It's meter-read week, stop savings RIP-OFF, £1.50 Zara, FREE £200 ends, Martin's mortgage help, 0% last chance?

Plus... £99 Shark, Should you take student loan?, FREE £75 investment, Are you underpaid?

                                                           

27 June 2023 | View in browser

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

 

THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Martin: Stop the savings rip-off. Earn 4% easy-access, near 6% fixed Energy bills FALL 17% - 5 need-to-knows Ending. FREE £200 HSBC switch bonus Shift debt to 0% ASAP £99 Shark cordless vacuum New. Uni costs to rise 50% for many Mortgage crisis update, including: - Help for those struggling - What Martin said to Chancellor - Best-buy comparison - Remortgage info & help Ends Fri. Invest £75, get FREE £75 Are you one of 500,000+ underpaid on minimum wage? NHS & emergency services Blue Light Card discounts boost Martin's podcast: My mortgage meet with Chancellor & should you overpay? Cheapest ways to spend abroad 50% off second-hand Zara, Next, M&S etc clothing 'We saved £926 cancelling & rebooking car hire' 3mths' free Audible trial 180 hay fever tablets £4.79 15% off Micro Scooters Energy smart meters survey: love 'em or hate 'em? This week's best buys, including 100GB Sim '£7.84/mth', '£19/mth' fibre, Compare+ Car Insurance tool Should I leave cheap surplus food to those struggling? 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

