5x free Christmas £100s, £10 Apple Watch?, cheap Ninja air fryer, £17 broadband, missed Council Tax nightmare warning, £10 Baileys

Plus... car finance reclaim big news, 2x 30mth 0% debt shift, Is Black Fri cheaper?, mortgage rates up

                                                           

19 November 2024 | View in browser

Banking & Savings Household Bills Deals Insurance Cards & Loans Mortgages Income Reclaim

 

THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL FREE CASH in time for Christmas: - 5 banks speedily pay £150+ to switch - Get another £180 cashback on top - Warning: Dip into your overdraft? New. £400 Apple Watch 10 for £10? Car Finance Reclaim BIG News: Why complaint numbers could double Martin warns: Missed Council Tax nightmare £280 Ninja air fryer £140 with code New. TWO cards now let you shift card debt to 30mths INTEREST-FREE Cheapest EVER Virgin b'band £17/mth Black Friday interrogated - is it cheaper? 8pm tonight: The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE Christmas Special Amazon Black Fri sale starts THIS Thu £93 of No7 beauty & skincare £39 Martin's pod: Got Premium Bonds? Who are they good for & who should avoid? £10 1L Baileys 'I got £4k Pension Credit for my mum - and Winter Fuel help too' Starts Thu. £10 to £60 London theatre tix Martin: 'Yes, I'm on Bluesky now too...' Mortgage rates have gone UP - fix now? New. Extra £28 cashback on £5+ spend Cheap Xmas & New Year train tix on sale Citroën, DS or Peugeot diesel driver? Claim deadline looms This week's best buys, incl 5.17% ISA, 5GB Sim £3/mth, Cheap Energy Club Should we ask our daughter and her boyfriend to start paying us rent? BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club including free credit report 0% balance transfers Compare broadband deals MSE Compare+ Car Insurance 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 Best Sim-only deals

