This week | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter 10 ways to boost your travel money
If you're going abroad, get more bang for your bucks, euros or dong The countdown to the big summer getaway is on. If you've booked or plan to go abroad, don't let stealth charges eat away at your spending money... | 1. | Act now to permanently holster unbeatable exchange rates. Usually spending on plastic is costly, as banks get perfect rates but then add a hidden 3% load (so £100 of dollars costs £103) onto what they charge us.
Yet the no annual fee credit cards listed below are load-free worldwide, smashing bureaux de change by giving you permanently unbeatable rates everywhere. Just ensure you always repay IN FULL, preferably by direct debit, to minimise the 11.9-19.9% representative APRs.
Top just for using abroad: Halifax Clarity*, due to lower ATM charges.
Top for UK too: New Capital One* card now pays up to 1.25% UK cashback.
Also good: Saga* (over-50s), Post Office* & Select* (Nationwide custs ONLY).
Whether you can get these cards depends on your credit score. Use our Eligibility Checker to find which you've the best acceptance odds on.
Apply soon, so you've got one in time for going away. Full info, pros, cons and charge breakdowns in Cheap Travel Cards (APR Examples). | | | | 2. | Find the cheapest travel money in seconds. If you're looking for cash, our fully-updated TravelMoneyMax.com tool compares over 40 online bureaux (if you're not going now, bookmark it for when you do).
It ignores marketing flannel like "commission-free", and just shows who gives you the most after all fees and charges, plus the level of protection. | | | | 3. |  Don't pay at bureaux de change with credit cards. Buy currency from a UK bureau on a credit card and it counts as an overseas cash withdrawal, so you pay a £3 per £100 fee and interest even if you clear the card in full. Debit cards used to charge too, thankfully that stopped last year. | | | | 4. | NEVER get cash at the airport. Airport and ferryport bureaux know you're a captive customer, so they often give terrible rates.
If you've no time and must get it from there, at least order online for airport pick-up, as you usually get a better exchange rate. | | | | 5. | Top prepaid cards - safer electronic cash. Here, you load one up with cash for when you travel, then use it like a debit card - but unlike cash, if you lose a card your money should be protected.
However, unlike the top credit cards, you get the rate on the day you load/buy, not when you spend, so currency fluctuations can hit you.
The top pick cards based on low fees & best rates are FairFX Euro* and FairFX Dollar* - usually they're £10 but via these MoneySupermarket links they're free, provided you load at least €60 or $75. For other currencies, see Cheap Prepaid Travel Cards. | | | | 6. | Warning - beware the debit cards from HELL. Bizarrely, ordinary bank debit cards are often the worst way to spend abroad. Not only do they load exchange rates and charge high ATM fees, some also effectively fine you £1-£1.50 each time you spend. Here are the debit cards to avoid abroad...
Santander | NatWest/RBS (avoid for smaller purchases) | Halifax | Lloyds Buy something costing £5-worth of euros with one, and you can pay £6.65 for it, so a bureau de change is cheaper. See full Debit Cards From Hell info. | | | | 7. | Find out if your debit or credit card is any good overseas. All cards have different overseas charges, a case of the good, the OK and the ugly. Use the Overseas Card Fees Checker to check yours and avoid unnecessary costs. | | | | 8. | Asked "want to pay in euros or pounds?" If you're using a card abroad, sometimes you'll be asked if you want the transaction to be in pounds or the local currency. Always select the local currency. For exactly why & how this works, see Martin's 'pay in euros?' blog. | | | | 9. | Not booked yet? Where will your pound go further? While the euro rate is low, it doesn't mean there aren't good buys. Surprisingly, a 3-course meal in eurozone Portugal is £19, while non-euro Turkey is £54, according to a Post Office survey. See the full Where Do Your £££s Go Furthest? research. | | | | 10. | Want to send money abroad? If you're not going, but sending to someone overseas, don't use the tips above - there's no protection from bureaux de change. Instead, please read the Sending Money Abroad guide. | | |
More Travel MoneySaving
50 Cheap Travel Tips | Cheap Travel Insurance | Cheap Flights | Cheap Car Hire |
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| The Ones Not To Miss | Wed 19 Jun 2013 |
0% for 5mths borrowing, even with poor credit
Rare chance for those usually rejected to get a 0% card. Done right, it can relieve bank charges and payday loans Applying for 0% cards normally needs a decent credit history. Yet right now there's a rare 0% new spending deal that even allows some with past CCJs, defaults or bankruptcies to apply - possibly enabling you to avoid far nastier debts.  New. Easy-to-get 5mths 0%. Barclaycard Initial* gives accepted new cardholders 5mths 0% spending. Even those with past credit problems may be accepted. Yet clear it before the 0% ends, or it jumps to a huge 29.9% representative APR.
