| Plus... 0.84% mortgage, 5 Odeon tix £25, 22mths 0%, 2for1 beer  THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL
| | Financial freebies galore - including last chance to grab the top bank cash bribe in 18 months - Ending. FREE £140 to switch bank to HSBC
- FREE £184 in Nectar points
- FREE £150 Virgin experience voucher
- Get PAID to spend & lots more This week one of the top financial freebies of the year is being pulled, so as well as giving you chapter and verse on it, we thought this a good time to round up the current bumper crop of top-pick freebies across banking, credit cards and savings - as we all love something for nothing. Importantly, all except the savings deal require you to pass a credit check, which puts a minor mark on your credit file. The odd application isn't normally an issue though we wouldn't suggest more than a couple in a short time. And it's best to avoid one altogether if you'll apply for a mortgage or other important credit soon. Here's what's on offer... -
 Ends 11.59pm Thu. Get a free £140 for switching bank, plus access to a 1% regular saver. Newbies who switch to HSBC Advance* can nab what's the biggest cash switch bribe since March 2020 (only via that link or via MoneySupermarket - we're part of the same group). The account also gives access to a linked regular saver that pays 1% AER interest, fixed for a year, and lets you put away up to £250/mth.
To get it, you'll need to apply before the end of Thursday and start a switch, including 2+ direct debits or standing orders, within 30 days. Plus you need to pay in £1,750/month, equivalent to a £25,600/year salary. To count as a newbie you can't have had an HSBC current account, or opened a current account with sister bank First Direct, since 1 Jan 2018. More help and deals in Best bank accounts. - Easy, free £20 with a top overseas spending credit card. Accepted Halifax Clarity newbies (best to check your eligibility chances for it first, or just apply*) get £20 cashback, simply for spending on it in the first 90 days in any currency - so it'll even work if you buy a banana at your local store.
It's also great for travel. While most debit and credit cards add a 3%-ish 'exchange fee', so £100 of euros costs £103, this doesn't. Though if going away soon, note it can take a week or so to arrive.
Repay it IN FULL every month to avoid the 19.9% rep APR spending interest. If you withdraw cash, you pay a small amount of interest till it's paid off (5p-ish per £100 per day), so minimise withdrawals. See Travel credit cards for more help and deals.
- Choice of freebies with one credit card - £184 in Nectar points, 23,000 airline/hotel points or a £100 Amazon/M&S voucher. If you've not had an Amex in the last two years, Amex Preferred Rewards Gold (best to check eligibility chances first, or just apply*) gives 20,000 bonus Amex points if you spend £3,000 in the first three months on top of the standard 1 point per £1 spent.
Spend £3,000 and you can convert these points into £184 in Nectar points, £100 in shopping vouchers (eg, Amazon and M&S) or 23,000+ airline/hotel points. You also get two free airport lounge passes which come within a month.
- IMPORTANT. It's free in year one, but after, there's a £140/yr fee so remember to cancel if you don't want to pay it. And while cards such as this are great for normal spending, NEVER use them as an excuse to overspend, and repay IN FULL each month or the rep APR interest (56.6% here) dwarfs any gain. Full help, incl how the points swaps work, in Reward credit cards ( APR examples).
- Get a free £150 Virgin Experience voucher + 2% savings interest. The Virgin Money M Plus* current account gives newbies who switch to it a £150 gift card to put towards Virgin Experience Days (eg, sushi making or a track day). It also pays 2.02% AER variable interest on up to £1,000, and comes with a linked easy-access savings account paying 0.35% AER variable (but better rates are available elsewhere). Its debit card is also a top pick for overseas use.
To get the bonus, open an account and within 45 days: start a full switch (including 2+ direct debits), log in to its mobile banking app and put £1,000 into the linked savings account and keep it there till you're emailed the experience day voucher code (comes within 14 days).
You don't count as a newbie if you've had a current account switch bonus from it before, or had a Virgin, Clydesdale or Yorkshire Bank current account since March. Full help in Best bank accounts.
- A free £90ish four-year 16-25 Railcard with the top 2021/22 student account. If you're headed to uni this autumn (or if you know someone who is, tell them about this), the Santander 123 student account* is this year's top pick. It offers accepted applicants a definite £1,500 0% overdraft for the first three years of study - if you register for online banking and pay in £500+ each term.
Plus you get a free four-year 16-25 Railcard (worth £90ish), which gets you a third off many rail journeys. The account's open to students in any year, though you'll need to switch to it from another account (which is subsequently closed) if not in your first year - full info and more options in Top student accounts.
