| | MARTIN'S QUICK BRIEFING: For more tips, alerts & awful puns, follow Martin on Twitter 15 life hacks fight to be your ultimate MoneySaver
What'll triumph in the battle of the quirky savers? Contenders incl a year's 2for1 films, Easyjet refunds, 16yrs' free music, beat Sky hikes, cheap Zara.. What's the ultimate life hack? We map the traffic from each link in this email, and while big hitters such as mortgages, savings, PPI and flight delays are perennial winners, often the quirky, unexpected savings are most-read.
So I've compiled 15 of them and propose to let 'em duke it out (Queensberry rules of course). Here they are, in a random order. And I'm going to monitor which gets the most traffic and let you know the winners next week. | 1. | Beat Sky TV's price hikes. It's hiking TV customers' prices next week by up to £54 a year. Our How to Beat Sky's Hikes guide a few weeks ago was read by 310,400 people in the first week alone - my Twitter feed was swamped with successes such as @gilesta's: "Just saved £315 a year with Sky, cheers Martin."
| | | | 2. | A YEAR'S 2for1 cinema by manipulating Meerkat movies. Our Meerkat Movies trick has been read by an Oscar-worthy 271,400 people since we launched it in April, and the audience has given it a standing ovation, with copious tweets similar to Darcy: "Loving it, £26.70 saved so far over 3 weeks. Thanks," and Suzi: "Thanks for the Meerkat Movies tip. I'd be saving over £400 a year for a cost of £3." | | | | 3. |  Easyjet flight refund trick - has your flight dropped in price? The Easyjet refund trick we discovered in April shows how to get the difference back if you've booked an Easyjet flight and the price falls later (excluding sales). Many, incl Joan, have gained:
"After reading this on MSE, I got a £199 voucher for four of us from Turkey." | | | | 4. | Join the complaining revolution - free tool to help millions fix gripes. Last month we told you we were going to work with free automated complaints system Resolver* which tells you your rights, drafts a letter, monitors replies & escalates to ombudsmen if needed. It works with 3,500+ firms incl shops, banks, energy firms and more.
Over 9,200 people have used it to complain since, with great results such as this from Jamie, who tweeted: "Thanks to the tool, Barclays gave me £250 compo for poor mobile insurance policy this morning." Full info on how it works and our relationship with it in our Resolver guide. | | | | 5. | Watch TV and (legally) don't pay the licence fee. See Do I qualify?. By far the most popular thing in last week's email, read 422,300 times Wed-Fri. | | | | 6. | Amazon shopper? You're entitled to music going back 16yrs. If you've bought CDs/vinyl since 1999, our Amazon music reclaim shows how to get them as downloads for free. Great for some, incl JHL1959: "Crikey, 182 albums, that's 2,367 tracks. Amazingly, I still like a lot of em - cheered me up."
Be warned, it can go wrong. GingerJuice said: "Thought it was brilliant, then found I'd bought the mother-in-law Susan Boyle's CD last year. Ugh." | | | | 7. | If you earn less than £15,600, get your savings interest tax-free NOW. From next April, basic-rate taxpayers will be able to earn £1,000 of savings interest tax-free (higher rate £500), but as our Tax-Free Savings 2015 guide shows, it's started already for some on low incomes. | | | | 8. | Zara shopper? The must-know trick for summer. For how to get a serious discount on every item, see my Zara on the cheap tricks. Janine tweeted me a few days ago: "I bought a £99 lace jacket for £58." | | | | 9. | Beware Michael Parkinson - nice fella, but his insurance is pants. Axa SunLife's over-50s plan seems simple, yet for most it's a seriously bad bet. See my Michael Parkinson warning for winners, losers, best buys & more. | | | | 10. | Should I buy euros now, as £1 = €1.41? I first wrote my Buy euros once £1=€1.40? analysis back in March