URGENT top 5.2% savings ending, 100 days to Christmas, 0% debt shift warning, 3mths' Disney+ £6, £135 specs £37, unlimited Sim '£11/mth'

Plus... Student Squeeze – Martin's help, £93 beauty £32, Cheap elec?, 7.5% off at the pub

                                                           

12 September 2023 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Martin's 12 Xmas need-do-nows, incl... - Grab £175 free cash - How to get £115 Amazon vouchers - Boost supermarket coffers 6% Urgent. Top balance transfer card(s) likely to be pulled Martin's student squeeze easers Ends 11.59pm TONIGHT. Top 5.2% easy-access savings 50+ supermarket coupons, incl FREE KitKat Fuse Energy electricity tariff 13% below Price Cap £93 Boots beauty box £32 Ends Mon. Unlimited data Sim '£11/mth' 3 months' Disney+ £6 Martin's back... so's his podcast £135 Ted Baker specs for £37 Check out the MSE Forum's new look Wetherspoon pubs 7.5% off 'You helped us save £230/yr on standing charges' FREE £15 Cake & Bake Show tix This week's best buys, including 5.6% loans, £175 bank switch, £19/mth broadband Should we return to the restaurant to pay our bill after being evacuated from it? BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club including free credit report 0% balance transfers Compare broadband deals MSE Car Insurance Compare+ Best bank accounts Top savings accounts Credit cards for bad credit Credit Card Eligibility Calculator Loans Eligibility Calculator Mortgage comparison Compare travel money Cheap Energy Club, with Pick Me A Tariff Best Sim-only deals

