Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Huge 1.5% cashback on ALL petrol & supermarket spending
New top cashback credit card! You can gain £100s for doing absolutely nothing

Cashback credit cards pay you for spending on them. It's money for nothing, provided you ALWAYS fully repay each month, so there's no interest (if not, don't do it). For max gain, use it for ALL transactions, replacing debit cards and cash. As always, you must pass their credit score.

• New! Petrol & supermarket 1.5% cashback: The MBNA Amex* pays 1.5% cashback at all major petrol stations and supermarkets, eg, Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's, Morrisons, Waitrose & Ocado, plus 0.75% cashback elsewhere. As some smaller retailers don't accept Amex, alternatively MBNA Visa* pays 1.25% cashback on supermarket/fuel and 0.5% elsewhere. For £300/week family spending, half on fuel & food, that's £175/year cashback (£137 on the Visa). If you don't fully repay, they're 18.9% representative APR.
• 5% cashback on EVERYTHING for 3mths: For one-off big purchases, Amex Platinum* gives a huge 5% cashback for the first 3mths on ALL spending up to £2,000. After that, cashback's tiered up to 1.25%, so it only beats MBNA for big spenders or low food/fuel spenders. It is 0% interest on spending for 6mths though, but 19.9% representative APR after and requires £30k household income.

For more best buys paying 1% cashback and FULL info, see the Updated Guide: Cashback Credit Cards & Official APR Examples Related: 0% Spending Cards, Credit Card Rewards

Cheap mobile contracts. New Guide
Save £100s with our new step-by-step guide to get the very best mobile package

80% of people overpay £200+ a year on mobile bills. So we've fully re-researched & rewritten our comprehensive guide to Cheap Mobile Contracts. Here's a brief summary:

• Haggle with existing providers: Before jumping ship, see if you can negotiate a massively improved deal with your current network. The key is threaten to leave, so you get put through to 'disconnections', which has way more deals and power to keep you (see Mobile Haggling).
• Free bill analysis to find the cheapest tariff: For accuracy, give BillMonitor* your online login details and it analyses your actual bills, incl data use and reveals your cheapest tariff. It misses some though, eg, Three. Then to compare more tariffs use MobilePhoneChecker*.
  
• Want a specific handset? Specialist comparison. If you've a specific handset in mind, select it on comparison site Omio* and it includes the phone's cost, as well as tariff price, in the results.
  

FULL info, pros, cons and masses more, including cashback in the New Guide: Cheap Mobiles Related: Cheap Home Phones, Sell Old Mobile Comparison Coming Soon: Cheapest Pay-As-You-Go mobiles

18 mths 0%. New longest EVER balance transfer
Price war! Now there's a second 18mth 0% debt shifting card with LOWER FEE

STOP PRESS Update Weds 16 March 2:20pm: Since the email was sent, Barclaycard's* hit back with a 20mth 0% deal (3.2% fee, 17.5% rep. APR after) see Best Balance Transfers for full info.

There's now an even cheaper card for shifting existing debts in order to cut the cost. Yet clear the card in full or switch again before the 0% ends, or the rate jumps to the high standard APR. Plus spending isn't usually at 0%, and you need to pass a credit score.

• New! 18mths 0% with 2.88% fee. Today (Wed), MBNA Plat* has increased its new customer 0% deal from 16mths to 18mths plus a one-off 2.88% fee, making it the new cheapest. After the 0% ends the rate jumps to 18.8% representative APR.

• New! Shift from 2+ cards for 18mths 0% and reduced fee. New cardholders can also shift debts to Barclaycard Plat* at 18mths 0%, but with a smidgeon higher 2.9% fee. However, shift debts from 2+ cards and the fee's now reduced by a quarter on all but the largest transfer, so then it beats MBNA (16.9% representative APR after).

• Nationwide 0% for 17mths 2.95% fee. As MBNA & Barclaycard are the perennial best-buys, you may already have both. Next top is Nationwide's* 17mth 0% new cardholder deal with a 2.95% fee (15.9% representative APR after).

