Tuesday, September 30, 2014

Special email: New free TicketySplit tool takes on train pricing farce

New split ticket tool reveals hidden cheap rail fares!

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Martin Lewis

MoneySavingExpert.com special email

Cutting your costs, fighting your corner NEW SPLIT TICKET TOOL: AVAILABLE NOW!
Cards Reclaim Shopping Deals Utilities Banking Travel Insurance Mortgages Income

Special Email:
New free TicketySplit tool takes on train pricing farce
Same train, same time, even the same seat - just pay less by splitting your tickets

We've finally cracked it. Our new advanced tickets TicketySplit tool takes on the ridiculous train ticket pricing anomaly that means buying two separate tickets sometimes costs less. It can save some regular travellers £1,000s. Here's an example...
Tickety
Birmingham to Newquay advance single = £150

This train stopped at Cheltenham so instead the tool suggested...


Birmingham to Cheltenham advance single (£21) + Cheltenham to Newquay advance single (£44) = just £65.

Bookmark our free TicketySplit tool. Tell it when & where you're travelling and it crunches thousands of advance & walk-on ticket combos to check if you can split and save. If so, you can buy them with just a few clicks.

Please report your savings in our forum or email splitticket@moneysavingexpert.com with any errors, glitches & suggestions.

  Important quick TicketySplit Q&As

Q.

Why is this a 'special email'? A. We wanted to put this in a normal Martin's Money Tips email. Yet as the tool needs to interrogate thousands of ticket times and prices with every search, telling 9m people at once risks putting a strain on the UK ticket system. So we're sending this special email out in batches over a few weeks to avoid web crashes.

Q.

Don't you already have a TicketySplit app? A. Yes, you can get it on iPhone (key updates coming) - but it can only cope with walk-on fares. The new tool also covers advance tickets which are far cheaper. The huge number of tickets and journeys needs massive server power, so this has been an enormous job that's taken us a long time to crack.
Q. Can I buy the splits via the tool? A. Yes, via thetrainline.com (or take the info and buy the tickets elsewhere).
Q. Why are you working with thetrainline.com? It charges a booking fee. A. This tool needs huge server power, so we needed help from a company with a database that interrogated the timetable. That wasn't easy as some train operators aren't pleased about this tool. So it was brave of thetrainline.com to agree to partner with us.

As it charges a £1.50 booking fee we provide all the info needed so that if you choose you can go via another booking route to avoid that. However do note clicking via thetrainline.com helps ensure we can continue to run this tool, as it provides it an incentive to keep partnering with us. We also get a tiny cut of revenue to help offset what we have to pay to be able to offer you this search.
Q. holiday saving Why does split ticketing work? A. Because train fares and logic go together like marshmallows and tomato soup. Yet it does work and is totally legal. The big warning is that the train MUST call at all the stations you buy tickets to and from (which is what the tool shows you). If you have time-specific tickets and your journey has changes, you may have to pay extra if you're delayed before you split. We'll tell you if you need to change, see Split Ticket help for full details.
Q. Does it include special discount tickets? A. On occasion train operators offer special promos. The nature of the tool means we can't include these, but see our Train Deals and Discounts page for the latest deals.
Q Can you split return tickets? A. Yes, but the tool doesn't yet cover returns. Having said that, singles are often (not always) cheaper or the same price. We hope to include returns in the future, though it's more complex as there are many more options. For now, to locate cheap return splits, check where the train stops and use trial and error.
Q. Is it possible to split the tickets more than once for a journey? A. Yes. Three or more tickets for a trip may be cheaper, but that's beyond the power of our tool. For info on how to check manually, see the Cheap Trains guide.
Q. Can I use a railcard, eg 16-25 or Family & Friends, on splits? A. Yes, it works exactly the same way - as long as your railcard is in date and the tickets are being used at the correct time.
Q. Are there any other ways to save cash? A. Yes, lots. The number one rule with train fares is to throw the logic book out of the window. See our Cheap Trains guide for more.
Q. I love the tool. Can I link to it from my website/blog? A. Of course we're always happy for people to link to us at www.moneysavingexpert.com/split-cheap-train-tickets, just as long as it doesn't imply a recommendation from us.

Try it, the results can be astounding (and sometimes not - but do check!)
TicketySplit Tool

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 inanced and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis.


