Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email
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DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads |
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Martin's 10 new CORONAVIRUS financial need-to-knows, including... New. 70 best & worst firms for travel refunds | Ends Mon. Self-employ grant 1 | Payment hols extended | Wedding rights | Self-employ grant 2 date released | Ryanair refunds | Sykes refunds & more...
1) New. The 70 best and worst firms for TRAVEL REFUNDS (MSE survey of 77,000). We're revealing our mammoth 70 best & worst firms for travel refunds survey results. Virgin and Love Holidays join Ryanair as the worst of the big names, all with feedback scores under -80 and less than 1 in 20 survey respondents having got refunds. This refund farce must end. Regulators must step in. So we're preparing a dossier to send to them. On the other hand, bravo to Travel Counsellors, Trailfinders and Jet2, who lead the big names all scoring +70 or better. Related: Travel refund help. 2) Ends Mon. Urgently apply for the first SELF-EMPLOYMENT grant. The first SEISS grant, worth up to £7,500, closes at 11.59pm Mon - the latest figures show only 2.7m of 3.5m eligible people have applied. If you've not applied thinking "I can't, I work" or "I can't, my business was up & running", then stop. That's irrelevant. Read our Can you declare your biz impacted by coronavirus? guide to see detailed help and examples about who can apply. Not sure if you're eligible? Use the HMRC eligibility checker. 3) PAYMENT HOLIDAYS EXTENDED - my guide to cards, loans, car finance, overdrafts, mortgages, insurance and more. All the info and deadline dates are in my new What payment holidays can I take, and should I? blog. 4) WEDDINGS. Ceremonies are back, but downsized. What are your rights? UK weddings have been allowed since Sat, but what are your refund rights if your dream day's changed? See MSE's new my not-so-big fat Greek wedding guide. 5) Confirmed: Applications for the second SELF-EMPLOYMENT grant open 17 Aug. On my show last week (watch it back) we had HMRC chief exec Jim Harra on. He revealed that applications for the second grant would open on 17 Aug. And if the process follows the last time, payment will be a few days later. See SEISS 2 for details. 6) Over 600,000 REDUNDANCIES Mar to May - be prepared. Sadly, as predicted the great job cull is on. In just the last week, Easyjet, Upper Crust and TM Lewin have added to the list. And more's to come as, from 1 Aug, employers have to contribute to furlough costs. For help if it's happened, or to prepare if it's likely, see our Redundancy Help guide. 7) RYANAIR claims it'll clear 90% of its refund backlog by 31 Jul. Hope for custs waiting for cash back as the airline - that's near the bottom of our refund league - says it's making "rapid progress" to pay out requests. See Ryanair refunds. 8) SYKES COTTAGES U-turns and says it'll give cancellation refunds. After intervention from the Competition and Markets Authority, it's agreed to pay cash refunds and convert unused vouchers. See Sykes Cottages refunds U-turn. 9) LOCAL LOCKDOWN so can't go on holiday? Always check with the travel firm if they'll let you postpone or cancel, though it's unlikely. Travel insurance is your best bet, but it'll likely only cover you if you got it and booked the holiday pre-pandemic, otherwise you're stuck. See our local lockdown holiday cancellations full info. 10) Ends Thu. After 15 shows throughout the pandemic, my last ITV Money Show is LIVE 8.30pm Thu. Back in Mar, I spoke to ITV and suggested a one-off live Q&A pandemic help special. It agreed. It worked. We did more, and more... the last 12 from home (with 'Mrs MSE' aka Lara's kind help). Now it's coming to an end (I need a break). So please tune in for our finale, and as always, as it's live you can suggest questions - tweet @MartinSLewis, importantly using the show's #MartinLewis hashtag. |
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2,200 £50 off codes for a Shark DuoClean cordless vacuum - making it the cheapest we've seen. MSE Blagged. Our code gets you one of three mid-level cordless models with a 5yr warranty for £220-£250. £50 off Shark FREE Costa coffee, croissant, shortbread or bacon bap. In a (coffee) nutshell, register on its mobile app and new & existing custs are given 300 points, which can be redeemed on one of this lot. Costa nothing Top NO-FEE 0% debt shift - Santander 18mths. With top balance-transfer deals disappearing, those paying interest on existing credit card(s) debt should be looking to shift it to a cheaper card. Accepted Santander 18mths 0% (18.9% rep APR after) custs can do that at no cost whatsoever. NatWest/RBS 20mths 0% no fee is longer, but you need to be their existing cust to apply. Golden rules: (1) Always pay at least the min monthly repayment. (2) Clear the debt or transfer again before the 0% ends. (3) Don't spend/withdraw cash. Full help & longer deals (for a fee) in Top Balance Transfers. £130 of No7 beauty and skincare products for £32. 10-piece set incl mascara, eye pencil, hydration mask etc - it goes on sale next Wed, but see how to get early access via a special link. Planning on getting insulation? Hold off - the Chancellor's announcing a new up-to-£5,000 voucher scheme TODAY. The Govt's due to unveil its new Green Homes Grant for Eng later today (Wed), incl vouchers for insulation & more - see what we know so far (and we'll update it as soon as we know more). PS: It's the Chancellor's big statement today (Wed) - join us at 12.30pm-ish. News on stamp duty, energy grants, tax changes and more are likely. Join Martin's Twitter for his 'translations', the MSE Twitter for news and more detailed coverage on MSE News. Martin wants a favour... Over to him: "My live coronavirus TV shows have made the final of the TV Choice Awards for the 1st time. If you liked it/saved, pls vote (page 9, Best Lifestyle Show). Money shows don't usually get these. It'd be a powerful message to broadcasters about how important consumer info on TV is." |
