Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Big energy reclaim, Boots glitch, John Lewis 25% off, couples' railcard, 2 specs £25, Sky 50% codes, poor credit 0%, 2for1 Ideal Home

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Martin Lewis

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Cutting your costs, fighting your corner Martin's Money Tips Wed 5 Mar 2014
Cards Reclaim Shopping Deals Utilities Banking Travel Insurance Mortgages Income

This week

Reclaim £100s on OLD energy bills
Rebuild your credit + get cashback
Top cash ISAs: Use 'em or lose 'em
Annual travel cover £13
New. COUPLES' railcard £27
Sky TV & Broadband 50% off codes
Best ever 0% debt shift?
25% off Debenhams & John Lewis
CPP reclaiming help & templates
CODES: The Works 30%, Kurt Geiger 25%, Whistles 25%, Habitat 25% etc
15% off Morrisons wine code
Boots code-stacking trick
2 specs £25
Ideal Home London 2for1 tix
Free wills for over-55s during March
Free £13 make-up with £2 mag
Brio toys £1, usually £15
Vouchers Index: Restaurants / Shopping
Best Buys: 0% cards | Car insurance
Best Buys: Gas & Elec | Bank Accs

MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter

10 tricks to slash motoring costs
Monster savings on the running costs of cars, bikes & vans. Save £1,000s

If the Stig's helmet had eyes, even they'd probably water about the fact car running costs alone have sped to an average £3,500/yr. As it's new car registration month, I've decided to try to rev up your motoring savings.

1. Has the PHOTO on your licence expired? You risk a £1,000 fine. While the licence itself may be valid, the photo needs renewing every 10yrs. 2m have expired. Check your card's section 4b date. See Driving Licence Help.
2. motoringGet 3% back on petrol/diesel spending. Grab a Santander 123* credit card (check eligibility) and get 3% cashback when you pay for fuel & train fares on it (max £9/mth back), 2% in department stores, 1% supermarkets.

It has a £24 annual fee, so works best for serious drivers, but get a Santander 123 bank account, a best buy in its own right, and the first year's fee's refunded. Yet only do this if you'll repay it IN FULL each month to avoid the 18.9% interest (22.8% rep APR incl fee).

Do it right and it can work well, as Pizza Lover tweeted: "I've earned £110 on my Santander 123 Credit Card over its 1st yr." Full info: Petrol Credit Cards
3. Car insurance deals comparison sites miss. There's no one cheapest insurer, so the aim's to get as many quotes as possible in the shortest time. Our full Car Insurance, Van, & Motorbike guides show you how. Some get huge results. Mike tweeted us this week, "Renewal for 3 cars £2,300, used advice and got lot for £1,200. Bargain!" Here are just a few tips...

- First, correctly combine comparisons. Different sites search different insurers. So for the max quotes in the minimum time, our latest order is MoneySupermarket* then Gocompare*, and, if time, Confused.com*.

- Then check hot deals they miss, eg, £50 Amazon voucher. a) Aviva*, get a policy via this link and using code AVIVAMSE50, you get a £50 Amazon voucher after 60 days. b) Direct Line* is missed too.

- 3rd party's not always cheapest. Selecting comprehensive makes some insurers consider you a lower risk. So always check both.

- Got more than one car? Comparison sites only do single vehicles. Manually check Admiral MultiCar* and if time Churchill* & Direct Line* discounts.
4. Young drivers, try adding parents as 2nd drivers. Under-25s can pay huge, our Cheap Young Drivers' Car Insurance has step-by-step help incl....

- Correctly combine comparisons. Our young driver order for max quotes in min time is Confused.com* followed by Compare TM*, then Gocompare*.

- Check deals comparisons miss. Get a policy with code AVIVAMSE50 via this Aviva* link & you get a £50 Amazon vch after 60 days. Check Direct Line* too

- Add responsible 2nd drivers. Adding older people who may drive the car as 2nd driver may reduce your risk average. It's a case of trial & error with different firms. As Faevouritexox told us: “As a young new driver my insurer wanted £5,000, but after adding mum and dad it dropped to £1,900."