To change your E-mail or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips

Tuesday, September 23, 2014

5 Odeon tix £20, cheap mortgages, free £4 to Breast Cancer, reclaim bank charges, free £100 gift card, no fee 0%, J Lewis sale, 3.9% loan, flog old mobiles, free audiobooks

Martin's Money Tips Email. Viewing on a mobile, or can't see full email properly (may affect Gmail/Yahoo users)? Read it online.

View mobile friendly version

Martin Lewis

MoneySavingExpert.com weekly email

Cutting your costs, fighting your corner Martin's Money Tips wed 24 sep 2014
Cards Reclaim Shopping Deals Utilities Banking Travel Insurance Mortgages Income

This week

Is bank charges reclaiming back?
Free £100 gift card for Xmas
Flog old phones for £100s
50 student MoneySaving tips
Free £4 Breast Cancer Care donation
Odeon 5 films for £20 (or 2 for £10)
New 12mth 0% NO FEE debt shift
10 free audiobooks
John Lewis up to 25% off till Sun
Cheapest EVER loan 3.9% ending
Two pairs specs £25 + 'free' £10 tint
"Operation free pizza is underway"
Argos & Toys R Us toys 3for2
£30 gets £40 Ocado + YEAR's deliv
CODES: 40% off Body Shop, 25% off F&F and 20% off Warehouse
40% shoes code inc Nike & Clarks
Free £5 gym credit & free passes
Next 50% off this weekend?
Flash Post Office currency sale
Sainsbury's Tu 25% off everything
Vouchers Index: Restaurants / Shopping
Best Buys: 0% cards | Car insurance
Best Buys: Gas & Elec | Bank Accs
Been through a debt relief order?

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

Mortgage rates dropping, eg, 1.89% for 2yrs
Check if you can save £1,000s now. Deals may be very short lived

If you've got or are getting a mortgage, it's likely to be the biggest single expenditure you have, so huge savings may be possible. Just a 1% point cut in interest on a £150,000 repayment mortgage can save some £85/mth.

To help we've a new MSE Mortgage section with 20 new guides, structured in checklists to ensure you're not missing anything. Plus our new Mortgage best buy comparison tool. To get you revved up, here are 10 quick need-to-knows.

1.

Lenders have cut rates by up to 0.7%. In the last few weeks, lenders incl. Lloyds, Virgin & Santander have cut rates on new fixed & variable mortgages. Eg, Nationwide dropped one 5yr fix from 5.49% to 4.79%, Santander cut some 2yr fixes by 0.2%. 

It's likely this happened both because City 'swap rates' (lenders' cost of getting fixed-term funding on the money markets) dropped and some lenders are pushing to hit their end-of-year targets.

This puts rates only a little bit higher than last year's all-time historic lows, meaning it's worth everyone checking if they can cut costs. This is especially key as pundits predict UK rates will rise later this year, or early 2015.
2. New. Mortgage best buy tool includes the MSE 'total cost' comparison. Comparing mortgages isn't as easy as it should be, low rates often mean high fees. So we've built a new mortgage comparison tool with a difference.


Mortgage Best Buy Tool

First-time buyer | Remortgaging to better deal | Moving house


- It includes ALL possible mortgages. As well as the usual mortgages that brokers can source, we also include those only available directly too. The only ones we can't access are the rare exclusives some brokers have.

- New MSE 'total cost comparison'. Of course you can compare by rate, fees, fix length & all the usuals. We've also added a 'total cost comparison', showing the total fees plus interest you'll pay over the fix or discount period.

Examples of some current best buy mortgage rates
To see your own best buys do a full mortgage comparison
Lender LTV (% of home value borrowable) Fix Admin fee SVR (rate after fix ends) Overall APR (if you never switch)
N&P 65% 2yrs 1.89% £195 4.99% 4.6%
First Direct* 90% 2yrs 3.89% £0 3.69% 3.8%
Hinckley & Rugby 95% 2yrs 4.89% £999 5.64% 5.7%
Virgin Money* 70% 5yrs 2.99% £1,094 4.79% 4.2%
Coventry BS 90% 5yrs 4.49% £199 4.49% 4.6%
HSBC 95% 5yrs 5.29% £99 3.94% 4.6%
Ensure you budget so it's affordable - or as they say: "Your home may be repossessed if you don't keep up repayments." Source: London & Country Mortgages*.
3. Boost your chances of getting a top deal. Finding a top deal is the easy bit, getting accepted is tough. There are two key things to watch for:

- Is your credit score good enough? Credit scoring plays a big role in acceptability, you need to manage your credit-worthiness, preferably a long time before application. See 25 credit score boosting tips.