Stop the savings rip-off! Martin: 'If banks won't pass on rate rises, DITCH 'em, and SWITCH to earn 4% easy-access, near 6% fixed' "The simple message is if you've got savings, check the rate they're paying, as most are crap! Some big banks pay under a pitiful 1%, while most people should be earning at least 4%. So unless your money is locked in... ditch and switch to the top payers where there is competition - just open a new account & move your money across. "Of course, even top savings pay less than inflation, which means your money's purchasing power is being eroded. Yet that makes it more important to maximise the rate to mitigate the damage." There's a societal issue at play here too. "Last week, UK base rates increased for the 13th consecutive time, up to 5%. The full pain has been passed on to mortgage borrowers, yet on average, savers haven't got the full benefit." "Growing the gap between mortgage and savings rates feels wrong. We, the state / taxpayer, bailed the banks out in 2007. Now that the economy's teetering and inflation is rocketing, they shouldn't be increasing margins. "During my meet with the Chancellor last week to discuss mortgage help, I asked for him to pressure banks to pass on, in full, rate rises to savers. (Listen at 2hr 34min to the BBC Radio 4 interview I did about it yesterday.) "We consumers can do our bit too, by not allowing banks to rip us off and pay continually poor rates. So do put your money where it's best paid. To help, below the team run you through the latest deals. As always, all accounts here have the full £85,000 UK savings protection." You should be getting 4% minimum As top easy-access rates pay that and more The simplest form of savings accounts are easy access. With these you can put money in, including big lump sums, and take it out when you want. That means you get flexibility and can ditch at speed if they no longer pay decently. Though top fixed rates (see below) pay more. Yet as all easy-access accounts are AER variable, the rates can and do change, which means you need to monitor them. And they're changing rapidly at the moment, so do check our Top savings guide for any changes to the rates below. Top unlimited withdrawal accounts. There's a close battle between two here. Both only need £1 to open, both are app-only, and both are good at upping rates when base rates rise. - Chip has just upped its rate to 4.21% (though it has its quirks, the link goes to our guide which tells you more). - Kroo* will pay 4.1% from Saturday (now 3.6%) and, via this link, you get a free £10 Amazon voucher too (ends 11.59pm Fri, 6,000 available). The rate difference between it and Chip is £1.10 per £1,000, so if you're saving under £9,000 and value the voucher, it's a winner. Technically it's a current account, but you can just open it (without switching) and use it for savings. It doesn't do a credit check (just an ID check). Don't want app-only? Lots more options in our Savings guide. Top BIG NAME easy-access 4.01%. You often tell us you want a name you know. Top is Sainsbury's Bank* at 4.01% (min £1,000), though you're limited to just three penalty-free withdrawals a year. For unlimited withdrawals, it's the Post Office* at 3.86% (includes a 2.68% bonus for first 12mths, so the rate will drop after; min £1). Top 'IF YOU BANK WITH US' accounts 5.12%. For these easy-access accounts, you need to have a specific current account with the bank to open them. The rates are higher, but the amounts you can save are limited. - Barclays Rainy Day Saver 5.12% on up to £5,000. - Nationwide FlexDirect current account 5% on up to £1,500. Saving over £10,000? You may want to consider cash ISAs, as they can protect your interest from tax, which more people will start to pay now rates are higher. See cash ISAs below. Lock in at near 6% with a top fix We've not seen higher rates since 2009 Fixed-rate savings, also known as savings bonds (be careful, lots of riskier things are called 'bonds' too), have also risen... in fact, the last time we saw all fixed rates this high was 2009. The rates here are far higher than easy access, and they can't change during the term. Yet your money is LOCKED AWAY without access (except cash ISA fixes, see below), which also means if other rates were to rise and they no longer looked competitive, you're stuck with them. One-year fixes outpay almost all longer fixes, though you may want to lock in for longer if you want certainty of returns for the future, in case rates drop. Again rates change rapidly, so do check the latest top fixes. Top under 1yr fixes: Monument Bank 6mth 5.15% AER (min £25,000), Allica Bank 6mth 5.1% AER (min £10,000), Hampshire Trust Bank 9mth 5.08% AER (min £1). Top 1yr fix: SmartSave 5.86% AER (min £10,000), Close Brothers 5.85% AER (min £10,000), OakNorth Bank 5.78% AER (min £1). Top 2yr fix: SmartSave 5.86% AER (min £10,000), Close Brothers 5.85% AER (min £10,000), Recognise Bank 5.8% AER (min £1,000). Top 3yr to 5yr fixes: Up to 5.85%, which isn't any more for fixing that much longer - a sign that over that time the markets don't currently expect rates to rise that much more. Is it worth fixing now? UK base rates are predicted to rise further, some say perhaps they'll peak nearer 6%. Yet fixed rates aren't based on today's base rates, they're based more on the market's view of future rates - and as that's up, we've seen the differential between the top fixes and the top easy access grow again over recent weeks. So there's a balance between crossing your fingers and leaving your cash earning less in the meantime, in the hope of it rising, and just grabbing what looks a decent rate right now. A taxing question for fixed rates. The interest on fixes crystallise for tax when you can access it, so some may want it paid monthly so they can spread out the interest over years, rather than get it in one lump which may push you up a tax bracket. Others may want it all paid at the end as, for example, you're retiring and may be a lower taxpayer then. For more, see our fixing: a taxing question help. Cash ISA rates are up, but...  ... they still pay less than normal savings, so are only best for bigger savers who pay, or may in future pay, tax on interest The top cash ISA rates are up. Good news for the millions with money in these tax-free savings accounts, or who need to open them. So let's start with Martin's clarion call... 'Everyone with a cash ISA, check what they earn now - even if they're fixed. Don't think they're locked in, millions can transfer and up the rate.' Who are ISAs best for? The personal savings allowance (PSA) means you get a tax-free amount of interest earnable in ANY savings... - Basic (20%) taxpayers can earn £1,000/yr of interest tax-free. - Higher (40%) taxpayers can earn £500/yr of interest tax-free. - Top (45%) taxpayers don't get a PSA. Remember, that's the INTEREST you can earn. That means as interest rates have gone up, the amount you can have saved tax-free has gone down. At one point, you needed around £250,000 in top easy-access savings to generate it. Now... Top 1yr fix (5.86%) Top easy-access (4.21%) Basic 20% rate £17,060 £23,750 Higher 40% rate  £8,530 £11,880 And if you've got more or may do soon, cash ISAs come in to play... A cash ISA is a savings account where interest is NEVER taxed. It doesn't count towards your PSA interest allowance either. You can put £20,000 in each tax year (so until 5 April 2024), and then once in, it stays tax-free year after year (see cash ISAs explained), so you can see how some who've maxed it each year can have over £100,000 in there. Yet usually CASH ISAS PAY LESS THAN NORMAL SAVINGS, so they're only a winner for those who earn enough to bust the PSA limit (or are close to doing so). Smaller savers should stick with normal savings, but if you've got more, as the table shows, ISAs usually win. Top cash ISAs Top normal savings  Easy access Cynergy Bank 3.85% (min £1, new money & transfers) Chip 4.21%. Yet for those who pay tax on interest, it's equivalent to 3.37% at basic rate | 2.53% higher rate | 2.32% top rate 1yr fix Virgin Money 5.05% (min £1, new money & transfers) SmartSave 5.86%. Yet for those who pay tax on interest, it's equivalent to 4.69% at basic rate | 3.52% higher rate | 3.22% top rate 2yr fix Virgin Money 5.15% (min £1, new money & transfers) SmartSave 5.86%. Yet for those who pay tax on interest, it's equivalent to 4.69% at basic rate | 3.52% higher rate | 3.22% top rate Already have cash ISAs? Transfer to a top payer. If your existing cash ISA earns less, most of the above allow you to transfer them in. To do this, just apply for a new cash ISA, and as part of the application you'll be asked if you want to transfer your existing cash ISA over (don't just withdraw cash to move it, then it loses its 'cash ISA' status). Locked in to a poorly-paying fixed cash ISA? Cash ISAs, even fixes, can't lock you in - they must allow you to withdraw money, though can charge an interest penalty for doing so. Many who locked in a year or more ago are on terrible rates and should pay the penalty to move. Our Should I ditch my fixed ISA? calc checks the maths work for you. Rosemary did, and emailed: "Martin, after seeing your advice on switching ISAs, I switched mine, and next year I will be nearly £900 better off. I'm 82, so what a benefit for me. Thanks so much." Boost interest up to 50% with special accounts There are a few specialist savings options some can take which pay more. So here's our checklist of other things to look at... 1. Are you on UNIVERSAL CREDIT or Tax Credits? You may be eligible for an unbeatable 50% Help to Save bonus. 2. Do you have existing expensive DEBT? Paying off debt is usually more lucrative than saving. See our Should I pay off my debt? guide, the Should I overpay my mortgage? guide, and use our Mortgage Overpayment Calculator. 3. Are you a wannabe FIRST-TIME BUYER aged 18 to 39? There's a whopping 25% bonus possible via top Lifetime ISAs. 4. Save regularly each month? Earn up to 9% in top regular savings. 5. There's nowt wrong with investing either. With investing, you aim for higher returns, but accept the risk you could lose some or all of your initial investment. We don't talk much about it, not because we're against it, just because it's not our area of expertise. For many, over the longer run, investing is the right call. For an introduction, see Stocks & shares ISAs, but you'll need more specialised websites for help on what to invest in.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

