Beat the energy, oil & petrol cost surge!; EIGHT free cash bank switch deals; 900Mb broadband £21/mth; £1 Easter eggs; £69 summer plants £16

Plus... two easy free £15s; new top 0% deal; how to avoid savings tax; 5 cinema tix £22

                                                           

17 March 2026 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Beat energy, oil, fuel & more cost surge! - Petrol & diesel: 5 cost-cutters - Energy bills: What to do in all scenarios - Middle East travel chaos help - Heating oil & LPG: New support? - Mortgage ending soon: What do I do? New. EIGHT free cash bank switch deals 900Mb broadband £21/mth & more deals New. Easy FREE £15 + 7.1% saver £69 summer plant bundle £16 delivered Martin: How to avoid savings tax FREE cat food, £1 Easter eggs & more New. Top 0% debt shift with LOWER fee Nationwide customer £100 last chance? New. Free £15 for 13 to 17-year-olds Martin's student loan Plan 5 need-knows Martin pod. Your car finance mis-selling questions answered & more Question pod. Should I overpay mortgage? ISA for my niece? Warning. Moved to UC from Tax Credits? Cinema deals: 5 Vue tix £22 & more Last chance. FREE WILLS if you're 55+ In your relationship, do you do all the money stuff...? New. 'My mobile phone upgrade shock' This week's best buys: 4.68% cash ISA, 35GB Sim £3/mth, 5.6% loan Money Moral Dilemma: Who should pay my parents' £400 hotel bar bill? BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder 0% balance transfers MSE Compare+ Car Insurance Top savings accounts Credit cards for bad credit Credit Card Eligibility Calculator Loans Eligibility Calculator Mortgage comparison Cheap Energy Club Best Sim-only deals

