Make money at home: December 2017

Whether it's energy, credit card, mortgage or broadband, switching provider can be one of the best ways to save money. If you're out of contract, your intro deal's up or you've auto-renewed, you're likely massively overpaying.

Yet as our recent poll found, most stuck with their same provider across a host of key products in 2017 (although being MoneySavers, we expect some are on good deals, so didn't need to switch).

So go cold turkey on the cold turkey, and take a few mins going through your household finances to see if you can save...

STOP paying interest on CREDIT/STORE CARD DEBT - get up to 38mths at 0%. 68% in our poll said they haven't switched. If you've existing card debt, you're likely paying whopping interest on it. Yet shift it to a 0% balance transfer card and you could save £100s, and pay it off quicker, as Kayleigh did: "Managed to get 35 months' 0% interest on balance transfers and moved £3,000. It has lifted a great weight from my shoulders as I feel more positive that I WILL actually pay off my debt." That's a likely saving of around £850 in interest over 35mths.

For most with ongoing debt the challenge is being accepted, so use our Balance Transfer 0% Eligibility Calc which shows which 0% deal you're most likely to get before you apply, and without affecting your creditworthiness. Here are our top picks:

- Longest 0%: Barclaycard* up to 38mths, 1.4% fee (19.9% rep APR after).
- Longest 'non up-to' 0%: Sainsbury's Bank 37mths, 1.98% fee. Needs a Nectar card. It charges a 2.89% fee, refunded down to 1.98% within 60 days (18.9% rep APR after).
- New. Long low-fee 0% plus £25 cashback: M&S Bank* 32mths 0%, 0.99% fee (min £5). Apply via our link by 31 Jan and transfer £100+ by 31 Mar and you'll get £25 cashback (18.9% rep APR after).
- Longest NO FEE 0%: Halifax* up to 29mths 0% - you could be offered a worse deal with a massive 3% fee (19.9% rep APR after).
- Longest 'non up-to' NO FEE 0%: Sainsbury's Bank* 28mths 0%. It charges a 1.5% fee, which is refunded within 60 days (18.9% rep APR after).

For full info and lots more options, see our Best Balance Transfers guide (APR Examples).

Always follow the Balance Transfer Golden Rules:
a) Clear the card or transfer again before the 0% ends or you pay the APR.
b) Never miss the min monthly repayment or you can lose the 0%.
c) Don't spend/withdraw cash. It usually isn't at the cheap rate.
d) You need to ask the new provider to do the transfer - you then owe it instead.
e) You must usually do the balance transfer within 60/90 days of opening.
Save £300+/yr switching ENERGY. 29% said they haven't switched. An impressive number of respondents said they DID switch this year - hooray. Yet nationally almost 60% are still stuck on standard tariffs, typically overpaying by £300+/yr compared to the cheapest deals.

Switching is really simple. Our Cheap Energy Club shows how much you can save by comparing all the deals on the market (and also pays £25 dual-fuel cashback if we can switch you). It's the same gas & electricity and same pipes. Nothing changes except the price and provider (and therefore its customer service).

Plus, because the choice can be bewildering, we've special filters to help find the right tariff for you, factoring in cashback where applicable:
- 'Top Service Only' filters out all but firms with top customer service.
- 'Big Name Suppliers' comparison only shows deals from the biggest suppliers.
- 'My Current Supplier' shows all the deals from your current provider. So even if you're happy with them, at least make sure you're on their cheapest deal.
Get FREE £100 cash or £125 in vouchers to switch BANK. 70% haven't switched. The best deals come and go, but this is a bit of a no-brainer if you're sick of your bank's service, or even if you just want a bit of free cash. Switching bank only takes seven working days and all your payments in and out are moved across by your new bank. All require a credit check, and you must be a newbie using their official switching services to get the perks.

- Free £100 + no.1 service + linked 5% savings. New switchers to First Direct* get £100, and in our latest poll 90% rated its service 'great'. You also get access to its regular saver which pays 5% fixed interest for 1yr, and some get a £250 0% overdraft. Pay in £1,000 within 3mths to get the bonus, then £1,000/mth to avoid the £10/mth fee.

- Free £125 M&S gift card + £5/mth + linked 5% savings. New M&S Bank* switchers get a £125 M&S gift card and access to its linked regular saver paying 5% for 1yr. Pay in £1,000+/mth and you get £5/mth extra added to the card for the first year. To get it all, switch and keep 2+ active direct debits.

More options, help and eligibility info in Best Bank Accounts.
Get 1.3% easy access (or up to 2.5% fixed) on SAVINGS. 55% said they haven't switched in our poll. Not a problem if you're getting over 1% easy access, yet many languish on rates as low as 0.01%. The top easy-access deal - where you can withdraw money at any time - is now the Post Office at 1.3% AER variable. Full info and more options in easy-access savings.

