Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

New Year 'Big n Easy' Special It's money month, the time more people sort their cash than any other. So this e-mail's dedicated to Big n Easy savings, with all the usual top deals thrown in too of course (also see the full Money Makeover). And a couple of words about Bank Sales! ... "they're PANTS!". Both NatWest and HSBC have sales on at the moment, here are some examples... HSBC cash ISA Sale Fail. It's upped its cash ISA rates by 0.25%, making them between 2-2.5%, yet the market leader's 3.6%, see top cash ISAs. NatWest Loan Sale Fail. It's reduced the rate to 8.9%, but only for over £15,000. The market's cheapest starts at 7.8% (see cheap loans). Admittedly some of its existing customers may benefit as it can be easier to be accepted by your own bank. HSBC bank account Sale Fail. It's halving the £12.95/mth cost of its fee paying account for six months. Yet save the whole amount by getting a fees-free account, or better still earn a free £100 (see below). And these are just some examples, and while I welcome them reducing prices, this is a bit like saying, "we're making our usually very expensive deals, not quite as expensive".

Week of Tue 30 Dec - Mon 05 Jan 1. Top Savings Accounts (1) 2. Best Balance Transfers (8) 3. Best Cash ISAs (3) 4. Freebies, Freebies, Freebies (2) 5. Premium Bonds Calculator (5) 6. Cheap Flights (4) 7. Reclaim Bank Charges (10) 8. Budget Planning (New) 9. Cheap Train Tickets (7) 10. Cheap Car Insurance (New) Finally a challenger to Top Savings Accounts throne... I predict next week, Balance Transfers will be Alexandra to Top Savings' JLS... Excludes daily deals notes

The Ones Not To Miss MSE

New Top Bank Account. Free £100, a 0% overdraft, & free travel insurance.
This week Alliance & Leicester's revamped its Premier account*. What's included? A year's 0% overdraft, a free £100, and free annual european travel insurance for the account holder(s). Who can get it? Those who pass its credit check, earn over £6,100, and pay their salary in. Sadly if you've been an A&L or Abbey current account customer in the last 3 months, you're not eligible. Who's it best for? As well as the overdrawn, over a year, the free £100 also makes it a winner for anyone averaging under £2,000 in-credit. Full pros & cons, and alternatives in the Updated Guide: Top Bank Accounts Related Guide: Bank Charges Reclaiming

New! Pizza Express 2for1 inc. weekends (most EXPENSIVE free). This click n print voucher's a first, as you can use it anytime and the most costly is free. More in the Daily Deals Note: Restaurant vouchers

Cheap Car Insurance system. Save £100s at speed. Record: £14/year fully comp!
Watch any TV ad break and you'll see one for car insurance comparisons. Yet to really get a proper search, you need to combine them in the right order; and we've just done a mammoth reassessment of that. The Right Comparisons: Using Moneysupermarket* AND GoCompare* means you check 108 insurers and brokers in ten minutes. Then, if you've time add CompareTM*, Confused* and Uswitch* for 29 more. Grab Cashback: Go via hidden cashback website deals and get £100ish. Record Result: The best so far from following the full system is £14/year fully comp. (£134 quote then £120 from a cashback site). FULL step-by-step info in the Updated Guide: Cheap Car Insurance. Other Insurance Guides: Van, Bike, Home

Took Christmas pics? Get 100s of free photo prints. Lots of companies offer intro trials e.g. Jessops up to 90 pics. Combine them all and you can get 100s free. Deals List: Free & Cheap Photo Prints

Free MoneySaving Live DVD (75 mins) & Free Poster Size Printed Budget Planner
I've done a special deal with the News of the World (95p), so this Sunday there's a stack of MoneySaving freebies. Free DVD: In Dec. I did a one man West End MoneySaving show, about how to take big companies on. A voucher for the full 75 min DVD's free in the paper (watch a 15 min trailer online) - ta to the NOTW for arranging this. Free Budget Planner Poster: As the free online Budget Planner is the core tool for analysing your finances, I'm chuffed a poster version will be in this weekend's paper, so all those who prefer pen and paper can do it with ease.

