Cash ISAs cut!, £19/mth fast b’band, £10 1L Baileys, ‘£150’ off energy bills, £225 bank switch, top 0% spending + free £25 ends

Plus... New Google Pixel 10 £100 cheaper, State Pension tax news, 12x wine £60, £90 off air fryer

                                                           

02 December 2025 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Cash ISAs cut! What Budget means for savers, plus... - Martin's 3 considerations before saving - Top 4.52% easy-access savings - Top 4.5% fixed savings - 3 ways to boost interest up to 50% - 2 ways to minimise tax Important Energy News. '£150' off bills New. Cheapest 150Mb b'band '£19/mth' News. Chancellor: 'Only on State Pension? You won't pay tax!' Battle of the Baileys: £10 for one litre New. Google Pixel 10 £100 cheaper FREE £200 + new £25 Amazon voucher £170 Instant Pot 8.5L air fryer £80 12 bottles of wine £60 Ends. £25 voucher on top 0% spend card Martin Pod: Speedy Budget breakdown Question Pod: Ditch Premium Bonds? New. Cheapest loan 5.7% Four months' free, ad-free music Chancellor to Ofcom: 'Review 30-day telecoms cancellation rule' Ends. Bag up to £70 cashback How to do good this Christmas This week's best buys: 35mth 0% debt shift + £20, 50GB Sim £3/mth & more Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay off son's debts a second time? 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 Best Sim-only deals

