Tuesday, May 29, 2018

Ben & Jerry’s £1.75, Brit Gas hike, £5 M&S/Zara, get PAID for top €/$ rates, £48 Max Factor £15, £19/mth fibre, new TSB blunder, iPhone refunds

Hi - here are your latest deals, freebies, tricks and messages to help you save.
                                                           
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Booked your summer hols? 13 things to do NOW to save £100s when you go

- Incl FREE language-learning app
- Get PAID to bag top €/$ rates
- Get into airport lounges for free

The mercury's already risen, it's almost summer, meaning the countdown to the big holiday getaway is underway. And if you're jetting, training, sailing or driving off in the months ahead, there's lots to sort now to ensure you save when you go. So we've a planeload of tricks to go full throttle for a MoneySaving trip.

  1. New. Learn the language with a FREE app to help you talk like a local. Comprenez vous? From Spanish to Swahili (and even Klingon), a free app helps you learn 29 languages - get it now to swot up. Forumite Hermia loves it: "I've learned more French than at school."

  2. How to sort FREE access to airport lounges now. You don't need to pay a royal ransom to lounge like Harry and Meghan. Our Free or Cheap Airport Lounges guide has top tips, incl the credit card that'll get you two free visits to 700+ lounges. Zoe posted on our Facebook page: "We always use our credit card for the lounges. It's great."     

  3. Apply now to get paid £20 to bag permanently cheap overseas spending. Top specialist overseas credit or debit cards are the best way to spend abroad. While most plastic charges a 3%-ish 'exchange fee', so £100 of euros costs £103, these don't, so you get near-perfect rates, though you must pass a credit check for the first two below.

    - Top pick: £20 cashback & near-perfect rates. New Halifax Clarity (eligibility calc / apply*) credit card customers who buy anything in a foreign currency by 30 Sep get £20 cashback within 90 days of the spend. It's 18.9% rep APR, so pay IN FULL to avoid spending interest, though you pay a little interest on cash withdrawals till paid off.

    - Top credit card for cash (if you don't have a Barclaycard). The Barclaycard Platinum Travel (apply) has no exchange fees on purchases or withdrawals till Aug 2022. Pay IN FULL to avoid 19.9% rep APR on spending and 27.9% on cash. IMPORTANT: You won't qualify if you've had a Barclaycard in the last 6mths. See Top Overseas Spending Cards for more options.

    - Top if you don't want a credit card or credit check. This debit card from app-only Starling Bank* has no fees and near-perfect rates on overseas spending and withdrawals (max £300/day cash). There's no full credit check if you don't want an overdraft and it pays 0.5% AER variable interest on up to £2k and 0.25% on £2k-£85k. It's new, but feedback's good. See Top Travel Debit Cards for more.

  4. Partying in Paris, relaxing in Rome or living it up in London? Get local tips with our MoneySaving destination guides. We've loads of city or country-specific help, eg, where to find free food and the cheapest way to get to and from the airport. See our guides to:

    Amsterdam | Barcelona | Costa del Sol | London | NYC | Paris | Rome 

  5. Get paid £100 towards your holiday + top spending rates for this summer only + 2% cashback on bills. It's far from the best long-term overseas option, but if you switch to the NatWest Reward* current account from another bank it pays you £100. There are no debit card fees on overseas spending till the end of Aug 2018 (there are hefty fees at ATMs so avoid for cash; instead use our TravelMoneyMax comparison).

    While there's a £2/mth fee, there's 2% cashback on most bills paid by direct debit. On average bills you'd be up £66/yr after the fee, £135/yr on high bills. To get the £100 you must do a full switch by Fri 15 Jun, pay in £1,500+ and log in to online or mobile banking by Fri 13 Jul - the cash'll come by mid-Aug. Then pay in £1,500+/mth to get the bills cashback.

    It's only a short-term overseas boon but if you avoid cash and are happy to get a better card in Sep or you've no plans to go away after, it's decent given the £100 and other perks. See Best Bank Accounts for more help and options, and how switching works.

  6. Book car hire early to drive a bargain, eg, save £30+/day. When hiring abroad in summer, early booking generally wins. On Tue, we found a car for £7/day in Malaga in Aug, but it can cost £40/day if booked on the day. Find the cheapest via comparisons from Skyscanner*, TravelSupermarket*, Carrentals* or Kayak*. There's full help in Cheap Holiday Car Hire, incl how to avoid stealth fuel charges and grab cheap excess insurance.

