Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

A plague of loansharks... what would YOU do? It's no longer just the traditionally financially excluded. Recession means many are denied normal credit, boosting business for 1,000% plus APR legal doorstep lending, and worse, illegal loan sharks who use intimidation & violence. It's worth being aware of the alternatives, even if you're not affected, in case you need to help friends and family: Social Security Social Fund Loans. Crisis Loans are for emergencies or disasters e.g. after burglary or while awaiting benefits. Unlike crisis loans Budgeting Loans are only for benefit-recipients, and allow a wider range of borrowing e.g. clothes, furnishings. Sadly the social fund's struggling with demand, but still try if in need; full info in the Debt Help guide. Credit Unions. These local non-profit savings and loan co-operatives can lend small or large amounts, at fractions of doorstep lenders' interest. See the full Credit Unions guide. Flog Stuff. Sell things rather than borrow, whether on eBay (see eBay Selling guide), at car boot sales or to friends. Alternatively, while I'm no fan, sell to a pawnbroker in the short term, with a right to buy it back (plus hideous interest). At least you'll never be chased for the money. Debt Couselling. There are a host of free, non-profit debt counselling agencies like CCCS or Citizens Advice. Call for one-on-one help (see the Problem Debts guide). Don't borrow. Whatever the problem, borrowing from loan sharks is worse. They've used sexual violence, or even followed, threatened or intimidated children to enforce repayment. It's never worth it. Any idea? Have you been there? Please help. On Tues a new 'report sharks' hotline was launched (0300 555 2222), (also see 0300 number blog). If you've experienced loan sharks or doorstep lenders, or just have a good idea, please feedback or add your story to help others. Forum Link: Stop Loansharks.

Tue 24 Feb - Mon 2 Mar '09 (Last week's position) 1. Top Cash ISA (3) 2. Freebies, Freebies, Freebies (1) 3. Top Savings Accounts (2) 4. Bank Charges (New) 5. Cheap Flights (4) 6. Cheap Tickets (New) 7. Coach & Train Deals (New) 8. Premium Bonds Calculator (5) 9. Bank Charges News (New) 10. Switch Gas & Elec (8) Two years ago bank charges reclaiming would've topped this table most weeks. Finally with the success in the Court of Appeal it's bounced back and become the highest new entry. Plus last week's new cheap tickets guide, to cutting costs at gigs, sports events and the theatre put on a good show too. The above excludes daily deals notes

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The Ones Not To Miss MSE

FREE £20. Urgent Loophole! Open a savings account with £1. NOW CLOSED
A promotion for Dutch bank ING Direct says it'll add £20 to savings accounts set up by new customers. The Loophole: The minimum needed is just £1, so you could add that before 31 March, wait for the £20 to arrive, then withdraw it all & as it's a savings account there's no credit check. Should I save there? The rate's high at 3% (inc. 1.47% bonus), so it's not a bad place to save anyway, though you're reliant on the Dutch not UK compensation scheme. Go QUICK! Previous similar loopholes e-mailed to the 3 million people getting this, caused the companies to go green, feel sick, and close 'em at speed. So check it's still on when you apply. Full details and All Updates: ING Loophole forum note Related Guides: Top Savings Accounts, Best Cash ISAs, Safe Saving

New 2for1s at Strada, Prezzo & 50% off all La Tasca food. Join the extended 2for1 at Pizza Express, £5 All Bar One deal & 2 meals for £9.95 at Old English Inns. See the Daily Deals List: Restaurant Vouchers

Gas & Electricity. Time to Switch. Five of the big six have now cut prices.
Scottish Power's become the 5th of the big six energy companies to announce price cuts, again it's from 31 March and again it's sadly shaving less than 10% off bills. Time To Switch? The remaining company, npower, may soon drop prices, but it's not guaranteed & delaying may mean staying on an expensive tariff longer. Plus online tariffs are the cheapest and few of those have changed, so comparing now should be pretty good. Switch & Get Cashback: (via these special links) Top Pick Comparison: Energyhelpline* pays £15 cashback per switch. Dual Fuel: Moneysupermarket* gives £30 cashback, Uswitch* a free case of wine & SimplySwitch* £35 in Amazon vouchers. FULL info inc. for those who've CAPPED in the Updated Guide: Switch Gas & Elec Related Guides: Grant Grabbing, Boiler Cover

£19 Travelodge sale and, Mr & Mrs Smith Hotels 2for1. Hotel Sales Galore! Travelodge £19: 50,000 UK rooms (usually c.£29-£59) for April/May see Travelodge Sale. Swanky 2for1: Available until May, see the Mr & Mrs Smith note.

