Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email
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As Christmas and Boxing Day hit on Thur & Fri this year there are four non-working days in a row. This has a confusing impact on direct debits and standing orders scheduled then.
It's worth checking what payments are due, and if you're short of funds see if you can move money to cover it or change the payment date. For more on the different types of payments see the Direct Debit Audit guide and discuss Christmas payment dates. |
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Please suggest friends/family/colleagues get this free weekly e-mail from moneysavingexpert.com/tips
PS. Happy Chanukah for Sunday: Chag Sameach to all Jewish MoneySavers and do look out for the little Chanukiah added to the main Christmas logo.
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New Cheapest Home Phone & Broadband. £14/mth inc. rental & wireless router
Talktalk's Essentials package usually costs £18/mth all-in and includes line rental, broadband and a wireless router. The Loophole: Anyone going via this special link only pays £10.50/mth line rental for the first 12 months; it's supposed to be reserved for its "friends & family" promotion but we've permission to give it out. Overall price. Over the 18 mth contract, it's a £29.99 set-up fee, £10.50/mth for a year, then £16.49 for six months making it £14/mth all-in on average. Full info in the Updated Guide: Cheap Home Phones Related Guide: Top Cashback Sites
Ramada UK 3 star+ hotel rooms £10/person promo. Go quick. For stays between 19 Dec & 31 Jan. See the Forum Note: Ramada £10 deal Related Guide: Cheap Hotels
Christmas Bargains: £99 Xbox 360, £25 8GB Mp3 player, £90 TomTom ONE v.4 & more
As the big day approaches, we've a daily updated guide to the lowest prices on a range of gadgets, books, games and CDs. Other top deals: The Dark Knight DVD £9.99, The Killers Day & Age CD £6.99, Jamie's Ministry of Food cookbook £9.99. For full details of all of these see the Daily Deals Note: Christmas Gadget Deals Related Guides: Mega Shopbot, Online Shopping, Cashback Sites
25% off Pizza Hut delivery. Get 25% off a £20 spend with a special code. This plus 2for1 GBK & £10 off Tootsies in the Daily Deals List: Eating Out
SHOCK Student Loan interest rate cut from 3.8% to 3% and could fall further.
The student loan interest rate usually changes annually in Sept, and this year it dropped from 4.8% to 3.8%. Yet now, for post '98 loans, it's now been cut again to 3%. Why the cut? Its rate’s based on the rate of inflation (RPI) every March. Yet the small print says 'if the ave. of 11 major banks' base rate' plus 1% point is lower than this RPI it should drop to that. And for the first time EVER it has. Will it drop more? Now the figure's under the threshold, if base rates drop again it's likely the student loan rate will drop further (updates here of course). More info in the Updated Guides: Should I Repay My Student Loan? Related Guides Student Loans, Student MoneySaving
Last chance online Xmas orders for free delivery. Final dates include Debenhams (19 Dec), M&S (20 Dec), Tesco Direct (21 Dec), Argos (21 Dec). See full list in the Deals Note: Last Xmas Order Dates
Send money abroad for less. Slash the cost for amounts big or small. New Guide
Whether it's Christmas cash for a Stateside nephew, buying a Spanish villa, or emergency cash for a backpacking daughter in India, transferring money overseas doubles the currencies, complication and cost. The best way: With the pound plummeting, it's crucial to maximise the rate. The solution is all about using no-cost specialist plastic, free bank transfers or big FX brokers. This is a totally new guide to the cheapest way to send or pay money abroad, whether regular or one-offs. New Guide: Sending Money Overseas Related Guides: Cheap Holiday Currency, Cheap Spending Abroad, Travel MoneySaving
Urgent! Ends today (Wed). £30 iTunes for £20. Buy 2 x £15 gift cards for £20 In-store at Morrisons, see the Forum Note: iBoon!
STOP YOUR FRIENDS WASTING CASH! PLS SUGGEST THEY GET THIS EMAIL
Vouchers: WaitroseDeliver (£10 off £100); Muji (20% off) & Threshers (40% off). These and more in the Daily Deals Note: Shopping Vouchers
New Top Savings. Guarantee a top rate (currently 5.2%). Beat the financial flux.
