Plus... Martin's energy crisis update, 0.7% savings, £25/mth BT broadband, get PAID to spend  THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL
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| New. Hot mobile deals are back - iPhone for £580 with unlimited data for 2 years
- Samsung S20 FE for £540 with 30GB/month for 2 years
- 15GB/month data Sim for just '£6/month' The mobile phone market has bounced back, just in time for the Black Friday hype, with a bonanza of deals. For the last four months firms have suffered handset stock issues, due to chip shortages and manufacturing problems in Asia - which has meant fewer deals - so now retailers seem to be wanting to make up for lost time.
Over nine million people are out of contract, massively overpaying on their mobile bills - and many can save £100s. We take you through it step-by-step below, or you can just jump straight into our Cheap Mobile Finder tool to see what's available.
It can pay off, as Judy emailed: "Thanks, I used your link and got my iPhone 12 for £285 cheaper than going direct to Three. Happy days." So you're out of contract. You're thinking about sorting your mobile out and are looking at a new deal. Before we take you through what's out there, a few quick points worth focusing on...
1. Can you just switch Sim? Sticking with your current handset is cheaper and greener, and you can save large simply by switching Sim card.
2. Refurb handsets are often far cheaper. Top-grade refurbished models are often just returned from customers who have changed their mind. For example, a "pristine" refurb iPhone SE 64GB is £270 versus £389 new. In the filters in our comparison tool, just opt to include refurbished phones and you can compare refurbs against new phones to find the cheapest way to get one.
3. Don't automatically go for the latest model - most don't need it. Each new handset used to be a real tech leap, and they then did updates of the same model as it improved. Now marketeers rename each new update as a new model. So tell our 'find me a phone' tool what you want from a phone and it'll find you the cheapest suitable handset.
4. On a budget? Focus on that first. If you know how much you can pay, use our 'find me the best phone & deal within my budget' tool.
 Quick tip: Don't get a new handset just because yours has run out of storage. If your handset hasn't got enough room for photos, videos, games and apps, you may be able to boost that easily, without the cost of upgrading. See 14 ways to boost mobile storage. |
How to find the new handset you want at the lowest price While in the past it has generally been cheapest to buy a new phone outright and pair it with a cheap Sim, currently some smaller providers are undercutting that, so the all-in-one package wins. Our cheapest way to get your new phone tool compares 50+ retailers and resellers against just buying outright, across all phone models. Here are some examples (all for newbies to that network)... CHEAP IPHONES & SAMSUNGS
Unlimited minutes & texts. Full options via Cheap Mobile Finder. | | Phone, network & data | Cost & contract | | Three, 30GB/month
(via MobilePhonesDirect) MSE Blagged
| £128 upfront, then £17/month Total £536 over two-year contract
Save £453 versus buying direct from Three
| iPhone 11 (64GB)
Three, unlimited data
(via Affordable Mobiles)
MSE Blagged | £74 upfront, then £21/month
Total £578 over two-year contract
Save £459 versus buying direct from Three | Samsung S21 5G (128GB)
O2, 40GB/month
(via MobilePhonesDirect)
MSE Blagged | £154 upfront, then £23/month
Total £706 over two-year contract
Save £520 versus buying direct from O2 | | O2, 100GB/month (via uSwitch) | £0 upfront, then £30/month
Total £720 over two-year contract
Save £388 versus buying direct from O2 | | Three, 100GB/month (via Affordable Mobiles)
MSE Blagged | £189 upfront, then £30/month Total £909 over two-year contract
Save £556 versus buying direct from Three |
 Quick tip: You can keep your number just by sending a free text. When getting a new deal just text 'PAC' to 65075 for your 'porting authorisation code'. Give it to your new provider and your number will be moved over within one working day. |
OK, now time for a few caveats... Prices are seriously cheap right now, and in Black Friday week they're changing all the time, so the deals in the table above could be beaten at any point (our tool will have the latest updates). While we can't see 'em getting significantly cheaper, we can't 100% rule it out. Do also be aware that many who have ordered in recent months have had delivery delays due to supply problems. All the retailers above told us they've plentiful stock, but at this time of year, we'd suggest you factor in the risk of a minor delay. And finally, the seriously cheap prices above are via big-name resellers (all have decent feedback). In the unlikely event one went bust, the contract is with the network, so that's fine. Yet the reseller is responsible for consumer rights on the handset, so you'd then need to rely on the manufacturer's warranty, or the payment card, if there were problems. Check now if you're on the best Sim deal...
