WEB SHOPPING PILLAR: October 2017

The battle to tempt you with big switch bribes has been hotting up this autumn and now it's hit boiling point with a massive, mega, gigantic, huge (you get the gist) FREE £250. It's the biggest one-off bank switch freebie we can remember.

Switching's easy. The new bank does everything for you - plus new official stats suggest 95% were happy with the process. So if you dislike your current bank, or just want a cracking deal, what are you waiting for?

New. FREE £250 - BIGGEST switch bonus we've ever seen. Switchers to Clydesdale Bank*, Yorkshire Bank* or Clydesdale's app-based B Account* get a massive £250 bonus. It's likely to be mega popular, and could be pulled with little or no notice, so if it's right for you go quick.

Which should I go for? All are part of the Clydesdale group, so it depends which you prefer. Clydesdale's big in Scotland, Yorkshire in...er, much of England. Both offer app and online banking. App-based B is new-ish, giving additional spending and budgeting insights, though you can still use Clydesdale or Yorkshire branches.

How do I get the £250? Anyone who's not had a switch bonus from the trio qualifies. Start the switch when you set up the account online, otherwise you may have to call to make it happen. You're paid within 70 days of the switch if you...
- Pay in £1,000/mth for the first 2 months
- Set up/switch 2 direct debits, which must pay out within 62 days
- Log in to online or mobile banking within 62 days
PS, existing customers need to contact Clydesdale/Yorkshire/B directly, if eligible.
Free £125 + no.1 service + linked 5% savings. Via this link, First Direct* gives £125 to new customers who switch to it (£100 if you go direct), plus it's won every customer service poll we've done, with 90% most recently rating it 'great'. All account holders can save up to £300/mth in its 5% fixed regular saver for 1yr, and some get a £250 0% overdraft.

How do I get it all? Once you've switched, the free cash comes within a month or so of you paying in at least £1,000. Then pay in £1,000/mth to keep the account free; if not, it's £10/mth.
Free £200 + linked 5% savings. You get £150 for switching to the HSBC Advance* account and £50 more if you're still with it after a year. Plus all account holders get access to a linked 5% regular savings account where they can put up to £250/mth for 1yr.

How do I get it all? You can't have had any HSBC current account since 2015. Apply online, then call or go to a branch within 30 days to start the switch (incl 2+ direct debits/standing orders), register for online banking within 60 days and pay in £1,750+/mth. The £150 is paid within a couple of months of the switch completing.
Free £125 M&S gift card + £5/mth for a year + linked 5% savings. M&S Bank* gives new switchers a £125 M&S gift card, and for the first year it'll add another £5/mth. It also offers some a £100 0% overdraft and gives access to its 5% fixed regular savings account, which lets you save up to £250/mth for 1yr.

How do I get it all? You'll get the initial £125 within a month if you switch at least two active direct debits. For the rest, you need to keep the direct debits active and pay in at least £1,000/mth.
Free £125 + £3/mth. Switchers to Halifax get £125, paid before the switch completes, and another £3/mth.

How do I get it all? For the £125, you can't have had a Halifax switching bonus since 2012. For the £3/mth, you must pay in £750+, stay in credit and pay out 2+ direct debits.

More bank switching help
Switching's easy and you're protected from errors. If you use the banks' official switching services - and you'll need to if you want the free switching cash - the whole process takes seven working days, plus your new bank does the hard work by closing your old account and moving direct debits, standing orders and payments.

If anything goes wrong with the switch, you're protected from any resulting interest or charges. Plus, if a payment goes to or from the old account in error, the little bots behind the scenes automatically ensure it's all shifted to the new account for a minimum of three years. See switching help.
Can't meet the minimum pay-ins? Trick to play the system. They're designed so you pay in your salary or pension and use 'em as your main account, but you can usually get round this. As you need to pay in a set amount from external sources, say there's a £1,000 minimum but you've only £500, pay the £500 in, withdraw or transfer it elsewhere, then pay it back in. Then BINGO, you've qualified.
You need to pass a credit check, but they're often not harsh. Like with many financial applications, the banks will check your credit history. You can do this yourself to ensure it's all shipshape via our free Credit Club which shows your Experian Credit Score and Credit Report, plus gives tips to boost them.
Got an overdraft? Cut interest to 0%. If you often go into the red, focus on cutting your overdraft costs instead. Two of the top accounts above, First Direct and M&S, offer a 0% overdraft. And with First Direct, you can use the free cash for switching to help pay it off. See Cut Overdraft Costs for more.
The accounts if you can't get an account. While you need to pass a credit check for those above, basic bank accounts don't do such stringent checks (though most do a credit check for ID), as they provide a no-frills, no-overdraft service. See Basic Bank Accounts for full info.

There is lots more info and help in Best Bank Accounts including top deals if you don't want to switch bank.

