Xmas Deals Predictor, age 18-39: £1 to get £1,000s?, energy - beat 30% hike AND cut waste, FREE £260, Disney 25% off code, Virgin & NTL email warning

And... £500 credit card freebies, £358 beauty £90, 2 days to fix UK!, base rate: savings/mortgage help

                                                           

10 November 2026 | View in browser

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The top tips this week Martin: Beat 30% energy hike & cut waste to save £100s: - Consider a fix - they just got cheaper - New. Warm Homes Loan Scheme - How much it costs to run appliances - If you need to 'heat the human' New. FREE £260 bank switch New. £500 credit card freebies MSE Xmas Deals Predictor 2026 Aged 18-39: £1 to get £1,000s? Ends Wed. Disney 25% off code £358 Boots 'Showstopper' beauty £90 Martin: '2 days left to fix UK!' Virgin & NTL email warning Base Rate Rise #1: Savings help Base Rate Rise #2: Mortgage help Warning. Bought a Virgin Experience Days voucher? 50% off Xmas trees at Tesco Question pod. Is there a cheaper Power of Attorney? Martin pod. ISAs are changing! Cash, shares, LISAs 'Your car insurance tips saved me much-needed £240/yr!' Hot Diamonds jewellery 40% off code FREE wills for adults UK-wide Best buys: 36mth 0% card, 50GB Sim £3/mth & more MMD: Should daughter pay our costs for watching her kids? Quick deals: £5 Pizza Express, two cooked breakfasts £6, etc

