Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Did you get a cheap energy cap? Quick warning. If you followed my alert last week and grabbed one of the last cheap capped energy tariffs – hoorah! Yet let me clear up a couple of confusions. Capping won't cut your bills. It's likely your capped provider will cost THE SAME or a little more than you were paying. The aim was to save £100s compared to what you would’ve paid if you hadn’t capped, as you now won't be hit by the almost certain price hikes. So if you're budgeting (see the Free Budget Planner) don't decrease what you’ve provisioned for energy, as the amount you'll shell out will be roughly the same. Don't confuse Direct Debits with costs. An energy bill's cost depends on the rate. Yet Direct Debits are set up based on this and likely usage, and companies vary on how they estimate this. If you’ve capped, your new supplier may want a higher (or lower) Direct Debit, even if the rate's cheaper. If the Direct Debit jumps too high, call up and tell it; hopefully it’ll lower it. Even if not, you should get any overpayments back at the year's end. If you haven't capped yet, DON'T; there's more info in the body of the email.

What the Govt spends your money on A fortnight ago, only 20% of 7,000+ who voted got the biggest area of Govt. spending correct. (see vote result). Here’s the answer: 1. Pensions & benefits £169 bn 2. Health £111 bn 3. Education £82 bn 4=. Police & safety £33 bn 4=. Defence £33 bn 6. Debt interest £31 bn 7. Industry, farming, unemployment £22 bn 8. Transport £21 bn Discuss This / Suggest A Note

PS. Wow...5.7m MoneySavers! Gobsmackingly, July broke all records: for the first time more than 5 million people used the site in a month. In total 5.7m unique users visited 11.5m times, plus over 2.3m people now get this e-mail. Huge thanks if you've recommended it, it allows the site to grow, research and keep on top of even more subjects.

Please suggest friends/family/colleagues get this free weekly e-mail from moneysavingexpert.com/tips

The Ones Not To Miss MSE

New Tool. The Quick Credit Checker. Lets you see how to improve your credit score.
If you need a mortgage, credit card or loan, the better your credit score, the better the deal. The Credit Checker’s a unique new tool; by anonymously answering ten quick questions it'll show how good a risk a typical lender considers you to be. By playing with your answers, you can then see how the changes impact a lender's view of you, so where you need to improve. This isn’t guess work, Experian, the most used credit reference agency, kindly provided the calculations and data, so the results are kosher. New Tool & Guide: Check & Improve Your Credit Rating Related Guides: Balance Transfers, Remortgage Guide, Cheap Loans, Debt Help

Wagamama’s 2for1 voucher is back & new Strada 2for1. These join Ha! Ha!, Giraffe, Slug & Lettuce, Yo! Sushi and more in the Deals List: Restaurant Discounts

Cheap Airport Parking. Don't pay more to park than the holiday. Save 50%. New Guide
Airports often make more money from parking and shopping than planes. Leave your car there while you go on holiday and it can cost a fortune. Yet by doing a quick comparison, and booking the right way, even on the day you fly, you can slash the cost in a few minutes. This is a brand new detailed guide to the cheapest way to park at the airport, including airport by airport special discussions. New Guide: Cheap Airport Parking Related Travel MoneySaving: Car Hire, Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Travel Money, Package Holidays

£50 Free cash. Savings Loophole. NatWest will give you £50 if you pay £100/mth into its savings account for a year. Yet as soon as it goes in, you can just withdraw the cash. Forum note: Free £50 loophole