Ho, ho, oh no! It's 100 days till Chr******  12 need-do-nows, incl get £300+ free cash It's about early preparation not early celebration It's with trepidation that I mention the C-word this early, after all, the creep of playing festive Slade and Mariah Carey in October annoys me as much as the next Scrooge. Yet this isn't about early celebration, but preparation - and in these straitened times for many, that's worth doing now, to reduce the financial and personal stresses of the big day. It's no coincidence that January is the biggest month people go to debt-counsellors. Ask them why and a common reply is "Christmas, of course". But Christmas, while costly, isn't unexpected - it's on 25 Dec every year, so if you haven't started the financial prep yet, it's oft worth it. Indeed, some fervent MoneySavers will already have got everything done. So as it's this weekend the calendar ticks down to 100 days to go, I've a checklist for you of my 12 pre-saves of Christmas (many also work for those, like me, celebrating Chanukah or owt else). And there are far more in our 48 Christmas cost-cutters. Only ONE bank left that'll put a FREE £175 in your account in time for Christmas - but for how long? A few weeks ago, four  banks were lobbing out free cash to newbies switching to their accounts. Yesterday another pulled, leaving just one. I hope some deals will return, but currently don't know of any fee-free accounts planning to. Luckily the one left is one of the best. - First Direct, top service, free £175, 7% linked saver. Within 28 days of the switch, First Direct* pays newbies £175. You do have to pay in £1,000+, though you can withdraw that straightaway. So as switching takes 7 working days, do it today and you should have the money in your account towards the end of October at the latest. Plenty of time to put it towards your Christmas coffers. The account's other perks include a 7% regular saver you can put up to £300 a month in, many get an ongoing £250 0% overdraft, and its debit card gives perfect rates abroad. Full info, including who counts as a new customer, in Best bank accounts. Don't plan a perfect Christmas, do a budget now and then work out the best Christmas you can have. Many have a festive lust-list of what'd be a perfect Christmas, but that can be a dangerous mindset that may lead to debt or disappointment. Instead, let the finances lead. Spend a little time now to budget how much you can afford to spend on Christmas that won't be painful. Then start to plan how to have the best possible time on that amount. Bigger spenders only. FREE £115 at Amazon or £150 at Sainsbury's in time for Christmas PLUS £10/month Deliveroo cashback & four airport lounge passes. Another Yuletide purse-boost here, which you can use as well as the free bank cash. Newbies signing up to the Amex Preferred Rewards Gold credit card get: - Enough pts for a £115 Amazon/M&S gift card or £150 at Sains. The card gives 1 reward point per £1 spent, plus 20,000 bonus pts if you spend £3,000+ within the first 3mths. While hefty, that's doable for many in the Christmas run-up, if you put all normal family spending on it (though it's not an excuse to overspend). Hit that and you've 23,000 pts, enough for £115 of Amazon, M&S etc (or via a trick, convert into Nectar pts, worth £150 at Sains). - Deliveroo and airport lounge passes. You also get 2 x £5 Deliveroo cashbacks a month (worth up to £120/year) and four free airport lounge passes a year (usually worth over £50 each). Warning: The card is fee-free in year one, but £160 a year after, so diarise to cancel before year two if you don't want to pay. Plus, as it's a credit card, strictly only do this if you'll repay IN FULL each month (preferably by direct debit). If not, it charges 30.7% rep APR (excluding the fee), which defeats the gain. Full help, eligibility info and more options in Credit card rewards. It's the perfect time to discuss with friends and family whether you're BANNING unnecessary Christmas presents. I've been campaigning on this for years. We spend far too much money, time, effort and stress buying people things they don't want or need in a tit-for-tat (tat being the operative word) Christmas giving extravaganza, where lots of stuff just ends up in landfill. Don't worry: this isn't about gifts under the tree for kids or spouses. It's about agreeing with the ever-extending list of friends, colleagues, classmates and family to release each other from the obligation of buying, or just do a secret Santa or agree to donate to charity. Read the full theory in my Ban unnecessary Christmas gifts blog or watch the latest version of my viral video on it (17+ million views, 300,000+ shares - proving this isn't a niche idea)... Get an instant up-to 6% BOOST on your Christmas supermarket spending. Supermarket saving stamp schemes (or their digital equivalents) aim to encourage year-long saving for Christmas. Yet the way they're structured means there's a loophole that lets you get a year's bonus in a day. Just dunk what you'll spend into most schemes the day before their 'bonus day' and they add the bonus anyway. Of course this must all then be spent in that store, so it's only a winner if that's what you'd do anyway. Full info on what each supermarket pays and when their bonus days are in Supermarket Christmas boost. Not put money aside yet? Do