This week | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter Best credit card deals ever (not just debt)
Cheap spending abroad | Debt shifting | Cashback cards | Poor credit There's a credit card price war - many of today's best buys are all-time records. This isn't just about cutting borrowing costs, many who are debt-free can take advantage, be paid to spend or cut costs abroad. Scroll to see what fits... | • | TWO cards now let you shift debts to 27mths 0%. A balance transfer is when you get a new card that repays the debts on other cards for you, so you owe it instead at a lower rate. Right now, we've the longest EVER 0%s.
Top 'debt shifting' balance transfer deals
Go for a shorter deal with lower fee, if you can repay in that time | | Card | Transfer offer | Fee | Rep APR after | | Barclaycard* | 27mths 0% (i) | 2.99% | 18.9% | | Tesco* | 27mths 0% | 3.15% | 18.3-24.2% | | Halifax* | 25mths 0% (i) | 2% | 18.9% | | Lloyds* | 21mths 0% (i) | 1.5% | 17.9% | | Halifax* | 15mths 0% (i) | 1% | 17.9% | | MBNA Rate for Life | 5.9% till shifted debt repaid | 1.5% | 18.9% | | (i) Representative 0%, so only 51% accepted need to get 0% for this long |
Five golden balance transfer rules:
a) Repay at least the set monthly minimum, or you may lose the 0% rate.
b) Aim to clear the debt or shift again before the 0% ends, or rates rocket.
c) Don't spend on these cards, it isn't usually at the cheap rate.
d) Use the Which Card Is Cheapest? tool to identify your winner.
e) Confused? Full help in Best Balance Transfers (also see APR Examples). | | | | • | Shift to 0% even with a poor credit score. Certain specialist cards allow it.
- Limited credit history or bad stuff over 5 years ago: Both Fluid 15mth 0%, 1.5% fee* and Barclaycard 18mth 0%, 2.9% fee* may accept you. Clear the debt or shift again before the 0% ends, or they're 18.9% and 24.9% rep APR.
- Poor credit history: Even some with CCJs/defaults a little over 1 year old can shift debt to Capital One's 6mth 0%, 3% fee* Balance card. After, it's a huge 34.9% rep APR, so be careful, read our Capital One Safety Help.
Use our Balance Transfer Eligibility Checker to see your odds of acceptance. | | | | • |  Now huge 18mths 0% on new borrowing. Used right, a 0% credit card's the cheapest way to borrow as it's interest-free. Yet never just use one to fill the gap in your monthly spending - only do it for planned, budgeted-for purchases, that you know you can afford to repay in time.
- Top 0% spending deals: Accepted new Tesco* cardholders get 18mths 0%, plus one Clubcard point per £4 spent. Fluid* is 16mths 0% and is a slightly less harsh credit scorer. NatWest* is 15mths 0% and gives a £10 Amazon vch for signing up. All jump to 16.9% representative APR afterwards.
The golden rules: 1) Always repay or shift debts before 0%s end or rates jump to the APR. 2) Pay at least the monthly min, or you'll lose 0% deals. 3) FULL help & best buys in Top 0% Spending (see APR Examples).
Use our free 0% Cards Eligibility Checker to see your odds of acceptance. | | | | • | Top borrowing all-rounder card: 15mths 0% on shifted debt & new spending. Making fewer applications protects your credit score. Halifax All-In-One* has a dual-use 15mths 0% on both spending & shifted debt (1% fee for this). Fail to repay or shift again, & it'll jump to 17.9% rep APR.
Do note its 0% rate is representative, so only 51% of accepted applicants must be given the full 15mths - the rest may not get as long. Full info and alternatives in Top All-Rounder Borrowing Cards. | | | | | | • | Top cards for abroad - permanently unbeatable exchange rates. Usually spending on plastic is costly. Banks get perfect rates but add a hidden 3% load (so £100 of dollars costs £103) on what they charge us.
Yet the no-annual fee credit cards 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 & abroad: New Capital One* card pays up to 1.25% UK cashback.
Also good: Saga* (over-50s), Post Office* & Select* (Nationwide custs ONLY).
