Battle of the banks - FREE £205, top 10 firms to haggle with, free National Trust family pass, 4.55% savings fix ends, we toot our mobile horn…

Plus... 30 retailers named & shamed, 4K Fire stick £28, 25% off Lego, cheapest energy fix

                                                           

08 July 2025 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL The battle of the banks is heating up... - New. Free £205 OR last chance £200 - Get up to 2% cashback on bills - The 0% overdraft (& free cash) option - Get £500 of added insurance We blow our mobile horn... (eg, 50GB Sim £4/mth) Martin: Top 10 firms to haggle with Exclusive: 30 retailers named & shamed Ends. 4.55% 1yr savings FIX with access FREE National Trust family pass Martin: 'Why all 18 to 39s should put £1 in a Lifetime ISA asap!' From Thu. 25% off Lego at Tesco Cheapest energy fix now even cheaper Ends Fri. Amazon Prime 'Day' deals, eg, 4K Fire stick £28 HMRC sending 4m Income Tax refund letters - is yours legit? Warning. Got a Citroën or DS car? A rare personal blog from Martin: 'Bullshit, Balcony Boys & Mick Jagger' Martin: 'Owed £10k+ in lost pensions?' Did you request a Govt callback to buy extra NI years? 33% off Alton Towers, Thorpe Park etc National Express code, up to three kids go free The Sun '£9.50' holidays are back... Last chance. Want MSE Charity grant? This week's best buys: 34mth 0% debt shift, 5.9% loan, 132Mb fibre £23/mth Money Moral Dilemma: I don't drink or eat meat - should I split restaurant bills? 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

