Easy £205 bank bribe trick, £15 off Amazon, beat Netflix/Disney+ price hikes, cheap Xmas trains, £3,500/yr pension boost deadline, 12GB Sim '£3.60/mth'

Plus... FREE kids' prepaid cards, £141 No7 beauty £42, reclaim lost cash, free National Trust

                                                           

24 October 2023 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Grab a FREE £205... and no need to switch bank FREE prepaid cards for kids Reclaim lost cash: 'I found a £13,500 pension - thank you' Amazon: Can you get £5 off £15, £15 off £30 & more?  Netflix is hiking costs... ... and so is Disney - act NOW to save up to £52/yr 'Free' £3.30 plant-based chicken, £2 off pizza plus more coupons Cheapest ever 12GB Sim '£3.57/mth' Early access: £141 No7 'Star Gift' skincare £42 Should you join diesel claims vs Audi, Mercedes & more? Martin's pod: Is PPI reclaiming back? 66+ & income under £220/wk? Can you claim Pension Credit? M&S beauty Advent calendar for £45 (worth £348) Book cheap Christmas trains NOW Cheap half-term activities, including free National Trust family pass 'I reclaimed £2,000 in overpaid student loans thanks to Martin' 5% boost on Sainsbury's Christmas spend £30 Amazon for quick online surveys This week's best buys, including £19 broadband, 5.9% loans, 5.25% savings Can I keep cash from selling my daughter's antique gift? BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club including free credit report 0% balance transfers Compare broadband deals MSE Car Insurance Compare+ Best bank accounts Top savings accounts Credit cards for bad credit Credit Card Eligibility Calculator Loans Eligibility Calculator Mortgage comparison Compare travel money Cheap Energy Club, with Pick Me A Tariff Best Sim-only deals

