108Mb broadband £17/mth, cheap medical insurance, Boots £221 beauty £35, scam ads victory, 'We earn £40k & got universal credit', free wills

Plus...1% savings, energy rise: what'll your firm charge?, 3 vital tax tips, low-price sanitary pads

                                                           

16 March 2022 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Martin's medical money masterclass, including... - 8 medical insurance need-to-knows - 5 healthcare cash plan need-to-knows One week only. Cheapest ever MEGAFAST 108Mb broadband & line, '£17/month' all-in  Last chance. Shift debt to 0% for 31 months + bag £25 cashback What'll your energy firm charge when price cap rises 54% on 1 April? Boots £221 beauty box £35 - includes Lancome, Fenty and more Martin video: '3 urgent tax checks - do 'em now or risk £1,000s' 'We earn £40k - but we still got universal credit' Tesco doubles price of cheapest sanitary pads - so where's cheap now? Martin: 'Finally, Government's listened and put scam ads in Online Safety Bill' Hot Diamonds 40% off EVERYTHING How to get 1% easy-access savings + a FREE £150 FREE solicitor-drafted wills if you're 55+ Mother's Day deals, including 100-stem bouquet £20 Urgent. Cheapest iPhone 13 contract we've seen - 100GB £32/month Holland & Barrett 25% off code Top spending card ends - 23 months 0% + £25 cashback FREE Homebuilding & Renovating Show tickets This week's best buys, including 1.55% fixed savings, top car insurance comparisons  Should we split the property equally if I pay a bigger deposit? BEST BUYS & TOOLS Cheap Energy Club, incl Pick Me A Tariff MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club incl free credit report 0% Balance Transfers Compare Broadband deals Cheap Car Insurance Best Bank Accounts Top Savings Accounts Credit Cards for Bad Credit Credit Card Eligibility Calculator Loans Eligibility Calculator Mortgage Comparison Free online complaints tool - Resolver Compare Travel Money Best Sim Only Deals