- Still too expensive? Try telematics policies. These policies put a black box in your car that monitors your driving. Check Coverbox*, Drive Like A Girl* & iKube*. See Best Telematics Policies for full help.
5.

Unfair council parking fine? You have a right to appeal. If you get an unfair Penalty Charge Notice, don't just accept it, you have rights. Of those appeals already turned down by the council, 50% win if they keep going to the final stage. See Fight Unfair Council Parking Tickets.

Arm yourself against parking tickets
Download and print our Free Glovebox Parking Aid

6. Buying a motor? Slash the cost of financing it. Whether a new or used runaround, saving up for it's best. Yet if you need to borrow, budget to ensure affordable repayments, don't overcommit & do it the cheapest way...

- The cheapest loans start at 4.5%: For £7,500-£15k loans, Santander's* 4.5% representative APR. For £5,000-£7,500 the AA* is 5.7% rep APR via this link. All do a credit check and sadly, only 51% of accepted apps need to get the published rate, the rest can pay (a lot) more. More in Cheap Loans.

- 0% credit card often wins for smaller amounts. Tesco* and Santander* cards give new cardholders 18mths 0% on purchases, so if you can repay within that time, they're interest-free (beware, they jump to 18.9% rep APR after). The 0% Card Eligibility Checker shows the best you can get.

- Need cash to pay? Use a 0% money transfer. A few credit cards let newbies 'money transfer' cash into a bank account, so you can use it and owe them instead. It's a bit complex, so read Money Transfers first.

Virgin* (check eligibility) lets accepted new customers money transfer at 29mths 0% for a 4% fee. MBNA's* also 29mths 0% with a 4% fee. Pay off by then or they jump to 20.9% and 22.9% rep APR respectively. As with all credit cards, ensure you never miss a repayment, or you can lose the deal.

What about PCP, leasing and more? These dealer-based finance options can work out well - for more help see our 60 Seconds On Car Finance.
7. Private parking firms CAN'T fine you. Parking tickets from supermarkets, housing estates or any private car park do better impressions than Rory Bremner. Some even call themselves Parking Charge Notices to mimic official council Penalty Charge Notices. Yet they're not fines, just invoices.

If a ticket's unfairly slapped on your windscreen (eg, there was no signage), reply explaining why it's unfair and that you won't pay. It may huff and puff, yet it can't "hit your credit record" or "send bailiffs" without the time and expense of court action. See Fight Unfair Private Parking Tickets.
8. Get breakdown cover for just £20. Breakdown renewal rates tend to be hugely inflated. Yet 90% who tried haggling with the AA at that point, and 78% with the RAC, report success. New customer offers can be even stronger, though. Full info in Cheap Breakdown Cover, but at speed...

Basic AA cover is £34, but newbies can get £14 back through a cashback site, meaning a total of just £20. See AA New Customer Deals.

Or use this RAC* link and the code RACMSE to get a £5 M&S voucher on its basic £35 policy or £35 M&S with its £50-£100 policies. The same amount is available as cashback through cashback sites, see RAC Deals for more help.

Alternatively, 'pay & claim' policy AutoAid gets home start and onward travel for £39 a year. Or Green Insurance* offers full cover including Europe for £52 if you use the code EXPERT.
9. Cut petrol & diesel costs. Prices may have fallen to a 3-year low, but at £1.30/L that still doesn't make them cheap. Cruise our Cheap Petrol & Diesel guide for full help - here's a quick chug through the key points.

a) Make your car more efficient. Check tyre pressure & dejunk your trunk.
b) Use 30% less petrol driving better. It's not about speed, but more gradual acceleration, earlier gear changes, etc. See Fuel-Efficient Driving.
c) Don't fill up just anywhere, use Petrolprices.com for cheapest forecourts.
10. Hidden council MOT centres can mean fewer fails. 40% of MOTs fail first time, often for trivialities such as bust light bulbs or poor windscreen wipers. So follow our DIY MOT Pre-Check to cut down on these and save costs.