We often talk about cash bribes for switching banks - but now there's a trick to grab a FREE £205 without even doing that...  Usually banks lob free cash at you to switch to them - which means closing your existing account to move over. But this week... New. FREE £205 without switching bank HSBC wants you to get one of its new multi-currency accounts, and it's willing to pay you at least £125 to do so (and then £80 later with a bit of a play). The account in itself isn't a top pick, but the free money is lovely, and as you can get it without switching, and can get the cash in time for Christmas, why not... Step 1: To get the free £125. This is for new customers who open the fee-free HSBC Advance* account, which also gives access to a linked 5% regular saver you can put up to £250/mth in.  To get the free cash you DON'T need to switch from another bank, so just open the Advance account and do this pretty simple list within 60 days of opening the account... - Spend 5+ times on its debit card. There's no minimum so you could just buy five bananas one at a time. - Pay £1,500+ in once. No biggie, as you can then immediately withdraw it if you want (just leave enough to buy those bananas). - Log in once to its mobile app. - And crucially, open the app-only HSBC Global Money multi-currency account and order the associated multi-currency debit card. None of that should take up much time, so the £125 you get is pretty decent for the work you do. The money will then be paid into the Global Money account within 20 days. To qualify, you can't have held an HSBC current account, or opened a First Direct current account, since 1 October 2018. Existing First Direct customers can apply, so long as you opened your account before October 2018. Step 2: To get an extra £80 on top. The Global Money account allows you to hold money in 18 different currencies and make payments in those currencies, plus you can make transfers to over 200 countries in more than 50 currencies. Once you've got the Global Money debit card (which is separate from the one for HSBC Advance), you now use it five times before April 2024. These spends can be in pounds, so more bananas (if you like), or in overseas currency. You'll then get £80 paid in to the Global Money account in early May 2024, so you need to keep it open until then (and you can only get the £80 if you've already received the £125). You'll also be entered into a prize draw to win one of 24 £3,000 cash prizes, but you can opt out. Are these accounts any good? So, we've told you how to milk it for cash, but are these HSBC accounts worth having?  - HSBC Advance. This is a bog-standard current account, which lets you make payments and spend from it, but has few perks. The main one is its linked 5% saver, but this can be beaten with sister bank First Direct, which offers 7%. If you want rewards on spending, there are better accounts out there, such as Chase*, which offers 1% cashback for at least a year (max £15/mth) on almost all debit card spending. For a full list of the top options, see Best bank accounts. - HSBC Global Money Account. This is useful for those who like to hold cash in different currencies, as it means you can choose to move money when you think there's a good exchange rate, rather than getting the rate on the day you use the card. A few quick checks showed that HSBC's exchange rates are decent, but can be beaten. For example, a spot check yesterday morning showed HSBC's pound to dollar exchange rate at £1 to $1.212. But at the same moment, prepaid card Revolut, which offers the interbank rate, had £1 to $1.219. So, change £100 into dollars and the difference is less than $1. But if you're regularly transferring large amounts between currencies, it can add up. Will getting this affect my credit score? Getting the HSBC Advance current account puts a search and new product on your credit report. That has a minor impact, and shouldn't make a huge difference. Though just for belt 'n' braces safety, if you're imminently about to apply for a mortgage or important, needed debt, it's probably best to prioritise that. Or... get a FREE £175 to switch to First Direct's TOP SERVICE bank account - its debit card gives near-perfect exchange rates If you're looking for free cash and cheap overseas spending, then HSBC's sister bank First Direct has the top deal, though here you do need to switch to get it. First Direct's 1st Account* pays newbies who switch a FREE £175. A little less than you can get with HSBC above, but here you also get access to a linked regular saver which pays 7% interest on up to £300/mth, plus many get an ongoing £250 0% overdraft. The debit card is also fee-free for overseas spending and ATM withdrawals, as it uses the near-perfect Mastercard exchange rates (so likely to be better to use abroad than the Global Money account, though with First Direct you can't lock in rates in advance). Once you've switched, just pay in £1,000+ within three months and the £175 will then be paid within 28 days. Though if you've ever had ANY account with First Direct (such as a current account, credit card or mortgage), or you've opened a current account with HSBC since January 2020, you won't be eligible. More free cash switch bonuses If you've held an HSBC account (or opened a First Direct account) in the last five years, you won't be able to take advantage of the HSBC £205 or the First Direct £175 deal - but there are still ways to get FREE cash... Nationwide FlexDirect - £200. Here, as well as the switch cash, you get a year's 0% overdraft (limit is credit-check dependent) and a regular saver paying 8%. See full info in our Nationwide review. Club Lloyds - £175. The Club Lloyds account gives a choice of rewards, which includes a year's Disney+. Plus there's a decent linked 6.25% saver. Yet you need to pay in £2,000+/mth or there's a £3/mth fee. See full info in our Club Lloyds review. Club Lloyds Silver - £175. Here you get the perks offered by the Club Lloyds account, plus mobile phone, family travel and car breakdown insurance. The account costs £10/mth, but the free switch cash covers this for almost 18 months. See our full Club Lloyds Silver review.

 

 