Energy bills, petrol, diesel, mortgages, heating oil, LPG & more. Martin's key tips & checklists to cut costs The Middle East conflict has pumped up oil & gas costs. How to protect your pocket... Nothing we face compares with the threat to life of those directly affected by warfare in the Middle East, but people in the UK are still impacted. The oil price is up 35% since the conflict started at the end of Feb, flowing not just into obvious costs - petrol, diesel, heating oil - but also most goods we buy, as they need transporting, cooling, storing and more. The price of gas, which affects energy bills, is up 70%. While its impact won't hit imminently, it is storing up bill rises for later this year. There is no magic wand that any consumer can wave to fix all this, yet there are things you can do to reduce the impact or the cost. Some nifty, others far from rocket science, so this is a mix of tips & checklists... - Petrol & diesel checklist: 5 tips to cut the cost. - Gas & elec bills: What to do if fixed, or on Cap / time of use / EV tariffs. - Middle East travel chaos help - Heating oil & LPG: New support? - Mortgage ending soon: What do I do? - What about inflation? And impact on student loans? Easier to watch? Let me explain & answer your questions... The Martin Lewis Money Show Live: ITV1, 7.15pm (Tue) I'll go through the practicals on this on my show too, answer your questions and put some to the Sec of State for Energy about heating oil. Plus the usual News You Can Use. PS: Watch after via ITVX 'Martin Lewis'. Petrol & diesel: 5 tips to cut the cost Since the conflict started, the average price of petrol has leapt up by 10p/litre and diesel by 20p/litre. Not all-time highs, but the highest for a year on petrol, nearly two years for diesel. They're unlikely to drop in the foreseeable future unless the conflict ends or more shipping resumes in the Strait of Hormuz. So here's a quick fuel saving checklist... Find the cheapest filling station near you. Fuel prices can vary hugely even within a small area, eg in Newbury, within just five miles, prices range from £1.42 to £1.72 per litre. Use the site PetrolPrices.com to find the cheapest near you. PS: The Govt's recently announced 'Fuel Finder' means forecourts are now mandated to feed their prices into systems such as PetrolPrices.com (which was doing this long before that). Get PAID to pay for your fuel... top cashback cards. Many spend £1,000s/yr on fuel, and you can recoup a touch of that by changing how you pay (you get cashback on other things too). Full info in top cashback cards, but in brief... - Top Pick (credit card): If you've a decent credit score, the fee-free Lloyds' Ultra credit card pays 1% cashback on all spending - so £1 back per £100 spent - including fuel (though it can be beaten by Amex for higher spenders). So use it for all normal daily spending and some can be £100s up at the end of the year. It also has near-perfect exchange rates abroad and you get cashback on spending there too. Yet only do this if you always pay the card off IN FULL each month, preferably by Direct Debit, so there's no 12.9% rep APR interest, or that costs far more than the gain. Also don't withdraw cash on it or bust the credit limit. Full help in our Lloyds Ultra review. - Easy to get (debit card) & 4.5% savings interest: If you don't want a credit card, or doubt you'll pass the credit score, the free app-only Chase* bank account's debit card pays 1% cashback up to £15/mth, usually within days, but only on petrol, diesel, (non-household) EV charging, grocery and domestic transport spending.  Crucially, you don't need to switch bank account to get it, nor does it do a hard credit check, so most people are accepted. It also gives newbies the top 4.5% easy-access savings. Full eligibility in our Chase review. Think of your brakes as a money burner, and the accelerator as a money pump. The faster you accelerate, the more fuel you use. The more you brake, the more you burn off the acceleration you paid to generate. Being aware of your road position so you can safely speed up and safely slow down more gently, and shifting up gears sooner, can all have a dramatic effect on fuel efficiency. For more, see eight ways to drive more efficiently. Too much junk in your trunk? Lighten the load. There are some easy ways to cut your car's fuel consumption, including removing roof racks, keeping tyres at the right pressure and clearing clutter from your car's boot (or elsewhere). It can have a bigger impact than you might think, especially combined with driving more efficiently. See our tips to make your vehicle more fuel efficient. Got a Costco nearby? The giant wholesaler is often very cheap for fuel, coming cheapest on PetrolPrices.com in most areas it has a forecourt. So if you live near it, qualify for membership (£42/yr) - more do than think they will - and would shop there too, it can result in decent savings. Though expect queues. See our 17 Costco tips for more. PS: Don't just accept 'same price' car insurance renewals. While we're talking motoring, March is one of the busiest car insurance months, so many are renewing. Be aware average car cover costs are DOWN 11% on last year. So if nowt's changed and your renewal isn't cheaper, don't just accept it. Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool to see what's out there. Gas & electricity bills help for...  