Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email
Over 50 ways to save, incl... £311 M&S beauty £50, NO FEE debt shift cards, beat energy hikes, Are u missing out on benefits?, £17/mth FAST broadband, £140 off Vax, free wills, 6.1% loans
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DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads |
Are you missing out on a share of £23 BILLION in unclaimed benefits? Even some with higher incomes are due - don't assume 'it's not me' The inflation figures that the Government normally uses to calculate next April's benefit rises have just been announced - it's dropped to 1.7% this month, lower than figures in recent months (though do note the Govt's not officially confirmed the changes yet). So it's a good time to remind you that BILLIONS in benefits goes unclaimed each year - most by workers or pensioners who have paid into the system for yonks and are in need of help, but think 'benefits aren't for me' or 'I won't qualify'. These are some of the main benefits that are massively under-claimed (figures from think tank Policy in Practice or Gov.uk):
PS: Claiming benefits is often a gateway to other discounts, such as broadband social tariffs, so if you have success claiming above, check if you're then eligible. Simply being on a low income could qualify you for a water social tariff, so check that too, even if you're not eligible for benefits. |
Cheapest EVER Virgin broadband '£17/mth'. MSE Blagged. Switchers in 60% of UK homes can get this Virgin 264Mb broadband only (no line) deal for £24/mth. You get an automatic £125 bill credit, meaning it's equivalent to £17.06/mth over the 18mth contract. Can't get it/want other options? See MSE's full broadband comparison. From Thu. M&S beauty Advent calendar for £50 (worth £311). Mega popular with MoneySavers, but you must spend £35+ on clothing, beauty or homeware to be able to buy it. Use it yourself or split it for gifts. Not just any Advent calendar BEAT October's 10% Energy Price Cap rise - many can save £100+ by fixing, with E.on, British Gas & more. While some suppliers have pulled their cheap fixes, a few - including the two biggies - still offer competitive tariffs that undercut the current Price Cap, and will likely mean you save over the year (based on Cap predictions). Plus, if you switch to E.on or British Gas via our Energy Club, you also get £20 dual-fuel (£10 single-fuel) cashback - though with E.on cashback's only for new customers. Always compare: YOUR winner will depend on location and usage, so do an Energy Club comparison which'll also show other competitive deals. Age 40ish to 73? A must-listen! Beat the deadline to boost your State Pension, some gain £10,000s. For each £825ish paid to buy National Insurance years, many gain £5,400+. However, the main opportunity closes in April, and it often ain't quick, so listen NOW to the new The Martin Lewis Podcast - via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify or wherever you get your Martin fix (and see his pension-boosting info from last week's email). Vax code gets up to £140 off spot-cleaners. MSE Blagged. Use it to grab either the SpotWash Home Duo for £80 (normally £170) or the Onepwr SpotWash Home Cordless for £110 (normally £250). 7,000 available. Vax 'Carer's Allowance cliff-edge made me feel like a criminal' - why Martin's pushing for change. If carers get paid even 1p more than the £151/week threshold, they lose the whole £82/week Carer's Allowance. Yet the system still pays, so many who have not noticed (eg, after wage changes) need to pay it back. Read Heather's story - she's one of 100,000s affected. New. Top 0% debt shift cards with NO FEE. A balance transfer's where you get a new card that pays off debt on existing cards for you - so you now owe it, but at 0% for a set period. And if you can pay off quickly, you can do this at no cost. The longest fee-free balance transfer, NatWest's 13mths 0%, has been around a while, but Virgin Money's just launched a 9mths 0% card. There's also Barclaycard's 'up to' 12mths 0%, though some accepted will get just 6mths 0%. Links go via our eligibility calc, which shows your acceptance odds before you apply. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly minimum & clear the card before the 0% ends, or all jump to 24.9% rep APR interest. Martin's video briefing: Pay car insurance by monthly Direct Debit? Beware! It's a loan. And the interest can be 40%+, worse than many credit cards. Watch Martin's car insurance video briefing for info and help to cut the cost. Related: Use MSE's Car Compare+ tool for more ways to save. |
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Need a loan? The cheapest are 6.1% and aren't likely to get lower soon... The UK base rate was cut to 5% back in August, which should - in theory - mean it's cheaper to borrow. But although we've seen mortgage rates fall and credit card deals get stronger, loan rates so far haven't budged an inch. While that's frustrating, that stability in the face of base rate cuts also suggests that if you need a loan, you're unlikely to save large by waiting...
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Urgent. Free solicitor-drafted wills if you're 55+. Free Wills Month lets those aged 55+ get a free solicitor-drafted (or updated) will in the hope they'll leave a charity bequest. In many places all appointments have been claimed, but if you're in Birmingham, Cornwall, Exeter, Leicestershire, Milton Keynes, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Plymouth or Torquay (or can travel to 'em), a few remain - so go quick. Free Wills Month New. How to make Halloween absolutely spook-tacular... for free. Avoid Halloween spending horror-shows - MSE's Jenny H and Clare show you how to make your own totally spend-free costumes, decorations & more. Martin: Do you use Buy Now, Pay Later? Watch out - it's not regulated (yet!). That's now due to change, but not until 2026. Watch Martin's new video briefing and read the latest on BNPL regulation. 4,000 FREE £25 Good Housekeeping Live tickets. London, 13 to 16 November. Free tickets Live in Scotland and/or a park home & claim benefits? Apply NOW for £150 Warm Home Discount. It's paid on a first come, first served basis, and a few suppliers have already closed applications. Warm Home Discount What we've asked the Chancellor for in the Budget. Next Wed (30 Oct), Rachel Reeves will announce key policies on the nation's finances. This is a key opportunity for our campaigns - see MSE Katie's blog on what we've called for. |
AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK Do you think 'death admin' is too complicated? The end-of-life charity Marie Curie is calling on UK banks, telecoms firms and energy providers to relieve the huge burden caused by paperwork (sometimes known as 'sadmin') following the death of a loved one, or in the event of a terminal diagnosis. Marie Curie wants companies to simplify their processes and give customer-facing staff more training, alongside other measures. Find out more and sign the 'Make sadmin simple' petition. |
THIS WEEK'S POLL At what age should children get their own mobile phone? Deciding when to give your child a mobile phone can be a difficult decision. On the one hand, they're a great way to encourage independence; on the other, screen-time can be addictive. So this week, we're asking what age you think is appropriate for children to get their first mobile phone. Monzo and Starling top our annual banking-app poll. Last week, we asked you to tell us how you rate your banks' mobile apps, for both features and usability - almost 18,000 of you responded. Rather unsurprisingly, it was the app-only banks that were rated highly. For Monzo, 84% of its customers rated it 'great' for features and 80% rated it 'great' for usability, while over 80% of Starling's customers rated it 'great' for both features and usability. Bottom of the pile was Co-op Bank, which was rated 'poor' by 34% for features and by 25% for usability. See full poll results. |
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MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I pay more towards our household costs? I moved in with my partner in 2016. He said he was happy to continue paying the bills himself as the house is his mum's, so we don't have a mortgage or pay rent - but he pays the mortgage on his mum's bungalow, which he built. He's now started moaning about his outgoings, so I worked out what I pay towards the household - for example, I do all the shopping - and it's more than his bills amount to. I've also bought every household item, such as bedding and utensils, and we split the cost of DIY 50-50, so I feel I'm already paying over and above for a house I'll never own. Should I offer to contribute more? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay more towards household costs? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 22 OCT ONWARDS) Tue 29 Oct - This Morning, phone-in, ITV1, 10.20am |
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