60 energy-savers, FREE £200, £58 Eurostar returns, 2 pairs specs £14, slash home insurance, cheapest Samsung S22, check new take-home pay

Plus... Mortgage rates falling?, 5% savings, new Christmas deals tool, £50 skincare £15

                                                           

09 November 2022 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Martin's winter energy-saving action plan, including: - 60 tips to save energy - Cheap ways to stay warm - Work out appliance costs 2-year fixed savings up to 5%  'I saved £330 on home insurance using your guide' Fixed-rate mortgages may fall New. FREE £200 HSBC bank bribe It's back: MSE's Christmas Deals Predictor, including 25% off Disney 2-min test: can you cut debt costs? Ends Thu. £58 Eurostar returns Expect more in your take-home pay £68 Soap & Glory set for £33.50 TWO pairs of specs from £14 Martin's podcast: new episode is unpleasant... but important Grüum five-piece skincare set £15 Ends Mon. Samsung S22 + 100GB data for £24/month £15 boost to your Asda Christmas budget New. 29 Vinted buying & selling tips £1 Costa coffees at Shell Swap Avios to Nectar NOW as points' value to plummet This week's best buys, including 34 months' 0% debt shift, '£12.91/month' fibre broadband, 5GB Sim '£3.38/month' Should our son pay us for the fuel we use babysitting our grandchildren? 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