Martin's medical money masterclass Cheap private medical insurance OR / AND Little-known cashback if you pay for physio, glasses, dentist & more (including NHS costs - many should grab it)  The jewel in the nation's crown that is the NHS has been near heroic in recent years. All credit and thanks to its wonderful staff for looking after all of us and our families during such terrible times. Indeed in emergencies, the NHS is unbeatable, as its large hospitals are well staffed around the clock. For more routine treatment, according to my Twitter poll, around 23% choose to pay for (or access via work) private medical insurance - a luxury / convenience package that gives sometimes speedier, more flexible private treatments, often in hotel-style comfort. Far less well known are healthcare cash plans - which should be MORE MAINSTREAM and can help cover usually necessary costs, such as NHS (or private) dental and optical costs, as well as treatments including physio, chiropody and osteopathy. Let me take you through both now, and show you how to do each most cost-effectively. EIGHT private medical insurance need-to-knows Pay from £10/mth for private consultations & operations Private medical insurance (PMI) covers planned consultations, treatments and operations - be it hips, cataracts, ears and sometimes mental health too. It's a lifestyle choice. It ain't cheap. A healthy 25-year-old could scrape as low as £10/mth for a basic policy, but by 40 that'll easily double or more - and most pay far, far more.   If you're considering it, or want to measure how your current policy stacks up, our full Cheap PMI guide will help, but here are key need-to-knows... 1) Start by doing a quick comparison - through special MSE Blagged links for an up to £100 discount. While big-name comparison sites seem to offer PMI, actually they're mostly just 'white labels' of two specialist comparisons (ie, while they may be branded Gocomparethesupermarket, under the bonnet the engine providing the comparison is one of these two). So we've gone direct to the specialists, and blagged extra discounts. The two sites have 10 policies in common - the others differ - yet as they can also have their own special prices (as long as not more than direct) do check both if time. The two specialist PMI comparisons Assured Futures* MSE Blagged link gets £90 cashback Compare 12 providers. Via this link you get £90 cashback after 6 monthly payments on PMI of any value or sooner if you pay upfront. ActiveQuote* MSE Blagged link gets some up to £100 in Amazon vouchers Compare 11 providers. Via this link, after 6 months, you get a £60 Amazon voucher, if you buy a £35 - £45 PMI policy (£100 voucher if it's £45+/mth). While this has fewer policies, I found it has the easier question set, for those who are unsure. Annoyance alert: Both want you to put your phone number in, and may try to contact you by phone or email to discuss a quote. There's no way to opt out. It would of course be terrible if you accidentally put in a non-working phone number. 2) Under 40, healthy and exercise a lot? Factor in Vitality's PMI perks, eg, £27 Apple Watch 7 or 50% off gyms. Vitality healthcare is included in BOTH comparisons (view it via the comparisons above to ensure you get our blagged cashback / vouchers). The perks offered are so strong, they can skew what's best value, especially for younger and healthier applicants who'll therefore have lower quote levels. The standout perk is an Apple Watch 7 (normal cost £369) which Vitality PMI members can get by paying £27 upfront, then the rest over three years. Monthly repayments depend on the 'Activity Points' you earn. At the top level, eg, 10,000-13,000ish daily steps, you pay nowt more - equivalent to a £9.50/mth gain. Even at lesser activity there's a decent saving (you do need to pass a credit check). Therefore if you'll stick with it for three years, do the exercise, and would've bought a watch anyway, factor this in as a cost reduction to see how it stacks up against the other comparison results. It also offers 50% off many Virgin, Nuffield and Pure monthly gym fees and other retail discounts. Alternatively, Aviva can give 15% off year 2's premiums if you follow its recommended actions to improve your lifestyle, after filling in a questionnaire. For more info on this and others see PMI perks. 3) Thinking of switching? Huge savings are possible, but BE CAREFUL if you've had treatments. As PMI prices have been walked up each year (rising year-after-year so before you know it they're far more than when you started), a comparison can often reveal huge savings. Great, if you've never claimed. Yet, if you've had treatments on the policy within recent years, and the issue reoccurs within 2-7 years (varies by policy), a new one may exclude that as a pre-existing condition. If that's an issue, you may effectively be locked in to your current provider. Then the best route is to haggle with your existing provider at renewal seeing if it'll price-match the cheapest found. As Tony tweeted: "@MartinSLewis @MoneySavingExp I saved £1,001 (35%) on a private health insurance renewal quote by haggling." 4) The excess matters. This is the amount you'll pay towards any individual claim or all claims per year (check which one - per year is better, but costs more). It has a huge impact on cost. A £1,000/yr policy with no excess reduces to £720/yr if you set a £500 excess. So think about at what level you'd claim and whether you're wanting a 'cover everything' policy or only a 'cover big things' policy. One strategy some consider is to combine a very high excess (£1,000+) policy with self-insuring - where you put cash in top savings to use for basic private treatments but have the ability to claim for expensive treatment.   