This week | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter 10 tricks to pay less & get more abroad
Whether for a winter getaway or a head start on next summer, act now Holidays are meant to be a joy, not a hassle. So let us help make them easier. Assuming you've already got a cheap flight, cheap hotel or cheap package deal (if not, click these), we've abroad range (sorry) of savings info to help. | 1. | UNBEATABLE rates via the best plastic. Whether euros, dollars or owt else, the cheapest way to spend in a foreign currency is with specialist overseas credit cards Halifax Clarity*, Post Office*, Saga* (over-50s) and, for Nationwide FlexAccount/FlexDirect holders ONLY, its Select* card.
Most plastic adds a 3% load, so spend £100 of euros and it costs £103. But these are load-free worldwide with no annual fees, and therefore smash bureaux de change with near-perfect rates.
If you've a decent credit score, pocket one just for using abroad to save serious cash. Yet ALWAYS set up a monthly direct debit to fully repay, to minimise the 11.9-16.9% rep APRs. Full help & card review: Top Cards Abroad (APR Examples) | | | | 2. | Urgent holiday cash sale. While the cards above are cheaper, if you don't have time or want cash instead, until Thurs Asda's boosting 10 currencies' rates, incl US dollars and euros. To instantly see how it stacks up, or find better rates, use the TravelMoneyMax travel money comparison. | | | | 3. |  £10 off 'pack-in-the-pocket' jackets. Luggage on a budget flight can cost £100-PER-CASE return. Yet 10kg+ can usually go in hand luggage. If you're a little over, stuff socks & undies in coat pockets. To push it further, Rufus Roo suitcase jackets carry up to 10kg extra. We've blagged a code to get 'em for £23.90 - cheaper than most check-in luggage. | | | | 4. | Hiring a car? Act NOW (plus insurance up to 90% cheaper). Don't leave car hire until you get there, book now to get it for as little as £10/day. Try comparison sites Kayak* and Carrentals.co.uk*. Full help in Cheap Car Hire.
Beware hire firms scaring you with "have a scratch and you pay £500 excess" to push their £10+/day extra 'no excess' insurance. Comparison MoneyMaxim* finds the same, often at a fraction of the cost. Or even get annual excess cover from £38. Full help: Car Hire Insurance. | | | | 5. | Urgently check if yours is one of 4m EHIC cards expiring this year. The free European Health Insurance Card gives you access to EU (plus a few other) state-run hospitals or GPs like a local. In other words, if it's free for them, it's free for you. Full help & links in Free EHICs, but three key rules...
a) Check all your family's cards. 4m expire in 2012, renew or they're invalid.
b) Keep it with you. Each person needs to visibly show theirs to use it.
c) EHICs are free. Don't Google them, you may get shyster sites charging £15. 'Fast track' applications don't exist, avoid getting caught out. | | | | 6. |  Hitting the slopes? Get RIGHT cheap travel insurance. Unless your policy's got winter sports cover, you're not usually covered for medical costs from ski/snowboard accidents, let alone gear & cancelled passes.
Got an annual policy? Check if it covers winter sports. If not, get a quote to extend it and see how that stacks up against the cheapest one-off winter sports policies for your trip via MoneySup's comparison* or Confused.com*.
No insurance? If you'll go away again in the next 12 mths, forget single-trip - annual policies are cheaper. The cheapest for most with min basic winter sports cover is Protect Your Bubble* at £27-£55 for singles; £38-£70 couples/families. Full best buys, incl higher cover, in Cheap Travel Insurance.
| | | | 7. | 30 cheap Disney Florida tips. If you're heading to Orlando, whether it's Disney, Universal or Seaworld, check early doors if you can get cheaper tickets. Our big list of 30 Cheap Florida Tricks shows how to magic 'em for less, incl park-by-park info, specialist discounters, safety tips and more. | | | | 8. | Annual travel insurance from £16/yr. Get insurance as soon as you book travel, or you're not covered should you cancel. The following are the cheapest (non-winter sports) picks that hit our min cover criteria:
Europe: Individual Travel Guard* from £16 (age related), family from £30.