Martin: Winter is coming How to cut costs, stay warm, and get your house in order 60+ home energy savers, direct debit test, bill help, cut use for cash, slash boiler costs, heat the human & more It's usually about this time most start to turn the central heating on. Though this year it may be later, both as thankfully temperatures aren't yet too cold, and as many will delay due to sky-high prices. So that gives me time to compile a range of protective MoneySaving winter warmers to help get your house in order, including our new 60 home energy savers checklist, as well as our Heat the human guide. Enough hot air (if only), let's do it... 1. The story so far: energy prices are double last winter's. On 1 Oct, the new energy price guarantee launched. Originally planned to last two years, it'll now end in March. - It increased prices by an average 27% compared to the pre-Oct rate. - Substantially less than the 80% rise due under the price cap system. - Substantially more (96%) than last winter's energy rates. The guarantee works just like the past caps, only the price differs. There is NO TOTAL MAX that you pay for gas and electricity, instead it's unit rates and standing charges that are capped. Average price guarantee rates (direct debit) See region by region rates for all different payment methods Electricity | Unit rate: 34.0p/kWh | Standing charge: 46.4p/day Gas | Unit rate: 10.3p/kWh | Standing charge: 28.5p/day To help with the huge cost increase, in May an energy support payments package was put in place for Eng, Scot & Wales (for NI, see below)... All households who pay elec direct: £400. So £66 each month until March. See how to get the £400 electricity payment help. Benefits £650 (2nd payment due soon). Those on qualifying benefits incl pension credit between 26 Aug and 25 Sep are due £324. See 2nd payment help. Pensioners up to £600 boosted winter fuel payment. State pensioners usually get £100 to £300 winter fuel payment (age & benefits dependent). A flat one-off £300 has been added this year. Disabilities £150 payment's been paid. What to do if you didn't get it. Alternative fuel £100 for homes without gas. Heating oil, LPG, etc users get a £100 grant. Other funds. As well as the new schemes, for those on some benefits there's the £150 warm homes discount and the cold weather payment scheme (also for older people), or instead of that, a flat £50 payment in February for those in Scotland. 2. What happens in April when price guarantee ends? Nowt's been announced, but the default setting if nothing is changed is we return to the price cap system. The latest prediction from analysts Cornwall Insight (though it's very, very early days and likely to change) says we'd see rates rise 48%, taking the bill for someone on typical use (a meaningless figure just for illustration) from today's £2,500/yr to £3,700/yr. 3. Take our 2-min check to see if your direct debit's right. Enter your kWh usage from your bill into our 'Is your direct debit right?' calculator to find out what it should be roughly. If yours is too high and you're not in energy debt, or it is far too low, then politely call up and ask them to explain why. You have a right to a fair direct debit under Ofgem's rules. See how to challenge unfair direct debits. New: The 60 home energy savers checklist Today, we're launching a brand new guide. The team have worked hard and brilliantly to put together a checklist of 60+ ways to save energy. It's a mix of hardcore savings such as changes to boiler, heating and appliance settings, mixed with some thrifty crowd-sourced tips. I've summarised 15 of them here to whet your appetite. a) Take the boiler challenge - cut gas bill by £100/yr. Many gas combi boilers' (the type most homes have) flow rates are set higher than necessary as default - this is the temperature of the water that circulates around this system. As it's too high, the boiler doesn't operate in its most efficient mode. It can cut gas bills by over 9% and you're unlikely to notice the change, as your hot water and room temp is unchanged (they just may take a little longer to heat up). Innovation charity Nesta has a Boiler challenge tool that shows you what to do. b) Is your fridge and freezer too cool? Fridges should be 5°C, freezers -18°C. If yours are lower, you're wasting energy. c) Fit a FREE water-saving shower head. Normally I discuss this in cutting water use, yet as we pay to heat much of our water, it impacts energy bills too. There are 900,000 water-savings freebies currently available, eg, a low-flow shower head (pushes air through too, so you feel little difference) can save up to £50 a year of hot water. Related: Can you slash your water bill with a meter? d) Take the one degree challenge... try dropping your thermostat temp. The World Health Organisation says 18 degrees is enough for healthy adults, slightly higher for the very young or old. Yet many have their thermostats set in the 20s. Test turning it down one degree or more, and adding extra layers of clothes, to see how it goes. While cutting from, say, 21 degrees to 20 degrees doesn't sound much, it may reduce your heating bill by 10%. As a 'way to think of it' concept (not science), imagine your house was already at 13 degrees, dropping what it's warmed to by 1 degree is a big chunk of that. PS: No need to turn up the temp when it's colder outside. The thermostat's job is to take you to the set temp, it just may take longer. e) Use tactical curtains. Remember, curtains block the sun, and the heat. So open them when there's daylight to let light and heat in, and close them at night to keep it in. PS: Line your curtains with cheap fleece to boost the impact. f) Don't be afraid to touch your knob. OK, the proper name is a radiator valve, but I couldn't resist. Make sure you control which rooms you heat, so you're not wasting cash overheating empty spaces. Go round the house and turn off radiators in rooms you don't want to heat. g) Do you mix cold in to stop your shower/bath being too hot? You can easily lower hot water temperatures on combi boilers, as it's oft set too high, so you need to mix it with cold water. Octopus Energy says about 55 degrees should be enough for most. You can also reduce the temperature on other boilers, but temps generally need to be set a little higher and it's more complicated. h) Not all energy-saving light bulbs are equal. LED lights use about half the energy of the bigger fluorescent spiral 'energy-saving bulbs'. See how energy efficient are my bulbs? i) A £15 hot water cylinder jacket can save £80/yr. If your hot water cylinder is uninsulated, it'll let the water cool down more quickly, so you're wasting money heating it up again. A cylinder jacket could reduce heat loss by up to 75%. j) Tumble dryers are one of the most expensive appliances, so minimise use, maximise load. You're typically paying up to £1 a load, so drying clothes on an airer or outside, to shorten or even avoid the tumble dryer completely, can heavily cut costs. k) Microwaves are cheaper than the oven for smaller dishes. Microwaves only heat the food, not the air around it. So if you're cooking a single jacket potato, the microwave is up to 80% cheaper. Yet for a full family roast dinner all cooked at once, stick to the oven. l) Turn draught detective. Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save energy. Walk round your house looking for window and door draughts. See how to stop the gaps. m) Check your TV is on a low energy setting. On average we spend around 4 hours a day watching TV, so see TV and Sky settings that can reduce energy use. n) Don't drain the hot water out of the bath too quick. You've paid to heat it, so let it sit for a bit. As it cools, the heat energy warms the house, rather than pulling the plug so it heats the drains. o) Put reflective panels behind radiators. These sheets of reflective material can be placed behind radiators on external walls, so heat doesn't escape (tin foil works too, but not as well). ---------------------- There's far more in our Energy savings checklist. If you've home energy saving questions or suggestions, do give us your feedback, though please first check the answers aren't in the guide. 