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. Four kids' spending cards are now FREE (others cost up to £48/yr). Time to turn your mini-me into a MoneySaver? Prepaid cards are a great way to teach your kids about managing money - they get their own plastic to use online or in shops, but you stay in control of what they spend. The big name in this market is GoHenry, yet that costs £48/yr. But with Starling Bank now ditching the £24/yr fee for its kids' card, there are plenty of fee-free alternatives. Full details are in our Top cards for under-18s guide, but here's our round-up of the free(ish) cards... Kids' prepaid cards let you stay in control of what they spend. These cards let you open an account online or through an app - one for parents, one for kids. You then load cash to your account, and allocate it to the card you give to your kids (from age 6 up) to spend on. The big draw of these cards is that you can choose how your kids can use them - such as setting spending limits, getting alerts when the cards are used or blocking online spending. Most, including those listed below, also allow fee-free spending abroad. - Free prepaid card but doesn't allow ATM withdrawals. HyperJar* (ages 6 to 17) works by letting you put money in different 'jars' to sort your kids' spending and saving. You can link retailers to specific jars, so when money is spent it automatically comes out of the right place, as well as setting spending permissions and limits on each jar. You need to load £10+ at a time or there's a 50p fee (you get one fee-free under-£10 load/mth). - New. Free via easy-to-open app-only account. Starling Kite* (ages 6 to 15) can be opened via the adult Starling Bank app - if you don't already have an account, they're easy to get with no hard credit-check. Kids can use the card at ATMs, in-store and online. When they do you'll get transaction alerts, plus you can set spend limits. - Free for NatWest group account holders, this card lets you track chores too. The NatWest Rooster Money account (ages 6 to 17) is free if you have an adult account with NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank (£1.99/mth or £19.99/yr otherwise). You can split money across savings and spending pots, use at ATMs and there's also a quirky feature where you can list chores your child needs to do to get their pocket money, and set it to only pay out when they're done. - Worth considering if you have one child, but limits ATM withdrawals. Open a standard free Revolut* account and you can create one under-18's account via the app (ages 6 to 17) - to open more you'll need a paid-for Revolut account. Unique features include a 'request money' function (you may want to keep that quiet), and sending money to others with a Revolut account (min age 16). Free ATM withdrawals are limited to £40/mth (2% fee after). There's a £4.99 card delivery fee. Alternatively, children's bank accounts give free debit cards, but you've less control. Bank accounts for kids are usually for those aged 11+, but they don't offer parents the same spending controls as the cards above. Plus you often have to open them in branch. Yet they're always free, and a few pay interest to boot, so they can be a good option. See our top-pick kids' bank accounts.

 

Amazon £5 off £15 or £15 off £30, plus four more quick voucher checks. Not everyone's eligible for every offer, and some require a spend, but each one's a one-click check to find out if you are. Amazon 'free' credits Netflix is hiking costs - is it playing a psychological trick with its new price structure? Netflix has announced it's increasing prices by up to £24/yr, so do see our Netflix cost-cutters guide. Psychological trick? Martin spotted its new top price is an eye-watering £18/mth, and this reminded him of his 'decoy effect' blog from 2020, where he did an experiment to prove how streaming price structures can make people opt to pay more. And so is Disney+... One week left to save up to £52/yr before prices hiked. They rise on Wed 1 Nov, but some can save by taking action now. Full info in Disney+ price hikes. 'Free' £2 choc, 'free' £3.30 plant-based chicken, £2 off Chicago Town pizza & more. See our October update with 50+ supermarket coupons. Ends 31 Oct. Cheapest EVER 12GB Sim just '£3.57/mth'. This Lebara Sim (uses Vodafone's signal) is £6.90/mth but you can CLAIM a £40 Amazon, M&S, Argos or Just Eat voucher within 6mths. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £3.57/mth over a year, though it's a 1mth rolling contract. Want different data / network? Use Cheap Mobile Finder. Boots No7 'Star Gift' available NOW: £141 of No7 skincare for £42. We've one day's early access (everyone else can buy it from Wed) to get this set, which is reduced from its normal price of £85. No7 Star Gift Had a diesel car made from 2009 to 2020? Should you join claims against Audi, BMW, Mercedes & more? Some law firms have stopped taking on newbies as they prepare existing cases, so should you sign up now? See diesel claim pros & cons for the latest. Can you reclaim PPI again & 1m+ owed money back on student loans... in the new Martin Lewis Podcast.  A jam-packed pod, also with latest on inflation, what will happen to the state pension and benefits next year and more. All in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast - listen via BBC Sounds, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - Earn £30 Amazon voucher doing online activities Ongoing	DID YOU MISS? - How much will the state pension rise by in 2024? - Woman aged 66+? Don't bin HMRC pension letter - Is PPI reclaiming back? Could you reclaim £1,000s? - Cheaper to leave heating on all day? 12 energy mythbusters - E.on Next 50% off 'low income' tariff - here's who can get it

 

 