Use 1: (Re)build credit history. Do, eg, £50/month of normal spending on the card, preferably repaying IN FULL. Over time, it can boost your ability to gain credit, eg, for a mortgage. Full help and card alternatives (incl cashback cards) in Credit Rebuild Cards.
Use 2: Careful borrowing. New borrowing's dangerous if you've had credit problems, but used right this 0% can give respite from bank charges/payday loans. How? Do normal spending (budget) on it, not from your bank account - using money built up there to reduce your overdraft or repay lenders. Yet clear it within 5 months. See full B'card Initial Tips.- Check if you can get longer 0% spending. Up to 17mths 0% is available, but you need a good credit score. Our Eligibility Checker reveals your likelihood of getting Top 0% Cards, and check Credit Rebuild Cards.
- 0% spending cards golden rules. a) Always pay at least the monthly min, else you'll lose the 0% deal. b) Clear the card before the 0% ends, or you'll pay hefty interest. c) Don't balance transfer/withdraw cash - that's not usually at the cheap rate. See APR Examples.
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| TWO prescription specs £23 code. MSE Blagged. Frames, lenses and delivery for two pairs £23. A cracking deal. FREE 4 pack of Coors Light (RRP £4). Team up with a friend to bag voucher. Coors blimey. Please be Drinkaware. Free £5 London black cabs credit. MSE Blagged. New AND existing customers. The Hailo app finds & orders your nearest black cab, and you pay via cash or card (no fee). We've a code for £5 off your next card payment. Hailo Deals Reminder. NO-FEE 12mths 0% balance transfer. Accepted new customers can now shift debt to the Tesco* credit card at 0% fee-free. Need longer? Barclaycard's* 27mths 0%, but a 2.98% fee. With both, clear the card in full or shift again before the 0% ends or they're 18%-24.2% representative APR. Full help: Best Balance Transfers, APR Examples. |
Watch box sets & movies FREE - incl Downton Abbey
Whether it's Highclere or Hollywood - watch for nowt with the best buy online streaming/download sites
If you've a laptop, PS3, Xbox, tablet, smartphone, smart TV (or normal telly linked from laptop), you can now stream TV and box sets instantly. Our updated Top TV & Film Streaming gives the full lowdown. Here's key snippets as a starter... - Legally watch box sets & films FREE. A) Use free 30-day trials. Netflix incl all Downton series, The Iron Lady, House of Cards. Lovefilm incl Up, Senna and Vikings. Now TV incl Ted, Madagascar 3, The Amazing Spiderman. B) Use permanently free Clubcard TV for TOWIE, Doc Martin, Shawshank Redemption. See Free Streaming.
- Netflix vs Lovefilm? If you're signing up and paying, our view is Netflix wins for telly, Lovefilm for movies, but we'd love your feedback. In films, both usually rely on 1+ year old releases and classics.
| | Cost | Titles | HD? | | Netflix | £5.99/mth | 2,000+ film & TV titles. Strengths: Lots of box sets, eg, Arrested Development. Downton. Original progs like House of Cards. | Yes | | Lovefilm | £4.99/mth | 4,000+ film & TV titles. Bigger range of films incl Paul, old classics and arthouse. Exclusive US No 1 show Vikings. | Yes | - Want the very latest blockbuster films? PAYG services Blinkbox, iTunes and Google Play offer films a few months after their cinema release. There's little price variance between them (c.£3-£4) so it depends on which device suits. Alternatively, Now TV (1mth free, 3mths £9, then £15 - you can cancel whenever) has 700+ films and is the next tier down in release date, similar to basic Sky Movies channels. For more info, see Watch Movies Online.
- Beware b'band limits. At 500MB/ 30mins of TV, streaming eats download limits. Consider unlimited broadband.
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| £1 posh Stila cosmetics (RRP £20+) and Twilight gift sets (RRP £10). In-store only. Can you find 'em? Check your driving licence info NOW, or risk £1,000 fine if stopped. A) 2.6m have out-of-date addresses. B) 2m have out-of-date photos. C) 3% of married women haven't updated their names. Check Your Driving Licence |
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| 'Free' £15 photo book (£5 p&p). MSE Blagged. Using £15 off no min spend Albelli new cust code. Canon fodder Ramada 30% off sale | Youth hostels 20% off code. 90 Ramada hotels, or 101 YHA family rooms. Hotel Sales |
Warning. Avoid tax credit overpayment hell
Over five million people are being sent review forms. Ignoring yours can cause financial nightmares Tax credit review forms are being sent, most should've arrived already. You mightn't need to send it back, but don't ignore it. If things are wrong, you could be forced to repay cash you've already spent. Here's full Tax Credit Help, a summary:  How to review. If you ONLY get a brown envelope renewal form, just check the info's correct. If it is, do nowt. If not, or things have changed, call 0345 300 3900 or post back ASAP. If you get a white-enveloped declaration form, you must check and sign it.
