Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Beat the credit rejection spiral. There's been a 5% jump in the number of people who apply for credit cards and loans being rejected, according to reports this week, as banks tighten lending criteria. Even worse, some continue to apply after they’ve been turned down, up to eight times; absolutely the worst thing to do! Been rejected? Urgently stop all applications! If you're declined for credit, the first, most important thing to do is... NOTHING! Get rejected enough times quickly and chances of future acceptance take a mammoth hit. Even if rejections are due to a credit file error which you then get corrected, simply the volume of applications made regardless of the correction can now cause problems themself.` Five steps to get accepted. 1. View your credit file for free 2. Check for mistakes and get them corrected 3. Increase your attractiveness to lenders (get on electoral roll, cancel un-needed cards/overdrafts, pay off debts with savings) 4. Play with free Credit Checker to target areas for improvement 5. Apply for easier-to-get products. All this info plus more is in the full Credit Rating guide. PS… I'm taking a break this week, so having written my articles, this e-mail's in the capable hands of the MSE Team

You aren't entitled to a refund! Buy something then change your mind and a shop doesn't legally have to let you return it. Often they do, though they're just being PR savvy (or nice!). They only have to when there's a fault with the item. Bizarrely one exception's online or catalogue shopping, when you can always cancel within seven days of receipt. Read more in the Consumer Rights article. Discuss This / Suggest A Note

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The Ones Not To Miss MSE

New Cheap Capped Energy Tariff. More big gas & elec suppliers hoik prices by 30%
E.On and Scottish & Southern have just raised energy prices up to 30%; following British Gas & EDF's mammoth increases earlier this month. That leaves just two of the big six suppliers yet to increase, and they're expected to do so imminently. New Top Capped Tariff: Bizarrely Scottish Power’s cut the rate of its market-leading cap, letting you lock-in and forgo price rises until Oct 2009. As even more hikes in Jan are possible, capping at this lower rate can work out best for those needing financial security. Important! If you're planning to cap pls read the full explanation and how to pick the right tariff in the Updated Article: Gas & Elec Related Articles: Cheapest Boiler Cover, Cheapest Home Phones, Cut The Cost Of Water Bills

New 50% off Pizza Hut, click 'n' print voucher. Plus new Wagamama 2for1. Joins Gourmet Burger Kitchen, Giraffe and many more in the Daily Deals List of: Eating Out Vouchers

Check your credit card rates. Hikes hidden by 'monthly interest' trick. New calc to help
Credit card standard interest rates are rocketing, adding £100s a year to costs, e.g. MBNA’s increased some from 19% to 35% APR, NatWest 13.9% to 15.9%. Monthly interest trick: Worse, many announce ‘monthly interest’ rises so it looks smaller, e.g. 2% a month is 27% APR. To help we’ve built an interest rate converter to reveal the real rate. New Cheapest Balance Transfers: To beat rate hikes, shift debts to a new card offering a cheap balance transfer deal. Longest 0%: Virgin* is 0% for 15mths with a one off 2.98% fee. No fee 0%: Abbey Zero is 0% for 6 mths no fee. Top long-term deal: Barclaycard* allows you to lock-in debts at 6.3% until all the debt shifted is repaid. More options & info in the Updated Guide: Best Balance Transfers Related Articles: New Borrowing, Interest Rates Guide

Cheap UK travel: £1 coaches and £3 trains. National Express has a sale on lots of routes see the Cheap Coaches Note: £1 fares. Plus Virgin has special intercity discounts between London, B'ham, Edingburgh and Manchester. See the Cheap Trains Note: £3 tickets

Shopping vouchers for next week only. 20% off Wallis, Oasis, Office, ASOS.com & more!
The Sept edition of Glamour magazine which costs £2 has a range of 20% off vouchers, but most are only valid on specific days next week, so if you need to use them, time it carefully. 20% off Wallis: Tues 2 Sept Dorothy Perkins: Weds 3 Sept Warehouse: Thurs 4 Sept Oasis: Fri 5 Sept ASOS.com: 1-7 Sept Office: 1-7 Sept The Body Shop: 1-7 Sept Essensuals Hairdessing: 1-5 Sept. Full details in the Daily Deals List: Shopping Vouchers

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

New. 100s of free & cheap photo prints, updated weekly. Fully researched list of sign up offers. Deals List: Free & Cheap Photo Prints

Graduate Accounts 2008/09. Save £100s if you've graduated in last three years.
Grabbing the best graduate account can boost your finances by £100s, as banks offer higher education leavers big interest-free overdrafts for up to three years. This isn’t just for new graduates either; if you left university in the last three years, switch to the new best and bag a bigger borrowing facility; up to £2,000 in the first year of graduation. For full info, top picks and explanation read the New Guide: Graduate Accounts 2008/09 Related Articles: Should I Pay Off My Student Loan?, Top Bank Accounts

Last chance! £15 off £50 at Waitrose. Plus a News Of The World voucher for free fish fingers, peas & waffles from Asda joins other shopping discount vouchers. Deals List: Shopping Vouchers

Got family/couple annual travel insurance? Check before travelling on your own
If you got a family travel policy because it's cheaper, well done, but I’ve a warning. These policies are cheaper because risks increase more with each trip than each person. This is why cover generally applies ONLY if everyone travels together. So, if one of you goes abroad independently, it's crucial to call up and check. Most companies will extend the cover to an individual as a one off, provided you inform them, though repeatedly trying this may cause problems. More info in the Guide: Cheapest Travel Insurance Other Travel MoneySaving: Car Hire, Cheap Travel Money, Mobile Roaming, Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels

New BT home phone line £95-off sale. If you've just moved home, or need a line reconnected, installations are slashed to £30 until the end of Sept, 75% off the usual £125 price. Full details in the Forum Note: BT Line Rental Related Article: Cheapest Home Phones

Finances changed this year? Use free Budget planner to assess finances ASAP
Inflation, the credit crunch, economic slowdown and house prices have radically changed many people's financial situation. If you were previously spending just within your means, price rises could cause you to overspend. This is a nightmare and can lead to a debt spiral, where you borrow ever more just to make ends meet. The free budget planner is designed to assess every aspect of your finances and tell you whether you spend or earn more. Tool & Guide: The Budget Planner Related Guides: Give Yourself a Money Makeover, Stop Spending Guide, The Demotivator

New It Pays To Watch Series 3 coming soon! The next series of my Five TV show starts Sept, we're looking for people who want me to save them cash on the show or be in the audience

The Big & Easy Ways to Save Checklist

Give Yourself a Money Makeover: Special guide to overhauling your finances New Borrowing: Best Card For Spending or Cheapest Loans New Bank Account: 0% overdraft & £100 bonus 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

Buy musical instruments & art at 0%. Just apply to the Arts Council to get an interest-free loan up to £2K, paid back over 9-10 months. Master-stroke!

CHEAP FLIGHTS SALES ALERT Airline: BMIBaby. Price: c.£25 e/w. Ends: 28 August.
My top pick budget airline sale this week is BMIBaby's 1/3 off flights to various European destinations from a range of UK airports. Tickets are only available on selected flights from selected airports until Thursday. 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 £25. 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

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Would you take the kids out of school for a holiday?
You’re strapped for cash and couldn’t afford a family getaway this summer. Yet you notice a super-bargainous holiday to Majorca in the last week of September. It’s much cheaper than the sky-high peak season prices and within your budget. The catch is it would mean taking the children out of school in term time. The kids, aged 8 and 10, would miss ten days of lessons for the hol; you're worried they will get behind, but think it will be educational for them to experience another culture. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Would you take the kids out of school for a holiday? Previous MMDs: Would you tell a charity shop a Chloe bag was under-priced? and Should the whole family forfeit the holiday?

MoneySavingExpert.com Job Opportunity. London based Junior IT technician required.

Great 'Student Discounts' Hunt: Money off books, stationery, food & travel
MoneySaver Smickan has collated a fabulous, completely new list of student discounts. So I've turned it into a Great Student Discounts Hunt and I'd like to tap student (or other!) MoneySavers' wealth of knowledge to find others. Add your discount spots/read other peoples': Great "Student Discounts" Hunt Past Great Hunts: Blagging Hints & Tips, Job Based Discounts, Use Less Water

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

Top Deal: Posh Radley bags 50%-ish off. Reductions include £150 to £80. At TK Maxx Free mobile sim card & £5 credit when you top up by £10. Sim-ply fantastic Three bottles of wine for £10. In both Asda & Morrisons. Supermarket price wars Anti-ageing Q10 cream for 74p. In store at Tesco. Quids-in skin Meet the England rugby stars for free in London. Scrummy! Bargain Benefit make-up from £5 + p&p, available online. Benefit in kind Free Royal Opera plus choccie tasting in London. Aria-p and get tickets! Guaranteed compliant passport photos for £3.95. Paspic Debt Free Wannabe chat of the week: How does debt impact your life? Old Style (Thrift) Board thread of the week: Make your own ice cream Nominate Post Of The Month for August

Board of the week: Benefits, Tax Credits & Job Seeking
The Benefits, Tax Credits & Jobseeking board offers a wealth of information to help you navigate the complicated world of benefits and help you get what you're entitled to. Also read the 5 Minute Benefits Check Up article. Discussions include Income Capacity & college, Advice for fathers on benefits and Interview questions

The Great “Free or Subsidised by my Council” Hunt Result
Whether it's council leisure centres and gyms at half the cost of private ones, free internet access in libraries, residents' parking permits to also get access to car parks, or even grants for home insulation, local councils can save you cash. So last week I asked for info on subsidised and free services available. There were some great suggestions including Nappy cash, Check the library and Free composters

Andrea's Freebies Freebies, Freebies, Freebies

Dido MP3, Campervan Cutout, Nairns Oatcakes, Kikkoman Recipe Cards

Odds and Ends MSE

MoneySavingExpert on the box/wireless
None this week as I'm taking a Summer break.

Are you worth more than you earn? This week's poll. Vote and Wealth vs. income discussion.

Are you a voucherista or a voucherhata? Last Week’s Vote. A full 41% of MoneySavers consider themselves full-blown voucheristas, choosing where to eat and shop based on whether there's a discount available, and a further 31% do the same, but find their friends get embarrassed about it. Just 11% don't use vouchers because they can't be bothered, while 3% find it embarrassing. A lucky 2% simply have 'too much money to care' either way. See Discount Vouchers poll results.

This week's Martin's Blog: Why say “I’m on annual leave”? Read m'blogs (or RSS users access)

Archna's Free Game of the Week! An online version of the classic logic puzzle. Online Sudoku

The MSE Team.

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: virgin-money.co.uk, barclaycard.co.uk, alliance-leicester.co.uk, kaupthingedge.co.uk, tiscali.co.uk, amex.co.uk, envirofone.com, mopay.com. 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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