Brit Gas & E.on fixes?, free £200+ bank switch, 9p Snickers, Tesco treble up ends, STOOZING is back, 3.88% easy access

Plus... 19mth NO-FEE debt shift, 132Mb broadband '£21/mth', Ikea 60% off, Ditch Tax Credits?

                                                           

06 June 2023 | View in browser

Banking & Savings Household Bills Deals Insurance Cards & Loans Mortgages Income Reclaim

 

THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL New. Free £200+ bank switch Stoozing's back - can you make £400? Ditch Tax Credits for Universal Credit? British Gas, E.on, Ovo, So Energy fixes? Tesco Clubcard 3x rewards ending 19mth NO-FEE debt shift 10% extra off past 'best befores': 9p Snickers, 50p 12-pack Hula Hoops and more Top easy-access savings rates rising Ikea up to 60% off sale New. Cheap fast Virgin broadband '£21/mth' Hot Diamonds 40% off code 'We got a £7,500 council tax refund as we're carers' Heads up. Free kids' West End theatre ticket with a paying adult £28.50 men's grooming set (worth £114) One month's dog food £2.70 Find FREE summer festivals near you This week's best buys, including 100GB Sim '£7.84/mth', 5.26% savings, Compare+ Car Insurance tool Should I claim on my friend's insurance for the accident I was injured in? BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club including free credit report 0% balance transfers Compare broadband deals MSE Compare+ Car Insurance 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