  7. Check now if your EHIC is still valid - 5.4m are due to expire in 2018. A European Health Insurance Card is a must in Europe - it gives access to medical care at state-run hospitals/GPs at the price a local pays. Yet millions expire every year, so see our EHIC guide for how to check and renew for FREE.

  8. Plan ahead to beat baggage fees - check if POSTING it is cheaper. The price of flying soars once you add luggage. So act now.

    - Check if it's cheaper to POST bags. See full info and when this wins.
    - Book hold luggage online. Don't pay up to £108/bag at the airport.
    - Pack hand luggage like a pro. Watch our packing masterclass video.
    - Weigh your luggage. See how to do it without specialist scales.

  9. Driving to France? Sort an emissions sticker well ahead, or you could be fined. It can take a month to arrive and fines can hit €68 (£60). See how to get one and why.

  10. Buy travel insurance ASAB - from £5/trip. Everyone should get it As Soon As you've Booked so you're protected if you need to cancel - eg, if you or a family member gets ill. Here are our top picks:

    - Going away more than once a year? Annual policies win. For no-frills policies which meet our minimum cover level a 35-yr-old holidaying in Europe can pay from £9 (£17 for a family) or from £19 worldwide (£37 family). Prices depend on age, though Holidaysafe Lite*, Coverwise Bronze* or Leisure Guard Lite* usually win. Full best buys in Annual Policies incl if you want stronger cover.

    - Going away once? Get a single-trip policy. Leisure Guard Lite* tends to win - from £5/trip - but also compare against Holidaysafe Lite*, as quotes vary with age, location and number of travellers. See Single-Trip for more.

    There's more help in our Over-65s' Travel Insurance or Travelling with a Pre-Existing Condition guides.

  11. Slash the cost of airport parking by booking in advance. Prices can be sky-high if you wait. Turn up at Manchester long-stay car park and it's £102 for a week. Booked a day ahead it was £56 using our discounted links for airport parking comparison sites...

    Check Holiday Extras* (10-30% off standard prices), Looking4Parking* (20-35% off), SkyParkSecure* (13-35% off) and FHR* (12-30% off). See Cheap Airport Parking for more help.

  12. ESTA and other entry requirements are YOUR responsibility and can take time to sort. If heading Stateside, even in transit, you must get an ESTA at least 72 hours ahead - see our ESTA guide. Elsewhere you may need a visa (eg, Turkey) which can take weeks, and some countries require at least six months left on your passport. See the Government's foreign travel advice for requirements.

  13. Check if your hotel's got CHEAPER - the rebook trick can save you £100s. If the price of your hotel's dropped and your booking allows free cancellation, you can simply rebook for less. Check latest prices on comparison sites Trivago*, TravelSupermarket* and TripAdvisor* - see Hotel Tricks for full help. Alison tweeted: "Saved £200 when price dropped 2 days before travel." 
 
 

DON'T believe the fake ads on Facebook
Lots of scam ads that litter social media lie that we or Martin promote Bitcoin, binary trading etc. See Fake ads warning.

 

 
 

Warning: Energy price hikes hitting NOW


Millions of energy bill-payers who aren't on a fixed tariff face hikes. As announced recently, four of the Big 6 are raising prices on their standard tariffs over the next couple of weeks - no surprise it's in warmer times when attention is elsewhere. But DON'T let 'em get away with it. Big 6 standard tariffs cost an average £1,170/yr with typical use, yet you could pay as little as £810/yr. And if with E.on, it raised prices in Apr, and we expect SSE hikes soon.

So sort it now with a full market comparison via our Cheap Energy Club, like Ashley: "A few mins well spent on your club saved £660/yr." Yet we know many have reservations about switching to certain firms so let's address the main worries...

  • Worried about switching to a firm you've never heard of? We know this is the biggest switching turn-off for many, so we've a special 'Big Name Supplier' filter where we remove all bar the Big 6 + Co-op, First Utility and Ovo. To see all suppliers, just unclick the filter. Moving to the cheapest big name from a Big 6 standard tariff typically saves £220/yr.  