Once you're out of contract, if you're happy to stick with your handset, always check if your Sim (the chip in your phone that dictates your data, calls & texts allowance) is the cheapest available. Our cheap Sim comparison can do it for you, and here's a sample of deals - all have UNLIMITED minutes & texts. And if you're unsure how much data you use, our polls show 78% of people use 3GB or less each month. Though as right now you can often get much more for only a marginal cost increase, if unsure, go a bit larger for safety. - 3GB/month for '£3.70/month'. This MSE Blagged Lebara Sim (uses Vodafone's network) is £2.45/month for the first six months, then £4.90/month after, on a one-month rolling contract - we've averaged the price over a year.
- 5GB/month for '£4.30/month'. This Plusnet Sim (uses EE's network) costs £6/month, but automatically gives a £20 prepaid Mastercard within 45 days. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £4.34/month over the 12-month contract.
- 15GB/month for '£5.50/month'. This Plusnet Sim (uses EE's network) is £8/month, but automatically gives a £30 prepaid Mastercard within 45 days. Factor that in and the equivalent cost is £5.50/month over the 12-month contract.
 Quick tip: You can unlock your phone for free . If your phone is tied to a provider, you can't use a different network's Sim. Yet if you're out of contract, your existing network must let you unlock it at no cost. Full network-by-network help in Mobile unlocking.
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Think you can't switch as you only get a signal with one network?
There are actually only four UK networks: EE, O2, Three and Vodafone. All others piggyback on their signals - if you're using Tesco Mobile, for example, the underlying network is O2.
So if you feel you're locked in to a signal, as perhaps it's the only one that gives you service at home, you can use our cheap Sims tool to find the cheapest network with the same signal. | Network | MAIN Brands that use it |
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| EE | BT Mobile, Plusnet, 1pMobile, The Phone Co-op, Ecotalk, Zevvle | | O2 | Tesco, Sky, Giffgaff, Lycamobile | | Three | iD Mobile, Smarty, FreedomPop, Honest Mobile, Superdrug | | Vodafone | Virgin Media, Voxi, Lebara, Asda Mobile, TalkMobile |
 Quick tip: Stop overpaying for mobile insurance. Whether you're after a new phone or not, millions are overpaying by £100s to insure their mobile phone. Our Mobile insurance guide will take you through the options - for example, a family of four all with smartphones could get high-grade insurance for just £13/month. |
And finally, haggle, get cashback & easily flog old handsets... We've taken you through the main system now, but of course, we wouldn't be MSE if we didn't have a few more titbits to cut costs a bit further... - Happy where you are? Haggle to cut costs. Mobile firms are among the easiest to haggle with - success rates for those who try are over 65%. So use the tools above to benchmark your top deal, then see our mobile haggling tips for how to get your provider to beat it.
As Michelle emailed: "I'm with EE and was up for renewal, so I called them and they reduced my bill from £29/month to £10/month with the same deal I had before."
- Got an old mobile gathering dust? Flog it - get £150 for an old iPhone, for example. If your phone is still usable there are sound financial and environmental reasons to recycle your old handset, given there are potentially noxious substances as they decay.
You could pop the handset on eBay, or for ease, use one of the dozen mobile-phone-buying companies out there. To find the best payer, there are comparison sites including Sell My Mobile*, Compare My Mobile* and Compare and Recycle - use at least a couple for the widest possible search.
Firms usually promise payment via bank transfer within one day of receiving your phone. If something goes wrong, unfortunately you've little protection, so check reviews first. More info in our Sell your old mobiles guide.
- Add a spending cap to stop eye-watering bills. If you use up your data allowance before the end of each month, it could end up costing you. If you add a cap, it means you won't be able to exceed this limit, avoiding unexpected charges. See how to set a personalised spending cap.