Bank Charges Rematch VICTORY! Bank charges must be fair. Get your reclaim in now.
Last Thurs I had the delight of being at the Court of Appeal as it rejected the banks' attempt to overturn the High Court ruling that bank charges are subject to fairness laws. Tellingly it also refused them permission to appeal to the House of Lords, though sadly they're now asking the Lords direct. What's next? As fairness rules DO apply, the Office of Fair Trading, must decide if charges actually ARE unfair; it's provisionally said it thinks so. Can I reclaim now? The regulator's (the FSA) hold on reclaiming sadly still applies to all but those in financial hardship, but even so, as 100,000s have already sent letters, get yours in now, to bag an earlier spot in the payout queue. Full News: Court of Appeal result Guide & Letters: Bank Charges Reclaiming and Hardship definitions

Free £7 Origins face scrub. Just click n print a voucher (while stocks last). See the Daily Deals List: Shopping Vouchers

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Free 3 month online DVD Rental (worth £21). A special code means new customers can get three months' free DVD rental with Tesco then cancel at will. Full Info: Cheap DVD Rental

New Top 'Guaranteed' Savings. Get 2% ABOVE base rate for a year. Updated Guide
Until 17 Mar. If you've £5,000 or more, the new Sainsbury's* Internet Saver pays 3% and interestingly promises to stay at least 2% above base rate (currently 1%) for a year. Limited Access: Unlike a fixed account you can withdraw your cash, but if you do so the interest rate drops to 1.25%. Alternatives: ICICI* has a 1yr fix at 3.9%, and while it's got full UK £50,000 protection, it's had stability worries. For variable rates, Ulster Bank pays 3.94% instant access, including a 0.5% bonus for six mths, and Investec* pays the avg. of the five top savings accounts, currently 3.54%, but you need £25,000. Full info & alternatives in the Updated Guide: Top Savings Related Guides: Safe Savings, Cash ISAs

25% off Debenhams sale (Wed-Sat); 20% off BHS (Thur) with credit card. These join ongoing sales at Office, Zavvi and Homebase in the Daily Deals List: High Street Sales Diary

How to haggle on the High Street. Video of the Week. Me & a champion haggle You can get £100s off by haggling at stores including John Lewis, Comet & New Look or call centres for broadband, digital TV, car insurance and more. Those in the know save £100s, and the very worst case scenario is you get a 'no'. Video Of The Week: This tells the tales of one powerhouse haggler who's successfully cut costs in a host of high street stores and designer goods, see how she did it. More in the Full Guide: Haggle on the High St Free Alton Towers tickets worth £72 via newspaper tokens! Send off seven tokens from The Sun (7x30p=£2.10) to get two adult tickets. Though you'll be allocated a day rather than choosing yourself. See the Daily Deals List: Cheap days out

New/nearly new car prices have plummeted. Is now the cheapest time to buy?
Freefalling car sales have left a glut of unsold stock on forecourts, forcing dealers to drastically slash prices. E.g. You can get £6,100 off a Ford Focus 1.6 Tdci (list price £18,040) before even haggling. Will prices rise? Some industry experts predict prices could pick up soon, as manufacturers make deep production cuts to balance out low demand. Maximise savings. There's a simple five step plan including hunting cheaper deals online, choosing between nearly new & used cars, haggling down dealers, and financing it. See the Updated Guide: Car Buying Related Guides: Car Insurance, Roadside Recovery, Cheap Loans

Premium Bonds Calculator updated with March odds. Half a BILLION more was saved in Premium Bonds last month, but they're still easily beatable. Check your chances of winning in the updated Premium Bond Probability Calculator