It's Meter Reading Week... Energy bills FALL an average 17% on Saturday. Here are our 5 need-to-knows to prepare and protect your pocket This Saturday, 1 July, the new, lower July to Sept Energy Price Cap kicks in. It dictates the rates 90% of homes (in Eng, Scot & Wal) pay, for pretty much everyone who isn't on a fix. The Cap is actually falling 37%, but you'll only feel an average 17% drop, as until now we've been on the Government's Energy Price Guarantee, which sets a ceiling on the maximum rates - with the state subsidising the difference. Yet as the Price Cap will fall below that, you now pay it instead. The % drop depends on where you live and what & how much you use. The Price Cap isn't a limit on the total paid, it limits the standing charge and unit rates. It varies by region and payment method (eg, direct debit, pay in receipt of bills and prepay), so use our CALCULATOR: What'll I pay from July? to find out your change. Yet as an example, here are the new direct debit UK averages... - ELEC. Standing charge: 53.0p/day (now 53.0p). Unit rate: 30.1p/kWh (now 33.2p). - GAS. Standing charge: 29.1p/day (now 29.1p). Unit rate: 7.5p/kWh (now 10.3p). Also see our full region-by-region rates. Yet two things are obvious. 1) As the key mover is unit rates, there are greater savings for higher not lower users (we'll continue to campaign for lower standing charges). 2) Gas rates are dropping by a far bigger percentage, so those on electric-only tariffs won't see as much of a reduction. Pay by monthly direct debit? It's METER READING WEEK. Unless you've got a working smart meter, with monthly direct debit, firms estimate your usage and assign it to a certain period, so submitting a reading within a few days of the change (many let you backdate a few days too) reduces the risk of their 'estimating' going against you - though there's always a chance a discrepancy could end up in your favour! Take a picture of the meter for belt 'n' braces. See our firm-by-firm when & how to do a reading. If you're on prepay, you don't need a meter reading. Pay in receipt of bills and variable direct debit customers, you'll be doing it anyway. Do you have a non-smart electricity prepay meter? It's likely you should run it down to near empty before the 1 July price drop. Then top up ASAP on or after 1 July (even with a small amount) as that resets the price to the new lower rate. There's no need to do this with gas meters as they're different tech. Plus if you haven't claimed them yet, there are only a few days until the £67/mth Govt support vouchers become invalid. EDF, E.on, Octopus, Ovo, So, British Gas customer? Are their deals worth it? Fixed and other deals are slowly returning. Nothing is absolutely whoop-de-doo, but there are many worth considering. - Existing customer fixes (EDF, E.on, Octopus, Ovo, So Energy). Full rundown of who can get 'em in Should I fix? - British Gas PeakSave. Half-price electricity on Sundays for some. See our full British Gas 1/2 price elec rundown. - Fix available to limited numbers of new customers. Utility Warehouse - see our Should I fix? guide. Struggling to pay your bill? Help may be available. Energy hardship grants are available for some, speak to your supplier if you're struggling. See our full What to do if you're struggling to pay energy bills guide.