FULL details incl top cards if you need shorter or longer in the Updated Guide: Balance Transfers & also Official APR Examples Related: Credit Ratings, 0% Spending Cards, Debt Help

We've a compendium of over 60 ways to make extra cash. If your budget could do with some help, there are loads of routes to try ...

• New! Get paid to receive junk mail. Marketing companies make money selling your postal address & more for junk mail; a new 'sell your data' site promises you'll be paid to receive it. It opts you out of all lists, then you choose what to opt in to and you get a 70% cut of its fee. Plus there's a £10 credit if you sign up before 31 March. Full info & warnings in the boost your income guide.

• Declutter for cash - flog old mobiles, CDs and more. From renting your parking space to selling old mobiles (use MobileValuer.com to compare who'll give you most for old phones, iPods, cameras, games consoles and more), selling old junk for cash on eBay* or old CDs and DVDs on Music Magpie*.
• Earn wonga on the web. Turn entering competitions into a possibly lucrative hobby using powerful free tools to speedily enter 100s a day; see the Comping for Cash guide for a full how-to. Plus you could earn £100s a year through taking part in online surveys and focus groups - full info in the Survey Stashing guide.

FULL info & loads more in the Updated Guide: Boost Your Income Related: eBay Selling Tricks, Stop Spending

Ofgem says 1m energy customers are officially repaying energy debts worth £100s. Millions more may be in arrears. Yet there may be money grants available to help ...

• Gas & electricity - up to £2,000 help. Npower, British Gas and EDF have charity trusts which can give money for bills and essentials to customers in energy arrears; see Home & Energy Grants for more details on how to apply. Reduced tariffs may also be possible (see Homeheathelpline), though do compare them to the Cheapest Gas & Electricity.
• Water bills help. Many water companies offer help if you can't pay the bills; you'll find info on the Water UK website. Plus those who use meters and have 3+ children or someone with a medical condition needing lots of water may be eligible for the WaterSure scheme. Also see the Cut Water Bills guide.
• BT £4.60/mth line rent. Some benefits recipients can get British Telecom's special basic tariff at £13.80/quarter (rather than per mth), which includes £4.50 worth of calls (costly after, so low callers only). See Cheap Home Phones.

This is just the tip of the iceberg: see the Full Guide: Energy Grants & Report Successes. Related: Cheap Gas & Elec

Martin answers your ISA questions. ISA Watch!
New video Q&A! Only 20 days until the cash ISA deadline. Use it or lose it

We've been swamped by your 500+ cash ISA questions. Luckily, Martin talks quickly enough to get through a good chunk in the new Cash ISA Video Q&A. A cash ISA's simply a tax-free savings account, here's a reminder of the best-buys. All have full £85,000 UK Savings Safety protection.

• Top 3.3% easy access ISA: Two top deals promise to track base rate for the first year: Santander's* pays 3.3% AER (some exist custs get 3.5% AER with Loyalty Flexible ISA) and Barclays Golden ISA 3.25% AER, but you must apply in branch, unless you're an existing Barclays online* customer. The AA's new ISA pays a higher 3.35% AER (min £500), but doesn't track. With all, there're no transfers in allowed and rates are likely to drop in a year, so diarise to ditch and transfer.
• 3% for transfers/consolidating old ISAs: Check your old ISA rates; they can be pitiful. The top easy-access deal that takes new money and lets you transfer in is Halifax's* ISA Direct Reward, which pays 3% AER for a year (some existing customers get 3.2% AER). After that expect the rate to drop, so transfer then.
• Top fixed cash ISAs, up to 4.4%. If you're prepared to lock your cash away (heavy early withdrawal penalties), you can get a guaranteed rate. 2 years: Santander 3.7% AER (min. £500). 3 years: Aldermore 4.01% (min. £1,000). 4 years: Cheshire BS 4.4% (min. £100). Many pundits predict rates will rise soon; if they do, these fixes mightn't look so competitive.

FULL best buys in the Updated Guide & Video: Top Cash ISAs, ISA Transfers or see the How ISAs Work guide.