Ditching & switching is better than bitching New. Free £205 bank switch OR last chance £200 & top service  Right now banks are fighting to PAY YOU FOR YOUR BUSINESS, with £200 cash, 16mths' free insurance, 0% overdrafts & bills cashback Does your bank make you happy? If it does, great. If not, don't complain, switch! We're in a sweet spot for current account (day-to-day) banking deals right now, with five banks willing to pay you to switch, and a host of other privileges and perks available, too. So, we wanted to guide you through this plethora of choice.  We've grouped deals into four types, so first work out which appeals most, then jump to full details on each type. There is some overlap... Up to £205 FREE switching cash. An easy way to make money, plus some that pay are among the best ranked. Jump to free cash. Up to 2% cashback on bills. No switching needed - best for specific accounts or joint accounts you pay bills from. Jump to bills accounts. The 0% overdraft (& free cash) option. Overdraft interest is usually a dangerous 40%, so if you dip into yours, focus on this as the cost can outweigh other perks. Jump to 0% overdrafts. Get £500 of added mobile, travel & breakdown insurance. With packaged bank accounts you pay a £10 to £20 monthly fee, but get high-quality insurance included. If you'd buy these anyway, this can be very lucrative, especially for couples & families, and right now some give switch bonuses meaning in effect you get over a year for free. Jump to insurance winners. Switching is easy & hassle-free: Not all deals require you to switch, but if they do, don't worry, for most it's usually easy and hassle-free. All those that do are signed up to the seven (working) day switch service. This closes your old account and moves all your money, Direct Debits & standing orders for you. Any payments to the old account are auto-forwarded. The only thing it doesn't do is move 'recurring payments' for you - these are subscriptions made by giving the long number on your card - eg, for Netflix & Amazon Prime. Those you'll need to do yourself. You also usually have to pass a not-too-harsh credit check. 1) The top FREE cash switch bonuses New. Get up to £205 to switch and cashback too A crucial measure of bank profitability is the 'cross-sell' ratio, ie, how many different products they can sell you. And banks believe if they have your current account custom it's easier to sell you other things, which is why some are willing to (legally) bribe you to switch to them.  We say grab the cash, but don't feel the need to be loyal. You needn't stick with the bank for other products, so bag yourself the best credit card, loan, savings, mortgage and more from across the market. However, don't let that stop you getting paid for your custom. The top FREE CASH switch bonuses Full detail & eligibility info on all accounts via best bank accounts  Top for bills Santander* New. FREE £205 & 1% bills cashback.  Service: 62% 'great' Min pay-in: £500/mth Can't get it if you've... had its switch bonus before. Santander Edge* was already a top contender, but today it's just temporarily boosted its offering - switch via this special link and you get a £25 Amazon voucher on top of the £180 cash. The account has a £3/mth fee, but gives 1% cashback on household bills paid from it (max £10/mth). We estimate someone with typical bills would gain £80 to £100/yr bills cashback even after the fee. - FREE £180 if you have 2+ household Direct Debits & pay in £1,500+ in 60 days. - FREE £25 Amazon voucher. If you sign up via the special link, it's emailed by 25 Sept if you're accepted for the account. - Up to £10/mth 1% cashback on energy, Council Tax, broadband, TV, mobile & water bills. - Separate up to £10/mth 1% cashback on supermarket, fuel and train spending till 9 Sept. - Top overseas debit card, so you get near-perfect exchange rates. - Linked 6% easy-access saver for up to £4,000 (maxed out: £234/yr interest). Top all-rounder First Direct* Ends Sun. FREE £200, top overseas debit card, 0% overdraft & linked 7% saver.  Service: 92% 'great' Min pay-in: £1,000 once Can't get it if you've... had any FD account before, or opened one with HSBC since Jan '18. First Direct's 1st account* is fee-free and has been near-top of every banking customer service poll we've ever run, and until Sun via this special link, on top of its £175 cash for switching, you get a £25 Amazon voucher. After selecting the voucher you open the account by app, unless it's a joint account in which case you do it online. - FREE £175 if you switch 2+ Direct Debits/standing orders, make 5+ payments on your debit card within 45 days & pay in a total of £1,000+ (it's no problem if you then immediately withdraw it). - FREE £25 Amazon voucher. If you sign up via the special link, it's emailed within 90 days of opening the account. - Ongoing £250 0% overdraft for many. - Top overseas debit card, so you get near-perfect exchange rates. - Linked 7% AER 1yr fixed regular saver for up to £300/mth (maxed out: £136.50/yr interest). Top for rewards  New. Lloyds FREE £185 plus perks & a 6.25% regular saver. Service: 59% 'great' Min pay-in: A hefty £2,000/mth or there's a £5/mth fee Can't get it if you've... had switch cash from Lloyds, Bank of Scotland or Halifax since April '20. Club Lloyds also pays a good whack upfront, though its eligibility criteria are more harsh than other banks. You get... - Free £185 cash if you switch 3+ Direct Debits and meet the £2,000/mth minimum pay-in (equivalent to paying in an annual salary of £28,500). If not, you pay £5/mth (in which case, don't do it). - A choice of one of 12 months' Disney+, OR six free cinema tickets, OR an annual Coffee Club & Gourmet Society membership, OR a magazine subscription. Once you opt for this, it's locked in for a year.  - Linked 6.25% AER 1yr fixed regular saver for up to £300/mth (maxed out: £161/yr interest). Ongoing cashback  NatWest FREE £125 + £50, plus possible £36/yr cashback. Service: 54% 'great' Min pay-in: £1,250/mth Can't get it if you've... ever had a switch bonus from it, RBS or Ulster Bank. NatWest Reward is a slightly more complicated account, but still a decent lucrative alternative, especially for those who have had all the switch bonuses above. - Free £125 cash. A simple switching bonus. - Free £50 when you open its linked 5.5% regular savings account. You only have to pay £1 in the first month to get the bonus. It's not a bad account, though - you can put up to £150/mth in till you've £5,000 saved (max interest in year 1 £53, more in year 2 etc). - You pay £2/mth but get up to £5/mth back. You get £4/mth when you pay out 2+ Direct Debits & an extra £1/mth by logging in to mobile banking each month: a net gain of £3/mth after the £2/mth fee. Service ratings come from our January poll. Ends Thu. Existing Nationwide customer? Strong FREE £200 switch deal available. There's a £200 switch bonus for those who already have a Nationwide personal savings account (including cash ISAs) or residential mortgage switching an account in. Plus existing current account customers can also get the £200 but only if switching a current account in from another bank (and you can't have had a Nationwide switch bonus before, unless on a joint account & this is single, or vice-versa). If you qualify, do read our full Nationwide eligibility & review. Will switching bank affect my credit score? One extra search on your credit file shouldn't make much difference (though many in a short time can). Some lenders do score you down short-term for switching bank accounts as they like evidence of longevity. 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, prioritise that and avoid switching until after. Otherwise, one bank switch isn't really an issue. More in how switching banks affects your credit. Get 1% spending cashback on top with any account The app-only Chase current account* is easy to get - there's no need to switch or pass a hard credit-check. Plus, it gives 1% cashback on UK groceries, transport and fuel (exclusions apply) for spending on its debit card, up to a max £15/mth (after year one, you must pay in £1,500/mth to get this). It also currently offers new customers a 5% easy-access savings account (max £250,000). So you can use the other banks, then put money in Chase each month for this type of spending, to get the best of both worlds. The Chase debit card is also top for spending abroad, and you get 5% variable for a year on its linked saver. See our full Chase review. You may be able to make £1,000s by repeatedly switching bank. Becoming a bank bribe bagger can pay well - we've had people tell us they've made a shedload. Could you do it too? See full pros & cons in make £1,000s by repeatedly switching bank. As Tommy emailed in April: "Hi Martin. Thank you for your bank-switching and bank loyalty payment info. I may be the king of the switchers, or am I...? I've received £2,135 free money from the banks with your help. Keep the info coming, thanks again." I don't qualify for one of these accounts - what can I do? Unfortunately, over a million people don't have a bank account. Yet if you've ID, you can get an account with no overdraft. Do read our Basic bank accounts guide. 2) The top bills (& joint bills) accounts  Eg, 2% back on all Direct Debits A useful trick for budgeting is to have a separate bank account for bills, so you put money in it to cover them, and you know that what's in your normal account is for spending. This can be even more useful for couples with individual accounts, but then a joint one for bills.  If you already have one or want one, you should consider a couple of accounts that currently pay cashback on bills you pay from them. Biscuit is a new current account from Zopa Bank, the other is Santander Edge which we've already gone through in detail above. We've pitched them head-to-head below so you can see which wins for you. Battle of the bills (accounts) Santander Edge* Zopa Biscuit Switch bonus FREE £205 None Bills cashback 1% on many household bills, capped at £10/mth so £120/yr  2% on ALL Direct Debits for 12mths, not just bills, but capped at £30/yr Monthly fee £3  None Linked savings (variable) 6% easy access on up to £4,000 for 1yr (max £234 interest) 7.1% regular saver for £300/mth for 1yr (max £137 interest) Current account interest None 2% for 12mths  Fee free abroad Yes Yes (mostly) Min pay-in £500/mth None Must switch to open? No (for the cashback but yes for the £205) No Credit check Hard credit check Soft credit check If you're willing to switch account to do this, Santander is the clear winner here due to the free £205.  For those who aren't, both can be opened without switching. In that case, it's closer. While Biscuit pays cashback on all Direct Debits, the £30/yr cap is limiting, so if you've relevant bills of £550+ a month (even factoring in the fee) Santander still wins. Bigger bills? Santander Edge Up* costs £5/mth but gives up to £15/mth back on most household bills (so max £180/yr) and you still get the free £205 for switching to it. So for bills over £1,200/mth it beats the standard Edge account. The min pay-in is £1,500/mth, though, and you can't open the 6% saver with this account. Martin's couples cheat code: As Santander gives switchers £205 and caps the cashback at £10/mth, if you're a couple with bigger bills, you could open one each, thus bagging £360 and getting up to £20/mth bills cashback. You'd need two accounts to be switching from. Assuming you have one bills account already, one of you just set up any other bog-standard current account elsewhere, then assign two of your bills to it (so you've got the Direct Debits ready) then apply to switch it to Santander Edge.  