| | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter Urgent: Up to £5,600 to improve your home
Go ASAP, it could be the last time. Starts Mon, but I doubt it'll last a week
The Green Deal Home Improvement Fund (HIF) is a huge Govt cash giveaway available to anyone to encourage energy efficiency. The first £120m in July 2014 went in 6 weeks, last Dec another £30m lasted little more than a day.
Last week, in a speech held here at MSE Towers (see below), Energy Secretary Ed Davey announced a new £70m from noon on Mon 16 Mar. I think this'll go at super-speed, as many are poised waiting to apply. And as it's the last time pre-election, it could be the last ever as a new govt may decide to close it. Here are the need to knows... | • | £5,600 sounds nice. What's it for? A combination of things...
- Offer 1: Install two or more of 11 energy efficient measures & get up to £1,250. Incl cavity wall insulation, boiler upgrades, double-glazing, waste water heat recovery, floor insulation & more. See all 11 measures.
- Offer 2: Up to £3,750 for solid wall insulation. Around 8m homes have solid walls, ie, no gap in the brickwork like cavity walls. Insulating them is costly (£4k-£14k), but can hugely reduce heating bills. The HIF covers up to 2/3 of your costs. MSE Wendy did this the first time: "I'm getting 50m2 of solid wall worth £7,100, but only need to shell out £1,750." See solid walls help.
- 'Add-on' offer: £500 bonus if you've moved home in past year. Make any of the improvements above and you get an extra £500 if you've moved.
- 'Add-on' offer: £100 of Green Deal assessment costs back. Make any of the improvements above and get £100 back - these assessments normally cost up to £150 so this should cover most of the cost.
| | | | • |  How do I find out if I can do this? Before you can apply for the Home Improvement Fund you need to have two things ready:
1) You need a Green Deal assessment, which usually costs £100-£150 - so do a FREE online check first to see if it's likely you will qualify.
An Energy Performance Certificate done in the last 2yrs also does the trick, and you may already have one if you've recently moved home. Or to get one costs £60-100ish, but unlike the assessment you aren't eligible for the £100 cash refund 'add-on' if you qualify for the Home Improvement Fund.
2) You need an agreed plan & quote from a Green Deal-registered builder.
Will everyone get it? It's first come, first served until the cash runs out, so apply asap (see application info). However, there are different pots for different things - some, eg, solid wall, go quicker than others.
Can I start this now? Unless your home has already been assessed, it'll be tough to get it all done in time for next week, but do the free check to see if it's relevant, then speak to a local assessor asap, and see if it'll do it. | | | | • | What is the Green Deal itself? It allows more than 40 energy efficiency measures, from cavity wall insulation to solar panels, to be paid for by a loan where repayments are made from the savings on your energy bills (eg, if your usage drops by £200/yr, your bill stays the same to repay the loan). FULL HELP: 19 Green Deal Mythbusters.
It's a great idea, and a concept I support, but sadly it was poorly executed and not that popular until it added the Home Improvement Fund (a name incidentally based on a suggestion in my 10 things wrong with the Green Deal blog). After all, people do like free cash. | | | | • | Get PAID to install free loft and/or cavity wall insulation. This is separate and far easier to do. Anyone in a suitable home (not NI) can get free loft & cavity wall insulation and earn a £25 J Lewis/Argos etc voucher.
The insulation is offered by British Gas, but anyone can get it, you needn't be its customer. It does it as it has energy efficiency targets to meet and it's cheaper to thrust offers like this out than get fined for missing them. | | | | • | Free help if you're on a low income. The ECO scheme can provide totally free energy efficiency measures, eg, boilers and more, if your household has sub-£16k/yr income. Or for the solid wall element specifically you may qualify even with higher income than that. Check our free ECO help info. | | | | • | SWITCH ENERGY now to save £250+/yr. As well as cutting your usage, ensure you're on the cheapest tariff. There's an energy price war on right now, but only for switchers - many on standard tariffs can save £250+/yr.
All the current winners are fixes - where the rate is guaranteed not to hike. Your cheapest depends on usage and where you live, so compare and get £30 dual fuel cashback (£15 for single fuel) if you switch via our Cheap Energy Club. This is cashback you don't get going direct so you gain doing it this way. More info & cashback options: Cheap Gas & Elec.