 

Top 0% balance transfer deals may be pulled any time - shift existing debt to 0% ASAP. Strong rumours some lenders are teetering on the brink of pulling deals, so sorting costly cards is safer sooner. Top NO-FEE deal. NatWest (link goes through eligibility calc, or apply*) lets accepted new customers shift debt to it at 19mths 0% NO-FEE, 3mths longer than the next best. Need longer to clear your debt? Virgin Money (apply*) is 31mths 0% for a 3.5% fee, or another NatWest (apply*) card is 30mths, 2.99% fee. Full help and options in Top balance transfers. 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. £99 Shark cordless vacuum (normally £200). MSE Blagged. Via code. 8,000 available. Shark New. Uni costs to rise 50% for many starting in/after this year. Got savings? Should you/your child still take the loan? Last week, we published Martin's six key need-to-knows for new 2023/24 English student loans. This week it's part two, his guide for those who've got the cash... should you use it to cover tuition fees/living costs, or should you take the loan? Mortgage crisis - help announced for those who are struggling... Last Wed, Martin met the Chancellor, and separately the Shadow Chancellor, to discuss help options for those struggling to repay mortgages on the back of another rate rise. On Fri, the Chancellor met the banks and agreed a package... - New mortgage forbearance help - what does it really mean? Read Martin's mortgage help blog. - What Martin said to the Chancellor. He explained this in his podcast. You can also see a transcript. - Mortgage best-buy comparison. Rates are rising, so use our Mortgage comparison to get an idea of what's out there. - Remortgage guide. Step-by-step help for those trying to find a new deal in our 62-page PDF Remortgage guide. - How to find a mortgage broker. With rates rocketing, a mortgage broker is a crucial aid for many. - Ultimate Mortgage Calc. How much'll your rate rise, overpaying, compare mortgages & more via our Mortgage calc. Ends Fri. Invest £75, get a FREE £75 back. 2,000 available. Newbies putting £75+ into Wealthify's robo-investment service get £75 cashback after a year. So invest £75, wait, and then you get your money back, so whatever the investment's worth in a year is a win. Even if it flops, at worst you break even. Full info in Robo-investing cashback. WHSmith, Argos and M&S among 200+ firms named and shamed for underpaying staff - are you one of the 500,000+ workers affected? This April, the national minimum wage was boosted to £10.42/hour (for all aged 23+), but 202 companies have been fined for underpaying staff. See Am I being paid the right amount? Work in the NHS or emergency services? Boosted Blue Light Card discounts from Fri to Mon. Including 25% off Lookfantastic, 15% off Ninja, 12% off Hotels.com and Expedia, and more NHS discounts. My mortgage meet with the Chancellor, should you overpay?, and travel tips. All in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast - listen through BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify and more.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - £10 Amazon voucher with Kroo account 6,000 available - £200 Shark vacuum for £99 code 8,000 available - 15% off Micro Scooters on £125 spend Ends Mon 10 Jul	DID YOU MISS? - Ends Sun. Extra 30% off Amazon Warehouse - Premium Bond prize rate to rise to 3.7% - worth it? - £5 paddling pools, £12 BBQs, Pimm's round-up & more - Ends Thu. 2x prescription sunglasses from £35 - Pay up to £800, get £6,000 - HUGE state pension boost