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 Get PAID to spend - free £100 and ongoing cashback. Simply switching the plastic you use to a cashback credit card can bag you free money on spending you'd do anyway - though NEVER use it as an excuse to overspend.
Such cards can be lucrative if you've planned, big spending coming up - but always repay IN FULL each month to avoid expensive interest, which would wipe out any cashback gains...
- Amex Platinum Cashback Everyday (best to check eligibility chances first, or just apply* ) is the standout as it pays 5% cashback for the first three months (max £100) - provided you've not had an Amex in the last two years. You then revert to the standard 0.5% cashback on annual spends up to £10,000 and 1% above, but you must spend at least £3,000/yr to get any cashback. It's 22.2% rep APR interest if you fail to repay in full.
- New. Amex isn't accepted everywhere so an alternative is the Lloyds Bank cashback credit card (best to check eligibility chances first, or just apply* ). It pays £20 if you spend £1,000 within 90 days, on top of the standard 0.25% cashback on spends of up to £4,000 in a calendar year, and 0.5% above. It's 19.9% rep APR interest if you fail to repay in full.
More info + other options in Credit card rewards (APR examples).
- Bag a free £20 Amazon voucher to (re)build your credit history. If you've a patchy or limited credit history, you'll likely struggle to get many top deals, including those above. Yet there are special credit rebuilding cards that can help, including one with a decent freebie.
The Amazon Classic credit card (apply - sadly, it's not in our eligibility calculator) gives all accepted newbies a £20 Amazon voucher. You can just leave it there, but to use the card to (re)build your creditworthiness, do, say, £50/mth of normal spending on it, then pay it off IN FULL each month to avoid its high 29.9% rep APR interest. Do that every month and it should help prove to other lenders that you can manage credit responsibly.
See Credit cards for bad credit for step-by-step help and more options. Also see APR examples.
- Ends Mon. Cashback trick for bigger savers to beat the top one-year fixed savings. If you want simplicity, the current top one-year fix from app-only Tandem pays 1.31% AER interest (min £1). But put in some legwork and newbies to savings marketplace Raisin can beat this when saving £5,000-£68,000, as it gives up to £75 cashback - here's how:
- Saving £5,000+? Get £25 cashback. MSE Blagged. Sign up to FCMB's 1.2% AER one-year fix via Raisin* by 11.59pm on Mon 23 Aug, and enter MSE25 in the promo box during registration (the last field in step 4). Then fund it with £5,000+ by 11.59pm on Mon 30 Aug to get £25 within the following two weeks.
- Saving £10,000+? Do the same above to get your special MSE-Blagged £25, but you can also CLAIM a further £50 via a market-wide deal for any newbie. It's fiddly so see how to do it in our Raisin write-up.
To show the value of the cashback, if you save £5,000 with Tandem you'll get about £65 over the year. Claim the £25 cashback from Raisin and you get about £85, including the FCMB interest. On £10,000 the gain is even more with Raisin. Both accounts have full £85,000 per person savings protection. Full info in Top savings.
- Members of cashback sites could get cashback on lots of financial products too. So it's worth having a look but if you use these sites, make sure the product is the same as you'd get elsewhere. For full info, pros and cons, see Top cashback sites.
| | 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. Longest 0% spending card in OVER A YEAR - get up to 22 months interest-free
There's no cheaper way to borrow than at zero interest so a 0% spending credit card is unbeatable, provided you use it right, you can buy what you need on a card and you've a high enough credit limit. With this week's launch of the longest 0% spending card since June last year, here's what you need to know... - Firstly, only borrow if it's planned and affordable. Done right, these cards allow long-term borrowing at no cost. While useful, only get one for a needed, one-off purchase (eg, replacing a broken appliance), and not just to earn rewards. Never use one to fill income gaps, and if you're struggling with debt, avoid more borrowing - instead read our Debt help guide.