- Is the mortgage affordable enough? New mortgage rules launched this year mean you need to prove you can afford the mortgage even if rates rise. See Boost Your Mortgage Chances.
4. FREE printed MSE booklets - a masterclass in getting a mortgage. As it's a major financial decision, you need to tool up with knowledge first. To help, we've three 40+ page free printed guides to take you through all you need to know about getting (or changing) your mortgage, step-by-step...

- First-Time Buyers: Download instant PDF | order printed
- Remortgaging : Download instant PDF | order printed
- Buy-to-Let mortgages: Download instant PDF | order printed
5. Finding just £100 more can boost your chances. Your loan-to-value (LTV) describes how much of the house's value you're borrowing eg, a £10,000 deposit on a £100,000 home is 90% LTV. A lower LTV means a better deal.

The big thresholds are 90%, 75% and 60% - at each the deals get better. Yet even then it's best to go just a little bit more. So if you are applying for an 75% LTV mortgage on a £100,000 home, don't borrow £75,000, go for £74,900. This can speed up the underwriting process as it doesn't look to lenders like you're at your limit. Read full info and other top mortgage tips.
6. Overpaying £150/month can save £28,000 in interest. If you've spare cash and your mortgage allows you to overpay it can be hugely lucrative. Our Mortgage Overpayment Calculator shows the huge impact. Eg...

Overpaying a £100,000 5% interest mortgage by £150/mth saves £28k in interest alone and means you're mortgage free 8 yrs earlier (on a 25yr term)
.

However, it's not for everyone, full info in Overpay My Mortgage? In brief:

a) Check there are no penalties for overpaying on your mortgage.
b) If you've a very low rate (lower than the after tax rate on top savings), it can be better to save than to pay the rate off.
c) Always keep a few months' cash emergency fund aside.
7. The Ultimate Mortgage Calculator. Sorting your mortgage is all about numbers, so our Ultimate Mortgage Calculator has nine tools to answer all you need to know, including...

Offset Mortgage vs Savings | Ditch Your Fix? | How Much Can I Borrow? | Deposit Saving Calc | Compare Fixed-Rate Mortgages

8. Help to Buy 2 is irrelevant in your choice. While much hyped, the main Help to Buy scheme (ie, not the original only for new builds) is about the Govt giving LENDERS a guarantee to help them offer more 95% LTV mortgages.

So its effect is there are more 5% deposit mortgages available. If that's what you're looking for, it makes no difference to you whether it's a Help to Buy or not. Go for the best deal. See Help to Buy & other schemes info.
9. Mortgage brokers can make it easier and faster. Just going to your existing bank or building society means you'll only be offered its
products - but mortgage brokers look at most deals across the market.

As well as helping those who are unsure of what they're doing, a good broker can quickly source a relevant product that fits your credit history (info not usually available to individuals) and ease acceptance on otherwise unobtainable mortgages. For more info, top picks and how to keep costs down see our top mortgage broker guide.
10. Struggling to pay your mortgage? If you've lost your job, or had a big income cut, you may be entitled to Support for Mortgage Interest or other schemes. Have a read of our mortgage arrears help guide.
PS. If you're not looking for a mortgage see our 50 tips for renters.

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MSE News

Top story: The end is nigh for tax discs - how will it affect you?
Ovo Energy top, Npower rock bottom in MSE's latest energy poll
Insurers told to treat holidaymakers who've had a drink fairly
Ofgem to investigate 'misleading' energy firm letters
Government gives Sharia-compliant student finance the go-ahead
Spread the (MoneySaving) love
If this email's ever helped you, please forward it to friends and suggest they get it via moneysavingexpert.com/tips
Use the Money Mantras If you're skint If you're not skint
The Ones Not To Miss Wed 24 Sep 2014
Is bank charges reclaiming back? First victory in court since 2007
New court ruling could just herald the re-opening of the floodgates to add to the £1bn+ already reclaimed

Since 2009 only those in financial hardship have been able to claim back unfair charges for busting overdraft limits. The door is firmly shut for anyone else, but a new court ruling may just jam a foot in that door. Here's Martin with the latest...

