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Oct
12
2011

Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Over 50 ways to save incl... £5 off trains, iphone deals, 2p hotel, safe savings?, £29 designer specs, £75 uniform tax refund, free tastecard, free Benefit
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Martin's Quick Briefing

Earn £100s for FREE (just by changing plastic)
It's the PERFECT time to get a cashback card

Many can earn £100s just by changing plastic. The top cashback credit cards pay up to 5p per £1 spent. Provided you repay IN FULL every month, this means huge profits. Here are the 10 'need-to-knows'.

1. They get paid when you spend - claw it back. Retailers are charged 1.5% to 3% of your spend when you pay by card. Cashback credit cards effectively pay you some of this, tax-free, hoping to tempt you to spend so they can charge interest. Yet the savvy can earn at no cost ...
   
2. Earn £100s for FREE (just by changing plastic) Always repay in FULL by direct debit. This is the golden rule, as it means you don't pay any interest (usually 20%ish APR), which'd dwarf the cashback. Use a direct debit to ensure you never forget. Most cards list this option on forms. If not, call and request it. Never withdraw cash from ATMs though, as then you usually pay interest, even if fully cleared.
   
3. It's effectively a DEBIT card that pays you - use it for everything. As the direct debit neuters the 'borrowing' aspect of the credit card, it's now far more like a debit card as it's paid from your bank each month. To max the gain, use it for ALL normal daily spending, replacing cash, cheques and other plastic. Plus, if your employer allows, put expenses on too, if you can always clear in full.
   
4. Huge 5% cashback for the next three months. Capital One's* World Mastercard pays newbies 5% for the first 99 days (max £100 in that time). After, rates are tiered up to 1.25%. Though you must have a good credit score, earn £20,000+ & own your home. If you don't fit, see more best-buys in the Top Cashback Cards guide. Fail to fully repay and it's 19.9% representative APR.
   
5. Get 3% back on all petrol spending. Santander's 123* pays 3% cashback on fuel spend up to £300/month, 2% at department stores and 1% in supermarkets. The downer's a £24 annual fee, so ensure you'll use it enough to at least cover that. You must earn £7,500+ and pass a credit score. Fail to fully repay and it's 18.9% rep APR. More options in Petrol Cashback Cards.
   
6. Now's the PERFECT time - 5% on Xmas and Jan sales. Apply now and, for Capital One, the accelerated cashback covers the higher-spend Christmas and January sales periods. Of course, if you've a big ticket item due, like a wedding or kitchen, it's better to hold off to max the cashback for that (though there's no guarantee the deal will still be around).
   
7. Up the gain with your partner. Those in trusting relationships can max the gain on card. Eg, with Capital One, Janet applies making John the 2nd cardholder, so both can spend and get 5% cashback. Once the intro deal ends, John applies and does the same to bag a further 5%. After that, they both use Janet's card as cashback rates are tiered.
   
8. The impact on your credit score. Every application for any product marks your credit file. One application has a very limited impact, though lots in a short time can be a major hit. So, it's always best to prioritise applications in order of importance, eg, mortgage first. Once that's done, shift existing debt to 0% balance transfers. Cashback cards come after.
   
9. Many can earn £100s/year. If you do all spending on the card it's easy to hit big amounts. Spend £5,000 on Capital One and you'd earn £80 in year one. Spend £10,000 and it's £145, £20,000 is £230.
   
10. Free protection on your purchases too. All credit cards, including cashback cards, have one over on debit cards. Spend £100 - £30,000 on them and Section 75 laws mean the card company's jointly liable with the retailer, so if an item's faulty, or the company goes bust before delivery, you can go to it to get your money back.

For all best buys & full info, see the Cashback Credit Cards guide (and Official APR Examples), plus try Credit Card Freebies and Airline Loyalty Cards.

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Mantras

THE ONES NOT TO MISS

12 Oct 2011

FREE £5 train ticket voucher (no min spend)
Urgent! Bag cheap Xmas & NY tickets now, eg, London-Manc £11.50 one way (£6.50 with voucher)

This is the perfect moment to book Christmas and New Year train tickets to ensure you get bargain rates. To help, we've blagged a fiver off any rail ticket.