Top picks for typical usage - varies by region
Find YOUR bespoke actual price via our Cheap Fixes Comparison | | Fix till | Exit fee | Cost/yr | | Typical standard tariff: On Big 6 standard deal | - | - | £1,154 | | Cheapest: Extra Energy. New provider so little feedback. | Mar 16 | £25/fuel | £918 | | Longer fix & good service: Co-op. 63% rate it great. | May 16 | £30/fuel | £944 | | Cheap no-exit-fee fix: EDF. 55% rate it great. | Jul 16 | None | £964 | | Cheap 2-winter fix: Green Star. New, so little feedback. | 24mths | £30/fuel | £993 | | All monthly direct debit, dual fuel, unless stated. Feedback from our Dec 2014 poll. | | | | | • | We grilled Sec of State for Energy on Npower & Scottish Power service, Green Deal, 24hr switching & more. Last week Ed Davey came to MSE Towers to make 'an announcement' - it turned out to be the £70m Home Improvement Fund launch - but we took the chance to give him a bit of a grilling and put your questions to him. Watch Ed Davey vs MoneySavers vid. | | | |
Blagged for MoneySavers |
Did you miss? |
 Get constantly cheap energy Our club ensures you're always on the cheapest tariff.
Join free: Cheap Energy Club |
Reclaim PPI for FREE Claims handlers aren't more successful.
Free help & templates: Reclaim PPI |
MSE News |
 | Saved cash? Shout it from the rooftops. |  | | If this email's ever helped you, please forward it to friends and suggest they get it via moneysavingexpert.com/tips | |
 |  |  |
| Wed 11 Mar 2015 |
| Please help us improve this email by taking a 5min survey to help us with a more mobile friendly design. BOOM. Free £150 switching bribe is back as bank price war kicks off
There's never been a better time to switch. Free £150, 5% interest or free travel insurance. Don't bitch, switch
The biggest ever switching bribe is back as Clydesdale probably found competition too hot without it, so did a reboot. To switch, these days banks shift across your direct debits & standing orders in seven working days, close your old account and forward payments to your new one - 82% of those we polled found it 'easy & hassle' free, only 4% had problems.  Free cash from fee-free banks. The cash is tax-free & most pay well within 60 days.
Free £150: Clydesdale's* Current Account Direct also pays 2% interest on up to £3k.
Free £125 + £5/mth: Halifax* pays £5 (after basic tax) each mth you're in credit.
Free £125 M&S gift card: M&S Bank* (via this specific link, if not it's £100). It also has a £100 0% overdraft and 6% linked savings.
Free £100 + No.1 for service: 92% of First Direct* customers rate it 'great' in our poll. Plus it offers a £250 0% overdraft and 6% linked savings (you must pay in £1,000/mth to avoid a monthly fee).
Free £100 + £25 to charity: Co-op* gives £100 to you and £25 to one of seven charities.
Free travel insurance: A different freebie, Nationwide's* FlexAccount includes European travel insurance for the account holder(s) up to age 74 (a really good deal as at this age insurance is costly). Also see Cheap Travel Ins
To qualify you usually need to: 1) Pass a credit check - these aren't usually too harsh. 2) Use their switching services - and normally have a couple of direct debits set up. 3) Deposit a min amount each month to ensure you pay your income in - for example £500/mth = pay in £6,000/yr salary. Full info in Top Bank Accounts.- Earn up to 5% interest on savings. Instead of cash bribes others banks try to suck you in to switching by paying loss-leading interest on savings. For a decent chunk of cash Santander 123* pays 3% AER variable on £3k-£20k - it does have a £2/mth fee, but for most that's easily covered by the up to 3% cashback it pays on bills (some earn £10+/mth from that alone). For less, TSB* pays 5% AER on up to £2,000. Full info: Top Bank Accounts for Savers.
- Which pays more - free cash or bank savings interest? As a rough rule of thumb, if you've got over £10,000 Santander 123* always wins. Below that, it's close, see Martin's nerdy free cash vs savings interest analysis.
back to top ↑ |
| Free Sim card with 500MB data to use abroad. 4,000 avail. Totally free PAYG Sim card on the Three network (pop it in any unlocked phone), data works in 16 destinations incl USA, France, Spain till 31 Aug. Full info in Three deals. The pound hits €1.40, should you buy now for the summer? Read Martin's buy Euros? editorial. Mum's Day: 100 M&S couriered flowers £25, free £6 card, £10 champagne, restaurant deals
It's this Sun. Loving your mum needn't mean spending - use our free personal gift vouchers. Yet if you are shelling out...