New. Get OVER £200 to switch bank Now FOUR banks pay, as the price war heats up. Unless yours tickles your tummy... ditch, switch & EARN. It's easy There's at least a certain honesty to it... when banks fancy new customers, they blatantly pay for them. And right now they're lusting, with four fighting it out. This week, through this link, First Direct* pumped its free £175 offer by adding a £30 Amazon voucher too. So unless your current bank treats you divinely, why not make a little extra cash while there's so much choice? In Martin's Twitter poll, a whopping 60% of the 31,000 voters hadn't switched, even though 85% who had said it was pretty easy and hassle-free. As Patrick tweeted: "@MartinSLewis. I didn't do it for ages, as although people said it was easy it seemed like something that would mess up. Couldn't have been more wrong, hassle-free and easy to do." How to switch. Use the new bank's seven (working) day switch service and it auto-moves all direct debits & standing orders, closes your old account and forwards any payments made. See switching help. PS: It's worth downloading a few years' statements before switching. The FOUR fee-free accounts that pay switchers To switch, you must usually be a new customer (or at least not had an account / switched cash from it for a few years), be switching from a different banking group and pass a not-too-harsh credit check. You can switch single and joint accounts. Full info & options in Best bank accounts. 1. New. First Direct free £175 + £30 Amazon voucher  Key perks: Top service, 7% regular savings, £250 0% overdraft MSE customer service poll rating: 90% 'great' It's been top or near top in every service poll we've ever done, so the fact First Direct's 1st Account*, through this link, now gives the highest upfront amount - £175 free cash, plus you can claim a £30 Amazon voucher (instructions emailed within 90 days) - makes it a strong option. You also get access to its linked regular saver, which pays 7% fixed interest for a year on up to £300/mth, and many get an ongoing £250 0% overdraft. Eligibility: Pay in a total of £1,000+ within three months (you can always withdraw it immediately). The £175 is then paid within 28 days. 2. NatWest & RBS free £200 cash Key perks: £36/yr cashback, 6.17% linked regular saver MSE service rating: NatWest 62% 'great', RBS 46% 'great' Sister banks NatWest's Reward* and RBS's Reward* accounts are top for cash, as you can get £200 plus £3 monthly cashback (you actually get £5/mth cashback, but with a £2/mth fee). You also get access to its 6.17% regular saver, where you can pay in up to £150/mth. - Eligibility: Pay in a total of £1,250 (you can always withdraw it immediately) and log in to the app within 60 days to get the £200. The cash will be paid within seven days of that. To get the cashback, each month you must pay in £1,250+ (equivalent to a salary of £17,500 going in), log in to the mobile app and pay out 2+ monthly £2+ direct debits. For just the £200 without an ongoing minimum monthly pay-in, switch to the NatWest Select*, RBS Select* or Ulster Select accounts. With ALL these, you can BOOST earnings with  1% cashback on spending If you don't already have it, also grab the app-only Chase current account* (unlike the others, there's no need to switch or pass a hard credit-check to get it) and you'll get at least a year's 1% cashback, up to a max £15/mth on all normal debit-card spending. So use the others to pay your salary in and pay bills from, then fund Chase and spend on that. It's also the top debit card for spending abroad. Full info in Chase review. 3. Lloyds free £150 cash Key perks: 1yr Disney+ or 6 cinema tix etc, and 6.25% reg saver MSE service rating: 50% 'great' While Club Lloyds pays less free cash, it's no Mickey Mouse account... well, actually it is if you fancy the perks. The big one at the moment is a year's Disney+ which you'd pay £80 for, and is available even if you're an existing subscriber to the streaming service. Alternatively, you can choose six free cinema tickets (worth £35 to £65, depending on where in the UK you are) or a magazine subscription (worth £30 to £50) or a Coffee Club & Gourmet Society Membership (worth about £65). You also get access to its linked regular saver paying 6.25% interest, fixed for 12 months, on a decent up to £400/mth. - Eligibility: To get it all, you need to pay in £2,000+/mth (equivalent to having a salary of £31,500 going in) or there's a £3/mth fee which would lower the gain. The free cash should arrive within a couple of weeks after switching. 4. HSBC free £200 cash Key perks: 5% linked regular saver MSE service rating: 37% 'great' The HSBC Advance* account is fee-free with no minimum monthly pay-in required. You can open a linked 5% regular saver and put in up to £250/mth. - Eligibility: Switch 2+ direct debits or standing orders within 30 days, then pay in a total of £1,500+ within 60 days (you can always withdraw it immediately). You'll then get the cash within 20 days. Can you make £1,000s by repeatedly switching banks? With multiple banks lining up to offer FREE cash for your custom, as long as you're not planning any immediate credit applications, why not make more money? Just move an existing current account to a bank that pays you to switch, wait until you receive the freebie, then move it again to another bank that pays. Or to get really advanced, open a 'burner' account you just use for switching. Full help, pros & cons in Make £1,000s by repeatedly switching banks. MoneySaver Callum recently emailed: "In five months I've managed to net £1,050 through bank switching - I'd need a pay rise of £1,700ish to get that otherwise! Thank you for all the great work, you're how I found most of the deals." What if I don't qualify for any of these? We've no solution for that, though if you are among the up to one million people without a bank account, as long as you've ID you can get a no-overdraft basic bank account. Go into your overdraft? Free cash & 0% interest Overdrafts are a danger debt, with almost every bank now charging a typical 40% - dwarfing most credit-card rates. You can switch when overdrawn, though there's no guarantee the new bank will match your existing overdraft - or even offer you