Elec cost RISING 5.1%: switch to new cheapest fix, Black Fri’s top deals, free £400 ends, top NO-FEE 0% debt shift ends, Best mobile signal?, £100 Regatta jacket £33

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25 November 2025 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Elec costs to RISE 5.1% - beat the hike: - New cheapest fix: Save 12% - Further Price Cap rises predicted - £100s too much in energy credit? - Energy FAQs (& answers) Get 1% cashback on all spending Can you get 50% savings boost? BLACK FRIDAY week! LIVE analysis 28 stores agree to correct unlawful sites Tomorrow (Wed) is Budget day! Ends Thu. Up to £400 FREE cash Tool: Best mobile signal where you live Martin: 'How long should you keep bank statements etc?' Ends. Longest NO-FEE 0% debt shift Good news for 10,000s of carers Free letters from Santa Regatta extra 17% off code, incl Black Fri Martin Pod: Aged 20-40 & went to uni? Question Time pod: Stop using LISA? Video: Do you pay tax on State Pension? New. Can you win theatre lottery? Eg, £95 Paddington tix £35 News. Minimum wage to rise... Martin: 'Solar FIT plan breach of promise' Ending. Cheap solicitor-drafted wills This week's best buys: 4.5% savings, 50GB Sim £3/mth & more Money Moral Dilemma: Should I pay my sister half the money our dad gave me? 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 Best Sim-only deals