Use our free Overseas Cards Eligibility Checker to see your chance of acceptance. Full info & help in Cheap Travel Cards (APR Examples). | | | | • | Get 5% intro cashback up to £100. Cashback credit cards pay you for spending on them. The new no-annual fee Amex Everyday* pays 5p per £1 spent on up to £2,000 within 3 months, then tiered rates up to 1.25% after. Fail to fully repay and its 19.9% rep APR will wipe any cashback gains.
The golden rules: a) Always repay IN FULL, preferably by direct debit so it's interest-free. b) Use for all normal spending but not as an excuse to spend more. c) Ensure you've cash to repay each month. d) Never withdraw cash on it. Full help & more options: Top Cashback Cards, APR Examples.
Use our Cashback Card Eligibility Checker to see your chance of acceptance. | | | | • | Top spending all-rounder card: Cheap spending abroad & UK cashback. If you just want one card for home & abroad, the Capital One Aspire World* is the winner. It's load-free worldwide (so perfect exchange rates) and gives cashback of 0.5-1.25%, depending on how much you spend, in the UK.
There's a version of this card if your credit score isn't great. The Capital One Classic Extra* is also great overseas, but has flat 0.5% cashback.
Ensure you repay IN FULL each month or the 19.9% and 34.9% representative APRs dwarf the gain. See Cashback Cards & Overseas Cards. | | |
Credit cards are like fire - used well they're a fantastic tool, used badly they burn. If you've had debt problems, avoid them all. If those problems are still causing sleepless nights, see our Debt Crisis Help guide, which includes info on how to get one-on-one help from non-profit debt counselling agencies. |
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| The Ones Not To Miss | Wed 10 Jul 2013 |
Do payday loan best buys exist? New guide
Cheaper alternatives to these hideous, high-cost short-term loans, and least-worst options if you've no choice Most payday loans are spitworthy, dangerous and costly, yet they're still commonly searched for on MSE. So today, we're launching our detailed Payday Loans guide to run through how they work, alternatives and how to stay safe. A taster...  Five things everyone needs to know about payday loans
1) They cost more in a month (£30 per £100) than high-cost credit cards in a year.
2) Many use continuous payment authorities to take your cash whenever they choose.
3) Never roll over - it's a lottery win for them, not you. Don't let 'em tempt you into it.
4) Using a payday loan can hit your ability to get a mortgage in future.
5) Fail to repay in time and charges can quickly explode to more than you borrowed.
This is just the tip of the iceberg - see the FULL Payday Loan Need-To-Knows. - Cheaper payday loan alternatives. First, do you really need one? See tips from flogging stuff to grants and available cash in the Find The Cash Elsewhere section. If that fails, it's onto alternative borrowing. Simply spend on almost any credit card, and repay the borrowed amount a month later (same as a payday loan), and it's far cheaper. If you don't have one, there are poor credit scorers' options too. See Cheaper Payday Loan Alternatives.
Best buy Least worst payday loans. No payday loans are best buys. So we've focused on the least worst - looking at the way lenders treat you, as well as the cost. For full info, see 'Least Worst' Payday Loans help. back to top ↑ |
| De Vere FLASH £20 sale | 40% off Millennium & Copthorne | Ibis £18. Summer sales on mid-range and budget UK hotels. De Vere Venues 48hr FLASH sale starts 10am Thurs, 10,000 rooms available. Full list in Hotel Sales. £1 sun cream - factors 10 to 50. And they check out on skin safety, too. See Sun Cream Deals. iPad & tablet £20 off codes. Tesco Direct - £10 off £150+, £20 off £300+. Rare iPad discount. Tesco Direct Deals Summer sizzlers - £5 bikinis, £10.50 gazebos (usually £21). Plus £1 BBQs & more. Smokin' Hot Bargains |
Last second summer holiday bargains
If you still plan to head overseas this summer but haven't booked, slice £100s or £1,000s off sunshine getaways While school holidays are never cheap, it's still possible to get prices skimpier than the TOWIE cast's bikinis...  Cheapest flight finding. Our top pick comparison sites are Skyscanner* for ease, TravelSupermarket* breadth and Kayak* gizmos. For traditional resorts, eg, Majorca, charter flights (extra seats on package operators' planes) can be cheaper, so try TravelSup*, Avro* & Flights Direct* which include them too. For far more tips (eg, Orlando packages can be cheaper than flight-only), see full Cheap Flights guide.
