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How to have a happy holiday with your mobile phone! Quick tips to avoid racking up £100s The EU's trumpeting that from today (1 July) mobile charges will be limited to €0.43/min (37p/min) to make calls, €0.19/min (16p/min) to receive them and texts €0.11 (9p), though that's still £12 for a half-hour call! Outside Europe, costs are even higher. Know when you're abroad It's about the signal. It's not making a call, but the moment your mobile receives a foreign network's signal that you're abroad. From then, you pay to receive calls and are charged the overseas rate to make them. Being in the UK doesn't mean you're home. Until the phone receives your UK network's signal again, you're 'abroad'. So return home with a switched-off mobile, and if someone leaves a voicemail, it's irrelevant that you’re back; you're still charged the overseas rate. What to do Text. Get friends to text you, as they're always free to receive. You pay more to text back from abroad, but it’s still reasonable, if you keep it shrt wth txt spk. Ask for cheap calls. Many networks offer cheap (sometimes free) 'roaming' packages, but only if you ask. Get a free Vodafone sim. This summer only, Vodafone customers (who ask) for its free Passport option can call home from many European countries, plus down under, at UK rates. If you're not on Vodafone, just grab a free sim to use. Full Info: Voda-fone home Get a local / international sim. If you make lots of calls, either get a PAYG sim while abroad to substantially cut costs, or get a special international sim. Full Info: Cheap Roaming Use your phone's WiFi. If your phone is WiFi enabled, find a (free) WiFi connection, then websurf for free, or download Skype* or Sipgate to it, and call home or web surf on it for pennies. The same's true of your laptop. What NOT do to Don't use voicemail. If someone calls your voicemail when you're abroad, you pay as if you'd received the call (up to £1/min), and then pay to listen back too. So ask your network to temporarily switch it off while you're away or, if you need it, record a short message saying: "Please text me instead." Don’t turn ‘emergency’ mobiles on. Turn your mobile off in the UK, and take it abroad without turning it on (unless an emergency happens); that way your phone's still ‘at home’ for cost's sake. Don't surf the web. Use the internet or download e-mails (on a mobile or 3G dongle) when abroad, and the cost is prohibitive. Horror stories of £1,000+ bills for watching YouTube clips abound. If you really want e-mails, set it to ‘download headings only’, which lets you see each subject line before downloading; this way you won't pay £100s to download spam photos. Don't call on the hotel phone. £5 a minute isn't uncommon. Though do get people to call you on it, as that's usually free. Tell the person calling to use the CallChecker, so they can call for pennies.

Week of Tue 23 - Mon 29 June '09 (Last week's position) 1. Cheap Beauty Deals (New) 2. Top Savings Accounts (2) 3. Reclaim Bank Charges (7) 4. Bank Charges Hardship (New) 5. Freebies, Freebies, Freebies (6) 6. Cheap Travel Money (3) 7. Cheap & Free Flights (4) 8. Cheap Hotels (New) 9. Top Cash ISAs (8) 10. Train & Coach Deals (New) It seems nothing beats a free new haircut. It even managed to trump the highest new fixed rate savings account we've seen launched since base rates were cut to 0.5%. Bank charges also made a comeback, as the House of Lords test case hearing started (and finished) last week. Now we just need to wait for the result (likely to be Sept/Oct). The above excludes daily deals notes

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The Ones Not To Miss MSE

Kids 0-15? New Childcare Tax Credit Calc. Are you entitled to £1,000s? Plus childcare vouchers, free summer clubs. New Guide
Summer holidays mean childcare costs shoot up, yet there's serious cash out there to help WORKING parents. But don't think babies in swaddling cloth; after school or summer clubs for 6-foot, 15-year-olds count too. New calculator: The avg. childcare tax credit payout is £3,500 a year, and we’ve built a tool to instantly show what you're entitled to. Childcare vouchers: This Govt. scheme lets you pay for childcare from PRE-tax earnings, possibly meaning £1,000+ a year in your pocket. Summer clubs: Lots of schools run these, and they're a great way to get free childcare, but don't think it must be their school; schemes aren't restricted to a school's own pupils. FULL step-by-step in the New Guide & Calc: Childcare £1,000s Related: Benefits Check-Up

Urgent! Tesco points loophole. Spend £27, get 6 bottles of wine & £36 Tesco Clubcard Reward vouchers. Until Sun, get 25% off when you buy 6 bottles of wine at Tesco, yet a £5.99 Torres wine also gives 150 bonus clubcard points (worth £6 in vouchers); combine them and you're in profit. Full details in the Forum Note: Tesco Points Wine Loophole

