Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Bank Charges Reclaiming: New Guide New legal arguments could mean banks must prove charges are fair We know bank charges are unfair, even the Office of Fair Trading's (OFT) virtually said so. The problem's finding a law which says fairness matters. Recently on a technicality, the Supreme Court overturned an attempt to judge fairness based on one narrow regulation. So we engaged a top banking QC to investigate other legal routes & he's now reported back. New Reclaiming Guide: This includes the blockbuster new legal argument that, under the Consumer Credit Act, not only must bank charges be fair, but it's for the banks to prove they're fair, not for consumers to disprove. Next Step: We've provided the OFT, that took the original case, with these new arguments and need it to keep fighting; if not, the only option may be individuals arguing in court against the banks' barristers. Political support: Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's calling on the OFT to follow our legal option & and in this instance the Tories believe it should launch a competition investigation. FULL update & what your options are in the New Q&A Guide: Bank Charges Reclaiming Related: Credit Card Charges, PPI Reclaiming

3 for 1 Terry's Choc Oranges & Cadbury's Fingers
Buy one, get two free in store at Morrisons until 20 Dec providing stock lasts
Full details of prices, range and more deals in the Deals Note: High Street Sales

29p MP3 singles: X-factor Joe's & anti-X Rage Against The Machine
The battle for Xmas no.1 is on. The TuneChecker's most searched chart has Joe no.1 & Rage no.2
Don't pay iTunes' 99p, get Joe McElderry 29p or Rage 29p (it counts for charts), see Tunechecker.com or X-battle news

Amazon's secret bargain basement & other tricks New Amazon top price cutting guide inc. hidden links with 75%-99% OFF bargains There's a hidden rule book for giant web-store Amazon. So we've compiled a new guide that zips you through 12 techniques to slash Amazon Christmas prezzie & other prices. Examples include ... Hidden bargain basement: Manipulate web links to find pages that list all 75%-99% off bargains in a section, eg, 75% to 99% off Beauty* & Video Games*. The guide includes details of how to build these links for any Amazon section. Low-price monitor: Amazon often rapidly alters prices, so take advantage of a special web tool that lets you enter your desired price and smacks you an email when Amazon drops its price to it. This is just the start; FULL list of tips and tricks in the New Guide: Amazon Hidden Tricks Related: Cheap Online Shopping, Megashopbot.com, Ebay buyers' guide

Christmas Deals: Inc. £140 for Xbox 4 games & more
Xbox Arcade + 4 games & extra controller £150, £10 dig photo frame, £57 Fuji digital camera & more
Xmas deals guides on Champagne, Netbooks, DVD & Blu-Rays, Digital Cameras. See full list: Christmas Bargains

Adidas 15% off, Oasis online 20% off, ASDA free delivery
New shopping codes: Plus 20% off Oliver Bonas, Wallis, Blacks & Envy
These and more in a massive list of current codes. FULL info in the Deals Note: Shopping Vouchers

Going on Xmas hols? MoneySaving checklist
Cheapest currency, £15 annual travel insurance, EHIC cards, Airport parking, Mobile Roaming
If you're going away, remember badly bought add-ons often cost more than the trip. Year's Travel Insurance £15: The cheapest annual policy is £15 for Europe-only (£27 for a family) or £24 worldwide (£39 for a family). For these & winter sports options see the Cheapest Travel Insurance guide or for a cheap quote for a single trip use the MoneySupermarket* quick comparison tool. Travel Money: For currency the Travel Money Maximiser instantly finds the best deal per country, though if you've already got a Specialist Overseas Card you can undercut that. Valid EHIC card: If you're going to Europe ensure you've a free EHIC card which isn't out of date - it gives you treatment in a foreign hospital at the same cost as locals (ie, if it's free for them it's free for you). Holiday Parking: If you need to drive & park, special sites will cut the cost, but early booking is better, see the Airport Parking guide

Free £10 House of Fraser giftcard for Barclaycard holders
URGENT! Opt for paperless billing and almost all customers can grab a free gift voucher
If you don't already bank online opt for no more paper statements for a £10 gift voucher. See Forum Note: £10 HoF voucher