Nationwide Cardholders Heads-Up! It's adding an overseas spending fee. Updated Guide
Nationwide's long championed the fact its plastic doesn't add charges for overseas spending, making it a very cheap way to do it; yet it's changing. What's happened? Most cards 'load' 2.75% on exchange rates, i.e., £100 worth of Dollars costs £102.75. Nationwide doesn't, but from 6 May for its credit card, and 1 June on the debit card, you'll pay an added 0.84% on spending outside Europe, jumping to 1% in July. Its spin? It may argue it's still not adding a fee, as this is what Visa charges it, but previously, like other specialist overseas cards, it absorbed the cost, now it won't. Cheapest oveseas spending: The best, Abbey Zero was withdrawn for new customers at 9am on Wed 4 March; the new top is Post Office's credit card, which doesn't charge a load anywhere; though Nationwide Debit still wins for in-Europe spending. For a full breakdown see the Updated Guide: Cheap Travel Money

Did you sign up for a BT contract last April? Last April BT launched its new free evening & weekend calls scheme. If you signed up, you were locked in to a rolling 12 month contract, meaning unless you tell it otherwise it'll automatically renew & charge if you try to leave early. Ensure you actively decide to stay, don't stay by default. For alternatives read the Guide: Cheap Home Phones Discuss: BT rolling contracts

The Big & Easy Ways to Save Checklist

Shift Existing Debts: Virgin* 15 mths 0%, 2.98% fee or read Balance Transfers Top Bank Acount: £100, 0% overdraft, free travel ins. A&L* or see Best Bank Accounts Motor Insurance: Top two Comparison Sites (use both) MoneySupermarket*, GoCompare* then grab cashback see full Car, Van or Motorbike guides 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 Mortgage Makeover: Read the free Remortgage Guide Reclaim £1,000s: on Mortgage Fees, Council Tax, Endowments, Bank Charges, PPI Cashback Credit Card: Amex Plat* or read Best Cashback Cards Quick Cash for Old Mobiles: Love2Recycle*, Envirofone*, Mopay*. Recycle Mobiles guide 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

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More MoneySaving MSE

The woman who took British Gas to court for harassment & even the Court of Appeal applauded! The Court of Appeal's words on Lisa Fergusen, "It is one of the glories of this country that every now and then one of its citizens is prepared to take a stand against the big battalions of government or industry.'British Gas repeatedly sent her WRONG computerised demands and no matter what she did, wouldn't stop. It tried to justify it in court, but as the Judge said,'British Gas's QC sought to downgrade it by saying Ms Ferguson knew the claims and threats were unjustified. That is absurd: a victim of harassment will almost always know that it is unjustified. The Act is there to protect people against unjustified harassment.' And there’s more, read the Forum Note: British Gas Harassment Npower gas customer in 2007? You were overcharged & should get the money back. After a change in its tariffs, npower incorrectly charged its gas customers. Now Ofgem, the energy regulator, has ruled it must pay compensation. See the Forum Note: Reclaim Npower Overcharging Bag Airmiles free flight credit card loophole last year? Your voucher's nearly expired Grab a Lloyds Duo* credit card before the end of March this year, spend £10 on it and you'll get a 1,500 Airmiles voucher (worth a free European Flight), when you book at least one night in a hotel too via the Airmiles website. What's happening? An earlier incarnation of this loophole appeared last year, and if you got the card before 31 March 2008 look sharp; if you don't book a flight with the outbound leg leaving before 31 March 2009, you'll lose the 1,500 Airmiles. For more details, read the Full Article: Credit Card Freebies Use London transport? Find alternative routes in seconds if you experience delays. There's a nifty website to help. See the Forum Note: Beat the delays New Board! Consumer Rights: Ensure you're dealt with fairly This week we've launched a new discussion board, Consumer Rights, for all questions about your rights when buying goods & services. Discussions include Esporta Gym Membership, Returning an Engagement Ring and Can I cancel Land of Leather order? Related Guide: Consumer Rights MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Should rich Rich pay for Tom, Dick & Harry? A few months ago, Rich who's just graduated from Uni, won £3.9m on the lottery. He had a big party to celebrate a couple of weeks ago. Now he's arranged to meet fellow recent graduates Tom, Dick and Harry; none of whom have found work yet, for a curry night and beers like they used to at Uni. On the way to meet him, Tom & Dick chat, saying Rich had better pay for them all now he's so loaded. Yet Harry's not so sure. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should rich Rich pay for Tom, Dick & Harry? Previous MMDs: View All

