Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

£100 Argos/Boots vouchers on cheap fixed energy tariff
Corking deal, plus get extra £30 cashback or crate of wine | It's the PERFECT time to switch

This is the perfect time to compare energy tariffs, as all the big six firms have put prices up, so there's a level playing field for comparison. Better still, Npower's just launched a hot price promo through some comparison sites.

• Lock-in a cheap rate & get a free £100 Argos/Boots/Deb'hms voucher. Switch to Npower's dual fuel Go Fix 8 tariff via some comparison sites & get £100 Love2shop vouchers (£50 for gas or elec alone) for Argos, Boots, Deb'hms, ToysRUs after switching. It's £50 for gas or elec alone.
  
  To get it, and find out if it's right for you, plug your postcode into one of the sites below and choose 'fixed tariffs only' results. Plus you get extra cashback or a crate of wine using these MSE links (not direct). If possible, opt for 'monthly direct debit' payments to slash bills further.
  
  Top Comparison: Energyhelpline* pays £15 cashback per switch for gas, electricity or dual.
  Dual Fuel: MoneySupermarket* pays £30 cashback or Uswitch* gives a crate of 12 bottles of mid-range wine.
  
  Potential savings are huge: £250 a year less for a typical home than a standard tariff + the rate's guaranteed until February 2013. There are cheaper fixes, but only by £40 so with the vouchers, it undercuts them. Go quick as it's due to end soon.
  
• Is it worth fixing? A fix is like an insurance policy against price hikes. If you can't risk rises, a cheap fix is a no-brainer. For those on standard tariffs, savings are huge, yet for households already on cheap deals, remember there's no guarantee prices will rise. Though this Npower tariff's exit fees are low at £20 each for gas & elec, so if you need to switch before the fix ends, it's not a huge loss. See full Fixing FAQ for more.

For full info, how to cut costs & more help, see the Updated Guide: Cheap Gas & Elec Related: Cheap Prepay Energy, Energy Grants Related News: Npower fined over complaints

New 4.7% top fixed savings
Finally, rates are on the up - if you're prepared to lock your cash away

It feels like a treat to say "savings rates are rising" - there are new winners in all 1 to 5 year fixed savings categories. Full info in the fully updated top savings guide, here's a summary. All accounts have the full UK £85,000 UK savings safety.

• Top 3.12% easy access. Nationwide's* My Save Online Plus account pays 3.12% AER and allows one penalty-free withdrawal per year. For unlimited withdrawals, Santander's* eSaver (issue 4) pays 3.1% AER. Both include year-long bonus rate hikes, so diarise to ditch and switch in 12 months.
• Lock in for up to 4.7% fixed. Here, you lock your cash away without access in return for a guaranteed rate. Yet remember, if other rates rise, you're stuck.
  
  1 yr: Yorkshire / Clydesdale 3.6% AER (min £2,000) or Cheshire 3.55% (min £100)
  2 yrs: Yorkshire / Clydesdale 4% AER (min. £2,000) or Halifax* 3.85% (min £500)
  3 yrs: Yorkshire / Clydesdale 4.3% AER (min. £2,000) or AA Savings 4.15% (min £1)
  5 yrs: Yorkshire / Clydesdale 4.7% AER (min. £2,000) or BM savings 4.65% (min £1)
• Top 3.05% easy-access tax-free cash ISA. All over-16s can save £5,340 per year in a tax-free cash ISA. If you've not opened one since April, do it now. The top easy-access deal is Northern Rock's* 3.05% AER e-ISA. Northern Rock has a 1yr 3.35% AER, Yorkshire / Clydesdale, a 2-year 4% fix, Halifax*, a 5-year 4.4% fix.

FULL info, calcs more in the Updated Guides: Top Savings, Cash ISAs Related: ISA Transfers, RPI Linked Savings

Cheapest EVER line rental - £6.49/mth or £7.75 with b'band
Compare this to BT where standard line rental alone is £13.90, rising to £14.60 on 4 Dec

BT's raising its standard line rental prices in December. Yet a couple of hot deals mean you can more than halve the cost. Full info in our updated Cheap Phones and Cheap Broadband guides, here's a round-up:

• Cheapest ever line rental £6.49/mth. The Primus Line Rental Saver* package (via Homephonechoices - link goes there) is now just £6.49/mth on a year's contract, perfect for low users. Alternatively, its Home Phone Saver* is £7.99/mth with free evening & weekend landline calls. It's available to 80% of the UK (not cable lines).
  