Cards & gifts: £25 M&S flowers, £18 Asda couriered bouquet | Free WHSmith card (O2 priority moments). All gifts
Takeaway/dine-in: Asda & Aldi both have £10 champagne in-store | M&S £20 dine-in | Domino's 2for1 pizza
Mum's Day restaurant vouchers: Frankie & Benny's 'free' bottle of wine | Bella Italia 'free' pud & prosecco for mum
Harvester 'free' mum's main | Ember Inns £10.50 2-course set menu & 'free' pud for mum. All Mother's Day deals Last chance: £92 for 1 YEAR'S b'band & line rent (after £100 cashback) - equiv £7.66/mth. MSE Blagged. Ends Sat: Many can save £200/yr switching to this super-cheap Plusnet deal (part of the BT group). It's £156 upfront for a year's line rent (or £15.95 every mth), £2.50/mth for broadband for the year contract and you get £100 cashback. Free pint of Guinness for St Patrick's Day. Sign up to get Pitcher & Piano voucher (or £7 cocktail). Be Drinkaware |
Free tax code calc. "I got £1,300 back"
Millions are being sent tax codes now. Don't wrongly overpay or underpay tax - our free calc helps you check HMRC is nearing the end of sending 13.5 million tax code letters, but it's your job to check it's right - in the past millions have been wrong. Underpay and in future you may be asked to find £1,000s at short notice; overpay and you're shelling out far more than needed. Our unique Tax Code Calculator checks if yours is correct & explains what to do if it's not.  What's a tax code? It indicates to your employer or pension provider what your personal allowance is (the amount you can earn tax-free), so it can work out how much tax you should pay. For 2015/16, many employees will have the standard 1060L code, indicating you can earn £10,600 (ie, add a zero) before paying income tax. - Find your code. Those with simple affairs aren't sent one, but it should appear on payslips, P45s & P60s. Many with more than one job, pension income or some specific company benefits will have received their code in the post, or are just about to. See Find My Code for help.
- Check old codes - some have reclaimed £1,000s. The Tax Code Calc also checks past years' codes and shows how to reclaim if you've overpaid. The deadline for claiming 2010/11 overpayments is 5 Apr so go quick. You may be due big money, as Nina, who emailed us, was: "I checked mine and found the taxman had me on 0T and BR codes. This meant it owed me £1,300 & I'll be £160/mth better off. Thank you."
back to top ↑ |
| Ciaté gel nail kit £30 (norm £99) incl £29 polish. MSE Blagged. LED lamp, polish, cleanser & buffer. 900+ avail New. Credit rejects 6mths 0% - respite from bank charges/payday loans. Accepted new Barclaycard Initial* custs get 6mths 0% spending even if you've past defaults or a (settled) CCJ. Do protect your credit score though by using the eligibility calc to see your acceptance odds before applying. Who's it good for? Beware new borrowing on it, only use it as respite from more expensive debts, see Barclaycard Initial help for how. And ALWAYS clear before the 0% ends, or it jumps to a horrid 34.9% rep APR. Full help: 0% cards, Credit Rebuild Cards (APR examples) Success of the week: (Send us yours on this or any topic)
"Thanks to your 10-min benefits check-up we found we were entitled to backdated housing benefit."
New top 2yr fix ISA 2%. The cash ISA year ends in 25 days, either use it or lose it. Santander has launched a new 2yr 2% fix but only for its 123 & Select customers. Alternatively, Coventry BS pays 2.25% fixed till Nov 2018, but you can access your cash early for just a 120-day interest penalty. For easy access the Post Office is 1.5% variable or HSBC Advance customers can get 1.5% + an extra £10/mth. FULL INFO & BEST BUYS: Top Cash ISAs & ISA Transfers. |
|
| | | |
Show Best Buys
Cheap iPhone 6 deal - unltd mins, texts & 4GB of 4G data. MSE Blagged. While iPhones are never MoneySaving, if you're getting one, EE newbies can pay £33.49/mth on a 24mth contract for a silver*, gold* or grey* 16GB handset via Mobile Phones Direct. Plus use code MSE1 and the £75 upfront's reduced to £35 (a few weeks ago it was £40). That's £840 for 2yrs all-in; the best heavy-user deal we've seen - cheaper than buying a handset outright and using a Sim-only deal. Full info & options: Cheap iPhones Cheap flights - 53 days ahead is the latest you should book. New research shows on avg 53 days will still give a cheap price & Tue is the cheapest day. Yet it varies by location - find your perfect time to book or full cheap flight tricks. 'Just got my Amazon Prime £79 subscription back'. A few weeks ago we explained how to get money back from unwanted Amazon Prime subscriptions. We've been inundated with success stories. See Amazon Refunds |
Book holiday car hire ASAP - you could save £180/wk
5 overseas car hire need-to-knows. Get it from £5/day if you book right - huge savings for Easter or summer Holiday car hire done wrong can cost a fortune, yet done right it can be cheaper to have a car for a week than just getting a taxi from the airport. Our full Cheap Car Hire guide has tricks & tips, yet here are the 5 key ones... - Book ASAP for savings. Don't wait - the nearer you get to your holiday the more expensive it usually gets.