FREE CASH in time for Christmas Today FIVE banks'll speedily pay you £150+ to switch, so boost your festive coffers or have some fun...  Christmas fun is looming, as is the financial pain that goes with it for some. To help - with fortuitous timing, after a sparse patch - right now five top current accounts are trying to tempt you by paying free money for switching (though we don't know how long they'll be on for). Four will pay out before Christmas if you sort the switch now. Switching is easy for most... In Martin's last poll on it, 84% of those who'd tried said it was easy & hassle-free. You must pass a not-too-harsh credit check and use the bank's seven-working-day switch service, which will move your balance, standing orders and Direct Debits for you, close your old account, and auto-forward any payments made to it from then on. Free bank-switch bonuses (for new customers) Full eligibility info & options in Best bank accounts NatWest Reward account* Min pay-in: £1,250/mth (equivalent to £16,000/yr salary) Service rating: 58% 'great' 14% 'poor' Payout at the latest by (1): 6 Dec Top for overall cash FREE £180 upfront, plus £36/yr cashback and 6.17% regular saver. With the switcher's cash and £3/mth ongoing cashback (you get paid £5/mth and pay a £2/mth fee), after the first year that's £216 just from using it as a bank account. It has a linked 6.17% AER variable regular saver you can put £150/mth in until you've £5,000, meaning it lasts nearly 3yrs - far longer than others. - To get the free cash & cashback: You must meet the min £1,250/mth pay-in (this is needed to trigger your cash bonus too), have two £2+ Direct Debits going from the account and log into mobile banking each month. See full NatWest eligibility & review. Club Lloyds Min pay-in: a hefty £2,000/mth (equivalent to £28,500/yr salary) or you pay a £3/mth fee Service rating:  54% 'great'  16% 'poor' Payout at the latest by (1): 4 Dec Top for intro cash FREE £200, plus perks and 6.25% regular saver. This is the highest upfront cash you get from anywhere, though beware it needs the heftiest monthly pay-in of any of them. Each year you can also choose to receive 12mths Disney+ OR six free cinema tickets OR an annual Coffee Club & Gourmet Society membership OR a magazine subscription. It has a linked 6.25% AER fixed regular saver you can put £400/mth in for a year, the biggest amount (max it out for £150/yr interest). - To get the free cash: You'll effectively need to use this as your main bank account and have a min £28,500/yr salary going in. You'll also need to switch in from an account with 3+ Direct Debits. See full Lloyds eligibility & review. First Direct 1st Account* Min pay-in: None. You just must have a total of £1,000 going in within 45 days Service rating: 90% 'great' 3% 'poor' Payout at the latest by (1): 20 Dec Top for service & all-rounder FREE £175, linked 7% regular saver, ongoing 0% overdraft, near-perfect exchange rates. Probably the most well-rounded package, especially if service matters to you. First Direct has been top or near-top of every customer service poll we've ever run.  It has a linked 7% AER fixed regular saver you can put £300/mth in for one year (max it out for £137/yr interest). And use its debit card abroad and you get the same near-perfect exchange rate the banks do, as it doesn't add the usual exchange fee. - To get the free cash: Switch in an account with 2+ Direct Debits, pay in a total of £1,000+ (even if you do it in a few different payments which you subsequently withdraw) and make 5+ debit card payments within 45 days. See full First Direct eligibility & review. Nationwide FlexDirect Min pay-in:  None. You must have a total of £1,000 going in within 31 days of requesting the switch Service rating: 87% 'great' 4% 'poor' Payout at the latest by (1): 8 Dec Another good all-rounder FREE £175, linked 6.5% regular saver, 1yr's 1% debit card cashback (max £5/mth). Another strong service contender here, and it gives you 5% fixed interest for 12mths on current account balances, but only on up to £1,500. The debit card cashback looks good, but is easily beaten by Chase below, which anyone can use as an add-on to any account. It has a linked 6.5% AER variable regular saver you can put £200/mth in for one year (max it out for £85 interest). - To get the free cash: Switch 2+ Direct Debits across, then pay in £1,000+ and spend once on the debit card within 31 days of requesting the switch. See full Nationwide eligibility & review (some existing customers may get it). Santander Edge* Min pay-in: £500/mth (equivalent to £6,000/yr salary) Service rating: 60% 'great' 12% 'poor' Payout at the latest by (1): 19 Feb Top for cashback on bills FREE £150, 6% easy-access savings, 1% bills cashback & a top overseas debit card. This is a strong option for those who have a specific (joint) bills account. The account costs £3/mth, but pays two sets of cashback, each up to a max £10/mth (so total £20/mth)...  - A unique 1% BILLS cashback on Council Tax, energy, broadband, phones, paid-for TV & water bills paid by it. - 1% GROCERY & TRAVEL cashback on debit card spending at supermarkets and on fuel and trains & buses. It also has a linked easy-access saver paying 6% AER variable on up to £4,000 for the first 12mths (max it out for £240 interest at the end of one year). - To get the free cash: Switch from a different bank, pay in £1,500 and set up 2+ Direct Debits. See full Santander eligibility & review (some existing customers may get it). (1) The 'at the latest' date is when you're guaranteed to get the money if you start a switch on Wed 20 Nov, and fulfil all terms within a week. Can you earn £1,000s by becoming a super-switcher? It's a simple concept. Move an existing current account to a bank that pays you to switch, jump through the necessary hoops and wait until you get the freebie, then move again to another bank that pays. Or if you're happy with your existing account, open a second 'burner' account and just to use to switch. It's worth reading full details, pros and cons in Make £100s switching banks, as Jivan emailed last week: "After seeing your weekly newsletter with regular switch offers, my wife and I started switching our joint account around May 2024. We became serial switchers and pocketed £1,450 jointly, Christmas is sorted now. Thanks for your help, keep up the good work." Will switching bank impact my credit score? Applying to switch leaves a hard search on your credit file that could have a very minor impact (though lots of applications in a short space of time hits more). Have a look at how strong your credit power is (and tips to boost it) via the free MSE Credit Club. Some lenders also like to see evidence of loyalty, so that can have a slight negative impact too. One switch shouldn't be too much of an issue (repeated switching is bigger). For belt 'n' braces safety, if you're imminently (within a couple of months) about to apply for a mortgage or an important, needed debt, it's probably best to wait to do that first. Get ANOTHER £180 cashback on top The Chase current account* is a different beast from those above, and you can combine them. That's because it's an app-based bank you DON'T need to switch to to get, and there's no hard credit-check (just an ID check). Spend on its debit card and you'll get at least a year's 1% cashback on all normal daily debit-card spending up to £15/mth (it generally excludes bills, investments and major purchases, such as cars). If you hit the max, which many who put all family spending on it do, you'd make a further £180. This is stupidly easy to do. Just use the other accounts above to pay your salary into and to pay bills from, then put money you'll want to spend in Chase and use its debit card to spend on. It's also the top for spending abroad, where you get perfect rates and cashback. WARNING: Do you dip into your overdraft (or worse, live in it)? It's a DANGER debt... As Martin always says: "Too many think credit cards bad, debit cards good". For those overdrawn, it's more a case of: "Credit cards bad, debit cards worse", as almost all overdrafts are now charged at a typical 40% interest - close to double even a bog-standard high-street credit card. Yet there are ways to cut this. You CAN switch banks when overdrawn, and one offers a 0% overdraft, though it may not cover what you already have. Full info in top overdraft accounts, but in brief... Switch & get a £250 0% overdraft. First Direct*, which currently offers new switchers £175 (see above), gives many a £250 interest-free overdraft (use the eligibility checker on its site first to see). It won't move an existing overdraft across for you, so you will have to pay it off yourself. But this account is very useful for those who dip into their overdraft by up to £250. You pay 40% above that, as you do elsewhere. Hopefully the free cash will reduce your need to be in your overdraft in the future. Full info: First Direct. If you can get one, a 0% money transfer is likely better for bigger overdrafts. These specialist cards pay money into your bank account so you then owe them instead. You can get up to 12mths 0% on bigger amounts (credit score dependent), but be careful, it's easy to get it wrong. Our Money transfers guide takes you through it, including top deals. Five more tips to cut your overdraft. The rate isn't the only thing to focus on. Our Cut overdraft costs guide takes you through it, but here are the five most important tips: 1) Aim to repay a fixed monthly amount. For example, if you're £500 overdrawn, 'paying' £100 means aiming to be £400 overdrawn at month end. A budget will help. 2) Consider moving Direct Debits to just before payday. The idea is you're overdrawn for less time, so costs are lower. 3) Got savings? Use 'em to clear it. See Repay debt with savings? 4) Can you reclaim past bank charges? See Bank charge reclaiming. 5) Struggling with all debt? Get free help from Citizens Advice, National Debtline or StepChange. It can make a huge difference.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