  • Worried about poor service? Guess what - we've a filter for that too. You can use our 'good' or 'superb' service filters to weed out the service scoundrels. Switching to the cheapest good service firm from a Big 6 standard tariff typically saves £290/yr.  

  • Still determined not to switch, even though it's the best way to save? Switching's no big deal - it's the same gas, elec and pipes. You won't go without your supply and only service + price changes, though if you owe your supplier on leaving you may have to pay it straightaway. If still worried, at least get on your provider's best deal. Check via our 'My Current Supplier' filter.

Our Cheap Energy Club has lots more switching help, incl more on smaller suppliers.

 

Ends Sun. £4.75 'Topshop, M&S, Zara etc' de-tagged shoes, dresses, jackets & more. MSE Blagged. Discounter sells big stores' surplus stock + non-branded clothes. Norm £5 + del. But it's £4.75 including del via our code. Everything5pounds 

How to pay £15 for £48 of Max Factor. Incl full-size mascara, lip colour and kohl pencil. Take it to the Max 

Cheapest-ever loans - 2.7%. If you need to borrow (only do if planned and affordable), rates are super-low. For £7.5k-£15k, Sainsbury's Bank's* 2.7% rep APR rate is the cheapest ever if you borrow for 1-3 yrs and you've a Nectar card. Last week Ratesetter* cut rates on £1k-£3k loans to 6.7% rep APR - the cheapest for years at that amount (though credit card loans can be cheaper). For full best buys and how to decide if borrowing is right for you, see Cheap Loans

'You're dead to us.' TSB cancels direct debits of customers who've switched away, WRONGLY claiming they've died. We first reported this last week and the papers picked up on it. Read the original: TSB 'kills off' customers.

Free Open Farm Sunday, incl pony rides, animal feeding & welly wanging at 300+ farms. One day a year, they open their gates and put on activities - it's a baaaa-gain. See Open Farm Sunday heads-up for full info. 

Ben & Jerry's cookie dough ice cream £1.75 - cheapest we've seen. Norm £5. We've got the scoop

 
 

New. The return of sub-£20 fast fibre broadband AND line rental

Some pay a hideous £43/mth - but you can slash costs by pouncing on hot short-lived promos such as these

If you've a need for speed, the dream is fast fibre broadband for under £20/mth. And this week Vodafone has added a £20 Amazon voucher to bring its fibre & line price down to an equivalent £18.89/mth - the first time in a few weeks we've seen fibre so cheap. If you prefer BT, it's reducing fibre & line to an equiv £21.27/mth from Wed - while pricier, it offers faster speeds. 

We've the full best-buy table across the speed spectrum below - though they're all only on for a few days. As all broadband deals are postcode-dependent, use our Broadband Unbundled tool to find the best in your area (links in the table go there). Those deals are available to 83% of the UK or more, so coverage is decent. 

top new-customer broadband and phone line deals
 
PROVIDER & LINK  AVG SPEED COST (i) - ALL 18MTH DEALS UNLESS STATED 
New. Plusnet
Standard 
10Mb
£10.24/mth equiv - When you claim £75 cashback & pay £197.88 line rent upfront on this 12mth deal where b'band is 'free'. Pay line monthly & it's equiv to £12.74/mth.
New. Vodafone
Fibre 
35Mb
£18.89/mth equiv - When you pay £20/mth for 18mths, plus claim & spend a £20 Amazon vch.
New. BT - from 1am Wed
Fibre 
50Mb
£21.27/mth equiv - When you claim & use a £130 prepaid Mastercard, pay £208.80 for 1yr's line upfront and £18.99/mth for final 6 months. B'band's £10/mth. Pay line monthly & it's equiv £22.33/mth.
New. Vodafone Fibre 
63Mb
£23.89/mth equiv - When you pay £25/mth for 18mths, plus claim & spend a £20 Amazon vch.
(i) To get the equiv cost, we factor in all costs, then deduct the value of any reward, and divide by the number of months to give a true comparison.


  • What speed do you need? Standard speeds of an avg 10Mb-ish are usually fine for browsing or light streaming. Fibre is best for streamers, gamers or if many use it all at once, and the faster you go, the more of a luxury it is. Big firms give estimated speeds before you sign up, and special tools can help you check your speed.

