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Saved cash? Shout it from the rooftops.If this email's ever helped you, please forward it to friends and suggest they get it via moneysavingexpert.com/tips |
Martin's 5 ways to cap credit card costs NOW This week, Labour announced - in a move to protect those stuck in a long-term debt quagmire - it wants to cap credit card interest so it can't be more than the amount borrowed. I think that's a good move (see my card cost cap analysis). Yet who knows if it'll happen, so if you've existing credit card debt, take control now with my top five tips... Take 2mins to see if anyone'll cut your interest. I often talk about balance transfers - where you get a new card which repays existing cards for you, so you owe it instead but at 0% for, say, 40mths. Yet for most with ongoing debt the challenge is being accepted. So our Balance Transfer 0% Eligibility Calc shows your acceptance odds for each card. Even if all you can get is a year's 0%, it can still have an impact.Even if your best odds are slim - say 20% - if cutting this debt's cost is your priority, go for it and cross your fingers. There's little to lose from one application and the upside can be huge, as Kelly told us: "Legend. Used the eligibility calc, got 35mths 0% and shifted £11,000 from 29.9%. Shocked by the savings." That's a saving of £4,900 if it's cleared within the 35mths. Use existing cards to move debt where it's cheapest. This is a technique I call the credit card shuffle. In a nutshell, if you've two or more cards, check all their interest rates (APRs), then aim to move the debt where it's cheapest. Eg, if card A is 18.9% and B is 34.9%, ask if you've any credit limit left on card A; then ask to shift debt to it from card B, up to the credit limit. If asked, some providers (eg, Barclaycard & MBNA) may offer existing cardholders special cheap rates to do this. 'Snowball' to clear the highest APR debt first. Once your debts (incl overdrafts) are all at the lowest interest possible, focus all spare cash to clear the one at the highest APR as it's growing fastest - then just pay the minimums on the others. Once it's clear, focus repayments on the 2nd highest interest. This gets you debt-free far quicker; see full snowballing info. Only one card? Beware minimum repayments. They are cunningly designed to only just cover the interest - when your debt drops, so does your repayment, keeping you near-perpetually in debt. Eg, a 30-yr-old borrowing £3,000 at 17.9% making just minimum repayments on a typical card could be 57 by the time it's clear, at an interest cost of £4,000. Check your situation with our minimum repayment calculator and read my trick to beat the trap. Can't sleep at night due to your debts? If you can't cope or are struggling to repay even the minimum, get free one-on-one debt counseling from Citizens Advice, CAP, StepChange or National Debtline charities. They're there to help, not judge, and can put you in a debt management plan to take the pressure off. The biggest message I get after people go is "I finally slept last night". More info in the Debt Crisis Help guide and the Mental Health & Debt Help booklet. |
Vax up to 75% off code incl £200 cordless vac £50. MSE Blagged. Priority access for cut-price vacuums, steam cleaners etc. Last time loads got bargains, eg, "Got a new Vax for £75, saving £245 - result." Vax sale code It's back. £1.50 prosecco trick. It's been massively popular in the past. See how to get £1.50 prosecco. Excl Scotland, pls be Drinkaware. Are you being ripped off on broadband? Take the 2min challenge. Our new Broadband Unbundled tool shows exactly what broadband and line (and TV if you want) is available at YOUR address - takes 2 mins to see if you're overpaying. Argos 3for2 on toys, incl Lego, Star Wars, Fisher-Price. Good time to stock up for Xmas. See what's available in 3for2 toys. Today. Now Easyjet's releasing millions of SUMMER 2018 flights. Last week it put seats till 24 June on sale - from Wed it's adding those in the crucial summer period. Check if they're worth it: Cheap Easyjet. 50% off London black taxis via app. Take advantage of Uber uncertainty. Until Sun. 50% off black taxis |
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Savings rates are UP (... a bit). Check yours ASAP Easy access rates are now 1.26%, compared to just 1% this time last year - don't lose out If you've savings, check the rate now. They're up on this time last year, and for the last few months the top rates have been flicking up and down, with a further upturn this week. Yet it's happening quietly, and many savers are being left behind. So here's how to make your savings work for you... All accounts below have full £85,000 UK savings protection. New. Get 1.26% easy access. Add or withdraw cash at any time. Top payer is Charter Savings Bank which offers 1.26% but you ne ed £1,000+. Yet Ulster Bank (part of NatWest/RBS group) only needs £1+ to open and pays a smidgen less at 1.25%. Full info in Easy-Access Savings.Earn 1.95% if you can lock money away for a year. If you've savings you won't need to touch, top fixed accounts give you a higher rate, for a set period, but you can't access your cash during this time. Among the 1yr fixes Metro Bank offers 1.95% AER (min deposit £500) while Wyelands Bank offers 1.83% AER (min £5,000). If you'd prefer a bigger household name, Tesco Bank pays 1.5% AER (min £2,000). For more info see Top Fixed Savings. Get up to 5% and FREE cash if you're prepared to switch bank. Regular savings accounts pay more if you can save £200-300/mth into them. You have to have (or switch to) their linked bank account, plus switchers can often get other perks such as free cash. Top payers, which all offer 5%, are First Direct, M&S Bank, Nationwide, Santander 123 or HSBC Advance/Premier. Don't want to switch bank? Leeds Building Society pays 2.3% and anyone can open it. Got a lump sum? Get up to 5%. Some current accounts offer high-interest easy access as a loss leader to draw in your custom. You can get 5% on up to £2,500 or 1.5% on up to £20,000, and you don't need to switch. Full help inTop Bank Accounts.
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Pair the above (or any other phone) with a hot Sim for £9/mth. We've blagged a cheap Three Sim* with 4GB data, unltd mins and texts for £9/mth on a 12mth contract for new customers. It's an 'Advanced' plan so you can roam for 'free' in Europe PLUS 24 more places incl the US and Oz. Full info & higher and lower use plans in Cheap Sims. Boots 'Star Gifts' are back - incl £40ish Nails Inc beauty gift set £20. Or £30 Millie Mackintosh make-up set for £15. See when they're available in Boots Star Gifts. Married? Don't be one of 1.9m missing out on a FREE & easy up-to-£662. Only half of all eligible married couples (incl in civil partnerships) have claimed the under-publicised tax break. Check if you can claim. 3for2 Pandora bracelet charms, eg, three 'petite' charms for £20. Rare discount online and in selected stores. Ends Sun. Charming 20% off lots of Virgin Trains West Coast half-term fares. MSE Blagged. Advance, off-peak tix for 21-29 Oct, eg, Ldn-Birm £13rtn. All aboard |
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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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Beat the 13% car insurance hike and save £100s Car insurance costs have shifted up another gear. They're up 13% year-on-year according to the latest MSE Bills Tracker (which uses Office for National Statistics data). To fight back, DON'T auto-renew; use our system to DO what Sue did: "AA renewal £454. Used your website and reduced to £134". Full help in Cheap Car Insurance & Young Drivers' Insurance, but here's our system... At renewal? Combine comparison sites to find your cheapest at speed. They don't cover the same insurers, so more sites give a wider spread. Our current order's MoneySupermarket*, Confused.com*, Gocompare* and CTM*. (Why? See comparison order).Not at renewal? Lock in a price up to 2mths ahead. Some insurers' quotes are valid for up to 60 days. These include Aviva* and Quotemehappy - see our list of insurers with lock-in quotes. If your cover's up soon, grab a quote now and if prices rise further you're quids in. If you can get a cheaper deal at renewal, just ignore the quote. Check for hot deals comparisons miss, incl ending free £50 Amazon voucher. Some deals aren't on comparisons, eg, Age UK* offers a £50 Amazon vch (ends Mon). Plus big insurers Aviva* and Direct Line* are never listed on comparisons. See hot deals comparisons miss. Try counter-logical tricks. Full info in Cheap Car Insurance, here are the key ones... - Use trial & error to see if comprehensive's cheaper than 3rd party. - Can you save tweaking your job title? Ratatat did: "Changed from accountant to auditor - I'm both. Saved £60." - Adding extra drivers can save cash. If they're a lower risk, it can bring the cost down - eg, if you're young and adding a responsible older driver. Don't want to switch? Haggle. Find the best price, then ask your provider to beat or match it. See Haggling tips. |
15% off Holland & Barrett plus free del via code - works on sale items. MSE Blagged. Food & beauty discounts, ends Sun. Holland & Barrett SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: (Send us yours on this or any topic) £65 Ciaté nail polish collection £18 all-in. MSE Blagged. 12 mini-sized 5ml polishes incl glitter, matte & gel effects. 1,000 avail Please help test our Wallet Workout. We're trialling a new tool which 'chats' you through the different types of credit cards and loans to find the right info for you, and we want your feedback. Sign up to our FREE MSE Credit Club to try it out (on mobile only for the mo), and tell us what you think via [email protected]. |
