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DON'T believe the fake ads on Facebook |
Martin: 'Should you buy euros, dollars etc now - or wait until after Brexit?' In theory, in just 30 days - on Fri 29 Mar - the UK will leave the EU... though of course what'll actually happen is more up in the air than the International Space Station. A couple of weeks ago I published my Seven urgent post-Brexit travel need-to-knows, but I continue to be swamped with currency questions, so let me briefly give you my thoughts here... You need to accept that no one knows what will happen. Sorry to disappoint. Anyone who tells you they can predict the currency future is a liar. Rates fluctuate by the minute, and the only certainty right now is the uncertainty - and that means high volatility. In fact, we currently have two-step uncertainty: 1) Will Brexit happen, in what shape, and when?, and 2) Even if we knew exactly what'll happen, what will its impact be on our economy?Yet if I had to use a crystal ball, previously the currency markets haven't liked Brexit, so the bigger and more rapid the separation from the EU, the more we're likely to see the pound weaken substantially - at least in the short term. Personally, I just ensure I get the best rate on the day I spend. I don't try to second-guess the markets. When paying in foreign currency I simply use a specialist overseas card. With most plastic, the provider gets the near-perfect wholesale exchange rate but then adds a 3%-ish 'non-sterling exchange rate fee' to what it charges. Specialist overseas cards don't add the fee - so we get the same top bureau-beating rate the banks do. The top picks are Starling's debit card, or Barclaycard's travel credit card (repaid IN FULL each month) which also gives cashback. Full help in Top Overseas Cards. Worried about currency swings? Here's how to hedge against them. Two tips to hedge your bets... - Buy half now, the rest when you spend. Get the first half at today's best rates in cash via our TravelMoneyMax comparison tool or by loading up a top prepaid travel card (so you get the rate on the day you load, not the day you spend). Then you can use a top overseas card to spend the other half while you're away. But if you're worried about what'll happen, ask yourself: "Would I accept today's rate?" If so, and your real fear is rates worsening so your holiday becomes unaffordable, play safe and buy more now (but don't look back with hindsight later in case that ruins your holiday). - Trick to lock in a rate now & protect against currency swings. A few bureaux de change let you order for collection at today's rate and, usually for a fee, cancel or sell it back within 3-45 days depending on the firm - useful if you're going away just after Brexit. If the pound weakens, the rate's locked in. If it improves, just cancel the order and buy at the better rate. See currency buy-back trick. |
Up to 70% off Ray-Bans (gets 'em from £50). Specs sale also incl Ralph Lauren, Gucci & more. £50ish Ray-Bans FREE solicitor-drafted wills if you're 55+ (norm £150+). There are two big free-wills schemes - one in Nov, and this one in March (& Oct). Starting Fri, Free Wills Month lets you get a free solicitor-drafted will, in the hope you'll donate to charity. Appointments go quickly - see Cheap & Free Wills for more info. URGENT. Cheaper-than-market's-cheapest energy fix, top service, 100% renewable elec - save £300/yr. MSE Blagged. This Octopus Energy 1yr fix undercuts the market's cheapest on average, saving someone on typical use £295/yr compared with a Big 6 standard tariff, when you factor in the extra £25 MSE dual-fuel cashback. The link goes via our comparison so you can see how it stacks up for you. There are only 7,500 switches left (we persuaded it to add some after this was popular last week - we don't think it'll do it again, but it may do). Free KFC, coffee, doughnuts, fruit & more - 16 ways to get FREE (or v cheap) food. Our updated guide's jam-packed with clever tricks, coupons, apps etc. Eat for free Get 25% extra Clubcard points at Tesco. On every £4+ spend, via special 'wallet-free' app. Clubcard pts boost 1,000 only. £200 cashback on £2,000+ Nutmeg investment (incl ISAs). Investing can be risky. But if you're going to put money into a 'robo-investor' (where you answer some questions & it selects your investments), this way you get a 10% head start. Full info in Robo-investing cashback. Boots 90% off clearance - can you find a bargain? From what we've seen, extremely limited stock. Boots sale Martin: 'Student loan statements are dangerous & misleading - so check out our redesign.' We've long warned that student loan statements are dangerous, as they focus solely on debt & interest, rather than what counts for most - the repayments. So working with the Russell Group of Unis, we've redesigned the student loan statement & want your feedback. Then, hopefully, we can persuade the Govt to enact it. |
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Ending. The top debt-shifting deal: 32mths 0%, 1.4% fee, £25 cashback Paying interest on credit card debt? Shift it to 0% AND get cashback which reduces what you owe If you pay interest on credit or store cards, a balance transfer is your key weapon. That's where you get a new card to pay off debt on other cards - so you owe it instead, but at 0% interest. Do this and more of your repayments go towards clearing the debt, rather than profiting the lender. Yet hot offers have been ending left, right and centre, and another's going first thing tomorrow (Thu) - so if you need to shift debt, don't hang around. Here's the full info... - Find cards most likely to accept you BEFORE you apply. Many of the cards below include a link to our Balance Transfer Eligibility Calculator. It shows your odds of being accepted before you apply, and doesn't affect your creditworthiness.