Fixes, Price Cap, time of use, EVs & more The domestic energy bills situation is more complex, because engineered into most of the system is a time-lag between wholesale costs rising and what you pay. In fact, in the short term, things look positive, but the issues start later. So let me start off with an explainer of where we are, then move on to common questions... Please read these bullets before jumping to the Q&A below... The Energy Price Cap will get an avg 6.7% CHEAPER on 1 Apr. That then lasts until 30 June. The Cap dictates the price 60% of homes in Eng, Scot & Wales pay - those on their firm's standard default 'I haven't switched' or 'my fix ended & I didn't change' tariff. It's unaffected by the Middle East conflict as a time-lag means the April Cap is based on Nov to mid-Feb's wholesale rates, which was before it started. The conflict will impact the next Price Cap which lasts July to September, analysts currently predict it'll RISE 16%, but as the assessment period lasts till May, without any other changes this could be far higher if the conflict's still on - or far lower if it ends soon. On a fix? It'll get roughly 7% to 9% CHEAPER on 1 April. Some policy costs on energy bills are being cut, or moved to general taxation, so unprecedentedly all bills - including existing fixes - will get cheaper. On most fixes, the electricity unit rate will drop 3.5p/kWh (often 13+% less) and gas 0.33p (often 6+% less). This will last until your fix ends. See how much will your fix drop? Most cheapest new fixes have gone, but a few still linger. The rate at which you can get a new fixed deal is based on current prices, so no surprise the cheapest have gone. Yet there are still some available up to 4% cheaper than the current Cap, and of course, they'll get cheaper on 1 April too (see above). So if you want certainty your bill won't rise, this is an option.  To find your cheapest, use our Cheap Energy Club comparison. If you use other sites, make sure you click the tiny 'show all' button at the bottom or in the options, otherwise they hide tariffs that don't pay them, which some of the remaining fixes don't (we automatically show all deals by default). Now let's go through circumstance-by-circumstance - there are no hard answers as the situation is too volatile.  Q. I'm not fixed, I'm on the Price Cap, should I fix now? If you're on a Price Capped tariff (see Am I on the Price Cap?), then do a comparison to see if you can get a fix for less than you currently pay. If so, you'll start saving straight away, you'll save more when your new fixes' price drops in April, and you'll be protected from the likely substantial July Price Cap rise.  The only risk is if the conflict ends soon - then it's likely at that point cheaper fixes will be available then than they are now. Having said that, a bird in the hand... Q. My energy fix deal is ending soon, should I re-fix now? If you're in the last 49 days then the rules state you are free to switch without any early-exit penalties (if not, see next Q), in which case...  Do a comparison and see what's available. I suspect it'll show your cheapest is more than you pay now - but the real key is to find one that is less than what you'll pay on the Price Cap when your current fix ends (you'll be able to see that), especially if that date is close. If so, and you're risk-averse (scared of big hikes), the safest thing to do is grab the cheapest fix now in case things get worse and they get even costlier, so you've no option but to go on the Price Cap. Yet be aware that if the conflict were to end soon, then you may've locked in at a higher price than you could've got by waiting.  If you are happy to ride it out and think things will be over soon, you could hold on until the last minute and see what fixes there are then. Q. I'm on a cheap energy fix, but it has a decent time left, should I refix now? Without a crystal ball, there is no right answer here. You're on a cheap fix so are sitting pretty for now, and would likely need pay an early exit penalty to leave which adds to cost (the bigger your usage, the less of a proportionate issue that is). So let's play out the two key scenarios...  - The conflict ends soon: By waiting it out you will likely be able to get a much cheaper fix than you can now when your fix ends. - The conflict drags on for many months and prices stay high: Your fix will end and there is a chance there will be no fixes cheaper than the Price Cap (which you'll move to if you do nowt). That Cap will almost certainly rise substantially in July, and then stay high in October.  If this is a nightmare scenario, you could look at paying the early-exit penalty and refix now for longer - though likely you'll be paying more to do so. On balance I'd probably not do that, unless you're very worried about unaffordability of rising prices. Q. I got a cheap fix a month ago when you did the Collective switch? Great, you locked in far cheaper than you can now, and you've got at least 10mths left. You're sitting pretty, no need to do owt. Q. I am on a rapid price change tariff - should I ditch it? The big two are Octopus' Agile (electricity price changes every half hour) and its electricity or dual fuel Tracker tariff (price changes every day). Generally, these are for sophisticated users who monitor prices, and with Agile, who shift usage patterns to match. These tariffs are, by definition, volatile as they're based on wholesale rates for the day. Recently, Agile has had days where it's not much less than the price cap off-peak, with peak times far above it. Tracker is hovering above and below the Cap depending on the day. If you're on one of these, hopefully you'll have a good idea of if it's right for you. Yet if you're thinking of ditching, beware you can't just come back when you like. With the Tracker you have to wait nine months before you can go back on it; Agile is 30 days. So, again, it's all a question of how long this lasts.  