 

 

Ends Mon. FREE £200 HSBC bank-switch bonus Four banks are currently willing to pay switchers, so unless your bank tickles your back and makes you happy, why not switch while there's maximum choice... Switching is easy. You'll need to pass a not-too-harsh credit check, then to get the bonuses you must use the new bank's switching service. It automatically closes your old account and moves over your money, direct debits and standing orders within seven working days. Plus any payments that still go to the old account will automatically be forwarded to the new one. In Martin's recent Twitter poll, 84% of those who've switched said it was easy and hassle-free. TOP NEW CUSTOMER (1) FREE CASH SWITCHING OFFERS Account Key perks Why should I get it? Ends Mon. HSBC Advance* - Service: 37% 'great' - Full HSBC eligibility info & review. - FREE £200 - 5% regular saver Joint top upfront cash. A simple fee-free deal, switch to it and get £200 added to your account within 20 days. To qualify: Switch 2+ direct debits / standing orders, and pay in £1,500+ once in the first 60 days (which you can then withdraw). NatWest Reward* RBS Reward* - Service: NatWest 62% 'great', RBS 46% 'great' - Full NatWest/RBS eligibility info & review. - FREE £200 - £3/mth cashback - 6.17% regular saver Joint top upfront cash and possible £3/mth cashback. Switch to one of these sister banks and get £200 paid within seven days. To qualify for the free £200: Pay in £1,250+ and use the app within 60 days. The account has a £2/mth fee, but you can get £5/mth cashback - leaving those who qualify a net £3 up. To qualify for the cashback: Pay in £1,250/mth (equivalent to a £16,250/yr salary), plus each month have 2+ direct debits of £2+ going out and use its app. First Direct 1st Account* - Service: 90% 'great' - Full First Direct eligibility info & review. - FREE £175 - TOP rated for service - 7% regular saver - £250 0% overdraft Free £175 and top for service. First Direct's been top or near it in every service poll we've ever done. Its fee-free account comes with a linked regular saver paying a top rate. To qualify: Pay in £1,000+ once within three months (you can withdraw it straight after). It's also strong if you're overdrawn up to £425, as the free cash pays some off and £250 is interest-free (if you qualify).  Lloyds Bank Club Lloyds - Service: 50% 'great' - Full Lloyds eligibility info & review. - FREE £150 - 6.25% regular saver - 12mths Disney+ OR 6 cinema tix OR mag sub OR Gourmet Society Lowest upfront cash but strong ongoing rewards. The Disney+ subscription is worth £79.90 which, when combined with the free cash, makes this deal much stronger. To qualify: You MUST pay in £2,000/mth (equivalent to a £29,250/yr salary) or there's a £3/mth fee. (1) To switch, you must usually be a new customer (or not had an account or switch cash for a few years) and be switching from a different banking group. With all of these, there's a way to earn 1% cashback on most spending on top. These accounts all require you to go through the official switching service to get the free cash. Yet you don't need to switch to the app-only Chase* current account to get its benefits, so it can run alongside (it doesn't do a hard credit-check, either). Chase gives a year's 1% cashback up to £15/mth on almost all normal daily debit card spending, so just top it up for spending, and pay bills from your main bank. It's also the top debit card for spending abroad, and from Monday, it pays 3.8% AER on up to £500,000 in a linked easy-access savings account. See full info in our Chase bank review. Some make £100s or £1,000s by repeatedly switching banks, just like Seth, who emailed us to say: "I just wanted to report that your bank-switching tips have helped me massively. In eight months, I have done six switches, netting a total of £1,100. It's crazy how easy it was - thanks!" See how to play the multiple banks-switch game.