For the test itself, if you've a long-term trusted garage, great. If not, council MOT test centres generally don't do repairs, so have less incentive to fail you. Many say it makes a huge difference, such as forumite jemayhew:

"Huge thanks. Previous year got ripped off for £400 repairs, today passed at council centre with only the test fee to pay."

These are just the tip of the iceberg - see the full 40 Cheap Motoring Tips.

Blagged for MoneySavers

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Free help & templates: Reclaim PPI

MSE News

Top story: Banks replacing bonus schemes after FCA crackdown
Extra cash to tackle copycat Government websites
NatWest/RBS ditch introductory bonus rates
Royal Mail to increase stamp prices again - but you can beat the hikes
Payday loan firms face legal crackdown from April
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Use the Money Mantras If you're skint If you're not skint
The Ones Not To Miss Wed 5 Mar 2014
New. Reclaim £100s from your OLD energy supplier
The regulator believes up to 3.5million former customers are owed £200 million. Get your money back

When you switched energy firms, if you were in credit, you should've been given that money back. Yet many energy firms pocketed the cash. Sometimes they claimed they couldn't contact you as you'd moved house, or they just kept schtum. Now the regulator's revealed the scale of the problem, we're launching our Reclaim Energy Bills Credit guide. In short...

  • energyFind out if you overpaid. If you've got your last bill, check to see if you were in credit. If not, call up with your past address to ask. See Did I Overpay? help. We don't think there's a time limit (it's tough to confirm) if you've the bills, but switches in the last six years will be easier. Energy tarts may be owed by many firms.
  • Get your money back. If you call suppliers' refund numbers and ask for the cash back, they need to do it - you should get a cheque (it could take weeks). Please let us know how it goes or tweet @MartinSLewis or @MoneySavingExp to help us build info.
  • Does this still happen for current switches? They don't have to give you the money if you don't ask, but most do. Ensure they've got your new address if you've moved. And call after 30 days if they've not sent you the cash.
  • Give yourself an energy tariff checkup. Many people massively overpay year on year on their energy bills and can save £100s. It should only take five minutes - use our free Cheap Energy Club to find out if you're overpaying.
  • I'm in credit on my current bill, should I worry? Paying by monthly direct debit is cheapest, but it means what you pay is smoothed out across the year. So it's natural to be in credit after low use in summer, storing cash up for winter. As a rule of thumb, more than a month's credit is hefty - your direct debit payments may be too high. Plus the big six suppliers (barring Scottish Power) have now agreed to give automatic annual refunds of either any excess payments, or excess payments of £5+.

New COUPLES' railcard, Two Together, for £27 code. First new nationwide railcard in 30 years. Both of you named on the card (must be 16+) get 1/3 off rail tickets for a year, so spend over £42 each & you save. Two Together
More train deals: 25p Ldn-Birm singles deal & Stansted Express £8 e/w if you book 30 days ahead. Full info in Train Deals.

50% off Sky TV & broadband codes. MSE Blagged. 2,400 discounts available for Sky newbies (or those who last had it 12+ mths ago) to get a year's 50% off TV, incl movies and sport. Get codes and full info via Cheap Sky TV.

Best ever 0% debt shift? 26mths, just 0.75% fee. A reminder that new Nationwide* cardholders can now balance transfer existing card debts to it for 26mths 0% for a one-off 0.75% fee, making it cheaper for most than Barclaycard's* (check eligibility) longest ever 31mths 0% with a 2.99% fee. Yet never miss repayments and plan to repay in full (or shift the debt again) before the 0% ends or they jump to 17.9% & 18.9% rep APR. Full help: 0% Balance Transfers (APR Examples)

Mega up to 25% off sale at Debenhams and John Lewis matching. Until Sun. Huge cross-store sale on many items (only 10% off beauty/smellies) plus John Lewis is price-matching an "unnamed" competitor's 25% off. Sales

Poor credit price war. Shift to 0%, get cashback deals and more
A raft of hot credit card deals can now be taken advantage of, even by those with a poor credit history

We've a full range of deals targeting even those who've had past problems. While all cards still credit score applicants, they don't automatically exclude those with past (over 1yr old) CCJs & defaults or older bankruptcies...