PS: The clocks go back an hour at 2am on Sunday, so we all get an extra hour in bed. Hurrah. (Though it also means darker evenings.)

Saved cash? Shout it from the rooftops.

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Ends Thu. Up-to-52Mb fibre b'band & line '£18.82/mth'

This cracker from BT is 3x faster and much cheaper than many standard broadband prices

If you've been stuck with the same broadband provider for a few years, chances are you're being ripped off big time, typically paying up to £50/mth for fast fibre from the big names. So the secret to slashing the cost is to pounce on short-lived promos like this...

Ends Thu. BT fibre b'band & line rental '£18.82/mth'. Via this BT link*, new BT broadband customers can apply for this 1yr deal before 11.59pm Thu and get up-to-52Mb speed fibre (3x normal) with unlimited downloads. Fibre's best for heavy downloading, streaming, gaming or multiple users. Here's how it works...

- It's available to 83% of the UK. It depends on your postcode - you're told if you can get it when applying (or use our Broadband Unbundled tool to see only deals in your area).
- Choose to pay line rent upfront if you can afford to. Opt to do this at sign up and you pay £208.80 for the 12mths (equiv £17.40/mth) or it's the usual £18.99/mth. Either way, you get inclusive weekend landline calls - see BT call costs.
- Discounted fibre is £11/mth for the year. A huge reduction on the standard £31/mth.
- You pay £59.99 upfront - £50 activation and £9.99 router delivery.
- Get £125 on a prepaid Mastercard & £50 cashback but you MUST claim them. Annoyingly, as BT won't remind you, remember to use this Mastercard claim link and this cashback claim link within 3mths of activation (they then take up to 45 days to arrive).

Cost analysis: It's a steal. Pay line rent upfront and you pay £400.79 over the year before calls. Claim and use the cashback & Mastercard (as good as cash where accepted) and it's a net £225.79, equiv to £18.82/mth. Pay line rent monthly and it's equiv to £20.41/mth. See full BT fibre info.

Anything else? BT could hike prices, but you can leave penalty-free if so. Plus you can sometimes get bigger cashback via a top cashback site - but prices and contract lengths can vary.
Don't need fibre? Our Broadband Unbundled tool shows the best deals for your postcode. Plus you can filter by speed, provider and add different TV packages.

It's back. £170ish of No7 beauty products for £40. Boots' mega-popular beauty advent calendar returns incl mascara, nail polish, eye shadow and creams. No7 beauty

New. Top easy-access savings 1.3%. Lloyds-owned Birmingham Midshires offers 1.3% AER variable for deposits from £1, though in a year it'll likely plummet so diarise to switch again. Full info and alternatives in Top Savings.

New 26-30 Railcard is signalled. As we first revealed. Likely to save a third off most journeys. 26-30 Railcard

Free six-inch Subway sandwich. Via app, register by Mon, get grub next Thu or Fri. Subway

BT broadband cust? Millions to get free speed or storage boost. Find out if you're getting a BT upgrade.

Last chance. Amazon 'free' £5. When you 'top up' your account with £20+. £5 Amazon

£4ish prosecco via 25% off 6 bottles of wine & fizz. Online and in stores at Tesco till Mon (not Scotland). Pls be Drinkaware. Corking

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- 1.5GB data, 750mins & unlim texts Sim £4.99/mth Ongoing
- Larsson & Jennings watches 25% off code Ends Wed 1 Nov
- 8 craft beers for £12 delivered 1,300 available

DID YOU MISS?

- An important warning to every UK worker
- New York for £69 one-way - was it worth it?
- Get paid to watch telly or be Santa
- 'Free' £6 Amazon code
- Cheap wills - book an appointment NOW

'I got £1,375 from a 'Plevin' PPI claim'

Payouts simply for having had PPI are starting to roll in. Use our FREE tool and check NOW

We've shouted for years about how to claim for mis-sold PPI, and if you were wrongly flogged it, ALWAYS use that reclaim route first. But as we revealed in August, a court ruling called Plevin now means you can claim some of the cost JUST for having it. We're now starting to see this work, as Grahame told us: "I failed on previous mis-selling claims but had a £1,375 success under Plevin. I wouldn't have known about it if it wasn't for your website." Full help in our FREE PPI reclaiming guide and tool, here's how Plevin works...

Now just having had PPI means you can claim. This is all about lenders claiming too much commission, meaning you were overcharged. So even if you wanted and knowingly took out PPI, if over 50% of your PPI's cost went to the lender as commission, and that wasn't disclosed, you're due the extra back. So if it was 70% you're due 20% of the cost back.