4. Octopus, Ovo, BG, E.on & EDF customers can earn up to £100 by timing energy use this winter. Those on Eco 7, Eco 10 and other time-of-use tariffs have long had cheaper rates for overnight electricity use. Everyone else pays the same regardless of whenever you use energy. Now the National Grid is setting up schemes so those on smart meters can be paid to use less energy at peak times (4-7pm). Octopus is up and running, BG, E.on & EDF have announced they will do this too. Ovo has its own scheme separate to the National Grid one. Full info in our Power down round-up. 5. Even if you're not on a time-of-use tariff, why not do easy energy decreases between 4pm and 7pm? The Govt should be saying this, but so far it's not doing its own info campaign. This winter there's an outside risk of an energy security issue and blackouts - especially during peak 4pm to 7pm. So where it's no hassle to do, why not aim to minimise leccy use? Eg, turn on big appliances in the morning or later evening (though be careful, leaving appliances such as tumble dryers on while you sleep is a fire risk). Hopefully if many do this, we'll all gain. 6. Can't afford to heat your home? Find a warm space. Warm spaces are places, offered by libraries, local councils and others, where people are welcome to go to spend time and stay warm. It's a bittersweet state of affairs - sad it's needed, great to know help's out there. It may just mean a few extra hours with the heating off that makes things affordable. See if you, or perhaps a nearby elderly neighbour, can find a warm space near you. PS: Want to help set up a warm space? I recently commissioned a charity to produce this downloadable free Warm spaces (warm banks) best practice guide for those who want to help. 7. You can't switch tariff to save, but may be able to up your service. There are no fixed (or other) deals out there that are significantly cheaper than the energy price guarantee, which the huge majority of Eng, Scot & Wales are on. Yet if your firm is making you white hot... with anger over its service, then you could still switch elsewhere to improve the service. Of the biggies, EDF & Ovo let you switch easily online, but many others will need calling up as they aren't actively encouraging switchers. 8. On an old school prepayment meter and not received or redeemed your £66/mth voucher? You have 3 months from issue to redeem it. Even if the voucher wrongly says it, you DON'T need photo ID to use it (a household bill valid in the last 12 months should do). 100,000s of October's vouchers have yet to be redeemed - you've 3 months to do it. For help, including what to do if you've not been sent it or it's refused, see Prepay voucher redemption help. How to 'heat the human, not the home' In sadness, in April I asked the team to put together our extensive Heat the human guide, mainly out of panic over the hideous energy costs we were then looking at. It has been hugely well received, not just by those who can't afford to heat homes, but by many as a way to keep their central heating off until needed. It includes how to correctly layer clothes, the hot water bottle in a sleeping bag trick, why you should put your feet up and the cheapest way to warm up. As Louise emailed about her heated gilet: "I wear it in the house during the day and just turn it on as I feel chilly. Keeps my core really warm and it's much cheaper to charge than run the heating."  Selected cheap electrical human heaters Item (initial cost) Heating method Cost per hour (1) USB gloves (£5) Plug into USB Less than 1p Heated insoles (£8) Plug into USB Less than 1p USB hand warmers (£9) Plug into USB Less than 1p Electric gilet (£50 incl battery pack) Charge via USB Less than 1p Microwaveable wheat bag (£4) Microwave for 60 seconds Less than 1p Hot water bottle 1.5L (£5.50) Boil water in kettle 7p Electric blanket (£18 for single) Plug into mains 3p (1) Based on the price guarantee rate of 34p/kWh Fire safety info: The fire service says electric blankets should be stored flat, rolled up or loosely folded to prevent damaging the internal wiring. Also, unplug blankets before you get into bed, unless it has a control for safe all-night use. More Fire safety tips. 9. Is it better to leave your heating on low all day or only turn it on when needed? Plus 19 other mythbusters. We answer this and other energy saving conundrums in our 20 energy mythbusters guide. 10. Ends 30 Nov. 300,000 haven't claimed their £150 council tax cost of living rebate. If you're in council tax bands A to D, and don't pay by direct debit, you need to claim the payment - 100,000s still haven't, and you've only got until 30 November to contact your local council to make a claim. See How to claim your council tax rebate. 11. The Northern Ireland energy price guarantee has started, but I doubt the £400 will be paid this year. It started on 1 Nov and runs until the end of March. NI households get a unit rate discount of usually 19.9p/kWh for electricity and 4.8p/kWh for gas. This includes a little extra than initially announced to backdate the support from October. If you prepay, you may need to top up before the discount is applied. The Govt has said NI customers will get the same £400 winter electricity help payments as those elsewhere are already getting, but we don't know how or when yet. See our Northern Ireland energy guide for help & updates. How to calculate the energy cost of an appliance So a 100W (a tenth of a kW) appliance on for two hours is a maximum 3.4p an hour x 2 = 6.8p The reason I say 'is a maximum' is many appliances, especially heating appliances, don't run at full whack the whole time. Yet this is a good rough rule of thumb to get a general idea. How much does a meter-read energy unit cost? For elec, the meter records in kilowatt hours (kWh), which is what suppliers use to bill you. Yet for gas, the meter usually records in cubic metres, so a conversion's needed, yet roughly... 12. Got prepay meters? You may be able to use the Govt £66/mth help on gas too. The payment is officially made off electricity bills, which can be a struggle if it's gas where you're short. All firms barring Brit Gas let you do it if you've an old school prepayment meter. With smart prepay, some firms allow you to use it for gas too, and we're calling for others to do the same. See Can I use my £66 towards my gas? help. 13. Free home fire safety check. There are around 30,000 house fires and almost 300 fire-related deaths in Britain each year - often related to heating and electricals. This free fire safety check could reduce the risk of a fire. Many fire brigades also offer free in-person fire checks to the most vulnerable. Contact your local fire and rescue service for criteria and to book. 14. Help if you're struggling to pay bills. First talk to your energy firm -  be polite and straight - and make sure you tell it if you're vulnerable. We list a host of grants and help in our What to do if you're struggling to pay energy bills guide. If you need more bespoke help, some key charities can help... - National Energy Action (Eng & Wal) gives benefits advice, and helps with bills, debt and hardship fund applications. These links are for similar help in N Ireland and Scotland. - Citizens Advice (Eng, Scot and Wales) and StepChange (UK-wide) can give wider debt and energy help. Plus Age UK offers help for older people, and Scope for disabled people in England and Wales.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