News. Cash ISA limit to be cut to £12,000 for U65s How to max the interest on every penny of your savings, earn 4.5% Includes full savings, fixes & cash ISA best buys...  Last week's Budget announcements on savings will likely reshape how many save in the coming years, so we'll start with Martin's explainer of what the Budget changes for savers mean, then it's on to: - Martin's 3 things to consider before saving. - Top 4.52% easy-access savings: Withdraw when you want. - Top 4.5% fixed savings: Lock money away at a guaranteed rate. - 3 ways to boost interest to up to 50%. - 2 ways to minimise tax: Cash ISAs & Premium Bonds. ...Remember, you can pick 'n' mix as many savings accounts as you want to combine terms that suit you. Martin: Savers face real change due to the Budget... Cash ISA allowance to be cut. A cash ISA is just a savings account where the interest isn't taxed (see my 'Understanding ISAs is a piece of cake' YouTube video primer). On 6 April 2027, while the total ISA limit will stay at £20,000, the amount those aged under 65 can save in a cash ISA will be cut to £12,000 (it'll stay at £20,000 for those aged 65+). That means you can either put up to £20,000 in a shares ISA, or up to £12,000 in a cash ISA with the remainder in shares if you choose. This reduction only applies to NEW money being put in, not cash already in ISAs, nor does it limit cash ISA transfers. So, if you have that much cash to save, and aren't planning to use your ISA for shares, do max out this & next tax-year's top cash ISAs before it's cut. Plus, in order to prevent workarounds (dammit), it's suggesting new rules (subject to consultation), only for under-65s, to come in on 6 April 2027: Stopping all transfers (even money from past years) from a shares ISA into a cash ISA, as you can do now. Though you will still be able to move money from cash ISAs to shares ISAs.  Adding an as-yet undisclosed tax charge on any cash held in a shares or innovative finance ISA. The Chancellor says this isn't about raising revenue, but to encourage younger people to invest rather than save. I agree we have a problem with under-investment, but disagree that cutting cash ISAs is the solution - I'd prefer to have seen better education, more access to guidance, and incentives for investing. See more on how to use cash ISAs below. Savings interest tax (+ property income & dividends) to increase by 2% points. Savings aren't taxed, but the interest on them is. Even then, many needn't pay it, as there are substantial tax-free allowances. Yet from April 2027 if you do pay tax on savings interest, the rate's increasing by 2% points, as it is for property income, and also for dividends but that's in April 2026. Here are the new rates: - Basic 20% rate: savings & property 22%; dividends 10.75% - Higher 40% rate: savings & property 42%; dividends 35.75% - Top 45% rate: savings & property 47%; dividends 39.35% So it's important to use your tax-free allowances effectively. See my beginners' guide to tax-free savings allowances video easy explainer on my YouTube page, but in brief you've got: The Personal Allowance - the £12,570/yr most people can earn from any income without paying tax on it.  The Starting Rate for Savings - if you earn under £18,570/yr, there's up to £5,000/yr extra interest you can earn tax-free. The Personal Savings Allowance (PSA) is on top of those. It's how much interest you can earn from all taxable savings, without paying tax on it. It's £1,000/yr for basic rate taxpayers (so currently you'd need over £22,000 saved at 4.5% to generate more interest than that) and £500/yr for higher rate taxpayers. On top of this you have non-taxable cash ISAs and premium bonds, which you can save in and the interest isn't taxed and doesn't count towards the allowances above. PS: See how do I actually pay savings tax. Martin's 3 things to consider before saving While building up savings, especially for emergencies, is a crucial aim for everyone, it isn't necessarily always the first thing to do... Got costly debt? If so, it's usually best to use spare cash to clear it first. A grand's debt on a credit card at a typical 25% costs £250/yr, while the same saved at 5% earns £50. Pay off the debt with the savings and you're £200/yr better off. For more on how to do this safely, see Should I pay debt with savings? Mortgage rate the same or higher than you can earn in savings? If so, check our Mortgage Overpayment Calc to see whether it's worth you overpaying (though do always keep a savings emergency fund of a few months' worth of bills). Most can overpay 10% a year penalty-free, but do check. Full help in our Should I overpay my mortgage? guide. Putting away money for 5+ years? Consider INVESTING. On the balance of probability, investing in a wide spread of assets will likely substantially outperform saving. We Brits often make the mistake of putting all our eggs in the safety basket, rather than investing some for greater growth.  And, ultimately, this is why the Chancellor's trying to make saving less attractive in the Budget (I'd have preferred her to make investing more attractive). Next week on Tue 9 Dec, 8pm, I'll be doing my first-ever ITV show on how to invest. Plus, there's help now in our our Investment ISA guide. Now, with the changes coming all set out above, below is the key info from my recent savings masterclass, which the brilliant MSE team have updated for me with the latest rates (as I'm prepping for my TV show). Two SIMPLE routes to good interest With savings, it's important to ask yourself: 'Do I want an easy life with good rates, or am I prepared to put in more work to maximise the interest on every penny?' Be honest with yourself. Don't set out to become a SuperSaver if you won't keep it up - as then it's better to play safe and first focus on these two simple, less-effort routes... PS: All the rates we show here are AERs (annual equivalent rate). 1. Top bog-standard EASY-ACCESS savings pay 4.52% (variable). Easy-access is the simplest form of savings, and right now the highest-paying form of savings, so... ...if you do nowt else, put all cash you don't imminently need in a top easy-access account. That's far better than leaving it lingering at a low rate in a poor standard savings account, or worse, a zero-interest current account. - Pros: You can put money in and take it out when you want, giving total flexibility. Plus, when you need to switch, it's easy - just withdraw from your existing account and put it in the new one.  - Cons: Rates are variable, so they move, often with Bank of England base rates (and a cut is likely soon), but many do also often drop them after a while, hoping you won't react. So, monitor the rate (at least every few months) and be prepared to ditch & switch if needed. Below are the current best buys. As rates can change, updates go in our top easy-access savings & top cash ISAs guides. Which is right for you depends, so read down till you find one that suits... Top tax-free 4.52% easy-access cash ISA. A cash ISA is just a savings account you can put up to £20,000 per tax year in, where the interest's NEVER taxed. Right now, the top payer has a better rate than the top normal savings, so if you haven't used this year's ISA allowance, you may as well grab it, even if you won't get any tax gain (unless you plan to use your ISA allowance this tax year for shares). - Trading 212's 4.52%* (min £1) allows unlimited withdrawals. The rate includes a 1yr 0.67% bonus for new Trading 212 customers.  - Plum 4.49% (min £1) which includes a 1yr 1.7% bonus. - For a better-known, non-app-based option there's Bank of Ireland 4.11%* (min £100) which includes a year-long 3.11% bonus, meaning for a year a strong rate's guaranteed, but you'll need to ditch & switch after. Top 4.51% easy-access savings. For normal taxable savings, the top payer is Chase (part of JPMorgan) 4.5%* (min £1, max £3m) but only for new customers to Chase bank, as the rate includes a 1yr 2% newbies bonus. You have to get it via its app-only current account (which anyone can get as it doesn't do a hard credit-check). If you've over £25,000 to save, it's beaten by app-only Monument Bank's 4.51%.  The top savings account that's both open to all and has no high min deposit is Cahoot (part of Santander) 4.4% (min £1, max £500k) though the account matures after a year (ie, it's moved to a low-interest account, so you'll need to ditch & switch). Alternatively, Kent Reliance 4.17% (min £1k, max £500k) is just a straightforward rate.  Top notice account 4.54% variable, but no instant withdrawals. This is a notice NOT easy-access account, but the rate is strong and otherwise it's simple. OakNorth Bank's 4.54% variable (min £1, max £500k) requires 95 days' notice to withdraw cash, so as long as you will know in advance when you'll need it (eg, buying a house), it's a useful option as it pays more than easy access. New. A top-paying ethical option. Zero's Planet Safe Saver 3.66% (min £1, max £1m) is the highest-paying 'ethical' saver (ie, avoids funding fossil fuels, weapons, tobacco and similar sectors), something we're often asked about, but the rates are normally awful - so this having an OK rate is an improvement. The savings account has full FSCS safety protection, newly increased to £120,000 per person (see below). However, to get it you need to open Zero's app-only current account (there's no hard credit check) and money in that is safeguarded but doesn't have FSCS protection, so don't keep large amounts there. More in Zero Planet Safe Saver. News: Safe Savings protection has just been increased All UK-regulated savings (which all we list are) are covered by the Govt-backed FSCS protection. Yesterday, that was increased to £120,000 per person per financial institution (from £85,000). For full help on how this works and what counts as an 'institution' see Are your savings safe? 2. Top FIXED-RATE savings pay 4.5% and here the rate is guaranteed not to drop. If you want the certainty of a guaranteed rate that won't change, without needing to monitor it, this is for you. Yet you have to lock the money away to do that (except in ISAs), so most people are best to have some easy-access savings and some fixed to get the best of both worlds. With fixes... - Pros: Certainty. Base rate drops won't affect you. So while easy-access rates are currently higher, if the UK base rate drops as predicted, fix now and the rate you're locked in to may look very good. - Cons: The money is usually locked away without access, so only put money in you definitely don't need to touch within that time. Plus, if rates rise elsewhere (not seen as imminently likely), you'd be stuck with this till the fix ends. Top open-to-all fixed savings (AERs) Normal savings Savings are locked away without access during the fix. Cash ISAs You can withdraw by closing it early, but you will lose 90 to 365 days' interest. 1-year fixes Investec 4.5% (min £5,000) DF Capital 4.45% (min £1,000) Bigger name  Co-op Bank 4.23% (min £1,000) Tembo via Investec 4.3% (min £500) Investec 4.3% (min £1,000) Bigger name NatWest 4.2%* (min £1,000) 2-year fixes Secure Trust Bank 4.42% (min £1,000) DF Capital 4.41% (min £1,000) Bigger name NS&I 4.1% (min £500) Secure Trust Bank 4.17% (min £1,000)  UBL 4.16% (min £2,000) Bigger name  NatWest 4%* (min £1,000) 3-year fixes FirstSave 4.25% (min £1,000) UBL UK 4.21% (min £2,000) Bigger name NS&I 4.16% (min £500) Castle Trust Bank 4.16% (min £1,000) Cynergy Bank 4.15% (min £500) Bigger name  Nationwide 3.8% (min £1) 5-year fixes Chetwood Bank 4.3% (min £1,000) UBL UK 4.26% (min £2,000) Bigger name NS&I 4.15% (min £500) Castle Trust Bank 4.13% (min £1,000) UBL UK 4.13% (min £2,000) Bigger name  Nationwide 3.8% (min £1) Is now a good time to fix and how long for? Martin: "The markets seem to be convinced base rates will fall at the Bank of England's next meeting on 18 December. So, if rate certainty is important to you, a fix seems like a decent bet.  "Provided you're comfortable locking the money away, the more you value certainty, the longer you should fix. Though, as you can see, the highest rates are currently paid for shorter fixes, foretelling the market's prediction that, over a longer time period, rates will drop.  "Also, do remember that while fixed rates are fixed, if UK interest rates fall and don't look like rising, the rate you'll be able to fix at in future will drop. So grabbing a decent fix now may look like a very good move in hindsight if that were to happen."  Three ways to boost your interest The basic savings building blocks are the easy-access and fixed accounts above. Yet there are some savings products paying more that either: a) limit who can get them; or  b) limit the amount you can put in.  If they apply to you, they're worth having. Think of this like a savings 'champagne' fountain. You pour your cash into the best possible product, then when it's full, move to the next one down and so on. So let's run through this in order of maximum returns... 