New! Zizzi 2for1, Yo Sushi (40% off), Pizza Hut (50% off). Lots of click n print vouchers from chains wanting to tempt you out in Jan. More in the Daily Deals Note: Restaurant vouchers

HELP YOUR FRIENDS SAVE IN 2009! PLS SUGGEST THEY GET THIS EMAIL

New cheapest EVER mobile contract. Three's new £9/month deal includes a 3G Sony Ericsson cameraphone, 100 free mins/texts & £20 accessory voucher. Full info in the Forum Note: 3 deal

January Debt Special: Best Balance Transfers. 0% for 16 mths or 6.5% for life
Each week, we'll focus on getting your debts in the best possible shape. Got existing credit cards? A balance transfer's a new card with a special cheap deal to pay off other cards for you, so you'll owe it instead. Top 0% Deal: New Virgin* customers get 0% for 16mths but with a fee of 2.98% of the amount transferred. If you can repay quicker, Abbey Zero (not online, branch only) is 0% for 6 mth. Long Term Deals: If you'll take longer to repay, Barclaycard's Platinum offers new customers 6.5% for life, meaning it lasts until all the debt shifted's been repaid. More best buys, and a full explanation in the Updated Guide: Best Balance Transfers Related Guides: Free Credit Check, Problem Debt Help, Top Cashback Cards

URGENT. 5,000 rooms for £19 at posh UK De Vere hotels. Plus, last week's half price Hilton hotels worldwide is still on, and £19 Travelodge. See the Forum Notes: De Vere £19, 50% off Hilton, £19 Travelodge

Get paid up to £150 for your old mobile. Clear out your drawers & make some cash!
If you got a new mobile for Christmas and have a one or more old handsets, why not dust them off and turn them into cash? Specialist ‘old-phone buying’ companies pay £20-£150 per phone. New Best Buyer: Not all companies pay the same, we've done a full review of who gives most. Always try three though, as payouts vary per handset; the top picks are love2recycle*, Mopay* and Mazuma*. Full details and options in the Updated Guide: Cash for Old Mobiles Related Guides: Boost your income, Cheap Mobiles

Premium Bond Calculator Updated. New lowest ever odds. With the interest at just 1.8%, it doesn't make good reading. Updated Calc: What are your odds?

Train fares UP 6.5%. New 'Train Tricks and Tactics' Video Of The Week Last Friday, UK train fares jumped 6.5% on average, with many up over 10%. Yet it's easy to slash down the cost with a host of hidden tricks. To help, added to the huge train ticket cost cutting guide this week, is a five-minute videocast which includes an easy explanation of the two big tricks that can halve costs... "buy early tickets late", and "split your tickets, not the journey". More in the Full Guide: Cheap Trains Related Guide: UK Travel Deals

Last Chance. Up to 50% off Home Insurance. Until 7 Jan Tesco* is 50% off but the quote lasts 90 days, so lock-in at the cheap price. Warning: Even half price it isn't automatically cheap, so always compare with the full Cheap Home Insurance system

Urgent: Top Fixed Saving. 5% for 2 years, must apply by next Tue. Updated Guide
On Mon, Close Brothers launched a two year 5% fixed account for those with £10,000. To get the account you must apply & get the funds to it by Tue 13 Jan so go quick. What is a fixed rate? It means the rate is guaranteed, but your cash is LOCKED away during the term. While it currently looks unlikely, if other interest rates increased above that, your money would be stuck. Who is Close Bros? It's a niche private bank, yet importantly it has the same £50,000 per person per financial institution protection as any other. For other alternatives, including the top one year fixed read the Updated Guide: Fixed Rate Saving Related Guides: Safe Savings, Top Savings

£1 each way cross-UK coach tickets. Now National Express has joined Megabus with supercheap fares. See the Daily Deals Note: Coach & Train Deals