New. Can you get the new £400 Apple Watch Series 10 for £10? There's a trick via private medical insurance (PMI), it works best if you're young(ish), fit(ish) and go to the gym Vitality Healthcare is a PMI policy that encourages you to stay fit and active, as if you do, you get perks such as 50% off gyms, and a near-free Apple Watch. In the last week, it's moved from the Series 9 Watch to the latest Series 10 Watch and lowered its price. For some younger people, if you'd have spent money on the watch and gym fees anyway, the perks may come close to nearly covering the medical insurance fees (or vice versa). What is PMI? It's a lifestyle choice policy offered by firms such as Bupa and Vitality, so that when you need medical help, you can choose to bypass the NHS - it covers the cost of private consultations, treatments and operations. The main advantages are speed, and 'hotel-like' hospital accommodation. Below we're focusing on the Vitality deal, but if you are going to do it, it's best to first read our full Private medical insurance guide for step-by-step need-to-knows. First do a comparison, as this way you'll get up to £120 on top of Vitality perks. You need to see how a Vitality quote compares to other PMI policies. Most comparison sites out there are 'white labels' of just two actual engines (so while each comparison has its own look, widely-used technology makes it work). For each we've worked to get the white label with the biggest perks if you get PMI (including Vitality) through them. Try both to get a wider spread of firms... - £120 Amazon voucher with MoneySupermarket* (uses Active Quote's engine). Via this link, after your sixth monthly payment, you'll get the voucher emailed to you. Max one voucher a year. - £100 cashback with Howden Life & Health* (this is direct access to an engine that powers many comparisons). Via this link, after six monthly payments for PMI of any value, you get the cashback paid into your bank account. The big Vitality perks in detail. The big boon of going with Vitality* are the perks. It has discounts for Caffè Nero, Nike, Samsung and more, but two big ones are worth serious cash... New. Apple Watch Series 10. It's just upgraded its offering to the new £399 Series 10, which you get for an upfront payment of £10 (or just £1 for the SE watch). You then pay the rest monthly over three years, but what you pay is reduced depending on how many 'Activity Points' you earn - do the top level (eg, 12,500+ steps for 5+ days a week or earn points via gym workouts, Parkrun etc) and you DON'T PAY ANY MORE towards the watch, so it costs just £10. Even for lesser activity, there are decent savings. Up to 50% off many Virgin, Nuffield Health and PureGym monthly fees (even for existing members). These are straight discounts off the full price, not linked to activity (many pay less than full price anyway by negotiating - see cheap gyms, but this is still usually a strong discount). It works even if you're already a member, eg, the Virgin gym in Sheffield has a listed price of £64/mth, but you could get it for £32/mth. How this stacks up & who it works best for... This works best for under-45s (min age 18) who pay for a gym and will earn the max activity points (though anyone can check & see) over three years. We got a Vitality quote for a 35-year-old living in London of £48/mth (so £576/yr). Yet if they were to buy an Apple Watch anyway, at the top activity level they save £120/yr on payments, and if they're already a member of their local Virgin Gym, they get a £44/mth (£528/yr) fee reduction - which is a combined £648/yr saving, more than covering the PMI cost. Vitality is more expensive than the cheapest equivalent quote, which is from around £20/mth depending on where in the country you are, but if you'd use the perks, and the gym in particular, it can work out substantially cheaper - the key is to do your sums before signing up. But be aware that, as with all firms, your policy cost will likely rise annually.

