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DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads |
Earn £100s just by (Christmas) shopping
1. ANYONE can grab a fee-free debit card and earn a year's 1% cashback without switching bank. The app-only Chase current account* is fee-free, can usually be opened by anyone (there's no credit check, just an ID check) and you don't need to switch bank to it. It offers 1% back on almost all spending through its debit card for one year once activated. It also has fee-free overseas spending & ATM withdrawals, and gives 5% interest on 'round-ups' (the spare change from a purchase). It also has a linked saver account paying a decent, if not table-topping, 2.1% AER. In fact, the only disadvantage of this over a cashback credit card is you don't get Section 75 protection on spending (which can get you your money back if things go wrong), though there is still chargeback. 2. Earn up to 5% for three months through the top cashback credit card, but make sure you pay it off IN FULL. Done right, these cards can pay more than Chase, especially if you've big spending to do in the next few months. Yet it is a credit card, so ensure you pay it off IN FULL each month (not almost in full, it has to be completely in full), don't bust the credit limit, and don't use them for owt else. They also have the benefit that if you buy something costing £100 to £30,000 on it you get added, powerful Section 75 protection, which means the card firm is jointly liable with the retailer - which you don't get on a debit card. Full help and info in Credit card rewards, but here are the top deals...
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New. Martin's EASY painless ways to cut energy usage and save cash video. We've added his new video to our updated checklist of 60+ ways to save energy that we launched last week. £13 million of Tesco Clubcard vouchers expire on Wed 30 November - we've a trick to extend 'em. Use them now, or follow our trick to extend them for another two years. See Clubcard alert for more. £10 for one litre of Baileys. The cheapest we've seen it all year - normally £20. Baileys (please be Drinkaware). MSE - the app. It's already massively popular with MoneySavers (see our app store ratings) so if you haven't already, download the MSE app, available on Apple and Android, and give it a try. It's got the whole site on it, plus quick 'n' easy access to our tools and some early-stage experimental features. Do send us feedback & suggestions.
Free letter from Santa. See when to post children's letters to get a reply from the big fella. Free Santa letter Bulb customer? The transfer to Octopus has been delayed - what it means for you. Its rivals have objected. See Bulb sold to Octopus info for an update. MARTIN'S CHRISTMAS (prep) AND BLACK FRIDAY LIVE SPECIAL. Tonight (Tue 8pm), ITV. It's that time of year already, The Martin Lewis Money Show Christmas special, so over to Martin: "I know many of you wait for the Festive Forecaster episode, this is it... plus free cash for Christmas, top children's savings and much more. We're live at the Battersea Arts Centre and in Blackpool. Got questions? Tweet the show team using #MartinLewis. PS: Rumours I again will be doing a singing intro to the show are nasty, worrying, and possibly accurate." |
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Martin: Please help spread word about SMI discounts - too many miss out It may also apply to those who've had severe strokes, Alzheimer's & more
We've campaigned hard to improve things ever since, with big plaudits to the Welsh Government, who in 2019 took up our recommendations, streamlined the process, printed brochures and ensured payments are always back-datable. I'd love (and will keep working to try to ensure) the rest of the UK to catch up. Until it does, please help spread the word. The impact can be substantial... We heard recently from MoneySaver Graham and his wife: "We finally claimed for my 98-year-old mother-in-law. Despite the dementia, we've managed to keep her in her own home. My wife was worried about claiming because we don't have Power of Attorney, but two years after first reading about it on MSE, she finally applied. The council, the Department for Work and Pensions and the doctors couldn't have been more helpful. The claim was backdated to 2012 and was over £15,000! And going forward the council tax is zero, a great help with the rising energy bills." Read more on this in our SMI £15,000 success news story.Who's eligible for the SMI discount? There are two main criteria, you need to meet both to be eligible. I've kept it simple here, but if it looks like you or someone you know is eligible, then do read full eligibility help in our SMI guide. 1) You need to be medically certified as being 'severely mentally impaired'. It's a horrid name, which is why I prefer to call it SMI, but it's defined as 'a severe impairment of intelligence and social functioning that appears to be permanent'. This can come from dementia, profound learning difficulties, brain injuries, severe strokes and more. 2) You're receiving one of a number of qualifying benefits. This can include (but isn't limited to) means-tested and non means-tested benefits such as attendance allowance, disability living allowance, personal independence payment, some parts of universal credit and severe disablement allowance. See the full list of qualifying benefits. How big is the SMI discount? The size of the discount is dependent on who the qualifying person lives with: - Pay no council tax. If they live alone, or only with others who qualify for SMI, or full-time students and under-18s. - 50% council tax discount. If they only live with other adults 'disregarded' for council tax purposes (ie, carers, certain people in further education). See who is 'disregarded' for council tax. - 25% council tax discount. If they live with one adult who isn't 'disregarded'. Is it always backdated? There's no legal rule requiring local authorities to backdate, though many do (including all authorities in Wales, standardised to when you were diagnosed). |