UK base rate increased to 3% (from 2.25%) Savings rates up a touch. Top 2yr fixes now 5% - highest since 2009. Yet most still earn diddly-squat. Ditch & switch On Thursday, the Bank of England lifted UK interest rates by 0.75 percentage points to 3%, the biggest rise since 1989. This was widely flagged, including by Martin in his Stop the Savings Rip-Off briefing in last week's email, where he said, talking of fixes: "...some, though not all, of the immediate future rises may be baked in. Though with a rate rise coming, you may want to wait a week or so to see if things tweak up." Well, it has been a week, so here's a speedy whizz through the current state of play... The boost in savings isn't mind-blowing, but if you've done nowt, don't delay. The base rate move didn't change much at the top of the best-buy tables, but if you didn't act on last week's email, check what your savings pay now. Most are less than 1% and that just isn't good enough. There is a chance rates may creep up a bit more, but most people are losing out so much by holding off, just ditch and switch now. Today's top savings rates All accounts have the full UK £85,000 savings safety guarantee Deals often change hourly - all links go via our savings guide, so we can update you if needed. Account term SAVINGS AER rates  (see all top savings) CASH ISA AER rates  (see all top ISAs) For the few that pay savings tax EASY ACCESS (bog-standard withdraw & deposit at will) Last week's top: 2.5%, now 2.55% - Tandem & Atom 2.55% AER (max £250,000 & £100,000). Both app-based. - Marcus & Saga 2.5% AER (max £250,000 & £100,000). Online accounts. - Ecology BS 2.7% AER (min £25). - Marcus & Saga 2.5% AER (min £1). EASY ACCESS  (not available to everyone) Last week's top: No change - Barclays 5.12% AER (on up to £5,000) BUT only for its Blue Rewards account customers. - HSBC 3% AER (on up to £10,000) but rate reduced in any month you make a withdrawal. Trick: You need an existing current or savings account to open it. So just put £1 in its Flexible Saver to get access. - Virgin Money 3% AER (min £1) BUT only if you have its current account. 1-YEAR FIX (money locked away) Last week's top: 4.65%, now 4.6% - United Trust Bank 4.6% AER (min £5,000). - Union Bank of India UK 4.6% AER (min £5,000). - Virgin Money 3.85% AER (min £1). Withdrawals allowed, but with 60 days' interest penalty.  2-YEAR FIX (money locked away) Last week's top: 4.85%, now 5%  - Union Bank of India UK 5% AER (min £5,000). - RCI Bank & Secure Trust Bank 4.85% AER (min £1,000). - Virgin Money 4.36% AER (min £1). Withdrawals allowed, but with 90 days' interest penalty. There are longer fixes, but there's little premium (max rate 5.05%) for going longer - see long fixed savings. Will savings rise further / are cash ISAs worth it? Martin covered these last week, so here are key links: - Q. Is it worth fixing now if UK rates may rise further? - Q. Who should have a cash ISA? (Spoiler: you need bigger savings for it to be worth it.) Can you boost interest further? Some specialised options in our Savings section pay even more: - 50% bonus for many on universal credit or tax credits. See Help to Save. - 25% bonus for first-time buyers aged 18 to 39. See Top Lifetime ISAs. - Earn up to 5.25% on smaller amounts if you save monthly. See Regular savings. - Earn 5% on smaller savings. See Current account savings. - Are Premium Bonds worth it now the prize rate is up? See Premium Bonds. - Prefer to invest? Higher returns, but more risk. See Stocks & shares ISAs.