 

Martin warns: Miss one Council Tax monthly payment and within 3wks they can make you pay for the whole year! Watch Martin on his soapbox after hearing from someone whose finances were wrecked by this. £280 Ninja air fryer £140 with code (10,000 available). MSE Blagged. This air fryer & cooker has 11 functions, including air fry, bake & steam - and our code makes it the cheapest we've seen this model. Ninja New. TWO cards now let you shift card debt to 30mths INTEREST-FREE. A balance transfer is where you get a new card that pays off old cards for you, so you owe it but at 0%, and the market's hotting up. Until last week it'd been over a year since we'd seen a 30mth 0%, now there are two. New today is Barclaycard's up to 30mths 0% (3.45% fee) - it joins HSBC's up to 30mths 0% card (3.49% fee). Links go via our eligibility calc so you can see which you're most likely to be accepted for - if you're pre-approved you'll definitely get the full 0% length, if not it can be shorter, in which case look at Virgin 29mth 0% (3.45% fee), as with it all accepted get the full length. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly minimum & clear the card before the 0% ends, or all jump to 24.9% rep APR interest. Full help in Top balance transfers. Cheapest EVER Virgin 264Mb broadband '£17/mth'. MSE Blagged. Switchers in 60% of UK homes can get this Virgin 264Mb broadband-only deal for £24/mth, with an automatic £125 bill credit, meaning it's equivalent to £17.06/mth over the 18mth contract. Want other options? Use our full broadband comparison of 26 providers. Black Friday interrogated - is it really cheaper than pre-Christmas sales? Black Friday analysis The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE Christmas Special, tonight (Tue) 8pm, ITV1 - don't Christmas shop without it. It's the big one, huge audience, the famous 'festive forecaster' prediction of deals, free cash and children's savings. Last year Martin opened as John Travolta, so we'll be watching through our fingers to see how tonight starts! Got questions? Tweet the show at #MartinLewis. Amazon's Black Friday sale starts THIS Thu, including up to 58% off Amazon devices. See Amazon Black Fri for other brands it's confirmed, and how to spot duds. Related: MSE Christmas Deals Predictor. £93 of No7 beauty & skincare £39. Boots 'Star Gift', including mascara, night cream, serum and more. No7 Martin's new pod: Got Premium Bonds? Who are they good for and who should avoid? | Can you get £100s of student loans back? | Car Finance Misselling update. These and more in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast. Listen via BBC Sounds | Spotify | Apple or wherever you like to get your Martin fix.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - £280 Ninja air fryer £140 with code 10,000 available - Virgin 264Mb broadband '£17/month' Ends 2 Dec - Quidco newbies £28 cashback on a £5+ spend 5,000 available	DID YOU MISS? - It's back for 2024... the famous MSE Christmas Deals Predictor - Boots Star Gifts sale, including half-price Soap & Glory - 'I won £10,000 on Tipping Point after following MSE's tips' - £33 Barbour prescription specs or sunnies (normally £135) - Are you due a Council Tax discount or support?