'I found a £13,500 lost pension - thank you' Reclaim lost cash for FREE - a forgotten £50 BILLION is sitting in old pensions, bank accounts, savings & more There can't be many more (potentially) profitable ways to spend the extra hour this Sunday when the clocks go back than checking if you've got any lost pensions. It's been designated National Pension Tracing Day for that reason, with 2.8 million pensions thought to have gone astray, usually worth £10,000s and sometimes even £100,000s. And when you also add in the money sat lost in bank accounts, savings and investments, there's an estimated £50 BILLION or so waiting to be claimed. For full info on how to check whether any of it's yours, see Find lost accounts, but in brief... The biggest payouts are usually from old private or company pensions & investments. For pensions, contacting ex-employers and digging out old paperwork is the best first step, but if that isn't possible or doesn't get you anywhere, all's not lost. The Government's Pension Tracing Service tool has up-to-date contact details for 100,000s of different pension schemes. It's a little effort but can really be worth it, as Jackie's story shows: "Thank you for your advice on tracing previous work pensions. I worked for Royal Mail between 1988 and 1991 and only contributed £596 in that time. I now have a transfer balance of £13,581. A big thank you to Martin & the team." See how to find old pensions for more. For non-pension-based investments there are a number of different routes - see how to reclaim old investment trusts, unit trusts and insurance policies, which includes info on Gretel, a new-ish free site that searches an array of pension, investment, insurance and bank account providers to check for lost cash. Premium Bonds, current & savings accounts - up to £4.5 billion's waiting to be claimed. Just use the free one-stop service My Lost Account, set up by the bank & building society trade associations. Sign up, fill in the form with details and past addresses, and it'll zip them off to any of 30+ banks, 43 building societies and NS&I (National Savings as was) where you think you may have had an account. If you did, it'll usually let you know by email or letter. Find deceased relatives' lost assets too. If a family member has died and you're responsible for their estate, or you're the beneficiary, you may be able to reclaim that person's lost cash too. You'll need to put their name (as the account holder) on the search forms. If anything's found, you'll need the will as proof it's due to you. See how to recover deceased relatives' assets.

 

Age 66+ with income under £220/wk (£320/wk if a couple)? You may be due £3,500/yr & £599 cost of living help. More than 850,000 eligible pensioners are missing out on Pension Credit, yet claim by Fri 8 Dec and as well as an increased income and access to other benefits, you can also qualify for the second and third 2023/24 cost of living payments, worth £599 in total. Full info in Pension Credit. From Thu. M&S beauty Advent calendar for £45 (worth £348). But you can only buy it if you spend £35+ on clothing, beauty or homeware. Use it yourself or split it up for gifts. Not just any Advent calendar It's beginning to look a lot like... cheap Christmas train tickets are now on sale. Advance fares for the festive season are now available from some train firms - give yourself the gift of cheap Christmas train travel. Free & cheap half-term kids' activities, including a free National Trust family pass. Plus free fitness classes for girls, free crumpets at Morrisons Cafés, and lots more half-term helpers. 'I reclaimed £2,000 in overpaid student loans thanks to Martin & MSE.' Our success of the week comes from Francesca, who claimed a huge refund after seeing Martin's student loan overpayments video. She said: "I want to say the biggest thank you for your student loan overpayment coverage. I've been refunded over £2,000 at a time in my life where both myself and my partner have wound up unemployed and we're really struggling. Keep fighting the good fight and thanks so much." If we've helped you save or reclaim (on this, or owt else), send us your successes. Ends 1 Nov. Huge 5% BOOST on Sainsbury's Christmas spending. Supermarket Christmas saving schemes encourage year-long saving, yet a loophole lets you get a year's bonus in a few weeks. The Sainsbury's deadline approaches. Earn a £30 Amazon voucher for doing quick online surveys. MSE Blagged. Newbies to survey site Swagbucks can get an extra £20 Amazon voucher when they earn £10 through our Swagbucks deal.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 29mths 0%, 3.45% fee (24.9% rep APR) No-fee 0%: NatWest (check eligibility / apply*) - 14mths 0% (24.9% rep APR) Best bank accounts £125 + £80 to open (no switch required): HSBC £200 to switch + 8% regular saver: Nationwide Top savings accounts Top easy access: Paragon Bank 5.25%, min £1,000 Top one-year fix: Cynergy Bank 5.9%, min £1,000 Car insurance Try our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Cheap loans Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: AA (check eligibility / apply*), 7.2% rep APR (members), 7.3% rep APR (non-members) Cheapest £7,500 to £15,000: Tesco Bank (check eligibility / apply*), 5.9% rep APR (must have a Clubcard) Broadband top picks Cheapest standard & fibre (up to 55Mb): Shell '£18.55/mth' (though its customer service rating ain't great) Fast fibre (55Mb+) and decent service: Sky '£21.67/mth' Superfast fibre (100Mb+) and good service: Plusnet £26.99/mth On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.70/mth' for 3GB 4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£3.45/mth' for 5GB 10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£3.57/mth' for 12GB 31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£7.09/mth' for 70GB