1. Help to Save: An unbeatable 50% boost on what you save, if you work & are on Universal Credit If you're on Universal Credit and earn anything from work, you can open a Help to Save account via Gov.uk and keep using it, even if you're no longer eligible for UC.  You can save up to £50/mth, and after two years, you get a 50% bonus based on the highest balance you reached - even if you'd withdrawn the money. You can then repeat it for another two years for a second 50% boost.  It's unbeatable if you can get it. In the Budget, it was confirmed that the scheme is now permanent (it was due to end next year) and that from 2028, around 1.5m more people on Universal Credit will be eligible. For full info on Help to Save, see Martin's briefing in last week's email.  2. Lifetime ISA (LISA): A 25% boost for first-time buyers aged 18 to 39 Martin. "The Budget may've signalled the beginning of the end for LISAs. The Govt said it will launch a consultation in early 2026 on replacing it with a first-time buyer product, so any new scheme is still likely some way off. "The Chancellor also told me that this will include looking at raising the £450,000 property-price cap on existing LISAs (and I'll be pushing hard that, if the new product ends up better, people should be able to transfer their existing LISA (and Help to Buy ISA) money into it. "For now, though, I'd still say if you're a first-time buyer looking to buy a house worth under £450,000 within the next few years (but not within a year if you haven't got one open), then the LISA is still incredibly lucrative and you should look at it. See our Top Lifetime ISA guide for full step-by-step help on if its for you, and of course best buys)." 3. Regular savings accounts. Earn 7% on smaller amounts (plus a possible free £175) As the name suggests, the Top regular savings accounts give high interest on money put aside each month. You can have multiple regular savers in different places, so you can save a combined £1,000+/mth. Some of the best rates are with savers linked to current accounts (ie, you usually must have a provider's current account to open it). These are likely loss leaders to win or keep your banking custom - affordable for the banks, as the amounts are small. If you've got lump-sum savings and want these rates, just arrange to move the max amount from those savings into these each month.  Top-paying regular savers (min 1 yr) Bank account linked: Zopa Biscuit 7.1% variable for 1yr on up to £300/mth (max £137 interest) Bank account linked: First Direct* (FREE £175 for current acc switchers) 7% fixed for 1yr on £25/mth to £300/mth (max £135 interest) Open-to-all: Progressive BS 7% variable for 1yr on up to £300/mth (max £135 interest) Bank account linked: Co-op (FREE £175 for current acc switchers) 7% variable for 1yr on up to £250/mth (max £113 interest) Open-to-all: Scottish BS 6.5% variable for 1yr on up to £250/mth (max £105 interest) Bank account linked: Nationwide (FREE £175 for current acc switchers)  6.5% variable for 1yr on up to £200/mth (max £84 interest) Bank account linked: NatWest/RBS (FREE £175 for current acc switchers) 5.5% variable, but open ended on up to £150/mth (max £53 year 1), but here the account doesn't have an end date, so can keep growing after. - More open-to-all 6%+ payers: Monmouthshire BS and Principality BS - More 5%+ paying bank account linked: Bank of Scotland, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds, Santander, TSB, Skipton BS Why regular payers' interest often feels less than it is. In simple terms, it's because you drip-feed money in there rather than having a lump sum all year. See Martin's why regular savers are the best payers, but it won't be that much explanation. Let's talk about tax, baby... Two ways to minimise it (you see) We've mentioned how tax works above, but here's a bit more...  1. You can save £20,000 tax-free each year - this is on top of other allowances.  Cash ISAs are just savings accounts where the interest is NEVER taxed and it doesn't count towards your Starting Savings Rate or Personal Savings Allowance, so it's an extra on top of those.  It's a crucial extra allowance, which anyone who earns or saves enough to pay tax on savings interest (or thinks they may do in future) should take advantage of. Imagine £20,000 that would otherwise be taxed, over a year, on the top easy-access accounts... Effective interest on £20,000 Top Cash ISA Top Normal Savings No tax 4.52% (£905 interest) 4.50% (£900 interest) After basic 20% tax 4.52% (£905 interest) 3.60 (£720 interest) After higher 40% tax 4.52% (£905 interest) 2.70% (£540 interest) After top 45% tax 4.52% (£905 interest) 2.48% (£495 interest)  And, crucially, once you've put money in a cash ISA, it stays tax-free year after year. So you could have put £20,000 in last year, £20,000 in this tax year, and £20,000 again next tax year, after which, since the Budget, the limit will drop to £12,000/yr for under-65s. Even so, year-on-year, it can end up being a huge sum. Don't let your money fester in poor cash ISA rates Too many think they put their money in a cash ISA and it's stuck there. It's not - you've a right to transfer it to a new top payer. Yet don't just withdraw the cash - you'll lose its ISA status. Instead, apply for a new cash ISA, and as part of the application, you'll be asked whether you want them to transfer your existing cash ISA over... - You don't need to be adding any money to do this. - It doesn't use up your £20,000 allowance, only new money does that. - Got an old fixed-rate cash ISA? See whether it's worth paying the penalty to move it via our 'Should I ditch my fixed ISA?' calc. - Most of the top fixed & top easy-access cash ISAs allow transfers, though you don't usually get any newbie bonus. 2. You can put £50,000 tax-free in Premium Bonds - the prize fund rate is now 3.6% We're not the biggest fan of Premium Bonds for most people. The vast majority of those with typical luck will do better just putting money in top savings. Premium Bonds' tax-free nature, though, does mean they come into their own for people who pay tax on savings and have used up their ISA allowance. In that case, provided you're putting a larger amount in (as you need to do that to have a decent chance of winning closer to the published prize rate), they can be a good option. For a full explanation, listen to Martin's is it time to ditch Premium Bonds? new podcast, or read the full Are Premium Bonds worth it? guide. Related: How much will you likely win on Premium Bonds calc.