Q. I'm on a 'low Standing Charge' tariff? There are a number of Price Cap Tracker deals like EDF's Simply Tracker and British Gas Cap Tracker, where you get £50 or £100 cheaper Standing Charges for a year, depending when you signed up. While the discount runs, it's always better than the Price Cap, and tends to beat fixes for very low users. If you got one for the right reasons, its likely still your winner (though it may be worth looking at again in July). Q. I'm on prepay, anything I can do? If you're on a Smart Prepay while there are no cheap fixes, there is the EDF Price Cap Tracker which is the Price Cap but with currently £50/yr cheaper Standing Charges, so an easy win for many. If you're on key or card meters, then unfortunately there is little or no choice. So if things get really rough from July, it may be up to the govt to look at whether it'll intervene. Q. I'm on an EV tariff - what are my options? If you're on a fixed EV tariff, your rate won't change, but if you're on a variable one it might. Check with your supplier - it should give you 30 days notice of any price increases. And if an EV tariff was right for you before, it likely still is, see Cheapest EV tariff. Middle East Travel Chaos Help Travel chaos is showing no signs of stopping. Some are still stranded abroad and the Govt is advising against travel to nearly 20 countries in the region. Our Urgent Middle East travel help is regularly updated with the latest info including... - Want to cancel your upcoming travel? - Help with cruises, rail tickets, third-party bookings - What travel insurance will and won't cover - and more. Heating oil & LPG: New support?  By far the most imminently hard-hit financially by the Middle East crisis are the c.1.5m people off the gas grid - in rural areas, Northern Ireland and Scotland - who use home heating oil or LPG. Prices have doubled or more for some. And as heating oil is bulk bought, if you had to do it in the last couple of weeks, this may have added £100s or £1,000s to the cost. Last week I called for your feedback on this, and we had 1,000s of responses reporting poor practice. We've already submitted a provisional dossier of evidence right to the top in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and also the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), which is examining concerns too. As well as huge price hikes, we have been sent examples of... - Firms cancelling orders and saying 'reorder at much higher price'. - Firms reporting 'no stock' or refusing bulk quotes. - Households offered only small containers at 5x normal prices.  - Households being told 'price on delivery' so no clue what they'll pay. - Some people are switching off heating to preserve oil. - Some people are under severe financial & emotional strain. - There is a real risk for older, disabled and low-income households. Since last week, the Government has announced new £53m targeted support to start 1 April for vulnerable households (we're scrambling for details on that, the link provides the latest updates). Plus it says it will at last look to regulate this market too (we've been calling for this for years). Q. I'm struggling with this short-term, what do I do? I don't have any great solutions, so don't get any great hopes up with this answer- it's just a few thoughts. Of course, all the usual money makeover and budgeting routes are worth looking at, as are any possibilities of increasing income too...  Check for emergency support from your council or devolved government, especially from 1 April when the new support starts. Ask neighbours or local community groups about clubbing together for a bulk order, as that can cut the per-litre price. Do everything you can to avoid running the tank empty, as an empty tank may mean you need an engineer to restart it. Temporarily switch to plug-in electric heating for a room, or even just for yourself if you can. And check out our Heat the human not the home guide for more on that. That may help you preserve oil for hot water or limited heating where your system allows. My MORTGAGE fix ends in a few months, what do I do? The Middle East crisis has made markets far less confident about seeing the UK base rate of interest being cut in the short term than they were. That has a real impact, as the rate at which you can get a new mortgage fix is based on swap rates, which, oversimplifying greatly, are based on the market's view of long-term interest rates. So, as future rates are relatively higher, in the past couple of weeks we've seen the rate you can get a new mortgage fix at rise. At the start of the month, the cheapest fixes via our Mortgage best-buys were 3.55% (2yrs) and 3.77% (5yrs), now they're 4.01% and 4.19% respectively. If your fix ends in the next six months, one option is to speak to your mortgage broker and current lender about locking in a fix now so you've bagged it in case things get worse. Yet ensure there is an option to ditch the locked-in rate before completion, if things have improved and cheaper deals are available.  See this almost like an insurance policy against things getting worse. With deals like this, you will sometimes need to pay a fee to leave the fix if things improve though, so check that out and decide if you think it's worth it.  Related: Cheap Mortgage Comparison | Remortgage guide | Ultimate Mortgage Calculator | Should I overpay my mortgage? What about inflation?  Inflation is a measure of price rises over the last year, and of course the first problem isn't inflation itself, but the price rises feeding it. The Middle East crisis means firms' input costs are likely to rise due to the price of oil and energy costs, and some of those rises will likely be passed on to us consumers in the coming months. So the severity and length of this conflict really matter financially in the UK. The rate of inflation has other impacts too, including interest rates. The Bank of England is charged with keeping inflation low, at 2% CPI, and the main tool it has at its disposal is altering the UK base rate.  When inflation rises, the Bank of England is likely to want to cool demand, so there's less of a push to buy, and one route to do that would be to increase interest rates (making borrowing costlier & saving more attractive, to take money out of the economy). But that of course doesn't help economic growth. The timing doesn't look great for students The rate of interest on all the main UK student loan plans is linked to the RPI rate of inflation (in different ways). Yet it's specifically March's RPI inflation figure that is the standard reference point. It is used to set the interest rate for the academic year starting in September. And while inflation was moving in the right direction, there's an obvious worry now that March's inflation may come in higher than was hoped.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