To then allocate the payments between you, I'd just work out what will be paid from each of your bills accounts to max the cashback and both put in the same share as before, just allocating to the right account. 3) Top accounts if you use your overdraft Can you get free cash & a £250 INTEREST-FREE overdraft? Overdrafts are a danger debt - the typical interest rate is 40%, so best avoided. On social media last week, in Martin's X poll of 29,000 people... - 71% were never overdrawn - 11% were overdrawn once or twice a year - 8.5% were often overdrawn  - 8.9% were almost constantly overdrawn Frankly, unless you're never overdrawn, ensuring you've a cheap overdraft option is important. Too many think 'credit cards bad, debit cards good'. For those overdrawn, it's more a case of 'credit cards bad, debit cards worse', because of overdrafts' now typical 40% rates - nearly double bog-standard high-street credit cards. You CAN switch banks if you're overdrawn. Though there's no guarantee the new one will offer you an overdraft or even match your existing one. But the banks below have overdraft eligibility checkers you can use before applying to see whether it's likely you'll qualify. Full info in top overdraft accounts, but in brief... A possible £250 0% overdraft, and, if you switch, £175 free cash & £25 Amazon voucher. First Direct* (full details above) gives accepted new switchers a free £175 cash which can help reduce what they owe, and many get a £250 ongoing interest-free overdraft too (credit score dependent, and it's the standard 40% above that). So, this is good for smaller overdrafts, or those who just dip in. You will have to 'switch' the overdraft over yourself. While all your Direct Debits and standing orders will be moved as normal, expect your old bank to ask you whether you can pay the overdraft off, or whether you want to keep the account open while you do (it varies by bank). If you do keep it open, payments to the old account are unlikely to be forwarded to the new one so you may need to arrange to move them yourself. Small £100 0% overdraft buffer plus £185 free cash. Club Lloyds (details above) is currently offering new switchers £185 and also gives an ongoing £100 0% overdraft (again, credit score dependent, and it's the standard 40% above that). It's a good option if you're only a small way into an overdraft. Plus, you get a free perk for 12 months, eg, Disney+ with ads or 6 cinema tickets. Only do this if you'll meet its £2,000/mth minimum pay-in though, or you pay a £5/mth fee. Lower interest rate overdrafts. App-only Starling has no 0% overdraft but does offer overdrafts with rates typically lower than most other banks. Depending on your credit score, you could get a 15%, 25% or 35% overdraft, so check your eligibility on its site before you apply. Still, at these rates it's costly so you'd be better to try a... 0% money transfer credit card. This is a specialist card that allows you to do a special transaction to pay money into your bank account, so you then owe it at 0% instead, and you can use that time to clear the debt. You can get up to 14mths 0%, though be careful, it's easy to get it wrong. Our Money transfers guide takes you through it, including top deals. Martin's 5 top tips to cut your overdraft... The rate isn't the only thing to focus on. Our Cut overdraft costs guide has full info, but here are Martin's 5 most important tips: a) 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. b) Consider moving Direct Debits to just before payday. The idea is you're overdrawn for less time, so costs are lower. c) Got savings? Use 'em to clear it. See Repay debt with savings? d) Can you reclaim past bank charges? See Bank charge reclaiming. e) Struggling with all debt? Get free help from Citizens Advice, National Debtline or StepChange. It can make a huge difference. 4) Top bank accounts that give big insurance  Get £500ish of insurance for £150/yr Packaged bank accounts are those where you pay a monthly fee, and lots of insurance products are thrown in. If you're the type of person who shells out £100s each year for family travel insurance, breakdown cover, and mobile phone protection, then they could save you money. Our top picks are below & many more options are in Top packaged bank accounts. PS: If you wouldn't get the insurance separately, don't touch them. In fact, many people were wrongly upsold them in the past and can reclaim packaged bank account fees. FREE £185 cash on £11.50/mth account means essentially you get 16mths free. New switchers to Club Lloyds Silver get £185 free (if moving 3+ Direct Debits over) and pay £11.50/mth (min pay-in £2,000/mth or there's a £5/mth fee). It includes: - European travel insurance for the whole family (max age 65) - Mobile phone cover for the account holder(s) - Family UK breakdown cover (roadside assistance only) You also get the usual Club Lloyds reward - eg, a choice of 12mths' Disney+ (with ads), six cinema tickets etc - and fee-free spending and ATM withdrawals abroad. PS: If you're in a trusting relationship, add your partner to the account even if they won't use it, then their mobile phone is covered too. Top family account at £12.50/mth. Virgin Money's Club M is strong for family gadget cover which can be worth £100s. It includes: - Worldwide family travel insurance (max age 74) - Mobile phone & gadget cover, eg, tablets, laptops for the whole family (ie, any relative living at the same address as you) - UK & European breakdown cover for the account holder(s) Top for older travellers at £18/mth. Nationwide FlexPlus costs £18/mth and includes: - Worldwide family travel insurance, crucially with no upper age limit (though always declare pre-existing medical conditions) - Mobile phone cover for the whole family (ie, you and your partner, plus any unmarried children under 19, or 22 if in full-time education) - UK & European breakdown cover for the account holder(s) It also offers a £200 switch bonus for existing Nationwide customers on the same terms as the fee-free account above.