Martin's Energy briefing Electricity use costs to RISE 5.1% in 1 Jan Price Cap. More rises likely in April  New. Beat the hikes with a new, exclusive, cheapest fix. It's 12% less than today's Price Pants Cap. Many will save over £200/yr!  You may be surprised to read about a 5% elec rise because on Friday, when Ofgem announced the Jan Price Cap, most news bulletins called it a 0.2% rise. Yet that only scrapes the surface... In reality, electricity costs will rise significantly, so will the much-hated Standing Charges, but gas costs will fall. If you're on a price-capped tariff (most people are, see am I on the Cap?), if possible ditch it now. The easy way is with the new 12% cheaper, cheapest fix which guarantees no price hikes. New average Direct Debit Price Cap (1 Jan to 31 March 2026) Electricity Gas Unit rate (cost per kWh used) 27.69p/kWh (UP 5.1%) 26.35p/kWh currently 5.93p/kWh (DOWN 5.7%) 6.29p/kWh currently Daily Standing Charge 54.75p/day (UP 2%) 53.68p/day currently 35.09p/day (UP 3.1%) 34.03p/day currently Prepay is typically 3% less; payment on receipt of bills 8% more. See the full region-by-region caps for each payment method. So, those on the Price Cap with high electricity and low or no gas use will see bills materially rise come 1 Jan and later. I'll explain the perverse reason this is happening below, but first let me take you through the practicals, including... - New cheapest fix: save 12% - Further Price Cap rises predicted - £100s too much in energy credit? It's a perfect time to check - Energy frequently asked questions (& answers)... Let me explain it to you. Tonight (Tue) 8pm or after on ITVX ITV1 The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE Step-by-step help to cut energy costs, and I'll take your questions & be joined by Greg Jackson, boss of Britain's biggest energy firm Octopus. So, if you've questions for either of us (do say who it's for) email the show team on martinlewis@itv.com. Plus, far more news you can use. New cheapest fix: Save 12% compared to the current Price Cap A fixed tariff is where you lock in a rate for a set time (as it's the rate, not the price, use more & you still pay more) giving you the peace of mind of price certainty & currently substantial savings over the Cap too. To show you how much it can pay to do, this is an email from Sam a month ago: "After using the Cheap Energy Club tool (which is very good might I add as it auto fills in the info for you) it has collectively saved my household £200/yr, my parents £500, my partner's mum £400, my partner's dad £300 and my partner's grandparents £400!" New. E.on Next 14mth fix. On average 12% cheaper than current Cap.The new E.on Next 14mth fix via our Cheap Energy Club comparison is on average today's cheapest fix - though your exact results depend on location & use, hence why we send you through our comparison. It's not available on most comparison sites, but is via us and E.on Next direct, yet go via us and you get an extra MSE £20 dual-fuel cashback (£10 for elec-only switches). Elec: Unit Rate: 25.13p/kWh (current cap: 26.35p | 1 Jan: 27.69p) Standing Charge: 45.86p/day (current cap: 53.68p | 1 Jan: 54.75p) Gas: Unit Rate: 5.20p/kWh (current cap: 6.29p | 1 Jan: 5.93p) Standing Charge: 34.03p/day (current cap: 34.03p | 1 Jan: 35.09p) As we now know the Price Cap until the end of March, ie the heavy-use winter period, it's cheaper for both electricity and gas (the gas Standing Charge is similar to the Cap, but the unit rate is less). To see the exact rate where you live, when you do the comparison, within the tariff click the 'More info' link. (PS: kWh stands for kilowatt hour.) It's available for dual-fuel or elec-only, but only for monthly Direct Debit. You don't need a smart meter, though it's no problem if you have one. It has agreed to MSE enhanced service, ie, if there's an issue, go to it first, but if it doesn't sort it, contact our Energy Club and we can and will escalate it and try to help.  There are £50 per fuel early exit penalties, but you can move to another E.on tariff without paying them, a useful benefit in the unlikely event something means worldwide energy costs dropped substantially and the whole market changed.  How does this compare to other cheap fixes? Here are the cheapest fixes, showing the saving compared to the current Price Cap (at typical use). All will be shown via the Cheap Energy Club comparison.  The Cheapest Standalone Fixes (1) Links go via Cheap Energy Club to give you a bespoke price E.on Next 14mth Fix 11.6% less (2). £50/fuel early exit penalties EDF 14mth Fix 10.6% less (2). £50/fuel early exit penalties Outfox 12mth Fix 10.5% less. £150/fuel early exit penalties E.on Next 18mth Fix 10% less (2). £50/fuel early exit penalties No Early Exit Fees (so can get out if needed) Octopus 12mth Fix 9.3% less. No early exit penalties For Smart Prepay customers too (none allow old-school type) EDF 14mth Fix 7% less. £50/fuel early exit penalties Not available in N. Ireland. (1) Standalone tariffs don't require you to get other products, eg, broadband or boiler cover too. (2) Includes £20 MSE cashback (£10/single fuel). Other specialist tariffs worth considering... Fixes are the easy peace-of-mind option, yet there are alternative models, though some are tough to display via a traditional comparison site. Here's a quick checklist... - Low user? EDF's tracker has lower Standing Charges. It's essentially a price cap lasting 14mths, but with £50/yr lower Standing Charges, it's best ONLY for very low users (eg, under roughly £80/mth use). - Got an electric car? Consider special electric vehicle (EV) tariffs. There are fixes which give cheaper rates for charging your car, and two-rate tariffs where you get cheap overnight rates for charging your car and can then shift other electricity use to that period (be careful with tumble dryers, they're a fire risk overnight). - Sophisticated user? Rapid price-change tariffs can lead to big savings. Tariffs such as Octopus's Agile or Tracker see price changes either twice-hourly or daily. For those comfortable with this, especially if you can shift usage patterns or have storage batteries, these can mean big savings. - Got solar panels? Is an all-in-one deal cheaper? Some firms give you better solar panel rates if you get your energy supply from them too. Our guide takes you through who it's worth it for (and who it isn't). What if the Chancellor changes energy prices in the Budget?  