DON'T SWITCH Gas & Electricity. Yet there are still six ways to save. Updated Article
After the huge EDF & British Gas price hikes, I yelled "cap now". Yet at 5.30pm yesterday (Tues), the last cheap cap disappeared, so now I’m saying "don’t switch, don’t cap". Why don’t switch? Two of the big six energy providers have upped prices and the rest are almost certain to follow. Compare now, and by the time you’ve shifted they'll have hiked prices, possibly by more than your current provider. So hold off until all prices have moved for a fair comparison. Six ways to save now without switching: 1. Change to monthly Direct Debit, it's 10%ish cheaper. 2. Do a meter reading every time you get a bill. 3. Switch to your current supplier’s internet tariff to save 10%ish. 4. Prepay meter users: try to change to normal billing. 5. If you’re in financial hardship check out special tariffs. 6. Use less energy. Much more info on all of these is in the Updated Guide: Cheap Gas & Electricity Related Articles: Cheapest Boiler Cover, Cheapest Home Phone, Cut The Cost Of Water Bills

2for1 game & DVD rentals at Blockbuster. Just click 'n' print. This joins 2for1 vouchers at Alton Towers, Chessington, zoos and cinemas. Lots more in the Deals Note: Cheap Days Out

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

Important reminder. Going to Europe this summer? Don't go without the (free) EHIC card, which gets you medical treatment in EU hospitals. More info: Cheap Travel Insurance

New type of phone number. Good guy 03 numbers take on nasty 0870s
For the first time the new ‘non-geographic’ 0303, 0330 and 0333 numbers are coming into common use e.g BBC radio travel bulletins. The regulator, Ofcom, launched these as an alternative to nasty 0870s. 03 numbers: Call from landlines or mobiles and it costs exactly the same as calling a normal landline number. So on BT daytimes that’s 4p/min or if you have inclusive minutes, they're included. 0870 numbers: while called National Rate numbers, they act like premium rates costing up to 10p/min, are excluded from inclusive minute plans, and the companies issuing them can get a cut of the revenue, even if you’re calling to complain. For more info read the Article: SayNoTo 0870 Related Articles: Cheapest Home Phones, Calling Mobiles Cheaply, Free Directory Enquries

Earn £20 and get 350 minutes & 650 texts free. Grab a competitive £15/mth Sim deal and get £35 cashback, so keep it for just a month or two & you’re quids in. Full info in the Forum Note: Get paid to call Related Guides: Cheapest Mobiles, Batter Down Your Contract

Liverpool Victoria fined £840,000 for PPI misselling. Got its loan? Reclaim £1,000s.
If you've got insurance with anyone's loan, there's a realistic chance it was missold. Many people have already reclaimed £1,000s. Liverpool Victoria's just joined the list of companies fined for malpractice with this product. If you’ve got its PPI loan insurance, it's possible you were part of systemic misselling. It's the first company to agree to contact customers automatically, asking them to check their policy terms. If you get this, ensure you reply as it's paying compensation where polices have been missold. Full details in the updated Guide & Free Template Letters: PPI Reclaiming Related Articles: Bank Charges, Council Tax, Mortgage Exit Fees

Premium Bonds Update: how much will you win? August's draw odds are now in the Premium Bond Probability Calculator

The Great 'Home Heating’ Hunt: Do you know cheaper ways for LPG and oil?
For millions in more rural areas, home heating means big tanks of oil or LPG in the garden. While gas & electricity is competitive and regulated, this market isn’t and getting it cheaper is a constant problem, one I’ve never found a solution to. Have you? I want to tap MoneySavers' collective knowledge to collate tips, sources and tactics to save on these type of fuels. Add your ideas/read other peoples': Great Save On Home Heating Gas & Oil Hunt Past Great Hunts: Rural MoneySaving, Starting A Vegetable Patch, What Can You Blag On Holiday?

Simply click a website to reduce carbon footprints. Click each day at StopGlobalWarming and sponsors donate enough money to offset a pound (0.45kg) of carbon emissions free. Related Guide: The Hungersite, Carbon Offsetting

Wrapit insolvency victim? Try to reclaim cash from Credit AND Debit cards
Wedding gift company Wrapit’s gone into administration and although its website now has info on who the administrator is, there are other quicker, better routes to get you your cash. If gifts given cost over £100 and were paid for via a credit card then under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, the card company's jointly liable so the giver should reclaim from it (specifically quote the Section to it). Less well known is if you paid on a Visa Debit card (or credit card under £100) then Visa's Chargeback scheme lets you try and get the money back from Wrapit's bank. This worked very well for Farepak reclaimers. More info in the Forum Note: Wrapit crisis:get your money back