Ten weeks ago base rates were 5%, now they're just 2%. This makes comparing savings a nightmare, as all are at different rate cut stages. There are two ways to beat this: Top Rate Tracker: If you've £25,000+, Investec's High 5 account matches the ave. rate of the top five best buy accounts. Thus the rate's always high (currently 5.24%) and as the best buys are usually those that haven't cut rates yet, it should stay high as long as possible. You need to give three mths' notice to withdraw cash. Fix above 5%: After ALL rate cuts, the top instant access deals will probably be 3.5%-4%. Yet if you're prepared to lock your cash away for a year, you can still fix the rate of your savings above 5%, but they're nearly all gone. Updated Guides: Top Savings, Fixed Savings, Safe Savings
ONE click finds the cheapest perfume supplier. The Mega Shopbot now includes all the perfume comparison sites, last orders are close though. Perfume Comparison: Mega Shopbot Updated Guide: Cheap Perfumes
Cheapest UK & Overseas Parcel Delivery. Send Xmas packages for 75% less.
You can get big-name couriers like DHL and Parcelforce to deliver parcels, both in the UK and worldwide, at prices to make the Royal Mail blush. Why so cheap? Some special web firms buy up the big couriers' spare capacity and then flog it on at cut price. For example send a 25kg package across the UK for £8 rather than £30, or a 10Kg package to New York for £35 (instead of £100). Updated Guide: Parcel Delivery Related Guides: Online Shopping, eBay Selling
10,000 cross-UK £1 return Megabus tickets. For England & Wales travel between 12 Jan and 1 Mar. eg. Newquay-Exeter, Liv-Birm. Plus new Lond-Manch £1 train fares for Jan. See the Updated Deals List: Cheap UK Travel
Got an EGG card? Reclaim £100s. It's been fined a MASSIVE £700k for misselling.
The regulator, the FSA, has punished Egg for its bad techniques when selling payment protection insurance with credit cards. This includes adding the insurance even for some who'd turned it down. How to reclaim: Reclaiming this insurance if you were missold it should now be a lot easier, as it's much tougher for it to try and fight. All it takes is a call or a few letters. Full details in the updated Guide & Free Template Letters: PPI Reclaiming Related Guides: Bank Charges, Council Tax, Mortgage Exit Fees
Pre-Xmas sales: Up to 50% off Gap, BHS & House of Fraser. The big sales are starting. See them all in the Daily Deals List: Pre-Xmas Sales
Apply NOW to sort New Year Debts. 0% for 16 mths, or 6.5% for life. Updated Guide
If you've got existing credit card debts (or worse still running up more) the most important thing to do is try and cut their cost. If possible shift your debts to a cheap balance transfer deal. Why now? A typical credit card application takes around three weeks; so to be sure of sorting New Year debts, do it now. Top 0% deal: Virgin* charges new cardholders no interest for 16 months, at the cost of a one off 2.98% fee. Once this ends you'll have to switch again if the debt's not paid off. Top long term: Alternatively Barclaycard Plat charges new cardholders a low 6.5% until the debt is fully paid off. Full info and more options in the Updated Guide: Best Balance Transfers Related Guides: 0% Credit Cards, Best Cashback Cards
UNLOCKED mobile for £13 incl. £10 credit. This cheap pay-as-you-go handset's big advantage is it's unlocked so you can use any sim in it. See the Forum Note: Cheap PAYG Related Guide: Cheap Mobiles
The Big & Easy Ways to Save Checklist |
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Energy provider problems? Energy Ombudsman can award up to £5K compensation
After publishing the guide to fighting Unfair Energy Direct Debits last week, many told me they'd never heard of the Energy Ombudsman. So here's a quick briefing. Who is it? The Energy Ombudsman's not a person but the impartial and independent official disputes resolution service for the energy industry set up in July 06. What can it do? It resolves complaints about billing, transfers, service and sales issues. How much does it cost? It's totally free and there's no risk, so if you've got a complaint your provider won't sort, go for it. Related Guides: Cheap Gas & Elec, Cheap Boiler Cover
MFI Administration Update. Wickes has offered to help MFI customers complete their kitchens and bathrooms. Details of this and info on how to get your money back in the Full Q&A Guide: MFI Help
Got a Halifax bank account? Complete overdraft overhaul in February 2009
Halifax has announced it'll launch a new current account in February, with a radically different overdraft structure. It's likely many of its existing customers will then be moved to this. How will it work? Rather than interest charges and a big £35 whack if you go beyond your limit it'll charge £1 or £2 a day within your authorised limit or £5 for unauthorised. If you're in-credit you'll get paid £5 a month provided you pay in £1,000, which looks very loopholeable! More info when it happens. Related Guides: Best Bank Accounts, Bank Charges News
Want to become a Forum 'deals rater'? If you're a regular forum user, with over 100 posts and an eye for a bargain then read the Forum Note: Be a deal rater
WARNING! Got a Kingfisher gift voucher? Spend it Now!