There's been some talk of Rachel Reeves ending the 5% VAT on domestic energy bills in tomorrow's (Wed) Budget. Yet I suspect that if there is a change, it's more likely to be her reducing policy costs. I've argued it should be a reduction in the Standing Charge, then everyone gets the same benefit, but it could also be taking one of the policy costs out of the unit rate. If it does happen it'd be unthinkable if it didn't apply equally to all tariffs, both Price Caps and fixes (and if it doesn't I'll be going ballistic and lobbying for it to!). As otherwise it would kill the govt's and the regulator's long-time call for people to switch. The Price Cap is predicted to rise AGAIN The Price Cap normally moves with average wholesale costs - those energy retailers pay - over the three-month assessment period (we're already a week into that for the April 2026 Cap). Yet policy and network cost changes impact prices, too. And that's what's driving analysts' current predictions of the April Price Cap, up 3%ish, including the cost of connecting renewable energy in remote parts of the UK, and heat pumps & EVs putting more strain on the grid. Overall, without a significant drop in wholesale rates, it's predicted to stay higher than the current Price Cap for most of 2026. So, fixing at 12% below the current cap looks a no-brainer.  The further in the future you go, the more it's crystal ball-gazing. A major geopolitical event can always change things, and they could get much cheaper or go the other way, but all we can do is look at what common predictions are right now. Ultimately, if you fix and prices rise, no worries, your bill won't rise. In the unlikely event you fix and prices drop so substantially the fix is no longer competitive, there's always the backstop option of leaving early and paying the exit penalty. Too much in credit? It's a perfect time to check. Energy firms sit on £3.1bn The upcoming 0.2% rise in January shouldn't mean Direct Debits (DDs) will change for most people unless you're a high electricity user. Use our 'Is your Direct Debit right?' calculator to find out roughly what it should be. If too high, see how to challenge unfair DDs.  Yet, just as crucial, is how much credit you're in. If you pay by monthly DD, the idea is it spreads the cost so you pay the same each month - in other words, you overpay in summer, and underpay in winter... November is the peak credit month, you've built it up over summer to use over winter. Yet any more than two months of your Direct Debit is likely too much. The exact amount you'll be in credit depends on when you started with the firm, but anything more than two months' worth of credit is high. If you're substantially above that, speak to the energy firm to ask for the money back in your pocket, see my how to get your energy credit back blog for full help. As Dianne emailed last year: "Thanks to you I checked and discovered I was £1,000 in credit with EDF. I am now looking forward to a cheeky little holiday, which I wouldn't normally have been able to afford. Happy days, thank you again." PS: If you're fed up with monthly DDs and just want to pay for what you use, don't just jump to payment in receipt of bills, look for variable DDs. Energy frequently asked questions (and my answers too, obviously) Q. What do I do if I'm already on a fix? You can still do a comparison to see how your current fix compares to the one you're on. If it's cheaper, stay where you are. If a new fix is cheaper, remember you'll likely have to pay early exit fees to switch, so factor that in - unless you're within 49 days of your fix ending, in which case they're not allowed to charge early exit penalties. Q. How do I know if I'm on an energy Price Capped tariff? If you live in Eng, Scot or Wales, unless you're on a fix or special tariff, you're almost certainly one of the 65% of homes on a Price Capped tariff (within Cheap Energy Club we tell you too). The cap applies to all firms' standard consumer tariffs - the default tariff you're on if you've never changed, or haven't switched since your fix ended. And while it's called a cap, in reality almost all firms price to the max. Here are the biggest Price Capped tariffs... British Gas Standard Variable | EDF Standard (Variable) E.on Next Flex | Octopus Flexible Octopus | Ovo Simpler Energy | Scottish Power Standard Remember, with the cap it's not a limit on the total amount you pay. It just limits the daily Standing Charge and unit rates firms can charge, so use more and you pay more. Q. I'm in Northern Ireland, what do I do? Northern Ireland has a different system, see our Northern Ireland help. Q. Should I leave the heat on all day or only use it when needed? This and other energy-saving conundrums are explained in our 15 energy mythbusters guide. Q. Why are prices going up when wholesale rates are coming down? Unlike previous Price Caps, Jan's rise isn't due to wholesale costs - which fell a little over the assessment period. The upcoming hike is mainly due to specific increased policy and network costs, eg, nuclear investment, debt forgiveness & Warm Home Discount costs.  