This week | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter 50 tips for renters
Renting rights - you don't need your landlord's permission to save money The number of people renting is rising, as are rents in this fiercely competitive market. Don't feel flat (sorry). Our new 50 Renting Tips helps, here's a starter: | 1. | Renters have a right to switch and save on energy (even prepaid). If you pay the gas & electricity bill directly (not via landlord), you can and should compare and switch. Don't stick with the previous tenants' supplier as often it's costly. Always do a meter reading as soon as you move in.
Speedily find your cheapest tariff: The MSE Cheap Energy Club checks you're on the cheapest, and if not, compares across the market to find it (check the 'top picks' tab for fixed deals which guarantee no price hikes). After, it monitors your tariff and lets you know when to switch again.
What if I don't know my usage? Cheap Energy Club can estimate for you.
What about prepaid? You can still switch supplier and save (see Cheapest Prepaid Energy). Yet switching from prepay to a normal meter sadly usually needs your landlord's permission, as it physically changes the property. | | | | 2. | Beware joint bank accounts with flatmates. Shared bank accounts for bills can mean you're credit-linked - even if you hardly know each other. Then, when applying for products, their history can be taken into account. If it's poor, it hits you.
If you used to have a joint account, but don't any longer, apply for a notice of 'disassociation'. See How Credit Scoring Works for more. | | | | 3. |  Is your deposit protected? A fifth of private renters don't know if their deposit's been protected (source: Shelter), so check. By law, for most private renters who moved in after April 2007 in Eng & Wales, your landlord must use a Govt-backed deposit protection scheme - giving you rights. See Is Your Deposit Protected? | | | | 4. | Landlords must ask before entering. Landlords may need to come in occasionally for repairs and inspections, yet they should arrange a time with you. If they enter without asking, you can ask them to stop. If it continues, it can be considered harassment. Contact Citizens Advice or a solicitor for help, or the police if you feel threatened. | | | | 5. | Cheap contents insurance. If you rent, your landlord is responsible for buildings insurance, so you only need contents (essentially the stuff that'd fall if you turned your home upside down).
Only you / your family live in the home? To get cheapest cover combine comparison sites Confused.com* & Compare The Market* to bag the max quotes in min time, then Aviva* and Direct Line*, which they miss. Better still, try the full Cheap Home Insurance guide where some get PAID for cover.
If you live in a houseshare. Getting cover from mainstream insurers can be tricky (a locked room helps, so ask for one). Confused.com*, Gocompare* & MoneySupermarket* say they provide flatshare quotes, but double-check the policy allows it - comparison sites are very flaky on this. You may find a specialist such as Home Protect* or a local broker via BIBA easier. | | | | 6. | Furnish for FREE - sofas, beds, TVs & more. If you've gone unfurnished or part-furnished, then online giveaway sites can help you for nowt. Hundreds of top-quality goodies are available daily for free from web communities - some's tat, but some's treasure. See Furnish for Free tips. | | | | 7. | Don't redecorate without the landlord's permission. You generally need to return property in the state you got it (minor wear and tear's allowable). So get the landlord's permission in writing to put up shelves or repaint, unless you want to have to undecorate before you leave.
Beware putting pictures up. Don't get hammer-happy - it destroys walls and deposits. Forumites recommend specially-designed picture strips to hold up pics without using damaging nails. See full Rental Decorating help. | | | | 8. | Letting fees can be perverse and nasty, check. Renters can be hit by huge and unfair fees. Some reported to us include £120 for permission to buy a dog or £60 for photocopying a contract.
Sadly there's little regulation over these charges - but at least make sure you know what they are so you avoid them. There are growing campaigns for stronger rights. For more (limited) options, see Beware Unfair Fees. | | | | 9. | Does every renter need their own TV licence? In shared homes, this usually depends on the tenancy agreement. Joint tenants can usually share, but if you've your own tenancy you need your own licence. For exact rules (incl lodgers), see TV Licence help.
| | | | 10. | Are you eligible for help? If you're on a low income and struggling to pay rent, check if you're eligible for housing benefit/grants. See Extra Cash Help. | | |
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 Get permanently cheap energy Our new club ensures you're always on the cheapest tariff.