it now - so you can split the cost by four. Some reports have a typical family's Christmas spend at over £800. For most, that's totally unsustainable from just December's income. If you haven't put owt aside yet, there's still time - you could try to squeeze a quarter of what's needed from your Sept, Oct and Nov income. Put it in a top savings account and you'll earn a little interest too. And if you're shouting at my text saying, "yeah right, like I can afford to save anything" - it's worth listening to yourself. Consider taking a deep breath and planning to go spending cold-turkey (sorry) this year; Christmas is just one day, don't cause yourself a huge financial hangover in the New Year because of it. Try to DemoHOHOtivate yourself... Small sacrifices now may add up in time for Christmas. For example if you stopped buying a £2.50 coffee every working day (and perhaps took a flask) you'd have an extra £190 by Christmas. Try our DemoHOHOtivator tool, which lets you see how all YOUR little cuts add up. Walk around your home to look for owt you've not used since last Christmas. Shops don't just look at what's in their tills, they value their stock too. So should we - it's a good moment to do a personal stock check... and see if you can free up cash to spend. If you've toys, prams, old coffee makers, mobile phones, gadgets or even clothes, unused since the last festive season, ask yourself if you should flog them for cash. We've some key guides to help: - eBay selling tips - best for pricey stuff, eg, designer or electronics - Facebook selling tips - best for larger items, eg, wardrobes or sofas - Vinted selling tips - best for clothes - Flog your rubbish for cash (even old loo rolls) - tips on selling perfume bottles, jam jars and more How to get up to 5% off your pre-Christmas shop and spend. Spend on a cashback card and it pays you back each time you spend on it (if you're already doing the Amex card above, you'll want to prioritise spending there first). - Earn 1% cashback from Chase (easy to get). You can grab the Chase* debit card via its app, without needing to switch banks, and without a hard credit-check (it just does an ID check). It pays at least a year's 1% cashback (up to £15/mth) on almost all normal daily debit card spending, and it's paid out almost as soon as you spend (you just need to transfer it to your main account). The debit card is a top pick for spending abroad too. See full Chase review. - Earn 5% cashback for three months. The fee-free Amex Everyday credit card pays Amex newbies 5% cashback (max £100) for the first 3mths, and up to 1% after - so if you're planning a big spend soon, apply now so you get the bigger amount. However, the cashback's only paid after a year and only if you spend over £3,000+/yr on the card. If you won't hit that, don't do it. Plus, as it's a credit card, strictly only do this if you'll repay IN FULL each month (preferably by direct debit). If not it charges 30.7% rep APR, which defeats the gain. More info and options in Top cashback credit cards. Crank up Christmas by coupling card cashback with core cashback for a cracking combination I think I've spent my entire year's alliteration allowance on that title. If you're spending this festive season and beyond, there are other forms of cashback you can use on top of the card cashback, so you get both. - Cashback sites: Got to a store via one of these sites and they give you a cut of what they get paid by stores for generating leads. So find the cheapest deal then go via one of these sites to get a cut back. See Top cashback sites for pros and cons. - Add on mobile rewards: The easy, free Airtime Rewards app tracks your spending at 100+ retailers and pays 1% to 15% cashback, which you can redeem as credit on your mobile bill (for O2, EE, Vodafone, Three & Giffgaff). You CAN use this alongside other cashback sites and cards for a treble win. Beware gift vouchers/cards. They look nice, and for some reason, offend our British sensibilities less than giving cash, but... if the store goes bust, gift vouchers usually become worthless. Plus some have expiry dates. So think carefully about the likely financial strength of the firm, and how quickly they'll be used, before you do it. If in doubt, cash (or money in the bank) is the ultimate gift voucher - it's totally flexible and can be used anywhere. Set up a Christmas cupboard, then POUNCE when things are cheapest. Prices fluctuate (just look at online Amazon price tracker CamelCamelCamel) - so your aim, wherever you shop, should be to create a list of things needed for Christmas and buy when they're cheapest. Some even have a cupboard ready, so when they buy, they can wrap it, tag it and store it. So some quick tips for keeping on top of prices: - Monitor this email and the daily updated MSE Deals page, where from Nov we'll include the famous Christmas Deals Predictor. - Use PriceRunner and Google Shopping price comparisons. - Tell PriceSpy what you want and what price you're willing to pay, and it'll email you when that item drops to that price. - Always check the min spend for free delivery. If you're just below it, it can be cheaper to add a small extra item than pay for delivery. The Amazon free delivery tool finds it for you for the e-giant (see our 30+ Amazon tricks for more). Train-ing home for Christmas? Get ready to