These kinds of costs, including the investments in renewables, are usually lumped on electricity bills (as well as Standing Charges) as electricity is seen as more universal - almost everyone has it. The result is somewhat bonkers. A key govt policy is trying to encourage people to move away from gas towards electricity (via heat pumps, for example). Yet gas unit prices will actually fall in Jan (due to lower wholesale prices) while electricity increases due to policy costs! Plus, putting these costs on electricity bills is regressive compared to putting them into general taxation (ie, in relative terms, it costs poorer people a bigger proportion of their income than richer people). Adding to the policy perversion of a govt trying to get people to ditch gas. We know the investment being made in the network and renewables is likely to keep adding costs until the mid-2030s, we need to start thinking about the reality of that now, and how it's paid for. Q. What are the best ways to cut my energy usage? Take a look at our full checklist of 70+ ways to save energy. It's a mix of hardcore savings and some thrifty crowd-sourced tips (we'll be doing more on this in coming weeks). Q. I can't afford to pay my energy bills -what do I do? It's always worth first talking to your energy firm. There can be hardship & debt grants from suppliers. For far more guidance, see our full What to do if you're struggling to pay energy bills guide. Q. What is 'MSE cashback'? Some providers pay energy comparison sites to facilitate the switch (you still get the same price as going direct). Unlike other sites, we don't default to hiding tariffs that don't pay - be very careful elsewhere. Instead, we default to show-all, but when we get paid to switch you, we give you a chunk as cashback. So those that pay us are relatively cheaper for you, and it's likely more people switch to them. Win-win.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Perfect at this high-spend time... Get paid every time you spend - earn £100s with a simple switch of the plastic you use to pay! - Top all-round. Get 1% cashback on all spending (+ near-perfect exchange rates abroad) - New. Earn £225 at Amazon + £10/mth off Deliveroo + 4 airport lounge passes For most families, these next couple of months are the year's highest spend period, with Black Friday, Christmas, Jan sales and holiday bookings. The most important thing is to keep that under control (remember Martin's Money Mantras), but if you're going to spend, at least get paid to do it. And finally, since Chase cut its cashback, there's a decent all-round replacement. As it's credit cards that give the biggest rewards, the key's to pay off the card IN FULL each month, preferably by Direct Debit, to neuter its ability to charge interest. This turns it into a transaction card not a borrowing card, and better still, a transaction card that PAYS YOU. Far more in top cashback cards, but here's a brief rundown of the three top deals... At a glance: Top reward cards compared (always pay IN FULL, all links via eligibility, full info below) Rewards Min spend to get cashback Lloyds Ultra Visa 1% cashback on ALL spending for a year None Amex Gold £225 vouchers + Deliveroo £10/mth cashback £5k within 6mths to get the vouchers Amex Everyday 5% cashback for 5mths (max £125), then 0.5% on up to £10k, 1% above £3k/yr or you don't get cashback Top all-round deal for most. 1% cashback, uncapped, on all retail spending & near-perfect exchange rates abroad. The fee-free Lloyds Ultra Visa credit card (link goes via our eligibility calc so you can check acceptance odds) is the top all-round rewards card. It gives 1% cashback on all spending for the first year (barring gambling, buying currency & online trading) anywhere worldwide, as well as near-perfect exchange rates abroad. Cashback's paid each Jan. So, use it for all your normal everyday spending in the UK and abroad (as well as any planned one-offs). Fail to pay the card off in full and you'd pay 12.9% rep APR interest which'd defeat any gain from the cashback. The only minor negative is that it charges interest for ATM withdrawals, even if you repay the card in full, so if you're going to use it overseas, just spend on the card. The cashback drops to 0.25% after 12mths, so it'll likely be beatable then. Make sure to check. As Ed emailed last month: "I took out Lloyds Ultra after it was flagged in your weekly email. While the email said 1% cashback for a year, I'd expected the typical exclusions (like with Chase). Imagine my great surprise when I put through my £740 car insurance on it last week to discover it had earned 1% cashback! Pretty cool, thanks." The other two top payers are American Express (Amex) cards, which tend to be slightly less universally accepted... New. Higher spenders: £225 Amazon, M&S or Sainsbury's vouchers; £10/mth Deliveroo cashback; 4 airport lounge passes. The Amex Preferred Rewards Gold credit card has boosted its lucrative intro rewards... - 40,000 bonus points worth £225 in vouchers: if you spend £5,000+ in the first 6mths. It then normally takes a month or so to be paid. You also get one point per £1 spent for all spending before & after on top, worth about 0.5% in vouchers. - £5 cashback on two £5+ Deliveroo orders a month: as long as they're paid for on the card. - Four free visits to airport lounges a year for you & a guest: you'll be sent a Priority Pass card in the post within 28 days. You can't get it if you've had Amex in the last 2yrs. Fail to fully repay each month and the 29.4% APR interest wipes out the gain. It's only fee-free in year one: From year two there's a hefty £195/yr fee, so diarise to cancel if you don't want to pay. Top short-term cashback: 5% for 5mths (perfect for a big purchase). The fee-free Amex Everyday credit card currently pays unbeatable 5% cashback for 5mths (max £125, paid after a year). After that, it's 0.5% cashback on spending up to £10,000/yr, 1% above. It's strong for bigger spenders, as if you don't put £3,000+/yr on it, you don't get anything. Fail to fully repay each month & the 29.4% rep APR interest dwarfs the gain. You can't get it if you've had Amex in the last 2yrs. All have hugely powerful Section 75 protection. As they're credit cards, you get valuable Section 75 protection on all spending, on top of the chargeback all cards have. So, buy something costing £100 to £30,000 and pay for any of it (even 1p) on the card, and the card company's jointly liable with the retailer for the entire amount if owt goes wrong. When Martin says pay off IN FULL, he means IN FULL, not nearly in full. This is his catchphrase for a reason. With £1,000 spending debt on a credit card, if you clear the whole lot in a month, there's no interest. Yet pay off £999.99, and you usually pay interest on the whole £1,000, not just the 1p left.