Annual Travel Insurance £15 in Europe, £24 Worldwide. Now cheapest even if you only go away twice. Updated Guide.
We used to say “go away more than twice a year, and annual travel insurance is cheapest”, yet rock-bottom prices now mean for many, just two trips justify it (esp. outside Europe). Grab hidden deals: Some insurers offer cheaper prices via comparison site Moneysupermarket than direct; the links that say (msm) take you there. Annual Europe cover: For basic cover, InsureMe 4 (msm)* is £15 for singles & £28 for families, but with high excesses. Direct Travel Silver* is £20 singles & £30 for families, though there's no holiday cancellation cover. Annual worldwide cover: TopDog (msm)* is £24 for singles & £39 families, but with high excesses. Warning! These are lowest price picks, so always check the cover and excesses suit you before paying. FULL info, more options (inc. for over 65s) in the Updated Guide: Cheap Travel Insurance Related: Travel Money, Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels

2for1s now include the weekend! Ask, Pizza Hut Delivery, GBK, Pizza Express. Breaking with the norm, all of this latest batch of vouchers are valid Fri & Sat night too. These & more in the the Daily Deals List: Restaurant Vouchers

New! LONDON restaurant deals list. Fire & Stone, Bodean's, Covent Garden Grill. London's the first of our new regional restaurant guides, with a whole range of local hot deals. See the Daily Deals List: London Restaurant Deals

New! MSEnews.com: daily MoneySaving news you can use inc. RSS updates
A major addition to the site, officially launched today; MSEnews.com will report quick stories to keep you updated, working alongside the main guides. To get the news: There's a ticker on the MSE home page, or go directly via MSEnews.com. RSS Feed: You can subscribe to the MSE News RSS so you're alerted every time a new story's published. Got a story? If you've a money news story about something that's happened to you email news This Week's Stories Inc: Is your 20p coin worth £50?, Bank charges must wait, Setanta collapse compensation?, Death knell for cheques, June house price rises

URGENT! £5(ish) European flights. Ends Thur 2 July. Ryanair has a million £5 (inc. most taxes & charges) flights from various UK airports to 48 European destinations for July ‘09-March ‘10. For info on how to speedily find them see the Updated Guide: £5 Ryanair Flights Related Guides: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels

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New grocery coupons! Inc. FREE litre of milk, £1 off Energizer batteries, 50p off Velvet loo roll, 50p off Dove deodorant. These & masses more easy click 'n' print coupons to cut costs. See the Deals Note: Supermarket Coupons

Now one in four said to be victims of ID Fraud. Get FREE ID Fraud Protection.
A report from Which? this week found that one in four people have been a victim of ID Fraud, though admittedly it uses a wide definition, including simple card fraud. Free Protection: Of course, shredding everything, and taking care on the web is key, yet there's a way to get free protection, using any Capital One* credit card. It offers a free ID fraud help service, which covers you even if you don't use it (so you could just stick it in a drawer), and applies to ALL your products, not just its own. What's included? It gives two free credit file checks a year, email alerts whenever your credit file changes & a free helpline service that’ll give you support and assistance if you're a victim. FULL info in the Updated Article: Free ID Fraud Help Related Articles: Best Balance Transfers, Web Protection Card

50% off at 200 Hilton hotels worldwide. Book before 17 August for stays until 31 Aug, and you can get half-price rooms inc. brekkie eg, Hilton Florence £63/night, Hilton Valencia £64/night (min 2 night stay). See the Deals Note: Hotel Sales

Cheap Motorbike Insurance (scooters & mopeds too). Save £100s at speed. Fully Updated Guide The number of motorbike insurance comparison services has grown rapidly. The key is to maximise your results by combining these for as many quotes as possible in the shortest time. We've just done our full review to analyse the right combination. Comparison Site Order: Use The Bike Insurer*, GoCompare*, then Beatthatquote*. Check as many as you've time for. Grab Cashback: Once you know your top insurers, see if hidden cashback is available to cut costs further. FULL info in the Updated Guide: Cheap Bike Insurance Related: Car Insurance, Home Insurance Free breakdown cover for Total garage customers or RAC £10 for anyone. Buy 30+ litres of fuel from Total and get 2 weeks' breakdown cover inc. homestart, so regular Total customers can get continuous free cover. A less fiddly option is RAC for £10 via cashback sites. See the Deals Note: Breakdown Cover

Family 4-day stays at UK & Europe holiday parks £60 with vouchers (usually c. £500). The Sun will have vouchers for Sept-Nov holidays. See the Deals Note: Sun Holidays