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Three steps to slash your mobile costs... We don't like to blow our own trumpet, but TOOOOT! MSE Cheap Mobile Finder's cheapest Sims are on average 24% cheaper than other big mobile comparisons' cheapest, eg, 50GB data £4/mth 'We're saving £500/yr on our mobile costs thanks to you' Our job is to tell you how to save money and where best to do it. We've often seen that our MSE Cheap Mobile Finder undercuts other comparison sites, but we wanted robust data to show the scale. After all, it's a key point for us - when it comes to Sims, it's not just 'do a comparison' but 'where you compare' that matters (detailed data below). All this can lead to accelerated savings, as CamGenix posted this week on X: "@MartinSLewis Just a quickie Martin, listened to you [Cheap Sims podcast] last week. Between my wife and I, we are now saving around £40/mth (nearly £500/yr) on mobile costs, plus we've increased our data - thanks!" Here are the key steps: Step 1: Are you free to switch & save? Type five digits to find out whether you're out of contract. Text 'INFO' for free to 85075. It's an Ofcom service and firms must then tell you whether you're out of contract. You're looking to see something along the lines of 'a £0 early termination/cancellation charge' to find out whether you're free to move. - With Three, Smarty or iD Mobile? You'll need to reply with your date of birth to prove identity. - On a multiple phone contract? The service won't work for you, but if you've been with the same provider for more than two years, you're likely out of contract, though do contact your provider to check. Step 2: Switch Sim to save. Our Cheap Sim comparison tool has all the deals - here's a taster of what's there... Cheapest Sim-only deals Full info via our Cheap Sims comparison, and use our Data Calc if you're unsure how much you use Provider (and signal used) Average monthly cost over the first year Lebara (Vodafone)  4.1 / 5 ('good') customer service MSE Blagged - 10GB at '£3.05/mth': made up of £1/mth for 7mths, then £5.90/mth. - 35GB at '£3.64/mth': made up of £1.50/mth for 8mths, then £7.90/mth. - 100GB at '£5.30/mth': made up of £1.99/mth for 8mths, then £11.90/mth. - Rolling 1mth contract, so you can cancel at any time (eg, just before the price jump). - Unlimited UK minutes & texts | Free roaming in Europe (1). iD Mobile (Three)  3.1 / 5 ('OK') customer service - 50GB at '£3.67/mth': made up of £4/mth for 3mths, then £8/mth & a £40 Amazon/Currys voucher. - 120GB at '£5.21/mth': made up of £2.50/mth for 3mths, then £10/mth & a £35 Amazon/Currys voucher. - The vouchers will be emailed to you within 4mths, do check your spam folder. - We factor the vouchers in to the 'equivalent cost' over the 12mth contract. - Unlimited UK minutes & texts | Free roaming in Europe (1). Spusu (EE)  4.2 / 5 ('good') customer service - 20GB at £6.90/mth: It's a straight £6.90/mth with nothing to claim on a 1mth contract. - Unlimited UK minutes & texts | Free roaming in Europe. O2 (O2) 3.1 / 5 ('OK') customer service - 32GB at '£8.60/mth': made up of £8/mth then £9.80/mth from April 2026 on a 12mth contract. - Unlimited UK minutes & texts | Free roaming in Europe (2). Only includes providers with enough votes (75+) to get a customer score in our latest survey. (1) Up to 30GB/mth usage. (2) Up to 25GB/mth usage. Thinking: 'But I like my signal, I'm worried about switching?' There are only four networks in the UK - Vodafone, Three, O2 and EE - all others piggyback on their signals. So you can just use the filters in our Cheap Sims tool to find out which is the cheapest deal that stays on your existing signal (though if you rely on 5G, Wi-Fi calling or 4G calling, do check it does that). Step 3: To keep your number, text 'PAC' for free to 65075. Then you get a code to send to your new provider, which will transfer it over, usually in one working day. Martin's haggle cheat code: If you're out of contract and want to stick where you are, haggling can work well (see top 10 firms to haggle with below) - just benchmark the best price elsewhere and ask them to match it. As a short cut, you could just try texting for your PAC code. Sometimes texting 'PAC' makes your existing provider think you're about to leave, and it may offer you a deal to stay there and then. Many people have told me they've gained this way, such as Dave, who emailed: "We saw Martin suggesting how to move Sim by applying for a PAC code. My wife and I were paying £37/mth for unlimited data, and EE called us as soon as we got our PAC codes and offered us the same over two years for £13/mth each. It's a huge saving. Our sincere thanks." MSE Cheap Mobile Finder vs other comparisons... OK, let's do the data. Over seven weeks (we checked over four in April, then three in June, just in case it was seasonal) for 5GB, 10GB, 50GB and 100GB Sims, we were on average 24% cheaper than the next cheapest of uSwitch, Gocompare and Compare The Market. The biggest gap was at 10GB, where we were 43% cheaper on average. It was very rare we were beaten, and even when we were, it was due to vouchers you had to jump through hoops to redeem. Why is Cheap Mobile Finder cheaper? A few factors. It's partly because we've such high traffic and are trusted, so providers want to compete on MSE, and partly due to our Blagged deals. But we think the main factor is because we filter based on equivalent monthly cost over the length of the contract by default, so providers know they must be overall cheapest to lead our tables, rather than other sites who rank by promoted / recommended or most popular.