- Hidden hotel discounts (+10% code). Lots of tricks in Cheap Hotels, including...
1) Found a hotel? Use Trivago and TravelSup* to see if you can book the same room cheaper.
2) The code JULYSALE gets 10% off most Lastminute.com* hotels until 11.59pm Wed or when 4,000 codes go. It includes its bargain up to 5-star secret hotel deals, where you don't know the name until booking. See our tricks to uncover them.
3) For truly huge US 5-star city break discounts, use our Priceline tricks on its 'name your price' system.
4) If you're booking flights & hotel, Expedia*, Travelocity & Ebookers* can give extra discounts (and protection).
- Rent a posh villa or a spare room. If you're going as a family group or with friends, villas can massively undercut hotels, especially now in the lates market, eg, 2-bed villa in Algarve: £300/wk (was £590). See full Hiring Cheap Villas guide. Or consider renting rooms in private homes, eg, room in Barcelona flat £26/nt, similar hotel £61/nt.
- Don't forget package holidays, eg, 2-star Kos £159pp. In traditional tourist spots, especially for 7 or 14 days, package holidays can win - especially if you call up and haggle. Plus you get extra protection if things go wrong. We spent an hour calling and discovered: A week in Kos 2-star self-catering £159 pp, a week 3-star half-board Benidorm £296 and a week 3-star Halkidiki B&B £277 pp. See Cheap Package Holidays.
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| Tesco Wine up to 60% sale + £5 off £50 code. 5,000 codes avail for new & existing customers. Wine Deals Magazine beauty freebies incl £14 Elemis serum (in c.£4 mags)
£14 Elemis serum vch | £13 L'Occitane | £8.60 Ren skincare | £6 Eyeko eyeliner | £7.30 Nip & Fab skincare
£12 Balance Me skincare in £2 mag | Free £6 YSL serum samples no mag needed | See all Beauty Deals. THURS ONLY: 750 Boots pts with £30 spend. 1-day Advantage card pts event. Full info: Boots Deals |
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| Colgate bites off more than it can chew in 'free £170 toothbrush' promo. Waterloo Station shut it down due to overcrowding. Full info & updates on if and when it's up and running again in Colgate free toothbrush news. Free mobile broadband on £6 Sim (great for tablets). MSE Blagged. Code MSE6 gets £6 Samba* mobile Sim which gives 1GB data for first 30 days, & stays free after if you watch brief ads online. It has good feedback. Samba Deal |
100 MoneySaving summer ideas for kids. New guide
School's (almost) out for summer. 100 tips, treats, deals, discounts and bargains for you to survive the break Having your little munchkins/monsters home for six weeks can be a trial. So our 100 Summer Holiday MoneySaving tips guide is packed with freebies, vouchers and inspiration to help them have fun till term time. Here's your starter for 10...  - Andy Murray wannabes? Free tennis coaching and court usage at 100s of locations.
- Theme parks cost big. Never pay full price. Just click our full Theme Park 2for1 Voucher list.
- Free football coaching for boys & girls aged 5-11 to improve dribbling, passing & shooting.
- Free 2-week adventure holiday for 16-17 year olds, which gets signed certificate from PM.
- £40 taster day for £8 at Brendan Cole Dance or Flintoff Cricket Academy.
- Use garden games: camp out, make a hidden den, treasure trail, water park or crazy golf.
- Car games to legally speed up the journey, incl I-Spy, 20 Questions, travel bingo, rat-a-tat.
- Kids & grown-ups £1 cinema tix on Sat/Sun mornings, incl Wreck It Ralph and Rise Of The Guardians.
- Free geocaching - uncover hidden goodies and toys via GPS for instant smiles.