 

 

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Martin: Important Energy News What does the Budget's '£150 off bills' from April really mean? Is it worth waiting to fix till after that (spoiler: no)? And how to lock in 12% (often £200+) off bills now! Last week, the Chancellor announced that from 1 April 2026, all homes in Eng, Scot & Wales (not NI) would see energy bills 'cut by £150/yr' on average. Here are my four need-to-knows... 1. The £150 is the mean average saving per household. In practice, the reduction will come from cheaper unit rates - the cost per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of energy used. Higher users will save more as they use more, lower users less. - Electricity: Reduced 3.5p/kWh (current Price Cap average Direct Debit rate is 26.35p/kWh, so this is a 13%ish cut) - Gas: Reduced 0.35p/kWh (current Price Cap average Direct Debit rate is 6.29p/kWh, so this is about a 6%ish cut) This is a good start for bills. I'd have preferred Standing Charges to be cut so everyone gets the same reduction (though I'm hearing positive noises about future possibilities for shifting some costs out of that). The reduction will be achieved by shifting 75% of the cost of the 'Renewables Obligation' scheme to general taxation (which is more progressive), and scrapping the ECO scheme and adding some funding to the Warm Homes Plan instead. 2. The savings are compared to 'everything else remaining equal'. Roughly 40% of the cost of energy bills depends on the wholesale rate of energy (what energy firms pay for it) and that changes daily; and policy costs change (usually rise) too. The predictions were for a 3% rise in the April Price Cap - now, factoring this change in, they're for a rough 5% cut, so a little under half of the Budget saving will be taken up by covering the rise that would've happened otherwise. 3. Don't delay getting a cheap fix because of this - cut bills NOW. Between now and when this change happens is the high-use winter period, so this is the most important time to be on the lowest possible rate. Waiting for a predicted 4% cut in 4mths isn't worth it when you can fix now at 12% less. Use our Cheap Energy Club comparison to speedily find your winner. Plus, it's highly likely that the April cut will be applied to all fixed tariffs, and hopefully other tariffs too, not just the Price Cap. I bumped into the Sec of State for Energy, Ed Miliband, while waiting to interview the Chancellor for my ITV Budget Special last week, and took my chance to ask him a question. Here's a (slightly edited down) transcript... ML: "The biggest question I'm being asked is what about people who are on fixed rates next April? Will they see their rate come down too?" EM: "Look, we're determined that people feel the benefit, including those on fixed rates, and we're going to be working with the companies. We obviously had discussions with them, confidentially, in advance. We're determined to make sure that those benefits are passed on to people on fixed rates, and we will be making sure that we work with you to pressure the companies to make sure it happens. I think that's what they want to do, but we're going to make sure that they do." ML: "And I will be pushing you very hard to make sure that happens." EM: "And rightly so [with a smile] as you always do." And yesterday he sent me the letter he wrote to energy firms about this...  4. Lock in 12% cheaper bills NOW before the Jan Price Cap rise. Fixing is the easy way for most to save - as you're locking in a rate, you get the peace of mind of knowing exactly what you'll pay, and it's far cheaper than the Price Pants Cap most people are on. On average, the cheapest standalone energy fixes are an E.on Next 14mth Fix (so it lasts this winter and some of next) and an Outfox 12mth Fix, both around 12% cheaper than the Cap (factoring in MSE cashback for E.on). The cheapest no-exit-fee tariff (so you can leave at any time if you want to, or are worried the Govt won't deliver on making fixes cheaper) is this Octopus 12mth Fix. On Smart Prepay, the cheapest is this EDF 15mth Fix. Yet your exact cheapest depends on location and usage, so all these links go via our comparison for an accurate result. Fixes aren't the only route. There are specialist tariffs that can be winners too, including those for very low users, EV drivers, and solar panel owners, while sophisticated energy users can look at rapid-change time-of-use tariffs.