 

Exclusive: 30 retailers including Selfridges, New Look & Monsoon publish misleading return rights info on their websites, worse than you legally have. Our detailed research shows the stores you need to be careful of and what your rights are in our retail wrongs investigation. We're reporting them to Trading Standards. Could end any min! Rare 4.55% top 1yr savings FIX 'with access'. The Marcus (part of Goldman Sachs) 4.55% 1yr fix* (min £1, max £250k) launched last week and, unusually for a top savings fix, it's both from a big name and gives rare flexibility in that, if necessary, you can withdraw without notice by closing the account. You just lose 90 days' interest (or any interest paid if you close before 90 days). We hear it could end as soon as tonight (Tue), so it may be gone when you read this, but we're including just in case. New this week, GB Bank's 4.58% 1yr fix (min £1k) pays a tiny bit more (just 30p/yr per £1,000) but you get no access to your cash. Or, for full flexibility, you can earn 5% easy access. Far more help in Top savings. Totally FREE National Trust family day pass (normally £35ish). Go quick, as there's a limited number available online (after that you can do it via a £1.20 newspaper). Excludes Scotland sites. Free National Trust Martin: 'Why every 18 to 39-year-old should put £1 in a Lifetime ISA asap!' Watch Martin's 60-sec video on how to get £1,000s towards your first home (and when you shouldn't) as an intro to his new must-listen for under-40s (and parents of younger adults) Lifetime ISA episode of The Martin Lewis Podcast. (Listen on BBC Sounds | Apple Podcasts | Spotify & elsewhere.) And for more help and best buys, see Martin's must-know for 18-to-39s from last week's email. From Thu. 25% off lots of Lego at Tesco. In 500+ Tesco stores, you just need a Clubcard. Lego to Tesco Cheapest energy fixes now even cheaper - save 10.4% (typically £150+) over the new Price Cap cut. Last week, the Price Cap, which dictates what most households (which aren't on fixes) in England, Wales & Scotland pay for energy, was cut by 7%. The new cheapest fix is from Ecotricity* and is 10.4% cheaper even than the new lower Cap. We covered it in last week's detailed slash your energy costs help, but it's now a smidge cheaper, plus there were some technical glitches signing some people up which are now sorted. See how it stacks up for you via our Cheap Energy Club comparison. Ends Fri. Amazon Prime 'Day' is on - we sort deals from duds, eg, £28 Fire TV stick 4K (was £60), £269 Sonos headphones (were £400). Plus there's an extra 20% off Amazon Resale. See our full Prime 'Day' analysis. HMRC's sending 4 MILLION Income Tax refund letters - how to tell whether yours is genuine. The tax office letters are being sent between June and August, but sadly scammers commonly pretend to be HMRC. See our how to tell whether it's genuine and claim your money help. Related: Check your tax code to see whether you're owed money. Got a Citroën or DS car? Your rights as 'do not drive' order issued. How to check whether you're affected, plus your rights to a repair, courtesy car, and compensation explained - incl a view from a consumer lawyer. See Citroën recall. A rare personal blog from Martin: 'Bullshit, Balcony Boys & Mick Jagger - what my student union year taught me about life.' It's now 30yrs since his sabbatical year as LSE Students' Union General Secretary (akin to SU President elsewhere), so he's put together some pictures and memories from the time. It's a telling read - you can start to see how he became the Money Saving Expert... Martin: 'Bullshit, Balcony Boys & Mick Jagger'