book. Train tickets are usually released 10 to 12 weeks before the date of travel, and that is the best chance of getting hold of the cheapest advance tickets. So if you know you're going, in a couple of weeks be ready to book. More help in Cheap train ticket tricks. DON'T borrow for Christmas... but if you will (don't) then ensure it's at 0%. Borrowing for Christmas is a bad idea - DON'T DO IT. Far better to cut your cloth accordingly. Yet if you'll do it anyway or feel you've no choice (DON'T), at least try to keep it cheap. There are two options where, done right, you can do it at no additional cost: a) A 0% card. To find a 0% card you'll be accepted for, use our 0% Spending Card Eligibility Calculator - the two longest deals currently are Barclaycard's up to 22mths 0% card and the longest definite (non 'up to') deal, M&S Bank's 18mths 0% card. If you do this, always stick to the credit limit and never miss a minimum monthly repayment or you can lose the 0% rate. Normally with 0% cards, I'd say plan to clear the debt or do a balance transfer before the 0% ends - or the rate jumps to the rep APR (24.9% or 23.9% here), but for Christmas borrowing, try to clear it well before next Christmas. If you can't do that, you shouldn't be borrowing - it'll just compound your problems (or better still, don't do it). b) Buy now, pay later. This ubiquitous option is where you can spread the cost over 3mths at no interest. It doesn't feel like a debt, but it is, though unlike credit cards, sadly safety regulation still hasn't been brought in. Yet it can be an easy option for some, just don't do it willy-nilly - only do it if it's planned, not on a whim, and you're sure you can afford to repay within the time. If not you can still get yourself in trouble. More help in Buy now, pay later.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Warning. In just two days, many top balance transfers have been pulled If you pay interest on credit card debt, check NOW if you can shift to a 0% balance transfer & save £100s Get up to 14 months 0% NO-FEE or 29 months 0% (3.45% fee) Balance transfer cards are the key weapon to cut existing credit card debt costs. That means you get a new card that pays off debt on existing cards for you, but at a cheaper rate so it's interest-free and repayments clear the actual debt rather than paying off the interest. Yet this week, we've seen top deal after top deal being pulled. On Mon, Barclaycard shortened its longest deal by a month, today (Tue) Santander cut one deal by two months, and HSBC pulled its top fee free deal. Overall, there seems to be a downward spiral and we suspect more deals may go. So sorting sooner is safer. Will I be accepted? That's the key question, so take two minutes to enter details into our 0% eligibility checker, which then shows the card-by-card odds of which you're most likely to be accepted for. If you've a choice, go for the LOWEST FEE within a 0% time long enough to clear your debt. Generally, the longer the balance transfer, the bigger the one-off fee, eg, 3% of the amount transferred (so £30 per £1,000). So if you can clear your debt within 14mths, the NO-FEE minimises costs. Unsure? Play safe, go long. TOP-PICK NEW CARDHOLDER 0% BALANCE TRANSFERS (lowest fee first) Correct as of 5pm Tue 12 Sept 2023 - likely to change soon Barclaycard Link goes via eligibility calc or apply direct* - 'Up to' 29mths 0% - 3.45% fee - 24.9% rep APR after Longest 0%, but an 'up to'. If eligibility shows you as pre-approved, you'll definitely get 29mths 0% (subject to ID/fraud checks). If not, acceptance could mean getting just 14mths 0%. M&S Bank Link goes via eligibility calc or apply direct* - 28mths 0% - 2.99% fee - 23.9% rep APR after Longest with a definite 0% period. All accepted get the full 28mths at 0%, so if chances are slim with Barclaycard and decent here, with the lower fee too, it's likely a better option. NatWest  Link goes via eligibility calc or apply direct* - 14mths 0% - NO fee - 24.9% rep APR after Longest NO-FEE 0%. With Natwest, and with sister banks RBS and Ulster, all accepted get the full 0% period. If you can clear the debt within 14mths, this is the winner as there's no cost at all. Getting a card? ALWAYS follow the Balance Transfer Golden Rules. Full help in Best balance transfers. a) Never miss the min monthly repayment, or you could lose the 0% deal and it'll cost far more. b) Clear the card (or balance-transfer again) before the 0% ends, or the rate rockets to the higher APR. c) Don't spend or withdraw cash. It usually isn't at the cheap rate and withdrawals hit your ability to get future credit. d) The balance transfer must usually be done within 60 to 90 days to get the 0% - check your card. Quick balance transfer FAQs Q. Is it worth applying if my eligibility odds are low? | Q. What if my credit limit isn't big enough? | Q. Can I shift debt to existing cards too? | Q. Should I try to pay off my biggest debt first? SPOILER: NO. In debt crisis? Get free debt help. A balance transfer can help you cut the cost of your card debt, but if you're having sleepless nights or depression/anxiety over debt, struggling to meet monthly repayments, or your total debt (excluding mortgage/student loan) is over a year's salary, you likely need free, one-to-one debt counselling to help tackle ALL your debts. See where to find debt help.