 

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK Living with a terminal illness and worried about your energy bills? Marie Curie has a free and confidential support line with dedicated energy support officers who can give details of what help your supplier can offer, grants to help with costs, and energy-efficient measures for your home. Call 0800 090 2309 (8am to 6pm Mon to Fri, 11am to 5pm Sat) or visit its website for more information and help, including online chat.

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL At what age should kids get their own prepaid debit card or bank account? A prepaid debit card or kids' bank account can be a good way to teach children about spending wisely. With prepaid cards typically available from age six and bank accounts from around 11, from what age did you get one (or would you consider one) of these for your kids? Vote in this week's poll. In the 10th MSE Annual Census, the average MoneySaver earns less than £50,000, likely has a university degree, uses the BBC to get their news and narrowly prefers cheese & onion crisps to ready salted. Find out more about the 9,000+ people who voted in the MSE Annual Census.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: State pension boosting to become easier as new online tool set to launch - Real living wage rises to £12 an hour across the UK and to £13.15 an hour in London - Tesco Mobile extends free European roaming for all users until 2025 - Council tax in Scotland frozen until April 2025

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Can I keep some of the cash from selling my daughter's christening present? My daughter was given an antique toy as a christening present 18 years ago, which she stopped playing with long ago and says she no longer wants. I mentioned this to an acquaintance with an interest in antiques, and they put me in touch with a buyer who, after some haggling on my part, is willing to pay a significant sum for it. Do I give all the money to my daughter, as it was her present, or would it be reasonable to keep some for myself as she no longer wanted it and I found the buyer? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Can I keep daughter's christening present cash? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

A few Halloween comps... - Win a 'spook-tacular' family trip to Blenheim Palace - Win a Halloween bundle of dog treats - Win a bundle of handmade Halloween goodies - Win dark French comedy Delicatessen on Blu-ray (ends Sun) ... from the MSE Forum Competitions board - Win a set of spooky vinyl records - Win The Spirit of Halloween on DVD - Win two scary film box sets - Win two skull-shaped crystals

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: Stew, savings & side hustles

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 25 OCT ONWARDS) Tue 31 Oct - Good Morning Britain, ITV1, 8.30am Tue 31 Oct - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 8pm

 

YES TO ADULT ONESIES, NO TO PUMPKIN SPICE... WHAT'S YOUR WINTER PREP MONEYSAVING TIP? That's all for this week, but before we go... MoneySavers have been sharing their winter prep tips, and many are digging out their thermals and onesies to cut heating costs, while other crafty types are knitting themselves new hats, mittens and more. Preparing for the cold was common - some are adding draught-excluder tape around windows, swapping curtains for thicker alternatives and laying extra rugs. And lots of MoneySavers said they're avoiding expensive pumpkin-spice lattes, with one suggesting a cheap milk frother to make fancy beverages at home instead. But perhaps most impressive was the formidable bill-payer who has put a sticker over the heating controls, warning anyone who goes near to 'put a jumper on'. Add your own tips to the MoneySaving winter prep Facebook discussion. We hope you save some money, The MSE team

 

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