  • Bank chargesFirst bank charges court case win since 2007. Unhappy with an Ombudsman decision, Oliver Foster-Burnell, a 28-yr-old Lloyds TSB customer took his £743 bank charges reclaim to court with free help from legal firm Howlett Clarke. It was testing the law after a 2012 European Court of Justice telecoms (but still relevant) decision. It won.

    The judge said as the contract lets the bank vary charges without explaining by how much (as we suspect other banks do), they needed to be fair. See full court ruling info.
  • What this means for mainstream reclaiming. Until 2009, after the OFT lost a landmark case against the banks, people had got over £1bn of bank charges back (6m MSE templates alone were downloaded). After victory in the High Court & Court of Appeal, the loss at the Supreme Court was a devastating shock. Worse - it was on a technicality. It didn't say bank charges were fair (it hinted they weren't) it said they didn't need to be under that particular law, as they were part of the product's price, which put a halt to mass reclaiming. I hired a QC who found other laws which allowed fairness challenges but the OFT wouldn't take up the cudgels again.

    This new ruling does seem to indicate bank charges may need to be fair - possibly for all cases, not just financial hardship. And as it doesn't set legal precedent, even though they won, Oliver and his campaigning lawyers are bravely trying to appeal to a higher court to get a precedent set. See my full bank charges case analysis & listen to 5 live on it.
  • I've had bank charges, should I try? I'd wait to go to court until we've more news of this case (we'll tell you via this email). Yet if you've had bank charges in the last 6 yrs and they've contributed to severe financial hardship you can reclaim from the Financial Ombudsman now, see the Free Bank Charges Reclaiming guide.
  • Why are bank charges such a big deal? Charges of up to £35 a pop for busting your limit were designed to entrap. Many who went a little over ended up with charges on charges, snowballing into inescapable £1,000s. Banks made £2.5bn+/yr from this. Thankfully, the success of bank charges reclaiming pressured the banks into dropping charges and many now charge £5 to £10 per DAY not transaction - still tough, but nowhere near as bad.

Help donate £10,000 to Breast Cancer Care for free. We want to use the power of our email for this worthy cause. Just upload a pic of yourself in pink with a message via Palmer's, the skincare firm's, Facebook, Instagram or Twitter pages. It'll donate £4 per person, up to a max £10,000. Full info: PinkWithPalmers

Odeon 5 tickets £20 (or 2 for £10). Usually up to £16 each - you DON'T have to use in one go. From Thu/Fri, incl 3D films. Odeon

New NO FEE 0% balance transfer. Last week, a rare fee-free debt shifting new cardholder deal launched, the Tesco 12mth 0% no fee*. Need longer? There's Barclaycard 34mth 0% 2.99% fee* (check eligibility) (plus till 29 Sept £15 back if you shift £1k+). Next longest is Sainsbury's 33mth 0% 2.89% fee* (check eligibility). Ensure you clear the cards before the 0% ends, or they jump to 18.9% rep APR afterwards. Full info/options in Best Balance Transfers (APR Examples).

10 free audiobooks at Amazon - read by Kenneth Branagh & more. Get them (usually up to £23 each) free if you download the free Kindle books. Eg, Dracula read by Alan Cumming, Vanity Fair read by John Castle. Amazon Deals

Free £100 Boots/M&S gift card in time for Christmas
PERFECT TIMING: Do your daily spending on this charge card and it can boost your Xmas shopping kitty

Many who tried it raved about this last year. Most cashback card type deals make you wait 12mths to get the reward - here it's far sooner. So if you're quick (& it is) you could get it in time for Christmas, or at least the Jan sales...

  • Boots gift cardFree £100 gift card. The Amex Rewards Gold* charge card gives accepted newbies who spend £2,000+ on it in the first 3 months 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards pts. This amount can currently get you a £100 M&S or Boots or PC World, etc, gift card, BA/Virgin points and more. The exact stores can change, so it may be different when you redeem, but it's always been a very good, strong range, as forumite kadison found last year: "I've just converted my points to 2 x £50 Boots vouchers".