- Speedily find the cheapest. We'd combine comparison site Kayak* (easy to filter the car you want) and the more basic TravelSupermarket* (adds some Kayak misses and incl a fuel policy search). More in Cheap Car Hire.
- Beware fuel policy charges that can add £90+. In Europe, hire for 3+ days, and some charge for a full tank and say "return it empty". If you won't drive too far, the unused fuel can cost more than the hire. If this'll hit you, AutoEurope* and TravelSupermarket* let you filter hires by fuel policy. More in Fuel Policy Tips.
- Slash excess insurance costs by 80%. Collect the car and you oft hear "hey señor, you'll need excess insurance too" trying to scare you into paying up to £25/day more saying you'll need to shell out £100s if owt went wrong.
Yet from just £2/day you can get a standalone excess policy before you go. Do a comparison with Moneymaxim*. Then check our 15% off Direct Car Excess Insurance* link and Questor* 15% off code MSE2072. Most car hire firms will require a £500ish credit card deposit if you do it this way though. See Car Hire Insurance Tricks. - Specific tricks can pay large. The four tips above work for most, but there are little savings that may further cut costs, such as cheap child seat hire, free sat-nav apps or booking via foreign websites. Plus ensure you know foreign driving rules, eg, in Spain leaving bags on the back seat could get you fined. Full help in 30 car hire tips.
back to top ↑ |
| Suggest questions for the MSE Leaders' Debate. The election's coming, 6 parties have agreed to join the debate. Please suggest consumer questions for them via the forum, email leadersdebate@moneysavingexpert.com, or tweet. DISCOUNTS: 'Free' Starbucks, Body Shop 40% off, Morrisons.com £15 off £60, cheap Converse
Starbucks 'free' £3ish macchiato in £2 mag | Body Shop 40% off code | Spartoo extra 30% off code incl £27 Converse | Barratts 20% off code | Morrisons.com £15 off £60 code | Dr Martens (no relation) extra 15% off code. ALL Codes & Vchs Two 'free' Alton Towers tix via newspaper. Spend £5ish on papers, get up to £100 worth of tickets. Alton Towers
Show Best Buys |
| Show Vouchers and Top Deals |
| | | |
|
 CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK
Teachers: Take part in My Money Week. Financial education charity Pfeg's My Money Week runs from 8-14 June. Whether you're delivering cash classes for the first time due to the curriculum changes or you're after new ideas, this year it's created free primary and secondary weekly planners full of ideas for standalone sessions or activities. Pre-order your planner from the My Money Week website, plus see MSE's Financial Education info. MONEY MORAL DILEMMA
Should I pay for someone's phone I accidentally broke?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I was at a football match recently sitting next to someone holding his phone up to take a photo. My team scored and in my excitement I jumped and my hands inadvertently knocked his phone out of his hand, and it smashed on the floor. He wasn't angry and says he'll cover the cost to repair it as it was his choice not to have a protective cover, but I feel guilty and think I should contribute. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay to repair the phone? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs THE GREAT HUNT
Share your top car haggling tips
Ever played Arthur Daley at his own game? How much did you save on your car and what tricks did you use? We want to tap MoneySavers' collective knowledge on your top tactics to drive down the cost of buying your motor. Share yours/read others': Share your top car haggling tips Past topics: View all CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT
Airline: Aer Lingus* Price: Flights to Ireland from £19.99 one-way
Our pick this week is Aer Lingus's* offer for flights between 1 Apr and 31 Aug 2015 to six Irish destinations from 15 UK airports. The sale could end at any time and includes taxes and charges. There is no code to enter, the price appears automatically. Extra charges warning: Avoid payment and check-in charges - see the Budget Airline Fee Fighting guide. Related: Cheap Flights, Cheap Hotels, Spending Abroad, Cheap Currency, Travel Insurance back to top ↑ |
| | |
Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances (from Wed 11 Mar onward) Thu 12 Mar - GMB, ITV, Deals of the Week, 7.40am. Watch previous show
Fri 13 Mar - This Morning, ITV, 90-Second Savers, 10.30am. Watch previous
Mon 16 Mar - This Morning ITV Money Monday, 10.30am. Watch last week's
Mon 16 Mar - Consumer Panel BBC Radio 5, 12pm-1pm. Subscribe to podcast |
MSE team corner Team blogs:
Reselling tickets for profit: Legal ticket tout or cash genius? Regular team appearances: Fri 13 Mar
BBC Radio Manchester, 4.50pm
Tue 17 Mar
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, 3.15pm | Discussion of the week Moving in with a partner. What should you pay? When moving in with a partner in their property, what's fair? Should you contribute to their mortgage or pay them rent? Join the debate in the moving in discussion. | Cheap travel money |
This week's poll: Ever 'tweaked the truth' on an insurance claim? Lying on an insurance claim is fraud. No question. Yet many people admit to 'tweaking the truth' (still fraud) such as saying their mobile phone was taken from their bag when they know the bag was unzipped and it actually had dropped out. Have you ever been dishonest on one of these insurance claims? | Poll resultsAre you the senior financial partner in your relationship?