- Members of cashback sites may be able to get deals even cheaper. These sites often give cashback on Sim-only and handset deals, and in some cases, this means they undercut promotional deals elsewhere. But don't assume they're the same deal: they can be structured differently, so check carefully. See our Top cashback sites guide for more.
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DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads
Lots of scam ads litter social media and even newspaper websites - some of these lie that we or Martin promote Bitcoin, binary trading etc. See Fake ads warning. |
As Amazon says it will ditch Visa credit cards...
Why everyone debt-free should get paid to spend via the top reward credit cards (all either Amex or Mastercard) Get up to 5% cashback or £40 in Amazon vouchers Amazon's announcement that from January it'll stop taking Visa credit cards spread like wildfire. Many of you have asked us what new card you should get. Yet as it happens, EVERYONE debt-free should look at their plastic, to check they're maximising the gain with the top reward cards, which pay you to spend at no cost. Here's a quick briefing... - Amazon shopper? Make money out of its Visa ban. From 19 Jan, Amazon says it won't take Visa credit cards, as "the fees Visa charges it are too high" (see Martin's full Amazon-Visa spat video briefing). This may just be a negotiating tactic, but Amazon is currently offering those whose 'default payment' is a Visa credit card £10 credit (£20 for Prime customers) to change card, via a link in the email it sent, or on its homepage. So grab that before it changes its mind.
What's the best card to change to? The easy, safer route is to switch to any debit card (including Visa). But if you're disciplined and will repay a credit card IN FULL each month without seeing it as a reason to overspend, then...
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 The TOP fee-free cashback and reward cards - get paid to spend. All these are non-Visa anyway. Most are credit cards, in which case only do it if you have a direct debit set up to repay the card IN FULL each month, as that way you neuter its ability to charge interest. If not, the interest dwarfs the reward, so avoid. Here are three options...
1. Top payer: American Express up to 5% cashback. The Amex Platinum Everyday* (use our eligibility calculator ) pays 5% cashback in the first three months (max £100 cashback), then tiered cashback up to 1% after. To qualify you can't have had an Amex in the last two years, and you must spend over £3,000 on the card in a year. Fail to repay in full and it's 24.5% rep APR interest. Spend £10k+/year? The Amex Platinum Cashback card wins, even with its £25/year fee. The only issue with Amex is it's not accepted everywhere.
2. Plot twist: The top rewards Mastercard is... the Amazon Platinum Mastercard credit card. It gives you a £40 Amazon voucher just for being accepted, then up to 1.5 points (worth 1.5p) per £1 at Amazon and 0.25 points per £1 elsewhere. Fail to repay in full and it's 21.9% rep APR interest, after an initial three-month interest-free period.
However these store-linked Mastercard credit cards can outperform Amazon if you're a regular shopper in these places: Sainsbury's Nectar, M&S Shopping Plus, John Lewis/Waitrose Partnership and Tesco Purchases.
3. Top debit card: Get a year's 1% cashback and five weeks' 3% at Amazon. Open Chase Bank's new app-only current account and activate cashback to get 1% back on its Mastercard debit card for a year (nothing after) and 3% on Amazon spends (max £150 back) till 31 Dec.
- The Credit Card Rewards Golden Rules.
a) Do all normal spending on the card to maximise the gain - but it's not an excuse to overspend.
b) Always repay IN FULL each month, preferably by direct debit, to avoid interest that will dwarf the gain.
c) Never withdraw cash. You pay interest on it even if repaying in full, and it hits your credit score.
d) Never go over your credit limit, or you'll pay a fee of about £10.
Full details on these cards and other options in Credit card rewards (APR examples).
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M&S now renting out dresses - no 'wear once' buy required. Plus, rent designer dresses from other stores. A big name is entering womenswear rentals, though stock is limited. See our updated Rent designer clothes guide.