    While £2,000 spending sounds a lot, use the card for all possible daily and Xmas spending (it's not an excuse to spend more) replacing other cards, cash, cheques, etc. If you miss the amount, you still earn points worth about £5 per £1,000, you just don't get the bonus points.

    Worth noting, the t&cs only promise the bonus after 3mths, but it says in practice it's often once you hit the trigger. So those who hit that quickly should be able to get the card ready for Christmas, if not, the January sales.

    Important - do follow the Golden Rules: (Full info help and more options in: Card Freebies)
    1. This is a charge not a credit card, ie, one designed to be fully repaid each month - so no interest is charged. Yet miss repayments & it's a £12 charge & credit file default. So only spend if you can afford to repay.
    2. There's no annual fee in yr 1, after that it's £125/yr. If you don't want to pay, get the gift card & CANCEL.
    3. To apply you need a minimum £20,000/yr family income & you will be credit scored when you apply.
    4. You can boost reward points collected on petrol, in supermarkets & spending abroad.

John Lewis 'sale matching' Debenhams up to 25% off ALL DEPARTMENTS. Till Sun, D'hams has a 25% off sale (some depts, eg, beauty, are 10%) and J Lewis is matching an, ahem, "unnamed competitor's" 25% sale. Sales Info

Last chance. Cheapest EVER loan - 3.9% ending. Ends Tue 30 Sept. For £7,500 - £15,000 loans Sainsbury's* is 3.9% rep APR for 1-3yrs (4% rep APR for 4-5yrs*) provided you have (or get) a Nectar card. It's the cheapest open-to-all personal loan. If you plan to borrow, do a budget and ensure you can afford repayments. Full info: Cheap Loans.

Two pairs of specs £25 code + 'free' £10 tint. MSE Blagged. Use a £30 off code on Glasses Direct's existing 2for1 on £55+ glasses and sunglasses offer. It'll also throw in a 'free' £10 tint. Ends Tue 30 Sep. Glasses Direct

Success of the week: (Send us yours on this or any topic)
"Operation free pizza is underway. Got four so far, target is 32 by 5 October - that's £90 worth of pizza. Thanks for the info! #savvy" - tweeted by @Rachybop
See our Free Pizza Loophole Deals Hunter blog for how you can get unlimited free pizza

Starts TODAY. Argos and Toys R Us 3for2 on toys. That Christmas feeling has started, time to check? Toy Deals

Earn £100s flogging old mobiles
Our MobileValuer tool instantly compares the BEST price for your old phone - price differences can be huge

Since the iPhone 6 launched, many people have been looking to ditch their handsets and upgrade (if that's you, do it quick as old handset prices tend to drop at speed). Yet it's worth checking through your drawers (ooh er, missus) for any old mobiles. Yet don't just go to the first site you've seen though, prices vary hugely by the day, handset and site.

  • Free tool instantly finds the best price. You can compare 'sell your mobile' prices for more than 900 handsets with our MobileValuer tool. It also includes FAQs on how to do it. With most of the sites you just enter your handset, they give a price, send you an envelope to put it in, then give you a cheque.
Best & worst prices for the top 10 most searched for phones on MobileValuer
Handset Worst & best payers Handset Worst & best payers
1. Apple iPhone 5 16GB £120 - £208 6. Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini £80 - £91
2. Apple iPhone 4S 16GB £90 - £122 7. Samsung Galaxy S4 £72 - £171
3. Apple iPhone 5S 16GB £216 - £250 8. Blackberry Curve 8520 £3 - £25
4. Apple iPhone 4 16GB £60 - £103 9. Blackberry Bold Touch 9900 £25 - £54
5. Samsung Galaxy S3 £61 - £98 10. HTC Desire £2 - £47
Compare prices for ALL mobiles. Assumes mint condition, unlocked phone, prices correct at 23 Sept 2014.
  • The five flogging your old mobile Golden Rules:
    1. To count as 'working', phones should generally switch on, with only mild cosmetic damage and the original battery. If not, you can still flog it, just for less. Let the site know (most have that as an option).
    2. Ensure there are no Pin or security locks on, wipe personal data and, if possible, restore factory settings.
    3. After inspection, if it's not up to scratch a site may offer less. Don't be afraid to ask for your handset back.
    4. There's little protection if sites go bust, check feedback & forums or stick with bigger names if you're unsure.
    5. These sites are all about instant prices. Yet if you're prepared to wait & flog it yourself on eBay, you can often beat their prices. See our full 30+ eBay Selling Tricks for how to do it.

