| | | For more tips, alerts & inevitable bad puns follow Martin: |  |  |  | | The long Easter weekend's coming, so it's the perfect time to spring clean your finances. Just one day's worth of effort can pay you back £1,000s. Here are 10 things to try... (for inspiration, payattentionpls tweeted: "Saved £2,000+ switching card and £370 on internet, phone, TV. Gas and Elec next.") | 1. | "I got £338 back because I wash my work uniform". This great success came after a MoneySaver saw our Uniform Tax Rebates guide. Most won't be this big, but if you wear a work uniform and wash it yourself, check. You can get six years back (though do it before this Thurs to max the reclaim). | | | | | 2. | £100 for switching to top customer service bank. First Direct* pays £100 if you switch, has won every customer service poll we've done, and has no fee if you earn £23,000+. Santander 123* charges £2/mth and pays cashback up to 3% on bills and up to 3% interest - but service feedback is poor (min £6k salary). Comparison in Best Bank Accounts. | | | | | 3. |  Reclaim mis-sold PPI for FREE (record's £82,000). Banks now MUST pay back mis-sold loan, credit card or store card insurance, even from years ago. Over £440m was paid out in Dec alone. Check if you had it. If you're not sure, have lost docs or need help, our PPI Reclaiming guide has a full FAQs & letters (don't pay a claims firm). Plus be inspired by the £82,000 reclaim. | | | | | 4. | Act now to slash cost of summer spending abroad. Most credit & debit cards add a hidden 3% load, so £100 worth of euros costs £103. Yet four load-free credit cards: Halifax Clarity, Post Office*, Saga* (over 50s) or Select* (for Nationwide FlexAccount holders) give PERFECT rates worldwide. Full help in Top Overseas Cards. ALWAYS fully repay every month or the 12.9%, 16.9%, 11.9% & 12.9% rep APRs cost large, see official APR examples. | | | | | | | 5. | Reclaim £1,000s of forgotten savings, investments & premium bonds. Sounds bizarre, but there's £bns people have forgotten (could be cash from deceased relatives) in old accounts — often it just requires plugging details in a website to check. See Lost Savings & Premium Bonds, Lost Pensions and Life Insurance & Investments. | | | | | 6. | Cut credit card interest to 22mths 0% (saving £100s). If you're racking up interest, get a NEW card balance transfer. It pays off other debts so you owe it instead, at a lower rate. Then aim to clear before the 0% end or you pay the APR. Full help: Best Balance Transfers (APR examples).
Longest 0% balance transfers | | Barclaycard* | 22mths 0% | 2.9% fee | 17.9% representative APR after | | Halifax* | 22mths 0% | 3.5% fee | 17.9% representative APR after | NatWest*/RBS* | 20mths 0% | 2.9% fee | 17.9% representative APR after | Lower fee if you can repay quicker | Barclaycard* | 16mths 0% | 1.6% fee | 18.9% representative APR after | Virgin* | 16mths 0% | 1.99% fee | 16.6% representative APR after | Poor credit scorers (be careful - read do it right first) | Capital One* | 7mths 0% | 1.7% fee | 34.9% representative APR after | | | | | | 7. | Get £1,000s council tax rebate. Up to 400,000 homes are in the wrong bands. Everyone should check 'n' challenge wrong band. Forumite Rosiecc did this in Feb, had her bill cut by £350/yr and got £2,470 rebate. | | | | | 8. | Try the back of the sofa cash challenge. Research says over £40m may be down the back of our sofas alone, never mind car seats, trouser pockets, old handbags, winter coats and more. So have a spring clean rummage and let us know what you find. Find an old mobile and flog it to the best payer by comparing mobile buying sites.
| | | | | | 9. | Easy £250 saved on gas & elec. Dead easy. A typical home on standard bills pays £1,320 a year, the same on cheapest tariff £1,020 - so switch. This week a corking new deal's launched. See the no price rise note below. | | | | | 10. | Reclaim £100s in lost Tesco vouchers. Many lose or forget 'em. But it's now easy to claw back unused vouchers. Takes 2 mins - see Reclaim Tesco Pts. ANeelK says: "£402 back in vouchers. Thought I'd check in case, glad I did."
| | | | If you've more time, see the full Save £1,000 in a Day & Boost Income guides, plus we’d love to hear how much you’ve saved - tweet us at @MartinSLewis and @MoneySavingExp. Free way to make a friend love you Well maybe - please tell them about this email and suggest they
get it themselves via moneysavingexpert.com/tips | |  | New cheap 'no price hike guarantee' energy tariff
Price fixed until Sept 2013 | No exit penalties | It'll email you if others launch cheaper
Energy costs are both high and overly complex. Deliberate bills confusion puts many off saving. If that's you, plaudits to a simple, innovative new tariff that may appeal. Full help via Cheap Gas & Electricity plus cashback. Here's a summary.