  • FREE £5 train ticket voucher (no min spend)FREE £5 train tickets voucher. We've blagged 20,000 £5 e-vouchers for new users of rail ticket shop RedSpottedHanky. There's no minimum spend, so if your ticket's under £5, it's free. There are no booking fees, prices are usually the same as other sites & first class delivery is free. See Free £5 deal.
  • Book Christmas and NY trains now. Network Rail's obliged to set timetables 12 weeks in advance, so from then on, train operators release super-cheap advance fares. So, as there's limited supply, now's the perfect time to book a big Xmas and NY bargain. Tickets up to 3 Jan are out for most companies. We found 24 December Lond - Leeds singles for £11.50 & Glasg - Manc £15. For 1 January, Lond - Edin is £17.50. Full 'how to find them' in the Cheap Train Tickets guide.
  • Hidden tricks for huge savings. To really slice down train costs, remember train fares and logic go together like Coco Pops and ketchup. Split ticketing is the number one example: a Leeds to Bristol return costs £230, yet the train stops in Derby. One MoneySaver bought 4 separate tickets (Leeds-Derby, Derby-Bristol & vice-versa) for the SAME train at the SAME time for £80. See Split Ticket Help Video in the guide.

Masses more help in the Updated Guide: Cheap Train Tickets Related: Train & Coach Deals

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Urgent! 5,000 FREE 1yr tastecards draw (full price £70). The card gets 2for1ish at 1,000s of UK restaurants. 5,000 to be drawn at random on Fri (enter even if you've had one before). Deals Note: tastecard


Wear a work uniform? Possible £75+ tax refund. If you must wash your own uniform, tax rules mean you can claim refunds for the last 6 years. Check eligibility in Uniform rebate section of Boost Your Income guide.


Trade in old beauty products for FREE Benefit cosmetics. Sample-size face or eye cream worth up to £5 when you hand over old face creams. Full info in the Deals Note: Cheap Beauty Deals

Get 100% savings protection as banking crisis threatens
Keep under £85,000 per institution (not bank) in case disaster strikes | How safe is Santander?

It's not just the eurozone crisis. A ratings agency downgraded 12 UK banks & building societies last week, which means it has less faith in their ability to pay debts, including savers' deposits. It's still unlikely cash is at risk, but consider how you're protected. Our full Are Your Savings Safe? guide takes you through it, here's a taster...

  • Banking crisis - get 100% savings protectionHow savings are protected. If your bank goes bust, the first £85,000 per person saved in each UK-regulated financial institution will be paid back by the govt-backed Financial Services Compensation Scheme (see how it works for joint accounts). If you've more, consider spreading it across a few institutions.
  • It's per institution, not bank. Confusingly, while sister banks Halifax and Bank of Scotland share a licence, so you've £85,000 total protection in both; sisters Natwest and RBS don't, so there it's £85,000 EACH. Check in our linked savings tool.
  • Warning! Some UK savings aren't UK regulated. EU banks are allowed to opt for the 'passport scheme'. The big one that has is ING Direct, which means its UK savers would rely on the Dutch Govt's up to €100,000 protection (see the foreign bank status list). Many of you've asked about Santander. It is fully UK-protected but for more info, see the Santander news story.
  • UK's top paying easy access account. The top easy-access deal is Nationwide's* 3.12% AER, min £1,000 deposit. Though withdraw more than once a year & you lose interest for that month. The rate includes a year-long bonus, so diarise to ditch and switch when it ends. More options, incl longer term fixes, in Top Savings.

FULL info in the Safe Savings guide. Related: Top Savings, Cash ISAs, Cash ISA Transfers, Where to Start Saving

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Urgent. 2p London hotel rooms | Hilton 40% off | £10 Days Inn. Lots of sales: 800 x 2p room at Tune Hotels, Hilton 40% off wknd sale and Days Inn £10 (via paper). Full info in the Deals Note: Hotel Sales


2,500 FREE bags of Skittles every day till 25th Oct. One per person delivered, worth around 45p if you succeed in online game. Starts today (Weds). Full info in Deals Note: Skittles Deals


£29 for £200 designer prescription specs code. Works on ANY brand of frames and lenses sold at LensWay, incl Yves Saint Laurent, Fendi & Tommy Hilfiger - delivery included till 24 Oct. Deals Note: Cheap Glasses

Cheapest iPhones. New comparison tool
If you're succumbing to the new 'must-have', save £200+/year with the cheapest tariff

iPhones aren't MoneySaving, both phone and tariff costs are inflated. Yet if you're determined to get one, our Cheap iPhone Comparison and guide are fully updated including the new, slightly-improved 4S. Here's a taster...