LONGEST 0% PURCHASE CREDIT CARDS FOR NEWBIES
RECOMMENDED: Use our 0% Cards Eligibility Calculator first to see the cards you're most likely to get | | Card | Key details | How good is it? | New. Tesco Bank
Best to check acceptance odds first. Or apply*. | - Up to 22mths 0%
- After the 0%, it's 20.9% rep APR | LONGEST 0%, but an 'up to'. So poorer credit scorers could get 18 or 14 months at 0%. You also earn Clubcard points on spending. See full card spec. | Sainsbury's Bank - must have had Nectar card for 6mths+
Best to check acceptance odds first. Or apply*. | - Up to 21mths 0%
- £25 intro Nectar bonus
- After the 0%, it's 20.9% rep APR | Long 0%, but another 'up to'. Poorer credit scorers could be offered 13 months at 0%, but all accepted get 500 bonus Nectar points (worth £2.50) per £35+ Sainsbury's spend in the first two months (max 5,000 bonus points, worth £25), on top of standard Nectar points on spending. See full card spec. | M&S Bank
Best to check acceptance odds first. Or apply*. | - 20mths 0%
- After the 0%, it's 21.9% rep APR | Longest DEFINITE 0% card. Here all accepted get the full 20 months at 0%, so it's a good option if you've decent odds in our eligibility calculator. Plus it pays M&S points on spending. See full card spec. | - Store won't take credit card or item costs £5,000+? 0% money transfers pay cash into your bank account, so let you pay 'on card' even if the store doesn't take plastic. Or if what you're buying costs £5,000+, you may not get the required credit limit - so a cheap loan from 2.8% may be a better option.
- Follow the 0% Card Golden Rules. Full info in 0% Credit cards (APR examples), but in brief...
a) Always pay at least the set monthly minimum and stick within the credit limit, or you can lose the 0% offer.
b) These cards are usually only top picks for spending - avoid cash withdrawals or shifting debt to them.
c) Plan to clear the card (or balance-transfer away) before the 0% period ends, or the rates jump to the rep APR. | FREE 500ml bottle of Coca-Cola. Choose from three Coke Zero flavours. See how to claim a free Coca-Cola. Updated. Cheap euros, £40 PCRs, 2for1 days out + more overseas and UK holiday savers. See 17 MoneySaving holiday tips. 2p Walkers crisps, 18p Kinder Bueno etc via 10% off code for reduced 'past best-before' food. MSE Blagged. Approved Food sells cheap groceries near or past their 'best-before' date (just the manufacturer's view of optimum quality, not the use-by date, so they're safe). Min £22.50 spend, delivery is £3+ or free for newbies. Approved Food Secret Amazon bargains, eg, 'I saved £90 on a pressure washer I needed'. It has a hidden section many haven't heard of called Amazon Warehouse with huge discounts on returned (often unused) items or those with minor defects. For our success of the week , over to Maggie who emailed: "I found a £280 pressure washer for £188 on Amazon Warehouse as it was only missing a bottle of floor shampoo. GREAT deal - thanks." See our Amazon Warehouse guide and please send your MoneySaving successes on this or anything else. £7,000 council tax back, £250 working-from-home tax claim, £22,000 comp win & more inspiring successes. As well as this week's success of the week above, read last week's 15 top MoneySaving successes of 2021 in case you missed it, to motivate you to achieve a knockout saving. Cinema deals: 5 standard Odeon tickets for £25 or 5 posh Odeon Luxe tickets for £35. Can be used on multiple visits by multiple people till Tue 14 Sep. See these and 14 more cinema savers. Adidas 30% off code for full-price & outlet items. Eg, £9 women's running top (normally £25). Adi-dazzler | Mortgage rates at NEW record lows - eg, a 0.84% two-year fix. Check now if you can switch and save £1,000s
Mortgage rates keep on falling. We reported on what were record rates in June, but an even fiercer price war - married with ultra-low UK interest rates - now means remortgagers can get a 0.84% two-year fix and a 0.99% five-year fix, the lowest ever in each category. While they're hard to get (eg, you need lots of equity) they're an indication of how competitive the market is.
And remortgaging (ie, switching) can mean huge savings. As Caroline emailed: "Using your tips I switched, saving £182/month [£2,184/year]. Thanks for giving me the courage to make such a significant change." So check NOW if you can save, especially if you're on your lender's expensive standard rate - often around 3.5%. To help, we've tips below on how to find not only the cheapest mortgage but, crucially, the cheapest you can get - lots more in our 64-page Remortgage PDF. -
 First, check your mortgage details. This info underpins all your decisions. If you don't know, find out...
a) What's your current mortgage rate? Plus monthly payments & outstanding debt.
b) What type is it? A fix, tracker or standard variable rate? See fixes vs variables.
c) When's your fix/tracker deal over? And what rate will it go to after?
d) When must it all be repaid? What's the full term, eg, 10, 20, 25 years?
e) Are there early exit penalties if I switch? If so, they may mean it's not worth switching.
f) What's your current LTV (loan to value)? This is the proportion of a home's value you will borrow, eg, £240k on a £300k home is 80% LTV. It's crucial as each 5% lower your LTV is (down to 60%), the cheaper deals get. This is based on a property's current value, so if your home is now worth more, this may help. See full loan-to-value info.