  • build your credit(Re)build your credit + earn 0.5% cashback + cheap spending abroad. Credit scoring's all about predicting future behaviour, so borrowing responsibly boosts your creditworthiness. Get a credit card, do, say, £50/mth of normal spending on it, repay IN FULL on time, each month, to avoid any interest, & it can rehabilitate you.

    Normally, those with poor credit can only get hideous rate cards. Capital One's Classic Extra* (check eligibility) is no exception at 34.9% rep APR, but fully repay it (& never withdraw cash) to avoid interest and the rate's irrelevant (more help in Credit Rebuild Cards). Plus you get...

    (1) Cashback:
    It pays 0.5% cashback on all UK spending and a £10 bonus if you never pay late. For more help, see Top Cashback Cards and the Cashback Card Eligibility Checker.
    (2) Cheap spending abroad. It's one of the rare cards that doesn't add a foreign exchange 'load' abroad, so spend £100 of euros and it costs £100. For more, see Top Cards Abroad and the Overseas Cards Eligibility Checker.
  • Cut existing debt costs to 0% for 6mths. The Capital One Balance* card lets newbies shift debts to it at 0% until October for a a one-off 3% fee. After that date, it's a HUGE 34.9% rep APR, so repay by then or shift elsewhere (even back to your original card if its APR's cheaper). Yet before you do that, use our Balance Transfer Eligibility Checker to see if you may be accepted for better deals. More in Best Balance Transfers. Also see 0% Spending Poor Credit Cards.
  • Bad credit card golden rules: a) Only use a card as we describe it. If it's for 0% balance transfers, don't spend on it, or it's costly. b) Never miss payments or pay late, it'll hurt your credit score and you can lose the deal. c) Check out our How To Boost Your Credit Score guide. e) Still got problems? Consider getting Debt Help.

Don't throw your CPP forms out - they're likely worth £100-£500. Up to 7m people have been sent forms to share in the £1.3bn CPP payback. Full help, incl what to do if it's gone wrong, in CPP Reclaiming Help & Templates.

CODES: The Works 30% off, Kurt Geiger 25%, Habitat 25%, Whistles 25%...
Codes: Urban Outfitters 20% | Bonmarché 20% | Kurt Geiger 25% | Whistles 25% in £2 mag | The Works 30% MSE Blagged
Habitat 25% off code & in-store | Ocado 25% off £40+ new custs only, max spend £80 | Full list: Discount Vouchers
Hot new sales: Matalan up to 50% off | George at Asda up to 50% off, both started Mon. High Street Sales

15% off Morrisons newbies wine code (10% existing custs). MSE Blagged. Min 6 bottles. Newbies, use code MSENEW15 till Fri, otherwise there's WINE10 till 31 Mar at Morrisons Cellar*. Full info: Wine Deals. Please be Drinkaware.

Boots No7 voucher stacking? Poss £19 cosmetics for £5. Complex, but fun. See our Boots Voucher Stacking.

2 specs £25 incl free (£10) tint. Combine code & 2for1 for specs or sunnies. A site for sore eyes. Glasses

It's the final ISA countdown - de-de dur-dur...
Warning: Use it or lose it. Only ONE MONTH left to take advantage of this year's tax-free savings allowance

Don't get scared off cash ISAs - they're not complex, they're just savings accounts where you don't pay tax on the interest. You can put £5,760 per tax year in, and after that the money stays tax-free year after year. So if you've not saved any cash in one since 6 Apr 2013, and have savings, consider using yours ASAP. Full info in Top Cash ISAs, here are the best buys...