 

It's BLACK FRIDAY week! LIVE deals analysis... The MSE Deals team will help you sort the bargains from the bull in our constantly moving live Black Friday analysis, including top deals and popular retailers: Amazon | Apple | John Lewis | M&S | Boots | Argos | Currys | Asda | Aldi | Lidl. Remember, the aim's to help you buy what's on your list for less - not buy more, see Martin's key thing to remember on Black Friday. Martin: 'I've just withdrawn my complaint to Trading Standards as all 28 stores (including big names) we outed for unlawful return rights info have now corrected their websites.' See full info, including the list of stores, plus Martin's return rights quiz here... 28 retail wrongs righted.  Tomorrow (Wed) is Budget day! From 12.30pm follow Martin's live plain-English analysis on X, then hit his YouTube channel just after for his instant summary video, and see MSE News for the more detailed impact on your finances as we dig into it throughout Wed afternoon. PS: Martin thinks we'll finally see changes to the Lifetime ISA.  7.30pm Thu Martin vs Chancellor: Martin Lewis Money Show Live Budget Special Martin's got two live ITV shows this week: tonight (Tue), 8pm, on cutting energy bills & a Budget Special, Thu, 7.30pm - as well as explaining what it all means for the pound in your pocket, we've just learned he'll be sitting down with the Chancellor. Catch up via ITVX. Got questions for Martin/the Chancellor)? Email the show: martinlewis@itv.com. Ends 11.59pm Thu. Up to £400 FREE cash. It's the highest fee-free bank switch bonus we've ever seen, and while the Barclays Premier FREE £400 & free Apple TV+* is only for higher earners (eg, £75k+/yr salary), we've been surprised how popular it's been. The standard Barclays FREE £200 ends at the same time - if you're a regular switcher it's worth bagging as Barclays doesn't offer 'em that often. If not, check out all the top free-cash bank switches. Tool: Which network's got the strongest mobile signal indoors & out where you live? Check regulator Ofcom's Map Your Mobile tool to see coverage. It's very detailed, and if you disagree, you can feed in via the small button under the map to improve its accuracy. Martin: 'How long should you keep bank statements, digital documents & paperwork for?' There's more to think about than just tax rules. Read Martin's new how long to keep documents for blog. 1 week left. Longest NO-FEE balance transfer: 15mths' 0% debt shift at absolutely no cost. A balance transfer's where you get a new card that pays off debts on existing cards for you, so you owe it instead, but at 0% for a set period. And if you can repay quickly, getting one without a one-off balance transfer fee means there's absolutely no cost. Till next Tue Barclaycard gives new cardholders 15mths 0% NO FEE if they're pre-approved via our eligibility calc (link goes there) - if not, it may be 7mths or 15mths (in which case Virgin's 13mths 0% no-fee card may win for you). Golden Rules: Don't spend on it or withdraw cash, & clear it before the 0% ends to avoid the 24.9% rep APR interest. Full info & longer 0% options in top balance transfers. Good news. 10,000s carers to have outrageous Carer's Allowance overpayment debts wiped/reduced. Unpaid carers, who look after vulnerable relatives for 35+hrs a week, lose the £83/wk support they get if they earn just a penny over £196/wk after tax - and then are chased for overpayments. Martin's been campaigning to end this unfairness and now the govt's set to act by cancelling overpayment debts and working on other fixes. Full details in Carer's Allowance news. Free letters from Santa. Father Christmas stations his elves at a few places to help him send back letters to little ones who contact him. See our full free Santa letter info on how to get a reply from the big fella. Regatta extra 17% off everything code, including its up to 60% off Black Friday sale. Eg, £100 jacket £33 & £25 T-shirt £6. MSE Blagged. Regatta New Martin pod. Aged 20 to 40 and went to uni? Millions can now reclaim student loans. Key help for anyone repaying student loans + (v. funny) what's the cheapest thing you've ever returned...? All in Martin's main podcast this week. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc. Question Time pod. Time to stop using my LISA? Are cashback & switch bonuses taxable? Are investments protected up to £85k? In Martin's Question Time podcast, you can ask whatever you like (within reason), & this week there's lots, including what's his fave music & more. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - Extra 17% off Regatta Black Friday sale Ends 11.59pm Fri	DID YOU MISS? - Is Costco cheapest for your Xmas shop? - £11 for one litre of Baileys - Black Friday vs Xmas sales - which wins? - How to get the cheapest Private Health Insurance - Savings safety limit to rise to £120,000