 

 

Martin's Car Finance Misselling UPDATE Bought a car on finance? Are you owed £1,000s? The regulator's just paved the way to double the numbers who can complain (though I've some concerns)... In January, regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched its final stage investigation into car finance hidden Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCAs) mis-selling. This is the 40% of cases where dealers could up the interest and thus consumers' costs to get paid more commission - without consumers knowing. No surprise we've had 2.5m complaints via our free car finance DCA complaints tool. Now, after a Court of Appeal ruling a few weeks ago, the FCA's just announced a consultation on effectively paving the way to extend the scope to ALL deals that had commission on them, not just DCAs, doubling the number of potential complainants (though I have some concerns over this). So let me try and take you through this complex situation... 1. THE BIT WE KNEW: Did you buy a car, van, camper van or motorbike on finance? Ask now if you had a DCA. Our Car finance reclaiming guide takes you through it step by step, but in a nutshell, you may be able to claim an average of £1,100 back due to these hidden DCAs on your policy. It's for motor vehicles. Cars, vans, motorbikes & camper vans with finance taken out from Apr 2007 to 28 Jan 2021. Finance type. Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) & Hire Purchase (HP), but NOT leasing, for personal (not biz) use. It applies even if the person has passed away or the vehicle is paid off. More details in the guide. If that's you... there's no way for you to know if you had a DCA without complaining. Our easy free complaints tool asks for you and then logs the complaint if you did. Speed is worthwhile, as when the ruling comes there may be a time bar introduced, so complain now, even though nothing can happen until May 2025 at the earliest. In my view, the latest court news means those who had DCAs are more likely to be paid out, but it is likely to take longer for that to happen. 2. THE NEW STUFF: Will this be opened up to ALL car finance commission-based deals? Three weeks ago, a landmark Court of Appeal ruling on a claims firm-led case sent shockwaves through the sector. It said: "Consumers need to know all material facts including the amount of commission". This opened the door to possible court reclaims for all car finance commission, and indeed can be read across to other lending areas. Yet it'll almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court, which can and commonly does have an entirely different view and overrule it, so this is far from a done deal. I suspect this ruling stunned the FCA too. At the end of last week, it put out a two-week consultation on whether a hold on firms having to deal with complaints (done when there's a systemic issue so it can all be decided at once) should be extended to any deal where commission is involved, even if there wasn't a DCA (an estimated 95% of them). That in effect says they're now potentially part of this too. Yet in reality, it'll all wait until and depend upon what the Supreme Court says, assuming it allows the appeal. What you're asking us: Do I resubmit if I put in a complaint and was told no DCA? Does this change the key dates? Does it broaden the type of motor finance? What do we put in a complaint? All good questions we want to answer, but... The FCA's consulting for two weeks, then has two weeks to put things in place, so mid-Dec(ish). We need to wait to get final answers, and will fully update our guide (& tell you here) then. Please bear with us. The latest ruling may risk being counterproductive for consumers... I've explained the practicals above, but wanted to add a final thought. The consumer wrongs of DCAs, with a lack of transparency about hidden cost increases and a restriction of consumer choice, are obvious. Yet mulling the Court of Appeal ruling, I find it more difficult to see the unfairness, or that redress is due, where car finance firms with fixed commission were following the regulator's guidelines. If it is decided redress must be due if motor finance firms didn't disclose commission, a fair test would be: was it hidden that there was commission and, most importantly, was the commission charged excessive? If not, it feels a push - even for me - that we move to a model of car finance reclaims where any commission if the amount wasn't known was unfair and should all be repaid. This is especially because it has to be balanced against the risk of being counterproductive to wider consumers, as at its extreme, it's a potentially existential threat to consumer lending, meaning both less availability & higher costs in future.