Orlando, Canaries, Greek Isles & more. Can you cut the cost when you get there? Share your knowledge
The weak pound means buying things abroad costs up to 30% more. To help, we're launching a Great ‘Cheap Holidays & Excursions’ Hunt, tapping the massive collective resource of all MoneySavers. The best deals / trips: Did you find a bargain way to book outings, or cut costs on places to go? We've split this into popular holiday destinations. Add your ideas/read other people's: Majorca, Costa Del Sol (Malaga area etc), Ibiza, Canary Islands, Greek Islands, Southern Turkey (inc. Antalya), Algarve, Orlando, Phuket, Cyprus, Costa Blanca (inc. Benidorm), & French Riviera. Past Great Hunts: View all

Warning! Barclaycard customer? You could be in debt for 67 MORE years. It's reducing min. repayments to 1.5% for some, meaning a £5,000 debt could take 67 extra years and £16,000 more to repay. See the MSE News Story: Barclaycard debt Related: Min Repayments Guide & Calculator

Sales Diary. HMV £3 DVDs & CDs, Debenhams up to 70% off, Sports Direct 80%, Clarks & Oli.co.uk 50%. For a full list of current sales, see the fully updated Deals List: High Street Sales Diary

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The Big & Easy Ways to Save Checklist

Quick links or click the titles for full pros, cons, alternatives & more savings

0% Balance Transfers: Top pick: Virgin* 16 mths 0%, 2.98% fee (APR 18.6% for BTs) Car Insurance: Use both MoneySupermarket* & GoCompare* Also see: Van, Motorbike Cheap Gas & Elec + Cashback! Top comparison site: Energyhelpline* Top Uninsured Loans: £7.5k-15k: A&L*, Sainsburys 7.9%, Tesco* 8% (can be 7.8%) Top Bank Account: Top Pick. Overdraft A&L* (1yr 0%). In-Credit: Earn £23k+ First Direct (£100 bonus), if not Halifax* Free Budget Planner: Use the free planner or do a complete Money Makeover Top Cashback Credit Card: Top pick: Amex Plat* 5% for 3 mths. (APR 18.9%) Cut Home Bills: Read full guides on Cheap Home Ins, Cheap Boiler Cover, Grant Grabbing Reclaim £1,000s: Full Mortgage Fees, C'cil Tax, Endowments, Bank Charges, PPI guides Free New-Mortgage Guide: Order a copy now for free!Also see: Remortgage Guide Cheap Broadband:  Plusnet* £6/mth up to 10 Gb download.  Home Phone & Broadband: TalkTalk* £19.41/mth or Tiscali* £17.49

More MoneySaving MSE

No Saks voucher in your News of The World? You can still get the free haircut. See the update in the Deals Note: Beauty Savings 5p/litre off fuel at Tesco until Sun 26 July. Spend £50 in-store or online for a discount voucher, which has to be used within two weeks of issue. Updated Guide: Cheap Petrol/Diesel Heads up! Kids go free to West End shows inc. Wicked, The Lion King & Sister Act. From 14 July, you’ll be able to get a free kids ticket with a full-paying adult for performances from 14-28 Aug. Full reminder when it happens. Free money advice for folks in Birmingham. At the Bullring Centre on Sat 4 July. Forum Note: Financial Independence Day Get £50 for doing insurance comparisons. A marketing group is willing to pay £50 to 1,000 mystery shoppers. See if you qualify in the Forum Note: It's a mystery A truly winning Wimbledon. You can almost taste the excitement in this Wimbledon Diary, from a site comper who won a seriously top-end Wimbledon day out. Related: Comping for Cash Do you use Hoodless Brennan to buy shares? It was the cheapest execution-only dealer, but now it’s only open for other services, yet another dealer’s agreed to let you shift at the same rates. See the MSE news story: Hoodless Brennan rates MONEY MORAL DILEMMA. Should Cheryl secretly substitute Ashley’s mayo? Cash-strapped Cheryl is taking the Downshift Challenge, and dropping one brand level on all groceries to see if she can spot the difference. Yet hubbie Ashley is a supermarket snob who absolutely refuses to eat own-brand food. When Ashley tries Value mayonnaise without realising, he can’t tell the difference. Cheryl is tempted to keep filling up the old Hellmann's jar with Value mayo, so he unwittingly eats the cheaper brand. Yet she feels guilty for deceiving him. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should Cheryl secretly swap Ashley’s mayo? Previous MMDs: View All