Ocado code gets £10 off £40 & free 1 yr's £70 delivery pass. MSE Blagged. Newbies only. Plus 10% off brands Ocado

CODES/VOUCHERS: Body Shop 40% off, F&F Clothing 25% off, Warehouse 20% off etc...
Body Shop 40% code/vch | F&F Clothing 25% code | Warehouse 20% code/vch | M&S £10 off £50 menswear code
Monsoon £15 off £75 online/in-store | Habitat 25% code/in-store | Whistles 25% code/vch in £2 mag | Discount Vouchers

Brantano 40% shoes code incl Clarks and Nike. MSE Blagged. ALL items, incl already up to 50% off. Brantano


Click the titles for full info and all our top picks
Balance Transfers Car Insurance Cheap Loans Top Cash NISAs
Longest 0%: Barclaycard*
34mths 0%, 2.99% fee

(18.9% rep APR)

Low fee 0%: Lloyds
28mths 0%, 1.5% fee

(18.9% rep APR)
Get quotes in this order...

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

Sainsbury's* (£5k - £7.5k)
5.3% rep APR



Sainsbury's* (£7.5k - £15k)
3.9% rep APR


BM Savings* 1.55% AER
Min £1, incl bonus
Postal. Transfers allowed


Coventry BS 2.75% AER
Min £1. No transfers
Loophole: Fixed till May 2018


See Card APR Examples & Loan APR Examples

FREE £5 PayasUgym credit or 7-day LA Fitness & BMF passes. PayasUgym does as it says on the tin for 2,000 gyms, or get a week's free workouts at LA Fitness & British Military Fitness. These and more fit freebies in Free Gyms

Forum Hottie. Next sale - 50% off this weekend? A sale is happening, precise details unconfirmed. Plus, our Deals Hunter blog has sneaky tips to see what's in it before it starts.

50 MoneySaving tips for students
Is it possible to break the cash-strapped student stereotype? Not easy, but we'll do our best to help...

Ironically, while newspaper headlines shout about student loans being too big, for many the practical problem is actually they're too small - the living allowance is barely enough to cover basic rent. While, sadly, we can't do much about that, our 50 Student MoneySaving tips should make things as manageable as possible. Here's your starter for 10...

Student saving 1. Use our Amazon Discount Finder to dig out hidden bargains, incl 75% off kitchenware.
2. It's rare to find a student without an opinion. Put it to good use: get paid for your opinion.
3. Learn to cook - it saves a fortune. Check out the forum 50p meals thread for tasty ideas.
4. Avoid buying new books unless you have to. Look around campus for anyone selling second-hand ones, use the library or consider renting electronic versions online. Book Savings
5. Sign up for a £12/yr NUS card to snag discounts at Asos, Topshop, Co-op, Odeon & more.
6. If you earn sub-£10k/yr you're often taxed when you needn't be so apply for a refund.
7. Kitting out a new laptop for uni? Download legit, free versions of free office software and free antivirus.
8. Student accounts aren't all the same, see our rundown of the Top Student Accounts to get the max benefits.
9. Splash out at the end of term, not the start. It's easy to get your loan cash and think 'whey, hey, hey'. Yet spend it early and you can have a hellish term. Instead keep it tight to near the end of term, then if any is spare you can splash out.
10. Many people will tell you to budget, but the 'don't spend more than you earn' line doesn't work for students. Defining student income is tougher, we say its your loan + grant + work income + cash from parents. Use our free budget planner.

More Student Help: 20 Student Loan Need-To-Knows, Part-time Student Finance Guide, Student loans aren't a debt blog

FLASH 24hr Post Office online currency sale. It's boosting its online rates for euros & dollars starting 8am on Wed. We're not saying it'll be top, so compare its rates during the sale with our Travel Money Comparison. Not going for a while? The Halifax Clarity* credit card (check if you'll get it) gives near-perfect spending rates worldwide, beating changing money. But pay off IN FULL each month or it's 12.9% rep APR. Full info: Cheap Overseas Cards (APR Examples).