  • Wait a minute... fibre used to be up to 38Mb, 52Mb or 76Mb. Has broadband got slower? No, what has changed is the way providers advertise. Till last week they were allowed to claim the max speed in ads, as long as 10% of customers could get it. Now they can only give avg speeds, as long as at least half can get it at peak hours of 8pm-10pm.
 

Martin's got a favour to ask... If you've ever saved money watching him on TV, he'd love you to vote for his show in the TV Choice Awards (click to 'Best Lifestyle Show' & keep clicking 'Next' till the end for it to count). TV Choice vote

Is your old iPod, Game Boy or Walkman worth £100+? See how to bag big bucks for retro gizmos.

Did you buy an iPhone battery from Apple in 2017? You may get £54 back. Full info in iPhone refunds

£15 shaving kit (norm £50). MSE Blagged. Incl razor, 2 blades, gel, face wash and more. 1,000 avail. Grüum kits

FitFlop 20% off code. MSE Blagged. Plus free del. Valid on new season items till Sun. Step this way

50,000 Aviva customers owed up to £100. See who's due and what to do in Aviva refunds.

 
 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: MBNA* up to 36mths 0%, 1.99% fee (19.9% rep APR)
No-fee 0%: Santander* 27mths 0%, no fee (18.9% rep APR)  

Get comparison site quotes in this order:

  1. MoneySupermarket.com*
  2. Confused.com*
  3. Compare The Market*
  4. Gocompare*

Then check insurers they miss: 
Direct Line (+ £40 Amazon vch)
Aviva*

Cheapest for £5,000-£7,499: Admiral* 3.3% rep APR
Cheapest £7.5k-£15k: Sainsbury's Bank* 2.7% rep APR (1-3yrs, needs a Nectar card)   

Standard b'band & line rent: Plusnet equiv £10.24/mth 
Fibre b'band & line rent: 
Vodafone equiv £18.89/mth

£150 to switch + £50 if you stay a year: HSBC
5% interest fixed for a year: Nationwide FlexDirect 

 

6 PlanetSaving tips, incl 'FREE' £17 MAC lipstick for recycling 

Plus get £5 off H&M for recycling old towels, 50p off coffee, refill your water bottle for free & much more

Let's be frank, sometimes 'going green' can cost you. But with environmental issues very much in the spotlight, we've compiled some fun ways you can help save the planet AND a few bob. (PS: While the energy article above is about cutting your bills, using less gas and electricity is a good place to start if you want to be greener...)

  • New. FREE £17.50 MAC lipstick & other beauty freebies for recycling old containers. Some big brands give freebies if you take certain used containers back. How to bag FREE beauty products.

  • Get £5 off £25 at H&M by recycling old towels, clothes & more. You can take ANY old textiles (eg, clothes, towels, sheets) no matter the brand or condition. How to get a £5 off £25 voucher.

  • New. Find the cheapest alternative to plastic straws, eg, 3p paper straws. Single-use plastics such as straws could soon be banned so we've rounded up the cheapest reusable straws.

  • Buy a £1 reusable cup to get up to 50p off most Costa, Pret & Starbucks drinks EVERY time. Cut the cost of caffeine. See our coffee cup trick for where to find the cheapest cups and how much it'll save you.

  • Refill your water bottle for free. The UK uses a whopping 13bn plastic bottles a year, so refill where you can. We've found two apps that list cafés, shops and hotels that let you. This and more in 13 ways to use less plastic AND save cash.

  • Keep the RIGHT food in the fridge to avoid waste. It's a source of debate, but where you store food can lengthen its life. Check where you should keep bread, fruit, veg and more in 12 ways to STOP food and drink waste.
 

How to get a free MOT reminder. Helps to avoid a £1,000 fine and takes just a minute. See free MOT reminder

£900 COMPENSATION FOR FLIGHT DELAYS - SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: 
"I received £700+ for two flight delays + £200 from a flight I was bumped off. Thanks."
(Send us yours on this or any topic.)

FREE St John Ambulance baby first aid guide. Claim a freebie that could save a baby's life.

 

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

Teachers - get ready for My Money Week. Education charity Young Money (part of the Young Enterprise scheme) is running My Money Week from Mon 11 to Sun 17 Jun. It's offering interactive video resources, including lesson plans and suggested activities, to teachers delivering cash classes for the first time, or to those looking for new ideas. See My Money Week and MSE's Financial Education info for more.