Martin: Is your home wasting £100s of energy? The Price Cap is expected to rise a horrid nearly 30% in Jan! So... a) Consider a fix - they just got a tad cheaper & b) Use this 21 tips checklist to make your home more efficient As we kick towards winter, the predictions for the January Price Cap (Eng, Scot & Wales) are horrendous - the average is currently a 27% rise. And as we're now 12 weeks through the 13-week assessment period, it will be in that rough ballpark. April currently looks no better, though that is much more crystal-ball gazing. So, I want to briefly take you through checking a) Are you on the best possible tariff?, and run you through a detailed energy-efficiency easy-wins checklist of b) Can you easily cut your energy usage? Tonight (Tue) on ITV: The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE 7.15pm.... Is it cheaper to leave the heating on all day or just when you need it? So many people have questions on solar panels, fixing energy, improving heating oil efficiency, insulation, water tanks heat pumps & more. On tonight's show, as well as my energy tips, I'm joined by a Prof of heating efficiency and a plumber to help answer and settle the big debates. Plus more news you can use. Do watch, or catch up on ITVX. 1. New. Warm Homes Loan Scheme: low or no interest for solar panels, heat pumps, batteries & other renewables. At the Budget, the Govt confirmed a new subsidised loan scheme. It's early days, but there are a couple of interest-free options, mainly on solar panels and batteries, and most of the others are still below the open-market cheapest personal loan rates. We've got our 'first-look' Warm Homes Loan Scheme guide on how it works, pros & cons and top lenders. 2. Take the combi-boiler flow-temperature challenge - cut gas bills. Many gas combi boilers' default flow temperature (for the water that circulates for radiators) is set higher than needed, making boilers less efficient. Reducing it is easy, can cut bills by 3% and you're unlikely to feel much difference. Take the boiler challenge. 3. Do you add lots of cold water to cool your bath, shower or taps? A combi boiler's hot water temperature may be unnecessarily high. This is a separate setting from the radiator temp above - usually it has a tap symbol. Lowering it can help your boiler run more efficiently and reduce heat losses while keeping your bath or shower just as warm. Check your boiler manual. PS: If you've a hot water storage cylinder, be careful - it must be at or over 65°C to reduce Legionnaires' risk. 4. Fixing now will mean you don't face the huge January Price Cap hike... The cost of UK natural gas, which has a huge impact on what we pay for not just gas but electricity too, has fallen over the last week - from a peak to a near four-week low. This is mainly on hopes of a diplomatic solution for the Middle East conflict, boosted by the US mid-term election results. That fall won't make much difference to January's Price Cap as the wholesale element of that is set on average rates over a 13-week period. However, even though wholesale rates are still hugely expensive, over the last week the cheapest fixes have got cheaper, as they were even worse a week ago. Last week the cheapest fix was 8% more than the current cap, today it's 2% more. So if you're on the Cap, fix now and you'll pay a little more till 31 Dec, but then the Cap is almost certain to rise 25% to 30% for 1 Jan to 31 March's high-use period - so that won't hit you. The Cap is then loosely predicted to rise fractionally in April, though that forecast could change substantially, particularly if the Middle East conflict de-escalates. Still, it'd need to fall a lot for fixing not to be worth it. So the risk-averse thing to do is lock in a fix - especially now it's just a little cheaper - but try to avoid locking in for too long, or at least ensure there aren't very large early-exit penalties (so you could leave relatively cheaply if other prices dropped). As your winner depends on where you live and how much energy you use, use our Cheap Energy Club Comparison or Pick Me A Tarif feature to find your winner, but here are somes examples of what's out there. Cheapest FIXED 'monthly direct debit' tariffs for new & existing customers Fuse Energy 24mth fix. No Smart Meter needed. Avg Cost: 2% MORE than Oct's Price Cap (21% less than Jan's predicted Cap) incl £20 MSE dual-fuel cashback. £50/fuel early exit fees. So £100 to leave gas & elec before fix ends. EDF 18mth fix. No Smart Meter needed. Avg Cost: 2.5% MORE than Oct's Price Cap (20% less than Jan's predicted Cap) incl £20 MSE dual-fuel cashback. £75/fuel early exit fees. So £150 to leave gas & elec before fix ends. British Gas 17mth fix. No Smart Meter needed. Avg Cost: 3.7% MORE than Oct's Price Cap (20% less than Jan's predicted Cap) incl £20 MSE dual-fuel cashback. £75/fuel early exit fees. So £150 to leave gas & elec before fix ends. E.on Next 12mth fix. No Smart Meter needed. Avg Cost: 5% MORE than Oct's Price Cap (18% less than Jan's predicted Cap) incl £20 MSE dual-fuel cashback £50/fuel early exit fees. So £100 to leave gas & elec before fix ends. Links via our comparison as deals change & you need a bespoke result for your region. There are also specialist tariffs that can be winners in specific circumstances, including those with lower standing charges for low users, EV drivers, and solar panel owners. 