The Dark Knight; would you take your nine-year-old? Quick Tip. If you're taking a child to a film, check out its detailed classification at BBFC classifications. Discuss: Film Classifications Related Deals Note: Days Out 2for1s

The Big & Easy Ways to Save Checklist

Assess Your finances: Free Budget Planner to see if you spend more than you earn Give Yourself a Money Makeover: Special guide to overhauling your finances Best Balance Transfers: Short Term 0%: Virgin* 15 mths, 2.98% fee, HSBC* 13 months 2.5% fee. Long Term Low Rate: Barclaycard 6.5% for life* or read Balance Transfers New Borrowing: Best Card For Spending or Cheapest Loans Get £100 & Best Bank Account: 0% overdraft and £100 at A&L* or read Best Bank Accounts Mortgage Makeover: Read the free Remortgage Guide Motor Insurance: Read the Car, Van or Motorbike articles Top Savings: Kaupthing* 6.55% or read Top Savings article Reclaim £1,000s: on Mortgage Fees, Council Tax, Endowments, Bank Charges, PPI Home Phone & Broadband: Tiscali* or better still read the Home Phones article Cashback Credit Card: Amex Plat* or read Best Cashback Cards Get Quick Cash for Old Mobiles: Envirofone*, Mopay*. Recycle Mobiles article Teen Cash Guide: Free 40 page PDF guide to teach your kids about money Cut Car & Home Insurance! Car Insurance/ Home Insurance Cost Cutting MoneySaving Books: The Money Diet, Thrifty Ways, Three Lessons Free MoneySavingExpert Car Sticker MoneySavingExpert.com/carsticker

More MoneySaving MSE

Ofgem the regulator is listening; good stuff. Before all the price hikes, Ofgem came to MSE Towers asking for feedback on problems with energy prices and switching. For details on what was said read m'blog

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Should Kate return a sale frock bought for Will's party?
Kate buys a new £50 party dress for a party at her boyfriend Will’s country house. A week later, she’s back in the shop and (quelle horreur!) the same frock’s on the sale rail, reduced to just £25. Then it strikes her the receipt’s still in her handbag. Should Kate buy the dress again in the sale and return the new one with the full-price receipt, to sneakily get £25 back? (It’s within the store’s 14 day return period). Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should Kate return a sale frock bought for Will's party? Previous MMDs: Would you keep a winning lottery ticket? and Would you pick herbs from a strangers's hedge?

Student working over the summer? Ensure you're not paying too much tax; get an P38(S) from your boss. More Info: Study Tax Breaks

Board of the week: House Buying, Renting, Selling & Prices
Although the typical price of a house is reported to be £15,000 less than this time last year, the cost of having somewhere to call home doesn't seem to be easing, as the availability of credit is tightening further. So, regardless of whether you want to buy or rent, the House Buying, Renting, Selling & Prices Board is brimming with experience and information to help you make the right accommodation choices. Discussions include What happens when there's no inventory?, Buying a repossession with utility arrears and Is offering 20% under the asking price cheeky?

MoneySavingExpert.com Job Opportunity. London based. Web Developer

Quick Forum Tips Warning! Bargains listed here tend to sell out quickly Daily Bargains Update Tips, Tricks & Treats

Top Deal! 50p food at Morrisons. 8 popular items' prices knocked down 'til 10 Aug eBay half price listing day. Thurs 7 Aug. Have a clear-out £2.60 for £20 Tigi hair stuff. Free with magazines in London. Hair we go! 100 free Nectar points. Just fill in a short survey. Sweet! Free West Midlands one day bus pass. Complete a short online form £4 school uniforms in-store at Asda. For 3-12 year-olds. Shirt, top & bottoms Buy £20 of printer ink, get £20 Tesco Clubcard Deals. Loophole! Free youth music workshops in Sept scattered around the UK. Sign up asap Debt Free Wannabe chat of the week: Single and in debt Old Style (Thrift) Board thread of the week: How to make washing smell scrumptious? Post of the Month winner July: Ultimate Comping Guide, See all nominations Nominate Post Of The Month for August