 

Fixed mortgage rates may fall after last week's interest rate hike. Read our mortgage analysis. New. FREE £200 HSBC bank switch bribe. Switchers to the fee-free HSBC Advance* get £200, the joint top for upfront cash, plus can open its 3% 'easy access' saver. For full details, and to compare it to the other top deals, see Best bank accounts. PS: Club Lloyds' £150 switch offer ends Monday - while it's less cash upfront, you also get yearly rewards, for example, six cinema tickets or Gourmet Society membership. It's back! MSE's Christmas Deals Predictor 2022 - our 70+ forecasts on when Amazon, Ikea & more will launch discounts Even in last year's pandemic unpredictability, we still got it 76% right. And we've already correctly predicted ShopDisney's 25% off code, which launched on Tuesday 8 November. See this year's Christmas deals forecast. Take 2-minute test now to see if you can cut existing debt costs. Interest rates are rising, and debt costs are following suit. Use our quick Credit Card Eligibility Tool or Loan Eligibility Tool to see if you can get cheaper products to cut costs. Then read our Balance transfer and Existing loan switching guides for full step-by-step help. Ends Thu. £58 Eurostar returns - cheapest we've seen since 2020. For travel to Paris, Brussels, Amsterdam or Rotterdam, most dates between 28 Nov and 2 Feb. Limited seats available, so go quick. Eurostar Expect more in your take-home pay this month. On Sunday, most national insurance rates dropped by 1.25 percentage points. Use our Income Tax Calculator to see your new take-home pay. Boots 'Star Gift': £33.50 Soap & Glory bodycare set (normally £68). Massively popular with MoneySavers, it's now on sale at just under half price. Includes body wash, hand cream, shampoo and more. Soap & Glory TWO pairs of specs from £14. MSE Blagged. Stack codes and discounts for a spec-tacular deal. Glasses Direct Energy firm big boss to take questions LIVE. Tonight (Tue 8pm), ITV Martin Lewis Money Show. Over to Martin: "Tonight I'll be focusing on energy saving, energy efficiency, and for the first time a boss of a big energy firm, Octopus, is taking questions live (tweet them using #MartinLewis) - I'll answer a few myself too. Plus lots more up-to-date savings, tips and help."