after being swamped with questions as the pound crashed through that landmark. Then it dropped, and now it's back even higher - the analysis still stands. | | | | 11. | 'I got my Amazon Prime £79 subscription back'. Many have been charged for unwanted membership. Our Amazon Prime Refund gets it back. Forumite Tianna is just one of the successes: "I followed instructions from your weekly email and got £79, thanks." | | | | 12. | FIGHT: Cash ISAs vs Santander 123? In the red corner, Santander's 3% bank account best buy - in the blue, tax-free savings. Which is best for your savings? See who wins in my Cash ISAs vs Santander 123 analysis. | | | | 13. | Beware smileys in texts - they could cost £100s. Last Dec we broke the Beware a £200+ emoji bill story, then it was all over the news. Read by 375,800 so far, it explains the smiley or wink trap and how to avoid it. | | | | 14. | Reclaim lost Tesco points, then QUADRUPLE them. Check if you've lost, forgotten or just have unused Clubcard vouchers via our Reclaim Tesco Points guide. Alison tweeted: "£132 reclaimed in lost vouchers. New bikes for our boys maybe..." The guide also shows how to get 2x or 4x their value. | | | | 15. | Free £48/yr for Barclays bank customers. If you've got an account, there's an easy way to bag extra cash - see Free £48 from Barclays. | | | |
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| Wed 27 May 2015 |
'Save £4,600' balance-transferring debts to 3 years 0%
ACT NOW to slash cost of existing credit or store card debts. New salvos in price war make it even cheaper A balance transfer is where you get a new card to repay debt on an old card(s), so you owe it at far lower interest, allowing you to clear more actual debt. A price war's raged all year, helping even some who didn't think they'd be accepted. Kelly said: "Used the eligibility calc, got 35mths 0%, shifted £11,500 from up to 29.9% APR" - saving £4,600 interest. - Ends Mon. Shift to 3 YEARS 0% with a lower 2.49% fee. In the last 10 days, four new deals have launched in a battle to top the long 0% table with lower fees. More providers is a big boon - balance-transfer deals are for 'new cardholders only', so having many options helps you avoid applying for a card you already have...
TOP PICK NEW CUSTOMER BALANCE TRANSFER CREDIT CARDS
Get the lowest fee card within the time you're sure you can clear it. | | To find which card you'll most likely be accepted for, first use the 0% Balance Transfer Eligibility Calculator | | Card | Intro offer | One-off fee (1) | Rep APR after | | New (but ends Mon) Barclaycard* Joint-longest 0% | Up to 36mths 0% (2) | 2.49% (3) | 18.9% | | New Virgin* Joint-longest 0% | 36mths 0% | 2.5% (4) | 18.9% | | New Halifax* Joint-longest 0% | Up to 36mths 0% (2) | 2.9% (3) | 18.9% | | New Barclaycard* Long, low fee | Up to 28mths 0% (2) | 1.35% (3) | 18.9% | | Tesco* Another long, low-fee card | 28mths 0% | 1.49% | 20.6% | | Tesco* Longest NO-FEE deal | 18mths 0% | None | 20.6% | | Post Office* Slightly shorter NO-FEE deal | 16mths 0% | None (3) | 18.9% | | 1) % of the amount transferred. 2) Some get a shorter 0%. 3) You pay a higher fee, but then are refunded the difference. 4) Min fee £3 FULL INFO: Best Balance Transfers (APR Examples) | - The Balance Transfer Golden Rules. It's not just about picking the right card, it's about using it the right way...
a) Don't just apply in hope, as that marks your credit file. Use our Eligibility Calc to find your best chance first.
b) Never miss min monthly repayments, or the bank can end your 0% deal and charge far more.
c) Clear the card or transfer again before the 0% ends, or the rate rockets to your card's standard APR.
d) Don't spend/withdraw cash on these. It usually isn't at the cheap rate & cash withdrawals hit your credit file.
e) Unsure which to pick? Use our Which Card Is Cheapest? tool. Full help in Best Balance Transfers (APR Examples).