- If you'll pay for childcare/after-school clubs, you may be entitled to cashback. See our Cut Childcare Costs guide for info. back to top ↑ |
| Forum Hottie. Rumour 50% Next sale this weekend. No official confirmation yet, but looks likely. See Next Sales. Apple giveaway - 5 apps, 5 games (normally up to £2.99 each). To celebrate five years of its App Store, Apple is giving away iPhone and iPad games like Infinity Blade II and apps incl Barefoot World Atlas. See Apple Deals.
Holiday car hire excess insurance 15% off. MSE Blagged. When hiring, firms often say: "Without our excess insurance, you'll pay huge for a scratch." Their insurance can be £20/day, but you can get it standalone for under £2 a day. This link gets 15% off Direct Car Excess Insurance*. Compare with Moneymaxim's* cheapest. Full info: Cheap Car Hire New. PAYG Sim with 3p/min calls, 2p/text & 1p/MB internet. Red hot tariff, new market cheapest from Three Mobile*. Totally pay as you go. See how it stacks up against Giffgaff and others in Cheap PAYG Mobiles. |
Smartphone insurance £57/yr. Do you need it?
For many, losing or breaking a mobile feels like being cut off - fear makes insurers profit. No need to pay large Mobile insurance is now commonplace, but many massively overpay for it, and the regulator, the FCA, has just slapped a provider for overly harsh payout restrictions. Our Mobile Insurance guide has full help. In summary...  First, ask... 1. Are you a phone loser? If not, self-insuring can be cheaper. 2. Does your home insurance cover it? 3. Need fast replacement? Stick to network cover. 4. Pay for your bank account? It may give cover, but you may need to register the handset. - Cheapest mobile insurance. These cheapest picks cover accident, loss & theft, but we've excluded policies with poor feedback. Full info: Cheap Mobile Insurance.
- Any iPhone (£700 limit). Insurance2Go* is £70/yr. Excess: £50 or £75 for loss.
- Samsung phones (£700 limit). Using the code in this link: Insurance2Go* is £57/yr. Excess: £25 or £50 for loss.
- Other Smartphones (£700 limit). Using the code in this link: Insurance2Go* is £60/yr. Excess: £25 or £50 for loss.
- Budget phones (£150 max). Gadget Cover* £16/yr damage/theft, £27 incl loss. Excess: £25. But feedback not great. - Cover ALL family smartphones, plus travel ins and breakdown cover £120/yr. If you've more than one mobile in the home, the highly-rated Nationwide FlexPlus* account's £10/mth fee (£120/yr) includes phone cover with a huge £1k limit each (fine for iPhone 5), breakdown cover and world family travel insurance. Full help: Best Packaged Accounts
- Had claim unfairly rejected? The FCA's slammed mobile insurers, saying some sold unsuitable products and unfairly turned down claims. If this happens to you, use our Financial Ombudsman complaints guide.
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| £20 George Foreman five-portion family grill (RRP £60). In-store or £28 online. George Foreman Deals Up to 50% off sales at eBay, Monsoon, Currys, River Island, etc
Monsoon up to 50% | eBay 'Top Sellers' up to 60% | Boden up to 50% | River Island up to 50%
Accessorize up to 50% | Currys up to 50% | Cath Kidston up to 50% | Full list: High Street Sales 'Free' £25-£30 Spanish/French language kit download in £2 paper. For PC/Mac, great for hols. Hot Bargains £60 4-day family holidays. Collect 10 newspaper tokens for Sep-Nov hols at 275 parks in UK/Europe: Sun Holidays |
Restaurant vouchers | Discount vouchers | Top deals |
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Historical Tweets. 25 blagged for MoneySavers. Find out if you got one. MONEY MORAL DILEMMA
Is my boyfriend taking me for a ride?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I have a car, but my boyfriend doesn't, so I drive him to work and take him shopping. We share petrol, but I've asked him to contribute to tax and insurance. But he says I'd pay for those anyway and if I want, I can just stop giving him a lift. I'd feel petty doing that, but feel hard done by as things stand. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Is my boyfriend taking me for a ride? | Suggest An MMD | View Past MMDs THE GREAT HUNT
What is 'being MSE' to you?