You can earn up to 2.5% if you're prepared to lock your money away for 1-5 years, but you won't benefit if rates rise as your rate is fixed. See Top fixes for full details, and Bank account savings for how to earn up to 5% on smaller sums.
Take advantage of hot deals to switch BROADBAND, saving £100s. 66% haven't switched. Many languish on astronomical prices but hot short-lived promos are the key to big savings when it comes to broadband and line rental, such as Plusnet's standard-speed deal for an equivalent of £15.83/mth after cashback (£13.33/mth if you pay line rent upfront) or Vodafone's straight £20/mth fibre deal.

As the best deals for you depend on where you live, use our Broadband Unbundled tool to compare broadband, phone and TV deals in your area from 13 providers (incl the biggies - BT, Sky, TalkTalk & Virgin).
Stop paying more than £10/mth for your MOBILE. 75% haven't switched. We all know mobiles can be expensive. Yet the cost of the Sim inside that gives you calls and data has dived. Last year you'd pay £15/mth for 6GB of data - now it's £9/mth for 5GB. So unless you're a really heavy user, or are still paying for your handset, this is the benchmark price to pay.

Check how much you pay per month now, and compare to the top picks below:

- Low users: Go via this link and new iD Mobile* (uses Three's network) customers pay £5/mth for 2.25GB of data, 250 mins & 5,000 texts on a 30-day contract.
- Medium users: Anyone not in contract with Virgin Mobile* (EE network) can get 5GB, unlimited texts & 1,500 mins for £9/mth on a 12-month contract. BT broadband customer? You can get 6GB for an equiv £7/mth.
- High users: Via this link, new Three* customers or those who need a second line can get 12GB + unltd mins & texts for £13/mth on a 12-month contract.

See our Cheap Sim-only guide for lots more, including how to keep your number (it's easy) and how to unlock your phone.
Save £1,000s switching MORTGAGE. 77% haven't switched. You don't need to switch if you're on a long-term intro deal, yet about a quarter of mortgage holders are overpaying on their lender's Standard Variable Rate (SVR) - the rate you usually move to when a fix or tracker ends.

And they're pricey. The average SVR is 4.75%, yet the top 2yr fix is 1.09% - saving £3,000+/yr on a typical £150,000 mortgage. Even with fees you'd still likely save big. So if you're on an SVR, check if you can save via these links:

- Benchmark your top new deal: Mortgage Best Buys comparison.
- See what you'll save: Mortgage Calculators.
- Full help, incl fixes vs trackers & who qualifies: Remortgage Guide.
Never auto-renew CAR AND HOME INSURANCE. 41% haven't switched. Insurers love loyalty, because rather than reward you, it's an opportunity to massively hike premiums at renewal.

So NEVER auto-renew and always search out the best new customer deals, as Angela did: "Recently found out I was paying a whopping £757 for home insurance. Got new insurance for £232. Thank you so much." See our Car Insurance and Home Insurance cost-cutting systems for help on how to save big money in minutes...

PS: You'll have noticed this festive week email is shorter than usual. Don't worry, we'll be back IN FULL with the next one on Wed 3 Jan. From us all here, wishing you a happy and fiscally fantastic 2018.

Saved cash? Shout it from the rooftops.

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Up to 50% off John Lewis, Argos, M&S, Asos etc. The sales are in full swing - see our Jan sales round-up.

Unwanted prezzies? Know your rights. If those socks were the wrong colour or you've already got that Ed Sheeran CD, you CAN'T always get an automatic refund. Our Xmas Return Rights guide has full info.

£7.50 Ferrero Rocher 60-piece pyramid, 29p Santa - can you find cheap post-Xmas chocs? Stores are now trying to flog unsold Christmas stock. We've rounded up some of the tastiest bargains in our cheap chocolate blog.

Struggling with debt? Help is at hand. Many struggle at this time of year, yet debt problems AREN'T unsolvable. See what to do and where to get help in our Debt Problems guide.

£43 car brrr-eakdown cover for 15mths (ie, two winters) incl home start & onward travel. MSE Blagged. Breakdowns are more likely in winter, especially with the current freeze, so we've blagged 15mths of AutoAid* cover for the price of 12, for £43.31. It covers you and your spouse or civil partner in any car. The firm's got good feedback and changed its claim service so you no longer need to pay upfront, then reclaim. Similar AA/RAC cover can cost £100+. Full info in Cheap Breakdown Cover.

£10 champers and £5ish prosecco. If you're seeing in the New Year with bubbly, we've rounded up some corking champagne & prosecco deals. Please be Drinkaware.