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Boots Soap & Glory gift set for £20
Starts Fri (ltd stock), 11-product set, usually £50
Joins Aussie hair £5.49 gift set (worth £11), see full info in the Daily Deals List: Beauty Deals

Get 6.8% long term borrowing facility
Special long term cheap credit cards start at 6.8% APR cheaper than any loan
If you need to borrow, a range of low standard rate cards offer the cheapest facility. See the Updated Guide: Cards for Spending

Unlimited Download Broadband from £5/month
From Wed am, get four months free on the already cheapest (for some) unlimited download package
There are some new hot deals out, though with all, whether you can access them at this price depends on where you live. Cheapest for O2 mobile customers: It's unlimited download broadband's usually £7.34/mth (£12.23 for non-O2 mobile customers), yet go via comparison site Broadband Choices* until 4 Jan & you get the first 4 mths free. Over the year's contract that's an avg. £4.89/mth (£8.15 for non-O2 customers) Everyone Else: Until the end of December, use the code halfprice to get Be* broadband's unlimited download, 8Mbps Value package for £6.75/mth (usually £13.50). £6 Standard: If you're not a super-heavy downloader, for £6/mth Plusnet* offers a generous 10GB daily download limit (unlimited overnight). Broadband, Line Rental & Digi-TV: Sign up to Tiscali via Simplify Digital* to get £100 cashback making the package £14/month over the eighteen month contract, only £3.75 more than BT's line rental alone. FULL info & alternatives in the Updated Guide: Cheap Broadband Related: Cheap Home Phones

GBK & Yates Christmas meal vouchers: Domino's £10 off £25
Restaurant Vouchers! Get 2 courses & a mince pie for £11 at GBK, £15 lunch n' wine for 2 at La Tasca
Joins Crown Carvery main n' pud for £5 in the Daily Deals List: Restaurant Vouchers

Now £300+ saving on gas & elec is possible
Npower's new tariff means while the average bill's £1,200, some would pay just £886 on it
The cheapest online tariff price war rages on and on and on. Hot on the heels of British Gas, this week npower's hit back launching its Sign Online 17 tariff. Good... but: It's cheap but there are three minor negatives: it's not the cheapest in every region; some of the cheapness is due to a discount only paid after a year; and there's a £40 lock in fee if you leave pre-March '11, so there's a small risk if other prices drop massively it'll be relatively costly. Though it does guarantee to be at least 2% lower than its standard tariff until then. To find out how it works out for you... Compare, switch & get cashback: (via these special links) The savings from switching now if you've not done it for a year or two can be HUGE... Top Pick Comparison: Energyhelpline* pays £15 cashback per switch. Dual Fuel: Moneysupermarket* gives £30 cashback & Uswitch* free case of wine & SimplySwitch* £35 in Amazon vouchers. Full switching info in the Updated Guide: Switch Gas & Elec Related: Boiler Cover, Grant Grabbing

Laura Ashley 50% off (starts Thur) John Lewis 50% off preview (starts 24 Dec)
New Year Sales already! Laura Ashley is on and get sneak preview of some of John Lewis'' discounts
Joins French Connection & Clarks up to 50% off and Office up to 70% off in the Daily Deals List: Sales Diary

Last Chance! Halve Pefume/Aftershave Costs Up to half the cost if you order online, but time's ticking for 'free delivery'. It's the de rigueur last-ditch Christmas Eve gift, yet buy then and you can't access web prices. So be honest with yourself, if you'll end up a perfume purchaser, don't wait, do it now from a specialist web-seller for a fraction of the price yet be quick, most cheap stores' last order dates are this week or early next. Web Prices: Supermarkets tend to undercut high streets, but the cheapest of the web usually beats them too. To start, use comparison sites FragrancesCompared* and CheapPerfumeExpert though they miss many, plus more discounts are available, e.g. use code hpp10xms for 10% off Halfpriceperfumes*. For FULL info, and how to cut even more off with unboxed fragrances, see the Updated Guide: Cheap Perfume Related: Cheapest Online Shopping