- Don't delay, do ASAP. The deadline's 31 July, but don't delay as if you've got issues, the official helpline gets mega-busy then. Do it now, while it's easier.
- Avoid overpayment hell. Being overpaid sounds a dream. But it's a nightmare as you must pay back the cash, even if you've already spent it. It often happens when people don't declare circumstance changes (eg, moving in/out with partner, income, kids, childcare costs). So if owt changes or has changed, TELL 'EM, TELL 'EM, TELL 'EM. Unsure? Call anyway. Feel money is being clawed back unfairly? See Fight Unfair Tax Credit Overpayments.
- Are you missing out on tax credits? Use our 10-Min Benefits/Tax Credits Checkup tool to check.
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Paaarty! 60 FREE UK summer festivals & carnivals. A big free party - what's not to love? Check what's coming up near you, eg, West End Live, Cardiff Festival, South Tyneside Summer Festival, then just turn up. Free UK Festivals 99p board games, incl Top Gear and Take Me Out (were £8-£18). In-store sale. Can you find 'em?
Forum Hottie. FREE 25 Tesco Clubcard pts or 50p off Coca-Cola. Simply pledge to recycle online. Tesco Deals Summer theme park 50% off (eg, Alton Twrs, Thorpe, Chess'ton) With £1 chocs or 40p paper. Theme Parks |
Boost house prices via the Green Deal
Increasing your home's energy efficiency by two bands could add £16,000. Is the Green Deal for you? The Dept of Energy's shouting about its new research that efficient homes sell for more - a boost to its teething problem-hit Green Deal where many worry as the loan's linked to the house. See full 20 Green Deal Mythbusters, a taster....  Green Deal pays for double glazing, insulation and more from energy savings. Launched in Jan, the Green Deal lets you pay for 40+ home efficiency measures from the 'savings' made from fitting them. It includes solid & cavity wall insulation, boilers, double glazing, underfloor heating, solar panels and more. You'll need an assessor to approve it (costs about £120) - see the full What The Green Deal Can Be Used For.- It's a loan, Jim, but not as we know it. Oversimplified, it's REPAID BY YOUR ENERGY FIRM out of 'savings' from your home being more efficient, ie, save £200/year, repay £200/year. So done right, there's no net cost, meaning if you've not got the cash it can be great. See How Green Deal 'Loans' Work.
- Big cashback still available, even WITHOUT THE LOAN. There's £125m of cashback to get the scheme going. Speed pays as the first tranche will get the highest cashback - £300 on boiler upgrades & double glazing, £600 on solid wall insulation. Cashback's paid even if you don't take the loan and pay upfront. See Green Deal Cashback
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| FREE mojito or Red Stripe. Usually £4-£8ish, reg 'n' print voucher. Pitcher & Piano. Please be Drinkaware. Burton, Gap, FCUK, etc 50%-off summer sales
Gap up to 50% | Burton up to 50% | Kurt Geiger up to 50% | Kiddicare up to 50% | Reiss up to 50%
French Connection up to 50% | Dotcomgiftshop up to 90% | Topman up to 50% | Full list: High Street Sales Armed Forces Day - free Crown Carveries carvery or brekkie if you've served. Starts next Mon (24 Jun) for current forces and veterans. Print voucher & show ID at Crown Carveries. Also see: Armed Forces forum board Kids go 'free' with grown-ups to London theatres. Book for 34 shows in Aug, incl Wicked, Billy Elliot. Kids Week
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Restaurant vouchers | Discount vouchers & sales | Top deals |
| The Moneysaving community |
 CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
It's Recycle Week (let's celebrate just like last year)
We're getting better and better at recycling, but there are all kinds of ways to do more, at home and away. From bikes to tin foil, or inhalers to stamps, use Recycle Week to check what you can recycle in your area.
Suggest a campaign: This is for MSE to support work by other charities, groups and campaigners. Send your campaign of the week suggestion. MONEY MORAL DILEMMA
Should we book a holiday when paying off debt?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... My husband wants to go on holiday, but I'm on a MoneySaving, debt-free mission, & it's going really well. We can afford to go without getting more credit while keeping up our monthly payments. But with my new mindset, I don't know what the rules are about booking a holiday while in debt. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should we book a holiday when paying off debt? | Suggest An MMD | View Past MMDs SPILL THE BEANS
What's put you off making a DIY PPI complaint?
