| | 'January' sales ON NOW
Most top discounts now start online from CHRISTMAS EVE | | Massive 50%+ sales. The blockbuster discounts now start online before Christmas, so there's no need to wait. Here's a rundown of the top 20 we've found, plus your rights if things go wrong. | The top 20 festive sales | | Retailer | Sale (up to) | Online start | In-store start (i) | | Amazon* | 40% off | 25 Dec | N/A | | Argos* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 24 Dec | | Asda* | 50% off | 26 Dec | 26 Dec | | Asos* | 50% off | 18 Dec | N/A | | B&Q* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 24 Dec | | Boots* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 26 Dec | | Currys* | 50% off | 7pm, 24 Dec | 26 Dec | | Debenhams* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 26 Dec | | Homebase* | 60% off | 25 Dec | 26 Dec | | House of Fraser* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 26 Dec | | Ikea | Discounts vary | N/A | 19 Dec | | John Lewis* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 27 Dec | | M&S* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 26 Dec | | Matalan* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 26 Dec | | New Look* | 60% off | 24 Dec | 26 Dec | | Next | 50% or more | 3pm, 24 Dec | 6am, 26 Dec | | River Island | 50% off | 20 Dec | 20 Dec | | Tesco F&F clothing* | 50% off | 13 Dec | 13 Dec | | Topshop | Topshop won't release sale info early. We expect online & in-store offers. Last year, they started Xmas Day. | | Toys R Us* | 50% off | 24 Dec | 26 Dec | | (i) Store opening times vary, some from 6am. |
Full list of more than 50 big retailers' sales: Christmas Sales Rundown | | | | | Your sales rights  1. You have NO legal right to change your mind if bought in-store. The law says tough luck, though many shops normally still allow an exchange or refund. Yet during sales, that leniency often goes. So only buy something if you're sure it's right. See Buying Rights. 2. Buy online and you DO have a right to change your mind. Distance Selling Regulations mean if you order online or by phone, you have seven working days to return goods, regardless of reason, creating an army of roboshoppers. These items are excluded so can't be returned or cancelled:
> Personalised goods (eg, photo mugs), unless faulty.
> Fresh food and flowers, unless faulty.
> Travel, hotel and event tickets.
> Opened games, videos or software, unless faulty. If you click and collect at stores, you're covered. If you just reserve items (but don't pay online), you're not. What matters is where you pay. 3. If faulty, return quickly and you DO have refund rights. The game changes if goods are defective. Stores' policies are irrelevant as your statutory rights allow a refund if you return quickly. Shops may try to fob you off - eg, "go to the manufacturer" or "no returns even if faulty during sales" - they're wrong. See What Shops Get Wrong and Return Rights. With second-hand goods from stores/traders (not individuals), you've the same rights. What counts as "satisfactory quality" varies between a 10p T-shirt and a £2,000 bag. See Second-Hand Rights. Related: 40 eBay Tricks 4. Pay by credit card for extra protection. Buy anything at £100+, pay even 1p by credit card (not debit) and Section 75 laws mean the card firm's jointly liable if things go wrong. So if goods are faulty, or the firm goes bust, it needs to cough up as if it were the shop.
Make sure you REPAY IN FULL each month, preferably by direct debit so there's no interest, in which case... Get 5% cashback too: the Amex Platinum Everyday* card has no annual fee and pays 5% in the first 3mths, then up to 1.25% (fail to repay in full, & it's 19.9% rep APR). Full info and other options in Cashback Credit Cards. 5. Martin's Money Mantras - Finally, before spending, scroll down and check Martin's Money Mantras. If the answer is 'no' to any of these questions, DON'T BUY IT. PS. I'm taking time off over Christmas (perks of being the boss) so this email is in the talented hands of my team. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas. Martin.