  • isa countdownGet 1.75% AER variable with the ability to take money out. Many wrongly believe you need to lock money away in a cash ISA. National Counties (min £100) pays 1.65% & allows unlimited withdrawals. Britannia's a higher 1.75% (min £500) but only allows 2 withdrawals a year; though you can transfer in past years' ISAs to up their rates.
  • Lock cash away to earn up to 2.75% AER. If you don't need to access the cash, Top Fixed Cash ISAs pay more. Though beware locking in, in case other rates bounce back. Top 1 & 2-yr fix: Britannia 1.85% and 2.05% (2% and 2.2% for existing custs). 3 yr: Coventry BS 2.75% (no transfers).
  • Should I use a 3% AER easy access savings instead of an 1.75% ISA? If you're willing to switch to Santander's 123 bank account (2nd top for service in our poll), it pays 3% if you've £3,000-£20,000 in it. Does this beat an ISA? Often, yes. It pays 2.4% after basic rate tax, 1.8% after higher rate. Yet by putting cash in an ISA you protect it from tax year after year. So balance higher rates now versus building up a bigger tax-free savings pot each year.
  • Does your local credit union offer up to 3% AER? A few of these local non-profit savings and loan co-ops offer higher rate cash ISAs, eg, Voyager Alliance (open to those working in transport) pays 3%. See Credit Unions guide.
  • Cash ISA golden rules. 1) Monitor your rate. If it drops, ditch & ISA transfer. 2) You can use your ISA allowance for share investing too - see the ISA Guide for more. 3) ) All accounts listed have full £85k savings safety.
Click the titles for full info and all our top picks
Balance Transfers Car Insurance Cheap Loans Top Cash ISAs
Longest 0%: Barclaycard*
31mths 0%, 2.99% fee

(18.9% rep APR)

Low fee 0%: Nationwide*
26mths 0%, 0.75% fee

(17.9% rep APR)
Get quotes in this order...

MoneySupermarket*
Gocompare*
Direct Line*
Aviva*
Admiral MultiCar*

The AA* (£5k - £7.5k)
5.7% rep APR



Santander* (£7.5k - £15k)
4.5% rep APR

Britannia 1.75% AER
Min £500, no bonus
Post/branch. Transfers allowed

National Counties BS 1.65% AER
Min £100, no bonus
Online. No transfers


See Card APR Examples & Loan APR Examples

Ideal Home London starts next week - 2for1 code. If you missed the 10,000+ free tickets we blagged, there's still a chance to go at a discount. Get a pair from £13.70. Ideal Home Show

Over 55? It's Free Wills Month. Running in 19 areas across England. Book in March, go quick. Free Wills

Travel insurance going CHEEP... from just £13 for all a year's trips
Booking an egg-citing Easter break or even a big summer trip? Don't delay getting your cover. Hop to it

Buying your travel insurance at the last minute can leave you out of pocket if your holiday is cancelled or you get ill beforehand. So if booking or you've already booked, sort it now. Full help in Cheap Travel Insurance, quick best buys...

  • £13 cover for a year. Annual policies cover a year's holidays (usually max 24 days/trip) and tend to win if you're going away 2+ times. This includes short breaks, so if you're planning an Easter long weekend, it fits perfectly.
Annual travel insurance (prices vary with age)
No-frills cheapest Europe No-frills cheapest worldwide Top VALUE picks
Simply the cheapest FCA-regulated policies meeting
our minimum cover levels
Subjective picks factoring in feedback and past payout record
Individual 18-35 Holidaysafe Lite* £13
36-45
Coverwise* £13
46-65 Holidaysafe Lite* £15-£19
18-35 Holidaysafe Lite* £23
36-45 Coverwise* £24
46-65 Holidaysafe Lite* £25-£28
Top pick: Direct Travel*
Europe £44-£66, world £66-£101
Add £20 for catastrophe cover
Family
18-65 Holidaysafe Lite* £27-£38

18-65
Holidaysafe Lite* £46-£56
Top pick: Direct Travel*
Europe £83-£125, world £126-£191.
Add £40 for catastrophe cover.
Comparing via MoneySupermarket* may result in some cheaper deals, as it negotiates exclusives. Note: Holidaysafe Lite is an MSE Blagged policy, only available via these links
  • Older travellers, single trips, or pre-existing conditions. Here's the lowdown:

    - Single trips: Cover starts at £6, depending on age and destination. Use MoneySupermarket's* comparison.
    - Older travellers: It can be expensive but there are competitive options. See our Over-65s Travel Insurance Guide.
    - Had medical issues? Always declare them. If getting cover's tough, see Specialist Medical Travel Insurers.
    - Hitting the slopes? Add cheap winter sports cover so you're protected for accidents or lost/stolen gear.