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| Rare 500 Tesco pts code on £60+ online groceries code as it incl EXISTING customers. MSE Blagged. 15,000 codes, not just for newbies, for online food shopping before Friday; worth up to £20 in Rewards. See Tesco code. Ends Sun. Free £125 for switching to No.1 bank account. It's won every service poll we've ever done (92% rate it great) and till 11.59pm Sun via this First Direct* link, new switchers get a £125 bonus (£100 after). It also offers a £250 0% overdraft and linked 6% regular savings account, (you must pay in £1,000/mth). Also ending: Halifax's Reward* account also drops its switching bonus from £125 to £100 on Sun. Its main perk is it also pays you £5/mth every month you're in credit (as long as you pay in £750+/mth), Full eligibility info/alternatives: Best Bank Accounts. Up to 1,000 potatoes £6 - you just have to grow them. MSE Blagged. 100 mixed-variety tubers (can grow 10 spuds each) to plant from Thompson & Morgan. Use 'em all yourself or share with neighbours. Max 3,000. Cheap as chips Naked Wines £40 for 6 bottles (norm £66) PLUS 2 crystal wine glasses & olive oil. MSE Blagged. Naked Wines newbies only. Incl 3 bottles of red, two white and one rosé. 750 cases available. Naked Wines. Pls be Drinkaware. Free £10ish Benefit trade-in. Exchange an old skincare product (any brand) for free £4-£10 of Benefit. Trade-in. |
'Read your email, saved £204 on home insurance & got a free Kindle'
Last chance. Hot home insurance deals you won't find on comparisons are ending. Play the system to slash costs. There's no one cheapest insurer; to find the ultimate bargain you need to follow our Cheap Home Insurance system where each level builds on the next to score down the price. The guide has full info - here are the three key foundations...  Know the right amount to cover. a) BUILDINGS - usually only needed by freeholders. Many wrongly insure their home's value. Instead use a rebuild calc to see the cost of rebuilding if it were knocked down and cover that. b) CONTENTS - for all. Don't under-insure, thinking you'll never claim the full amount, eg, if you cover £10k but have £20k of stuff and your £1,000 TV breaks you may only get half. Use a contents calc.- Search 100s of insurers in minutes by combining comparisons. To get a benchmark cheap price, grab lots of quotes fast by combining comparison sites (they don't cover identical insurers). Our current order's GoCompare*, CompareTheMarket, then MoneySup* (full comparison order).
- Urgent Find HOT deals comparisons miss. Now see if either of the following beat the best from comparisons.
a) Grab quotes from big firms Direct Line* & Aviva*, which aren't on comparison sites.
b) We've blagged links to special deals, but they close at 11.59pm Sun. Many've gained, eg, Laura: "After reading your newsletter, I switched & saved £204/yr and got a free Kindle." PS. The Kindle takes up to 80 days to arrive, vouchers 120.
- Policy Expert, get a KINDLE FIRE HD6 with a new combined buildings & contents policy via this Policy Expert* link.
- Age UK, up to £80 M&S vch. Via this Age UK* link, £30 for new contents or £80 for building & contents policies.
- Policy Expert, £80 AMAZON vch. With new combined buildings & contents cover via this Policy Expert* link.
- Together Mutual, £75 M&S vch. With new combined cover via TogetherM* link (pls feed back, it's new-ish to us). back to top ↑ |
| Unbeatable EE Sim: £16/mth gets unlimited mins, texts & 2GB data (4G) AND £95 Amazon vch. MSE Blagged. As long as you're not currently an EE mobile customer, use the code MSE95SIMO by 11.59pm Sat on this £15.99/mth Sim*. It's a year's contract for unlimited texts & mins (to UK landlines & mobiles) and 2GB/mth 4G data plus EE will send you a £95 Amazon voucher within 3mths. Analysis: If you'd spend the voucher in Amazon anyway, factor it in and it's £97/yr or equiv £8/mth. FULL info: Sim-only top picks 5,000 FREE Ideal Home Show Manchester £14 tickets codes. Thu 4, Fri 5 Jun (when Martin's speaking). Free tix Domino's trick: Use 30% off create-ur-own to slash costs any day. Save serious dough, see Domino's trick. Tax credits renewal - TELL 'EM, TELL 'EM, TELL 'EM. 6m white & brown tax-credit renewal envelopes are being sent. If owt's changed, tell 'em, tell 'em, tell 'em or it causes money nightmares. The deadline's 31 July, but don't delay. The helpline's busy now & it'll get much worse. For the difference between the envelopes & full info: Avoid tax credits hell |