While the proportions between men and women were surprisingly similar, the differences between married couples and cohabiting partners were most stark. 67% of married couples or civil partners have a senior financial partner, with only 33% sharing or separating the responsibility. Of cohabiting, unmarried partners, 54% have a senior financial partner. 18,826 voted. See the full results. |
| Q: If I’ve bought a brand new sofa from a retailer which is faulty on delivery, do I have to give the retailer a chance to repair it or am I entitled to a full refund? Mandy, by email. MSE Tara's A: With furniture or anything else, if you buy something that turns out to be faulty and you spot the problem quickly then you're entitled to a full refund by law, under the Sale of Goods Act 1979. That means if it doesn't follow what Martin's calls the SAD FART rules - ie, it isn't of satisfactory quality, as described, fit for purpose or doesn't last a reasonable length of time then provided you aren't deemed to have 'accepted it' you're entitled to a full refund. To 'not accept it' you need to reject it as faulty within a 'reasonable time' (varies by item but the sooner the better, and definitely no more than a month). In your case, send it back straight away and you should be fine.
If you do accept the goods and later decide to complain about a fault, then it's likely you'll only be entitled to a replacement. For full help, see our Consumer Rights guide Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
 Nick's free game of the week: Doodle Brigade |
What's the strangest photo you've ever taken? That's it for this week, but before we go, did you see the photo of a weasel riding on a woodpecker's back? It's genuine and we'd like to see if you've ever caught anything like this - let us know over in the forum. We hope you save some money, Martin & the MSE team |
| Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com works We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of this email and the site. We're a journalistic website, and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques - but can't promise to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.
What you need to know This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the section 75 guide for protection tips). We often link to other websites, but we can't be responsible for their content. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, how this site is financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. More about MoneySavingExpert and Martin Lewis What is MoneySavingExpert.com?
Founded in February 2003, it's now the UK's biggest consumer help website with more than 10 million people getting this email and about 13 million using the site every month. In September 2012 it became part of the MoneySupermarket Group PLC. Its focus is simple: saving cash and fighting for financial justice on anything and everything. The site has over 80 full time staff, more than a third of whom are editorial – researching, analysing and writing to continually find ways to save money. More info: See About MSE Who is Martin Lewis? Martin set up and runs MSE, and still writes this email each week (unless it says so). He's an ultra-focused money-saving journalist and consumer campaigner with his own ITV prime-time show The Martin Lewis Money Show and weekly slots on Radio 5 Live, This Morning and Good Morning Britain, among others. He’s a columnist for publications including the Telegraph and Woman magazine. More info: See Martin Lewis' biography What do the links with a * mean? Any links with a * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference; the links don't impact the product at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to it. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it's still included in the same way. More info: See how this site is financed. As we believe transparency is important, we're including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for content too:
Unaffiliated web-addresses for links in this email cbonline.co.uk, halifax.co.uk, marksandspencer.com, firstdirect.com, co-operativebank.co.uk, nationwide.co.uk, santander-products.co.uk, tsb.co.uk, barclaycard.co.uk, mobilephonesdirect.co.uk, moneysupermarket.com, directline.com, aviva.co.uk, admiral.com, sainsburysbank.co.uk, kayak.co.uk, travelsupermarket.com, auto-europe.co.uk, moneymaxim.co.uk, questor-insurance.co.uk, direct-carexcess.co.uk, firstdirect.com, gocompare.com, directline.com, aviva.co.uk, postoffice.co.uk, directsavetelecom.co.uk, aerlingus.com.
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Note Referring people to insurers or insurance intermediaries can in some circumstances constitute an FCA regulated activity. For this reason, pages with links which take you to the sites of insurers or insurance intermediaries are hosted by MoneySavingExpert.com Limited on behalf of MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC. MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 303190). The registered office address of both MoneySupermarket.com Group PLC and MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is MoneySupermarket House, St. David’s Park, Ewloe, Chester, CH5 3UZ. To change your email or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips |
No comments:
Post a Comment