THE GREAT HUNT What time(s) have you found the biggest yellow sticker discounts? We're looking for your insider tips on when you can get the biggest discounts in the supermarkets. Share yours/read others': When do you find the biggest yellow sticker discounts? Past topics: View all |
THIS WEEK'S POLL Do you support renationalisation of rail, energy, water and more? Those arguing for privatisation often focus on increased efficiency due to competition. Those against often say firms do whatâs best for shareholders, not for consumers. Itâs a complex argument, but weâre really most interested in testing public sentiment, so are keeping it simple. Do you support renationalisation of rail, energy, water and m ore? |
MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should my friends have paid for my hen do? I got married recently and was expecting my friends to chip in for my share of the hen do (as that's been the custom at those I've been to in the past). They didn't though, and I feel very disappointed. I'm not planning to pay for their share now when they get married. Am I being unreasonable? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should my friends have paid for my hen do ? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs THE QUICKIES - Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: Ask a debt advisor (Stepchange) a question |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 27 SEP ONWARD) Wed 27 Sept â The Martin Lewis Money Show Roadshow is in York at the Food and Drink Festival â 11am to 4pm at St Sampsonâs Square MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC) Wed 27 Sept â BBC Cumbria, Money Talks with Adam Powell, from 6pm |
QUESTION OF THE WEEK Q: I'm considering switching current account, but what happens to linked savings accounts when you switch? Are they closed as well? Resha via email. MSE Rosie's A: Yes, your linked savings account will almost always be closed, though what happens to the money depends on your old bank. Some will move it to your (new) current account - others will transfe r it into another savings account, which likely pays a lower rate of interest. An exception is TSB, which won't close a regular saver if you close your linked current account. For easy access, regular and fixed savings top picks see our Regular Savings and Top Savings Accounts guides. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
WOULD YOU PAY WITH YOUR... FINGER? That's it for this week, but before we go...modern technology is transforming the way we spend our money, with contactless cards, Apple and Android Pay and even paying with your (smart) watch now commonplace. But last week a new method came along, as a supermarket in west London became the first in the world to trial 'finger vein' payment - allowing you to pay for groceries using just your fingertips. Watch how it works in our short video, then let us know what you think in our Facebook post: 'Is this the future of payments?' We hope you save some money, |
Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com worksWe think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of this email and the site. We're a journalistic website, and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques - but can't promise to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. What you need to know This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips). We often link to other websites, but can't be responsible for their content. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, How This Site is Financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. More about MoneySavingExpert and Martin LewisWhat is MoneySavingExpert.com? Who is Martin Lewis? What do the links with an * mean?Any links with an * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference; the links don't impact the products at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to them. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it's still included in the same way. More info: See How This Site is Financed. As we believe transparency is important, we're including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for content too: Unaffiliated web-addresses for links in this email unshackled.com, three.co.uk, tescobank.com, halifax.co.uk, confused.com, comparethemarket.com, gocompare.com, moneysupermarket.com, directline.com, aviva.co.uk, admiral.com, bank.marksandspencer.com, ageuk.org.uk Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Note MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 303190). The registered office address of both MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC and MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited (registered in England No. 3157344) is MoneySupermarket House, St. David's Park, Ewloe, Chester, CH5 3UZ. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited. To change your email or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips. |
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