New. EIGHT bank accounts now pay switchers FREE cash, incl a rarish new Barclays £200 (high earners can get £400+) 'We've made £2,500+ from bank switching in 2yrs' 2026 is shaping up to be the best year for bank switching deals we've ever seen - yet another new deal has launched in recent days. So unless your current bank's treating you like royalty, whatever perks you want, take your pick. The table below starts with the top standard accounts, then high-earner-only deals. Switching's usually quick & easy. To get the free cash (usually paid within 3mths), you need to use the bank's seven-working-day switch service (so roughly 10 real days). This closes your old account and moves all your money, Direct Debits & standing orders for you. All payments to the old account are auto-forwarded. You'll need to pass a not-too-harsh credit check. Free cash for new switchers You usually need to switch 2+ Direct Debits. Full eligibility: Top bank accounts Santander Edge* - Min pay-in: A total of £1,500 within 60 days, then £500+/mth (equiv to a £6,000/yr+ salary going in). - Fee-free? No, £3/mth, but that gets you the cashback, which should easily outweigh the fee for most. - Can joint accounts switch? Yes and get same bonus. Top (joint) BILLS account FREE £200, plus up to £10/mth cashback on bills, linked 6% saver, top debit card overseas. This account has a £3/mth fee but as you get cashback on bills paid from it by Direct Debit, that should easily cover it and a decent whack more for normal bills. See full Santander eligibility & review. Here's its main perks... - 1% cashback up to £10/mth on Council Tax, energy, water, mobile & home phone, broadband & paid TV bills you pay from it by Direct Debit. - Linked saver paying 6% variable for 12mths on up to £4,000. - Top debit card for spending overseas with near-perfect exchange rates. Club Lloyds - Min pay-in: For a non-Premier account, it's a hefty £2,000 EVERY month (equivalent to a £29,000/yr salary going in). - Fee-free? Yes, though if you don't earn enough to meet the min pay-in, it's £5/mth (so avoid). - Can joint accounts switch? Yes and get same bonus. Top for PERKS account FREE £200, 1yr Disney+, top debit card overseas. This account comes with a host of perks so could be a winner for many. But you effectively need to be earning £29,000/yr+ to get it or there's a £5/mth fee (in which case, avoid). You need to switch over three Direct Debits, not the usual two. See full Lloyds eligibility & review. Here's its main perks... - Choose a yearly perk, eg Disney+ (with ads) OR six free cinema tickets. - Linked 6.25% 1yr fixed regular saver on up to £400/mth. - A £100 0% overdraft buffer zone (30% above that so be careful). - Top debit card for spending overseas with near-perfect exchange rates. Barclays Bank Account* - Min pay-in: One-off £2,000 to get switch bonus. - Fee-free? Yes, though optional £5/mth for Blue Rewards. - Can joint accounts switch? No. New (and rarish)  FREE £200, plus optional Apple TV+. A good option if you're looking for a fuss-free current account and/or easy free cash. You DON'T need to join Barclays Blue Rewards scheme to get the free £200 but if you do want to get its perks you can pay £5/mth for it (and you must have £800+/mth going into the account and register for digital banking). See full Barclays eligibility & review. The main Blue Rewards perk is... - Free Apple TV+ subscription incl free Major League Soccer (normally £10/mth). First Direct 1st Account* - Min pay-in: A one-off total of £1,000 within 45 days. None after. - Fee-free? Yes. - Can joint accounts switch? Yes and get same bonus. Top for SERVICE ('92%' great) & OVERDRAFTS  FREE £175, 7% regular saver, ongoing 0% overdraft, top debit card overseas. First Direct's big strong point is service - it was rated 92% 'great' in our last customer service poll. In 15 years of these polls, it's been top or near top every time. See full First Direct eligibility & review. Here's its main perks... - Linked 7% fixed regular saver, letting for up to £300/mth for 1yr. - Many get ongoing £250 interest-free overdraft (40% above that, so be careful). - Top debit card for spending overseas with near-perfect exchange rates. Two more banks that'll pay you to switch... NatWest Reward. FREE £150 plus perks including £36/yr cashback and a 7% linked saver. Co-op Current Account. FREE £100 + likely £25/mth for 3mths, plus a 7% linked regular saver. Even BIGGER cash but only for higher earners... Lloyds Premier - Min pay-in: £5,000/mth - roughly £85,000/yr salary equivalent and that's after pension contributions. - Fee-free? Yes, though if you don't earn enough to meet the min pay-in it's £15/mth (so avoid). - Can joint accounts switch? No. High earners only - must have £5,000/mth after tax going in (equiv £85,000+/yr). FREE £500, 6.25% regular saver, digital Bupa subscription, 1% spending cashback, plus a choice of reward. A huge switch bonus and a range of perks, but only for higher earners. See full Lloyds Premier eligibility & review. Here's the main perks... - Choose a yearly perk, eg Disney+ (with ads) OR six free cinema tickets. - Free Bupa subscription, incl family digital GP & six physio sessions a year. - 1% cashback on most spending (max £10/mth). - Linked 6.25% 1yr fixed regular saver you can put up to £400/mth in. - A £100 0% overdraft buffer zone (30% above that so be careful). - Top debit card for spending overseas with near-perfect exchange rates. Barclays Premier* - Min pay-in: One-off £4,000 plus £75,000/yr salary OR £100,000 saved/invested with Barclays. - Fee-free? Yes. - Can joint accounts switch? No. High earners only (min £75,000/yr salary). FREE £400, plus free Apple TV+ and more. Switching nets you £400 free cash, and because it's a simple £75,000/yr gross salary required, rather than a high post-tax and pension amount, quite a few more people can get this than Lloyds. See full Barclays Premier eligibility & review. Here's the main perks... - Free Apple TV+ subscription incl free Major League Soccer (normally £10/mth). - Possible 0% overdraft of up to £500 (35% above that so be careful). You may be able to make £1,000s by repeatedly switching bank. Becoming a bank bribe bagger can pay well - we've had people tell us they've made a shed load. See full pros & cons in make £1,000s by repeatedly switching bank. Chris and Jayne have followed that, they emailed last month...  "Dear MSE, I thought you might be interested to know how my wife and I have fared switching our respective 'burner' current accounts. It wasn't our first rodeo... we completed a similar exercise between 2017 and 2019 with a number of banks, which we believe totalled well over £1,000 jointly, though we haven't a record of those years. This time we kept a better record and since Nov 23 we've made a joint total of £2,585 cash from switching alone and excluding vouchers." Are subscriptions moved when you switch? Direct Debits and standing orders are moved for you. Yet the third category of regular payments, known as recurring payments eg Netflix, Disney+ etc, where you give the long number on your debit card when you pay, aren't moved; you need do this yourself. If you do forget, though, normally they'll notify you 'your payment card no longer works' so it shouldn't be too big an issue. See recurring payment help. Can switching bank affect your ability to get credit? In the short term, yes. It's a credit application, so that has an impact by itself, but also lenders like to see evidence of stability. It usually isn't a big deal, but if you've an important credit application soon (eg a mortgage), it's probably best to hold off until after. You may want to check your 'eligibility rating' via our free MSE Credit Club (or easier via the MSE app on iOS & Android). More in how switching banks affects your credit.