Join free: Cheap Energy Club |
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Free help & templates: Reclaim PPI |
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| The Ones Not To Miss | Wed 26 Jun 2013 |
New top card for spending EVERYWHERE
This double whammy card (1) gives unbeatable exchange rates worldwide (2) pays cashback on all UK spending
If you like beating the system, there's a way to unclutter your wallet. A new credit card has killer features you normally need two cards for. This is an aid to your credit score as it only means one application - plus one card makes life easier.  Cashback, perfect exchange rates & extra protection. Set up a direct debit to repay the card IN FULL each month to avoid its 19.9% rep APR interest, then do all spending on the new Capital One Aspire World* as it beats debit cards & cash due to...
UK cashback up to 1.25%. Get 0.5% on up to £6,000/yr, higher cashback above.
Unbeatable rates abroad. Most debit & credit cards add a hidden 3% load (so £100 worth of euros costs £103) on what they charge us. This card is load-free worldwide, so you get the rate the bank does, smashing bureaux de change in every country.
Consumer protection. Like all credit cards, buy something on one costing £100 to £30,000 in the UK or abroad, and the card firm is jointly liable. This is a big help if the retailer goes bust or is miles away (see Section 75).-
Poor-credit version. If your credit score isn't great, the Cap One Classic Extra's* also great overseas, but has flat 0.5% cashback (plus poss £10/yr bonus) and 34.9% rep APR (so repay IN FULL). See your chances for both cards with our Eligibility Checker. - Don't need the double feature? 1) For overseas ONLY: Halifax Clarity's* load-free with slightly lower ATM fees, see Overseas Cards. 2) For cashback ONLY: Amex Plat* pays 5% for 3mths (max £100) then 1.25%, but there's a £25 annual fee. See Cashback Cards. Repay both IN FULL or they're 12.9% rep APR (Halifax) or 14% rep (Amex) on spending (see APR Examples).
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| Totally free Body Shop lip balm. 10,000 available. Print voucher or show on phone in-store. Body Shop Deals Do you have a right to free tap water in restaurants? Find out your rights with our Free Tap Water Q&A. Don't redeem Nectar now, its double-up starts soon. We've been tipped off that from 24 Jul, 1,000 points gets £10 instead of £5 at Strada, & Vue, £20 at theme parks incl Alton Twrs. If you can, hold your horses. More: Double Nectar Camp for £1/night at 84 UK sites this summer. Needs a voucher from a newspaper. Full info: £1 Camping |
Cheap holiday car hire - can be £10/day
Car hire firms abroad have more catches than a corset - but follow our 30 tips and unhook them with ease Our new 30 Holiday Car Hire Tips are designed to ensure you get the best deal with least hassle. Here are five to tease:  Earlier booking usually saves. For a week in Spain, booking six months ahead is half the cost of hiring there, three months ahead is 25% cheaper. So early wins. - Speedily find the cheapest with comparison sites. Kayak* and Carrentals* search the market at speed, with a range of options to let you home in on the cheapest.
- Beware fuel policy stealth charges. In Europe, hire for 3+ days, and some charge for a full tank (can be £100+) and say return it empty. If you won't drive too far, the unused fuel can cost more than the hire. If this'll hit you, AutoEurope's* comparison lets you filter hires by fuel policy. Full help in Fuel Policy Tips.
- Cut child seat costs. From £5/day, hiring child seats from car rental firms is expensive. Yet some airports, incl Malaga (please report more), have places where seats can be rented at half the cost.