5. Should I put clingfilm on the windows? Is it cheaper to use electricity at night? Close internal doors? This and other energy-saving conundrums are in our 15 energy mythbusters guide, where we also cover 'Should I put the heating on all day?' - though that will be updated after the discussion on my ITV show tonight with a professor of heating efficiency. 6. Is your fridge or freezer too cold? Fridges should be 3 to 5°C, freezers -18°C. Lower? You're likely wasting energy. 7. Use tactical curtains! This sounds - and is - obvious, but it's only by saying it out loud (or writing it) that it builds into habits. Curtains are a great energy-efficiency weapon. Keep them open to let sunlight, however little there is, radiate heat in. Then close them when it gets dark to reduce heat escaping. Though be careful closed curtains don't cover radiators. 8. Don't put hot food in the fridge. Cool leftovers promptly - divide large amounts into smaller portions and refrigerate within one to two hours (otherwise harmful bacteria could form) - but not straight away or you'll have to pay for more cooling. 9. Can you slash boiler cover costs by £100s and bag a free service? There's no requirement to get boiler cover from your energy provider, they're not linked, though your energy firm may well subtly try to persuade you they are. If you want cover, or already have an existing policy, check if you can save £100s via one of these routes. It's worth noting most new boilers are reliable, so finding a low-cost, high-excess policy or even self-insuring (stashing cash away instead) may work. If you want cover, or already have an existing policy, check if you can save £100s via our Cheap boiler cover guide, including... Do a quick comparison. Prices vary by where you live, your boiler type and more. We'd start with MoneySupermarket* and Uswitch as between them they cover a large panel of insurers. If time, add in GoCo or CTM. Then, check for special deals. Some providers offer promos direct. Currently, we've a YourRepair* blagged deal for newbies. Use this link before 24 Nov and you get an up to 40% discount. Want to stick where you are? Haggle. Take your comparison winner to your current firm at renewal to see if it'll match it. 10. Try dropping your thermostat a degree. Many have thermostats set in the 20s, but 18°C is said to be fine for healthy adults (it may be higher for older people or those with health conditions). Test turning it down a degree (or more), and adding extra clothing. A cut from 21°C to 20°C could save a typical home £120/yr. PS: The thermostat's job is to take you to the set temp... it may take longer when it's cold, so don't feel the need to turn it up. 11. Rough rule of thumb... on how much it costs to run appliances! So, a 100W (a tenth of a kW) appliance on for two hours is a current maximum of 2.6p an hour x 2 = 5.2p The reason I say 'is a maximum' is many appliances - especially heating appliances and ovens - don't run at full whack the whole time. Yet this is a good rough rule of thumb to get an idea. Check how much appliances cost you. 12. FREE water-saving shower heads. As we pay to heat it, cutting water use often reduces energy bills too. There are 100,000s water-saving freebies available, eg, a low-flow shower head (pushes air through too, so you feel little difference) which can save up to £25/yr of hot water. Related: Slash £100s off water bills. 13. Radiator ga ga - hot tips to maximise effectiveness! While new builds may have underfloor heating or other methods of keeping a house warm, most people still rely on a radiator. If that's you... Don't be afraid to touch your knob(s). Turn radiator valves down in rooms you're not using. If it's slow to heat up, bleed it if needed. If your radiators are slow to heat up, you can hear gurgling noises or you feel cold patches at the top, then it's time to bleed them - see how to safely bleed a radiator. Put reflective panels behind radiators on external walls. Sheets of reflective material can be placed behind radiators on external walls, so heat doesn't escape (tin foil works too, but not as well). Install a radiator shelf. A thin shelf just above them to stop heat rising and escaping, deflecting it into the room. Move big furniture away from them. Move big items of furniture away from radiators. It can block the heat flow. Get a radiator brush. Radiator brushes are relatively cheap, but really any thin duster that can fit in the small holes at the top of some radiators will do. Keeping it clean can help it run more efficiently. 