Archive: MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email
Over 50 ways to save, incl... Black Fri deals & duds, 264Mb broadband £17, cheapest iPhone, new guaranteed 0% debt shift, no-brainer energy fix, extra 20% off Kärcher, Martin's Scams Epidemic!, Interrail 25% off, £4k for disabled/ill pensioners, free Santa letter
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DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads |
Don't leave credit-card debt to fester over Christmas - take 2mins to sort it now! If you're paying interest on existing credit or store card debt, you can't afford not to check out whether you can cut the cost. Many might leave it now to sort in the New Year, but that's a mistake - it means the debt keeps compounding and things get worse, especially if you're borrowing more on top too. Fortuitously, the balance transfer market has been improving over the last few weeks, which opens a window to make it easier or better to sort it. A balance transfer is where you get a new card that pays off debt on existing credit & store cards for you - so you now owe it instead, but at 0% interest for a set period. That way, more of your repayments go towards the debt rather than just interest. Three tips first... 1. Apply via an eligibility calc to protect your ability to access credit. Ours will show which cards you're most likely to get.
Quick balance transfer FAQs (click links for Martin's answers) |
BLACK FRIDAY week LIVE deals analysis... The MSE Deals team will help you sort the bargains from the bull in our constantly moving live Black Friday analysis. Check via retailer: Amazon | Boots | Argos | Currys | John Lewis | M&S | Adidas | Nike | Apple | H&M | Related: Watch Martin's video on when's the optimum time to buy. New. Fix energy bills for 18mths at 9% LESS than the new Jan Price Cap. On Fri it was announced that the new Jan Energy Price Cap would rise 1.2%, and it's not expected to drop much in 2025. This makes a cheap fix the no-brainer option. Currently you can fix for 18mths at 8.9% less than the Jan Cap (7.8% under current Cap). As your cheapest depends on location & pay method, use our Cheap Energy Club comparison - which is whole-of-market by default - to find your winner. Martin: Will they cut energy standing charges? Many expected Friday's Price Cap announcement to include results of regulator Ofgem's standing charges consultation. It didn't. Yet Martin thinks it'll be announced within weeks, though it may not be good news... read Martin's new blog on whether standing charges will be cut. Ends Thu. Extra 20% off Kärcher code, eg, £110 window vac £64. MSE Blagged. It's already lowered some prices (& won't be reducing further for Black Fri), but our early-access code gets an extra 20% off, even if already-reduced. Kärcher
Free letters from Santa. He has elves stationed at the Post Office, RNIB and NSPCC ready to help him get replies to children. Full info in free letters from Father Christmas. Totally FREE National Trust family pass (normally £30ish). Excl Scotland sites. 30,000 available. National Trust Free cash for Christmas: five banks speedily pay switchers £150+. See last week's bank bonanza rundown. £10 to £60 London theatre tickets across 2025: Wicked, Les Mis, Mean Girls, Starlight Express & more. Once only for Jan/Feb shows, now it's across the year. London theatre tickets The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE, ITV1, 8pm tonight (Tue). Martin: "Tonight it's a potpourri of fiscal facts - we'll be talking how to save for your first home: Lifetime ISAs or Help to Buy. Plus, the 1m ill or disabled pensioners missing out on Pension Credit. There's the Energy Price Cap rise and lots more. If you've a question on these or anything, ask via #MartinLewis on X (Twitter). Do watch or at least set the VHS." |
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Disabled or ill and State Pension age? (You, or someone you know) Financial support for many pensioners has been cut this year with the means-testing of Winter Fuel Payments, making it even more important that those who need help get it. Roughly a year ago, we launched our Attendance Allowance (AA) guide and awareness campaign, and successes have flooded in since. Yet it still remains massively underclaimed, and the risk is up to 1.1 million eligible pensioners miss out, according to Policy in Practice's 2023 calculations. So whether it's you, or someone you know who may qualify, take two minutes to read this. Last week, Andrea sent us this email... "Following your advice re: Attendance Allowance, I submitted my application in June and within 2 weeks I was thrilled when I received a £1,259 lump sum backdated 3 months. I now get £290 every four weeks, which helps to pay for my mobility needs. I do not have extreme needs, so never thought I'd qualify, but I do. Thanks for all your work."
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Pay £10 for a new £400 Apple Watch 10, plus get 50% off gyms, via private medical insurance trick. If you're a young(ish) regular gym-goer, you need to see our Vitality Apple Watch trick from last week. Ends Sat. Tesco shopper? Last chance to use/extend £18m of expiring Clubcard vouchers. See Tesco alert. Hot Diamonds 40% off full-price code & 50% off reduced outlet items code. MSE Blagged. Alongside free delivery code - and yes, you can stack all three codes together. Hot Diamonds Premium Bond prize rate to fall to 4% in Jan - are they worth it? See Premium Bonds analysis. 1.8 million have now downloaded the MSE App - try it today. It's the MSE site in app-form, plus MoneySaving alerts, easy Credit Club access, bill tracking and more. Download free for Apple or Android. Leaseholders set to wait even longer for crucial reforms. Long-awaited measures on lease extensions, service charges and more have been delayed. For the latest, and your options, see leasehold reform update. Martin's New Pod: How to boost your savings now interest rates are dropping | Is Black Friday about deals or duds? | Acts of financial kindness (restores your faith in humanity). These and more in the new Martin Lewis Podcast (which is separate from the special scams one above). Listen via BBC Sounds | Spotify | Apple or wherever you get your Martin fix. New. Extra £30 cashback when you spend £5+ online. MSE Blagged. Topcashback newbies can bag an extra £30 cashback, our biggest cashback site bonus so far this year, by signing up via our link and spending £5+ via it. Topcashback Deck the halls for much less lolly. If you're doing your Christmas decorations soon, take inspiration from the MSE team's DIY wreaths, cards, baubles and more, made out of scavenged, recycled (and often free) materials. Homemade decs |
AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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THIS WEEK'S POLL Have you haggled on the high street? Haggling isn't just for call centres and market stalls, some even do it at high street chains. If you have, have you succeeded? Whether it's asking 'em to throw in some extras or negotiating a discount - let us know. Vote in this week's poll. Nine in 10 MoneySavers have car breakdown cover (well done) and over 60% bought it as a standalone policy. Last week, we asked whether you have car breakdown cover and, if so, where you bought it and who with. More than 5,000 of you responded. Of the 90% who have cover, almost a quarter (24%) are with the AA, followed by a fifth (19%) who are with RAC. The vast majority (65%) are paying less than £99/yr for their policy. See full car breakdown cover poll results. |
MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should we sign our child up to a free book scheme when we can easily afford books? A well-known children's book charity scheme now covers where we live and each month, any child enrolled in it receives a high-quality, age-appropriate book free of charge until age five. Our household income is three times the UK average and we can easily afford to provide books for our child. With that in mind, do you think it's acceptable for us to sign up to the scheme or should we avoid using its limited resources? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should our child get free books? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 26 NOV ONWARDS) Tue 26 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 8pm |
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