To give an idea, with loan PPI, a STAGGERING 67% of what you paid was typically pocketed by banks as commission from insurers (if you bought from a broker or retailer it didn't tend to be as high). You probably won't know the amount, as most banks didn't disclose it, but as many took 50%+ it's worth a go. To qualify, your PPI and any connected loan had to have been active in or around April 2008 or after. See full Plevin PPI help.
Previous mis-selling claim rejected? You can still claim. If you had a claim rejected (even if the Financial Ombudsman agreed with the rejection), you should make a Plevin complaint if you bought PPI from a bank. However, if you've already made a successful mis-selling claim you're NOT eligible for Plevin cash.

FREE combined Ideal Home Show at Christmas + Cake & Bake Show Manchester tix. Access both shows with one ticket. 3,150 avail for 9-12 Nov (norm £13) in EventCity. Ticket double

What does £1m buy you across the UK? Watch our fun Facebook video, though you may cringe if you live in London. £1m properties

Warning. Parents with 2+ children who'll go to uni... SAVE NOW. The system's biased against you - read why in Martin's parental contributions blog.

Hot Sim - 1.5GB (4G) data, 750 mins & unltd texts for £4.99/mth. MSE Blagged. Last week we showed you top medium and high-use Sims - here's our top pick for low data users. It's a 30-day rolling contract from TPO* (which uses Three's network), available to anyone who doesn't have a TPO contract. Full info & more options in Cheap Sim-Only Deals.

Nectar alert: Don't automatically spend points now. You can soon double their value at Sainsbury's on non-grocery items - see Nectar boost.

Rumour. Tesco 3for2 toy sale this week? For what we know so far, see Tesco 3for2 toys.

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: Tesco Bank* up to 39mths 0%, 2.69% fee (18.9% rep APR)
No-fee 0%: Halifax* up to 29mths 0%, no fee (18.9% rep APR)

Get comparison site quotes in this order:

Then check insurers they miss:
Direct Line*
Aviva*

Cheapest for £5,000-£7,499: Clydesdale* / Yorkshire* 3.3% rep APR
Cheapest £7.5k-£15k: Sainsbury's Bank* 2.7% rep APR (Nectar custs, 1-3 yrs)

Standard b'band & line rent: Sky equiv £17.50/mth
Fibre b'band & line rent: BT equiv £18.82/mth

£250 to switch: Clydesdale/Yorkshire Bank
5% interest fixed for a year: Nationwide FlexDirect

Top easy-access: Birmingham Midshires 1.3%, min £1
Top one-year fix: Atom Bank 1.8%, min £50

New. Get £25 Amazon vch for (re)building your credit score

If you've a poor or no credit history, a specialist card used right can make you more financially attractive

Lenders predict your future repayment behaviour based on your past, so if you've no history (like many young people), or a poor one, you're more likely to get rejected when applying for credit. But easier-to-get credit (re)builder cards can help. Just do £50-£100/mth of normal spending, NEVER withdraw cash, NEVER bust your limit, NEVER miss a payment and pay off IN FULL each month. All else being equal, in a year or so your score will likely improve - and some even PAY you to do it...

New. Earn £25 Amazon vch to (re)build your credit. Via this link, accepted Chrome credit card customers (eligibility calc / apply*) can claim a £25 Amazon vch if they spend £50 by 1 March 2018. Important: You'll get an email to claim once you've spent £50 or on your second statement, whichever's later... if you've paid on time and haven't breached your limit. You've then 60 days to claim. Always repay IN FULL or it's 24.7% rep APR.
More options including £20 Amzn vch and 0.5% cashback on spending. Applying for a card leaves a mark on your credit file. Our free Credit Rebuild Eligibility Calc shows your chances of getting top cards without leaving a mark that other lenders can use, so you can home in on the right one before applying. Here are our other top picks:

- £20 Amzn vch: Via this link, new Aqua Advance customers (eligibility calc / apply*) are sent a £20 Amzn voucher after two months, as long as they use the card at least once, pay on time and don't bust their limit.
- 0.5% cashback on all spending: The Aqua Reward (eligibility calc / apply*) gives 0.5% cashback to new customers on all purchases worldwide.
Both must be repaid IN FULL every month to avoid the hideous 34.9% rep APR. More info and help in Credit Rebuild Cards (APR Examples).
Track your score and get more tips to boost it. Used properly these cards should help improve your credit score. Keep track of it using our free Credit Club which also gives ways to boost it, plus your full credit report.

£10 off per person at Byron Burger. Via bill-splitting app. 6,000 avail. A deal to relish

Larsson & Jennings Swiss-made watches 25% off code. MSE Blagged. Not MoneySaving, but if you'd buy one anyway, this way's cheapest. Eg, £240 watch £180. Posh watch

SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: (Send us yours on this or any topic)
"Your car insurance tip on adding a named driver made my best quote cheaper by £700. I'm gobsmacked and very grateful."

