| THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL | | Menu links don't work in some email readers. If a problem, view online | | 17 MoneySaving tricks for couples (well, it is Valentine's) | | Warning. Npower 10% price hike, more to follow - how to beat 'em | | New. 3% easy access savings till 2019 | | Free £35 M&S + 25mth 0% spending | | A warning if you were at uni from 1998-2012 | | Check for free if you're owed £1,000s in packaged bank account fees | | Mortgage price war: 5yr fix 1.78% | | FREE coffee, tea, latte EVERY day | | Valentine's deals: Dozen roses £3, 79p card, cheap grub, £8 champers | | Gap, Zizzi etc extra 20% off trick | | Topman 20% off code | | £35 Amazon vch with £8/mth BT Sim | | Moss Bros 20% off code | | £30 free-range meat hamper | | TGI Friday's all-you-can-eat £10-£13 | | | | | | | | Make £400 switching banks together, get 2for1 for a year's cinema, save £1,000s by taking their debt
Love is in the air with Valentine's Day looming. You may be amorous newlyweds, or sick of the sight of each other after 30 years of, er, domestic bliss, yet when it comes to MoneySaving it can pay to join forces. Even better, it doesn't always matter if you're married, living together, with or without kids, have swiped right with success or are even just good friends. So here are our top tips for richer, not poorer, lives together. | 1. |  Why not spend a romantic 10 minutes together switching bank accounts and making £400? Switching's easy. Use the official switching services and it takes seven working days and can net you up to £200 in free cash as a new customer. That means £400 per couple. If you only have a joint account - you're missing out. Full help and eligibility in Best Bank Accounts, here are the top deals...
- Free £200 each (£150 upfront, £50 if you stay). Switch to the HSBC Advance* account and you get £150, and another £50 if you're still with it after a year. Apply for the account online, but once opened you need to switch in branch or on the phone. To get it all, pay in a min £1,750/mth, switch 2+ direct debits/standing orders and register for online/mobile banking within 60 days.
- Free £125 each, No.1 for service. Via this First Direct* link you get £125 (£100 direct) to switch. It's won every customer service poll we've done. Pay in a min £1,000/mth or it's £10/mth.
- Free £125 each + £5/mth cashback. Via this TSB* link you get a free £125 (zero direct) to switch if you pay in at least £500 within 28 days of switching + switch 2+ direct debits. Spend up to £100/mth on contactless debit & you get 5% cashback up to a max £5/mth till Sep.
- Get £200 if one of you is already a Nationwide customer. If you've a Nationwide FlexAccount, FlexDirect or FlexPlus account, you can refer your partner - if they then switch to one of those accounts (incl 2+ direct debits) within 90 days you'll both get £100, paid the month after the switch. Know more people who'd benefit? You can get paid for switching 5 people per tax year, so could net a cool £500. | | | | | 2. | If you're married or in a civil partnership, there's a FREE £432 tax break. A whopping 2.7m couples are missing out on an easy but under-publicised tax break, which is worth £220 this year, and £212 last (which you can still get). It takes five mins to arrange and you'll be sorted for as long as the tax break exists. Our Marriage Tax Allowance guide explains all. Edwina used it: "Thanks Martin for your tip, I have just claimed and will receive £432." | | | | | 3. | Did you know you can shift your partner's debt to your 0% credit card to save £1,000s? If you've debt on a credit or store card we always tell you to shift it to a 0% balance transfer card. It means you get a new card that pays off your existing ones, so you owe it instead, but at 0%. Your repayments clear the debt rather than just interest, so you're debt-free quicker. But getting accepted can be difficult.
But if you're in a loving, trusting relationship there is a way around this. If one of you is struggling to shift debt, the other could apply for one of the few cards that let you shift someone else's debt.
- First, see if you really need to, ie, can they can do it themselves? You should both use our Balance Transfer Eligibility Calc to see what cards you're most likely to be accepted for.
- If you need to help your partner, a few cards will let you transfer their debt, but many won't. MBNA & Barclaycard said their cards will let you.
This MBNA (eligibility calc incl pre-approval / apply*) card offers up to 43mths 0% (3.29% fee), plus gives £20 cashback if you transfer £1k+.
Or Barclaycard (eligibility calc incl pre-approval / apply*) offers up to 37mths 0% (1.4% fee), while if you can repay quicker, another Barclaycard (eligibility calc incl pre-approval / apply*) is up to 24mths 0% with no fee.
