FREE travel, breakdown & mobile insurance
New Co-Op bank account promo means you get 'em all free for a year
Normally we hate fee-paying bank accounts, but not if they're free! Free £150 of insurance: Switch to highly rated ethical bank the Co-Op's branch & online Privilege Premier* acc by 20 Nov (min. salary £11,200) and it'll waive the normal £13/mth fee for a year. This includes free worldwide family travel insurance, Europe breakdown cover & mobile phone insurance (inc. iPhones). Buying ALL separately would cost c. £150. There's no in-credit interest, but it has a £300 0% overdraft (15.9% EAR above - its online only Smile account's similar with slightly different financials). Yet do diarise in a year to switch either to its non-fee version or elsewhere or you'll pay £13/mth. Free £100 Bank Acc: No.1 customer service bank First Direct* offers £100 cash for new switchers (min. salary £23,000) - again no in-credit interest, but £250 0% overdraft (15.9% EAR above). Full info on these and the best OVERDRAFT deals in the Updated Guide: Best Bank Accounts Related: £14 Travel Insurance, Breakdown Cover
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FREE 'No Cold Callers' Sign - new rules start FRIDAY
From Fri all energy salesmen MUST 'officially' obey Cold Caller Signs
On Fri the EnergySure code of practice will officially include rules that energy company sales staff shouldn't knock on any doors displaying a 'no cold callers' sign. While it's been policy for few months, this is the final step in nailing it down - now if they break it you can go to the Energy Ombudsman. Free MSE 'No Cold Callers' Sign: To help you take advantage asap we've designed a Trading Standards approved 'no cold callers' sign you can speedily print and put on your door or window. While energy sales people should obey, not every salesman will. If they don't, just point at the sign, politely ask 'em to leave and report them to the company. Stop Junk Mail, Calls & Faxes: There are a range of 'preference services' which allow you to STOP junk mail, direct mail, telephone calls and faxes just by filling out an online form. Full Step-By-Step Guide & Free Sign: Stop Cold Callers & Junk Mail Related: Cheap Gas & Elec, Energy Direct Debits |
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New top 2.8% cash ISA AND 2.89% savings
Best buys toppled. Boost interest with full access or lock away for more
A glut of new top savings deals launch this week, all with full UK £50,000 savings safety protection. New Top Easy-Access Cash ISA: An ISA's simply a tax-free savings account each adult can stash up to £5,100 per tax-year. The new top deal is Halifax's* ISA Direct Reward paying 2.8% AER (some of its bank account customers get 3%) and it lets you transfer cash in from past years' ISAs. The rate's variable but it's likely to stay high for a year, then drop after, so be prepared to transfer elsewhere. It is beaten by Santander's 3.2% flexible ISA, but only for its existing bank acc customers (and is branch only). More deals inc. higher paying fixes in the top cash ISAs guide. New Top Easy Access Savings: The new Natwest* e-Savings will pay 2.89%, but 1.85% of this is a bonus lasting a year so be prepared to ditch. The top non-bonus acc is Halifax's* websaver extra at 2.6-2.8% AER. Get 3% base rate tracker: Lock your cash away for a year with Santander's* Tracker Bond (min £10k) and it pays 3% AER and is guaranteed to be at least 2.5% above base rate (and rise if it does). FULL info and many more best buys in the Updated Guides: Top Savings, Top Cash ISAs Related: Cash ISA Transfers, Best Bank Accounts
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Warning! Mortgage benefits halved from Friday
230,000 see 'Support for Mortgage Interest' drop by £2,400/yr per £100k
Nearly 230,000 people who've lost jobs or had big income cuts get Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) benefits to help cover their home loan costs, yet from 1 Oct the Govt's slicing payouts. What's changed? It's designed to cover the interest on mortgages up to £200,000, and currently assumes everyone's charged 6.08%, yet from Fri that's cut to 3.63%. The impact? On a £150,000 mortgage the payout drops from £760 a month to £450/mth - a cut of £3,700 a year. Do I get more if my rate's higher? No. This cut's partly as interest rates have dropped, but if you're paying over 3.63% as many are, it makes no difference. What can I do? Urgently redo your budget (see free budget planner) as this is a serious drop in income, plus go through the full money makeover on all bills. Check for other benefits: You may be entitled to other payments, so do a 5 minute check on free site Turn2us. Also consider speaking to your lender about possibly switching to interest-only payments, and see if it can give you a better rate (a remortgage to another company is unlikely). See the Guide: Mortgage Arrears Help Related: Debt Help, Benefits Check-up, Remortgage Guide |
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Beat Friday's BT & TalkTalk price hikes
Pay £8.25/mth line rental instead of new £12.04 plus halve call costs too
For the second time this year BT & Talk Talk are hiking prices and expect others to follow. The hikes: For both, paper billed line rental goes UP to £12.04/mth from around £11.50, daytime calls are now 6.4p, and call connection's 10.9p (was 9.9p). Get £8.25/mth line rental: Non-cable phone users can get Primus' Home Saver Plus* package including unlimited weekend calls (90 mins) for £99 up front for a year (equiv. £8.25 mth) or pay £8.99 monthly and you can get evening calls too via Homephonechoices*. BT line rental £9.49/mth: If you'd prefer to stick with BT, pay £113.88 for a year up front (equiv. £9.49/mth) via its line rental saver* deal including unlimited weekend calls (60mins). 5p/CALL daytimes: After cutting line rental costs, use no-frills provider 18185. Just get an account, dial its prefix no., then you pay 5p/CALL to landlines daytime, BT's 6.4p/min (so save £3+ per hour) and cheaper calls to mobiles too. FULL help, pros, cons, & more best buys in the Updated Guide: Cheap Home Phones Related: Cheap Broadband, Cheap Gas & Electricity
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1 million PPI letter downloads! 81% win at Ombudsman
Many have reclaimed £1,000s back, but millions more must CHECK NOW!
Anyone who's got or had a personal loan, secured loan, credit card or store card should check ASAP if they can reclaim - typically it's £1,500 on a £5,000 loan. Billions of Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) have been missold, through saying it's compulsory, adding it on without telling, giving the self-employed employment cover, not discussing pre-existing conditions & more. 1 million letters - should be more: We're excited to have hit 1m MSE template letter downloads, but it should be more. Millions are eligible to claim and haven't, others gave up after their bank said no - without realising that means nothing - and some have paid claims' handlers a huge cut of their winnings, when it's easy to do yourself. How to reclaim: Use the guide to see whether you were missold, then write to your bank asking for money back. IT'LL SAY NO but that's irrelevant, just then go to the free Ombudsman where the success rate is an enormous 81% (ie, 4 in 5 win). See the Full Guide inc. template letters: PPI Reclaiming Related: Bank Charges, Council Tax Rebanding
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