5) Pick the right PMI cover. Comparison sites should give an overview, but always do a detailed check of what's covered before signing up. More help in picking a PMI policy, but do check... - Which hospitals can you use? Bigger choice = bigger cost. So once you home in on a policy, check its hospital list and options. - What treatments do you want to cover? Options can include improved cover for cancer and mental health. Consider what you'd be happy to use the NHS for. - Consultant limits. If you have a specific consultant you like to see, if they're not on the approved list they may be part-covered, so you pay the difference, or not covered at all. - 'Full medical underwriting' (FMU) vs 'moratorium'. With FMU you disclose your medical history at sign-up (possibly via a check-up). Moratorium doesn't need that, but if you claim for a condition within the first 2 (or sometimes more) years, you'll often need to prove you haven't suffered from it before, which can slow things down. 6) The problem with PMI as a staff perk... Getting medical insurance paid for you through your work is usually great. Even if your employer doesn't pay, it can be substantially cheaper than getting a policy yourself. There is a 'but' though... If you need treatment, claim, and then later decide to leave your employer, will you be able to continue your membership with the healthcare firm on the same terms? If not, you may then be stuck without being able to get a new insurer to cover that pre-existing condition. 7) Can't find what you want or confused? Use a broker. If you're confused or have conditions that make things difficult, get assistance from a member of the snappily titled Association of Medical Insurers and Intermediaries. These brokers can answer questions about cover, particular insurers' records, rules and more. Most are free to you, because they take commission from insurers if you get a policy. Though, of course, check how and if they'll charge before you get the advice. 8) Claim unfairly rejected? Go to the ombudsman. Picking the right policy is only half the journey - it needs to deliver when you need to claim, too. But it's more difficult to predict how it'll perform. So it's worth knowing these are regulated policies where you have a legal right to be TREATED FAIRLY. If not, make a formal complaint, and if it still doesn't stack up, you can take it to the free Financial Ombudsman Service to adjudicate. FIVE healthcare cash plan need-to-knows Far cheaper... from £7/mth. Cover NHS & private costs for glasses, dentist, physio & more... some MAKE money With a healthcare cash plan, if you shell out for key NHS or private treatments, you then send off the receipt and it gives you the cash back up to an annual limit (the more you pay, the bigger the limit). Few have heard of these, unless they're a workplace perk, but many should consider them. These can work with PMI or by themselves. Full help in Top healthcare cash plans but let me take you through the key need-to-knows... 1) The core is dental and optical treatments... if you or your family wears contacts/glasses and gets annual dental check-ups, cash plans are likely a winner. With the best policies, if you will max the claim back just on these two categories, you get back more than the policy cost, so owt else is a bonus. For example, with Hive Bronze, one of our top picks for individuals... ... you're quids in. Other claimable items include £140/yr for dental accidents, £150/yr for therapies (physio, osteo, chiro, acupuncture), £125/yr for consultations & tests (physician/surgeon & PET, CT or MRI scans), £17.50/day for hospital admissions and £100/child for paternity / maternity. Tot up how much you currently spend on routine appointments, and see how much you'd get back as a rough valuation of whether it'll be worth it. 2) We've analysed plans to help you pick. There are no comparison sites we're aware of, so we've calculated which offer the highest potential value (potential payout compared to cost). So see our top for... Individuals (from £7/mth) | Couples (from £14/mth) | Families incl children (from £18/mth) | Individuals over 65 (from £7/mth) If you or your partner are employees, check if either of your employers offers work-based policies. These can be extremely good value - bulk-buying power means firms can negotiate big discounts. And with all policies, always check the terms in detail before signing up. 3) If you WON'T remember to claim, DON'T get a policy. Just because people can claim for the cost of healthcare through a cash plan, doesn't mean they do. You have to fill in a claim form and send receipts each time. If admin fails are part of your DNA, don't bother with cash plans. Apathetic customers, who don't claim, but have direct debits dripping from their bank accounts, keep plan providers' coffers healthy. Cash plans only have value if you'll make claims. 4) Most don't require a medical for under-65s, though you must declare pre-existing conditions. Most policies will exclude all future claims on any past medical conditions (not routine dental or optical though), but some only exclude specific conditions suffered in the previous 12 months. Even so, depending on the condition, this doesn't mean you can't head for the cover – past shoulders injuries, for example, wouldn't stop someone claiming for physiotherapy treatment for knees (or toes) injury. 5) Some firms have a 'qualifying period' so you can't usually claim for treatment in the first few months. These normally last one to six months (or 10 months for childbirth claims) before you can start to claim anything, to stop people joining and cancelling to cover specific treatments. Their aim is that these are longer-term policies. The medical savings don't stop there... While I'm at it, here are a few more things to check out: - Are you one of over 1 million overpaying for prescriptions? - How to cut the cost of medications - Check the 'PL code' on all over-the-counter medicines - Cheap hay fever and allergy treatments