Full list of last free order dates
The deadline for free or standard price orders from e-tailers is nigh, hurry if you need it for Xmas
Eg, CD-Wow's today (16th), Amazon's Fri, Argos Sat. Full list and your rights if it's late in the Deals List: Last Orders

Budget Airline sub-£40 Xmas Flights
There are still bargains to fly over the hols... e.g. £29 rtn Edinburgh-Gran Canaria/Lanzarote
If you want to fly the shores this Xmas to foreign climes, there's still a few (very few) cheap flights. Use the Flightchecker: It's perfect for this task, as it's designed to find all budget flights under a certain price at a set time; these quick links show you all sub-£40 e/w flights between 20 Dec & 3 Jan from London (All), Manchester, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Bristol or try your own search with the Flightchecker.Then avoid extra charges: Pay the wrong way, take too much luggage or check in wrong, and costs soar. Find how to avoid these in the full Budget Flight Fee Fighting guide. Related: Cheap Hotels & Hostels, Travel Money, Insurance, Car Hire and Airport Parking.

Boost Christmas shopping budgets by up to 5%
Buy supermarket savings stamps / cards to pay at Tesco, Wilkinsons, Morrisons & Co-op
These schemes pay bonuses in Dec. so load up, then spend straight away. See the Guide: Shopping Stamps

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Got savings? Sort out your tax certificates now
If you need to fill in a tax self-assesment form, part of it's telling the Govt how much interest you earned from savings earlier in the year to April 2009. The deadline for self-assessment is 31 Jan and while many savings accounts send you the form, or have a section to click to on their sites, not all do. So it's worth ensuring you can switftly get hold of them now. Discuss: Savings Tax

CHEAP FlIGHT SALES ALERT:
Airline: Ryanair Price: £5 e/w Ends: 18 Dec
Ryanair has half a million flights for £5 each way (inc. some charges) from various UK airports to over 40 destinations. Speedily find them using the Updated Guide: £5 Flights then beat the scores of add-on charges with the Budget Airline Fee Fighting guide. Related: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance

Great 'Home Made Beauty Tips' Hunt
The festive season is all about looking fab and fresh, but some beauty products can be quite expensive. We're asking MoneySavers to dig out their grandmothers' old recipes / beauty secrets to look fresh on the big day (or to hide the hangover that's bound to follow!). Add your ideas/read other peoples': Great 'Home Made Beauty Tips' Hunt Past Great Hunts: View all

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA: Should Danny and Sandy change seats?
Danny and Sandy have bagged super bargainous seats to see their favourite musical. They got them for such a cheap a price because they have a restricted view. But when they get to the theatre they spot some better seats, which they know cost more, sitting empty. Should they move? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should Danny and Sandy change seats? Previous MMDs: View All

Great 'Best Christmas Recipes' Hunt Result
It's always the same, we want to dish up a fab Christmas meal but end up having the same menu as the previous year for lack of ideas. So, last week, we asked MoneySavers for their top Xmas recipes. There were some fab suggestions, including Mushroom Stuffing, Braised Cabbage and Bailey's fudge

BOARD OF THE WEEK: Food Shopping and Groceries
Great tips to save on food
The run-up to Christmas dinner is all about planning in advance, getting the best food and most of all finding the best bargains. The Food Shopping and Groceries board is full of good tips to shop for less. Recent discussions include Best Smoked Salmon, Cheap Turkey and Frozen Roast Potatoes

Which company would you close? This week's poll
Vote and Close Call discussion.

Most MoneySavers pay to download music. 9,106 voted.
Of those who download, 40% always pay for it, and a further 19% pay for the vast majority. On the flipside, 17% mostly download illegally, and 24% always do. See MPFree? poll results.

Archna's Free Game of the Week!
Santa's presents have gone AWOL. Help trap them & rescue Christmas. Xmas Corner

Spain's Got Talent! A super dancing granny from the West Midlands has proved her magic, winning Spain's Got Talent. Watch the vid... Get ready to rumble!

We hope you save some money,

Martin & the MSE team