 

News. Chancellor: 'Only on State Pension? You won't pay tax!' Watch the Martin & Chancellor video clip on YouTube, or better - catch up on Martin's analysis and Rachel Reeves' answers from his ITV Live Budget Special show. Battle of the Baileys! Now it's £10 for one litre (normally £22). We thought £11 was the price floor this year, but now four stores have gone to £10 for the next few days - see where to get cheap Baileys (please be Drinkaware). New. Google Pixel 10 deal £100 cheaper than buying the phone alone & you get unlimited data each month. Newbies to iD Mobile (uses Three's signal) using code PIXEL100 at checkout can get Google's latest Pixel 10 (128GB) handset with unlimited UK mins, texts & unlimited data on a 2yr contract for £79 upfront, then £14.99/mth (rising to £16.49/mth from Apr '26 and £17.99/mth from Apr '27). Factoring everything in, it's a total of £484 over the contract, a stonking deal as Google sells the handset alone for £599. Want more options? See Cheap Mobile Finder. FREE £200 + new £25 Amazon voucher bank switch on top bills account. Santander Edge* currently pays switchers £200, but via this link you'll also get a £25 Amazon voucher emailed by March. The account costs £3/mth, but you get 1% cashback (max £10/mth) on Council Tax, water, energy, broadband & more bills paid by Direct Debit - which, for most, easily outweighs the fee - making it our top-pick (joint) bills account. Full eligibility & more options in Top bank accounts. £170 Instant Pot 8.5L air fryer £80. MSE Blagged. Our link makes it the cheapest we've seen - £30 cheaper than on Black Friday. 2,000 available. Instant Pot The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE: Tonight (Tue) 8pm ITV1 or after on ITVX How to boost your savings interest & your Budget questions answered... LISA replaced? Cash ISA limit cut, savings tax increased... I'll take you through the Budget's impact on savings & how to max your interest. Plus I've had so many questions after my 30min Budget Special with the Chancellor, I'm taking time to answer your practical Qs in detail, incl on the State Pension & salary sacrifice. Suggest Qs to the show team via martinlewis@itv.com.  12 bottles of wine £60 delivered with no ongoing subscription. MSE Blagged. 6,000 cases available - red, white or mixed - normally goes quickly. For newbies to Warehouse Wines. Please be Drinkaware. Until Friday, the longest (25mths) 0% spending credit card gives a free £25 M&S voucher too. The M&S 25mth 0% spending card is the top interest-free credit card for new borrowing, and until 11.59pm Fri, accepted newbies who spend £500+ on it within the first 30 days get a £25 M&S voucher on top. Who's it best for? Those who NEED to borrow for a planned, affordable purchase (of over £500 for the bonus), as you have until Jan 2028 to clear it interest-free - which is unbeatable. Golden rules: Always repay at least the monthly min & clear the card before the 0% ends, or you pay 24.9% rep APR interest. Never withdraw cash on it. Full info & alternatives in 0% purchase cards. New Martin pod. 30min speedy Budget breakdown! What do the changes to tax, energy, savings, pensions, benefits, student loans, mobile bills, property and more mean for you? All in Martin's main podcast this week. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc. Question Time pod. Time to ditch Premium Bonds? Do student loans cost more for middle than high earners? In Martin's Question Time podcast, you can ask whatever you like (within reason), & this week there's lots, including how to get credit on low incomes. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - £170 Instant Pot 8.5L air fryer £80 2,000 available - 12 bottles of wine £60 delivered 6,000 cases available - Quidco £35 back on £5+ spend Ends 11.59pm Wednesday - TopCashback £35 back on £5+ spend Ends 11.59pm Friday	DID YOU MISS? - Martin: 'How long should you keep bank statements etc?' - Minimum wage to rise from April... - All 28 stores we outed have now corrected their unlawful sites - Free letters from Santa - Can you win the theatre lottery? Eg, £95 Paddington tix £35

 

 