 

Or... New. Easy FREE £15 - just open a bank account WITHOUT switching (& get 7.1% savings). MSE Blagged. Plus top overseas spending debit card.. Newbies downloading the free Zopa Biscuit* app-based current account via our specific MOBILE link get £15 cash paid into their account within 7 days. You needn't switch bank to get it, and there's no hard credit check so it doesn't impact your credit file. As well as the cash, the account offers a linked 7.1% regular savings account on up to £300/mth for 6mths, a top debit card for spending overseas (no exchange rate fee) and 2% cashback on any Direct Debits paid via it, capped at £30/yr. See our full Zopa Biscuit review. £69 summer plant bundle £16 delivered. MSE Blagged. 15,000 sets available. 122 bare root plants, bulbs & tubers, including dahlias, begonias and lupins. Excludes NI & parts of Scot. Flower power Martin: 'There are FOUR main savings tax allowances, most know about some but not all.' Watch Martin's When do you pay tax on interest? 3min video via his YouTube (do subscribe). Or better, catch up on his full Savings and ISAs episode via ITVX. Related: See our Urgent ISA deadline warning - use it or lose it from last week. FREE Felix cat food, FREE Huggies wipes, £1 Easter eggs (norm £2) & more supermarket coupons. New. Top 36mths 0% credit card debt shift with a LOWER fee. A balance transfer's where you get a new card that pays off old cards for you, so you owe it instead, but interest-free for a set period - meaning more of your repayments clear the actual debt. MBNA's 'up to' 36mths 0% card (2.99% fee) has cut its fee from 3.29%, and while it's an 'up to' card, go via this link to our eligibility calc and you'll see BEFORE APPLYING whether you'll get the headline deal, so you get certainty. For far more options, see Top balance transfers. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly minimum & clear the card before the 0% ends, or they jump to 24.9% rep APR interest.  Nationwide customer? Likely the last chance to qualify to get this year's Fairer Share £100. For the past three years, it has paid some customers a loyalty bonus - boost your Fairer Share chances for 2026. New. Free £15 shopping voucher for 13 to 17-year-olds just to open a bank account. Open a Santander 123 Mini* fee-free bank account via this specific link and children aged 13 to 17 will get a £15 Love2Shop voucher (redeemable at Argos, Boots, Foot Locker, John Lewis, New Look etc). They'll get an email from 1 June and then must claim the voucher within 30 days. They get a debit card they can spend their money on. The interest isn't that great though, especially for smaller amounts, so for that see top children's bank accounts. Updated. Martin's 5 things you need to know about Plan 5 student finance. For English students who started Uni since 2023, or plan to in future. This new update includes a 'how much will you repay AI calc' - read Martin's Plan 5 student loans help blog. Related: Beware Plan 2 student loan freeze also includes an AI calc. New Martin pod. Car finance mis-selling - your questions answered | Top joint bank accounts | Economic abuse - the signs. All this plus mortgage rises, stamp price hikes & more in Martin's main podcast this week. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc. Question Time pod. Should I overpay my mortgage? If I sign up online, have I a right to cancel online? Can I open an ISA for my niece? They're just some of the questions you asked in Martin's Question Time podcast this week. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - Free £15 for opening Zopa bank account Ends 7 Apr - £69 summer plant bundle for £16 15,000 available	DID YOU MISS? - Beat yet another rise in stamp prices this April - Should you keep potatoes in the fridge? - Ends Sun. £280 Vax carpet cleaner £115 via code - Free £50 shares if you invest £100+ - The Entertainer £10 off £20 code