World: Indiv Travel Guard* £27+ (age related), family PY Bubble* £48+.
Best buys & help, incl 'top value' policies & over-65s, in Cheap Travel Ins. | | | | 9. | Always pre-book airport parking. If you need to drive (public transport's often cheaper), our Cheap Airport Parking guide shows how to cut costs by booking early, using comparison sites & hidden local deals. Plus try these special links: SkyParkSecure 13% off*, APH 10% off*, FHR 12% off*. | | | | 10. | Cottage/villa rentals can be much cheaper than posh hotels. Going as a family group or with friends? Cottages, chalets & villas can massively undercut similar quality hotels. Our Cheap Holiday Rentals guide shows how to score discounts by booking directly with owners. | | |
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| The Ones Not To Miss | Wed 28 Nov 2012 |
Earn 8%+ interest with a new way to 'save'
Peer-to-peer lending sites pay huge rates, but aren't Govt protected, so there's RISK- are they right for you? With savings rates spit-worthily low, our new Peer-To-Peer Lending guide reveals an alternative. Your money's lent via special sites which credit-check borrowers can afford to repay, and chase repayments if they fall behind. In summary...  Rates smack savings' bottom. Your interest depends on the access, risk, and the site. It can range anywhere from 3% to 15%, depending on the options you choose, but a happy medium of 8% is very doable now.- The three big players. (For full pros & cons, see Peer-To-Peer Best Buys.)
Zopa* is the most established, and splits your lending to minimise risk.
Funding Circle* lends to businesses and has the highest rates of the three.
Ratesetter* is modelled on normal savings (eg, easy access or fixes), has lower rates but is backed by a 'bail-out' fund. - Will I get my money back? So far, they tell us everyone's got their cash back plus the promised rate, or near it. Yet unlike normal savings, there's no Govt guarantee. There's also the risk someone won't pay you back, though splitting lending between borrowers reduces that. Read our full Peer-To-Peer Lending Risks before doing this.
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| Free Santa letter & video (incl for blind children). Don't pay. If your kids write to a special address, Santa and his friends at the Post Office reply free. He'll also do a free video, and has elves at the RNIB too. See Free Santa Letters. Habitat 1-day 25% off code, New Look £10, Sainsbury's Tu 25% etc...
Habitat 25% off 1 day code & in-store | New Look £10 off £40 mag code & vch | Sainsbury's Tu 25% off everything
Monsoon 20% off code & in-store | Matalan 20% off £40 code | Molton Brown £10 off £20 code
H&M 25% off vch with mag. Full list: Discount Vouchers 1,000 FREE £13 radiator heat reflector 4-packs. MSE Blagged. Save energy & cash. See Radflek Deals. Reminder. Shift debts to 24mth 0%. If you've credit card debt, Barclaycard* offers 24 mths 0% on balance transfers for a 2.8% fee. It also gives £30 back if you shift £2,000+, and a cuddly toy (no jest, it's a monkey). Try to repay before the 0% ends or it's 17.9% rep APR after. Full help: Top Balance Transfers. |
Urgent. Electricity only? Cheap fix, save £300+
Normally cheap fixes are for dual fuel. Yet 8.5 million people only have elec, and this one's for you We've seen 6-10% price hikes by most suppliers in recent weeks. Yet for electricity-only homes, it's still possible to lock in a cheap tariff at pre-hike levels. Full help in Cheap Gas & Elec. Here are the key points... | Possible savings (1) | Avg/yr | | Standard tariff (2) | £1,490 | | Cheapest elec (variable) | £1,180 | | iSupply fix tariff | £1,160 | | (1) Quarterly billing 10,000 KwH in London (2) EDF standard tariff. | - Cheap electricity fix (incl Econ 7 & 10). iSupply Fix* is the market's cheapest elec tariff for most & guarantees no hikes for a year (£30 exit fee if you leave early) and includes Economy 7 & 10. Until Wed 5 Dec, we've blagged you £20 bill credit via this link. As it's a newish supplier building market share, pls read/add iSupply feedback.