New. Cheapest-ever 150Mb fibre broadband just '£19/mth' Many pay more than double for a fraction of the speed Broadband Black Friday deals can be hit or miss, so we often wait until just afterwards to see what's around and then try to help you beat them. We've blagged the lowest price we've ever seen for over 100Mb broadband (and it's cheaper than it was on Black Friday), plus a ridiculous £17/mth for 500Mb - but that's only available in limited areas. So if you're one of the seven million out of contract, take a look at our Broadband Comparison, which collates often short-lived promo deals from 34 providers. Here are the headline ones...  Today's cheapest broadband deals include... All links via our Broadband Comparison, as what you can get depends on your postcode Ends 11.59pm Wed. Community Fibre 500Mb broadband-only '£17.46/mth' (2yr contract) Service rating (1): 7.5/10 ('Good') Local Available in many London boroughs, parts of Surrey & Sussex. This deal is currently £16/mth (rises by £2/mth in April 2026 & 2027), so costs £444 over the 2yr contract. But you'll be emailed a choice of a £25 voucher for Amazon, Tesco, Selfridges etc within 4mths of your first bill (check your junk folder if not received). Factor all that in and it's equivalent to £17.46/mth. New. Hyperoptic 522Mb broadband-only '£17.67/mth' (2yr contract) Service rating (1): 7.7/10 ('Good') MSE Blagged Local Available in big towns and cities across Eng, Scot and Wales. This deal is currently £16/mth (rises by £3/mth in April 2026 & 2027), so costs £474 over the 2yr contract. But you'll be emailed a choice of a £50 voucher for Amazon, John Lewis or M&S within 3mths of your first bill (check your junk folder if not received). Factor all that in and it's equivalent to £17.67/mth. New. Vodafone 150Mb broadband & line '£18.67/mth' (2yr contract) Available to 70% of homes Service rating (1): 5.5/10 ('OK') MSE Blagged National Cheapest national 150Mb+ full fibre deal we've seen. This deal is £22/mth (rises by £3.50/mth in April 2026 & 2027), so you'll pay £633 over the 2yr contract. But you'll be emailed a choice of a £185 voucher for Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's etc within 4mths of your first bill (check your junk folder if not received). Factor all that in and it's equivalent to £18.67/mth.  Ends Thu 11.59pm. Sky 500Mb broadband & line '£22.59/mth' OR  Ends Fri 11.59pm. Sky 500Mb broadband & line + Sky Stream Essential TV '£33.34/mth' (2yr contracts) Available to 70% of homes Service rating (1): 5/10 ('OK') National Cheapest national 500Mb+ full fibre. This is its Black Friday deal, but it's strong & still on. Here you pay £28/mth, plus you'll be emailed a choice of a £130 prepaid Mastercard or an M&S, Tesco etc voucher within 4mths (check your junk folder if not received). Factor that in and on current pricing, it's equivalent to £22.59/mth over the 2yr contract. Cheap 500Mb+ full fibre, Sky TV & Netflix. Here, as well as the broadband, you get: - Sky Stream internet streaming TV service, basic channels, Sky Atlantic & Discovery+. - Netflix basic (with ads). You pay £35/mth plus you'll be emailed a choice of a £40 prepaid Mastercard or shopping voucher within 4mths of your first bill (check your junk folder if not received). Factor that in as a discount and it's equivalent to £33.34/mth over the 2yr contract.  Actual prices likely to be a bit higher: Sky doesn't state mid-contract price rises upfront but normally adds a few pounds a month each April (letting you then leave penalty-free if you want). Long-term cheap 'social tariffs' for some On Universal Credit or similar benefits? Try a social tariff. Many providers offer special discounted social broadband tariffs, which give long-term cheap prices of usually £13/mth to £20/mth for 30Mb+. Add your postcode via the link above and, within your search results, you'll see the social tariffs local to you. Our 'equivalent cost' adds all costs, deducts promo credits & averages over the contract so you can compare easily. (1) Service results above are from our April 2025 poll. You no longer need to contact your current provider to switch. Until recently, switch broadband and with some providers you had to contact both your old and new firm (sometimes leaving you paying both during the overlap). Now, regulator Ofcom has rolled out a 'One Touch Switch' service, so the new firm should seamlessly sort it for you. Don't want to switch? Haggle. In our June poll, the vast majority of those who'd haggled with the big broadband firms were successful. Use the deals above as a benchmark. Read full broadband haggling tips. Slow broadband? Before switching, test your speed - is it the Wi-Fi or the connection? Do a speed check - first via Wi-Fi, then by plugging your device into the router (if you can). If Wi-Fi's a lot slower, try our speed-boosters. At least 50% of customers must get the advertised speeds at peak times. Plus, all bigger providers must also indicate your estimated minimum speed pre-application. Switching usually only means about 2hrs' downtime. You're told the switch time, and most don't need an engineer, even if you're getting fibre to the premises, though someone may need to look at the externals of your home (you needn't be there). There are exceptions, eg, if moving to or from Virgin (you're told before applying). Members of cashback sites can sometimes undercut deals. In some cases, the cashback can mean these sites undercut promos elsewhere, though sometimes the deal differs - so check carefully. More in Top cashback sites.