an overdraft at all. So use the bank's OVERDRAFT ELIGIBILITY CHECKER before applying to get an indication of whether you'll likely qualify. The main options are below, but full info's in Top overdraft accounts. Owe less than £425? Get paid to switch to a 0% overdraft. First Direct* offers new switchers £175, and many get a £250 0% overdraft. So if your overdraft's up to £425, the £175 pays some of it off and the rest is at 0% (and, as explained above, you also currently get the £30 Amazon voucher). Above that, you'll pay the standard 40% interest. Full info: First Direct. A year's potentially bigger 0% overdraft. Nationwide FlexDirect* can offer a far bigger 0% overdraft, though the limit depends on your credit history. However, it's only 0% for a year, then it's the standard 40% like most providers - so plan to clear the debt within that time. Full info: Nationwide. Do a 0% money transfer. You can use these specialist cards to clear your overdraft. After applying, ask it to pay money into your bank account, so you owe it instead - at 0% for up to 18 months. Be careful though, you have to do it right. Our Money transfers guide takes you through it, including top deals. Four quick tips to help with overdrafts... It's not just about making your overdraft cheaper - you should also try to pay it off. Full info in Cut overdraft costs, but briefly... 1) Aim to repay a fixed monthly amount. Eg, if you're £500 overdrawn, 'paying' £100 means you'd be £400 overdrawn at month-end. A budget can help. 2) Consider moving direct debits to just before payday. Then you're overdrawn for less time, so costs are lower. 3) Can you reclaim past bank charges? See Bank charge reclaiming. 4) Struggling with all debt? Get free help from Citizens Advice, National Debtline or StepChange. It can make a huge difference.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Martin: Stoozing is back Can you make £400 manipulating 0% credit card deals? You stooze (right), you don't lose... Picture it. The early 2000s. A handsome, charismatic young man with a keen interest in saving money... could've been watching me on Simply Money, a now long defunct, minor telly channel, as I broadcast a technique to stooze - deliberately creating 0% debt for profit - explaining (from sketchy memory): "Online bank Egg has given me a 0% card, so I took £5,000 from it, and put it in top savings: which happens to be with Egg! So I'm earning 6% [£300/yr] on money it's lent me for nowt." Sheer poetry. Now, like a phoenix, stoozing is again rising with interest rates. At its extreme, it can be huge. Back in the noughties, before rates tumbled, I even heard of £70,000+ stooze-pots (the amount of created 0% debt) over many cards saved in offset mortgages, earning £5,000+ a year. We've a Stoozing guide, but here's quick summary... Stoozing takes discipline, it's ONLY for the debt-free, financially savvy. If you're not too on top of things, don't understand, don't have financial self-discipline, or have other credit card, overdraft or loan debt, this ISN'T for you, as mistakes cost. If in doubt, don't. Plus you'll also need a reasonable credit history to get a decent credit limit. Step 1. Get a long 0% new borrowing card. This is a card you can do new spending on without paying interest. The easy way is to use the 0% Card Eligibility Tool to find which you're likely to get (including some pre-approved), therefore minimising applications which mark your credit file. Longest 0% deals include NatWest 23mths 0% | Barclaycard up to 23mths | HSBC 20mths, or go shorter and get points for the spending you'll need to do with M&S 18mths | Sainsbury's up to 17mths. Step 2. Do ALL normal spending on the card. Do all your spending (and possibly your family's too) on it up to the credit limit. Yet don't spend more than normal. You will need to make monthly repayments, and this is a rare occasion where the right tactic is to just pay the minimum. Step 3. Put the unspent money from your bank account in top savings. As you've spent on your credit, not debit, card this should build up a mirror amount of unspent income in your bank. So each month sweep that into the top savings account. For ultimate safety, keep it in top easy-access (currently 3.85%) as technically card debt can always be called in at any time, though I've not heard of it happening when stoozing. Or you could lock some away in a top fix (1yr 5.25%) as long as it ends BEFORE THE 0% ENDS, so the debt can be paid off. Take the tale of Sally Stoozer and her £425 stooze-gain Imagine Sally Stoozer gets a 23mth credit card with a £5,000 limit. She usually spends £1,250 a month, and puts all that spending on the card, paying just the monthly minimum. She moves the money from her bank account to a 3.85% easy-access account each month. A little after four months she has the full £5,000 in there, which she transfers to an 18mth fixed-savings account at 5.15%. By the time it ends, she has £5,425 in there - so £425 profit. Step 4. Stop there, prolong or even increase the stooze... In the MONTH BEFORE THE 0% ENDS, either use the money in savings to clear the 0% debt before any interest is charged, or shift it to a 0% balance transfer, a fee-free one's best to maximise the gains. Yet even if you're aiming to do the balance transfer - don't let that tempt you to go for a longer savings fix, just in case you're not accepted. Of course, with a decent credit score and careful management, you can do this with more than one card and build your stooze-pot, so you're earning more. Stoozing golden safety rules. Full info in the Stoozing guide. a) Pay the monthly minimum (for safety by direct debit) and don't bust the credit limit, or you can lose the 0%. b) Don't use these cards for anything else, such as cash withdrawals or shifting debt to them. c) Clear the card or balance-transfer before the 0% ends, or the interest rates jump to 22-24% rep APR, killing any gain. d) Do not take risks with the stooze pot, or you could find the manufactured deliberate debt becomes real debt. e) Stoozing builds up 'debt', which can impact your ability to get credit in the future. So if you plan to get a mortgage deal you need to be careful, as too much 'debt' or 'available credit' could impact that.

