Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Urgent! Travelex 1-HOUR Flash Sale!
Temporary online rate boosts for €, $ etc this week. Perfect for airport pick-up
It's the first currency flash sale we've seen. Giant bureau Travelex has tipped us off that this week it'll boost its online rates in three 'happy hours'. When's it happening? Euros: Wed 4-5pm, US Dollars: Thur 4-5pm. Turkish, Croatian & Egyptian dosh: Fri 4-5pm. How good is it? We don't know for sure, but it's often 2nd place in some categories, so should be hot. To check, MSE's Holiday Cash Comparison site will update the promo rates when they're on. Airport pick-up? You can pre-order at these rates for airport pick up over the next few weeks. Top credit cards beat this: If you've time to apply, the cheapest way to spend overseas is on the right credit card, repaid in full to minimise interest of up to 28% APR. Top for rate: Halifax Clarity has perfect exchange rates worldwide and low fees. Top for perks: Nationwide* gives perfect Euro rates (and good elsewhere) but higher fees, yet major other benefits inc. a year's extra free warranty on UK bought electricals, and 15 mths 0% on balance transfers (3% fee). FULL info in the Comparison Tool: TravelMoneyMax.com and Guide: Cheap Travel Money Related: Cheap Travel Insurance

Last Chance! Free £50 bank account + up to £10 per month
Bank Wars: alternatives inc "free £100 & 5% interest" or even a "0% overdraft"
A top current account's switchers' bonus ends this week (with all these you must earn £15,000+ and ensure your salary's paid into it). FREE £50 + £5/mth: Halifax's* Reward account pays account holders £5 every month, plus until Thurs midnight sign up via Moneysupermarket (the link takes you there) and you get £50 too. Yet only do this if you're always in credit as its overdraft charges are huge. BOOST this by £5/mth: Those accepted can then apply for a Halifax* Rewards Clarity credit card, which pays £5 each month you spend £300+ on it, and gives perfect exchange rates overseas. So set up a direct debit to ALWAYS repay in full, thus avoiding the 12.9% APR interest and do your normal spending on it, so you're quids in. FREE £100 & 5% interest: Alternatively Santander's* Preferred In-Credit rate account gives newbies a free £100 plus 5% interest on up to £2,500 for the 1st year. 0% overdraft: Go overdrawn and Santander's* Preferred Overdraft rate account gives accepted newbies a year's 0% overdraft. FULL help & more options in the Updated Guide: Best Bank Accounts Related: 5% cashback cards

Top 40 singles 40p & Mercury albums £3
MP3 sale! Plus download Now 76 for a fiver (the cheapest CD is £12)
The MP3 price war's hotting up, and don't think just because you've got an iPod or iPhone you can't take advantage, you don't have to use iTunes to download them. Top 40 singles 40p: HMV* has just relaunched its digital site and is offering most top 40 tracks for 40p (though oddly it's not using the official chart) inc. the new No 1 'We speak No Americano', (compare all top 40 singles prices). Get Now 76 for £5: While the cheapest CD costs £12, until 4 August you can download Now 76 for a fiver, not bad as even if you downloaded the 46 separate tracks the cheapest way, it'd cost you around £22. £3 Mercury nominated albums: The coveted nominations have just been announced and Amazon is offering nominees' albums for £3 inc. Biffy Clyro's Revolutions, Foals' Total Life Forever and Corinne Bailey Rae's The Sea. Compare MP3 Prices: TuneChecker.com Related: Over 806 free MP3s

New Tesco 13mth 0% on spending PLUS rewards
Totally free borrowing and points on top - can be used to make £100s a year
This is the first card for an age offering more than a year's 0% on spending. Yet only use it for new borrowing if you can afford to repay within a year as the rate rockets to 16.9% APR afterwards. New Top Card: Tesco's* credit card now offers 0% for 13 mths on new purchases plus you get a Clubcard point per £4 spent (worth up to 4p if redeemed on 'Clubcard Rewards'). Runners up at 0% for 12 mths inc. Barclaycard Platinum* and Virgin* (15.9%-18.9% APR after). Use it to make £100s: It's possible for the financially savvy & debt free to use this card to 'stooze' (make profit from 0% debt). Simply get a card & do your usual day-to-day purchases on it (not an excuse to spend more), making only the min. repayments to build the debt up while earning points. As you're spending on the card, unspent wages build in your bank account and can be saved at up to 3.2% in a cash ISA or top savings, so you earn interest on money they've lent for nowt! Then repay in full at the end of the 0% period. FULL info, pros and cons in the Updated Guides: 0% Spending for 13 mths and How to Stooze Related: 0% For 16 mths Bal Transfers, 3.2% Cash ISAs, 2.8% Savings

Urgent! Cheapest 'Unlimited' Broadband £6 per mth
Ends this Sat! Beat the tenner a month barrier without limited downloads
Two big broadband providers have launched short-term '3 months free' on their 12 month contract deals. Unlimited Broadband £6 - £9/mth: Until this Sat 31 July, O2's* offering 3 mths free on its unlimited download deal. This costs £7.50/mth for existing O2 mobile customers or £12.50 for others, yet the free months mean the average contract cost's just £5.63/mth and £9.38/mth. While it's by far the cheapest even for non-O2 mobile customers, those willing to play could qualify for the cheaper rate by grabbing a free PAYG sim* and topping up £10 every 3mths. Standard Broadband £6.95/mth: Alternatively new customers at BT-owned Plusnet* get 3 months free until 31 Aug on its £6.49/mth plus £25 activation fee deal. All-in that's an average £6.95 a month over the year. It has a 10GB monthly download and upload limit. FULL info, including getting added cashback and more best-buys in the Updated Guide: Cheap Broadband Related: £8.99 phone line rental, 3G Broadband

Urgent! £50 extra cashback on super-cheap British Gas deal
Short promo means you get £50 ON TOP of usual cash or wine crate
British Gas' dual fuel Websaver 8 online tariff is already in the top 3 for most people, saving £200+ a year for many. Yet a short term promo means sign up via certain comparison sites (not direct) and you get £50 credit for the dual fuel tariff on top of the usual extra freebies via the links below, but only after you've been with it a year. Any good? With the £50 boost it'll be cheapest overall for many and the price is guaranteed to stay at least 6% under BG's standard price until Oct 2011. Yet like most guaranteed rate tariffs it has a £60 exit penalty before then -so if other prices drop a lot (unlikely but not impossible) it'd diminish the switching gain. Compare, switch & get extra cashback: The £50 extra is available through Energyhelpline* which via this special link pays £15 cashback per switch and Uswitch* which gives a free case of wine. FULL general switching info in the Guide: Switch Gas & Elec Related: Boiler Cover, Grant Grabbing

Hidden grants and scholarships. New Guide!
Summer schools, free part time degrees & places for students to tap extra cash
Don't believe the hype, education and grants still go together like Itchy and Scratchy. Our new guide shows hidden forms of funding, including... Free Part Time Degrees: If you want to study part time including OU home study, and earn under £28,000 a grant scheme means you could get it for free including cash towards living costs. Hidden Student Grants Searches: It's often less about academic ability and more about religion, geographic location, parental occupation or even what pub's near your home. Check out the Scholarship Search and Studentcashpoint websites. Free short courses: For the under 25s in London, 100s of courses and activities are free during the summer inc. animation, animal care and aqua extreme. Plus virtually every college offers free courses for adults of any age wanting to improve their Maths, English and IT schemes. FULL info and much more in the New Guide: Education Grants Related: Energy Grant Grabbing, Student Loans, Free Foreign Language Lesson