Reminder. £29 annual travel insurance inc. winter sports. It's possible to get an annual European policy including basic winter sports cover for £29 (£44 for couple/family). Full info & other options in the Guide: Cheap Travel Ins Related Travel Guides: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad

Mortgage Makeover: Read the free Remortgage Guide Reclaim £1,000s: on Mortgage Fees, Council Tax, Endowments, Bank Charges, PPI Switch Gas & Elec and Get up to £30 Cashback! Energyhelpline* or Gas & Elec Article 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 New Borrowing: Best Card For Spending or Cheapest Loans Motor Insurance: Read the Car, Van or Motorbike articles Home Phone & Broadband: Tiscali* or better still read the Home Phones article Cashback Credit Card: Amex Plat* or read Best Cashback Cards Cut Car & Home Insurance! Car Insurance/ Home Insurance Cost Cutting MoneySaving Books: The Money Diet, Thrifty Ways, Three Lessons

More MoneySaving MSE

Last Chance. Grab an extra 1.5% ON TOP of Tesco Savings Account. Updated Guide
The Tesco no-notice Internet saver account currently pays new customers 4.5% plus a 1.5% bonus for the first year (so 6% total). Yet apply after Wed 7 Jan and you don't get the bonus; at the same time the main rate drops for new & existing customers to 3.6% - and it could drop it again from then. Grab the bonus: With the bonus it's still a high rate, and as no notice is needed to withdraw cash, if it does drop further simply move the money. Alternatively open it with just £1 now, to bag the bonus, then monitor. Full details in the Updated Guide: Top Savings Accounts Related Guide: Safe Savings

Great 'Best credit crunch work lunch' Hunt: What to make or buy on the cheap.
Is it a can of soup from the supermarket, pre-made sandwiches, or even a Pot Noodle? Whether you make and pack your lunch at home, or you just pick it up at the supermarket, what are your top credit crunch work lunch ideas? Add your ideas/read other peoples': Great 'Best credit crunch work lunch' Hunt Past Great Hunts: Recycle & Reuse Christmas Things, Large Families, Letters That Work

Did you apply for the 7.75% Barclays Monthly Saver LAST WEEK?
In last week's email we wrote that open & pay money into Barclays monthly saver before 31 December & you'd get 7.75% fixed for a year. Yet as warned, some Barclays branches didn't know this and even said we were lying. To confirm the info was correct, this is from Mark Parsons, Managing Director of Savings, Barclays: "We apologise there’s been some confusion, but assure all customers who opened a Monthly Savings account and made their first deposit on or before the 31 December that they'll get the 7.75% fixed rate as stated in the MoneySavingExpert.com e-mail last week". Read the full statement in the Barclays Monthly Saver note.

CHEAP FLIGHTS SALES ALERT Airline: EasyJet. Price: sub. £35 e/w. Ends: When seats sell out.
My top pick budget airline sale this week is EasyJets's sale, with flights to a host of European destinations from a range of UK airports for between £20 and £35 each way (including most taxes and charges). Tickets are at this price until they sell out, on selected flights travelling between now and 24 Oct '09. 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 £35. Non-Budget Airline Tools: These are listed in the Cheap Flights guide. Related Travel MoneySaving: Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance, Mobile Roaming

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Would you keep a mistaken 'double refund'?
Having bought a £140 dress/suit in the sales at half price, you take it home and find some dodgy stitching. The store gives you a refund without quibbling, but when leaving the shopping centre, you notice the machine's automatically refunded the FULL price, twice what you paid. Would go back to the shop and tell them, or keep schtum? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Would you keep a mistaken 'double refund'? Previous MMDs: Would you pay Brian the Builder in cash? and Do you break the no Christmas present pact?