Clear the cards before the 0% ends, or they jump to 20.9%, 18.9% or 18.9% rep APR. If you do it on other cards, you may be breaching their terms, see lenders' policies. | | | | | 4. | New. Save a whopping £12,000 at 3% easy access until April 2019. This is a massive lifeline for savers, and couples can double the advantage. See How couples can get 3% on £12,000 below. | | | | | 5. | There's full service breakdown cover for £43 and it covers your spouse. Our top-pick for full service (ie, home start and onward travel) AutoAid* is £43/yr and covers any car you or your spouse/civil partner drives. A joint policy can also be cheaper than two single policies with the AA & RAC. See Cheap Breakdown Cover. | | | | | 6. | If you've a joint bank account for bills make sure it's one that pays you when you pay. Many couples have 3 accounts: 1 each and 1 for bills. If that's you, it's possible to earn up to 3% cashback on bills you pay by direct debit, including phone, broadband, mobile, energy, water and council tax. Full info in Best Bank Accounts, but in brief...
- Best for cashback. NatWest's Reward account* pays a straight 3% cashback on bills, but has a £3/mth fee.
- Best if you've a Santander mortgage. The Santander 123 Lite account pays up to 3% on bills, 1% on Santander mortgages (max £10/mth) and has a cheaper £1/mth fee.
- Best if you've savings and a Santander mortgage. The Santander 123* account has the same cashback as the Lite account (but with a £5/mth fee), plus it pays 1.5% AER variable on up to £20,000 savings, if you pay in £500+/mth + have 2+ active direct debits. | | | | | 7. | Cuddle up in the cinema with 2for1 tickets for A YEAR. This is all about our Meerkat Movies year's 2for1 for £2ish trick. Lianne did it: "Bought 2 nights' travel insurance for £1.87 & got free cinema for a year." | | | | | 8. | If you stagger cashback cards between you, you can get 5% cashback for SIX mths. Cashback credit cards pay you for spending on them. The big payer's Amex Everyday (eligibility calc / apply*) at 5% cashback (max £100) for the first 3mths. Yet couples can get six months at 5%. Here's how:
Eg, Beyoncé applies, making Jay Z her 2nd cardholder, so both get the 5% cashback (to use on baby products). Before that ends, Jay Z applies, making Beyoncé his 2nd cardholder, to bag another 3mths at 5%. Once they end, it'll be best for them to use one person's card as they'll get a higher rate of cashback (up to 1%) if they meet a certain level of spending - though they need to spend at least £3,000/yr per card to get ANY cashback.
Ensure you set up a direct debit to repay IN FULL each month so there's no 22.9% rep APR wiping the rewards gain. Full help and how to use them in Top Cashback Cards (APR Examples). | | | | | 9. | Starbucks has a brew romance offer on Valentine's Day. Frappuccino & hot chocs are 2for1. Starbucks | | | | | 10. | Planning to buy your first home together? You can get a £6,000 boost. If you're a wannabe first-time buyer, save in a Help to Buy ISA and the state will add 25% on top towards a mortgage deposit (max £3,000). If buying together, get one EACH (and if one has owned before, the other can still get one).
You can save £1,200 in month one, £200/mth after. Full FAQs & best buys in Top Help to Buy ISAs. Even if you plan to open a Lifetime ISA when they launch in April, if you've money to save now, open a Help to Buy ISA & transfer it later (if you want to). | | | | | 11. | Seems strange, but adding your partner to your car insurance can bring the cost DOWN. Two drivers can be cheaper than one, especially if the 2nd driver has a good record (NEVER claim they're the primary driver if they're not as that's fraud).
Usually this trick works best for younger people adding parents, when some can save £1,000s. But it works for partners too, as SouthoftheRiver posted: "Insurance renewal £800, added husband - £700." Full info and more tips, including cheap multi-car policies, in Cheap Car Insurance. | | | | 12. | You and your partner can fly business class for less than in economy, if you're a bigger spender. It's all about credit cards where you earn frequent flyer miles for normal spending, and if you spend certain trigger amounts on some, you get a 'free' companion ticket. With it, you pay for one ticket in points but get the second - in the same class, even first - for zero points (though you pay taxes in cash on both). The best fee-free cards, which also give intro points bonuses, are BA Amex and Virgin Atlantic White.