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The UK Govt's given the green light to SOME overseas trips, with the Foreign Office lifting warnings and England relaxing quarantine requirements on return. There are bargains to be had, but much depends on your own attitude to travel. The best advice at the moment is, if in doubt, don't - but if you're healthy, happy and low risk, a careful bit of sun is possible. So here are a host of key links to further info if you're thinking of booking:
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M&S Sparks card scheme relaunches Thu - but are the NEW perks better? See Sparks restart. Amazon 'summer sale', eg, up to 50% off Echo devices - is it any good? This time of year Amazon usually does its 'Prime Day', but instead it's this week offering daily deals, eg, we've spotted big Echo discounts, up to 30% off Lego, up to 20% off Fitbit. See our Amazon sale analysis. It's tax credit renewal time - CHECK NOW for errors. Almost 3m letters have been sent out. Some must respond or payments could stop. For most, credits will automatically renew this year due to coronavirus - but you could still lose out if your info's wrong, so check and TELL 'EM if it's not right. See tax credit help. 7 NEW free Premier League TV games confirmed, incl Man City vs Bournemouth. More fixtures have been announced - see a full list of the 12 free games currently scheduled. Free footie 16 Center Parcs tricks as it reopens - incl half-price Euro stays & hidden cheap dates. Whether you've booked already or plan to, with the UK parks reopening next Mon, we've updated our Center Parcs tricks. Nike EXTRA 30% off sale code, eg, £90 running trainers for £41. Works on its 'up to 50% off' sale. Nike code |
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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: EXTRA 10% off code for reduced 'past best-before' food, eg, 15p Walkers Crisps, 18p Mars Bars, 30p Diet Coke. MSE Blagged. Approved Food is a site selling cheap groceries near or past their 'best-before' (which is just a manufacturer's view of optimum quality, so they're safe to eat - don't confuse with 'use-by' on fresh meat & dairy etc, which is a health warning). Min spend £22.50, delivery £3+, so best for stocking up. Approved Food |
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THIS WEEK'S POLL Which loyalty schemes do you use? With M&S overhauling its Sparks card scheme, we want to know which high street and supermarket loyalty schemes you're signed up to - and how often you actually use 'em. Which loyalty schemes do you use? MoneySavers rate Monzo as the best banking app. Last week, we asked how you rate your bank's app. More than 6,000 people responded and app-only bank Monzo came out top again - it was rated 'great' by 91% on features, 86% on usability. Starling came a close second on both features and usability, with 83% and 84% 'great' scores respectively. Barclays did best of the traditional banks - 69% said it's 'great' for features, 76% for usability. See full banking app poll results. |
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MONEYSAVING NEWS - Top story: Virgin Atlantic Reward+ credit card-holders to get £40 rebate |
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MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I pay extra child maintenance during lockdown? I'm separated and my children live with my ex-partner. They usually stay with me at weekends and while children have been allowed to move between households during lockdown, we decided against it. As they haven't been to stay in three months, I've been wondering if I should pay extra child maintenance. On the one hand my ex is having to pay more than usual for food, utilities and so on while I'm paying less, but on the other I haven't been able to see my children properly for weeks. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay extra child maintenance? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 8 JUL ONWARDS) Wed 8 Jul - LBC, Shelagh Fogarty, 2pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECTS TBC) Mon 13 Jul - BBC Radio Manchester, Drive with Phil Trow, from 2.25pm |
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WHICH LOCKDOWN MONEYSAVING HABITS WILL YOU STICK WITH? That's it for this week, but before we go... lockdown forced many to change their spending habits, and with some restrictions now being eased, MoneySavers have been sharing the ways they plan to continue saving cash. Many of you intend to keep making your own lunches and 'fakeaways' rather than eating out, others have quit smoking and some aim to keep working from home to save on the commute - plus a LOT of you plan to keep cutting your own hair. See what others are going to do and share your own post-lockdown resolutions in our New MoneySaving habits Facebook post. We hope you save some money, |
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