Sainsbury's Tu 25% off everything. In-store clothing sale, incl school uniform. Sainsbury's Tu Deals


Click the titles for full info and all our top picks
Gas & Electricity Bank Accounts Home Insurance Landlines
Get constantly 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)



TalkTalk Value Line Rental*
£14.35/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
Have you been through a debt relief order?
The Government is looking at how debt relief orders can be improved and wants to know about your experiences. Complete its survey by Thu 9 Oct and share your thoughts in the MSE forum.

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA
Should I charge my mum for my old phone?

This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I've upgraded to a new phone and my mum wants my old handset as she's never had a smartphone before. It's pretty ancient but a friend has offered me £50 for it and I reckon I could get more online. Should I ask her for cash? Or let her have it for free? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I charge my mum for my phone? | Suggest an MMD | View Past MMDs

THE GREAT HUNT
What's the best thing you've foraged?
Autumn's here and the fields are bursting with harvest goods - from blackberries and sloe berries to courgettes, squash and beans. We're tapping into your collective knowledge on the best things you've foraged and what you've made with them. Share yours/read others': What are your foraging wins? Past topics: View all

CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT
Airline: Ryanair Price: Flights from £19.99 one-way Ends: Thu 25 Sep
Our pick this week is Ryanair's sale ending midnight Thu 25 Sep, which includes all non-optional taxes & charges. It's for flights between Oct and Dec 2014 on 429 routes from the UK. We've found flights for even less than £19.99, for example, London Stansted-Strasbourg for £14.99. 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
Cheap ways to see football

The football season's back and we asked for your tips on catching your local team without breaking the bank. You suggested
women's football matches, volunteering at a stadium to bag freebie tickets, signing up to your club's newsletter and watching lower league games.

Quick forum tips

Freebie of the week

Martin's blogs

Martin's appearances

29 Sep
This Morning, live, ITV, time TBC.
Subject TBC

MSE team corner

Discussion of the week

Stoptober - Stop smoking and save.

As we gear up for a month of quitting bad habits, we ask just how much does smoking cost over 28 days? Join in the debate with Stoptober 2014. How much will you save?

Cheap travel money

UK's Best Currency Rates
£100 will buy you:
Best Worst
Euro Flag 126.01 113.40
US Flag $ 162.41 146.16
Turkish Flag TL 352.23 309.88
Rates correct at 4pm Tue
Find all top currency rates
Compare travel cash

This week's poll: Should Ofcom prevent firms giving 'retention' offers?

Ofcom, the communications regulator, is investigating digital TV, broadband, landline and mobile phone 'retention' offers - those where when you ask to leave they cut prices to persuade you to stay.

It believes this could be harmful to consumers in the longer term as new providers will find it hard to compete for business, therefore reducing choice and meaning only decent hagglers get the better deals.

Which of the following is CLOSEST to your opinion?

Poll results

Would you vote for English/Welsh/NI independence?
Scotland voted NO to independence last week and its results were mirrored across our poll, with the majority of voters in all other constituent countries of the UK wanting to keep the Union together.

- 55% of those living in England voted NO.
- 67% in Northern Ireland voted NO.
- 71% of those in Wales voted NO.
- 93% in Scotland claimed they'd be voting in the referendum.

13,863 voted. See the full results.

Question of the week

Q. I'm planning to buy gift vouchers for Xmas for my hard to buy for family. Are they safe? Andrew, by email.

MSE Rebecca's A: They're only as safe as the company issuing them. If you get one and the firms goes into administration they can and sometimes do simply stop accepting them - and the holder just has to get in the queue of 'creditors' (people who get a share of any assets left if they're sold).

If you insist on buying a gift card you'd imagine there is probably less chance of a blue chip giant such as John Lewis or M&S going bust, but that's not to say any firm is safe - big names such as HMV and Comet have gone bust in recent years. If you are buying vouchers (eg, for yourself when it gives a discount) the key is to hold on to it for as short a time as possible.

Also worth noting, some gift vouchers date, and many people don't redeem in time. While it's less romantic, you could just give cash?

See our Administration Help guide for more information on when firms hit the wall.

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

 Free game of the week: Don't cross the line

The greatest animal selfies

That's it for this week, but before we go, check out this awesome collection of animal selfies. Has your pet ever taken a photo gem like one of these?

We hope you save some money,

Martin & the MSE team

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