 

 

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.

 

 

 

One week only. Cheapest ever MEGAFAST 108Mb broadband & line - just '£17/month' all-in with Virgin  Less than half what many pay for basic speeds If we've said it once, we've said it 1,000 times... the best way to save £100s a year off your broadband bill is to pounce on hot short-lived deals with sign-up incentives (which you don't get going direct). This week Virgin's launched the cheapest megafast broadband and line deal we've EVER seen. Here's how it stacks up against the top deals for other speeds... TOP NEWBIES' HOME BROADBAND & LINE DEALS All postcode-dependent - links go via our broadband comparison to check your eligibility.  On universal credit/benefits? Also see the top cheap 'social' broadband tariffs. HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY NOW? For most it's £30 to £45 a month Out of contract? Even if you don't want to switch, use the prices below to haggle. New, but ends Thu 24 Mar Virgin Media MSE Blagged - 108Mb megafast fibre and line '£17.40/month' 18-month contract Only available to 55% of homes - you're told if yours qualifies when applying. Cheapest megafast fibre and phone line we've EVER seen. Via this Virgin Media 108Mb link you pay £22.95/mth, but automatically get £100 bill credit - which means in practice you don't pay for the first four months (unless you make calls). Factor that in over the 18-month contract and it's equivalent to £17.40/mth. Virgin just dipped down into the 'poor' category in our last customer service poll - so there may be a trade-off between price and service. Shell Energy MSE Blagged - 63Mb superfast fibre and line '£16.58/month' 12-month contract Cheapest superfast and phone line available. Apply via this Shell Energy 63Mb link by Sun 3 Apr and you'll pay £21.99/mth, but you automatically get £65 bill credit. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £16.58/mth over the 12-month contract. Shell was rated 'OK' in our last service poll. This is the same price as the cheapest standard fibre deal (also from Shell), so we've not included deals at this speed (30-55Mb).  Shell Energy MSE Blagged  - 11Mb standard speed and line '£13.83/month' 12-month contract Cheapest broadband and phone line available. For basic, non-fibre speed, apply via this Shell Energy 11Mb link by Sun 3 Apr and you'll pay £17.99/mth, but you automatically get £50 bill credit. This makes it equivalent to £13.83/mth over the 12-month contract. Shell was rated 'OK' in our last service poll. To compare, we use 'equivalent costs' - adding all costs, deducting promo credits and averaging over the contract. All prices are before any call costs.  Slow broadband? Test your speed - is it the Wi-Fi or the connection? It's always worth a broadband speed check first using your Wi-Fi, and then also by plugging your laptop or computer into the router if you can. If the speed is substantially slower by Wi-Fi, you may need to put your router higher up or nearer, and ensure it's not hidden in a cupboard or by walls. For more, see 8 speed-boosters. At least 50% of customers must get the advertised speeds at peak times. All providers above also tell you the estimated max you're likely to get before you sign up. Switching usually only means about two hours' downtime. You're told the switch time and you likely won't need an engineer to visit unless you're switching to Virgin. Even then, about 60% don't need a visit, and if you do, you'll be told before applying. Also, a few leaving Virgin may need an Openreach engineer. Be warned - most firms hike prices a little during your contract. If your contract warns you, you're stuck with the rise - Shell's does, so you'll see an increase in spring 2023. If it's not in your contract, most providers - including Virgin - let you leave penalty-free within 30 days. Members of cashback sites can sometimes undercut deals. Our Top cashback sites guide explains how these sites work - they often give cashback on broadband deals. In some cases, the cashback can mean they undercut promotional deals elsewhere, though don't assume it's the same deal - check carefully.