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

Top Deal: £20 ladies' suit. Cheap interview gear for the ladeez! By George! Recycle Christmas Cards to help the Woodland Trust plant a forest Tree-mendous Toaster, Kettle, Iron & Blender pack for £18. Was £46. Kit-ching! £4 Breakfast Deal at Morrisons. Another price crunch special. Eggcellent! All cosmetics reduced to 99p at Wet n Wild. Plus free delivery over £10. Cheap Slap Debt Free Wannabe chat of the week: What are your aims for 2009? Old Style (Thrift) Board thread of the week: Knit Your Square To Give Your Share '09 Post of the Month 2008 winner: Advent Competitions 2008, See all nominations

Board of the week: Marriages, Relationships and Family MoneySaving
The Family MoneySaving board has a huge community of MoneySavers divulging and discussing every nook and cranny of their finances in the home, between friends and in relationships. Discussions include How do I cope after maternity pay stops?, How do I protect my home? and Older children paying keep. Related Guides: Childcare Costs: Boost Your Budget, Parents' Guide To Student Finance, Five-Min Benefits Check-Up

Great 'Recycle & Reuse Christmas Things Revisited' Hunt Result
Last week I asked for your top tips on recycling & reusing Christmas goods after the big day. There were some top suggestions including several places to send used stamps, Chocolate Ice Cube Trays, Freecycle and Make Gift Boxes From Cards

Andrea's Freebies Freebies, Freebies, Freebies

Kerastase Hair Treatment, Kumon Maths & English Trial, Kids’ Birthday Treat Packet Of Seeds, Brainpop Learning Help, Horse Races (Wolverhampton)

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.

• GMTV & Lorraine. ITV1 Wed 7 – Wed 14
  
• Wed 7 c. 9am… The start of a New Year New Year, Money Makeover!
  
• Thur 9 7.40am… What the Bank of England decision means
  
• Thur 9 c. 9am… how to cut Car Insurance and your Home Insurance costs
  
• Mon 12 & Tue 13… Redundancy MoneySaving special
  
• Wed 14 c. 9am. Find out the best Deals of the Week!
• Past appearances: Listen/watch back, plus keep updated on future appearances.

How big will it be in the New Year? Win a bottle of champagne!
At midnight on 31 Dec 2008 there were 2,927,741 on this e-mail’s distribution list, how many will be on 31 Dec 09. Enter the contest: Champagne to whomever correctly predicts the 2009 result. Last Year's Result: If you entered last year see if you won the champagne.

This week's Martin's Blog: My first reclaim: Unfair Parking Ticket.
"Happy New Year To the Tesco Honeymooners" and "1731, 2033, 9854". Read m'blogs (or RSS users access)

Is it time to ditch the pound? This week's poll. Vote and Euro? discussion.

Vince Cable for Chancellor! Last Week’s Vote. Lib Dem Shadow Chancellor Vince Cable stole ahead in last week's vote, taking a full 34% of the vote and putting Gordon Brown firmly in second place, with just 21%. Kenneth Clarke was the only other real challenger, with 18%, while all other candidates languished on single figures. See Fantasy Chancellor II poll results.

Archna's Free Game of the Week! Use a bit of logic and some guesswork in the Impossible Quiz

Looking for love? Go bankrupt! It’s NOT a piece of advice, more a report that love can be found in some very strange places. We’ve just learned two people who met on the bankruptcy forum board have got engaged. Huge congrats to you both. See their announcements - Bankruptcy Banns.

I hope you save some money,

Martin

Explanation of * Links

FSA NOTE: Referring people to insurers or insurance intermediaries can in some circumstances require FSA authorisation. For this reason, Martin Lewis of Shepherd's Studios, Rockley Road, Shepherd's Bush, London W14 0DA is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

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: alliance-leicester.co.uk, moneysupermarket.com, gocompare.com, comparethemarket.com, confused.com, uswitch.com, uk.virginmoney.com, moneysupermarket.love2recycle.com, mopay.co.uk, mazumamobile.com, tescofinance.com, energyhelpline.com, tiscali.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 is GMTV’s Money SavingExpert and 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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