  • Cheapest iPhone 4S contract. The cheapest per month tariff (factoring in the handset's cost) is Orange* at £310 upfront plus £20/mth, which works out as £33/mth all-in over the 2 year contract. Yet it's a low 50 mins, 50 texts and 100MB data. For £36/mth all-in, T-mobile* is 100 mins, 100 texts, 500MB.

    Instead consider signing up for the shortest decent contract possible so, once it ends, you can switch to a massively cheaper Sim-only tariff (see below). Tesco says it'll offer a 12 mth contract for £335 upfront then £25/mth - a total of £635 over the year for 250 mins, 5,000 texts and 1GB data (it should be available from Fri).
  • Cheapest iPhone 4S! Fully updated comparison toolFar cheaper 3GS contract. If you want an iPhone but aren't bothered about having the latest, go to Three* and you can get a 3GS iPhone free with a £20/mth 24-mth contract, which gets you 100 mins, 5,000 texts and 500MB data.
  • Buy unlocked & save. Buy an unlocked iPhone 4S 16GB direct from Apple* and it's £499 (or cheaper old models from eBay*). Then get a Sim card from GiffGaff* for £10/month which gives 250 mins, unlimited texts and unlimited data on a one month rolling contract. You'll need to cut the Sim card to an iPhone size, but GiffGaff says it's easy.
  • Compare ALL deals and get cashback. There's a labyrinth of options changing rapidly so we've built an iPhone comparison including 4S, 4 and 3GS deals. Plus, once you've found the right deal, some Cashback Sites pay money back.

FULL info in the updated Guide: Cheap iPhones Do you really need an iPhone: Try Cheap Mobiles, Haggle Mobile Contracts

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Forum Hottie

Ends Wed. £6 jeans, bags, jackets at Sports Direct (free P&P). Big sale on, plus get extra 10% off code with McCoy's crisps. Full info in Deals Note: Sports Direct Bargains


Codes for more off H&M's new 50% web-sale, Wallis & Matalans' 50% sales. These codes give you 20%-25% discounts off already reduced sale items. See the Deals Note: Discount Vouchers

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Tell friends about us! They can get this free every week

Tesco Wine £10 off £50 code (new custs) | Waitrose Wine 25% off (for all). Min order 6 bottles (12 at Waitrose online). Plus 25% off YourFavouriteWines.com, see the Deals Note: Wine Deals


New £5.50 Cineworld tix | Odeon 40% off vouch (or free for O2 users) ending. Full info on all these cinema discounts in the Deals Note: Cinema Deals

Free Mental Health & Debt booklet
Free download for all & printed copies for organisations | Plus stigma-busting Radio 2 chat

Mental health problems can cause severe debt, severe debt can cause mental health problems, it's a marriage made in hell. One in four have some type of mental health problem and those affected are up to FIVE times more likely to be in debt crisis. Let's ditch the stigma, mental health's a money issue, so as a money site, we should try to help...

  • Free MSE Mental Health & Debt Help PDF booklet Updated free step-by-step help booklet. Our Mental Health & Debt Help booklet (with help from charities Mind, Rethink, CAP and others) is crammed with info on your rights, how to get free one-to-one debt counselling, specific help for bipolar and depression sufferers, whether to declare mental health issues & more. It won't solve everything, but many tell us it takes the pressure off. We've also just updated it with new OFT guidelines on debt & mental capacity.
  • Listen to Martin's Radio 2 chat with Jeremy Vine. Many have asked to listen again to the radio special discussion on mental health and debt with many uplifting callers. Thumbs up to BBC Radio 2 for letting us make it available. Listen here.
  • Free printed copies for charities/medical agencies. We've just printed 25,000 copies to distribute free to relevant non-profit firms. If you represent one, please apply, provided you can get 50+ copies to people who need them (if you need fewer, please just print the PDF).