8 craft beers for £12 delivered (similar costs £27). MSE Blagged. 1,300 boxes of 8 avail from Beer52. Pls be Drinkaware.

THIS WEEK'S POLL

Have you had a pay rise in the last year? The Consumer Prices Index, a key measure of UK inflation, hit 3% in September - the highest it's been since March 2012. So with living costs shooting upwards we wanted to know if your salary (excluding bonuses and assuming you're in work) has kept up with inflation. Have you had a pay rise in the last year?

Cutting pension tax relief to 20% has support among lower earners... In last week's poll we asked whether pension tax relief should be halved to 20% for higher earners. From 7,300 votes, over 60% of basic-rate and non-taxpayers favoured cuts to tax relief, compared with just 25% of higher-rate and 32% of top-rate taxpayers. Interestingly, fewer than 5% of you supported the idea of scrapping pension tax relief altogether. See how other groups voted on cutting pension tax relief.

MONEYSAVING NEWS

- Top story: Advertising watchdog bans fake Facebook 'Martin Lewis' ads
- Energy firms to roll out smart meters which let you switch from early 2018
- £10 London T-charge comes in - what you need to know
- Plans for six-week 'breathing space' from serious debt problems announced
- Mobile users face paying up to £46/mth extra for a phone they already own
- CommuterClub wrongly charges non-customers in payments blunder

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should I sell my unwanted TV prize or give it away? I won a TV in a competition but don't want it. My friend wants it so I suggested selling it to them, though they think I should give it to them for free as I didn't pay for it. What should I do? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I sell my unwanted TV or give it away? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs

THE QUICKIES

- Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: Completely Crazy Clothes Challenge 2017
- Competitions thread of the week: Joules £3k+ room makeover
- Old-Style board thread of the week: Eat Well For Less? live on MSE
- Family, marriage, relationships chat: How often do you say thank you?
- Discussion of the week: Cheapest car to run for £1k

Baileys - 1-litre bottle £12 (norm £20)
Sainsbury's Tu - 25% off clothing, incl Halloween costumes
Wilko - 50% off pick & mix sweets (starts Fri)
FitFlop - 20% extra off sale via online code
Pringles - £8 crisp advent calendar

Toby Carvery - kids eat for £1
Prezzo - 30% off food
Papa John's - 33% off pizzas online
Just Eat - 20%-30% off selected takeaways
Jamie's Italian - kids eat 'free'

In-store activities - incl free small animal workshops
Museums - 170+ free museums and galleries
View from The Shard - kids go 'free' until Sun
Kids eat for 'free/£1' - incl Frankie & Benny's, Harvester
Cheap kids' books - 10 for £10 picture books

M&S £10 dine-in meal for two. Cook up a storm
Debenhams 20% off £25+ toys. Not playing around
Up to 50% off Halloween costumes at Boohoo. BOO!

MSE TEAM BLOG

- Have energy prices fallen? No - but average usage has

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 25 OCT ONWARD)

Mon 30 Oct - This Morning, ITV, time TBC
Mon 30 Oct - BBC Radio 5 Live, Lunch Money Martin, noon

MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECTS TBC)

Wed 25 Oct - BBC Cumbria, Money Talks with Ben Maeder, from 6pm
Fri 27 Oct - BBC South West stations, Good Morning with Joe Lemer, from 5am
Tue 31 Oct - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire with Jeremy Sallis, 2.20pm

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: I have a Nationwide FlexDirect account and I'm coming to the end of the 5% interest rate for the first year. Am I able to leave Nationwide and come back as a new customer to get the 5% rate again? Sarah, by email.

MSE Rosie's A: Sadly not. It used to be that you were able to close your FlexDirect account after a year, when the rate dropped to 1%, wait a year and then open another to benefit from the introductory 5% again.

However, Nationwide has wised up to this, and is closing the loophole from 13 Jan 2018. So unless you'd closed your account a year in advance of this date, you won't be able to take advantage.

But there are other deals. Go to the top of this email to check the best current account offers, including getting £250 to switch.

CARTONS NOT PUMPKINS. THE COST OF HALLOWEEN DOESN'T HAVE TO BE SCARY
That's it for this week, but before we go... do you have MoneySaving methods for dressing up or crafting for Halloween? Our users are exchanging their ideas, including milk cartons and glow sticks for lanterns. Have a read and share your spooky tips in our MoneySaving Halloween Facebook thread.

We hope you save some money,
The MSE team

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WEB SHOPPING PILLAR

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

FREE £250 bank switch, 1.3% savings, No7 trick, 26-30 Railcard?, free Subway, Nectar alert, Plevin success, BT b'band boost, £4ish prosecco, £25 Amzn

New. £250 FREE cash to switch bank - BIGGEST we've ever seen

Saved cash? Shout it from the rooftops.

Tell your friends about us

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More about MoneySavingExpert and Martin Lewis

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