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - TWO pairs of specs from £14 Ends Thu 17 Nov - Grüum skincare set £15 (normally £50) 5,000 available - Samsung S22 with 100GB data '£24/month' Ends Mon 14 Nov	DID YOU MISS? - Martin's 'Pay £800 for £5,000 state pension boost?' video - NHS & emergency service discounts, including 10% off Asda - Grab one of 5,500 totally FREE £50 investments - Boots 'Star Gift': £50 Sanctuary Spa set £24.50

 

 

'Home insurance renewal £515... but I saved £330 using your guide - with no loss of cover' Use our six step system to slash YOUR home insurance costs Home insurance costs are falling, with average quotes 7% down on last year according to the Association of British Insurers. So if you've not checked your home insurance in a while, make sure you use our tried-and-tested system to see if you can save £100s. Nigel did when his insurer almost doubled his quote, and his tale is our Success of the week: "My home & contents renewal came in at £515, over 90% up from last year's price of £270, for no apparent reason. I used your guide and ended up with Aviva, paying just £183 for similar cover. Thank you." Our Cheap home insurance system shows how you can save, but here's a brief summary... Step 1. Establish what cover you need. Everyone, including renters, should consider contents insurance, but buildings insurance is usually only for freehold homeowners (otherwise it's the management company or landlord's responsibility - check your lease if you're not sure). - Contents insurance: beware underinsuring. Contents insurance typically covers everything that'd fall if you turned your home upside down - plus a few extras. Many underinsure, thinking: "I'd never claim for everything"... but if you only insure half your contents' worth, you may only get half the payout. Use a contents calculator to get the right cover. - Buildings insurance: beware overinsuring. This covers the structure of your home, and permanent fixtures and fittings. Many wrongly insure for their home's market value, but what counts is how much it'd cost to rebuild if it were knocked down. Use a rebuild cost calculator to find out. Step 2. COMBINE comparison sites for 100s of quotes in minutes. Whichever cover you're going for, this is the route. Comparison sites zip your info to dozens of insurers and brokers at once. Yet don't just use one as: 1) They can cover different insurers, and 2) They often have different prices for the same firm. Our current order is 1) Compare The Market*, 2) Confused.com*, 3) MoneySupermarket* (see how we order it). These sites are best for those with standard circumstances - if that's not you, and you find it tough to get quotes, see help if you're struggling to get insurance. Step 3. Add in the big insurer that comparisons miss. Biggie Direct Line* doesn't appear on comparisons and can be competitive for some. It can particularly work for those who want a high amount of cover, or for existing customers who may get an extra discount. Step 4. Haggle. If you want to stick with your existing firm, tell it you want to stay, but ask if it can match your cheapest price from steps 2 and 3 - it will often work. See home insurance haggling help. Step 5. Can you get cashback? If you're a member of the Topcashback or Quidco cashback sites, you can do a comparison through them, but you won't necessarily get the same prices as with the sites above, plus cashback's not guaranteed. However, once you've found your cheapest insurer, do check if buying the policy through the cashback site gets you more. See full info on how to get cashback. Step 6. Ensure the policy's right for you before buying. Go through the main terms to check you're happy, and check the firm you're buying from is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (that shouldn't usually be a problem through the methods above). And remember, if you have a claim unfairly rejected, that means you've a right to escalate any complaints to the free Financial Ombudsman if the insurer doesn't deal with them.

 