Stop paying credit card interest: shift debt to 31 months 0% (2.75% fee) & get a £40 voucher. The longest interest-free balance transfer deal is now from Santander* (see if you'll be accepted via our eligibility calculator ). You can move existing debt to it for 31 months 0% (2.75% fee, min £5) plus you can claim a £40 Amazon voucher if accepted. Do obey the Golden Rules: 1) Pay at least the monthly minimum. 2) Pay it off within the 31 months or it's 20.9% rep APR interest. 3) Don't spend/withdraw cash on it. Full options in Top balance transfers (APR examples).
'£9' six-foot Christmas tree & 19 more Ikea hacks. Other tips include free tea and coffee: Ikea hacks.
Martin's Masterclass: How to borrow at NO COST for up to two years. Read the guru's tips on cards, loans, buy-now pay-later and more - on how and when to borrow safely and cheaply. See Martin's 0% Masterclass. New. Cheap '£25/month' superfast BT broadband & line. With this BT deal you pay nothing for three months, then £33/month for the rest of the two-year contract. Plus you can CLAIM a £100 prepaid Mastercard (don't forget) - factor that in and it's an equivalent £25/month over the contract. This is the cheapest superfast deal BT has put out in a year, though you can get cheaper broadband elsewhere - see our broadband comparison. Unfortunately the deal is only for customers who haven't been with BT in the past year.
New. Top 0.7% easy-access savings. Cynergy Bank's 0.7% AER variable deal is the new top 'take money out when you want' account. Though if you can lock cash away you can get more than double this. Full help in Top savings.
Thu 8pm ITV: It's the BIG ONE... The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE (one month to) Christmas Special. Over to Martin: "It's time for the annual, one-hour long (so note we start earlier than normal), live, big audience, one month to Christmas special. With all your favourites including the Festive Forecaster, Christmas warning, make free cash, and taking your questions too. Miss it and you'll miss out (on watching it, as a minimum)." |
Martin: Energy Crisis Update 1. Bulb help, as it collapses into 'special administration'
2. Prices to get WORSE not better
3. Ignore 'time to fix' letters from energy firms
4. Beware unnecessary direct debit hikes  As we head into winter, sadly the gas and electricity crisis shows no signs of abating. Yesterday we saw the biggest energy firm collapse since privatisation in 1990. Here are my up-to-date need-to-knows... - Bulb UK collapses, and is the first ever energy firm to be put in 'special administration'. Bulb is the UK's 7th biggest energy firm, with 1.7m households as customers. Yet it has collapsed. However, it will keep supplying energy, and its staff will still answer queries, as it'll be run by a 'special administrator', unlike other bust firms whose customers were moved elsewhere.
This is likely because no company agreed to take on so many customers at the price-cap rate, which currently forces them to provide energy below its cost price. The 'special' means the administrator must consider customers' interests as well as creditors (those Bulb owed money to), and if needed, it can request Government funding.
What should household customers do? Detailed info in Bulb customer help but in brief... DO NOTHING.
- Bulb's just under new management, so KEEP PAYING direct debits & TOP UP prepay as normal.
- Its rates were already at the price cap, so YOU WILL STAY AT THAT RATE.
- Customer CREDIT IS PROTECTED under regulator Ofgem's 'safety net' rules, so if it owes you, it still owes you.
- DON'T SWITCH. No tariff is meaningfully cheaper.
The administrators will aim to get Bulb rescued or sell its assets, to recoup what it owes, but even if that's done, you'd stay on the price cap and your credit remains protected.
- The energy price cap's due to rise 30% on 1 April. This cap started on 1 Oct and lasts until 1 April - unless Ofgem changes the rules. On typical usage it's £1,277/yr, but use more and your cap's higher, use less and it's lower.
The new cap, starting 1 April, is based on wholesale prices (those energy firms pay) from 1 Aug to 31 Jan 2022. We're over halfway through that period and they're still sky-high. A few weeks ago, analysts at Cornwall Insight predicted, on the run rate so far, it'll rise 30% on 1 April (see how the price cap is set) - on typical use that'd be a rise of £380/yr to £1,660/yr. With continued high rates, it's likely to rise even further now.