| Typical annual bills | | Standard tariff | £1,310 | | EDF Blue | £1,054 | | Cheapest tariff | £1,027 | Ofgem medium consumption
Source: Energyhelpline | - New EDF Blue Price Promise tariff. The new EDF Blue +Price Promise* tariff is roughly £250 a year cheaper for those on standard tariffs with typical bills, only a little more than the cheapest. It has three big advantages:
1. The price is fixed until Sep 2013 - so there won't be a hike.
2. If you leave before the fix ends, you won't be charged exit penalties.
3. It promises to always email within 10 days if anyone launches a tariff £52+/year cheaper.
- Compare and get cashback. It doesn't always win, so to see how it stacks up for you (varies by region) or to find your very cheapest, use a comparison site (via special links below you also get cashback/freebies after about three months). If possible, opt for 'monthly direct debit' to cut bills further.
Top comparison: Energyhelpline* pays £15 cashback per switch for gas, electricity or dual.
Dual fuel: MoneySupermarket* pays £30 cashback or Uswitch* gives a crate of 8 bottles of mid-range wine.
- New collective Huge Switch launched. The theory is collective switching should result in a better price, though the jury's very much out on whether it'll work. The latest is Energyhelpline's Huge Switch*, which promises to compare a top deal it picks to its own top comparison result in case it's not cheapest. Plus sign-up via this link and you get £15 cashback. This joins Which?'s Big Switch, which launched last month.
| | New 5-minute 2012/13 benefits check-up
Huge changes hit on Friday | Free tool checks you're getting what you're entitled to The new tax year starts on 6 April, and with it there are huge benefits and tax credit changes. Some get more as benefits are uprated by 5%, but many, especially tax credit recipients, are eligible for less. So make sure you get your entitlement.  Benefits check-up tool. Our detailed Benefits & Tax Credits Calculator, powered by benefits specialist Entitledto, has been updated for the new tax year. It takes five minutes to input your info, then it'll list your likely entitlements.- Family income up to £40,000? (sometimes up to £72,000). In rare cases, families with £72,000 income are eligible. More typically, it's those under £39,000 with kids, over-60s, under £18,000 with no kids, or with disabilities.
- Check likely take-home pay too. To see if you're likely to be better or worse off overall, use our Income Tax Checker to calculate your take-home pay for the new tax year. Then use the Budget Planner to ensure you're not overspending.
| | Ends Thurs. Last min 2011/12 cash ISAs
The cash ISA year ends on Thurs | Use it or lose it - here are the best remaining buys A cash ISA's just a tax-free savings account to put up to £5,340 in, which stays tax-free year-after-year. If you've any savings, it's a no-brainer. Full help in our Top Cash ISAs and Top ISA Transfers guides — all listed have £85k UK savings protection.  How important is 5 Apr deadline? Once midnight bongs, this tax year's allowance vanishes like Cinderella, though many best-buys may have already closed. Though the next day you get a new, bigger £5,640 allowance, so if you can't fill that anyway, it's less of a panic. To play safe, get it now, in case of an unexpected windfall next year.- Top online applications (up to 4.5%). The only true best buys not already closed are Halifax's* (min £500) fixed rates at a set 3.7% AER for 2 yrs and 4.25%-4.5% AER for 3-5 years, but like most fixes it has hefty interest penalties if you withdraw early. The top easy-access deal left is Principality BS's 3.1% AER, yet put £5,000+ into Selftrade's* 2.62% AER to get £50 Amazon vouchers - factored over a year that's 3.6%. Interest on both plummets in a year, so diarise to transfer.
While their websites accept applications until Thurs at 11.59pm (Principality 11.59am), the cash MUST BE IN then, so do a 'faster payment' ASAP. In-branch, take 2 forms of ID (one with address) and have the cash available.
- Warning — stop any ISA direct debits now, or you'll auto-start one next year. Cancel any regular payments into this year's ISA unless you want to be subscribed for next year with that provider.
- Everyone gets a new £5,640 allowance from Good Friday. The slate's wiped clean, so all over 16s can open a new cash ISA. Our Top Cash ISAs will be up-to-date (we hope) by 12.05am.
| | 'I saved £970 on car insurance'
Don't be bullied into costly renewal | New top comparison sites plus renewal beater Never auto-renew without comparing the market, and never just use one comparison site. Combine them for the widest coverage, then add those they miss. Our updated Cheap Car Insurance guide slices through it. Mark Hague used it: "From £1,700 with Co-op to £730. Really pleased as £1,700 would have meant getting rid of my car". Here's key snippets.  Don't assume 3rd party is cheapest. Even though it covers less, it can be pricier than fully comprehensive, as choosing it indicates to some insurers you're a higher risk. If you want the very cheapest, always get quotes for both. - Correctly combine comparison sites. Our latest monthly analysis of the right orders...
For most: Combine Gocompare* & Confused* + add the missed Aviva* & Direct Line*.
4+ points: Combine Gocompare*, MoneySupermarket* then add Aviva* & Direct Line*.