Both Comet and B&Q have said they're no longer accepting the 'Kingfisher' high street gift vouchers, leaving Woolworths as the only place that accepts them. If you have one, go quick, as if Woolies does close all stores this month, your voucher may be worthless, so spend it now (plus Woolies big sale's still on!) Related Discussion: Don’t vouch for it?
MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Would you give a car park attendant a back hander?
You’re parking in a big private car park in the centre of town. When you return the cost should be about £14. Yet a member of staff who works there tells you if you give him a fiver in cash he’ll let you through the gates no problem. This is self-evidentially defrauding the car park company. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Would you pay the parking backhander? Previous MMDs: Should the twins get equal value presents? and Insult by paying or let them struggle?
Beware e-Christmas cards. There’s a virus going round
I received what looked like a genuine hallmark greeting card. Yet I spotted the main link was a virus. If you get e-cards, first check they’re from someone you know – don’t open any that aren’t. And then hover your mouse over the link to check it goes to a legit site, before clicking. And always ensure your virus checker is switched on. Discuss: Christmas Spam Related Guide: Free Anti-virus
Great 'Take with a Pinch of Salt' Hunt: What instructions are just to make money?
Ever bought something, read the instructions and thought they're only there to make you spend more. While health instructions are crucial, if your shampoo says wash and rinse twice do you do it just because it says so? I’d like to tap MoneySavers’ suggestions on which products you would or wouldn’t follow the instructions on. Add your ideas/read other peoples': Great Take with a Pinch of Salt Hunt Past Great Hunts: Simple Pleasures, Taking a Lodger for Beginners, Home Brewing
Quick Forum Tips
Warning! Bargains listed here tend to
sell out quickly
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CHEAP FLIGHTS SALES ALERT Airline: BMI Baby . Price: c.£30 e/w. Ends: When tickets sell out.
My top pick budget airline sale this week is BMI Baby's sub-£30 inc. taxes & charges to various European destinations from a range of UK airports. Tickets are at this price until they’re sold out 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 £30. 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
Board of the week: Competitions Time
The Competitions board is a fun place where site users swap info about free-to-enter competitions they've spotted. Prizes include Greek Holiday, LCD TVs and a Home Cinema System
Great 'Simple Pleasures' Hunt Result
Last week we called upon MoneySavers to suggest simple but good ideas on ways to get a bit of luxury at little cost. There were some great suggestions including Playing Scrabble (Martin agrees with that!), BBQ on Xmas Day, Hire DVDs from the library and Make "Macmum" burgers
Could you Pass 11+?, GTA 1 & 2, Online Advent Calendar, Radio 1 Downloads |
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MoneySavingExpert on the box/wireless
I'm taking a break over Christmas but will be back on the box just before New Year.
- GMTV, Tuesday 30 December, between 7:30 & 8:30am. The topic for this show is news reactive, so you'll have to wait and see!
- Past appearances: Listen/watch back, plus keep updated on future appearances.
This week's Martin's Blog: I wear David Beckham aftershave
"Making Google’s Top Ten. Above Hannah Montana & below Cheryl Cole…" and "Have pre-Christmas sales started…" Read m'blogs (or RSS users access)
How will the pound fare against the euro? This week's poll. Vote and pound vs. euro discussion.
You'd cut out Christmas before Summer holidays... just! Last Week’s Vote. When forced to choose 44% said they'd cancel Christmas, compared to 41% who'd cancel their summer hols. 4% don't celebrate Christmas, 8% don't take summer holidays, and 3% miss both. See Christmas vs. Summer poll results.
Archna's Free Game of the Week! Unlock the secrets of the Maze
Songs to go Bankrupt to. To finish, this week some humour from those who’ve faced a hellish year. The residents of the bankruptcy board have been proposing their Bankruptcy theme songs
I hope you save some money
Martin
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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 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.
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