 

 

'Help to Save' gives an UNBEATABLE 50% bonus on what you save. Check if you're one of 3m eligible now The scheme is currently available for low-earning workers on Universal Credit Help to Save is a cleverly designed scheme to encourage savings among those in work who can't normally afford to save - helping people gain financial resilience, so they can use their own cash in an emergency rather than high-cost credit, and rely less on the state. No other form of saving comes close. To show its worth, here's Amarjit, who emailed: "Hi Martin, thanks for your Help to Save information. Me and my husband both got one 4 years ago and each got paid the maximum £1,200 on top of £2,400 saved each." And Mary told us: "We've been participating in this scheme for the past two years and it's excellent. We got our first bonus payments this Feb. There are months when £50 is beyond our means but we've paid in for the majority of the time. We prioritise these payments." Help to Save is currently for SOME people on Universal Credit (UC). You only need to be eligible at the time of opening the account, so if your circumstances change, eg, you no longer qualify for UC, you can keep Help to Save and get the bonuses. In brief, under the current rules, to get it you need to be: - Working & earning £1+. Help to Save is currently only for those who are working AND claiming UC (the catch-all means-tested benefit for those on low income). Don't get it & think you should? Try our 10-min benefit check-up.  Though Martin's been officially told by the Treasury that in tomorrow's Budget, the Chancellor will announce an expansion from April 2028, adding 1.5 million more people on UC unable to work due to caring or parental/kinship responsibilities, and who get the 'carer's' element or 'child' element of UC.  With Help to Save you put in up to £50/mth and, after two years, you get a 50% bonus on the max you had in. You open a Help to Save account on the Gov.uk website, then... - You can save up to £50 a month in it. You needn't save every month - just put in what you can. - It's easy access, so you can withdraw these savings whenever you want. The money isn't locked away. - After two years, you get a tax-free bonus of 50% on the most you had saved at any point. So if you'd saved £800 (even if you had to withdraw it before the two years), you'd still get a £400 bonus. - The max two-year bonus is £600 (ie, if you saved £50/mth every month, as you'd have £1,200 saved). - Then do it for two more years. The second 50% bonus is calculated by subtracting the max balance in the first 2 years from the max balance in years 3 & 4 (so another £600 bonus is possible). See full how Help to Save works. Help to Save can reduce your Universal Credit entitlement. If you've over £6,000 in all savings, your Universal Credit entitlement and any Council Tax reduction can be reduced, and once you hit £16,000 it's stopped - Help to Save savings do count towards this (though the bonus you get doesn't). If your only savings are in Help to Save (even if it's you and a partner, as it counts all of them) then you'll be below the threshold; if you've more it can hit your UC entitlement - see will Help to Save affect my benefits? The only time this may not be worth doing is if you've expensive debt... The 50% bonus on Help to Save is unbeatable, yet it can be worth clearing expensive debt (payday loans, high-cost credit, poor-credit credit cards). See should I use Help to Save if I have debts?