Got a family or dependants? The new 'The Martin Lewis Podcast' episode is unpleasant but important. In the latest BBC The Martin Lewis Podcast, the big topic is how to protect yourself and your loved ones financially from the 3Ds - death, divorce and dementia - with a few bits of light relief thrown in too. Grüum five-piece skincare set £15 delivered (normally £50). MSE Blagged. Includes moisturiser, facial oil, hand cream, body bar and wash bag - good for men and women. 5,000 available. Grüum Ends Mon. Cheapest Samsung Galaxy S22 contract we've seen - 100GB data for '£24/month'. MSE Blagged. Newish smartphones aren't MoneySaving, but if you'll buy one anyway, at least do it the cheapest way. Until 11.59pm on Monday, Three newbies can get a 128GB Galaxy S22 with 100GB/month of data for £49 upfront, then £22/month through MobilePhonesDirect. That's £577 in total over the two-year contract - equivalent to £24/month. Note: Three is responsible for the contract, MobilePhonesDirect for the handset. Want a different handset or a Sim-only deal? See MSE's Cheap Mobile Finder tool. Instant £15 boost to your Asda Christmas budget. Pay £280+ into its Christmas saving scheme before 5pm on Sunday (13 November) and receive a £15 bonus on Monday. Plus see Christmas saving schemes for other stores' offers. New. 29 Vinted buying & selling tips - how to score bargains... or make £100s. We've 20+ tips and tricks for the second-hand clothes selling app. See MSE Jenny's Vinted tips blog. Save £2 on the Costa your coffee at Shell. Get the discount at its garages this and next Friday. £1 coffees Swap Avios to Nectar NOW as points' value is set to plummet. From Wednesday 16 November, you'll need to swap more Avios to get the same number of Nectar. See what's changing, and what to do.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 34 months 0%, 2.88% or 3.88% fee (21.9% rep APR interest) No-fee 0%: Santander (apply) - 21 months 0%, or NatWest - 22 months 0% if you're a NatWest/RBS customer (both 21.9% rep APR interest) Best bank accounts £200 to switch + 5% interest for a year: Nationwide £200 to switch + 3% savings account: HSBC Top savings accounts Top easy access: Tandem 2.55%, no min Top one-year fix: United Trust Bank 4.6%, min £5,000 Car insurance Try our new Car Insurance Compare+ tool Cheap loans Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*), 5.1% rep APR (Nectar cardholders) or 5.7% rep APR Cheapest for £7,500 to £15,000: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply*), 4.8% rep APR (Nectar cardholders) or 5.4% rep APR Broadband top picks Fibre (30Mb+): Shell Energy '£12.91/month' Superfast fibre (55Mb+): Shell Energy '£14.16/month' On universal credit or similar? Check discounted social tariffs Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: '£2.40/month' for 3GB, Lycamobile 4GB to 9GB data: '£3.38/month' for 5GB, Lycamobile 10GB+ data: '£4.43/month' for 15GB, Lycamobile

 

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK It's Number Confidence Week - how do you feel about maths? Brushing up on your numeracy skills can make you feel more confident managing your money. To help, the National Numeracy charity has a free 10-minute challenge to check your current level, then offers you tailored support to skill up. Take the National Numeracy challenge.

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL Do you use a supermarket loyalty scheme? Both Morrisons and Sainsbury's have recently made changes to their respective loyalty schemes - with one becoming more generous and one less so. We thought it would be a good time to ask whether you use a supermarket loyalty scheme and, if so, how much money it helps you save. Vote in this week's poll. More than half of MoneySavers have moved their cash into higher-paying accounts recently. Last week, we asked when you last switched savings account for a better rate. Almost 4,000 people responded, with just over half saying they'd switched to a higher-paying account within the last three months. Yet almost 30% of people said they'd not moved their savings in the last year, or had never moved them - meaning they're missing out on today's top rates. See full savings account poll results.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Smart prepay energy user? See which firms now let you use £66 help on gas AND elec - thanks to MSE - Second cost of living payment to be made from Tuesday 8 November - check if you're eligible - Morrisons introduces new discount for loyalty card-holders - Four more 'banking hubs' to open in a bid to boost access to cash - Mis-sold BrightHouse customer? Courts have decided you WON'T be refunded

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should our son pay us for the fuel we use when we babysit our grandchildren? Our son and his partner regularly ask us to babysit our young grandchildren. While we love spending time with the kids, they live about an hour's drive from us, which means it costs £15 to £20 in fuel per round trip. It's becoming difficult to afford it with other bills rising, but I'm not sure if we should ask my son for money as they're feeling the pinch too. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should our son pay us for the fuel we use babysitting our grandchildren? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: Black eggs, banisters & Bramley apples - 29 Vinted buying & selling tips

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 9 NOV ONWARDS) Wed 9 Nov - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm Tue 15 Nov - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.20am Tue 15 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV, 8pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECT TBC) Tue 15 Nov - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 10.45am

 

SOUP, CURRY, CAKE... OR USING SEEDS NEXT YEAR. WHERE DID YOUR HALLOWEEN PUMPKIN END UP? That's all for this week, but before we go... MSE Forumites have been discussing what they've done with their leftover Halloween pumpkins. Most said they'd used the flesh for soup, chilli, curry, fritters or pumpkin bread (a kind of spicy cake) - or had roasted the seeds for a snack. Though our favourite idea was from those who collected the seeds with the aim of growing their own pumpkins next year rather than buying them - very MoneySaving. How did you use yours? Add your 'gourd-geous' creations to the Leftover pumpkin after Halloween MSE Forum discussion. We hope you save some money, stay safe, The MSE team

 

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