a) Never miss the min monthly repayment, or you could lose the 0% deal and it'll cost far more. b) Clear the card or balance-transfer again before the 0% ends, or the rate rockets to the higher APR. c) Don't spend/withdraw cash. It usually isn't at the cheap rate and withdrawals hit your creditworthiness. d) You must usually balance-transfer within 60 or 90 days to get the 0% and cashback. |
Kurt Geiger shoes from £7ish via code. MSE Blagged. 25% off everything in online outlet, incl Lacoste, Hunter & Ted Baker. £5 delivery. Shoeaholics £12 for 7 flowering plants (norm £35ish). MSE Blagged. 9cm hydrangea & gardenia, plus five lavender plugs. Thompson & Morgan 'Free' £85 with British Gas Homecare/boiler cover. MSE Blagged. If you're looking for boiler and central heating cover, new British Gas Homecare customers signing up via this BG Homecare* link get a free £85 to spend on a prepaid Mastercard. You pay £18/mth, but factor in the free cash and it becomes one of the cheapest policies around, equivalent to £11/mth over the year. For full info and to see how it compares, go to our Cheapest Boiler Cover guide. Beat Virgin Mobile hikes of up to £150/yr. Bills are rising for 250,000 in April, some steeply. Beat Virgin hikes Blockbuster cinema deals, incl £3 IMAX this Sat (eg, Bohemian Rhapsody, Spider-Man). Also a year's 2for1 for £1ish, and two Odeon tickets for £7 if you're a Vodafone customer. Oscar-worthy deals FLIGHT DELAY WIN - SUCCESS OF THE WEEK:"Just wanted to say a big thank you. Received £718 back for a delayed flight in December. It was so easy. Now I tell everyone about your weekly email." (Send us yours on this or any topic.) Firefighters wash your car for a charity donation. 'Pay what you like' for a car wash at 100+ fire stations throughout March - about half are doing it this weekend. They may even use their big hose. Charity car wash £10 Groupon spend gets 'free' £5 M&S/Costa/Primark vch. MSE Blagged. 1k avail. Newbies only. Groupon |
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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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THIS WEEK'S POLL Have you haggled with Sky, BT, the AA and more this year? Did you succeed? Haggling can provide big savings - on anything from digital TV and broadband to credit cards and insurance. Each year we try to gauge the success rates of those who have done it. Which firms have you tried to haggle with in the last year? Zen triumphs in our broadband customer service poll. In our last week it was small firm Zen that came out top among providers with 75+ votes, with 97% of its customers rating it 'great'. Among the biggies, Plusnet was first with 57% saying it's 'great', while TalkTalk took the wooden spoon with 46% rating it 'poor'. See full broadband poll results. |
MONEY MORAL DILEMMA What's the fairest way to split our taxi fare? I often share a taxi home with my friend after we've been out. It's normally £13 direct to my house, and £16 to his house - but when we share, it's £18 in total. How should we split it? Enter the Money Moral Maze: What's the fairest way to split our taxi fare? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs THE QUICKIES - Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: March Bring Your Lunch To Work challenge |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 27 FEB ONWARDS) Wed 27 Feb - Victoria Derbyshire, BBC Two, from 10am, student loans MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC) Wed 27 Feb - BBC Radio Cumbria, Money Talks with Ben Maeder, from 6pm, cheap medicines |
QUESTION OF THE WEEK Q: I've inherited a bit of cash, and I want to save it but be able to access it within the next year or so. Where's the best place to stash it without any risk? Greg, by email. MSE Karl's A: For a savings account that lets you withdraw cash whenever you need it, easy access is your best option - for our top picks, see our Top Savings guide. Don't worry about risking your cash. The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) ensures deposits of up to £85,000 per person, per financial institution are protected, should a UK-regulated bank, building society or credit union go bust. (If you've more than this though, it's best to split the cash between different institutions, as some banks/building societies, eg, sister banks Halifax and Bank of Scotland, share FSCS protection.) For full help and best buys, see Top Savings. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). |
A SONG FOR MARTIN That's all for this week, but before we go... it was announced this week that Martin will be appearing on ITV's one-off All Star Musicals show (watch him explain why). He's being tight-lipped about what he's singing (never good for singing, tight lips...) so we thought we'd take on Eurovision and launch our A song for Martin contest, where you suggest what he should sing... We hope you save some money, |
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