Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Completely new gym loophole. Save £400/year on Virgin Active & more
Regulars will remember a six month free gym membership loophole available via insurer Pruhealth. It's now completely overhauled this, and has a new 'permanent free gym offer' including many more gyms. In a nutshell, as gym membership costs £40-80/month and the insurance only £20-£40/month, massive savings are possible; so it's worth getting even if you don't want the insurance. The main stipulation is you must attend the gym twice a week, but I've a way round this too. This deal works for new customers, existing Pruhealth policyholders and members of the gym. Pros & cons in the New Article: Massive £400 Gym Loophole Related Article: Gym Membership Cost Cutting

500 free Tesco points worth £20 in Clubcard deals Just make a phone call

Save £100s on credit card costs without new cards. Updated Article & New Worksheet
This is a strategy the credit card industry hates, but it's a must read for anyone with credit card debts.  I originally designed the Credit Card Shuffle so those rejected for new credit could still cut costs, by utilising hidden 'existing customer' deals. Yet as it can slash interest charges by many £100s each year, and protects your credit score by minimising applications, everyone should do it. This is a fully re-researched article including a new, free Shuffle worksheet to download.  New Article: The Credit Card Shuffle Related Articles: Best Balance Transfers, Cheapest Personal Loans, Best Card For Spending

DVD/CD Bargains. Chart DVDs for £6 of Nectar points & £7 Chart CDs at Morrisons

No buts smoking guide. How to quit cheaply & get cheaper products afterwards 
For the first time this week the whole of Britain is smoke-free in public places; and if you're planning to quit it's a wealth as well as health boost. This new guide shows that on top of cigarettes costs, being a smoker can add £37,000 on to the cost of financial products. It also details how to get free help and nicotine replacement therapies. Plus if you're now smoke free there are details on ensuring you're benefiting from cheaper deals. New Article: Stop Smoking and Save Related Articles: Cheaper Prescriptions & Medications, Healthcare Cashplans

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

Act quick! Fixed rates rapidly rising - time to fix your mortgage?
Cheap fixed rate availability is rapidly diminishing; the last 5.5% rates are ending! With fixed rates, companies sell it in batches e.g. £100 million worth at a rate. Once that sells out they then reassess the rate depending on long term interest rate predictions. Currently new fixed rate levels are up 0.2% (£200/year on a £100k loan). So if you're free to get a new mortgage deal and are looking for stability, do it quick, before the last remaining batches at the old cheaper rates sell out. Read the step-by-step 30 page MoneySaving guides to either the Remortgage Guide: Instant PDF download, Order a free printed version, Read more or the Mortgage Guide: PDF, Printed, Read More

Free tool opens Word 2007 documents in Word 2003 A quick download

New Top 'Bonus' Savings Account if you've over £15K. Otherwise 6.05% still the winner
Tesco has just increased its instant access savings rate, making it top payer if you've over £15k at 6.25% and a huge 6.5% if you've over £50k. Yet 1% of this is a bonus lasting 6 months, after which it plummets. So this account is only worth it if you're prepared to shift your savings elsewhere at that point. The top clean account is still ICICI* at 6.05% which only needs £1 to open it. Updated Article: Top Savings Accounts Related Articles: Where To Start With Savings, Cash ISAs, Regular Savings Accounts

Summer Sales Planner. A list of when the sales start to maximise your bargain grabbing

Are you a Staywarm energy customer? Updated 'Is it worth?' Article
Staywarm is the unique gas and electricity provider which any home with someone aged over 60 in it can access. Its major advantage is that it charges a fixed rate for the year no matter how much gas/elec you use. However its prices have drastically increased over the years meaning it's no longer the powerhouse deal it once was. This is a full updated article on how to decide if it's worth sticking with it. Updated Article: Staywarm Is It Worth It? Related Article: Find The Cheapest Gas & Elec plus Cashback

Quick Tip. Don't miss out on tax credits! Renew your claim now
If you receive Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit you may need to renew your claim now to avoid losing out.  Check whether you have received renewal forms, if you have, it should tell you whether you need to renew or not - if you do - go quickly; if you don't send it by 31 July 2007, your payments for 2007/08 will stop. Related Article: 5 Mins Benefits Check Up

MoneySavingExpert.com Job. Junior Web Developer needed (London based). Details

Halifax 0% for 12 months on spending may disappear soon.... act quick if you need it!
Halifax's One card was the joint top 0% card for spending on (as opposed to debt shifting) offering new customers 0% for 12 months followed by 15.9% APR. Yet go direct to Halifax's website and the 0% deal has been reduced to six months. However for the moment 12 months 0% is still available via websites Halifax has deals with: this link* takes you through one. But go quick, there's no confirmation on whether this'll end soon too. Updated Article: Best Lend For Spend Card Related Articles: Best Balance Transfers, Best Cashback Cards

How is the site financed? Updated Guide to how MoneySavingExpert makes money
I've made some tweaks to the 'How the site is financed' article; nothing too much; to make it even more clear. Thought you may like to read it. How the site is financed. Related Articles: About The Site, The MoneySaving Charitable Fund

Got a 'Make Money e-mail' linking to a US site? It's a fraud and not from me!

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Should Grant and Tiffany charge for their wedding?
Grant and Tiffany have lived together for three years and their house is fully kitted out. They plan to get married locally next summer and aren't really in need of much; though the cost of the wedding itself will severely stretch their finances as it's likely to cost the equivalent of £75 a head.  Their idea is to let everyone know this and simply ask for a contribution towards the wedding fund; yet they're worried people would rally against. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should Grant & Tiffany charge for their wedding? Previous MMDs: Should Darth take money from his kids' accounts? and Grant's been overpaid, should he keep it?

Virgin Media Broadband customer? Its helpline cost has jumped to 25p/min Think before calling

MoneySavingExpert on the box/wireless
If you like to watch as well as read about MoneySaving, I’ll be appearing on the following programmes over the next week or so.

• LK Today. ITV1 Thursday 5 July, between 8.45-9.15 am.
• Classic Gold, Thursdays, 10am.
• Jeremy Vine. Radio 2, Friday 6 July, 1pm
• Jo Whiley. Radio 1, Tuesday 10 July, between 12-1pm.

Lots to watch back from last week: See all the GM-TV Sun, Sea & Savings Watch them here
Keep updated on appearances: Changes and updates go in the Updated appearances list
Feedback on appearances: Discuss or add your thoughts on MoneySaving in the Media

This week's Martin's Musings: Teen Cash Class - There is hope
"I'm an addict". Read m'blogs (or RSS users access)

What should be most heavily taxed ? This week's poll. Vote and Discuss

MoneySavers say no to the Euro! Last week's vote: Should the UK ditch the Pound and adopt the Euro? An overwhelming 67% of you think that we should stick with the much loved Pound and forget about the Euro. See poll results

Did you know it would take 1,750 Tom Cruises to fill a blue whale? That's it for this week, however have a look at this random little unit conversion site. Quite simply it's weird!

I hope you save some money

Martin

Explanation of * Links

How this site is financed.  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, 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: halifax.co.uk, alliance-leicester.co.uk, moneysupermarket.com, alliance-leicester.co.uk, natwest.com, rbs.co.uk, energyhelpline.com. Read more about this in how this site is financed.