PPS. The next weekly email will be sent on Thursday 2 January. | | | | |
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MSE News |
 | 'Tis the season to be MoneySaving |  | | If this email's ever helped you, please forward it to friends and suggest they get it via moneysavingexpert.com/tips | |
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| Tue 24 Dec 2013 |
| To wish you a Merry Christmas, Martin & MSE have jointly donated 30,000 tetanus vaccines on your behalf. Urgent. Beat train and Tube fare hikes
Prices rise on Thursday 2 January | Buy season tickets before to beat 'em and save £100s Annual hikes are looming. Season tickets will rise by an average 3.1%, while other fares will jump too. Check if you can slash costs buying season tickets pre-2 Jan, plus our Cheap Train Tricks has a train-load of cost-cutting tricks.  How big are the hikes? Season tickets will rise by an average 3.1%, but firms crank some routes further. Other tickets rise too. A year's Reading-London ticket rises 3.2%, from £3,960 to £4,088; Wakefield-Leeds is up 2.9%, from £964 to £992. But a tiny few fall, eg, Fareham to Worthing drops 10.7%, from £2,400 to £2,144.
- Grab next year's season tickets at today's prices. If you're due to renew, you'll almost certainly save by buying NOW to pay 2013 prices. If your ticket expires in Jan, it might be worth paying twice for a few days, so check.
To get 2013 prices, the start date must be 1 Jan or earlier (18 Jan for travel inside London). Go to National Rail's Season Ticket Calc and compare prices now and from 2 Jan to ensure sure you save. FULL info: Cheap Train Tricks.
- Free split ticket apps can save £££s. Counter-logically, buy two tickets for one journey and you can save big - our unique Split Ticket App shows where to split & the saving. We found an £83 Ldn-Wolverhampton single. Yet buy Ldn-M Keynes, where the train often stops, then MK-Wolves, and it's £49, saving £34. For non-season tickets, as well as ticket splitting, buying early and buying two singles instead of a return can win.
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| Victory for millions over Child Trust Funds. Govt will allow CTFs to be moved into junior ISAs from 2015, unlocking the prison up to 6m children's cash is locked in. Bravo to all who supported our 'tweet George' campaign. Victory £25 Travelodge sale. Jan-Oct 2014 stays. Two million rooms £25 or LESS. Starts Boxing Day. Hotel Sales Get £70 Amazon vch on 500 mins, unltd texts & 1GB data £11/mth Sim. MSE Blagged. Use code TMOBMSE on T-Mobile* 12-mth contract (newbies only) by Sun & get vouch in 3 mths. Full info: Cheap Mobiles Pay £5, get £10 iTunes code. Via daily deals site - limited stock. iTunes Deals |
| How tight are you?
For festive fun, take the 'are you a Scrooge?' test. Plus MoneySaving IQ, consumer rights and debt quizzes
If you think you have what it takes, try these three fiendish quizzes.  How tight are you? Take our tongue-in-cheek How Tight Are You? test. MoneySaving is about cutting bills, not cutting back - unless you need to. Tightness includes thrift and being less than generous. The aim is balance.
Compare your result - the average is 36% tight, while Martin was 41%. And forumite Enterprise 1701C mused: "80% - not sure whether to be proud or worried."- MoneySaving IQ test. This email's weekly, but how much goes in? Our MoneySaving IQ Quiz reveals if you're a MoneyWastingExpert or competition for Martin.
- Celebrity Consumer Rights Quiz. Can Will return the 'I love Pippa' T-shirt he bought for Harry? Or J-Lo, her too-small knickers? Test your money muscles with our Celebrity Consumer Rights Quiz - bad puns thrown in free.
- Good Debt/Bad Debt Video Quiz. Some debts are good, some hideous. Play our Good Debt/Bad Debt Video Quiz to see if your wisdom's up to scratch.