Also see: Free EHIC Card | ESTA Help | Cheap Flights | Cheap Hotels | Cheap Package Holidays | Priceline Bidding Tricks

Free £13 ModelCo make-up in £2 mag. Plus Half Price Perfumes 25% off make-up code. Beauty Deals

£1 posh Brio wooden toys. Can you find 'em? 5,000 items spread across 232 stores, incl the Brio Pull Along Seal which was on Amazon for £15 (now on sale for £5) and more. Full info in Poundworld Deals.


Click the titles for full info and all our top picks
Gas & Electricity Bank Accounts Home Insurance Landlines
Get permanently cheap energy.

Our club ensures you're always on the cheapest tariff.

Join free: Cheap Energy Club

Up to £30 cashback for dual fuel, £15 for single switches.

First Direct
£100 bonus and top cust service


Santander 123*
Up to 3% cashback on bills

(£2 per month fee)
Get quotes in this order...

Confused.com*
Compare The Market*
Direct Line*
Aviva*

Post Office*
with weekend calls
£10/mth (pay a yr upfront)



BT Line Rental Saver*
£11.75/mth (pay a yr upfront)
Do a Money Makeover Budget Planner MSE car sticker £13 Travel Insurance

Restaurant vouchers

Discount vouchers

Top deals

The Moneysaving community
The MoneySaving Community

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
Buy a banana that's fair for Fairtrade Fortnight

We go bananas for bananas in the UK, one in three sold here are Fairtrade, which ensures better prices and fairer rights for farmers & workers in the developing world. Goods often cost the same whether they're Fairtrade or not, so find out where to swap your shop for Fairtrade Fortnight, & tell us if you've gone Fairtrade on the MSE Forum. 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 I try to boost my salary at a charity?

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I've been offered a job at a charity I really care about, but it turns out the starting wage is £5,000 less than my current wage. It also involves odd working hours and a longer, more expensive commute. They really want me, I want to take the job, but I don't know if I can take the financial hit. Should I haggle on my starting wage, even though the employer is a charity? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I try to increase my starting wage at a charity? | Suggest an MMD | View Past MMDs

THE GREAT HUNT
Green-fingered tips for growing your own
Are you a green-fingered guru? Share tips for growing fruit and veg cheaply in gardens, allotments or window boxes. What's best to grow? How much do you save? Share yours/read others': Growing your own Past topics: View all

BOOK GIVEAWAY
Money Smarter - A Family Guide.
25 blagged for MoneySavers. Find out if you got one.

CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT
Airline: Monarch Offer: Up to 20% off selected flights Ends: Mon 10 Mar
Our pick this week is Monarch's up to 20% off selected flights sale. It's on till Mon 10 Mar, and includes taxes & charges. It's for flights until 30 Jun 2014 to 17 destinations from 6 UK airports. To find flights quickly, use the FlightChecker on a £100 return max search. We found Gatwick-Barcelona for £32.99 outbound and £32.27 inbound. 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
Have you saved money by having furniture custom-made?

Lots of forumites who had furniture specially-made for them say they got better quality at a lower cost compared with shop-bought items, including a fireplace surround and a bespoke kitchen. Forumite Azurite320 got a solid oak bed frame made for £750 - £280 cheaper than the equivalent in a bed shop.