Please spread word to friends / family who may find it helpful

See the Updated Guide: Mental Health & Debt Related: Debt Help, 5 Min Benefits Check-Up, OFT Guidelines Unveiled

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Free Greggs grub with 30p paper. Daily till Sat 15 Oct, incl breakfast roll worth £1.65 on Wed, £1.39 steak bake on Thu, 75p doughnut on Fri and 85p muffin on Sat. See Deals Note: Greggs Grub or All Restaurant Vouchers


Free £10 Molton Brown voucher & £7.50 L'Occitane cream in £4 mags. Full info on these and more in the Deals Note: Cheap Beauty Deals

New LOW FEE 22-month 0% balance transfer
If you're shifting over £3,000 this new deal means you get longest 0% AND a super-low fee

Another week, another balance transfer blockbuster. It's boom-time for shifting existing credit card debts to cheaper deals. Never miss monthly repayments & beware spending on these cards - it isn't usually at 0%. A credit check's required.

  • 22 month 0% balance transfer, with fee as low as 1.6%Longest 0% (22mths) with low fee too. New Barclaycard* Platinum customers get the longest 0% transfer on the market, usually with a one-off 2.9% fee. Yet now, switch £3,000+ and it credits £40 back to your account. So on £3,000 that's equivalent to just a 1.6% fee, on £5,000 it's 2.1%. You need to earn over £20,000 a year to get it, plus repay before the 0% ends or rates jump to a big 17.5% representative APR.
  • Long deals if you've got a Barclaycard. If you already have a Barclaycard, Halifax* gives 22 mths' 0% for a 3.5% fee (but only allows sub-£3,000 transfers). Virgin* is 20 mths' 0% for a lower 2.99% fee. Repay by the time the interest-free promo ends, or they're 17.9% and 18.9% rep APR respectively.
  • Top low fee (sub-£3,000 transfer) deals. If you can clear the debt quickly, a different Barclaycard* offers 16 mths' 0% at a set 1.6% fee. Lloyds Platinum* gives 15 mths' 0% and halves its usual 3% fee if you transfer £1,500+. Repay before the 0% ends or rates jump to a big 18.9% and 17.9% rep APR respectively.
  • Find which card is cheapest for you. To pick a winner with the mix of 0% lengths, fees & APRs, use our unique Which Card's Your Cheapest? calc. Always aim to fully repay or balance transfer again before the 0% ends.

FULL step-by-step and best-buys for even longer transfers in the Updated Guide: Balance Transfers (and Official APR Examples) Related: 15 mths' 0% on Spending, Cheap Loans, Credit Scoring

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Restaurant Vouchers

Discount Vouchers

Top Deals

Pizza Hut £5 pizza & salad H&M 25% off Southern Railway 34% off tickets
Harvester Free ice-cream Wallis 20% off + free p&p Lego free £4ish toys in 30p paper
Strada 2for1 Matalan 20% off Blue Badge road atlas £3
Pizza Express 2 for £12 Jones Bootmaker 25% in 92p mag Kindles new version £89/refurb £80
Bella Italia 2 for £10 Warehouse 25% off in £3.80 mag iPhone free app to slash web bills
All Restaurant Vouchers All Discount Vouchers More Deals
 

Big & Easy Ways To Save
Quick links or click the titles for full pros, cons, alternatives & more savings

See all official APR examples

MORE MONEYSAVING

FREE Britain & Irelands' Next Top Model Live tix (face val £12.50). At London's ExCeL on Sun 30 Oct. 5,000 available. See the Deals Note: Cheap Days Out

   
spill beans

Spill the beans... on your most embarrassing MoneySaving habit Peg up tea bags on a washing line to re-use? Make chicken soup out of old KFC bones? Use bubble wrap as double glazing? Come on MoneySavers ... Spill 'em: What's the most embarrassing MoneySaving thing you do? Past topics: View all

Is travel money or spending on plastic abroad a rip off? Tell the OFT. It wants your views to help with Consumer Focus's super complaint. Have your say: Travel Money Super Complaint

   
Money Moral Dilemma

Real Life MONEY MORAL DILEMMA:
Should I let bro-in-law do the architecture?

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...
I am looking into building a house extension. My brother in law, who I get on well with, is nearly qualified as an architect and he offered to do the drawings for me. He has now come back quoting £840 (other architects' quotes ranged from £450 - £850, though I'm wary about choosing the cheapest). I was hoping he'd work out cheaper, but I've seen his work is good and I think he would work hard as he knows me. Then again, he's not cheap, and what if it all goes wrong? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I let bro-in-law do the architecture? Previous MMDs: View All Suggest: A Money Moral Dilemma

Free Book Giveaway! Making Your Own Cheese. 25 blagged for MoneySavers. Want one?