14. Just want to pay for what you use? Don't do it via 'payment in receipt of bills'. If you want to be billed each month for what you use, check if your firm offers a variable Direct Debit where you pay for what you use each month, but it is automatically taken by DD. Check if your firm offers it. 15. A £25 hot water cylinder jacket can save £50/yr. If your hot water cylinder is uninsulated, it'll let the water cool down more quickly, so you're wasting money heating it up again. A cylinder jacket could reduce heat loss by up to 75%. 16. If you need to 'heat the human, not the home' At the height of the 2022 energy crisis, I asked the team to put together our extensive Heat the human guide to help the many desperate people getting in touch. Please don't see it as a 'great tips everyone should do' guide, it's designed as a 'things to cut costs if you're in dire straits' guide, though some are useful generally. It includes: how to correctly layer clothes | the hot water in a sleeping bag trick | why you should put your feet up | and the cheapest way to warm up. As Rob emailed last month: "Hi Martin & team, I wanted to share a success of how I am 'Heating the human, not the home': I don't turn my room heating on in the morning, even when it's nippy. Instead, I use an electric blanket on my sofa, layered under a tucked-in throw and a single duvet. It costs me less than 3p/day to stay perfectly toasty."  Selected cheap electrical human heaters Item (initial cost) Heating method Cost per hour (1) USB gloves (£13) | Heated insoles (£18) Plug into USB Less than 1p Electric gilet (£30) Charge via USB Less than 1p Microwaveable wheat bag (£4) Microwave for 60 seconds Less than 1p Hot water bottle 1.5L (£5) If boiled in kettle then cooled a bit 5p Electric blanket (£15 for single) Plug into mains 3p (1) Based on the current Price Cap rate of 26.32p/kWh. Fire safety info: The fire service says electric blankets should be stored flat, rolled up or loosely folded to prevent damaging the internal wiring. Also, unplug blankets before you get into bed unless it has a control for safe night use. See more safety tips. 17. Beware the humble tumble dryer! A dehumidifier or heated airer is often far cheaper. I called tumble dryers a demon appliance a few years ago, and the clickbait news sites regularly regurgitate it as fresh news (even though I've not uttered it since). Yet the point still stands - unless it's a modern 'heat-pump' tumble dryer, these are energy-hungry appliances costing 50p to £1.50 PER LOAD. So make sure it's a full load if you're using it.  Or better still, just let your clothes dry in air. If that takes too long in winter, use a dehumidifier - they can be as cheaper as £70 and cost about 5p/hr to run - or a heated airer, which can cost about £50 to £100 and about 8p/hr to run. For a drying time of 4 to 6 hours for both, that's 20-30p or 30-50p per load. See minimise tumble dryer use, maximise load for more. 18. Turn draught detective. Draught-proofing is one of the cheapest and most effective ways to save energy. Walk round your house looking for window and door draughts - you can even make your own draught excluders for your doors or buy special excluders for chimneys. Some charities also suggest putting bubble wrap on cold bathroom windows and clingfilm on windows throughout the home. See how to stop the gaps. PS: Don't block air bricks, trickle vents or vents in rooms with gas appliances or open fires, because of the carbon monoxide risk. 19. Insulate outdoor pipes to help prevent freezing and bursting and reduce heat loss. Simple pipe lagging can be added to outdoor water and heating pipes to prevent them freezing and bursting (which can be massively expensive to fix) and can also help reduce heat loss, which could help you save a little on energy bills. It costs a few quid per metre. Also see do you know where your stop male chicken is?. 20. Loft and cavity wall insulation cost help for those on lower incomes. Cavity wall insulation can cost around £2,200 to install on average, but could save you up to £380/yr (be aware though it isn't right for all homes), while loft insulation costs around £750 and can save up to £360/yr . There are currently no generally available schemes to help, but the Warm Homes: Local Grant scheme may help if you've household income under £36,000 or you get certain means-tested benefits and you have an energy performance certificate rating of D to G. The scheme is only available in England.  21.Struggling to pay your energy bills. It's always worth talking to your energy firm. Be polite and straight with it, and make sure you explain if you're vulnerable and ask to be put on the Priority Services Register. There can also be hardship & debt grants from energy suppliers. For far more guidance, see our full What to do if you're struggling to pay energy bills guide.  For far more info, see our full list of 70 tips to cut your energy bills.