 

Urgent. Ends 11.59pm tonight (Tue). Top 5.2% easy-access savings. The huge top-paying easy-access saver, ie, you can put money in and take it out when you want, Santander's 5.2% AER account (min £1) will see its rate cut to a paltry 2.5% at 11.59pm. Apply before (you can put money in later) and you should earn its full rate for 12mths. More info in our news story, inc. video from Martin. PS: If you can lock money away, last week NS&I launched a 6.2% 1yr fix. It's a higher rate than every other fix and is totally safe. We don't know how long it'll last, though if you've £10,000 to £25,000 Ahli United 6.1% + £25 cashback* can beat it. Supermarket coupons: free £2 popcorn, 'free' £1 KitKat, 'free' £6 Strongbow (Eng). Scan through our updated list for September of 50+ supermarket coupons to see what you can get. Fuse Energy offers electricity tariff 13% cheaper than the Price Cap. Small supplier Fuse has cut its prices a month ahead of the 1 Oct planned Price Cap reduction, making it 13% cheaper than the current Cap, and 6% lower than the Cap when it falls in October - it's hoping to bag new customers (you can switch to it, but if you've gas you'd have to keep that elsewhere). See our Fuse Energy analysis. £93 of Kiehl's, Liz Earle, Origins, MAC and more skincare for £32. Nine-item set, including lotion, face wash, mask and facial oil. See Boots beauty set (in light of Christmas chat above, not bad to buy and split up as gifts). Ends Mon. Unlimited data Sim just '£11/mth' - cheapest we've ever seen. This Three Sim is £19/mth, but you can CLAIM a £95 Amazon, Tesco, Asda or Sainsbury's voucher within 6mths. Factor that in over the 12mth contract and it's equivalent to £11.09/mth. Want less data or a different network? Use Cheap Mobile Finder. 3 months' Disney+ for £6 (normally £24). A Minnie reprieve from the Nov price hike. See 6 Disney+ deals. The Martin Lewis Podcast is back. A must listen if you've had a flight delayed/cancelled this summer. Martin's big topic is the £100s per person 'don't ask, don't get' compensation many are due on top of flight refunds. Plus lots more on savings, childhood spending & steps in The Martin Lewis Podcast - listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify & more.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - £37 Ted Baker specs or sunnies (normally £135) Ends 30 Sept	DID YOU MISS? - Amazon £5 off £15 - one click to check - NHS & emergency worker discounts, including 20% off Nando's - Shell energy or broadband customer? You're moving to Octopus - 1st class stamp prices up 14% on 2 Oct - beat the hike - Up to £170 off cordless Dyson vacuums