- Beat the "excess insurance" scare trick. When you collect your car, hire firms often say: "Without our excess insurance, you'll pay huge for a scratch." This insurance can be £20/day, but if you want it, Moneymaxim* compares standalone car hire excess policies, often from £3/day. A big saving, as one MoneySaver revealed:
"I paid £17 for a week's excess in Portugal, the car hire company wanted £90. I got charged £290 for a wheel scuff. When home, the excess insurer sent me a cheque for it. Fantastic." See Beat Car Hire Firms' Insurance Trick. back to top ↑ |
| 15 packs of herb & salad seeds £4 delivered. Can be worth £30 - incl parsley, spring onion & basil. Garden Deals Lastminute.com hotels 10% code (works on 50%-off sale). Ends TODAY (Wed). Incl secret hotels. Hotel Deals Asos & John Lewis 50% sale and Debenhams 70%. All are 'up-tos'. See Summer Sales Rundown. |
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Up to 50% off outrageously expensive Mulberry bags. Not MoneySaving. Not cheap, but if you'll do it anyway, a rare 50% off sale is a big discount, eg, Alexa £597 (RRP £995, gulp) & Bayswater £660 (RRP £1,100). Mulberry Deals Free £80 B&Q or M&S vch with home insurance. MSE Blagged. Use code BQJUNE for B&Q or MSJUNE for M&S for buildings & contents at Legal & General* and it'll send £80 of vouchers. Warning: It's about checking if it's cheapest. Always compare with Confused.com* & CompareTM* results (plus Aviva* & Direct Line*). Cheap Home Insurance Tesco Double Exchange ends next Tue. Until 2 July, Tesco lets you swap £5 of Clubcard vouchers for £10 to spend in-store or online. So: 1) Reclaim lost points. 2) Check if the Top 10 Tesco Rewards beat it. 3) If not, double up in-store. |
Get £100s back on telecoms bills
Reclaim forgotten credit. If you've switched broadband, home phone or mobile in last 6yrs you may be due £££s When you switch home phone, broadband or mobile, you're entitled to unused credit. But some firms, including TalkTalk, Primus and Three, operate a DON'T ASK, DON'T GET policy. Our Reclaim Phone Credit guide shows how to get it back.  What is the credit from? Credit can be earned unwittingly via promos or by paying in advance. For example, a user who signs up to a "12 months for the price of nine" offer may pay for the full 12 months, then get a rebate after the year's up.- How to reclaim. Some firms usually give automatic refunds, including BT and the Post Office. If not, it's usually just a phone call. See How to Reclaim - and it pays:
MoneySaver nsabournemouth holds our record: "£23 from Vodafone and £73 from Orange. I checked with Virgin Media and have £394 in service charges plus £150 TV box rental I shouldn't have been charged for. HAPPY DAYS." - Go back six years. The law means you can go back six years in England and Wales, five years in Scotland.
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| Reminder - poor credit scorers 0%. The Barclaycard Initial* card gives 0% on spending for 5 months and accepts some with defaults or CCJs. Yet after, it's a huge 29.9% rep APR, so don't use it to borrow more. Instead see our B'card Initial help for how to use it for short-term respite from bank charges or payday loans (see Official APR Examples). Swap old electric rechargeable toothbrush for £100 NEW one. London only. From 8 Jul. See Colgate Deal. SEVEN Nails Inc varnishes £22 all-in. Starts Thursday. Lucky dip (random colours). Nails Inc
'Free' £4ish Lego with paper. Lord of the Rings and Creator Little Car via 90p/£1.50 papers. See Lego Deals. Free 1,000 Clubcard pts with Tesco credit card trick. Get the card, make a purchase, pay off in full, then cancel to bag 1,000 Clubcard pts (converts to up to £40 of Rewards). Full info, pros & cons in Credit Card Freebies. FREE pork pie. Print a voucher (2,000 available) for £1 off and get it in-store at Asda for £1. See Asda Deals. |
Free four-year railcard with 2013/14 student account
The race to seduce this year's new students, hoping to buy their bank custom for life, has started. Take advantage. The first 2013/14 student deal's launched, and it's a good 'un. Others are still offering their 2012/13 packages, which may get better or worse when they're relaunched. Full info in our Best Student Accounts guide, here are the key new points...  Free 4-yr railcard for new AND existing students. Santander's Student Current Account gives accepted newbies who credit it with £500/term (ie, paying their loan in) a four-year 16-25 Railcard that'd cost up to £120 to buy a few weeks after opening. We've seen few substantial freebies in recent years, so this is strong. Existing students switching can get it too.- Don't forget the 0% overdraft. Sadly, most students need an overdraft (this lets you spend more than you've got). The aim's to go for the biggest and longest 0% deal. Santander's is £1,500 in years one to three; £2,000 for longer courses. While not guaranteed, most usually get close to it. Others may offer more - see Top Student Accounts - so balance that against the railcard's value to you.