CHEAP FLIGHTS SALES ALERT Airline: Thomsonfly. Price: sub-£40 e/w. Ends: Midnight Thurs 7 Aug.
My top pick budget airline sale this week is Thomsonfly’s sub-£40 inc. most taxes & charges to various European destinations from a range of UK airports. Tickets are at this price until midnight Thurs and are for travel until April 2009 but are only available on selected flights. How to quickly find the sales flights: Don't go direct, instead use the Budget Airline FlightChecker and ask it to find all flights under £40. Non-Budget Airline Tools: These are listed in the Cheap Flights article. Related Travel MoneySaving: Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance, Mobile Roaming

Great 'Large Families' Hunt Result: Cut costs with more than two kids
It’s tough to save when you’ve a bigger-than-average brood. From package holidays to family theme park tickets, companies assume that a family equals two adults and two kids. So last week I called upon MoneySavers with large families to give their tips and suggestions on how to cut costs when you've more than two kids. There were some great suggestions including Ask about group discounts, English Heritage membership and Check your local library/council

Andrea's Freebies Freebies, Freebies, Freebies

Weaning Spoon, "Where Did The River Go?" Story Book, Hazard Perception Test, Adults' "Improve Your English & Maths Skills" DVD

Odds and Ends MSE

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.

• Jeremy Vine, Radio 2, Friday 1pm. The MoneySaving subject's yet to be decided.
  
• GMTV, ITV1, Tuesday between 7:30 & 8am, then again between 8:30 & 9am. Peek in your purse!

Watch/listen back to past appearances: Including Radio 1's Jo Whiley, Radio 2's Vine, Radio 4's MoneyBox and TV. Listen/watch here
Keep updated on appearances: Changes and updates go in the Updated appearances list

This week's Martin's Blog: I nearly told the nation to Eff-off
"Ofgem the regulator is listening; good stuff" and "Frustrated with myself. I was awful on GMTV today. Read m'blogs (or RSS users access)

Would you forgo a payrise to help stop inflation? This week's poll. Vote and Payrise vs. Inflation discussion.

We're a nation that doesn't ask for Doggy Bags. Last Week’s Vote. While in the States, asking for a doggy bag to take meal leftovers home is de rigueur, it seems we Brits don’t do it. Maybe it's just because we have smaller portions? Only 11% always ask for one, while 64% either never ask or rarely ask. Full Result & Discussion: Doggy Bag Poll

Archna's Free Game of the Week! You've 15 overs to send the ball sailing & score some serious points. Thanks to Johnny C for this one! Stick Cricket

Can your pet talk? It can now. If you've ever wanted to see moggy and pooch chat try this Talking Pets

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: virginmoney.co.uk, hsbc.co.uk, barclaycard.co.uk, alliance-leicester.co.uk, kaupthing.com, talktalk.co.uk, americanexpress.co.uk, envirofone.com, mopay.co.uk . Read more about this in how this site is financed.

MoneySavingExpert.com is the free to use Consumer Revenge website focused on how to save you cash. It’s owned, and run by ultra-specialised journalist and bestselling author Martin Lewis. On TV amongst other things Martin has his own show It Pays To Watch on Five, is GMTV’s Money SavingExpert, presents money programmes for ITV1 Tonight. On Radio Martin has regular slots on Radio 2 Vine and Radio 1 Whiley. He’s also a columnist for the News of The World, Moneywise and the Sunday Post. Find out more: About the site and its funding.

Disclaimer: This e-mail is based on journalistic research. It does not constitute financial advice. Any information should be considered in regard to your own specific circumstances. All tips are followed at your own risk and should be followed up with your own research Full Terms & Conditions.

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