Quick forum tips

Freebies

Martin's blogs

Martin's appearances

6 March
Daybreak, ITV, 7.35am-7.45am.
Deals of the Week.
6 March
Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5 Live, 12pm-1pm.
Consumer Panel.
Subscribe to podcast.
5 March
You and Yours, Radio 4, 12.05pm-1pm.
Flight delay compensation.
10 March
This Morning, ITV, 11am-12pm.
Subject tbc.
Watch this week's show on CPP reclaiming.
PS. Missed The Martin Lewis Money Show? Watch past episodes.

MSE team corner

Discussion of the week

My other half used my credit card to withdraw cash

It's devastating to discover your money has been taken without your knowledge - even more so when it's by someone close to you. The Someone has been withdrawing from my credit card discussion shares one forumite's experience.

Cheap travel money

UK's Best Currency Rates
£100 will buy you:
Best Worst
Euro Flag 120.51 108.45
US Flag $ 166.26 149.63
Turkish Flag TL 361.90 323.10
Rates correct at 4pm Tue
Find all top currency rates
Compare travel cash

This week's poll: Are you a shyster site victim for EHICs, passports and other renewals?

Search for an EHIC, driving licence, passport or similar and you risk paying a shyster site for doing nowt. These sites appear high up on Google and dress up like legitimate sites, then charge you extra for what's normally just easy form-filling. The Government's announced extra cash for a crackdown - we want to judge the scale of the problem.

Been caught out (or nearly caught out) by a shyster site and paid over the odds?

Poll results

Which are the best and worst daily deals sites?

Sites voted "great":
- 31% Groupon
- 25% Amazon Local
- 24% LivingSocial

Sites voters wouldn't touch with a bargepole:
- 59% Tap4Offers
- 56% Social Discount Network
- 46% MightyDeals

2,595 voted. See the full results.

Question of the week

Q: I declared myself bankrupt three years ago and was discharged two years ago. My bank's told me I'm entitled to PPI redress. But will I see the money or will it use it against the loan? Katrina, by email.

MSE Helen S's A: You're right it's likely you won't see the money. The Insolvency Act, which governs bankruptcy regulation, states that if you were mis-sold PPI at any time before you were declared bankrupt, the PPI claim, and the proceeds of that claim, belong to the Official Receiver or trustee - and not to you.

This applies even after you've been discharged. So if your claim's successful, your trustee's likely to collect any cash due and will decide how it'll be shared amongst your creditors. You may as well fill in the form, even though it's likely just to be a paper gain. You can find more information in our PPI FAQs.

Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails).

 Debs' free game of the week: Jetstream Penguin

Can you identify European countries by their shapes?

That's it for this week, but before you go, we've a geography-based teaser: Can you identify European countries by their shapes?

We hope you save some money,

Martin & the MSE team

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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, and still writes this email each week (unless it says so). He's an ultra-focused money-saving journalist and consumer campaigner with his own ITV prime-time The Martin Lewis Money Show, weekly slots on Radio 5 Live, This Morning and Daybreak, amongst others. He’s a columnist for publications including the Telegraph and Woman magazine. More info: See Martin Lewis' biography

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

santander-products.co.uk, gocompare.com, confused.com, aviva.co.uk, directline.com, admiral.com, churchill.com, comparethemarket.com, gocompare.com, coverbox.co.uk, drivelikeagirl.com, ikubeinsurance.com, sainsburysbank.co.uk, cbonline.co.uk, virginmoney.com, mbna.co.uk, greeninsurancecompany.co.uk, rac.co.uk, nationwide.co.uk, barclaycard.co.uk, capitalone.co.uk, moneysupermarket.com, holidaysafe.co.uk, coverwise.co.uk, direct-travel.co.uk, postoffice.co.uk, productsandservices.bt.com, .

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Note

Referring people to insurers or insurance intermediaries can in some circumstances constitute an FCA regulated activity. For this reason, pages with links which take you to the sites of insurers or insurance intermediaries are hosted by MoneySavingExpert.com Limited on behalf of MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC. MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 303190). The registered office address of both MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC and MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is MoneySupermarket House, St. David’s Park, Ewloe, Chester, CH5 3UZ.

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