By also bagging 10,000s of bonus points, MSE Guy amassed enough for him and his fiancée to fly business class to New York for less than the price of an economy ticket using a companion ticket.
To max the gain, put ALL spending that you can on the card and set up a direct debit to repay IN FULL each month so interest doesn't wipe the gain. Full help and more options, including fee-paying cards offering bigger rewards, in Top Airline Cards. | | | | | 13. | Get 1/3 off train fares when you travel together. The Two Together Railcard gives the two named cardholders 1/3 off most fares if travelling together. It usually costs £30, but there's currently a 10% off code. Abi tweeted: "Didn't know about the Two Together Railcard before, saved over £40 on train tickets, thank you."
If you've kids and travel with them, the Family & Friends Railcard (with 20% off) is an alternative. See Cheap Train Tickets. | | | | | 14. | There's a way to get £600 worth of FAMILY travel, phone and breakdown insurance for £120. If you've a packaged bank account and use the perks, make sure you add your partner as a joint account holder, so they benefit as well.
Our pick's Nationwide's FlexPlus for £10/mth. Full eligibility info & more options in Packaged Bank Accounts. For straight cheap travel insurance, if you live together, joint policies can be cheaper. | | | | | 15. | Only pay for one Amazon Prime account between two of you. We're not saying you need to have Amazon Prime, but if you do, then you can legitimately link your Amazon account with someone else in your household. Got more than one Spotify, Apple Music or Google Play account? See family music streaming. | | | | | 16. | The couple who saves a lot together... may be able to reduce tax. Basic-rate taxpayers can earn up to £1,000/yr interest tax-free under the personal savings allowance (higher rate £500). If you will go over your allowance & your partner won't, consider putting some savings in their name to minimise tax. You'll need to trust each other financially, because ultimately it's handing money over from one to the other. With joint accounts, interest earned is assumed to be split 50/50. | | | | | 17. | And finally, a warning... it doesn't matter if you're kissing, sleeping or living together, or hitting your diamond wedding anniversary. It's your financial relationship that counts. Apply for joint mortgages, loans, bank accounts and sometimes utility bills (credit cards aren't included as they're 2nd cards, not joint) and your file can be linked with the other person, meaning next time you apply, their credit score can be taken into account. So with the tips above, don't get joint products if your partner has a bad history. See Boost Your Credit Score. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | As we've predicted, prices are going to rocket this spring but some can save £300+/yr by locking in now
Npower is raising its standard elec prices by 15% and gas by 4.8% (about 10% for dual fuel) on 16 March, joining EDF as the 2nd giant to announce March hikes. Others are only promising to freeze prices till spring and we expect them to soar then. Yet today's top deals are £100s/yr cheaper and because they're fixed will protect you from the hikes. So urgently take just 5 mins to check if you can save via our Cheap Energy Club, as deals tend to disappear quick when prices rise. Here's the key info... -
 Check NOW if you can save £300+/year. These average dual-fuel prices, based on typical use, tell the story:
- Big 6 standard tariff now (before hikes): £1,063/yr
- Npower standard tariff after rise: £1,187/yr
- Cheapest 1yr fix now: £834/yr (but we're concerned whether the rate's sustainable)
- 2nd cheapest 1yr fix now: £880/yr The difference between the post-hike and cheapest-fix prices are huge, so Npower customers could save £300+/yr on typical use - and it's likely to be similar for others soon. Steve tweeted: "Thanks to #CheapEnergyClub for the £356 saving I've made leaving Npower." To find out your saving: EITHER do a full comparison via Cheap Energy Club - plus if we can switch you, we pay £30 dual-fuel cashback (£15 single). OR if you're confused, the club's top picks comparison includes full reviews and help on which tariff to choose. -
If in Wales, Scot or parts of NW Eng, we hope to have a mega-cheap collective deal, launching next week. It's where a trusted intermediary (eg, us) uses its power to get suppliers to bid to offer a cheap deal. Anyone who gets this email, or is registered for Cheap Energy Club, will be eligible if it happens. When we say NW Eng it's because it's likely to include the 'Manweb' region - mainly N Wales but also parts of Cheshire, Merseyside & N Shropshire - its meters start '13'. -
In Northern Ireland? You've fewer options, but can still switch electricity. We're working on a comparison tool to shortly let you compare electricity tariffs. For loads more energy-switching help, incl prepay & the mechanics of switching, see Cheap Gas & Elec. | | | | Did you start uni in England between 1998 and 2012? If so, the Govt's beginning to sell your student loan.