   
Cheap Flight Sales

CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT:
Airline: Easyjet Price: £29.99 Flights till: 2 Dec
Our pick this week is the Easyjet Madrid, Nice & Amsterdam £29.99 each way offer: The sale includes some taxes & charges. It's for flights from 18 Oct until 2 Dec to Madrid, Nice and Amsterdam from various UK airports inc Bristol, Liverpool & Edinburgh. To find them quickly use the FlightChecker on a £30 max search. Extra charges warning: Avoid payment and check-in charges, see the Budget Airline Fee Fighting guide Related: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance

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Spill the beans... revealed how did you financially survive divorce?
Last week we asked, if you've been through the turmoils of divorce, how you handled the financial strain. Replies included avoid solicitor fees, keep it amicable and downsize.

   

Quick Forum Tips

Andrea's Freebies

   
Top pick! Christmas Wii game £10 at Play.com. Santa-stic Thorntons chocolate smiles
Huggies Wipes 3for1 at Sainsbury's. Top deal Online quit smoking help
£10 England shirt at Sports Direct. Back of the net The Mouse Club parent pack
Argos 1/2 price toys incl Bop it & Disney Toy-riffic Patak's 'curry night pack' downloads
Christmas job hunting tips Tiding yule over  
Debt Free Wannabe chat of the week: How do you stay sane clearing debt?  
Competitions thread of the week: Win Amazon Kindle 3G
Old Style (Thrift) Board thread of the week: Preparing for winter III
More Tips: Tips, Tricks & Treats Try: Freebies Roulette
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Martin's Stuff

Cheap Travel Cash

Latest Blogs
"Got it, got it, got it, got it, got it, got it" – Bazinga
Can you use payday loans to boost your credit rating?
Reports that "Tesco sales hit a 20 year-low" AREN'T true
Appearances This Week: Wed 12th - Tues 18th October

Lorraine, ITV1, Thurs, between 8.30 & 9.30am. Real Deals.

Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5, Thurs, 12-1pm. Consumer Panel.

Watchdog, BBC1, Thurs, between 8 & 9pm. Packaged accounts.

Daybreak, ITV1, Fri, between 7 & 8.30am. Subject tbc.

UK's Best Currency Rates
£100 will buy you:
Best Worst
Euro Flag 114.35 103.43
US Flag $ 155.55 141.05
Turkish Flag TL 279.00 255.00
Rates correct at 6pm Tues
Find all top currency rates
Compare travel cash
Find Martin on facebook! Martin's Facebook Page All Martin's Appearances Cheap Travel Money Guide
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Board Of The Week

BOARD OF THE WEEK:
Mortgage-Free Wannabe

This board's where mortgaged MoneySavers gather with the aim of paying them off ASAP. Recent discussions include counting down to mortgage free, what happens at the end? and starting the overpayment journey. Related: Remortgage Guide

 

Question Of The Week

MoneySaving Polls

Q. I recently got a new credit card, but before it arrived, a better card came on the market. Should I apply for the new card or will two successive applications affect my credit rating? I want to apply for a mortgage in a year. Kate, by email

MSE Alana's A: As you've been accepted for the other card already and want to apply for a mortgage soon, as there is a small risk it could impact the more important home loan application, then unless the deal is significantly better, why take that chance?

Multiple applications in a short time, and an increase in available credit, can damage your credit worthiness. While the additional impact of an extra card is likely to be relatively minor, and the fact you're still a year away from the mortgage means it shouldn't be too substantial an effect, it's always worth questioning whether any application is necessary.

So do a back-of-the-envelope calculation on the gain of the new card, and unless it's material, it's probably not worth it. See the Credit Rating guide for all the top tips.

This week's poll:

Have you turned your heating on yet?

Last week's poll result:

Which loyalty points wear the crown?

In a fairly predictable result, 45% of MoneySavers voted Tesco Clubcard as the loyalty scheme they most cared about, followed by 21% for Boots, just pipping Nectar by 0.5%.

Of 23 schemes, the only others to break the 500-vote mark (out of 13,000) were Co-op & M&S.

 

Suggest a question of the week (big general issues not personal q's pls) See Full Results
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Game Of The Week

Archna's FREE GAME OF THE WEEK:
Basket balls

 

Take the 11-plus.

That's it for this week, but before we go, you have ten minutes to answer 15 questions to see if you're as smart as an 11 year old was 30 years ago. Can you pass the 11-plus test?

We hope you save some money,

Martin & the MSE team

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