 

 

Martin's 8 STUDENT SQUEEZE easers! Many face far tighter budgets, as their uni living loans fail to keep up with inflation. You need to understand the coming academic year's finances Millions of undergraduates across the UK are preparing to start or return to university. A good chunk though will see significant financial changes that won't make easy reading. This is especially true for English students, where the squeeze looks tightest. Perversely while over the long term new starters will need to repay up to 50% more than their predecessors, right now for them the biggest practical issue may be that the loan's too small... 1. English student maintenance (living) loans are rising far less than inflation. Most English students get a maintenance loan to live off, to cover rents, transport, books, clothes, food and more. This is added to the tuition fee loan and repaid after leaving university. In the other UK nations, available support is a mix of loan and non-repayable grant. How much will this year's typical full maintenance support rise (for new & continuing students)? English students up 2.8% (full loan £9,978/yr) Welsh students up 9.4% (full loan + grant £11,720/yr) Scottish students up 11% (full loan + grant £9,000/yr) Northern Irish students up 27% (full loan + grant £8,136/yr) Full loan given is for those living away from home, but outside of London (where it can be higher). Contrast these to inflation, the rate at which prices rise. On the lowest measure it was over 10% when the new English loans were announced and is still currently 6.8% year on year. So this is a real terms (ie, if below inflation) cut that will be a blow to many English students already close to the affordability bone - in fact the Govt's own assessment shows that in real terms the loan has been cut 11% to 15% compared to three years ago. There's a far higher rise in total living support for other parts of the UK, even though that still leaves some lower than in England. 2. The hidden parental contribution for English, Scottish & Northern Irish maintenance loans - discuss ASAP. For almost all under-25s, maintenance support is dependent on a means-test of their family's income, which for most means their parents' income, sometimes including step-parents. The higher this income, the less support the state gives. The gap therefore is an implied 'parental contribution'. For example, for English students, the loan received starts to be reduced from just £25,000 family income until around £60,000 to £70,000, where you get the minimum, roughly half the full loan.  Of course, parents can't be forced to fill the gap, but it's crucial to have a discussion on it now, understand there's a gap and work out how it'll be filled. Use our Eng, Scot & N Irish Parental Contribution Calc to see how much it is and more on how it works. Welsh? Students get a fixed amount of total support (the means-test dictates the proportion that's a grant not loan).  3. New English starter this year? 5 things you and your parents should know. You're the first on the new 'Plan 5' student loans explained in my speedy 5 things you should know blog or detailed Plan 5 explained in full guide. Incl... - The student loan price tag can be £60,000, but that's NOT the cost, see what you really repay. - The amount you borrow isn't the key factor, as loans work more like a graduate tax. - Interest is added, but there's no 'real' cost to it, and not everyone pays it. - The cost from 2023 will be substantially higher than for previous generations - many will repay up to 50% more. 4. Started uni in or before 2022, or new Welsh, Scots or N Irish student? Your system isn't substantially changing. How it works depends on when you started and which country you live in - see Which student loan am I on? for help. 5. Top student accounts 2023 - make banks fight for your custom. Banks salivate over students, hoping to pay once to buy their customer for life. Not a good idea (shift later) but do get the max gain now. This year's top pick includes a guaranteed £1,500 0% overdraft, free four-year railcard and more. Full help in top student accounts. 6. Working people shouldn't spend more than they... earn (obvs), students shouldn't spend more than...? Lots of parents rightly tell their student offspring to budget -  but don't define their 'income'. I'd say that's your student living loan, any grant, money from parents, and working (don't include 0% overdrafts). See our Student budgeting planner. 7. Sort your student household - renting, TV licence and insurance. It's worth knowing how it all works: - Home insurance. You may already be covered under your parents' policies. Read about student contents insurance. - Can you legally avoid paying the TV licence? Some can, not all. See TV licence student loophole. - In all student homes, you DON'T pay council tax, but do need to let the council know. See council tax for students. - Renting? You've rights too. Students with short tenures can feel insecure as renters, so see renting tips. 8. Student bargains, discounts and more. Being a student opens you up to a world of discounts and bargains. You'll find more in our Student discounts section, including 6mths' free Amazon Prime | Ikea £10 off £75 | 10% off Apple | free Microsoft Office plus tips on how to get books for cheap (or free) | learn to cook | find a quirky part-time job.

 

£37 Ted Baker prescription specs or sunnies (normally £135). MSE Blagged. Via SpeckyFourEyes code. The MSE Forum's had a lick of paint and a supercharge... We're very proud of our MSE Forum, a community of two million members discussing every possible way to save, financial products, and motivating each other. Over the last few weeks, our iconic 20-year-old community got a new look and some new features, including an enhanced homepage showcasing its best content. It's become more customisable, easier to follow, and even has a 'random thread generator'. Do check it out. Wetherspoon pubs 7.5% off for ONE DAY only. This week, there's a one-day discount on all food & drink at 800+ pubs (excluding booze in Scotland). See Wetherspoon discount. Please be Drinkaware. 'You helped us save £230 a year on standing charges.' Our success of the week comes from Aileen, who made a big saving for herself and her neighbours after reading Martin's blog on NO STANDING CHARGE tariff: "Thanks to your weekly email alerting me to the zero standing charge tariff, you saved our tenement block of flats from paying £38/yr each. As the entry phone is on a separate meter and uses virtually no electricity, the recent hike in standing charges meant that our bill would have been £230/yr for using less than one unit. Switching brings that down to 62p... every little helps." If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), please send us your successes. FREE £15 Cake & Bake Show tickets for London, 22 to 26 November. 7,500 pairs available. Cake & Bake