 

 

DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads Lots of scam ads litter social media and even newspaper websites - some of these lie that we or Martin promote Bitcoin, binary trading etc. See Fake ads warning.

 

 

 

New HSBC FREE £260! Biggest upfront switch bonus in years It's one of SEVEN banks currently paying switchers £175+. Do it now, and with a few there's time to get it pre-Xmas If your bank isn't tickling your toes on request (metaphorically), it's worth looking if you can be paid to switch, as today seven banks pay new switchers at least £175. And if you're looking to boost your Christmas coffers, it's still just possible with some to get that cash in time to help. With the rest, you'll usually get it by January to help you get through what, for many, is a long period without a payday. We run through the best buys below... Switching's usually quick and easy: To get the bonus, you need to use the bank's seven-working-day switch service. It'll close your old account, move your money over, and shift Direct Debits & standing orders. Payments are auto-forwarded too, including your salary. The vast majority find it a piece of cake, though you'll need to pass a not-too-harsh credit check. Seven banks pay FREE CASH for new switchers You usually need to switch 2+ Direct Debits. Full eligibility: Top bank accounts Barclays Bank Account* Fee-free? Yes. Min pay-in: £ 2,000+/mth earnings for 6mths (equiv £29,000/yr pro-rata salary going in). None after. Switch joint accounts?  No. £150 cash paid by 4 Jan (1). Top OVERALL free cash FREE £300: £150 at the start, then £30/mth for 5mths. The Barclays Standard Bank Account* has two cash offers that work together: - £150 upfront for switching 3+ Direct Debits. - Five £30 monthly payments for five months if you make 10+ debit card payments. Plus, for an optional £5/mth fee, you can join its Blue Rewards scheme to get Apple TV included (it would normally cost £10/mth). To keep this bit of the offer after 6mths, you'll need to continue paying in £800/mth & register for digital banking. Eligibility: Can't have received a previous switch bonus from it or have held an open Barclays current account on 1 Oct. See full Barclays eligibility & review. New. HSBC Bank Account* Fee-free? Yes. Min pay-in: £2,000 total within 60 days from any source (can be in dribs & drabs). Switch Joint accounts? No. Cash paid by 19 Jan (1). Biggest upfront bonus we remember (on a non-high earner account) FREE £260: £220 cash + £40 supermarket voucher. The HSBC Bank Account* has just sweetened the deal... - There's £220 upfront cash when you spend £500 on the debit card within 60 days (just do your normal spending on it). - Until 4pm 25 Nov you also get a £40 voucher - you can choose M&S, Sainsburys, Tesco or Waitrose - within 90 days (check your spam).  - It also has a linked 1yr 5% fixed regular saver you can put up to £250/mth in. Eligibility: If you haven't had an account with it or First Direct since 2023, you can get it. Full HSBC eligibility & review. New. Santander Everyday* Fee-free? Yes. Min pay-in: £1,500 total within 60 days from any source (can be in dribs & drabs). Plus £200 in the regular saver. Switch Joint accounts? Yes. Cash paid by 9 Feb (1). FREE £240, plus top 8% regular saver. Its Everyday* account pays £240 if you pay in £1,500 within 60 days and put £200 at least once in its... - Linked 1yr 8% variable regular saver (max £200/mth saved) Eligibility: Can't have received a previous switch bonus from it or held a Santander current account on 1 Jan 2026. Must switch over 2+ 'household' Direct Debits. See full Santander Everyday eligibility & review. First Direct 1st Account* Fee-free? Yes. Min pay-in: £1,000 total going in within 45 days (can be in dribs & drabs). None needed after. Switch joint accounts? Yes. Cash paid by 20 Dec (1). Number one for service FREE £210, 7% regular saver, 0% overdraft, top debit card overseas. The 1st Account* usually offers £175 but till 2 Dec it's boosted up to £210 when you make 5+ debit card payments and register for digital banking within 45 days. It has long topped our customer service polls with 90% rating it 'great'. That combined with these other perks, makes it our top all-rounder pick: - Linked 1yr 7% fixed regular saver for up to £300/mth. - Many get a £250 0% overdraft (see switching if you've an overdraft). - A top debit card for spending overseas, with near-perfect exchange rates. Eligibility: New customers who've NEVER had a First Direct product nor opened an HSBC bank account since Jan 2018. See full First Direct eligibility & review. Club Lloyds* (via QR code) Fee-free? Yes, if you meet the min-pay in, or its £5/mth (avoid). Min pay-in: £2,000+ a month from any source (equiv £29,000/yr salary going in). Switch joint accounts? Yes. Cash paid by 1 Dec (1). FREE £200, plus a choice of reward (eg, Disney+). The Club Lloyds* account offers £200 cash. The strength of its offer comes from the perks though...  - Linked 1yr 6.25% fixed regular saver for up to £250/mth. - Yearly perk, eg: cinema tix, Disney+ (with ads), magazines subscription, etc. - Possible £100 0% overdraft buffer. - A top debit card for spending overseas, with near-perfect exchange rates. Eligibility: Can't have received a switch bonus from Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland since 1 Jan 2023. Need to switch 3+ Direct Debits. See full Club Lloyds eligibility & review. Two more standard accounts that'll pay you to switch... NatWest Reward FREE £200 plus possible £2/mth cashback and 5.25% regular saver on up to £5,000. Cash paid by 20 Dec (1). See full NatWest Reward eligibility & review.  Nationwide FlexDirect FREE £175 plus 5% interest on up to £1,500 and up to £10/mth cashback for 12mths. Cash paid by 30 Nov (1). See full Nationwide FlexDirect eligibility & review. Bigger cash for HIGHER EARNERS on PREMIER accounts Requires £5,000+/mth going in - so roughly equiv to £85,000 pre-tax (Lloyds also allows £100k savings). Barclays FREE £600* free Apple TV. Must pay in £5,000+/mth salary. Barclays Premier eligibility & review.  Lloyds FREE £200* 1% cashback, digital GP & physio, and choice of perk. Lloyds Premier eligibility & review. Requires £100,000 (before tax) salary - or £100,000 saved with them (NatWest also allows £500k mortgage with it). HSBC FREE £500* free world family travel insurance & digital GP access. HSBC Premier eligibility & review.  NatWest FREE £500 £7/mth cashback. NatWest Premier eligibility & review. (1) Dates are our estimates for if you switched tomorrow, as most set a max time after you've switched & fulfilled criteria. Can switching bank affect your ability to get credit? In the short term, yes. It's a credit application, so that has an impact, but also lenders like to see evidence of stability. One switch usually isn't a big deal, but if you've an important credit application soon (eg, a mortgage), it's probably best to hold off until after. You may want to check your 'eligibility rating' via our free MSE Credit Club (or easier via the MSE app on iOS & Android). More in how switching banks affects your credit. You may be able to make £1,000s by repeatedly switching banks. Becoming a bank-bribe bagger can pay well - we've had scores tell us they've made a shedload. See pros & cons in make £1,000s by repeatedly switching bank. Are subscriptions moved when you switch? Direct Debits and standing orders are moved for you. Yet the third category of regular payments, known as recurring payments (eg, Netflix, Disney+ etc), where you give the long number on your debit card when you pay, aren't moved; you'll need to do this yourself. If you do forget, though, normally they'll notify you 'your payment card no longer works', so it shouldn't be too big an issue. See recurring payment help.