Q. If we paid the deposit on a house for each of our three children, would this money be exempt from  inheritance tax? Lin by email Martin's A.  While you're alive, you can give genuine no-strings gifts to your family without any tax to pay. The inheritance tax (IHT) rules only come into play if you die within seven years of giving the gift. This prevents people giving gifts just before they die to avoid it. This is why early planning of how to pass on your assets is important. Living longer helps too! Yet if you died within the time limit, there could be IHT to pay; it’s a tax on any assets (meaning money or property) you leave to someone when you die. The first £325,000 you leave is tax-free, though there's no tax at all if it’s left to a spouse. Above that, you pay 40%, eg, if you leave £500,000, then your estate / beneficiaries will pay 40% of £175,000 (£500k minus £325k), which is £70,000. Yet if you're above the threshold for gifts, given away three to seven years before death, the actual rate decreases, the longer ago it was given away. There are, as with all these things, lots of ways round it though. Further Reading: The Inheritance Tax guide. Discuss: IHT on kids' house deposits? Suggest: A question of the week (big general issues not personal q's pls)

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

Buy a TV & get the money back in vouchers, if Murray wins Wimbo Free 60% broadband boost with I-Plate gadget. For BT broadband customers 70cl Selekt Vodka £5. In-store at Tesco. Drink sensibly Free Abel & Cole £50, with £60 spend on four weeks' veg boxes. Loot 'n' veg Complete Rocky six-film box set £9.98 all-in at Amazon. Sly purchase Blog for cash. MoneySaving blogger shares their top tips. Blogging mad! Free loft insulation If you live near Bridgend, Wales Sat 4 July Only Debt Free Wannabe chat of the week: Hands up if you can't afford a holiday! Competitions thread of the week: Five Star Thailand Trip Old Style (Thrift) Board thread of the week: Your oldest clothing item?

 

Board of the Week! Low Spend Freebies, ie, free with a paper or making a call etc
On the standard Freebies board, things must be no cost at all. However lots of deals require you to make a call, buy a paper or post a letter. So, in April, I set up the Freebies Low Spend board, providing a space for MoneySavers to post loads more 'free' stuff. Deals include: Wallace & Gromit Goodies, Mineral Make-up and Moisturising Duo. Related: Freebies, Freebies, Freebies

Great 'Cheap, but Thoughtful Wedding Present' Hunt Result
Last week we asked MoneySavers for lovely yet inexpensive ways to wish happy couples well. There were some great suggestions including Gorgeous guest book, Anniversary treats and Digital wedding pics

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Andrea's Freebies Freebies, Freebies, Freebies

Heart Risk Tape Measure, Torchwood Plays, Carrot Seeds Lemonheads Download, Malibu Sun Lotion, L’Oreal Revitalift

Odds and Ends MSE

Martin's Appearances ... Weds 1 - Tues 7 July
These are scheduled appearances, though other ad hocs may happen. See the appearances list for updates.

• Weds, GMTV, roughly 7:20am on ITV1. Cheap Petrol and Diesel.
• Thurs, GMTV, roughly 7:20am on ITV1. Cheap MOTs.
• Thurs, GMTV, roughly 8:40am on ITV1. Deals of the Week.
• Tues, GMTV, roughly 8.40am on ITV1. The topic's news reactive.

This week's Martin's Blog: Will killing commission kill financial advice?
"When is mis-selling mis-consuming?" and "Do the law lords declare an interest?". Read m'blogs (or RSS users access)

What's your favourite lolly? This week's poll. Vote and Ice ice baby discussion.

In debt? You can still holiday in the UK! 15,030 voted last week. We asked if a family with £15k of debt and a £35k income could justify a holiday in the sun after two years of dutiful scrimping. While 45% thought a UK camping holiday fine, 23% thought they should stay at home until the debt was completely cleared. 21% said they could stretch to a trip abroad, and 10% thought they should treat themselves since they've been so good. See Debtaway poll results.

Archna's Free Game of the Week! Overcome obstacle to help the Boxmen

Sabotage big companies' sales site. That's it for this week, but before I go, there's a new way to destroy big companies' websites, leaving them in tatters. Product crash!

We hope you save some money

Martin & the MSE team

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 0EH 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, americanexpress.co.uk,beatthatquote.com, capitalone.co.uk, direct-travel.co.uk, energyhelpline.com, gocompare.com, halifax.co.uk, moneysupermarket.com, plus.net, skype.com, talktalk.co.uk, tescofinance.com, thebikeinsurer.co.uk, tiscali.co.uk, virginmoney.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 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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