 

As the war in Ukraine is still raging, here's a reminder of ways you can donate money or help. What'll your energy firm charge when the price cap rises 54% on 1 April? See our supplier-by-supplier round-up. Related: Martin's 3 urgent energy tips | Martin's 'Should I fix?' video | Where to get help if struggling to pay energy bills | Energy mythbusting | Quick tips to cut usage. Boots £221 beauty box for £35, including Lancome, Liz Earle, Fenty & Bobbi Brown. 2,000 available. Its 'Premium Skincare Edit' box is live online at 6am today (Wed) and it's likely to go fast. Boots beauty. Related: Boots up to 70% off. Martin video: 'Tax year ends 5 Apr - check now or risk losing £1,000s... 1) Are you due an easy tax rebate or 2) marriage tax allowance or 3) PPI tax back?' See Martin's 'urgent tax claims' explainer. 'We earn £40,000 - so were surprised we were still eligible for universal credit.' Success of the week. A great success from Alex who used our 10-minute benefit check-up tool: "I've never applied for universal credit before but your email made me check. I was surprised you could earn £40,000/year as a couple and still qualify. We now get £80/month - thanks for helping us with the rise in the cost of living." If you've saved via MSE, please send us your MoneySaving successes on this or owt else. Tesco DOUBLES price of cheapest sanitary pads - see new cheapest pads/tampons. Yet another example of prices on basic necessities rising - so see how to find free or cheap sanitary products. Martin: 'Finally, Govt's listened to our desperate plea, scam ads WILL be in the Online Safety Bill.' This huge change is a relief, as while some tweaks are needed, we can now start to ensure big tech will be responsible for what they're paid to publish. See the full scam ads update & video explainer. Hot Diamonds 40% off EVERYTHING code - for example, £60 earrings £18. MSE Blagged. Hot Diamonds Reminder. Get 1% easy-access savings (next best 0.84%) and a FREE £150. Martin explained how to play the system in the email a fortnight ago. It's still hugely popular. Best to read that, but as a reminder... open Virgin Money's M Plus bank account* and you get access to its 1% AER variable savings (max £25,000) even if you don't switch your existing bank to it. So you're free to get other switching deals, such as First Direct's FREE £150 and top service* (though you get a £100 'experience day voucher' if you do switch to Virgin). Full eligibility info for both in Best bank accounts.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - Virgin Media 108Mb fibre & line '£17.40/month' Ends Thu 24 Mar - Hot Diamonds 40% off everything code Ends Tue 22 Mar - iPhone 13 contract with 100GB data for £32/month Ends Thu - Holland & Barrett 25% off most items code Ends Mon	DID YOU MISS? - Find your new take-home pay with our updated tax calculator - Are you keeping the RIGHT food in the fridge? - Council tax up 3% - but is your home in the right band? - Tax codes: urgently check if yours is correct - 2for1 beer, spirits or soft drinks at 700+ pubs

 

 