- Compare (and get cashback). Whether elec only or dual fuel, your exact winner depends on region and usage, so use comparison sites to see - though if switching to iSupply, you're better signing up via link above.
Otherwise, go via these special links & if they switch you, after 3mths you get cashback/rewards. Top comparison: Energyhelpline* pays £15 per gas, elec or dual switch (for iSupply go via link above for bigger gain). Dual fuel: MoneySupermarket* pays £30 cash. Want wine? uSwitch* gives mixed 6 bottle crate on dual fuel. back to top ↑ |
75% off celeb cookbooks' RRP, incl £7 Jamie. Plus River Cottage, Heston and many more. See Hot Bargains. Ends today. £10 code for Kindle (newbies), iPad 2, Wii... See Kindles, iPad & consoles, plus £10 off Kobo. Time to ban Christmas presents? Martin's call for cultural (not legislative) change caused a stir in the Telegraph. £28 of posh chocs for £3. Newbies to Chocolate Tasting Club, via discount & cashback site. See Chocolate Deals.
20% off Ugg boots code. Never cheap, but code reduces classic shorts to £132 and talls to £160. See Ugg Deals. Urgent. 25% off wine at Sainsbury's, Tesco and M&S. Min one case of 6 bottles (two cases at M&S). See Wine Discounts. Please be Drinkaware. |
Poor credit score? 0% cards now available
The credit crunch's bite's slackening. 0% availability eases for cutting existing debt costs and new borrowing For the first time, there's now decent poor-credit 0% deals available for both cutting existing debt costs and new borrowing. While a credit check's still required, both cards even accept some with old CCJs, defaults or bankruptcies.  Shift debts to 6mth 0%. Shift existing card debts to Capital One's Balance* at 0% until your June statement for a one-off fee of 3%. Repay by then or the rate jumps to a massive 34.9% representative APR - please read our Cap One Balance Help to avoid costly pitfalls. If you've a good credit score, 24mth 0% balance transfers are available.- New. Rebuild credit & 5mths 0%. The key to (re)building your credit score is to get a card and use it responsibly, eg, do £50/mth normal spending on it and never miss repayments. As most easy-to-get cards have nasty APRs, we normally say FULLY repay each month to avoid this.
However, the new Barclaycard Initial* gives 5mths 0% on new borrowing, though with a horrid 29.9% rep APR after. If you don't need to borrow, for safety, fully repay. If you're in an emergency, this card beats overdraft charges or payday loans, but budget tightly to repay before the 0% ends. See full Barclaycard Initial Help to avoid pitfalls, and APR Examples. back to top ↑ |
Free £20 Ikea voucher with £25 Ikea Xmas tree. The voucher's redeemable in the new year. See Ikea Deals. FREE £15 eye test. Print an Optical Express* voucher to use until 31 Dec. Full info: Free Eye Tests. Snoop on hottest up-to-the-minute deals. If this email doesn't fully quench your appetite, our forumites post an unstoppable stream of bargains and loopholes. For a live list of the hottest, plus email alerts, see the WOW Deals Feed. Got more than one pet? New multi-pet insurance search. If you've several cats or dogs, you can fetch (sorry) a quick quote via a new Confused.com* comparison, which gives multi-pet discounts. Pros & cons: Cheap Pet Insurance. |
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Free £2 Amazon MP3 code. MSE Blagged Ends 11.59pm Fri. No min spend credit, limited number. See Tunechecker. £5 off £35 at Aldi or Lidl (via newspapers). Aldi voucher in 45p newspaper, Lidl in £1.20. Discount Vouchers |
No-show delivery - 'I got £100 compensation'
Know your failed delivery rights in the run-up to Christmas - make them pay for your time off work With the big 'retail festival' gathering pace, many take time off work for deliveries and wait hours, only for a no-show. Don't just growl, use our Failed Delivery? Fight Back guide - hopefully it'll force 'em to improve too. In a nutshell...  Your relationship's with the retailer, not the courier. Buy goods and you've entered into a contract with the retailer. If it's arranging delivery, this is part of that contract, so all complaints should go to it (unless you hired the courier separately). - Make them pay for your extra time off. You can't claim compensation for the original no-show as you were taking the day off anyway. But if you then need to take ANOTHER day (or hours) off for a new delivery slot, this is a 'consequential loss' and you can argue for payback for hours lost. Free template & help in Failed Delivery Compensation. Here's proof...