- Then benchmark the cheapest deals to check if (or likely by how much) you can save. Try two things...
- Ask your lender for its best new deals. They often come with fewer checks and lower fees than changing lender.
- Find the market's top deals. Use our mortgage comparison tool to see what else is out there at your LTV level.
- Now you know what's out there, the hard part is actually getting accepted. Using a broker to find YOUR top deal works for many. Your chances are determined by property type, credit history and affordability checks , which have got tougher for some. In particular, if you're self-employed, on furlough or have had a self-employed income grant, you may now find it harder.
A mortgage broker can not only help you navigate this maze, as they have info on lenders' criteria that isn't publicly available, but they can also find deals that may not be available direct. Some top-pick nationwide 'fee-free' brokers include L&C Mortgages*, Habito* and Trinity Financial* (it normally charges, but not via this link). See how to find a good mortgage broker, including when paying a fee may be worth it.
- Allow at least three months to beat delays. A simple remortgage now often takes up to two months (was four to six weeks pre-pandemic) due to high demand, partially caused by the stamp duty holiday. It's even longer if you've complex circumstances. As many lenders let you apply three to six months ahead, take advantage now.
- Use our calculators to do the numbers for you. We've a host of mortgage calculators to help you work out most things, including... Basic Mortgage Cost Calc | Compare two mortgages | Compare fixed-rate mortgages | Ditch your fix? | How much can I borrow? | Mortgage Overpayment Calc
PS: If you're looking to buy your first home, see our First-time buyers' PDF. | 5th Self-Employment Income Support Scheme grant - worth up to £7,500 - now open for all. Full self-employed grant help. 13 charity shop tips, incl how to find designer clobber & buy online. They're generally well stocked due to lockdown clear-outs, so we've dusted off our tips so you can grab a bargain and help charities. Charity shop tips How good is your broadband provider's customer service? We ask every six months so we can keep our service ratings up to date. Please vote in the MSE poll. 2for1 beer, spirits or soft drinks at 1,500 pubs. 10,000+ free drinks available in Eng and Wales - see 2for1 drinks. Please be Drinkaware. Want an MSE Charity grant of up to £7,500 to help someone get through tough times? Our charity is about to open its next grant-giving round for non-profit organisations. This time it's focusing on groups that guide people through big life changes, such as redundancy, bereavement or relationship breakdown. If you have a project that could benefit, check if it qualifies now and see how to apply. The round opens at 9am on Wed 1 Sep and closes once the MSE Charity accepts 40 applications, or on Thu 30 Sep at the latest. | Tell your friends about us They can get this email free every week | | AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS | | Ends Thu. £140 cash to switch + 1% regular saver: HSBC
£150 gift card to switch: Virgin Money | | THIS WEEK'S POLL How do you rate your broadband provider? We can tell you which are the cheapest broadband firms, but to keep our customer service ratings updated, we need your help. So please tell us how do you rate your broadband provider? TalkTalk TV and PlayStation Now are MoneySavers' least-used subscriptions. Last week, we asked how often you use the subscriptions you pay for - and over 2,000 people responded. A whopping 85% of those shelling out for TalkTalk TV, and 82% for PlayStation Now, told us they hadn't used them in over a year - more than any other service. In contrast, Sky TV and Netflix were the most used, with 81% and 78% respectively watching at least a few times a week. See full subscription poll results. | MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECTS TBC) Sat 21 Aug - BBC Radio Leicester, Mid-morning with Summaya Mughal, from 11am
Mon 23 Aug - BBC Radio Manchester, Drive with Phil Trow, from 2.20pm
Tue 24 Aug - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 12.40pm | WHAT'S THE BEST THING YOU'VE EVER GOT ON FREECYCLE OR FREEGLE? That's all for this week, but before we go... we asked MoneySavers for their best freebies from these sites where people pass unwanted items to other for free - and were inundated with hauls of free office chairs, slow cookers, guitars, BBQs and even a 1930s fireplace. One MoneySaver lucked out with a free bouncy castle large enough to fill their entire garden - providing years of fun for their kids. To read the full list of free finds, or add your own, head to our Freecycle and Freegle Facebook post. We hope you save some money, stay safe,
The MSE team | |