- Need-to-knows. 1. A Ucas offer letter's enough to open an account. 2. Existing students can often switch and gain. 3. An overdraft is a loan, it needs repaying after graduation. 3. Never bust the agreed overdraft limit, it costs up to £25 a pop (with Santander up to £15) and can cripple your finances. 4. Forget loyalty. At graduation, switch to the new best graduate deal.
More Student MoneySaving: 20 Student Finance Mythbusters | Mature Student Guide | 50 Student MoneySaving Tips back to top ↑ |
| Tesco £12 Pimm's, £6 Aldi own-brand (1L). The best Pimm's Deals with Wimbledon here. Please be Drinkaware. Warning! 6 mths till Christmas. Trying to pay for it from December's income alone usually means disappointment or debt. Start putting a little cash aside monthly. See Xmas Saving or discuss Prepared for Xmas? #jinglebells Free £7 Doncaster racecourse tix for mid/north England. 10,000 in family enclosure on Thu 25 Jul. Gee gees |
Restaurant vouchers | Discount vouchers & Sales | Top deals |
| The Moneysaving community |
 THE GREAT HUNT REVISITED
What to buy/not to buy in pound shops
You shared your best pound shop buys back in 2008. In 2009, you shared the items you should avoid buying. But now more have opened, selling a wider array of products, we want to tap MoneySavers' collective knowledge on £1 bargains and rip-offs. Share yours/read others': What to buy/not to buy in pound shops Past topics: View all BOOK GIVEAWAY:
The Official Dambusters Experience. 25 blagged for MoneySavers. Find out if you got one. MONEY MORAL DILEMMA
Should I ask to keep my tips?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... At the pub I work in, we're told not to keep our tips. Instead, they all go in a jar, not to be shared out among staff, but to pay for a Christmas lunch for several under-privileged families. I'm happy to contribute, but feel I should have the option whether to support the scheme, as the tips I get are a reward for the service I provide. Should I say something or am I being selfish? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I ask to keep my tips? | Suggest an MMD | View Past MMDs CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT:
Airline: Thomson Offer: £20 off Ends: 31 Oct 2013
This week's pick is Thomson's £20 off return flights. It's valid on all flights until 31 Oct 2013. There's no code to enter, the discount's automatically applied. We found Gatwick-Ibiza trips for £68.98. To find them quickly, use FlightChecker on a £80 return max search. Extra charges warning: Avoid payment and check-in charges - see Budget Airline Fee Fighting. Related: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance back to top ↑ |
Quick forum tips | Freebies |
Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances 27 June
Daybreak, ITV, 7.35am-7.45am.
Deals of the Week. | 1 July
This Morning, ITV, 11am-12pm.
Subject tbc. | |
MSE team corner - Team appearances:
- No team appearances this week
| Board of the week The Pets & Pet Care Board Share advice and tips on keeping pet costs down. Discussions include Need a muzzle for my dog, Possible stray - can't catch it and Normal to feel microchip?. | Cheap travel money |
This week's poll: Should there be fewer gas and electricity deals? Energy regulator Ofgem plans to cap the number of tariffs suppliers can offer to four per fuel, in a bid to simplify the market.
Which of these options is closest to your view on how the market should look? | Poll resultsMental health and debt
Sadly, the poll proves mental health and debt are a marriage made in hell. Those with mental health issues are over four times more likely to have had serious debts - 35% compared with 8% of everyone else.
9,852 voted. See the full results. If this affects you, read our Mental Health and Debt Help free booklet. |
Question of the week Q: I've recently opened a Santander 123 account. Do I need to declare the cashback received on council tax, fuel bills, etc as earnings? Niki, by email. MSE Toby's A: Cashback earned on credit cards and bank accounts isn't taxable income, which means any cashback you earn from the Santander 123 account doesn't need to be declared on your tax return. The interest paid on balances of £1,000 plus is the only income from the 123 account you need to declare. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
 Archna's free game of the week: Bottle Capper |
Ever wanted to tell a man dressed as a chicken what to do? Well, now you can. Just type in your command (keep it simple - "impersonate a well-known politician" is a bit beyond its capacity), and watch it do your bidding. Command the subservient chicken. We hope you save some money, Martin & the MSE team |
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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. 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:
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