Beat the train and tube season ticket hikes. Most prices rise on Tue, but buy before and you pay 2017 prices for 2018 travel (almost always cheaper, though check). This can save big, eg, a year's Peterborough to London season ticket rises by £272. Full info incl restrictions in Cheap Train Tickets.

AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: Barclaycard* up to 38mths 0%, 1.4% fee (19.9% rep APR)
No-fee 0%: Halifax* up to 29mths 0%, no fee (19.9% rep APR)

Get comparison site quotes in this order:

Then check insurers they miss:
Direct Line*
Aviva*

Cheapest for £5,000-£7,499: Hitachi* 3.4% rep APR
Cheapest £7.5k-£15k: Sainsbury's Bank* 2.9% rep APR (Nectar custs, 1-3 yrs)

Standard b'band & line rent: Plusnet equiv £13.33/mth
Fibre b'band & line rent: Vodafone £20/mth

£100 to switch + top service: First Direct
5% interest fixed for a year: Nationwide FlexDirect

Top easy-access: Post Office 1.3%, min £1
Top one-year fix: Investec 1.85%, min £25,000

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THIS WEEK'S POLL

How did you fare financially in 2017? With the year drawing to a close, we want to find out if you're financially better off now than at the start of January 2017. Whether you've saved money, paid off debt, overspent, borrowed, had a pay rise etc, tell us how your household finances have fared over the past year. How did you fare financially in 2017?

James Martin's your preferred Christmas masterchef. Last week, we asked which celebrity chef you'd want to cook your Christmas dinner. Former Saturday Kitchen host James Martin was the most popular choice with 14% of the 7,556 votes, closely followed by Jamie Oliver with 13%. See full celebrity chef poll results.

MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECTS TBC)

Thu 28 Dec - talkRADIO, Full Set Breakfast with Paul Ross, 6:45am
Fri 29 Dec - BBC South West stations, Good Morning with Joe Lemer, from 5am
Tue 2 Jan - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire with Jeremy Sallis, 2.20pm

A KITCHEN-ROLL HOLDER AND A BUCKETFUL OF NUTELLA

That's all for this week, but before we go... what's the strangest Christmas gift you got? We've been inundated with photos from MoneySavers sharing their unexpected presents, including a guinea pig paperweight, a Donald Trump poetry book, a kitchen-roll holder and a 3kg tub of Nutella. If you can beat that, let us know in our Odd Presents Facebook discussion.

We hope you save some money - happy New Year.

The MSE team

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Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Motorway service trick, 1.3% savings, early Boxing Day sales, 6GB Sim '£5', Now TV 2for1, Toys R Us alert, 30%off Travelodge, overpaid student loan?, 'free' £5 Amzn

20 December 2017

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL

After your feedback, links directly below now go to the online version of this email.

Ends Thu. Hot BT Sim '£5/mth'

'I cut my home insurance by £500+'

100,000s OVERPAID student loans

New. 1.3% easy-access savings

Boxing Day sales starting EARLY

Cheap Christmas food, incl 20p veg

Toys R Us fears - need-to-knows

30% off Travelodge code

2 months' Now TV for price of 1

Last chance Amazon £5 off £25

20% off first month's payment on train season ticket scheme

Charity gifts, incl polio vaccines

A Christmas message from Martin

Track Santa's location this Xmas

Xmas decorations sales boosts

BEST BUYS & TOOLS

Credit Club incl free credit report

0% Balance Transfers

0% Spending Credit Cards

Compare Broadband deals

Cheap Car Insurance

Best Bank Accounts

Top Savings Accounts

Credit Cards for Bad Credit

Cheap Energy Club

Credit Card Eligibility Calc

Loans Eligibility Calc

Mortgage Comparison

Free online complaints tool - Resolver

CHEAP petrol, £12 airport lounge pass, motorway service trick, top €/$ rates and more Xmas travel cost-cutters

It's Chrissstmasss... Whether you're heading home via plane, train or automobile, or off on your very own Christmas Vacation, we've A Wonderful List of 11 top tips to cut your travel costs this winter and help you avoid a Nightmare Before Christmas, all topped off with a sprinkling of festive song and film...