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Show Best Buys
Switch bank, get free £100. Not happy with your bank? Don't suffer, switch. Usually takes just seven working days. Free £100 & top cust service: First Direct*, 3% AER interest & cashback: Santander 123*. Full help: Best Bank Accounts FitFlop boots & trainers up to 50% sale. Incl Crush boots £52 (RRP £110) Super T Sneaker £25 (£75). FitFlop 7 Nails Inc varnishes £24 all-in (usually £65). From Xmas eve. Plus £5 (+p&p) polish sale. Nails Inc Track Santa as he delivers pressies worldwide. Nifty site watches his progress. Track Santa |
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| 88p-£7.50 posh baubles for Xmas 2014 at John Lewis (up to 40% off). Online & in-store. Baubles £2/mth Audible trial (usually £8). 3-mth trial - get one audiobook a month. 100k to choose from, incl The Great Gatsby & Bill Bryson. Audible Reclaim 14 YEARS of lost music in 5 mins. Buy CDs at Amazon & you now get the MP3 free. Plus you can find lost tracks from 1999 onwards. We've successes galore - MSE Darryl found 150 albums. Party Like It's 1999 |
Watch Breaking Bad and Downton Abbey online box sets FREE
Dreaming of a Walter White Christmas? Banish Xmas telly turkeys - stream hot TV and blockbuster movies You can stream box sets and films instantly on your laptop, tablet, some games consoles, mobile or smart TV (or connect your computer to the telly) for free. The Watch Movies Online guide gives the full picture, here's the trailer.  It's FREE and legal. Plan your 30-day trials - get one, cancel before it ends, get another, for months of free viewing. Use Netflix* for Breaking Bad, The Hunger Games & Modern Family, Lovefilm* for The Walking Dead, Dexter & Twilight and Now TV* for Life of Pi, The Dark Knight Rises and Django Unchained. For older movies and some TV, Clubcard TV, Viewster or Crackle win. Full details: Free Streaming- Netflix vs Lovefilm vs the rest. It's no longer just about the biggies. Netflix* (£5.99/mth) & Lovefilm* (£5.99/mth) are best for TV but if you're hungry for movie blockbusters, Now TV's* Sky Movies pass (1mth free, £9/mth after, cancellable at any time) and Sky Store* (99p to £3.49 pay-per-view) gets films just months after they've been shown at the cinema. Blinkbox*, iTunes and Google Play have films for £3-£4 each and are alternatives if you can wait a little longer.
- Beware broadband limits. At 500MB/30mins of TV, streaming eats data. Consider unlimited broadband.
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| Up to 25% off airport parking. MSE Blagged. Book early and use these special links for extra discounts. SkyParkSecure 13%-25% off* | APH 10%-20% off* | FHR 12%-18%*. FULL help: Airport Parking FREE eye test vouchers. For Optical Express & Specsavers. See our Free Eye Tests guide. Spare time over Christmas? Sort your finances. There are many ways to make Christmas pay. Cut your bills with a Money Makeover, Boost Your Income (eg, flog old gadgets) and do a Budget to avoid overspending. |
Five FREE ways to save lives
Donate food, healthcare and mammograms just by clicking links. Plus give blood, volunteer and more If you can't afford a charity donation, there are many ways to help in the goodwill season without spending...  Feed the starving. Click on a family of charity websites and sponsors donate on your behalf to those in need. The original click'n'give Hunger Site gives cups of food, plus there's The Breast Cancer Site. See Donate For Free.- Give blood - our blood banks need it. It's a short, relatively painless procedure that saves lives. Click for England & N Wales | S & W Wales | Scotland | N Ireland.
- Get a Donor Card. It's a big decision, but joining the Organ Donor Register could mean you save or improve up to nine lives. If it's for you, sign up online, call 0300 123 23 23 or text SAVE to 62323.
- Volunteer your time instead of cash. There are countless ways to lend a hand, from mentoring young people to presenting hospital radio. To find local opportunities, try TimeBank and Do-it.
- Give more - without paying more. Use Gift Aid or give directly from your salary via payroll to boost donations by up to 60%. You can also set up charity accounts where tax is added automatically. See Charity Giving.