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Show Best Buys
Morphy Richards 20% off code on 70% sale, eg, £50 slow cooker £20. MSE Blagged. Kettles, toasters, blenders. Morphy Rich Fashion discounts, eg, Ralph Lauren £35 polos, FCUK 20% off. Our Ralph Lauren £35 polo shirt code's been extended, plus FCUK 20% off code (from Wed), Barratts 50% off code & Miss Selfridge 20% off code. ALL Codes & Vchs SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: (Send us yours on this or any topic)
Successes from our Reclaim Experian's Credit Expert guide are flooding in, eg:
"Took 15 mins to claim a £95 refund from Experian using your template letters",
"I sent Experian a template letter and got £244. Thanks." 'All Boxed Up' £37 veggie skincare bundle £16 delivered. MSE Blagged. Vegan and veggie-friendly Organic Surge skincare products, incl hand cream, scrub and rose face cream. 2,000 avail. All Boxed Up FREE British Military Fitness - 7-day newbies boot camp, 1 day for old hands. Full info in BMF passes. |
40 eBay bargain hunters' secrets - "I got £1,000 of Lego for £175"
It's a hot time to track bargains. Find hidden local deals, expliot speiling mistaykes, snap up deals by sniping It's a great time to pick up a bargain from people's bank holiday clear-outs. Yet if you're using the ubiquitous online auction site, don't just buy - our 40 eBay Buying Secrets guide lets you home in on uber-deals. Here's our opening bid...  Free Local eBay Deals tool - "I got £1,000 of Lego for £175'. From saxophones to chandeliers, sellers often list bulky or heavy items as 'collection-only'. This limits bidders, so serious bargains can be had. As eBay doesn't let you search these, we built the free Local eBay Deals Mapper to help you find them (also available as iPhone & Android apps).
Results can be powerful, such as forum user Kernow666's: "I got a huge £1,000+ Lego collection for £175 as the seller needed to sell quickly." - Power-house eBay buying tricks. When hunting for deals, technique matters.
- Expliot speiling mistaykes. A host of mistake-spotters trawl eBay for typos - meanz fewer bidders, so cheep prices.
- Be a sniper. Bid early and rival bidders force the price up. Sniping tools auto-bid for you in the last 10 secs.
- Bag 99p items. Often sellers start auctions at 99p, wanting a bidding war. A 99p spotter tool finds no-bid deals.
- Find auctions closing at 3am. Antisocial end times get fewer bids - a night-time bargain tool cruises for these.
- Bid a few extra pence. To boost your bid's chances avoid round numbers when setting your max.
- Go global. Overseas eBays have real bargains, eg, MoneySavers rate eBay USA for cheap plus-size clothes.
- Follow auctions on the go. You don't need to be chained to your computer - use an app to keep track.
- Haggle, haggle, haggle. Just because it's eBay doesn't mean you can't make 'em an offer. back to top ↑ |
| "I beat £55 fee for a simple insurance change." Changing a name, address or job title on a car or home insurance policy, or cancelling it completely, could cost up to £55. We show you how to challenge it. See Beat insurance admin fees. Carnaby Street flash 20% voucher incl Diesel, Levi's. Thu 5-9pm, 20% off at 100+ Soho stores. Carnaby St Free mini bottle of wine at Bargain Booze. 187ml red/white/rosé via free app. Bargain Booze. Pls be Drinkaware. Going long-haul BA? Book ASAP and possible 4,000 bonus Avios points. 500 short-haul. See: Boost Avios
Show Best Buys |
| Show Vouchers and Top Deals |
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 MONEY MORAL DILEMMA
Should I pay for a shoddy haircut?