 

Another £10 1L Baileys offer. It's Tesco's turn - you'll need a Clubcard for £10 Baileys (£11 in Scot). Pls be Drinkaware 'I got £4,403 backdated Pension Credit for my mum - and she now gets Winter Fuel help too.' Our success of the week comes from Annie: "On 12 Oct, I submitted a Pension Credit query on behalf of my 93-year-old mum. I first submitted forms about 18 months ago, and never received a reply. Yes, she was eligible and, on 5 Nov, £4,403 of backdated credit dropped into her current account. Thank you so much for the online links and encouragement. We can now await Winter Fuel help and her TV licence fee." If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), send us your successes. Starts Thu. £10 to £60 London theatre tix for 50+ shows, incl Lion King, Mamma Mia & Wicked. For performances from Jan 2025, and Mastercard-holders get first dibs this week. London theatre tickets Martin: 'Yes, I'm on Bluesky now too...' Many are asking him, so yes, you can now find Martin on Bluesky as well as his existing Threads, X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and TikTok accounts - he's a very social chap. Mortgage rates rising despite base rate cut - should you fix now? Rates on fixed mortgage deals have gone UP since the Budget and US election, meaning sub-4% deals have disappeared. We asked brokers if you should fix now or wait. New. Grab £28 cashback when you spend £5+ online. MSE Blagged. Quidco newbies that sign up via our special link will get an extra £28 cashback when they spend at least a fiver through the site. Quidco bonus Cheap Xmas & New Year train tix now on sale - don't delay. Advance fares for the festive season & beyond are now available from all train firms, but the cheapest will get snapped up quicker than you can say 'Christmas cracker'. All aboard Citroën, DS or Peugeot diesel driver? Decide now whether to join emissions lawsuits. This month sees the deadline for new claims against these manufacturers. See our Should I do a diesel claim? guide.

 

 

Tell your friends about us They can get this email free every week

 

 

AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers New. Longest 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility / apply*) up to 30mths 0%, 3.45% fee, 24.9% rep APR No-fee 0%: NatWest (check eligibility, NatWest's asked us to link only to our eligibility calc) up to 12mths 0%, 24.9% rep APR Best bank accounts Free £180 + £36/yr cashback: NatWest Reward Free £200 + perks: Club Lloyds Broadband top picks Fast fibre (100Mb+): Virgin '£17.06/mth' Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Vodafone '£24.55/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Car insurance Try our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Cheap loans Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: Santander (check eligibility / apply*), 7.2% rep APR Cheapest for £7,500 to £15,000: Tesco Bank (check eligibility / apply*), 6.1% rep APR (for Clubcard holders) Top savings accounts Top cash ISA: Trading 212 5.17%, min £1 Top standard easy access: Atom 4.85%, no min Top one-year fix: SmartSave 4.76%, min £10,000 Top energy deals Try our relaunched Cheap Energy Club Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.83/mth' for 3GB 4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£3.13/mth' for 5GB 10GB to 30GB data: iD Mobile, '£3.63/mth' for 20GB 31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£5.42/mth' for 100GB