 

New. The famous MSE CHRISTMAS DEALS PREDICTOR 2026: 100+ forecasts on when & how big brands will discount. Big retailer sales, booze deals, cheap flights, sprout price wars & more... Deals Predictor Martin: 'Aged 18 to 39? Put £1 in a Lifetime ISA now (homeowners too)!' Budget changes mean 18- to 39-year-olds should open a Lifetime ISA (LISA) with £1+ if they haven't already. Watch Martin's 2min Get £1 in a LISA explainer for why. Then watch: His Beware people spouting LISA financial nonesense video in response to some of the social media comments. And finally: Listen to his new ISAs are changing podcast and see our LISA best buys. Ends 11.59pm Wed. 25% off Disney toys FLASH code on 500+ items. Toys, costumes and Lego. Disney Boots 'Showstopper' beauty box: £358 of Fenty, Estée Lauder, Ole Henriksen etc £90. 24-item beauty box, good for splitting up as presents. Showstopper Ends 5pm Thu. Martin: 'Last chance to join the staggering 49,000 who've sent Small Ideas to fix Britain. You've till this Thu to submit to my Small-Ideas.org charitable initiative. Then we'll publish 1,000 of the best, get your feedback and ultimately a cross-party group will select 50+ to campaign on for change.' PS: It's a personal project, independent of MSE. Virgin, NTL or Blue Yonder email address? It'll soon be SUSPENDED unless you pay. If you've one of these addresses, you'll need to act to stop your account being closed and data deleted. See Virgin, NTL, Blue Yonder email help. Last Thursday the Bank of England increased the UK base rate from 3.75% to 4%. The market had already priced it into swap rates - the City's view on future funding costs which many fixes are based on - so the impact depends... Base Rate Rise #1: Savings rates are inching up. a) Top easy-access savings: We expect them to creep up a touch over the next couple of weeks, but not by much. Not used your £20k ISA allowance and don't need it for shares? Top payer is Trading 212's 4.75% cash ISA* incl a 0.9% 1yr newbie bonus (min £1, max £20k). Top normal savings is Zopa's 4.56% incl a 1.06% 1yr newbie bonus (min £1, max £50k). b) Top fixed-rate savings: Here you lock money away for a guaranteed rate. These are more based on expectations of future rises, so we expect even less of an impact due to last week's rise as they're already relatively high. OakNorth is top payer: 1yr fix 5.19%* | 2yr fix 5.3%* (min £1, max £500k). All accounts here have full £120,000 UK savings safety protection, use the guide links for full options. Base Rate Rise #2: Mortgage lenders up variable rates, fixes staying stable. Our lender-by-lender list shows if your mortgage rate is changing. All tracker and most variable rates will rise by 0.25% - see how much you'll pay with our Ultimate Mortgage Calc. With fixes, it's harder to tell - see Martin's Why fixes could get cheaper even if base rates rise video from a couple of weeks ago. Mortgage ending soon? Use our Mortgage Best Buys tool to see current top rates and see our Remortgage PDF guide for full help.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - Hot Diamonds 40% off full-price & 50% off outlet Ends 17 Nov	DID YOU MISS? - Early Black Friday sales: Argos, Boots, Easyjet... any good? - Car finance mis-selling - Barclays to offer early settlements!  - £100 energy support for EVERYONE in Council Tax bands A-D - Battle of the Baileys: £10 for a 1L bottle (normally £22) - FINALLY, success - gas Standing Charges will be scrapped