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - Lebara Sim-only deals, eg, 10GB '£3.05/mth' Ends Fri	DID YOU MISS? - Cash ISA limit to be slashed announcement imminent? - Halifax Reward customer? It's axing its perks - £90 of No7 beauty & skincare £35 - Chase launches credit card with perks... but is it worth getting? - Paying for a car on PCP or HP finance? Can you cut the cost?

 

 

Slash broadband, TV, mobile, insurance & breakdown cover costs Martin: The top 10 UK call-centre firms to haggle with  There's an argument that in regulated industries, haggling shouldn't work, as it's unfair to those who lack the skills, education, mental health or capacity to do it. Yet it is allowed and it does work, so it's important that we continue to share knowledge of where to haggle, and how to do it most easily and effectively. While you can haggle anywhere (do it with warmth and the worst that can happen is they say no), big savings come from service firms in mature markets, such as mobiles, where everyone already has the product so companies need to retain existing customers. That means when you're at or past the end of your contract, you're holstering a huge weapon... loyalty. Our haggling help guide has full info, but as a special deal just for you, here's my quick briefing...  1. The Top 10 Firms To Haggle With 2025. Our new haggling poll has just closed - we had almost 5,000 hagglers voting on where they'd succeeded at haggling, and whether they rated it a big or small saving. The results are gobsmacking - remember, a rate of over 80% means more than four in five people who tried to haggle succeeded (we only include firms that received at least 75 votes in total). The top three are the same as last year, but a slightly different order. 2. Four sectors dominate - here's how you tackle each of them. Breakdown cover, broadband & TV, mobile, and car & home insurance providers are the fab four. With all of them, the most important first step is to benchmark a realistic quote you can ask 'em to match or beat. It must be one you can actually get (eg, broadband is postcode-specific), so I've put links below to make that easy. Plus, of course, if your current provider won't play ball, you can see the saving and whether it's actually worth moving elsewhere.  The four haggle sectors: And how to speedily benchmark a price Breakdown cover - average 81% success: See the cheapest prices via our breakdown cover guide.  Broadband & paid-for TV - average 69% success: Compare broadband costs or see digital TV cost-cutting. Car & home insurance - average 62% success: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance and Compare+ Home Insurance tools to get a benchmark quote and see bespoke tricks to slash your price. PS: With both of these, costs are LOWER than last year, so don't think a renewal at the same price as last year is a good deal. Mobiles - average 58% success: Use our Cheap Mobile & Sim Finder tool. The aim of haggling in these sectors is all about keeping the exact service you have (or bettering it) and paying less. There's no point if you're within contract - they have you trapped. So wait until you're no longer locked in.  Jan emailed last month to say: "Well, how thrilled are we! Our Virgin bill has been creeping up, now £80/mth, so as we neared our contract end, we girded our loins for haggle time. We got two other quotes, then approached Virgin, and after turning three offers down, got our bill reduced to £51/mth [saving £348/yr]. A big win. We're now going away for a week on our savings! It can be done, thanks for your advice." 3. Know your 'haggle reason' before you call. Before you get in touch, think about what you want and how you're going to get it. If you're not confident, plan the relevant pitch, whether it's a straight "I like your service but you're putting the price up and it costs too much - can you reduce it?", or "I've worked out my budget, and my absolute max is £xxx", or "I've checked online and [name of rival] can do it for less". To help, see our full list of phrases that pay.  Tim emailed last week: "Dear MSE team. Thank you for your moral support. Hyperoptic, my broadband supplier for over five years, told me I was going to pay 40% more from April. I got cross in a very un-English way... Comparison websites showed it was offering much the same package to new customers for about half that. So I called their team and - result: a new contract at £20/mth [saving £228/yr] with a new router and a signal booster for free." 4. BIG RULE: Always be polite & charming, never rude - win 'em over. Channel your charm, holster hostility. You've no right to a better deal, only to leave, so ALWAYS be amiable - think of it as a form of financial flirtation; you want to win them to your side, not fight them. Anecdotal evidence suggests some employees get discount quotas, so if the person you're talking to likes you, they might be more likely to use up one of their discounts on you. 5. No joy? Ask to cancel. 'Disconnections' are really 'customer retentions'. Few people know the Rolling Stones wrote "I can't get no satisfaction" after a poor experience of trying to haggle free additional home-start on their roadside recovery policy. If you've had similar, remember, that while you can't always get what you want, if you try sometimes, well, you just might find, you get what you need. And with haggling, the way to do that is to indicate you're going to leave. While they call it the disconnections department to us, internally they're usually known as customer retentions, and workers there may have far more deals authority, power and discretion to get you to stay (see tips to talk to disconnections). And if you do actually leave, don't be surprised if they contact you later with an even better offer. As Dave posted on X last month: "@MartinSLewis Sky was going to be £110. I was offered £80 after haggling. Gave 30 days' notice to cancel. After two weeks I got a text. Ended up at £67.50." 6. Don't feel you have to cancel. If they then call your bluff and say they'll disconnect you, buy yourself time to think simply by saying: "I need to check with my husband/girlfriend/guinea pig first - I'll call you back." 7. If you fail... try again. There are no guarantees, but if you don't get anywhere on your first go, you may want to give it a couple of days and try again. The call centre may have hit its quota of discounts for that day/week, or the agent might just have been having a hard day. For more on this, see our 22 call-centre secrets. 8. If it doesn't work, why not ditch & switch? If you're overpaying and can get it cheaper elsewhere, it's time to consider ditching and switching and trying someone else. (Go back to point 2 above for the key links.) It may be the start of a beautiful new (contractual) relationship.