 

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK Did the pandemic affect you financially? Help the UK Covid-19 Inquiry understand your experience. If you were impacted - whether through work, financial stability, or personal and family challenges - your experience can help the inquiry understand what happened, the impact it had, and the lessons you think should be learned. Visit the Every Story Matters page for more info and to share your story.

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL Do you have car breakdown cover? As the weather gets colder, it becomes more likely that your car could break down on the road, or not start at all. If this happens, your compulsory car insurance won't help - you need a specific breakdown policy. So we want to know if you've got one, and if so, which provider it's with, and how much you pay. Vote in this week's poll. Virgin Media, AA, RAC, TalkTalk, Sky and EE are among the easiest firms to haggle with. Last week, we asked which companies you've tried to haggle with in the past year, and if you got a better deal - over 2,300 of you responded. Virgin Media customers had the most joy, with 87% of those who tried haggling reporting some form of success, compared with 82% of TalkTalk customers - the next highest broadband firm. Haggling with breakdown companies also paid off, with 84% of AA customers and 83% of RAC customers also getting a better deal. For mobile, 79% of Sky Mobile customers and 73% of EE customers managed to negotiate an improved tariff. See full haggling poll results.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Homebase administration - your shopping, installation and refund rights - Chase cuts rates on linked savers again - should you ditch and switch? - Financial Ombudsman Service facing reform as new consultation launched - Tesco shopper? You've less than two weeks to use or extend £18m of Clubcard vouchers

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should we ask our daughter and her boyfriend to start paying us rent? My daughter and her boyfriend have bought a house. They're redecorating before moving in, so they've been living between our house and his parents' home. My daughter stopped paying us rent in May, shortly after they got the keys. While I'm happy to help, my husband and I are both low earners and claim a small amount of Universal Credit. My daughter puts £1,000 away in savings each month, and she and her boyfriend earn £120,000 a year between them, so I feel it's unfair she's lived with us rent-free for five months. Should I tell her this? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should we ask our daughter and her boyfriend to start paying us rent? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: Vans, Venice and supermarket price variations

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 19 NOV ONWARDS) Tue 19 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 8pm Thu 21 Nov - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm Tue 26 Nov - This Morning, phone-in, ITV1, 10.20am MSE TEAM APPEARANCE Wed 20 Nov - BBC Radio 4, You and Yours with Winifred Robinson, with MSE's Helen S on cashback cards, from 12pm

 

 

Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com works We 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 Lewis What is MoneySavingExpert.com? Founded in February 2003, it is now the UK's biggest consumer help website, with more than 12 million users each month and about 8.5 million receiving this email. In September 2012 it became part of the MoneySupermarket Group PLC. Its focus is simple - saving cash and fighting for financial justice on anything and everything. The site has over 80 full-time staff, more than a third of whom are editorial - researching, analysing and writing to continually find ways to save money. More info: See About MSE. Who is Martin Lewis? Martin Lewis CBE is the founder and executive chair of MSE, as well as the founder of the MMHPI charity. He's an ultra-focused MoneySaving journalist and consumer campaigner with his own prime-time ITV programme The Martin Lewis Money Show, Radio 5 Live Wednesday show Ask Martin Lewis and weekly slot on This Morning, among others. More info: See Martin Lewis' biography. 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 natwest.com, firstdirect.com, santander.co.uk, chase.com, moneysupermarket.com, howdenlifeandhealth.co.uk, vitality.co.uk, tescobank.com Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Note MONY Group Financial Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA FRN: 303190). MoneySavingExpert.com Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration Number: 8021764. Registered office: One Dean Street, London, W1D 3RB. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MONY Group Financial Limited. To change your email or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.