 

 

New. Up to £500 FREE for signing up to a credit card - most we've ever seen FREE £165 with Amazon, M&S etc + £100 Selfridges gift card + £10/mth Deliveroo cashback + 4 airport lounge passes The American Express (Amex) Preferred Rewards Gold credit card has temporarily increased its sign-up bonus points and added a £100 Selfridges voucher too, so it's currently worth £500 for some. To get all this you need to spend £3,000 on the card in the first three months... doable for many at this time of year (especially if you put all the family spending on it) - just don't see it as an excuse to overspend. Yet you can't get the bonus if you've had a personal Amex card in the past two years. It also does a credit check, so the link goes via our eligibility calculator, which shows you your acceptance odds before applying, so you don't waste a credit applicaiton.  Martin's Must-Do: This deal only stacks up if you'll always pay the card off IN FULL every month and never withdraw cash on it. That way it's interest-free. The best way to do this is by Direct Debit, so you never accidentally miss a payment. If not, the 29.1% annual interest can dwarf the gain from the rewards. FREEBIE 1: Bonus worth £165 of Amazon, M&S, air miles etc. Open the Amex Gold now and it pays the bonus if you spend £3,000+ on it in the first three months - as long as your normal spending at this time of year adds up to that, you're fine. If you're in a trusting relationship, you can make your partner a 2nd cardholder so they do their spending on it as well to qualify. Of course, make sure you pay it all off IN FULL each month to avoid interest. When you hit the £3,000 trigger, you get 30,000 bonus points (normally 20,000) on top of 3,000 normal points, as it always pays 1 point for every £1 spent. That 33,000+ points is enough to be exchanged for... - £165 in eg, Amazon, M&S or Currys vouchers, or in Nectar points. - Or 33,000 air miles with Avios, Virgin, British Airways and other airlines. - Or hotel points at Hilton (66,000 points), Marriott (49,500 points) or Radisson (99,000 points). FREEBIE 2: £100 Selfridges eGift card. Right now, hit the spending trigger and you'll also get a £100 eGift card to spend at Selfridges, emailed to you within two months after the three-month qualification period. FREEBIE 3: Two £5 Deliveroo cashbacks a month (worth up to £120/yr). Once you get the card, go to the 'offers' section in the Amex app or online banking and save the Deliveroo offer. Then use the card to pay for Deliveroo (min spend £5 each time) and you'll get £5 automatically credited on the first two orders each month. FREEBIE 4: Four free airport lounge visits a year (worth up to £50 each). You don't need to do anything to get these, they should be sent within six weeks of acceptance, and you can use them in many airport lounges worldwide. Important: The card is only FEE-FREE in year one, after it's £195/yr, though you can cancel before that. While the Deliveroo and airport lounge pass rewards renew each year, you won't get another intro bonus (though spend £10,000+ a year, you get 5,000 bonus points, so in total that'd be 15,000 worth up to £75 at Amazon). So if you don't want to keep the card, diarise to cancel before the first anniversary of acceptance to avoid being hit by the £195 annual fee.

