Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Earn £100s a year, just by changing plastic. New top 4% Cashback Card
The new top cashback card, Capital One's Platinum Cashback, pays 4% for the first three months - in other words you get 4p back for every pound spent, a major bonanza if you've any big spending plans. After that the cashback drops to a still market leading 1%. Do this right and you can make £100s a year; first set up a Direct Debit to pay it off in full each month, so there's no interest charged; then use it for all spending. The card isn't without issues though, especially if you've a less than perfect credit history; read all pros, cons and alternatives in the Updated Article: Best Cashback Cards Related Articles: Best Balance Transfers, Top Card For Spending

Heads Up! Summer Family Outing Booty Kids sports/martial arts/dance lessons for £1, BOGOFs at Alton Towers, Thorpe Park & Others, half price london outings. Summer Outing Deals Compiled!

Freebies, Freebies, Freebies: Over 80 permanantly available Freebies. New Article
Whether it's perfume, pants, gym passes, discount vouchers, face cream, games or books, there's masses of free stuff available with a quick click and grab on the net. Each week I include the best new ones in this e-mail; yet there are over 80 permanently available freebies too. This is a fully rewritten, re-researched guide to freebie grabbing and directory of what's available. New Article: Freebies, Freebies, Freebies Related Articles: Credit Card Freebies, Top Cashback Sites, 2 for 1 Cinema Loophole

Passport prices to rise in October. So if yours runs out soon Get one now!

Better Best Bank Accounts! 0% overdraft, 6.5% in-credit & £100 sign-up bribes
The current account war's now white hot with the main two top accounts improving their offers. Alliance & Leicester's* added to its market leading year's 0% overdraft (it's still cheapest after a year too) by now paying the highest in-credit interest at 6.5%. Plus its 'refer a friend' offer's been improved to £40, so for every mate recommended you get £40 and so do they. Concurrently, Halifax has joined its sister Bank of Scotland offering a £100 bonus if you switch to it, making it top for those always in-credit who can't be bothered to recommend others, as it pays a high, 6.17% interest. Updated Article: Best Bank Accounts Related Articles: Refer A Friend Loophole, Top Savings Account, Reclaim Bank Charges

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

Last Chance! Totally free Sony mp3 Walkman (worth £35) loophole
Last week's e-mail included a loophole to get a free Sony £60 mp3 player by manipulating a credit card introductory offer. Sadly it ran out yesterday and has been replaced by a slightly lower spec £35 mp3 Walkman. Yet it's still a top deal as it's free! The stock is very limited though, and my guess is it'll end for good some time on Wed; so if you want to grab one go quick. Full explanation, and stock updates, in the Updated Article: Credit Card Freebies (Apologies if it's ended by the time you get this, the e-mail takes 18 hours to send to all 1.3 million people)

Nifty site assesses your energy use. Computers may look similar, as do fridges & TVs, yet energy use varies from £30 to £270/year. A nifty free site tells you which model costs what. Energy Assessor Related Article: Cheapest Gas & Elec plus cashback

Only make credit card min. repayments? DANGER! Espec. for Barclaycard & M&S cardholders
Credit card minimum repayments are designed to keep you perpetually in debt, meaning an average high street card can trap you in-debt for 40 years. Next month Barclaycard drops its minimum from 2.5% to 2.25%; while this sounds tiny, the impact's huge, on a £5,000 debt it adds nearly 5 years and £1,000 interest by the time it's repaid in full. Also the Marks & Spencer card drops from 3% to 2.5% with a similarly huge impact. If you only pay the minimum on any card, for how this works and easy solutions, urgently read the Article: Beat The Minimum Repayment Trap

Reminder. Did you apply for the Tesco Savings Loophole? Get your £1000 in now

Direct Line slams car & home insurance comparison sites. Get the best of both
Direct Line's current TV ad slams comparison services for not being comprehensive; primarily because Direct Line doesn't let them include it! This is why I've always said getting insurance is about maximising quotes in minimum time. With car insurance for example, first use the big three comparison services Confused*, MoneySupermarket* and Comparethemarket* which cover 29 brokers and 47 insurers in about ten minutes. Then, if you've more time, check the excluded Direct Line* & Tesco*and some others. This step-by-step system is detailed (as always) in the Articles: Cheapest Car Insurance and Cheapest Home Insurance cost cutting systems.

Say no to 0871's as well as 0870. Quickly add your voice to Ofcom's enquiry
Many of you will be familiar with the 0870 number scandal; while named national rates, 0870s are much more expensive than normal calls and are more similar to premium rates. My Saynoto0870 article shows you how to cut their costs. Tougher rules come in next year, yet many companies will just migrate their customer service lines to the similar 0871's which escape much regulation. The worst thing about 0871s is there are no rules to limit how long you can be kept on hold, so companies are allowed to make money from you, as you sit there queuing, possibly while you're complaining. The Ofcom enquiry into this ends in a week; do have your say!

Got a SAM Mortgage with Barclays? Finally a rescue package SAM Mortgage Help

The Great 'Cheap When You Get There Holidays' Hunt
Getting cheap holidays is easy (read Cheap Packages or Cheap Flights articles) but you can often end up spending a fortune once you get there, cancelling any savings you've made. So I thought I'd tap MoneySavers' knowledge on the best destinations for cheap food, booze, free museums, cheap day trips and bargain shopping. Where have you been and what have you saved on; tell us your stories. Add Your Ideas/Read Others Past Great Hunts: Great Father's Day Pressies, Ways To Keep Cool

Going to Uni? The deadline to guarantee that your loan'll be paid on time is 29 June

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Should super-rich Aristotle still buy bargain bin food?
Aristotle O'Plenty has always been a MoneySaver. Yet recently he's come into his family inheritance worth billions of pounds. When off to his local supermarket, he's one of many grabbing at the bargain bin yellow discount ticket section as usual; but realises he can afford to pay the full price, whilst for many of those there this is a lifeline, and there's only limited product. Should he back off and leave it to others, or should he stick to his MoneySaving principles? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should Aristotle back off the bargain bin? Previous MMDs: Should Gulliver allow bribes to Lilliput? and What should Homer do about the loss of Sky?