 

New. Cheapest loan 5.7%. Novuna has shaved down its rate for £7,500 to £25,000 loans to 5.7% rep APR, making it the cheapest again. Yet acceptance is what counts, our eligibility calc will show where that's most likely... Up to £3,000: lowest rate 9.9% | £3,000 to £4,999: 9.7% | £5,000 to £7,499: 6.5%. And remember: these are all rep APRs, meaning only 51% of accepted customers need to get the headline rate, sadly. Is a loan right for me? They're for NEEDED (fixing a broken kitchen, not a holiday-type needed), planned, budgeted-for expenditure. If in doubt, don't. If you need one, keep costs down by borrowing as little as possible and repaying as fast as you can. Four months' free, ad-free music for Spotify &/or Amazon newbies. See Spotify or Amazon Music. Chancellor to Ofcom: 'Review 30-day telecoms cancellation rule after mid-contract price hikes'. It comes after Martin called for urgent intervention, saying O2 "made a mockery of Ofcom's rules" with its unannounced hike. See O2 latest. Ends. Bag up to £70 cashback with two £5+ spends. MSE Blagged. Newbies to Quidco and/or Topcashback can get a £35 bonus when spending £5+ via them. New to both? Double up for a £70 cashback bonanza. How to do good this Christmas: Help out at a homeless centre, donate to a food bank & more. Time's running out to volunteer to help homelessness charity Crisis run its annual Crisis at Christmas centres across the UK. But our guide's full of ways you can do good this year, right up to Christmas Day.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: HSBC (check eligibility, or use link for existing HSBC customers) 35mths 0% + £20, 3.19% fee, 24.9% rep APR interest No-fee 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility) up to 15mths 0%, 24.9% rep APR interest Best bank accounts Free £200 + £25 vch + 1% bills cashback: Santander Edge Free £200 + perks: Club Lloyds Broadband top picks Fast fibre (100Mb+): Vodafone '£18.67/mth' Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Sky '£22.59/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Car insurance Car: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Home: Try our Compare+ Home Insurance tool Cheap loans £5,000 to £7,499: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 6.5% rep APR interest £7,500 to £15,000: Novuna (check eligibility), 5.7% rep APR interest Top savings accounts Top easy-access savings: Chase 4.5%, min £1 (newbies only) Top easy-access ISA: Trading 212 4.52%, min £1 (newbies only) Top one-year fix: Investec 4.5%, min £5k Top energy deals Use our whole-of-market Cheap Energy Club Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Sky, '£2/mth' for 1GB 10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£3.05/mth' for 10GB 31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£3.13/mth' for 50GB

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Martin Lewis' reaction and analysis to the Autumn Budget - Salary sacrifice pension perk to be capped at £2,000 a year from April 2029

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I pay off my son's debts for a second time? My son moved back in with me after splitting from his wife eight years ago. Now two of his daughters live with us too, and he has just quit his job as the hours didn't work with childcare. He owes £20,000 to banks and credit card firms. Do I give him the cash to clear it? It'd give him breathing space to find a new job and help him provide for the kids. But it's every penny I've got, and it'd be the second time I've bailed him out. He never paid me back before. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay off my son's debts again? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

 

Some of the daily Advent competitions... - Win a trip to New York with HolidayPirates - Win daily prizes from MUA Cosmetics - Win a bundle worth over £3,000 from Cloud Nine Hair ...from the MSE Forum comps board - Win an assortment of tech goodies from Currys - Win tickets to Goodwood Revival with Scalextric - Win daily prizes from the Royal Mint

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 3 DEC ONWARDS) Wed 3 Dec - Peston, ITV1, 11.05pm Thu 4 Dec - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, midday Tue 9 Dec - This Morning, phone-in, ITV1, 10.20am Tue 9 Dec - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 8pm

 

 

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