| "Used the letter template. They took 4 attempts to deliver. The order was £60, I kept it & got £100 comp." | | | "By quoting the guide I secured £60 for my wasted day. Much better than the £10 they initially offered." | back to top ↑ |
Flash 20% off vch for 100 Covent Garden stores. This Thurs. Diesel, Mac, Nike, Fred Perry, etc. Discount Vouchers Ends Fri. Swap £10 Tesco vchs for £40 at Goldsmiths. Jewellery boost ending. Reclaim & Max Tesco Points FREE £3 honey yogurt. Combine a coupon and in-store offer to nab a freebie. See Supermarket Coupons.
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Restaurant vouchers | Discount vouchers & sales | Top deals |
| The Moneysaving community |
 NEW FORUM BOARDS | MoneySaving Mums & Dads
Two new MSE Forum boards, especially for mums and dads to sort their MoneySaving issues. See the new MoneySaving Mums & MoneySaving Dads. MONEY MORAL DILEMMA | Should I share my cashback?
This week, one of the MSE team wants your view...
I share a house. While we split bills equally, gas and electricity are in my name. When the price hikes were announced recently, I listened to the boss and switched to a fixed deal saving us £150/yr, clicking through a comparison site offering the most cashback. I've done the legwork, made the calls and sourced the deal. Now the switch is nearly complete, do I split the £30 cashback with my housemates? (I'm staying anonymous, in case they're reading...) Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I share my cashback? Previous MMDs: View All Suggest: A Money Moral Dilemma CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK | Brush up on your dental rights
The Office of Fair Trading's launched a Right to Smile campaign to help us find and choose an NHS dentist, get the right treatment and know our rights. Find the whole tooth and nothing but the tooth: Dental Decisions. Spotted a campaign? This space is for MSE to support money-based work by other organisations. Send us a campaign of the week suggestion. SPILL THE BEANS | ...on your happiest childhood Christmas memory
What was your most special moment at Christmas (or other winter-time festivals) from your childhood? We hope by sharing these, you'll help spark ideas for this generation of parents. Spill it: Happy Christmases Past topics: View all BOOK GIVEAWAY RESULT | We Knit You a Merry Christmas. Find out if you got one. THE GREAT HUNT... REVEALED | What costs more if you're poor? Revisited
Wallets are squeezed, and we asked for tips to help the cash-strapped on those costs that hit them hardest. Great tips included join together for weekly shops, ask for water bills to be cut and bulk-buy oil for heating. CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT | Airline: Aer Lingus Sale: 20% off Ends: Mon 3 Dec 2012
Our pick this week is Aer Lingus' 20% off sale. It's for flights from 14 UK airports to Ireland between 1 Jan and 31 May 2013. We found flights from Manchester to Dublin for £26. To find flights quickly, use the FlightChecker on a £30 one-way max search. Extra charges warning: Avoid payment and check-in charges - see the Budget Airline Fee Fighting guide. Related: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance back to top ↑ |
Quick forum tips | Andrea's freebies |
Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances Wednesday 28 November
Daily Politics, BBC2, between 11.30am & 1pm. Is it time to ban Christmas presents? Thursday 29 November
Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5, 12-1pm.
Consumer Panel.
Listen to past shows. Monday 3 December
This Morning, ITV1, between 10.30am & 12.30pm. Subject tbc. Tuesday 4 November
Daybreak, ITV1, between 7am & 8.30am. Subject tbc. PS. Missed The Martin Lewis Money Show? Watch past episodes. | Cheap travel money | UK's Best Currency Rates | | £100 will buy you: | | Best | Worst |  | € | 122.86 | 111.88 |  | $ | 159.06 | 145.47 |  | TL | 283.00 | 256.79 | | Rates correct at 4pm Tue | Find all top currency rates
Compare travel cash | |
This week's poll: Would you ask for a doggy bag in a restaurant? Which of these is closest to your view (in the UK?) | Poll resultsThe "Oi, Cameron, time to sort out..." poll If MoneySavers could collar the Prime Minister, they'd have petrol and energy on their minds. - 68% want him to take action on petrol prices.