Hopefully everyone who gets this email knows you can potentially reclaim £1,000s of PPI for free. But many are put off and shell out huge sums to claims handlers to reclaim for them. Is this you? Spill 'em: What put you off making a DIY PPI complaint? Past topics: View all CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT
Airline: Aer Lingus Price: From £32.99 Ends: Ongoing
Our pick this week is Aer Lingus's sale for flights to Ireland from 14 UK airports until Wed 31 Aug, including most taxes & charges. We found Birmingham to Dublin flights for £30.99 - cheaper than advertised sale rates. To find them quickly, use the FlightChecker on a £50 one-way 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 NEW GAMING MONEYSAVING BOARD
Gamer AND MoneySaver? Now there's a place to scratch both your itches
Our totally new board's already flourishing, flagging up games sales that get your blood racing, and with discussions incl. 100 best free games, PS4 vs Xbox One and Trading Card Gamers - cut your costs. See new Gaming MoneySaving Board. THE GREAT HUNT... REVEALED
Tips for financially surviving divorce and separation
Sadly, the costs of breaking up aren't just emotional. But forumites have these ideas to make it a little easier: Do it yourself, rather than through a solicitor, bear in mind the process is different in Scotland and the ultimate MoneySaving divorce tip - try to keep on good terms with your ex. back to top ↑ |
Quick forum tips | Freebies |
Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances 20 June
Daybreak, ITV, 7.35am-7.45am.
Deals of the Week. | 20 June
Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5, 12pm-1pm.
Consumer Panel.
Listen to past shows. | 21 June
Any Questions?, Radio 4, 8pm.
Various subjects. | 24 June
This Morning, ITV, 11am-12pm.
Subject tbc. | | PS. Missed The Martin Lewis Money Show? Watch past episodes. | |
MSE team corner - Team appearances:
- No appearances this week
| Board of the week The N Ireland Board Share advice and tips on saving money in Northern Ireland. Discussions include Belfast city auctions, Renting with pets and Game of Thrones. | Cheap travel money |
This week's poll: Have you ever had problem debts? We're updating our research on the link between mental health issues and debt problems. It's argued one can cause the other - if you've been affected, see our Mental Health and Debt guide. We need everyone to vote.
Please answer the question below (exclude mortgages and student loans from the definition of "debt".) | Poll resultsHow much meat do you eat?
Over half of voters eat meat at least five times a week.
- 17% eat meat more than once a day.
- 53% eat meat at least 5+ times/week.
- 78% eat it at least once a week.
- 6% don't eat meat but eat fish.
- 10% are veggie or vegan.
23,117 voted. See the full results. |
Question of the week Q: If a large item such as a fridge freezer fails within the manufacturer's warranty period, is it fair for the retailer to charge for delivering a replacement, and also charge for taking the faulty item away? Larry, by email. MSE Helen S's A: Manufacturers' warranties are usually provided gratis, over and above your statutory rights. So sadly, they get to specify their own T&Cs, which can include asking you to pay delivery costs. Whether that's fair or not is another matter. But you may be jumping the gun by invoking the warranty. Your statutory rights say the fridge freezer should be of a "satisfactory quality" and last for a "reasonable length of time". So you may be able to claim from the retailer under your consumer rights, rather than the warranty, and get redress that way, as it sounds like the goods are still quite new. What level of redress you get under your statutory rights depends on how long you've had the fridge freezer. The retailer may offer a full or partial refund or can choose to offer a repair or replacement. If it's the latter, the Sale of Goods Act says it needs to pay other costs, incl delivery or collection. See the Give Me My Money Back guide for more information. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
 Archna's free game of the week: Ninja Miner |
How well do you know your Idaho from your Ohio? Most can probably point out California on a map of the USA, but how many other states could you place? Test yourself with this highly addictive 50 States game. 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:
Unaffiliated web-addresses for links in this email halifax.co.uk, capitalone.co.uk, saga.co.uk, postoffice.co.uk, nationwide.co.uk, fairfx.com, barclaycard.co.uk, tescobank.com, confused.com, google.co.uk, directline.com, aviva.co.uk, admiral.com, nationwide.co.uk, energyhelpline.com, moneysupermarket.com, uswitch.com, firstdirect.com, santander-products.co.uk, comparethemarket.com, postoffice.co.uk, bt.com, sainsburysbank.co.uk.
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