Savings boost, Christmas pre-NUPPs & baboon bums. All in the new BBC The Martin Lewis Podcast episode. 100 tulip bulbs for £11 delivered. MSE Blagged. Normally £50, there are 4,000 sets available. Precious Plants You now have until 31 July 2023 to use 1st and 2nd class stamps without barcodes. Royal Mail has extended its deadline to use old stamps with the Queen's profile on by six months. You can also pick up swap forms from post offices. See Stamp use extension. Been switched to prepay energy without agreeing to it? Suppliers don't need your permission to put you on prepay, but MUST have a valid reason, consider your circumstances and tell you in advance. See Your prepay meter rights. Scottish child payment increased to £25 a week - and more families can now claim it. If you live in Scotland and claim certain means-tested benefits, and you have children under 16, you can now claim £25 a week per child. That's up from £20 a week, for children under six only. See our Scottish child payment help for more. Can I use MSE content for my workplace or community newsletter or on my website? We get asked this a lot, so briefly, we ask that you don't copy and paste our content. Instead, you are welcome to link to the content and can put a couple of sentences as a summary if you like (please don't imply there's any connection with us though) - but we reserve the right to ask you to take this down if necessary. |
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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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THIS WEEK'S POLL How much are you planning to spend on Christmas? The festive season is the highest spending period of the year for most people, yet in the midst of a severe cost of living crisis, many will be looking to cut back. So this week, we want to know how much are you planning to spend on Christmas this year - including food, drink, decorations, presents, travel and more - and is it less than you typically spend? Let us know in this week's poll. Three-quarters of MoneySavers use a Tesco Clubcard. Last week, we asked whether you use a supermarket loyalty scheme and how much it saves you. Out of more than 8,000 respondents, 75% said they use a Tesco Clubcard, with 70% using a Sainsbury's Nectar card. More than half of MoneySavers said these loyalty schemes help them save up to £5 a month, with 27% saving between £5 and £10 a month. See full supermarket loyalty scheme poll results. |
MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should our friend cover the deposit we lost after he pulled out of our house share? Four mates and I were planning to move in together. We found a five-bedroom house to rent that we all agreed on, and paid a holding deposit of £530. A week later, one said he was going to continue living with his parents, so the rest of us could no longer afford the house as it would mean each paying £115 a month more. We lost the deposit, leaving each of us £106 out of pocket. Should we ask him to pay us all back? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should our friend cover the deposit we lost after he pulled out of our house share? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 16 NOV ONWARDS) Wed 16 Nov - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECT TBC) Tue 22 Nov - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 10.45am |
WHAT EXTREME LENGTHS HAVE YOU GONE TO FOR A REFUND? That's all for this week, but before we go... MoneySavers on our social channels have been sharing the lengths they've gone to for refunds, and exactly how long it took - showing how perseverance pays off. One MoneySaver spent SIX years chasing Thomas Cook until they got money back for a delayed flight, while another had a four-year wait to get a £6,500 water bill sorted. As for what finally got firms to pay out: using the ombudsman, complaining on social media, taking the firm to the small claims court and even going on TV were all popular methods. Tell us the most extreme lengths you've gone to for a refund in our Facebook and Twitter conversations. We hope you save some money, stay safe, |
Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com worksWe 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 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 LewisWhat is MoneySavingExpert.com? Who is Martin Lewis? What do the links with an * mean?Any links with an * 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 products at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to them. 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 chase.co.uk, americanexpress.com, sainsburysbank.co.uk, bank.marksandspencer.com Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Note MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 303190). MoneySavingExpert.com Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration Number: 8021764. Registered office: One Dean Street, London, W1D 3RB. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited. To change your email or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips. |
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