 

If offered a British Gas, E.on, Ovo or So Energy existing-customer fix, should you grab it? Ovo have fixes for all existing customers, BG, E.on and So Energy for a select few. There are none available for customers of other firms. For full info & if it's worth it, see Should I fix? Also see our new calc: How much less will I pay in July? Ends next Tue (13 Jun). Tesco Clubcard cutting triple-value rewards, after that they're just double. You've until then to max the value of your points. See Urgent Clubcard boost. Massive best-buy NO-FEE 0% balance transfer - shift existing debt to 19mths interest-free. This NatWest card (link goes through eligibility calc, or apply*) lets accepted new customers shift debt to it at 19mths 0% NO-FEE, three months longer than the next best - an easy winner if you can clear the debt within that time. Need longer? Virgin Money (apply*) is longest at 31mths 0% for a 3.5% fee, or another NatWest (apply*) card is 30mths with a lower 2.99% fee. Full help in Top balance transfer cards. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly minimum and clear the card before the 0% period ends, or all jump to 23.9% rep APR. 10% extra off code for past 'best befores': 9p Snickers, 50p 12-pack Hula Hoops & more. MSE Blagged. Approved Food sells cheap groceries near or past 'best-before' dates (NOT past 'use-by' dates, which are about health). Min £22.50 spend, delivery's £3+. Approved Food Top easy-access savings rates continue to creep up. The new top-payer is Principality BS 3.88%, but it only allows two withdrawals a year, while with no withdrawal restrictions, there's Secure Trust 3.85% (min £1,000) and Chip 3.82% (though it does have a few quirks - link goes to the guide to explain). Top big names: Sainsbury's* 3.76% (min £1,000) limits you to three withdrawals a year, while Post Office* 3.47% has unlimited withdrawals. All rates are AER variable. Full info and top fixed-rate options in Top savings. Ikea launches 'up to 60% off' summer sale, eg, £55 shelving unit for £20. See 22 Ikea tips & tricks. New. Cheap fast 132Mb Virgin broadband '£21/mth'. MSE Blagged. Newbies can get this Virgin Media 132Mb broadband (no line) deal (available to 58% of the country) for £25.50/mth, yet you get an automatic £75 bill credit, so it's equivalent to £21.34/mth over the 18mth contract. Don't want / can't get Virgin? Use our Broadband comparison. New. The Martin Lewis Money Show summer mini-series launches next Tue 13 Jun, ITV 8pm. Over to Martin: "Well I'm calling it a mini-series, it's two shows in a row. The first is urgent for anyone age 45 to 70, as it's the last chance to boost your state pension by £10,000s (and yes, I'll be talking about how to navigate the phone lines too), plus lots more pensions help. Then the following week, it's my annual pre-summer holiday overseas MoneySaving show. Do series-link it or set the VHS."

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - 10% extra off code for past 'best befores' Ends 14 Jun - 132Mb Virgin broadband '£21/mth' Ends 15 Jun - Hot Diamonds 40% off everything code Ends 13 Jun - £28.50 men's grooming set (worth £114) 2,000 available - One month's 'tailored' dog food 90% off code Ends 31 Aug	DID YOU MISS? - Netflix crackdown - £60/yr charge to share your password - £37 Ted Baker prescription specs or sunglasses (normally £135) - FREE Open Farm Sunday events, including tractor rides - Morrisons shakes up loyalty scheme - is it any better? - £22m+ paid for pothole damage in the last year - are you due?