Multiple cars: First try Admiral's* multi-car, Gocompare* & Confused.com* then add Aviva* & Direct Line*. - Guarantee to beat renewal. If these don't beat your existing renewal, MoreThan* promises to beat it if you're over 30 and have four years no-claims bonus, please feed back if it works.
- Cheap 17-24 year-olds' car insurance. Check adding older 2nd drivers. As Zack Fernandez tweeted: "£1.600+ on my own, just £550 with 2 named drivers. 20-yr-old male." Combine Confused*, MoneySupermarket* then Coverbox* (pay-when-you drive) and Co-op* (pay-how-you-drive). See the Young Drivers' Car Ins guide.
| 'Water meter cut my bill from £52 to £15 a month'
Water bills UP 5.7% this week - yet many can save £100s and grab freebies The annual water bill increase hit England and Wales this week (Scotland's are frozen, NI bills are included in rates). They're up an average 5.7% (but could be up to 8.8%), yet our Slash Water Bills guide can save you large. Here's a taster...  Step 1: Save £100s with a water meter. Simple rule of thumb — if you've more or the same bedrooms in your home than people, switching to a meter measuring usage can mean big savings (use a water meter calculator). As Andy2uM tweeted us: "In 2010 I paid £52pm water, now in 2012 with a meter, it's just under £15pm" - £450 a year less.
- Step 2: Not allowed a meter? Get an assessed bill. Water firms must fit meters for nowt (except Scotland) unless it's impractical, such as in flats with shared pipes. If you want one, but are refused, ask for an assessed charge, which bills you based on likely usage, eg, Richard's: "I read your 'single occupier tariff' assessed charge tip, filled in the form, and today I got a note saying I'm £286 up."
- Step 3: Showerheads & other freebies (not just for meter users). Water companies currently give away scores of items, such as showerheads for higher pressure. See the Water Saving Freebies for where you live.
- Step 4: Water saving tips. From the radical "if it's yellow let it mellow" to "while running the tap, catch it in a pint glass to water plants," see our full list of Water Saving Tips.
| | |  | Real Life MONEY MORAL DILEMMA:
Should I rat on my ex?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks...
My ex asked his mum to buy him a car so he could pick up our kids for visits. She agreed and chose the car herself to make sure it was reliable. Now he has traded in the car (worth about £3,000) for an old banger (£400) and pocketed the difference. She lives miles away so has no idea. He hasn’t offered any money to help out with the kids. His mum is a good friend of mine, should I tell her? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I rat on my ex? Previous MMDs: View All Suggest: A Money Moral Dilemma
| | |  | Beware 'bogus bag' collectors - check the charity number
Jumble bags going to bogus charity collectors cost UK charities up to £15 million a year in lost income. Some commercial collectors use similar bags to charities and sell clothes you think are being donated. So the Fundraising Standards Board's BogusBags campaign says "CHECK FOR A CHARITY NUMBER", via the Charity Commission website or calling the charity. If you’re not sure, take it to a charity shop or drop it at a re-use bank. Suggest a campaign: This space is for MSE to support the work of other charities, community groups and campaigners. Send your Campaign of the Week suggestion. | | | | | | | | | | | Thursday 5 April
Lorraine, ITV1, between 8.30 & 9.30am.
Real Deals. Shelagh Fogarty, Radio 5, 12-1pm.
Consumer Panel. Tuesday 10 April
Daybreak, ITV1, between 7& 8.30am.
Cash Isas. | | All Martin's Appearances | | | | | | UK's Best Currency Rates | | £100 will buy you: | | Best | Worst |  | € | 119.75 | 105.08 |  | $ | 157.57 | 138.69 |  | TL | 279.00 | 244.17 | | Rates correct at 6pm Tues | Find all top currency rates
Compare travel cash | | | | | | | | What should the maximum income tax rate be?
Over 19,000 MoneySavers voted and the most popular top rate was 50% (22% of voters), although an overall majority thought it should be lower than 45% (the new rate from 2012/13 announced in the Budget). 311 (2%) of MoneySavers would be happy for some to give 100% of extra earnings away. See Full Results | | | | | | | My daughter's bought a repossessed flat and wants to find who the gas supplier is. How does she do it? Diane Hook, by email MSE Archna's A: When you move into a new property, the gas and electricity supplier of the old tenant automatically becomes your supplier.
If you don't get a letter, just call the National Grid (formerly Transco) on 0870 608 1524, give your address details and it should tell you your supplier. For electricity, you need to contact the electricity distribution company for your area. Use the National Grid list to find the right number. Please suggest a Question of the Week (we can't reply to individual emails). | | | | How (globally) well paid are you? That's it for this week, but before we go, do you beat the average £900 a month someone gets paid in Macedonia - or live up to the world pay league's table-toppers Luxembourg at £2,550 a month? How globally well paid are you? We hope you save some money, Martin & the MSE team | | |
No comments:
Post a Comment