 

 

Warning. Broadband price hikes to hit in April, but...  Millions can halve costs & double speeds... eg lock-in for as little as '£21/mth' for seriously fast 900Mb  Martin: "Ofcom's protections against mid-contract price hikes, launched in Jan '25, have been flaccid at best. While most firms must now tell you in advance, in pounds and pence, how much prices will rise, it has resulted in many - especially those who'd been savvy and grabbed cheaper deals - facing much bigger hikes than they did before. Typically... 31 Mar: BT, EE, Plusnet £4/mth | 1 Apr: Sky £3/mth, TalkTalk £4/mth, Virgin Media £4/mth, Vodafone £3.50/mth  "The fixed cost rise means someone on, say, a £20/mth Virgin deal has an effective 20% hike, compared to about 6% on the prior system. We've pushed for improvements, but nowt's doing, so protect yourself. If you're out of contract, as 7m are, the easy route is to lock into top short-lived broadband deals at far cheaper prices. This doesn't stop price hikes, but it does mean you start on a far lower base. "Gerard did this last year and emailed... 'My £29/mth Plusnet contract was expiring so I took your 150Mb Vodafone deal with a £160 voucher costing £21/mth over 2 years - a saving of £184. Very easy - took 10 minutes online'. Now over to our broadband team for the headline best deals..." Today's cheapest broadband deals include... (All links via our Broadband Comparison, as what you can get is postcode dependent & it tells you there) Local deals Ends Wed. Community Fibre  500Mb broadband '£16/mth' (2yr contract)  Service rating: 7.5/10 ('Good') In many London boroughs, parts of Surrey & Sussex. It's currently £16/mth (rising £2/mth in Apr next year, 2027), so that's a total of £408 over the 2yr contract. You'll be emailed a choice of a £20 voucher for Amazon, John Lewis or M&S within 3mths of your first bill (check your junk folder if not received). Factor all that in and it's equivalent to £16.17/mth. New (ends Mon). Hyperoptic 158Mb broadband '£14/mth' OR 522Mb broadband '£18/mth' (2yr contracts) Service rating: 7.7/10 ('Good') In big towns & cities, incl London, Glasgow, Manchester, Bristol, Swansea - 158Mb deal: Currently £12/mth, rising £4/mth in Apr next year, 2027 - a total cost of £336 over the 2yr contract, averaging £14/mth.  - 522Mb deal: Currently £16/mth, rising £4/mth in Apr next year, 2027 - a total cost of £432 over the 2yr contract, averaging £18/mth.  New (ends Mon). Toob 900Mb broadband '£21/mth' (18mth contract)  Not enough feedback for service rating Towns & cities incl in Sussex, Surrey, Edinburgh, Glasgow & West Midlands. You currently pay £22/mth with NO price rises over the 2 year contract, so that's a total cost of £396. You''ll be emailed a choice of a £20 voucher for Amazon, John Lewis or M&S within 3mths of your first bill (check your junk folder if not received). Factor all that in and it's equivalent to £20.89/mth. National deals New (ends Fri). Vodafone (b'band & line) 150Mb for '£19/mth' OR 500Mb for '£20/mth' (2yr contracts) Available to 70% of homes Service rating: 5.5/10 ('OK') Cheapest national 150Mb & 500Mb full fibre deals. - 150Mb deal: Currently £23/mth, rising by £3.50/mth next April, 2027, so a total £594 over the 2yr contract. You'll be emailed a choice of a £145 voucher for Amazon, Tesco etc within 4mths (check your junk folder if not received). Factored in, that's equivalent to £18.71/mth. - 500mb deal: Currently £25/mth, rising by £3.50/mth next Apr, 2027, so £642 over the 2yr contract. You'll get a £160 voucher for Amazon, Tesco etc within 4mths. Factored in, that's equivalent to £20.09/mth. Ends Wed. Plusnet (part of BT) 145Mb broadband '£20/mth'  (2yr contract) Available to 70% of homes Service rating: 8.2/10 ('Good') Cheap national 145Mb+ full fibre deal with Good service. Currently £22.99/mth, rising by £4/mth next Apr, 2027, so that's a total of £599.76 over the 2yr contract. You'll be emailed a £120 prepaid Mastercard from Plusnet (check your junk folder if not received), factored in it's equivalent to £19.99/mth. New. Sky  300Mb broadband & line + Sky Stream Ultimate TV '£40/mth' (2yr contract) Available to 70% of homes Service rating: 5/10 ('OK') Fast full fibre plus TV and streaming bundle, incl Netflix & Disney+. As well as the broadband, you get Sky Stream Ultimate: Basic Sky channels, Sky Max, Comedy & Documentaries plus Netflix, Discovery+, Disney+ and, from later this month, HBO Max (all ad versions) - separately these'd cost £26.95/mth.  It's £39/mth, rising £3/mth THIS Apr (2026), and you'll be emailed a choice of a £50 prepaid Mastercard or shopping voucher within 4mths of your first bill (check your junk folder). Factored in, it's £39.92/mth over the 2yr contract. Yet Sky is the one firm that doesn't pre-announce mid-contract hikes... the price could rise at any point during the contract (we suspect, but don't know, it'll likely be in Apr 2027). If it does, you'll be able to leave the contract penalty free. Long-term cheap 'social tariffs' for some On Universal Credit or similar benefits? Try a social tariff. Many providers offer special discounted social broadband tariffs, which give long-term cheap prices of usually £13/mth to £20/mth for 30Mb+. Add your postcode via the link above and, within your search results, you'll see the social tariffs local to you. - Our 'equivalent cost' adds all costs, deducts promo credits & averages over the contract so you can compare easily. Slow broadband? Before switching, test your speed - is it the Wi-Fi or the connection? Do a speed check - first via Wi-Fi, then by plugging your device into the router (if you can). If Wi-Fi's a lot slower, try our speed-boosters. At least 50% of customers must get the advertised speeds at peak times. Plus all bigger providers (not locals) must also indicate your estimated minimum speed pre-application. You no longer need to contact your current provider to switch. Until recently, switch broadband and with some providers you had to contact both your old and new firm (sometimes leaving you paying for both during the overlap). Now, Ofcom has rolled out a 'One Touch Switch' service, so the new firm should seamlessly sort it for you. Don't want to switch? Haggle. In our January poll, the vast majority of those who'd haggled with the big broadband firms were successful. Use the deals above as a benchmark. Read full Broadband haggling tips. Switching usually only means about 2hrs' downtime max. You're told the switch time, and most don't need an engineer, even if you're getting fibre to the premises, though someone may need to look at the externals of your home (you needn't be there). There are exceptions, eg, if you're moving to or from Virgin, you may need one (you're told before applying). Members of cashback sites can sometimes undercut deals. In some cases, the cashback can mean these sites undercut promos elsewhere, though sometimes the deal differs - so check carefully. More in Top cashback sites.