- 60% would demand something's done about gas & elec bills.
- 38% think he should look at low savings rates. 13,400 people voted. See full results. |
Question of the week Q: I'm interested in switching bank accounts. My salary will be deposited there each month, but I don't have any direct debits or standing orders. Does that mean I'm not eligible for the switching cash? Belinda, by email. MSE Helen S's A: Sadly, you're not eligible. First Direct offers a £100 bonus when switching, if you pay in £1,500+/mth. And until Sun 2 Dec, Halifax also offers £100 for switchers paying in £1,000/mth - both are best buy bank accounts. They require you to use their switching services for a minimum two standing orders or direct debits to get the bonus (to ensure it's your primary account). As you've nothing to switch, this would exclude you.
Why not set up, in your present bank account, two £1/mth standing orders to family or even to your own savings accounts? Then switch, so you qualify. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). | Board of the week Floods and Storm help If you've been affected by the flooding and rain battering the UK this past week, there's a place on our forum to discuss it. Discussions incl Good tips for emergencies, Is your home at risk of flooding? and Leaking roof - should I contact my insurer? |
 Archna's free game of the week: Thanks for playing |
| Martin Lewis signs up for new Viz column... Shocked? So were we. Then again so was Martin, but in the Viz Christmas special there's a Martin Lewis writes for Viz column (next month he's co-writing with Finbarr Saunders on increasing the size of your endowment). We hope you save some money, Martin & the MSE team |
| Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com works We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of this email and the site. We're a journalistic website, and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques - but can't promise to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.
What you need to know This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the section 75 guide for protection tips). We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, how this site is financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. MSE, Money Saving Expert, MoneySavingExpert and Moneysavingexpert.com are registered trade marks belonging to MoneySavingExpert.com Limited. More about MoneySaving Expert and Martin Lewis What is MoneySavingExpert.com?
Founded in February 2003, it's now the UK's biggest consumer help website with over 6 million people getting this email and nearly 10m using the site. In September 2012 it became part of the MoneySupermarket Group PLC. Its focus is simple: how to save cash and fight for financial justice on anything and everything. The site has over 30 full time staff about half of whom are editorial researching, analysing and writing to continually find ways to save money. More info: See About MSE Who is Martin Lewis? Martin set up and runs MSE, he's an ultra-focused money saving journalist and consumer campaigner. He has regular slots on Daybreak, Lorraine, Radio 2 Vine, BBC1 Watchdog, Radio 5 Consumer panel and presents ITV Tonight. He is a columnist for amongst others the Sunday Post as well as an author. More info: See Martin Lewis' biog What do the links with a * mean? Any links with a * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference; the links don't impact the product at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to it. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it's still included in the same way. More info: See how this site is financed. As we believe transparency is important, we're including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for content too:
Unaffiliated web-addresses for links in this email Halifax.co.uk, postoffice.co.uk, saga.co.uk, nationwide.co.uk, kayak.co.uk, carrentals.co.uk, moneymaxim.co.uk, moneysupermarket.co.uk, confused.com, uk.protectyourbubble.com, travel-guard.co.uk, skyparksecure.com, aph.com, fhr-net.co.uk, uk.zopa.com, ratesetter.com, fundingcircle.com, barclaycard.co.uk, isupplyenergy.co.uk, energyhelpline.com, uswitch.com, natwest.co.uk, confused.com, directline.com, aviva.co.uk, admiral.com, cbonline.co.uk, thederbyshire.co.uk, capitalone.co.uk, firstdirect.com, santander.co.uk, primussaver.co.uk, productsandservices.bt.com, opticalexpress.co.uk.
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