 

The cheapest ways to spend abroad. Martin took you through the top ways to spend overseas on his ITV show. 50% off second-hand Zara, Next, M&S etc clothing. Second-hand site Thrift+ has a sale on, with prices from £1.50 on 80,000+ items of women's and men's fashion until Friday. Thrift+ sale 'We saved £926 by cancelling our car hire and rebooking.' Our success of the week comes from Paul, who saved on car hire costs using our rebooking tip: "On Martin's ITV show, someone messaged about saving on car hire by cancelling then rebooking - we did similar. In January, we booked for our three-week summer holiday, then discovered the price had dropped dramatically. We had free cancellation, so we did that then rebooked, saving £742. A couple of weeks later the price dropped further, so we did it again, saving a further £184, a total saving of £926." Please send us your MoneySaving successes (on this, or 'owt else). Three months' free access to 1,000s of audiobooks and podcasts. For Amazon Prime members new to Audible. Achoo! 180 hay fever tablets for £4.79. 'Tis the season, so see our Cheap hay fever meds. 15% off Micro Scooters when you spend £125. MSE Blagged. The strongest discount we've seen on popular kids' scooter brand. Micro Scooters Energy smart meters - do you love 'em or hate 'em? We want to know what you like or dislike about your smart meter and how it's working (if it is). Or if you don't have one, tell us why not in our Energy smart meter survey.

 

 

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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 £200 to switch + £36/yr cashback: NatWest / RBS £200 FREE cash to switch: HSBC Top savings accounts Top easy access: Chip 4.21%, min £1 (app only) Top one-year fix: SmartSave 5.86%, 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: Sainsbury's Bank (apply), 4.9% rep APR (need Nectar card) Broadband top picks Standard (10Mb+): Shell Energy '£16.88/mth' Fibre (30Mb+): Shell Energy '£19.38/mth' Fast fibre (55Mb+): Vodafone '£20.63/mth' Superfast fibre (100Mb+): Vodafone '£20.59/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 Would you get an app-only bank or savings account? We've seen an increasing number of app-only current and savings accounts appear in our best buys. Attitudes to app-only banking range from delight at the convenience to uncertainty about the lack of online or in-branch services. So we thought we'd ask your opinion. Would you open (or have you opened) an app-only bank or savings account? And if not, why not? Vote in this week's poll. More than nine in 10 MoneySavers think energy standing charges should be lowered (or scrapped). Last week, we asked whether you think standing charges should be lowered and unit rates increased instead, and 11,000 of you responded. Over 90% think that standing charges should be lowered or abolished completely, with just over 1% saying they should rise and unit rates should be lower. See the full energy standing charges results.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Bank of England increases base rate to 5% - how it impacts your mortgage and savings - Virgin Media customers suffer email outage

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Is it OK to use a surplus food app to buy cheap food even though I'm not struggling? I read about an app that allows you to buy discounted food from stores that would otherwise be thrown away. I thought this was a great idea, so I downloaded and started using it. My local deli was on it and I bought £12 worth of food for just £4. But then I started to think that, while I'm not rich, I'm hardly poor, so should I be using this app or leaving it so there's more available to those who are struggling? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Is it OK to use a surplus food app when I'm not struggling? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: Decorating, demystifying pensions and DAB radios

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 28 JUN ONWARDS) Wed 28 Jun - Good Morning Britain, ITV, presenting from 6am Wed 28 Jun - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm Tue 4 Jul - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.20am MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECTS TBC) Wed 28 Jun - BBC Radio 4, You and Yours with MSE's Gary Caffell, from midday Tue 4 Jul - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 10.45am

 

£24 QUALITY STREET AND £12 STRAWBERRIES - WHAT RIDICULOUS PRICES HAVE YOU SEEN ON HOLIDAY? That's all for this week, but before we go... £14 for a bag of satsumas! MSE Kit was shocked at the cost of a grocery shop in Bermuda, so we asked our social media followers about the highest prices they'd seen on their travels. Fruit and veg is particularly expensive, with people being charged £12 for strawberries in Japan and £6 for tomatoes in Barbados. Take your sun cream with you to Amsterdam - one MoneySaver found a shop selling it for £25. And if you fancy some chocolate on holiday in the Cayman Islands, dodge the Quality Street - a tin could cost £23.50! Tell us the crazy prices you've spotted in our Facebook and Twitter conversations. We hope you save some money, The MSE team

 

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