range of destinations at 19p each way. When you add in its taxes and charges this becomes roughly £20 in total. For a full briefing read the How To Find a Cheap Flight article or go straight to the special free FlightChecker to find the seats in seconds

'JUMP START YOUR CAREER' BOOK: 5 free copies, did you get one?

Board of the week: Benefits, Tax Credits & Jobseeking
Many are baffled by ever-changing benefits and credits rules. If that's you this board's a mine of information where regulars help each other get hold of the cash they're entitled to. Discussions include Quick benefits check, Benefits & tax credits FAQs and Useful benefits links

JEREMY VINE NOTE:  If you joined the email list after Friday's programme read these: Where to start with problem debts, Best Balance Transfers and Your Credit Rating

This week's Martin's Musings: Journalists please please stop quoting website hits!!!!!
''Should there be a MoneySavingExpert.com Charitable Trust?'' and "Equity Release… I wish I knew the answer…'' Read m'blogs (or RSS users access)

MONEY MORALITY POLL: Vote or Discuss. Last week's vote result: It seems that ID fraud isn't as widespread as ID fraud protection/ shredder companies would have us believe: only 4.5% of you say you have had your identity stolen. See poll results

That's it for this week, however if your car's in need of a good wash since this summer's hot weather and, in some areas, hosepipe bans, here's a good excuse for you not to do it!

I hope you save some money

Martin

*links: Any links with a * by them are affiliated. That means go via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay ad-free and free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference, the links don't impact the product at all and the editorial line (the things I write) is NEVER impacted by it. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, nothing changes, it's still included in exactly the same way. As I believe transparency is important, I'm including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for the same things: energyhelpline.com, uswitch.com, mbloan.co.uk, american-express.co.uk, conran.com, capitalonesavings.co.uk, icicibank.com, amazon.co.uk, moneybackbank.co.uk, directline.com, postoffice.co.uk. Read more about this site and how it's financed.