We came across this interesting thread where forumites were discussing what constitutes "being MSE". Some say it's following Martin's Money Mantras, others think it's the overall value of their saving, measurable in more ways than just money. Share yours/read others': What is "being MSE" to you? Past topics: View all CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT
Airline: Monarch Offer: £20-off code Ends: Wed 17 Jul
Our pick this week is Monarch's £20-off code. Each passenger gets £20 off any return flight. If four travel, that's £80, but it doesn't apply to infants. Enter promo code BIG20 at the checkout to get the discount. To find flights quickly, use the FlightChecker on a return 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 THE GREAT HUNT... REVEALED
What's the best currency to take to Turkey, Israel, Laos and more?
We received mixed responses to last week's hunt. Some said you get more for your local buck than US dollars or sterling, particularly in Mexico, but others said the opposite. The general consensus: take local currency for small shops and markets and euros or sterling for tours, hotels, etc. back to top ↑ |
Quick forum tips | Freebies |
Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances 11 July
Daybreak, ITV, 7.35am-7.45am.
Deals of the Week. | 11 July
Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5, 12pm-1pm.
Consumer Panel. | |
MSE team corner - Team blogs:
- No team blogs this week
- Team appearances:
- No team appearances this week
| Board of the week Sports and Fitness MoneySaving Board Whether you're a budding Andy Murray or the next Mark Cavendish, share advice and tips on all things sporting. Discussions include Roller Skating, Getting started with running and Buying A Mountain Bike. | Cheap travel money |
This week's poll: Do you travel with or without travel insurance? We believe travel insurance is a necessity for holiday travel. Yet do you risk going without it?
Which is the closest to your situation? | Poll resultsHow much should MPs be paid?
Over 75% of voters thought MPs should be paid the same salary as they get now, or less. Some of the results split out, include:
- 8% voted for £75,000/yr (proposed basic pay).
- 26% voted for £66,000/yr (current salary).
- 12% voted for £26,500/yr (average UK salary)
- 11% said being an MP should be voluntary.
11,169 voted. See the full results. |
Question of the week Q: I've been told by MBNA my credit rating will be affected if I voluntarily reduce my credit limit. Is this true? Suzie, via Twitter. MSE Sally's A: This is a tough one, as different lenders take opposite views whether a reduced credit limit makes you more creditworthy. It comes down to how lenders view something called "credit utilisation" - how much of your available limit you are actually using. So borrowing £1,000 on a card with a £2,000 limit would mean you're utilising 50% of your credit, and reducing that limit to £1,250 would push your utilisation up to 80%. However, some lenders like low utilisation %s as they indicate you aren't borrowing nearly the max you can, while others prefer higher ratios as it means you can't suddenly double the amount of debt your are in. Experian, the credit reference agency, tells us that if a lender is in the latter camp, they tend to like your borrowing to be 25% or less of your limits. Lenders don't publish the criteria they are looking for, and at this stage you probably don't know who you'll be applying to for credit in the future. So the sensible action is to never borrow more than you need to and always make your monthly repayments - see Boost your credit rating guide for more tips. |
 Archna's free game of the week: Buccaneer |
The most useful cooking site EVER Forget Jamie, Gordon or even Gino, if you want serious help cooking - this is perhaps the world's best site. Quite simply, it times your boiled egg to perfection. You tell it about the egg and what you want, and it acts as a timer. 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 barclaycard.co.uk, tescobank.com, halifax.co.uk, lloydstsb.com, fluid.co.uk, capitalone.co.uk, natwest.com, saga.co.uk, postoffice.co.uk, nationwide.co.uk, americanexpress.com, skyscanner.net, travelsupermarket.com, kayak.co.uk, avro.co.uk, flightsdirect.com, lastminute.com, expedia.co.uk, ebookers.com, sambamobile.com, confused.com, google.co.uk, directline.com, aviva.co.uk, admiral.com, sainsburysbank.co.uk, direct-carexcess.co.uk, moneymaxim.co.uk, three.co.uk, insurance2go.co.uk, gadget-cover.com, energyhelpline.com, moneysupermarket.com, uswitch.com, firstdirect.com, santander-products.co.uk, comparethemarket.com, bt.com.
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