- DO NOTHING so you stay on the price cap - ignore firms trying to seduce you to fix. You'll be on the price cap, or auto-moved to it, if: 1) You've never switched. 2) Your cheap fix ends. 3) Your provider goes bust and you're moved to a new firm.
The cap limits what firms can charge for their standard variable (default) tariffs. There are no meaningfully cheaper switches (check yourself via Cheap Energy Club). So DO NOTHING and you'll be on today's cheapest deal.
In fact, the open market's cheapest fix costs 45% more than the current cap, so my best guess is to stick on the cap for now, and hope fixes get cheaper in future. Yet beware, some energy firms are using a dog-whistle memory of 'fixing to save' in their marketing to try to move people off the price cap, to protect their bottom line.
- In credit? Beware firms overly hiking your direct debit (DD). Many have had DDs massively increased (Bulb was a particular culprit). The DD is designed to smooth out your energy costs across a year. Going into winter, it's normal to be a month or so in credit. Judging if your DD rise is disproportionate depends on the tariff you're on...
- If you're on a price-capped tariff, as it rose 12% in January, expect your DD to have risen similarly.
- If you're coming off a cheap fix, as your rate may be up 30-40%, expect your DD to rise by that.
Yet if you're in credit and your DD's rising way above that, it's a problem. My concern is some firms are hiking DDs right now to help their cash flow, even when it isn't justified. Do read our full Energy DD help for how to combat it.
More help: Energy bill help if you can't afford to pay | 2021/22 warm home discount | Home & energy grants | 18 energy mythbusters | Top thrifty heat-saving tips | 10-min benefits check-up | Give yourself a money makeover |
Tell your friends about us They can get this email free every week |
| AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS Longest 0%: Santander (check eligibility / apply* ) 31 months 0%, 2.75% fee - min £5, plus claim a £40 Amazon voucher (20.9% rep APR interest)
No-fee 0%: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*) up to 21 months 0% (20.9% rep APR) | £130 cash + £20 Amazon voucher to switch: Santander
£125 to switch + monthly reward: Halifax |
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MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I sell the books I got for free from my old job? I've just left a job at a specialist book publisher, where I received a free copy of each book I was involved with. Being specialist titles, they're not of interest to me and are now gathering dust. They are expensive to buy, so I thought I could make a bit of extra cash for Christmas by selling them. I wasn't asked to return them before I left, but despite this, my wife thinks I should check whether my previous employer wants them back first. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I sell the books I got for free? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma |
MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 24 NOV ONWARDS) Wed 24 Nov - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm. Listen again
Thu 25 Nov - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.30am
Thu 25 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live one-hour special, ITV, 8pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC) Wed 24 Nov - BBC Radio Wiltshire, with Peter Prater and MSE's Helen Knapman, on unclaimed premium bonds, from 06.00am
Wed 24 Nov - BBC Radio Ulster, with Linda McAuley and MSE's Helen Saxon, on unclaimed premium bonds, from 06.05pm
Thur 25 Nov - BBC Radio Manchester, Drive with Michelle Dignan, from 09.40am
Thur 25 Nov - BBC Radio Tees and Newcastle, Nights with Steffen Peddie and MSE's Katie Watts on Black Friday return rights, from 10pm
Sun 28 Nov - Meridian FM, with Tim Graham And MSE's Gary Caffell on winter saving tips from, from 10am
Tue 30 Nov - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 12.40pm |
'BUY A HOME FOR MY GROWN-UP KIDS SO THEY FINALLY MOVE OUT'... WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH A WINDFALL? That's all for this week, but before we go... in a hotly discussed topic in our forum this week, Forumites have been dreaming big and sharing what they'd do with a spare £10k, £20k, £50k, £100k or £500k. One would spend £10k on a few rolls of gold wallpaper while another would trade £20k for a hallway chandelier. Sending all Christmas cards via first-class post was an aspiration for one big spender, while another would throw £500k towards a new house to get their grown-up kids to finally move out. Add your big-money daydreams over on the What would you do with £10k, £20k, £50k, £100k and £500k? forum discussion.
We hope you save some money, stay safe,
The MSE team |
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