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| Want to work at MSE? We've four editorial vacancies, all based at MSE Towers in London. MSE Job Opps Airport deals: Pret 'free' hot drink with food, WHSmith £5 off £15. At Gatwick. For offers at Manchester, Glasgow & Liverpool, see all UK Airport Deals. Show Best Buys |
| Show Vouchers and Top Deals |
Restaurant vouchers | Discount vouchers & sales | Top deals |
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 CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
Make a New Year resolution to Slim Your Bin
Whether you're rubbish at sorting rubbish or reliable at arranging recycling, take the New Year Rubbish Diet Challenge to reduce your waste and save money. Sign up and you'll get free step-by-step emails from zero waste website The Rubbish Diet to help you become a recyling pro and tackle food waste. Then tell us how your waste watch went on the MSE Forum. BOOK GIVEAWAY
Robotslayer. 50 blagged for MoneySavers. Want one? MONEY MORAL DILEMMA
I saw a homeless man steal food - should I have reported it?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I think (though can't be sure) I saw a homeless man steal a salad from Pret A Manger. Should I have reported him? I know it's a crime to steal, but isn't it the shop's responsibility to keep watch? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I have reported theft? | Suggest an MMD | View Past MMDs THE GREAT HUNT
MoneySaving New Year resolutions
The new year's a great time for a financial fresh start. Whether you want to ditch your debt, curb your spending or bag better bargains, we want to hear it. Share yours/read others': MoneySaving New Year resolutions Past topics: View all CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT
Airline: Thomson Offer: £30 off Ends: 30 April 2014
This week's pick is Thomson's £30 off returns. It's valid on selected flights until 30 Apr 2014 and includes taxes and charges. The discount's automatically applied. We found B'ham-Alicante flights for £49. To find flights quickly, use the FlightChecker on a max £60 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
Which companies charge under-18s grown-up rates?
This topic certainly got people talking last week, and got many forumites angry. Campsites and Sea-Life Centres charge 12-year-olds the same as their parents, while some bus companies charge over-14s full fares. A number of MoneySavers think that no matter how fares are worked out, there will always be anomalies. back to top ↑ |
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Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances 29 December
The Surgery with Aled, Radio 1, 9pm-10pm.
MoneySaving. | 2 January
Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5 Live, 12pm-1pm.
Consumer Panel.
Listen to past shows. | |
MSE team corner | Discussion of the week Tricky situation with child Budgeting for extra family members at Christmas is something lots of families have to deal with. Forumite Lily-Rose grapples with this in the Tricky situation with child discussion. Join the forum and share your tips. | Cheap travel money |
This week's poll: What's your favourite Christmas film? It's Christmas, so for this week's poll, we're forgetting money and going for a bit of fun. We've selected some of the best-loved Christmas films and we'd like you to pick your favourite.
Please vote for your FAVOURITE. Here's a taster of the options. | Poll resultsWould you cancel Christmas?
Bah, humbug - most men would cancel Christmas. Plenty of women would happily see it go, too.
- 54% of men would cancel it.
- 44% of women would cancel it.
17,460 voted. See full results. |
Question of the week Q: I was delayed five hours on a flight from London to Barcelona earlier this month because of the well-documented air traffic control problems. Am I entitled to compensation? Dave, by email. MSE Guy's A: As this was outside airlines' control (there was a major fault with the central air traffic control system) you are NOT entitled to compensation. Where it's the airline's fault (eg, the pilot was late) you can get up to £500 per person. However, if you're held up more than two hours, whatever the reason, you may be entitled to food, drinks, calls and accommodation. If you paid for these, keep receipts, then claim. See Flight Delay Rights for full reclaiming info. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
 Debs' free game of the week: Turkey Got Guts |
The MSE Christmas pub quiz 2013 It's now an annual tradition. Each year at the MSE Christmas party, the team are subjected to love to play the Christmas quiz. Have a go at it yourself and remember, NO GOOGLING. The MSE Christmas pub quiz 2013 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. 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 amazon.co.uk, argos.co.uk, asda.com, asos.com, diy.com, boots.com, currys.co.uk, debenhams.com, homebase.co.uk, houseoffraser.co.uk, johnlewis.com, marksandspencer.com, matalan.co.uk, newlook.com, clothingattesco.com, toysrus.co.uk, americanexpress.com, tmobile.co.uk, firstdirect.com, santander-products.co.uk, barclaycard.co.uk, lloydsbank.com, gocompare.com, google.co.uk, directline.com, aviva.co.uk, admiral.com, sainsburysbank.co.uk, netflix.com, lovefilm.com, nowtv.com, sky.com, postoffice.co.uk, bt.com, blinkbox.com, energyhelpline.com, confused.com, comparethemarket.com.
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