 

Martin: 'Are you owed £1,000s or £10,000s in lost pensions?' See the 4 quick steps to check & get it back in Martin's 4-min video explainer, plus there's full help in our guide on how to find a lost pension. Did you request a callback from the Government to buy extra National Insurance years after April's deadline? We want to know your experience of the 'callback' system, to see whether it's working. Take our 5min survey 33% off online prices for Alton Towers, Thorpe Park & more. You'll need a train ticket (we've a trick if not travelling by train), or you can get an easier 25% off code in £1 Kellogg's packs. Theme parks National Express code gets up to three kids (15 or under) free travel with a paying grown-up. All UK coach journeys till 30 Sept. Just the ticket The Sun '£9.50' holidays are back... but are they ever really £9.50? Our analysis suggests otherwise, though savings are still possible. For hols until July 2026. Sun holidays Last chance. MSE Charity grant applications close at 5pm this Thu (10 July). Know a non-profit group that could benefit from a cash boost? It's the last chance to apply for up to £10,000 for organisations that help people to improve their money skills. Check whether your group qualifies and see how to apply.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: NatWest (check eligibility) up to 34mths 0%, 3.49% fee, 24.9% rep APR interest No-fee 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility) up to 14mths 0%, 24.9% rep APR interest Best bank accounts Free £180 + £25 Amazon vch: Santander Edge Free £175 + £25 Amazon vch: First Direct 1st Account Broadband top picks Fast fibre (100Mb+): Virgin '£22.74/mth' Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Sky '£26/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Cheap insurance Car: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Home: Try our Compare+ Home Insurance tool Cheap loans £5,000 to £7,499: People's Choice (check eligibility), 7% rep APR interest (6.5% on £7,000 to £7,499) £7,500 to £15,000: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 5.9% rep APR interest Top savings accounts Top easy-access savings: Chase 5%, min £1 Top easy-access cash ISA: Trading 212 4.98%, min £1 Top one-year fix: GB Bank 4.58%, min £1,000 Top energy deals Use our whole-of-market Cheap Energy Club Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.70/mth' for 3GB 4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£2.72/mth' for 5GB 10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£3.05/mth' for 10GB 31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£3.67/mth' for 50GB

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: TSB customer? You may be moved to Santander in future

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA I don't drink or eat meat - how do I speak up about how shared restaurant bills are split? When eating out with others, I feel I'm usually expected to split the bill evenly. Yet I don't eat meat or drink alcohol, and only take water with my meal. I'm not stingy, but feel put off eating out when expected to pay the same as others who have indulged in steaks and bottles of wine. How do I speak out about how bills are split without others kicking off? Enter the Money Moral Maze: How do I speak up about restaurant bills? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: Tablets, budgeting tips & tackling weeds

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 8 JUL ONWARDS) Wed 9 Jul - Good Morning Britain, co-presenting, ITV1, 6am Thu 10 Jul - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 11.15am Tue 15 Jul - This Morning, phone-in, ITV1, 10am

 

 

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