Check for free - are you owed £1,000s in packaged bank account fees? You may have seen Martin cover it on his ITV show on Monday. We've a full help Q&A, and a free packaged bank account reclaiming tool.
Mortgage price war: 5yr fix now 1.78% - the cheapest ever. Urgently check if you can benefit from the mortgage price wars.
FREE coffee, tea, latte, cappuccino or hot choc EVERY day. Via KFC app, no purchase necessary, till 26 Feb. How to get a free cuppa.
Be my (cheap) Valentine But don't get sucked into overspending
♥ Cheapest dozen Valentine's roses: £3 in stores, £20 couriered. See our Valentine's roses round-up.
♥ 79p card, dine-in deals & free Valentine's gift cheques. Plus £8 champers & restaurant set menus/discounts. See our Valentine's deals round-up.
♥ And for real romance (ahem)... a 'free' 6-inch Subway sarnie. When you buy a £1.20ish drink on Valentine's Day. Say it with Subway. (Though MSE Debs said her husband would be "in serious trouble" if that was his gift.) | | | | | | | | | | | Hurrah - finally a decent savings rate you can put up-to-£6,000 lump sums in (or £12,000 if a couple)
Tesco has offered a lifeline to savers, offering 3% savings interest with easy access. That's treble the rate you can get in normal savings and it's promising it won't fall below 3% (though could rise) for 2 years from April. -
 New. 3% easy access savings on up to £6,000 (£12,000 if a couple). First thing to say is this is for new and existing customers via its Tesco Bank current account (though it's not available in NI). Don't think this means switching banks - just open it, say no to its switching service, put your money in and use it to store your savings. That's because unusually it doesn't require a minimum monthly pay-in or you to set up direct debits. Here's more key info... - It only pays 3% up to £3,000 per account, but you're allowed two accounts per person. So open two, and if you're in a couple, open two each for the full £12k. You'll need to pass a credit check (and note, if you've an old Tesco Clubcard Plus account you can only have one each).
- If you use the debit card you get Clubcard points. It's 1pt per £1 spent on debit card spending at Tesco from April (currently 1pt per £4) on top of normal Clubcard points and 1pt per £8 spent elsewhere.
- Wasn't Tesco Bank hacked? Yes, pretty horribly - people had money taken from their accounts and it had to pay out around £2.5m to those customers so they didn't lose cash. It says it's taken every step to ensure accounts are secure. -
Get 3% on £15,000 (£30,000 for couples) but NO rate assurances. There are other current accounts that pay good rates, but without any assurances for the future. But Tesco's promise could be seen as a signal that banks' attitudes to rate cuts on high interest current accounts are changing, so hopefully these will last. Full info, criteria on these and more deals in Top Current Account Savings.
- 3% on up to £15,000 (£30,000 for couples). Bank of Scotland pays 3% AER variable if you've £3,000 to £5,000. You can have three accounts per person, so six per couple. However you must meet a number of criteria incl a min £1k pay-in a month and direct debits.
- 1.5% on up to £20,000 (£60,000 for couples). For big savers, Santander 123 pays 1.5% AER variable on up to £20,000, but you can have two accounts if the second is joint, so couples can have three between them. To be eligible you must pay in a min £500/mth and meet other criteria. | | | | | Trick to bag extra 20% off big discounts at Gap, Pizza Express, Vue, Zizzi etc. Get gift cards at 20% off which you can stack with other deals. Eg, three-course meal at Zizzi for £16. Gift card trick
Topman 20% off most items code. MSE Blagged. Incl clearance items. Ends Thu. Topman
Ends Thu. £35 Amazon/iTunes vch with 3GB (4G) data, 500mins & unltd texts BT Sim for £8/mth. Last chance to pay £96 and get £35 in vouchers for a new 12mth BT Sim* IF you've BT broadband. Ensure you click 'Got BT broadband?' when applying. For others, or if you switch broadband away from BT it's £13/mth* for the same, but there are better deals. Annoyingly, you must claim the vch within 3mths, so use this voucher link from 2wks after activation. It should then come within 45 days. See Cheap Sim-only deals for more options.
Moss Bros 20% off incl sale code. MSE Blagged. Valid on almost everything you buy (not hire), incl clearance sale. Free delivery, ends Thu. Suit you?
