Had a loan, credit card, mortgage, overdraft, car finance or catalogue debt in the last 30yrs? Check if you were mis-sold... & reclaim for FREE

Millions have already been paid out billions, and we've told you about PPI countless times (Martin's been shouting about this for 18yrs - you can tell by the greying hair). But now it's the final countdown (do-do-do-doo...) - the deadline to get your claim in is 29 August 2019.

So don't sit and think it's not you, or "I haven't got the paperwork", or "I can't remember my lender". Spend time to get it sorted, and use our Free tool and extensive PPI reclaiming FAQs to get your money back. After all, £34,000,000,000 (that's £34 BILLION) has already been paid out, and this week seven banks alone have told us they've set aside another £8,100,000,000 for payments.

As for why? MoneySaver Donna emailed last Wed: "Used your link to reclaim and have had £10,000 back in total from four old accounts. Thanks - it has allowed me to pay off some high interest debts I've had for years." 

And while not everyone will get as big a payout as Angela did, her success shows what's possible: "I claimed and got about £45,000. For the last one I had to go to the ombudsman which took about 3yrs - but eventually was successful." 

Want more info? Read on... (And if you'd rather watch than read, see Martin's most recent TV show, then use our Reclaim PPI guide for full help). 

What is PPI mis-selling?

Payment protection insurance covers loan, card, overdraft, mortgage and catalogue debt repayments if you can't make 'em. There's nothing wrong with the concept of PPI, but banks and others massively overcharged and systemically mis-sold it - creating the UK's biggest recent financial scam. There are two types of mis-selling:

• Were you outright mis-sold it? Banks, car salespeople, shop assistants and others may have lied that PPI was compulsory, added it without asking and/or failed to ensure it was suitable - see the full mis-selling checklist. You can claim for PPI as far back as you like, though it gets harder for pre-2005 reclaims.
   
  If you were mis-sold, you're entitled to the full amount you paid out as a result of having PPI, plus an additional 8% interest.
  
  
• Or are you one of millions who were simply charged too much commission? Even if you wanted PPI, it's now likely you were mis-sold because of the excessive commission taken by banks and building societies. After a landmark 2014 ruling called Plevin (the surname of the successful claimant), if 50%+ of your PPI's cost was made up of undisclosed commission (most wasn't disclosed), you're due the extra above that. And on loans, for example, lenders typically took a HUGE 67%. On a £10k loan over 5yrs, Plevin compensation is typically in the region of £500.
   
  So just having had PPI means you may well have been mis-sold. Watch Martin's Plevin video to see how outrageous banks' and building societies' commission was. For this to count, the PPI and loan had to be active at some point since Apr 2008, though there can be exceptions.
   
   - Can I claim under Plevin if I've already had a mis-selling payout? Unfortunately not, even if you didn't get the full amount back.
   
   - I think I had PPI but I'm not sure I was wrongly flogged it - should I just do a Plevin claim? NO - STOP. It's VITAL to check first if you were originally mis-sold PPI as you'll get a bigger payout. If the bank rejects your mis-selling claim, it should then automatically assess you for Plevin.

• First, check if you had PPI, even if you think you didn't. Check all old credit cards, mortgages, loans, store cards and overdrafts to see if there was PPI. It may have been called 'payment insurance' or 'accident or sickness cover'.
  
   - Can't remember the lender? All debts active in the last 6yrs are on your credit report(s). Get your Experian report for free via the MSE Credit Club, plus see how to check other reports. It won't show whether you had PPI, just the lenders to check with.
   
   - Not got the paperwork? Request it from your lender going back 6yrs. But don't worry if your claim is older than that. You can still claim successfully.
  
  Neale emailed: "I couldn't remember if I'd taken out PPI or not. I used MSE to access my free credit report to establish dates and addresses. Within eight weeks I had a cheque for over £1,700. Now I've had another letter saying I'll receive over £2,900. Thank you - this money is life-changing."
  
  Once you've sorted your paperwork, follow the steps below...
  
  
• Not claimed before? Do it yourself for FREE. You DON'T need to pay to reclaim - claims handlers typically take a third of your payout, often £1,000s, and do very little you can't do yourself. To do it easily, use our free reclaiming tool. It'll send your claim direct to the bank, building society etc that sold the PPI - it should assess you under traditional mis-selling criteria, and if that fails, under Plevin.  
  
  For inspiration, here's Sandra's story: "My husband wanted to use a claims company but I said, 'No, Martin says you can do it yourself and save having to pay a large commission.' We've now received a £23,281 cheque from Bank of Scotland. Thanks for making it so easy." 
  
  
• If rejected on a new claim, go to the Financial Ombudsman Service - it's free. Sometimes when you contact banks and building societies, they say "fair cop" and pay out £1,000s in just a few days.
   
  But if they wrongly reject you (as many scandalously do) and you've exhausted their complaints process, you've 6mths to take your case to the Financial Ombudsman Service. It's an independent body that can adjudicate and, if it upholds your claim, force banks to pay you back.  
   
  Use our free reclaim tool and you can easily escalate the case to the ombudsman if you're turned down. If you're struggling or unsure, call the ombudsman helpline on 0800 121 6222.
  
  
• Even if you've been turned down before, many should claim again. There are 1.2m whose claims were turned down by banks, building societies and other firms (even where the ombudsman agreed with the rejection) who are now eligible to do it again under Plevin. You should have been notified of this by whoever sold you PPI - but if not, claim anyway.
  
  What's more, after a ruling on commission payments last November, up to 150,000 previously rejected claimants should get letters from lenders by the end of April saying they can reapply.
  
  If you get (or got) a letter, act on it. If you still have details from your previous claim, use those to help with your new one. However, don't worry if you don't. You can still claim. With our free Plevin reclaim tool, powered by complaints site Resolver, you only need to fill in a few straightforward details.