 

Warning. Moved to Universal Credit from Tax Credits - DON'T assume you're still eligible for free prescriptions & dental care. Some have been hit with £100 fines for mistakenly claiming - check your eligibility. Cinema deals: 5 Vue tix £22 | £1 Odeon family films | Cineworld tix £2.50. See 31 cinema savers. Last chance. FREE WILLS if you're 55+. It's one of the biannual Free Wills Months, which lets those aged 55+ get a free solicitor-drafted (or updated) will, in the hope they'll leave something to a partner charity. Spaces are running out, with several locations already fully booked. For help, see our Cheap and free wills guide. As Liz and Jonathan emailed last week: "Thank you so much for bringing to our attention that wills have to be redone after marriage [in Eng, Wal and NI]. We've spoken to friends and colleagues and no one was aware. Our wills have been invalid for nearly 20yrs!". Thanks to you, we are using Free Wills Month to get new wills written." 'In your relationship, does one of you do all the money stuff...?' Watch Martin's 90sec video clip via his YouTube (do subscribe), taken from this week's podcast. New. 'I upgraded my phone after four years and was shocked to barely notice any difference.' See MSE Rob's blog on When is it worth upgrading?

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest definite 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility) 36mths 0%, 3.15% fee, 24.9% rep APR No-fee 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility) up to 14mths 0%, 24.9% rep APR Best bank accounts Free £200 + cashback: Santander Edge Free £200 + perks: Club Lloyds New. Free £200: Barclays Bank Account Top energy deals Use our whole-of-market Cheap Energy Club Insurance Car: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Home: Use our Compare+ Home Insurance tool Cheap loans £5,000 to £7,499: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 6.9% rep APR £7,500 to £15,000: TSB (check eligibility), 5.6% rep APR Top savings accounts Top easy-access savings: Chase 4.5%, min £1 Top easy-access ISA: Trading 212 4.68%, min £1 Top one-year fix: DF Capital 4.35%, min £1k Broadband top picks Fast fibre (100Mb+): Vodafone '£18.71/mth' Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Vodafone '£20.09/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£3.10/mth' for 3GB 4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£3.20/mth' for 5GB 10GB to 30GB data: Talk Mobile, '£3.29/mth' for 30GB 31GB+ data: Lebara, '£3.30/mth' for 35GB

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Plans for Financial Ombudsman Service shake-up revealed - Single, simple 'Share Once' service needed for people with mental health problems - Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland users report seeing rogue transactions in app

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Who should pay the bar bill for the hotel stay I got my mum and dad? As a wedding anniversary present, I paid for my mum and dad to go on a spa break. When they got back, I asked my mum if everything had been OK. Mum said they'd had a great time - but she needed to pay the bar bill for their room. I told her not to worry, I'd cover it as part of the gift. When I called the hotel to settle up, the bill turned out to be £400! Should I ask my mum and dad to pay me back? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay my mum and dad's hotel bar bill? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

 

QUICK DEALS - Pizza Express: £5 doughballs, pizza or pasta, 3pm-6pm weekdays - Ideal Home Show: 20,000 FREE tickets for 10-19 Apr at Olympia, London (+ Martin appearing) - Lego: FREE crescent moon in-store make & take this weekend only - Family Traveller Live: 1,000 FREE tickets for this weekend at Allianz Stadium, London - Disney+: 20% off three months' standard plan for NHS staff, emergency services & teachers

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: flat-hunting, flowerbeds & foul-smelling footwear

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 18 MAR ONWARDS) Thu 19 Mar - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, midday Tue 24 Mar - This Morning, ITV1, 10.20am

 

 

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