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL

Is travel insurance a must-buy for a holiday? We believe you should get travel insurance ASAB (As Soon As you've Booked) as you're then covered if you have to cancel any time BEFORE your holiday begins. Yet whether venturing abroad or staying in the UK, do you risk going without it? Is travel insurance a must-buy?

Npower voted WORST Big 6 energy provider. Last week, 4,305 of you responded to our biannual energy customer service poll. Among the Big 6, Npower got the wooden spoon, while SSE came top. Overall (of firms with 100+ votes) Zog Energy came top, Iresa hit bottom. See full energy customer service poll results.

 
 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should I pay mum rent even when I'm not home? I usually pay my mum rent - but for the past three months I haven't been home. Now I'm back, she's asking me to pay up for those three months. Should I still pay her? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay mum rent? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs

THE QUICKIES

- Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: Paying off credit card transactions 1 by 1
- Competitions thread of the week: Miele Twindos washing machine
- Old-Style board thread of the week: #NationalBiscuitDay - dunking on a budget?
- Family, marriage, relationships chat: Motivating a teen to do homework
- Discussion of the week: Options when your bag is delayed?

 

Argos - £50 spend gets £5 off next spend
Treatwell - how to get £5 off beauty treatments again and again
Jack Wills - 25% off almost everything
NCS - summer activity programme for teens £50 (free for some)
Halfords - free summer car check incl screenwash top-up

Las Iguanas - 'Free' (norm £6)
Toby Carvery - '£1' (norm £5ish)
Harvester - '£1' (norm £5ish)
Frankie & Benny's - '£1' (norm £4-£8)
Prezzo - '£1' (norm £7ish)

Toucan Box - free kids' craft packs (norm £6)
Pets at Home - free kids' pet workshops
Dobbies - free kids' gardening workshops
Cinema - £2.50 each for kids & accompanying grown-ups
The Works - 10 kids' picture books for £10

Quick Forum Tips

Aldi 'Super Six' veg offers - Here today, gone tomato
20% off Wyevale garden furniture - Sofa so good
Coupon for FREE tin of Princes fruit - Peaches for free

 
 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 30 MAY ONWARDS)

Thu 31 May - Good Morning Britain, ITV, Deals of the Week, 7.40am
Fri 1 Jun - This Morning, ITV, Martin's Quick Deals, from 10.30am. See previous
Mon 4 Jun - This Morning, ITV, from 10.30am
Mon 4 Jun  - BBC Radio 5 Live, Lunch Money Martin, noon. Listen again

MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC)

Wed 30 May - BBC Cumbria, Money Talks with Ben Maeder, from 6pm
Fri 1 Jun 
- BBC South West stations, Good Morning with Joe Lemer, from 5am, cheap meds
Mon 4 Jun - TalkRadio, Breakfast with Julia Hartley-Brewer, 9.45am
Tue 5 Jun - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire with Jeremy Sallis, 2.20pm

 

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: Is there a way of switching banks to take advantage of cashback and better rates, without the new bank closing my existing current account? Chetna, via email.

MSE Rosie's A: The answer is 'no', if you want a specific upfront cash incentive to switch bank, such as the £150 from HSBC on now. To switch, you need to use the Current Account Switch Service which closes your existing current account and moves payments such as your salary and direct debits across. It's the banks' way of ensuring you use their account as your main account, and is why they pay you to do it. 

However, some banks don't require you to switch to get their perks, but these don't tend to be the big, free upfront incentives. Instead, we're talking high interest or cashback on bills which you get over a number of months. For full info and options, see Best Bank Accounts.

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

 

I UNSUBSCRIBED AND BROKE PIZZA HUT'S HEART

That's all for this week, but before we go... we're sure your inbox has been flooded with GDPR emails from almost every brand you've interacted with online, telling you how privacy settings have changed and letting you opt out of marketing emails. MoneySavers shared those that made them smile, including emoji-filled goodbyes, puns from Genius Gluten Free which kneaded help and a heart-breaking tale from Pizza Hut. Share your GDPR funnies in our Facebook post.

We hope you save some money,
The MSE team