Hot balance transfer ending - slash existing card debts  Shift debt for 31 months INTEREST FREE & get £25 cashback, cancelling out the fee for many The hottest long balance-transfer deal on the market is being pulled this week. A balance transfer is where you get a new card that pays off existing credit and/or store card debt for you, so you owe it instead, but - crucially - it's interest-free for a set period. As every penny you pay clears the debt, rather than covering interest, you can be debt-free quicker... First, ALWAYS check to find your best deal. Use our 0% Eligibility Calculator to find the top card you've the best odds of getting (or even are pre-approved for). Unlike applying, this doesn't affect your ability to get accepted for credit in future. Go for the lowest fee in the time you're sure you can repay in. (Unsure? Go long for safety.) Most longer 0% deals charge a one-off fee, of up to 3.5% of the debt shifted (so £35 per £1,000 transferred). Avoid this if you can repay quicker. Recently some top deals have included cashback which can cover the fee, meaning you can in effect get far longer at 0% than you normally would for little or no fee... TOP-PICK NEW CARDHOLDER 0% BALANCE TRANSFERS For a much larger list of options, see Top balance transfers. CARD KEY INFO HOW GOOD IS IT? Ends 11.59pm Fri M&S Bank Best: check acceptance odds first, or apply direct* - 31 months 0% - 1.99% fee (min £5) - £25 cashback via our links, if shifting £100+ in first 90 days - 21.9% rep APR after the 0% Long 0% and essentially NO FEE (or better) if shifting £100 to £1,250. All accepted here get the full 31 months at 0%. If you're shifting £1,250 or less, the transfer fee is wiped out by the cashback. Even if you're transferring more, the cashback means it's in effect a long, very low-fee 0% card. MBNA Best: check acceptance odds first, or apply direct* - Up to 33 months 0% - 2.69% or 3.49% fee - 21.9% rep APR after the 0% Market's longest 0% period, but higher fee. Here you get a smidge longer at 0%, but a far higher fee. So on £1,000 this is roughly a £25 fee, while after cashback you're a fiver up with M&S. So M&S is the cheaper option, if you're likely to be accepted for both. Yet one plus is you can be 'pre-approved' for this card via our eligibility calc and if so will definitely get the full 33 months 0%. If not you could be offered just 14 months and/or a higher 3.49% fee. Santander Best: check acceptance odds first, or apply direct* - 21 months 0% - NO FEE - 20.9% rep APR after the 0% Longest pure NO-FEE card: better for bigger debt-shifting that you can repay quicker. All accepted here get 21 months at 0% - it wins if you're shifting £1,250+, and you can clear the debt within that time. The NatWest & RBS 22-month 0% card is similar, but only existing customers of the two sister banks can apply. Getting a card? Always follow the Balance Transfer Golden Rules: a) Never miss the min monthly repayment, or you could lose the 0% deal and it'll cost far more. b) Clear the card (or balance-transfer again) before the 0% ends, or the rate rockets to the higher APR. c) Don't spend/withdraw cash. It usually isn't at the cheap rate and withdrawals hit your ability to get future credit. d) The balance transfer must usually be done within 1-3 months to get the 0% and any cashback - check your card. e) You can't balance-transfer between two cards from the same banking group. Full help and info, including options for poorer credit scorers, in Best balance transfers (APR examples).

 

FREE solicitor-drafted wills (normally about £150) for those aged 55 or over - appointments going quickly. This offer's only on till the end of the month, so check if it's on in your area and book now. Full info in our Free or cheap wills guide. Mother's Day (27 Mar) deals, including 100-stem bouquet for £20, £2 photo card & more. Plus see how to treat mum without spending in our full Mother's Day round-up. Ends 11.59pm Thu. Cheapest iPhone 13 contract - 100GB £32/month. MSE Blagged. Buying the latest iPhone isn't MoneySaving, but if you're doing it anyway, we've seen nowt cheaper than this 128GB iPhone 13* for Three newbies (via Buymobiles). It comes with 100GB/month of data and unlimited mins & texts and you pay a simple £32/month. It's £219 cheaper over the two-year contract than buying the handset and pairing it with a similar Sim deal. Want a different phone? See MSE's Cheap Mobile Finder. Note: Three is responsible for the contract, Buymobiles for the handset. Holland & Barrett 25% off most items via code. MSE Blagged. Works with existing discounts - for example, it's £1.49 for 30 iron and vitamin C tablets (£1.99 in the sale, normally £3.29). Holland & Barrett Ends Fri. Top 0% spending (new borrowing) card - 23 months interest-free & £25 cashback. If you need to buy something and spread the cost, a 0% credit card is THE cheapest way. Via this M&S Bank 23-month 0% card* link, accepted newbies get £25 cashback if spending £100+ within 90 days (though it's best to use our eligibility calculator to see if you'll be accepted). Golden rules: 1) Only borrow for planned, affordable, one-off purchases - don't do it routinely to meet gaps in living costs. 2) Always pay at least the minimum monthly payment. 3) Clear the debt before the 0% ends or you'll pay 21.9% rep APR interest. Full help and more options in 0% spending cards (APR examples). FREE Homebuilding & Renovating Show tickets Birmingham (normally £12). 24-27 Mar. Free tickets