 

 

Do you currently get Tax Credits? Universal Credit childcare help is being boosted, so check if switching to it can get you £1,000s/yr extra From Wednesday 28 June, the maximum Universal Credit (UC) childcare help will increase by £100s each month. Yet those on legacy benefits such as Tax Credits won't see an improvement. The Government estimates up to 1.4 million people (including some groups without children) would be better off switching from legacy benefits to Universal Credit (most will be switched regardless by the end of 2024, for a few it could be 2029 though). Check NOW, but do read the warning below before taking action... Working parent on legacy benefits? Would Universal Credit pay you more? Universal Credit lets you claim up to 85% of your childcare costs. The maximum amounts are about to rise, and they're already higher than Tax Credits. So those with HIGHER CHILDCARE COSTS may be better off moving to UC.  Universal Credit Tax Credits For one child From 28 June, max £951/mth (currently £646/mth) Max roughly £530/mth  For two+ children From 28 June, max £1,630/mth (currently £1,108/mth) Max roughly £910/mth Do a quick check to see: Use our 10-minute Benefits Calculator to see how your current mix of benefits compares to what you may qualify for under Universal Credit. You'll be asked about what you currently get, so do have as much info to hand as possible. WARNING. Always get one-on-one help before applying to switch from legacy benefits  If the calc shows it may be worth switching, don't just do it, as once you apply to switch to UC you can't change your mind, even if it turns out to be far worse. You need to make sure you KNOW the impact. Some of the issues: - Beware deductions: The big one, UC payments, can be cut up to 25% to auto-repay certain debt, eg, rent, council tax. - UC is usually paid directly to you as one lump sum each month - so you'll need to budget. - UC requires many to do 35 hours a week of 'job related' activities - Working Tax Credits only require 30 hours. See more in our Should I switch to Universal Credit? guide. And most importantly, the best thing to do - even if all looks good - is to get free one-on-one help from a professional adviser to double-check first. On legacy benefits but NOT a parent? You may still be better off switching... so check. If you're claiming Tax Credits, Income Support, Housing Benefit, income-based Jobseeker's Allowance or income-related Employment & Support Allowance, it's still worth checking. - LIKELY TO BE BETTER OFF ON UC: Those who work and pay especially high rents | Those at the top end of UC earnings. - UNLIKELY TO BE BETTER OFF: Those who aren't in work | Those who work but don't pay rent | Self-employed people earning under £1,200/mth | Those with savings of £16,000+ | Some with disabilities or caring responsibilities. Though again, please read the WARNING above before taking any action.

 

Hot Diamonds 40% off EVERYTHING code, including £50 ring £15. MSE Blagged. Hot Diamonds 'We got a £7,500 council tax refund as we're carers.' It's Carers Week, so if you're one, check you're not missing out on council tax discounts as our success of the week John was. He told us: "After reading your email on council tax rebates for carers, I applied and got a 50% discount as my daughter also qualifies for the 'severe mental impairment' discount on top. We now pay £1,000 a year less and we also received a back-payment of £7,500. Keep up the good work." Please send us your MoneySaving successes. Related: Check if you're due carer's allowance or carer's credit. Heads up. Free kid's West End theatre ticket with a paying grown-up - last year included The Lion King and Matilda. The annual 'Kids Week' promo is returning, and while the shows for August performances haven't been revealed yet, they tend to be biggies. 'Free' kids' theatre £28.50 for 12-item men's grooming set (worth £114). MSE Blagged. Including Monuskin moisturiser, Nip + Fab face scrub, and Fudge wax. 2,000 available from Latest in Beauty. Related: Father's Day cards & free gift cheques. One month's 'tailored' dog food for £2.70 (normally £27) through 90% off code. MSE Blagged. Newbies only. Tails dog food Find FREE summer festivals and carnivals near you. With our Free festivals guide.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: Virgin Money (check eligibility / apply*) - 31mths 0%, 3.5% fee (23.9% rep APR) No-fee 0%: NatWest (check eligibility / apply*) - 19mths 0% (23.9% rep APR) Best bank accounts New. £175 to switch + £30 Amazon voucher: First Direct £200 to switch + £36/yr cashback: NatWest / RBS Top savings accounts Top easy access: Principality BS 3.88%, min £1 Top one-year fix: SmartSave 5.26%, min £10,000 Car insurance Try our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Cheap loans Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: AIB (NI) (apply), 5.6% rep APR Cheapest for £7,500 to £15,000: M&S (check eligibility / apply*), 4.9% rep APR Broadband top picks Standard (10Mb+): Shell Energy '£16.88/mth' Fibre (30Mb+): Shell Energy '£19.38/mth' Fast fibre (55Mb+): Vodafone '£21.67/mth' Superfast fibre (100Mb+): Virgin Media '£21.34/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+ data: iD Mobile, '£7.84/mth' for 100GB