 

Video: 'Martin, do you pay tax on the State Pension?' A struggling 67-year-old needs to get a part-time job - will she pay tax even though her State Pension's under £12k/yr? Watch Martin's 2min answer on his YouTube now. New. Can you win the theatre lottery? Eg, £95 Paddington tix £35. Four new free-to-enter lotteries in our rundown, including Paddington The Musical, Oliver! & Starlight Express. Try your luck. Related: £10 to £60 West End tix sale. Minimum wage to rise from April... The Chancellor's announced ahead of tomorrow's (Wed) Budget. For what the increase means for you and how to check you're not being underpaid, see min wage. Martin: 'Plans to change solar Feed-In Tariffs feel a breach of promise.' See new govt consultation. Ending. Cheap, solicitor-drafted wills via charity scheme. Solicitor-drafted wills are the gold standard, and you can get one in return for a suggested £120 donation (£200 for couples' mirror wills) but only till Sun via Will Aid.

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: HSBC (check eligibility, or use link for existing HSBC customers) 35mths 0% + £20, 3.19% fee, 24.9% rep APR interest No-fee 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility) up to 15mths 0%, 24.9% rep APR interest Best bank accounts Free £200 + 1% bills cashback: Santander Edge Free £200 + perks: Barclays Bank Account Broadband top picks Fast fibre (100Mb+): Vodafone '£20.05/mth' Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Sky '£23/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Compare insurance deals Car: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Home: Try our Compare+ Home Insurance tool Cheap loans £5,000 to £7,499: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 6.9% rep APR interest £7,500 to £15,000: Novuna (check eligibility), 5.7% rep APR interest Top savings accounts Top easy-access savings: Chase 4.5%, min £1 (newbies only) Top easy-access ISA: Trading 212 4.56%, min £1 (newbies only) Top one-year fix: Investec 4.5%, min £5k Top energy deals Use our whole-of-market Cheap Energy Club Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Sky, '£2/mth' for 1GB 10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£3.10/mth' for 10GB 31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£3.21/mth' for 50GB

 

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK Did you use a Lifetime ISA or other government-backed scheme to buy your first home? The Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee wants to know if the schemes helped you get on the property ladder. The committee will be looking at what's working, what's not and what needs fixing. Share your views by 29 Nov.

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I pay my sister half the money our deceased father gave me? A few years ago, my father gave me £30,000 to help pay off my mortgage. My sister agreed with the arrangement, and I signed a piece of paper to say that I'd received it. My dad's now died and, once probate is granted, my sister wants an extra £15,000 (half of the money he gave me), as she feels she's owed it. But my dad didn't sign the piece of paper or add a codicil to his will about it, so my solicitor says my sister has no legal right to it. She doesn't need the money, but I do. Do I give it to her? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I give my sister half the money our deceased dad gave me? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

 

 

MARTIN'S BLOG - How long should you keep bank statements, digital documents & paperwork for?

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 26 NOV ONWARDS) Wed 26 Nov - Matt Chorley, Autumn Budget reaction, BBC Radio 5 Live, 3pm Thu 27 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, Budget special, ITV1, 7.30pm Tue 2 Dec - This Morning, phone-in, ITV1, 10.20am Tue 2 Dec - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 8pm

 

 

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