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 29mths 0%, 3.45% fee (24.9% rep APR) No-fee 0%: NatWest (check eligibility / apply*) - 14mths 0% (24.9% rep APR) Best bank accounts £175 to switch + top service: First Direct 1% cashback on utilities + 7% AER linked saver: Santander Top savings accounts Top easy access: Santander 5.2%, min £1 Top one-year fix: NS&I 6.2%, min £500 Car insurance Try our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Cheap loans Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: AIB (NI) (apply), 5.6% rep APR Cheapest for £7,500 to £15,000: AIB (NI) (apply), 5.6% rep APR Broadband top picks Standard (10Mb+): Shell Energy '£18.55/mth' Fast fibre (55Mb+): Shell Energy '£19.44/mth' Superfast fibre (100Mb+): Virgin '£21.78/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.70/mth' for 3GB 4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£3.45/mth' for 5GB 10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£3.57/mth' for 12GB 31GB+ data: Three, '£11.09/mth' for unlimited data

 

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK Are you a 'non-domestic' energy customer - for example, you're on a heat network, in a park home or have bills included in rent? The Government is asking people who don't have a direct relationship with their energy supplier to share their experiences of paying for energy - including the prices you face. It'll use this info to help determine what protection might be needed for these groups. If you're not sure whether you fit the description, you can check here and take the survey before it closes (on Mon 18 Sept).

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL Have you used a parking app before? More UK car-park operators are now opting for 'app only' payments (using RingGo, JustPark, and others). So we want to know if you've used a parking app before, and how you prefer to pay. Vote in this week's poll. Over 80% of MoneySavers have moved their savings in the last year. With interest rates rising rapidly, we wanted to know how many of you had ditched and switched to get a better rate. Of the 2,800 or so who voted, almost 60% had moved their savings in the last three months, and 8 in 10 had done so in the last year. Yet a not-insignificant 5% had NEVER moved their savings. See full poll results.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Wilko to close or sell all 400 stores by early October - here's when your local shop will shut - E.on Next becomes first big supplier to launch fixed deal available to all costing less than the Energy Price Cap - Virgin Media O2 is the latest network to confirm 3G switch-off date - here's what's happening

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should we return to the restaurant to pay our bill after being evacuated from it? My husband and I were having lunch at a restaurant that's part of a small chain when the fire alarm went off. The staff asked everyone to evacuate, then to vacate the area so the fire brigade had access. We later learned it was a false alarm, and I said we should return to pay our bill. My husband thinks there's no need, as we weren't asked to do so at the time, we didn't get to finish our food and drinks, and the service was poor, so the staff wouldn't be missing out on a tip. Who's right? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should we return to the evacuated restaurant to pay our bill? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: Lollies, laminate & leave

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 13 SEPT ONWARDS) Wed 13 Sept - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm Tue 19 Sept - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.20am

 

SCHOOL BAGS, 48p ICE CREAM & CARD-SWALLOWING ATMs... WHAT'S YOUR EARLIEST FINANCIAL MEMORY? That's all for this week, but before we go... MSE Forumites have been sharing their earliest financial memories. One recalled the early '80s, when they were taken to open a Midland Bank account and got a free school bag... then found every kid in school had opened the account and got the same bag. Another recounts using their weekly 50p pocket money to buy a two-litre tub of ice cream... and still getting 2p change. And in a real blast from the past, another remembered the excitement of their dad getting one of the first ATM cards. He'd go into his bank, insert it into the machine and retrieve his money, then the machine would retain the card, and it would be posted back to him! Add your own nuggets of nostalgia in the What's your earliest financial memory? MSE Forum discussion. We hope you save some money, The MSE team

 

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