Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email
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DON'T believe the fake ads on Facebook |
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New. Top balance transfer: 29mths 0% (2.75% fee) PLUS £20 cashback
- 'Up-to' cards mean you may get a shorter 0% if accepted. Others give more certainty.
"As for picking, it's all really close so don't overly worry, all of these will save you large compared to paying interest. Yet if you want to nerdily number crunch, let's suppose you've a great credit score so can get the best deal on all cards. If you'll repay in under 23mths go no fee, unless you're transferring £1k-£2k when the 26mth 0% MBNA card wins due to the cashback. Need longer? I'd go for the longer MBNA for £1k-£2k shifted, otherwise Barclaycard." Always follow the Balance Transfer Golden Rules. Full info in Best Balance Transfers (APR Examples). a) Never miss the min monthly repayment, or you could lose the 0% deal and it'll cost far more. |
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Boots trick - £80+ of beauty products for £20, incl L'Oreal, Maybelline & Rimmel. This is hot as it's one of its beauty box freebies, but this time you can get it for buying already DISCOUNTED cosmetics. Boots trick STOP PRESS: British Gas has just cut its cheapest price - it's now £260/yr lower than its and others' standard tariffs, and EXISTING custs can get it too. The new BG Energy Plus Protection Green Sep 2020v2 locks in the cheap rate for a year, and including the MSE £25 dual-fuel cashback, it's on average the cheapest Big 6 deal. It's available to new and existing dual-fuel customers paying by monthly direct debit (not in NI), but ONLY via comparison sites (incl via the link above), not direct. Click the link for full info and to see how it compares. Martin: 'PPI's over, but now you may be due £100s of tax back on PPI payouts.' Whether you're one of the likely 500,000 who started a reclaim via us last week before the deadline, or you've already had a payout, check whether you're going to be due tax back in Martin's PPI tax reclaim blog. £10-£25 theatre tickets for Hamilton, Harry Potter, Fleabag, Matilda etc? Big West End shows offer cheap tickets to the lucky, but go quick. For Fleabag, the last draw closes today (Wed) at 11.59am. MSE Holly got lucky: "I only entered once and got brilliant Fleabag seats for £15 each." Can you win the theatre lottery? 'Free' wills in Nov - but you should book 'em now. There's no fee, but it's hoped you make a charity donation. Book a 'Will Aid' appointment now as the scheme fills up quickly. New. Free £150 RBS bank switch bribe + 2% cashback on bills (worth £200+ in yr 1). RBS now pays a £150 bonus to switchers on most of its current accounts - after you pay in £1,500. Its RBS Reward* account also gives 2% cashback on household bills for a £2/mth fee if you keep paying £1,500/mth, leaving an avg gain of £60/yr after the fee. Or get the £150 bonus on the fee-free RBS Select*. Full eligibility info and alternatives in Best Bank Accounts. |
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Ends Fri. Shell broadband & line just '£11/mth' or '£17/mth' for fibre
New big player in the broadband market has super cheap tariffs, which can save many £300+ a year A whopping 11m are out of contract on broadband and line, and almost all are massively overpaying. To help, there are three hot, short-lived deals on right now, two from oil giant Shell (which bought out First Utility last year), which is no doubt trying to use its deep wells to boost market share. Yet there's no infrastructure change, as like most providers it's using BT lines. If you want even faster broadband, Vodafone has a corking deal...
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50+ FREEBIES on your birthday, incl £5 at Ikea & Body Shop, or a Greggs doughnut. Sep is the most common birthday month (count back 9mths-ish for why - wink, wink). So we've rounded up a host of birthday freebies. Are you due one of 1.6m+ unclaimed Premium Bond prizes? In case you missed it last week, latest figures show more than a whopping £63m is unclaimed. See Premium Bonds prize check. 45 pansy or viola plants for £9 delivered. MSE Blagged. Or 90 (45 of each type) for £13. Jersey Plants Direct The MoneySavingIdiot switches bank after 20yrs - he's up by £460 in 1yr. See MoneySavingIdiot returns. 212m old fivers and tenners are still out there - how to trade them in. There's over £1.5bn worth in piggybanks, old coat pockets etc. Paper note help FREE tickets to The Cake & Bake Show 2019 (London, 4-6 Oct). Great for Bake Off fans. 7,500 available |
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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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How my yoga retreat nightmare turned into a free holiday. MSE Becky's dramatic story of sun, sea & survival - luckily, with a happy ending and a rather MoneySaving twist. See My yoga holiday from hell. SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: Applications for MSE Charity grants are now open. Mon saw the start of our charity's latest grant-giving round. We're offering up to £7,500 to non-profit organisations that teach people money skills. This round is focusing on supporting people going through life-changing circumstances, eg, bereavement, homelessness or relationship breakdown. You can apply via the MSE Charity website, where you can take a quiz to see if your organisation's eligible. But be quick, as the round closes when it accepts 40 applications or on Fri 27 Sep, whichever is first. |
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THIS WEEK'S POLL Should the contactless spending limit be increased? Two in five debit card payments were made using contactless last year. Yet at the moment, the maximum amount you can spend using contactless is just £30 (barring some using Apple Pay), which is done to cap spending if someone takes your card. So where do you think the contactless limit should be set? The vast majority of you are worth MORE than you owe. Last week, we asked you to calculate your net worth or debt (excluding mortgages and student loans). Over 8,800 of you responded, and encouragingly only 14% said they were in overall debt. Unsurprisingly, older groups were generally better off than their younger counterparts, with a third of over-65s sitting on a net worth of £500,000 or more. See the full how much are you worth? poll results. |
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MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I stay with my friend for free (and risk intruding)? My friend, who lives abroad, has invited me to stay with her while I'm on holiday. While it would save me a lot of money on my holiday, she doesn't live alone - in fact, she lives with her parents and I'm worried I'll intrude. Should I accept her offer, or find somewhere else to stay? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I stay with my friend for free (and risk intruding)? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs THE QUICKIES - Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: September 2019 grocery challenge |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 4 SEP ONWARDS) Thu 5 Sep - Good Morning Britain, ITV, 7.35am MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC) Fri 6 Sep - BBC South West stations, Good Morning with Joe Lemer, from 5am |
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QUESTION OF THE WEEK Q: My wife and I have a joint current account. Is it possible to switch to another bank as a couple, or does it have to be as individuals? Philip, via email.
A note from the MSE team: Rosie's sadly just left us after 4yrs of top work at MSE - good luck at drama school, Rosie. You'll be missed. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
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ONLY 111 SLEEPS TO GO - SO HAVE YOU STARTED CHRISTMAS SHOPPING? That's it for this week, but before we go... MSE Molly got a shock last week when she found out her parents are already doing their Christmas shopping, so we've been asking MoneySavers if they've started stocking up for stockings. Turns out many have, either doing a bit each month to spread the cost or getting in really early to pick up bargains in 2018's Boxing Day sales. Others think it's far too early though, with one insisting: "The C-word shouldn't be mentioned until after Bonfire Night". Let us know where you stand in our Christmas shopping Facebook post. We hope you save some money, |
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