This week's MoneySaver who wants advice asks... I tried a new hairdresser yesterday. She cut off way more than I asked and it looks terrible. She tried to fix it, but I ended up walking out without paying. Now I feel bad about it. Should I go back and pay something? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay for a shoddy haircut? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs THE GREAT HUNT
Your shared ownership property experiences
For those who can't afford to buy a home outright and are eligible, shared ownership can be an option. This is where you buy a share of the property and rent the remainder. If you've done it, we'd love to hear your experiences. How easy was it to move up to full ownership, did you have problems selling it on and is there anything you wish you'd known? Share yours/read others': Shared ownership experiences Past topics: View all CHEAP FLIGHT SALES ALERT
Airline: Ryanair Price: £19.99 each way Ends: Wed 17 Jun
Our pick this week is Ryanair from £19.99. The sale's on till Wed 17 Jun and includes some taxes & charges. It's for Tue, Wed & Thu flights in June to 48 destinations from 17 UK airports. To compare prices with other airlines, use the FlightChecker on a £20 return max search. 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 ↑ |
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Martin's blogs | Martin's appearances (from Wed 27 May onward) Thu 28 May - Good Morning Britain, Deals, ITV, 7.40am. Watch previous
Thu 28 May - This Morning, Do It or Don't, ITV, 11am.
Fri 29 May - This Morning, Martin's 90 Sec Savers, ITV, 11am. Watch previous
Mon 1 June - This Morning, Martin's Money, ITV, 11am.
Mon 1 June - Consumer Panel, BBC Radio 5, 12pm-1pm. Subscribe to podcast |
MSE team corner Regular team appearances: Fri 29 May
BBC Radio Manchester, 4.50pm
Tue 2 June
BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, 2.15pm | Discussion of the week Do you have a front garden? According to the Royal Horticultural Society, front gardens across the country are disappearing. Use our poll to tell us if you have one, and join the discussion about your green spaces. | Cheap travel money |
This week's poll: Where's the best place to haggle on the high street? Haggling is alive and well in the UK, not just at call centres and market stalls, but even at high street chains. Whether it's asking 'em to throw in some extras or negotiating a discount, some succeed - so we want to know how you got on. Please answer for all the following stores you have tried to haggle in WITHIN THE LAST 12 MONTHS. | Poll results Would you watch free sports/films online if you knew it was illegal?
The fact that 63% of people who voted would watch illegal online streams makes you think. Younger voters in our poll were more likely to have fewer qualms about watching things online illegally. Whether older voters simply have a fear of technology is unclear.
Just 6% of those under 35 thought it was out of order, while 29% of those 65+ thought the same.
Similarly, 54% of those under 35 would illegally stream without a thought, while just 42% of those 65+ would. 8,168 voted. See the full results. |
| I’ve just opened an ISA which has a fixed interest rate for a year, but I’m concerned I’ve made a mistake, as I may need access to it in the next few months. Is the money locked away, meaning I can’t touch it? John, by email MSE Amy's A: Unlike a normal fixed savings account, money in a fixed-rate ISA is never locked away, and by law cash ISA providers must allow you access to your money, whenever you want it. But there is a cost to this: to discourage you from actually accessing the money, there are hefty penalties for doing so - you usually lose 90 - 365 days' interest. Therefore the good news is, unlike with a savings account, you can get the money out (access to your cash this way is not always instant, but the ISA rules state you must be able to get access within 15 days). But it’s likely you’ll get no or very low interest for the time that the money was in there. In this instance, if it had been in an easy-access ISA, you would probably have earned more. See our Top Cash ISAs guide for a full list of the top accounts. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
 Nick's free game of the week: Cave Escaper |
Do you know your LOL from your ROTFLMAO? That's it for this week, but before we go, text-speak is everywhere (even in our weekly email last week, with 'YOLO'). Tell us which of these modern bits of shorthand confuse or amuse you and suggest your own in our forum. BTW, we translate some common ones there, in case you're a text-speak amateur. 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 resolver.co.uk, barclaycard.co.uk, virginmoney.com, halifax.co.uk, tescobank.com, postoffice.co.uk, firstdirect.com, gocompare.com, moneysupermarket.com, directline.com, aviva.co.uk, policyexpert.co.uk, ageuk.org.uk, togethermutualinsurance.co.uk, ee.co.uk, google.co.uk, confused.com, admiral.com, zopa.com, bank.marksandspencer.com, santander-products.co.uk, directsavetelecom.co.uk.
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