  BT customers who don't want to change can still save. BT Line Rental Saver* is a cheaper £120 paid upfront for a year (so £10/mth equivalent) incl weekend calls.
• Line rent & b'band for equiv. £7.75/mth. Complex, but hot. TalkTalk Essentials* half price deal gives free connection, eve & weekend calls plus broadband (available to 85% of UK) at £3.25/mth for the year's contract. Pay £114 line rental upfront and sign up via Uswitch (link takes you there) to get a £60 Tesco voucher. Factor that as cash and it's £93 for the year, an avg £7.75/mth.
• Broadband £25 for a year (O2 customers). If you've been an O2 mobile customer for 2+ yrs it offers 6 months free on a year's contract for its £12.50/month unlimited download broadband (available to 70% of UK). Plus, sign-up via Simplify Digital* by 30 Nov for £50 cashback. Factor that in, and you pay just £25 for the year. Plusnet Value's* the cheapest standalone broadband at £6.49/month plus £25 set up (10GB download limit).

For full info on all the latest landline deals, read: Cheap Home Phones Related: Cheap Broadband

Bust the student finance 2012 myths
Only 40% know you don't pay upfront | 80% wrongly think monthly repayments will be higher
We all want bright students to go to uni if it's right for them. Yet as all people hear about the 2012 changes in England are the £9,000 a year fees, mass fear & ignorance are putting them off. So we're backing Student Finance Day next Monday. Then again, we would; it's run by Martin's Independent Taskforce.

• Five key facts: 1) You don't need any cash to pay for uni. 2) Repayments only start once you've left university and earn £21,000+. They stop after 30 years. 3) You repay the same each month on £9,000 or £6,000 fees. 4) You repay LESS each month under the new system than today's graduates do. 5) Yet you will be repaying for a LOT longer than today's graduates and may pay much more. Full info: Student Fees 2012 - 20 key facts guide.
  
• Free booklets for 6th formers & teachers: Download the You Can Afford to Go To Uni 6th formers' booklet, and the new Teacher's Guide to Student Finance.
• Free videos: Watch the 3-min cartoon or Martin's 30 minute video guide.
• Free one-on-one help: Over 40 English unis are holding drop-in sessions on Mon. You can go even if you've not applied to that uni. Plus from 4pm to 4.15pm on Mon, Martin is holding a Twitter clinic with The Student Room, tweet Qs to @martinslewis and use #unifees2012.
• Free 'What'll it really cost?' calculator: Many yell that 2012 starters will leave with a dire £50,000 debt. The number's true but mostly irrelevant as repayments depend only on earnings after graduation. Many will pay a lot less, some higher earners more than double. www.studentfinancecalc.com works out your real cost.
  
  

  If you know students or parents worried about the cost of 2012 please send them these links

Balance transfer war | 22mth 0% + £40 rebate
Want to shift debts? There's a battle to give you the best deal - now there's cashback too
Most credit cards charge around 20% interest. Shifting existing debts to a new 0% balance transfer card can slash costs by £100s so repayments clear the actual debt not just interest. Let battle commence ... All below require a credit check.

• Shift to 22mth 0% with 2.9% fee and £40 refund. Still king of the castle, Barclaycard* Platinum is the longest 0% deal (min £20,000 salary). Plus, accepted new cardholders who switch £3,000+ get a £40 fee rebate. Repay or switch again before the 0% ends, or the rate jumps to 17.5% representative APR.
  
  For shifting less, you can now go via comparison site Confused.com and it pays £30 cashback if you transfer £250+ to any Barclaycard, including the 22 mth Platinum deal above. If you can repay quicker, there's also a 16 month 0% with 1.6% fee deal from Barclaycard, yet fail to clear before the 0% ends and it's 18.9% representative APR. Our Which card is cheapest? tool should help.
  
• Already got a Barclaycard? If so, forget the cards above, you won't be allowed to transfer. Instead, Halifax* is 22 months 0% with a 3.5% fee - though it ONLY accepts transfers under £3,000. Alternatively, Virgin* is 0% for 20 months with a 2.99% fee. Fail to fully repay and you'll pay 17.9% or 18.9% representative APR, respectively.

For full help, more best-buys & long-term deals see the Updated Guide: Best Balance Transfers (and Official APR Examples) Related: 0% Credit Cards