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: MBNA (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 33 months 0%, 2.69% or 3.49% fee (21.9% rep APR interest) No-fee 0%: Santander (check eligibility / apply*) - 21 months 0% (20.9% rep APR) or NatWest - 22 months 0% if you're a NatWest/RBS customer (21.9% rep APR) Broadband top picks Standard (10Mb+): Shell Energy '£13.83/month' Superfast fibre (55Mb+): Shell Energy '£16.58/month' Megafast fibre (100Mb+): Virgin Media '£17.40/month'  Top savings accounts Top standard easy access: Cynergy Bank 0.84%, min £1 deposit Top one-year fix: Brown Shipley via Raisin 1.55% + £30 bonus for some, min £1,000 Car insurance Get comparison site quotes in this order: MoneySupermarket* Confused.com* CompareTheMarket* Gocompare* Cheap loans Cheapest, £5k-£7.5k: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*) - 3.3% rep APR interest for Nectar holders, 3.4% for others Cheapest, £7.5k-£15k: M&S Bank (check eligibility / apply*) - 2.8% rep APR Best bank accounts £150 to switch + TOP service: First Direct £150 to switch + £3/month cashback: NatWest/RBS Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£4.11/month' for 3GB, unlimited mins & texts 4GB-9GB data: Lebara, '£4.28/month' for 5GB, unlimited mins & texts 10GB+ data: TalkMobile, '£4.50/month' for 10GB, unlimited mins & texts

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL How much are your typical monthly bills? Life's essentials are getting far harder to afford, and the cost of living is only going to increase further from April as the price of energy is set to soar. So this week, we want to know how much you spend on household bills each month.  MoneySavers are keenest on buying books and cars second-hand. More than 6,6000 voted in our 'what would you be happy to buy second-hand' poll. More than three-quarters would happily give a second home to books, cars and furniture, while pre-loved video games, bicycles and homeware were also popular. But just 7% would buy second-hand beauty products and only 6% a second-hand mattress. And - unsurprisingly - very few were keen on the idea of pre-owned underwear. See the full second-hand poll results.

 

 

MSE News - Top story: Passenger locator forms and Covid tests to be scrapped for ALL UK arrivals - Online payments could be declined if your card contact details aren't up to date - Netflix to hike prices by up to £24/year for millions of subscribers - Amazon Classic and Platinum credit cards to be scrapped from January 2023 - TSB customers 'left without cash' after duplicate payment error

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA I put in a much bigger deposit - but should we split the property equally? My partner and I are looking to buy our first home together. I'm putting in a 40% deposit and they are putting in 5% but they want to split the ownership 50/50 once we've bought. I think that'd be unfair - and have suggested we split it 60/40 in my favour, with the proviso that we both arrange our wills so ownership would transfer to the other if one of us were to die (we're not married). Am I being unreasonable? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should we split property ownership equally? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 16 MAR ONWARDS) Wed 16 Mar - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm. Listen to past episodes Thu 17 Mar - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.45am Mon 21 Mar - Guest-presenting Good Morning Britain, ITV, from 6am Tue 22 Mar - Guest-presenting Good Morning Britain, ITV, from 6am MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECT TBC) Tue 22 Mar - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 12.40pm

 

LIKE SANTA BUT WITH VOUCHERS... HAVE YOU ENCOUNTERED A 'COUPON FAIRY'? That's all for this week, but before we go... our forum tells tales of a mysterious but generous breed of MoneySaver - one who passes on coupons and vouchers to strangers. They're known as the coupon fairies, and include a Forumite who helped three people get a free coffee at Costa. And another came close to a coupon fairy when they found a 50% off magazine voucher, sprinkled on a shelf at WHSmith. But have you ever caught a glimpse of a coupon fairy? Or... are you one yourself? Read more acts of generosity in our coupon fairy blog and share your stories in our forum. We hope you save some money, stay safe, The MSE team

 

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