 

Warning. Bought a Virgin Experience Days voucher? You may've been sneakily auto-signed up to a £10/yr subscription. We discovered it was pre-ticking a box to its paid membership, in breach of consumer rules. If you didn't intend to sign up, you're entitled to a refund. We've reported the firm to the regulator. Check if you're due a Virgin refund. 50% off real Christmas trees at Tesco, eg, 6ft for £22.50. Including one pre-lit. A tree-mendous deal. Should I pay off my student loan (Plan 2) or my mortgage? Is there a cheaper Power of Attorney? | How do balance transfers work? Answers to these listener questions & more in Martin's latest Question Time podcast. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc. ISAs are changing! Cash, shares, LISAs and more - everything you need to know and do now. Plus State Pension tax help, mortgage rate rises & more. All in the latest episode of Martin's Big Topics pod. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc. 'I followed your car insurance tips and now I'm saving a much-needed £240/yr!' Success of the week. Mary posted on Facebook after watching Martin's ITV Motoring Special a few weeks ago: "My car insurance quote had just arrived and was only £2/mth more than last year, which I thought was OK. But I took your advice and did a comparison. When I went back to my insurer to cancel the policy, I was asked whether I'd found a better deal elsewhere, and was then offered a new quote £20/mth less than last year. Thank you Martin - you've saved me £240, it's like a double Winter Fuel Payment, which I really am going to need this winter." Hot Diamonds jewellery store codes: 40% off full-price AND 50% off its already-half-price outlet. MSE Blagged. Plus free delivery code, and you can stack all three together. See Hot Diamonds deal stack. Will Aid is now on - charity scheme means cheap solicitor-drafted wills for age 18+. Solicitor-drafted wills are the gold standard, and throughout Nov via Will Aid you can get one for a suggested £120 donation (£200 for mirror wills).

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS Top 0% balance transfers Top definite 0% card: HSBC (check eligibility; existing customers use this link), 36mths 0%, 3.09% fee, 24.9% rep APR No-fee: Barclaycard (check eligibility) 11mths 0% 24.9% rep APR Best bank accounts Free up to £300: Barclays New. Free £220 + £40 supermarket voucher: HSBC Broadband top picks Fast fibre (100Mb+): Vodafone '£19.59/mth' Superfast fibre (500Mb+):  Vodafone '£22.25/mth' Ultrafast fibre (900Mb+): Vodafone '£23.55/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Insurance Car: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Home: Use our Compare+ Home Insurance tool Travel: Use our Compare+ Travel Insurance tool Cheap loans £5,000 to £7,499: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 6.9% rep APR £7,500 to £15,000: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 5.9% rep APR Top savings accounts Top easy-access savings: Cahoot 5%, min £1 Top easy-access ISA: Trading 212 4.75%, min £1 Top one-year fix:  OakNorth Bank 5.19%, min £1 Top energy deals See our whole-of-market Cheap Energy Club Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.30/mth' for 3GB 4GB to 9GB data:  Lebara, '£2.40/mth' for 5GB 10GB to 30GB data:  Lebara, '£2.55/mth' for 15GB 31GB+ data:  Lebara, '£3.10/mth' for 50GB

 

 

MSE NEWS - Exclusive: Tesco Clubcard vouchers worth £15m expire soon - how to find and extend 'em - NS&I yet to return £182m to bereaved families after failing to trace savings

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should our daughter pay our costs for looking after her children? My daughter lives a 40-mile round trip away and we travel to look after her three children two or three days a week. We supply our own lunches, plus there's the cost of the fuel for driving between 80 and 120 miles a week. We're happy to do it, but we're providing up to 72 hours of free childcare a week, as well as paying associated costs. Should I talk to my daughter about it now, or wait to see if she offers to pay back some of our costs? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should our daughter pay our costs for looking after her children? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

 

QUICK DEALS - Ikea: Two cooked breakfasts for £3 (normally £6) - Pizza Express: £5 pizza, pasta, salad & more, Mon-Fri 3pm-5pm (normally up to £18) - Bella Italia: 2for1 pasta till Fri - Co-op: £12 for two curries, two sides and a four-pack of drinks (normally up to £21.45) See more of the latest deals & vouchers.

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: tax, thermostats & postbox toppers

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 11 NOV ONWARDS) Thu 12 Nov - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC R5 Live, 12pm Tue 17 Nov - This Morning, ITV1, 10.20am Tue 17 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 7pm

 

 

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