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL Do you risk going on holiday without travel insurance? For years we've emphasised the importance of getting travel insurance ASAB - As Soon As you've Booked - so you're covered if you need to cancel before you go. That message still stands (see our Cheap travel insurance guide for more help). With the summer holidays approaching, whether you're going abroad or staying in the UK, we want to know if you risk going without travel insurance? Vote in this week's poll. A quarter of MoneySavers have seen their credit card debt increase in the last 12 months. Last week, we asked how much you owe on credit cards and whether it had increased over the past year. Of the more than 7,000 people who responded, most owed between £0 and £5,000, with only 20% owing more. Worryingly though, a quarter of respondents owed more than they did at the same time last year - likely a result of the increased cost of living. See the full credit card poll results.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Skipton launches 7.5% regular saver for existing customers - Two million Shell energy and broadband customers could be affected as businesses are put up for sale - Morses Club borrower? It's launched a new redress scheme for mis-sold loans - EE to charge pay-as-you-go customers for roaming in Europe from 6 June - Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds to close 53 more branches - Barclays to close ANOTHER 10 bank branches

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I claim on my friend's car insurance for the accident I was injured in? Recently, I was a passenger in a friend's car. When she stopped to let me out, I accidentally shut my coat in the car door. My friend didn't realise this and, as she drove away, I was dragged to the ground, breaking my shoulder and smashing up my face. I have multiple sclerosis, and these injuries have had (and will have) a further impact on my quality of life. Should I claim on my friend's car insurance, or should I leave it? It was an accident, and if I claim it will put her premium up when she renews her policy. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I claim on my friend's car insurance for the accident I was injured in? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

Father's Day competitions... - Win a Harvey Nichols hamper - Win a 'Best Dad' beer gift set - Win a leather bracelet ... from the MSE Forum - Win Glen Moray whisky and glasses - Win a sweet treats hamper - Win a coffee hamper

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum: MoneySaving homemade pet toy ideas - MSE Forum highlights: Wildflowers, whisky & wind turbines

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 7 JUN ONWARDS) Wed 7 Jun - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm Tue 13 Jun - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.15am Tue 13 Jun - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV, 8pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECT TBC) Tue 13 Jun - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 10.45am

 

RARE VINYL & CUT-PRICE CARDIES... WHAT'S THE BEST £1 YOU EVER SPENT? That's all for this week, but before we go... every year or so, we ask Forumites to cast their minds back to the best £1 they ever spent. Some just saved large, like paying £1 for a cashmere cardigan. Others paid less than £1 for things worth much more, such as 99p for two antique crystal vases worth a few hundred quid, or a first edition of The Beatles' 'Please Please me' on vinyl for 50p, which they sold for £200+. But even luckier was the Forumite who bought a second-class stamp for a postcard entry to a competition, which bagged them £52,000! Read more and add your own bargain boasts to the What's the best £1 you've ever spent? MSE Forum discussion. We hope you save some money, The MSE team

 

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