£30 free-range meat hamper incl duck, sirloin, gammon etc (£40-ish at supermarkets). MSE Blagged. 2,500 avail. Market Porter
TGI Friday's all-you-can-eat £10-£13 starters. How much can you stomach? Watch our hungry deals team find out. | | | | | They can get this email free every week | | | | | | | | | Just make five purchases (banana, gum, crisps, anything) for the freebie even at just one visit to the till
 This mega-popular M&S freebie is back. You previously could do it in one transaction, now it's five. But we've checked and you can split one shop into five lots at the checkout anyway (although best without a queue behind...), and to max it just get the cheapest stuff you can find. Full info and more options in Top 0% Cards - but briefly...
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New. Free £35 in M&S vouchers and access to 25mth 0% credit card. New M&S credit card* holders who apply via this link and make at least five transactions by 9 April get emailed a £30 M&S voucher by 2 May. Must be used by 31 May, on most things at M&S. You'll also get a different voucher with the card for 500 bonus points, worth £5. Just swipe or quote online when you use the card at M&S on most things, incl food, to have them added to your account. You'll need to turn cookie/ad-blocking software off, or the deal mightn't track.
Will it affect my credit score? An application leaves a footprint on your file, which is trivial unless you do many in a short time or are about to apply for a mortgage. It's best to check your chances first using our free eligibility calc, which doesn't leave a footprint. -
Is the 0% deal worth using? Always be careful with new borrowing. If you need it, there's no cheaper way than 0% - just ensure it's planned and the repayments are budgeted for.
The M&S card is good, not far from the longest 0% period, which is from Sainsbury's (eligibility calc / apply*) at 29mths 0%. Next is MBNA (eligibility calc / apply*) at up to 29mths 0%. They're all 18.9% rep APR after the 0%. Sainsbury's and M&S also give ongoing reward points for spending - full info and top picks in 0% Spending Cards. -
0% Card Golden Rules.
a) Never miss paying at least the monthly min or you can lose the 0% (and stick within the credit limit).
b) Plan to clear the card (or balance transfer) before the 0% ends or the interest rate jumps.
c) These cards are usually ONLY cheap for spending, not balance transfers or cash withdrawals. | | | | | Southern Rail commuter? Are you owed £100s? Many season ticket holders can get a refund for poor service. How to claim
£75 Ciaté nail polish collection for £20 all-in. MSE Blagged. 15 minis incl glitter, pearl effects. 800 avail
SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: (Send us yours on this or any topic)
"I upgraded my Sky contract and still cut it by £32/mth by haggling via online chat. Thanks MSE - Sky haggling really works."
Last chance. Pay £129 for year's unlimited entry to Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Legoland etc. Merlin annual pass jumps to normal £179 on Mon. Theme parks | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Thu 9 Feb - Good Morning Britain, ITV, Deals of the Week, 7.40am. View previous
Fri 10 Feb - This Morning, ITV, Martin's Quick Deals, from 10.30am. View previous
Mon 13 Feb - This Morning, ITV, from 10.30am
Mon 13 Feb - BBC Radio 5 Live, Lunch Money Martin, noon. Subscribe to podcast
Mon 13 Feb - The Martin Lewis Money Show, ITV, 8pm. View previous | | | | Wed 8 Feb - Share Radio, 11.20am
Wed 8 Feb - BBC Radio Cumbria, 'Money Talks', from 6pm
Thu 9 Feb - BBC Radio Tees, 10.35am
Fri 10 Feb - BBC South West stations, breakfast
Tue 14 Feb - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, 2.20pm | | | | | | | Q: I was rejected for a current account because I have no income. Would I have been accepted if I'd put my occupation as housewife? Katie, via email.  MSE Sally's A: Probably not. It's your income, not your occupation that's key here.
Some banks require a minimum monthly pay-in to get their accounts, and the stricter ones may reject you if you can't prove you have the necessary funds to meet their criteria. While the checks made on bank applicants aren't as strict as those for a loan or credit card, as you have found, they can still say no. See Best Bank Accounts for the top deals, including those that don't require a minimum monthly pay-in. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). | | | | | | | That's it for this week, but before we go, our forumites are talking about Valentine's Day with MoneySaving in mind. Some say it's "commercial rubbish" and prefer homemade cards or cakes. Others wait for discount chocolates the day after. See what they say and have yours in the Valentine's Day thread. We hope you save some money,
The MSE team | | | | | | |
The Martin Lewis Money Show 
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