Q. I've been refused a credit card because I have no credit history. It's a vicious circle. What can I do? A. Credit scoring works by predicting behaviour, so those with no credit history are more difficult to predict and thus more likely to get rejected. Therefore the aim is to build a good credit history. Try to get any credit or store card, usually all you'll get is a high interest rate one, 30% plus, such as Barclaycard Initial, Capital One Classic, Monument, Aquacard and Vanquis. Yet provided you can repay it IN FULL each month and not be charged interest, the rate's irrelevant. Then use one of these for six to twelve months, spending a little every month, repaying in full, and it should help you build a credit history allowing you to move into the mainstream. If you can't get one of those cards, there's a prepay card anyone can get, with a yearly fee that does the same job. For more see the Boost Credit Ratings guide. Discuss: Build a credit history Suggest: A question of the week (big general issues not personal q's pls)

Great 'What to Sell Where' Hunt. Which sales sites earn you the most?
When flogging your old gear, you won't always get the most cash on eBay. There are dozens of other ways to shift your stuff, including Amazon, Play, Gumtree, mobile recyclers and boot sales. So we want to tap MoneySavers for what to sell where to maximise profits, from dvds and mobile phones, to furniture and clothes. Add your ideas/read other people's: Great 'What to Sell Where' Hunt Related Guide: eBay Selling Tricks

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

Urgent! £225 rtn New York flights. Go quick though. Ends Wed 4 March Free kids' summer camps.Or £49 if you're on benefits (normally £300) Doit4real £2 M&S meal deal. Sandwich, crisps & a drink for £2. Credit crunch lunch Swanky London hotel rooms £2.75. Over Easter weekend. If you're lucky! LittleBigPlanet PS3 game £12.99. all-in at Play. RRP £45. Huge bargain! £1 Quorn mince & others.. That's why vegetarians go to Iceland Free RHS Gardens Entry. Four gardens open This Saturday Debt Free Wannabe chat of the week: Ways to make extra £250/month Old Style (Thrift) Board thread of the week: What do you do with empty loaf bags?

CHEAP FLIGHTS SALES ALERT Airline: Easy Jet. Price: sub. £35 e/w. Ends: When seats sell out.
Our 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 £24.99 and £34.99 each way (including most taxes and charges). Tickets are at this price until they sell out, on selected flights travelling between now and 31 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

Great 'Best Value Restaurant Food' Hunt Result
Last week I called upon MoneySavers to offer their top tips on where to eat for the same as you'd spend on a home-cooked meal in the Great Best Value Restaurant Food Hunt. There were some great suggestions including 2 steak meals for £6, Blackpool, Cheap eats in Manchester and Southport chilli, meatballs & more £1.01

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Andrea's Freebies Freebies, Freebies, Freebies

Dior Foundation, Quake, Rock Music Downloads, Canesten Care, Seeds for Bees, Sheet Music, Garnier Vital Restore

Odds and Ends MSE

Martin's Appearances...Wed 4 - Tue 10 March
These are scheduled appearances, though other ad hocs may happen. See the appearances list for updates.

• Thurs, GMTV, sometime between 8:30 & 9:30am. Deals of the Week
• Tues, GMTV, sometime between 7:30 & 9:30am. It's news reactive.

This week's Martin's Blog: Loan Shark Hotline. HOORAH it's not a freephone
"Bank charges payout to boost the economy?" and "My MoneySaving mistake". Read m'blogs (or RSS users access)

Are you a cashback connoisseur? This week's poll. Vote and Cashback discussion.

Would you help a fellow consumer? You bet! Last Week’s Vote. The overwhelming majority of voters aren't scared to help out when they see retail wrongs in progress. 54% would tell the shop staff they're wrong outright, while a further 40% would inform the customer out of staff earshot, leaving just 6% who'd 'keep schtum' and let 'em get away with it. See Consumer Wrongs poll results.

Archna's Free Game of the Week! A new take on the old phone classic Snake Runner

Hack your VHS player to make cash. That’s it for this week, but before I go, I’ve just watched an incredible video from the states, explaining how there’s literally £100s worth of components in a £20 DVD player and you can make serious cash. Unbelievable VCR money maker

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, amex.co.uk, energyhelpline.com, envirofone.com, icicibank.co.uk, investec.co.uk, lloydstsb.co.uk, mopay.com, moneysupermarket.com, moneysupermarket.love2recycle.com, simplyswitch.com, sainsburysbank.co.uk, uswitch.com, virginmoney.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.

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