Driving home for Christmas? Save pounds on PETROL. It's been a year of price hikes with unleaded up by 6p/litre since July. Put the brakes on hefty spending with a nifty tool that finds the cheapest forecourt near you. Eg, in central Manchester we found unleaded 14p/litre cheaper than other garages nearby. See Petrol & diesel help to find your cheapest and loads more fuel efficiency tips.
Simply having a wonderful Christmas time... in a £12 AIRPORT LOUNGE. Start your trip like royalty without paying a king's ransom. Our blagged code works at Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted, Edinburgh, B'ham and East Mids and lasts for a year. See Airport lounges.
All we want for Christmas is... for you to use our motorway SERVICE STATION trick to beat horror prices. They can be exorbitant, eg, £1.32/litre for unleaded compared with the £1.20 UK average. But there's a clever site that shows 5,000+ places to eat and refuel within a few mins of junctions, incl supermarkets, cafés and petrol stations. See Avoid service station rip-offs.
This year, to save you from tears, we're giving you something special... help to slash AIRPORT PARKING costs, of course. Prices can be eye-watering, but booking early - even a few days ahead - can put a big dent in costs. Turn up at Gatwick and the long-stay car park costs £145 for a week, but when we looked on Tuesday you could get a week starting this Saturday from £60ish.

Use our discounted links for airport parking comparison sites incl Holiday Extras* (10-30% off its standard price), Looking4Parking* (20-31% off), SkyParkSecure* (13-31% off) and FHR* (12-30% off). See Cheap Airport Parking for more sites plus full help.
Avoid the Nightmare Before Christmas CURRENCY rip-off - bag the best rates before you go. The hellish scenario is buying at the airport where rates are hideous. Our Travel Money Max tool compares 30+ travel bureaux so you can get the most bang for your buck, lira or dong. On Tue, £100 got you €112.25 via our tool compared with a pathetic €93.10 at Birmingham Airport.
Oh, the weather outside is frightful... but this BREAKDOWN COVER deal is so delightful... £43 for full cover for two Christmases. In the cold, car troubles are more likely so we've blagged 15mths' cover for the price of 12 from top-pick AutoAid*, for £43.31. It's full cover (ie, home start and onward travel) and covers you or your spouse/civil partner in any car. Similar AA/RAC cover can cost £100+.

If you prefer a basic policy, you can get RAC cover from £21 and AA from £27. See Cheap Breakdown Cover incl how haggling can help.
Worried about your car's 'Elf? Get a FREE winter CAR CHECK. Before you set off, get an expert to check your car's, er, health. See Free winter car check for how.
Oh what fun it is to ride on a... CHEAP TRAIN ticket - and it's not too late to bag one for Xmas. It's best to book ASAP - from 12 weeks before travel - but you can still grab a super saver if quick. We found London to Portsmouth singles yesterday for £9 on Christmas Eve - compared with £30 at the station. You can even sometimes buy advances 10 mins before travel. See Book early, late for the lowdown.
Going for your Fairytale of New York... or Rome, Berlin etc? Get TRAVEL INSURANCE now - from £5. We won't lie, we say this all the time - though with good reason. Get insured as soon as you've booked so you're covered if you need to cancel (eg, if you or a relative gets ill) - whether going away this Christmas or later.

- Cheapest annual policies (under-65s): If you'll go away 2+ times a year, incl weekends, it's usually cheaper to get an annual policy, eg, a year's Europe cover for a 25-yr-old costs from £9, a family worldwide (where eldest is 45) from £39. The exact winner depends on age and number travelling. For minimum basic cover Holidaysafe Lite* often wins, but Coverwise Bronze* and Leisure Guard Lite* can beat it in some combinations. Full help and options in Cheap annual travel insurance.

- Cheapest single policies: The cheapest that meets our min cover level is Leisure Guard Lite* (from £5 for 1wk in Europe) but also try Holidaysafe Lite*. Full info in Cheap single-trip policies.

- Over 65? Pre-existing conditions? See our specialist Cheap Over-65s' Travel Insurance and Pre-Existing Conditions guides to keep higher prices in check.
It won't be the most wonderful time of the year... if you're stuck in TRAFFIC. Use your phone to beat jams for free. Even if you know the way, see how to turn your phone into a free sat-nav with traffic alerts to dodge snarl-ups so you can be with friends or family rather than frustrated on the motorway.
I'm dreaming of my rights over Christmas... TRAIN RIGHTS, that is. Delays, damn delays. Over 250 sets of rail engineering works are to take place over Xmas, plus there'll no doubt be other problems. But confusingly, each train firm has its own rules. See your Xmas train delay and cancellation rights.

PS: Because of how the days fall over Christmas, next week's email will come a little later - we'll start sending it on the evening of Wed 27 Dec, so some will get it then, others on Thu morning.

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Ends Thu. Hot BT Sim: 6GB, unlimited mins & texts '£5/mth'

Cracking short-lived deal if you've BT broadband. Even if not, the price war means there are hot deals aplenty

The price of Sims - the little chips you put in your phone to make calls, send texts and go online - just keeps falling. A year ago 6GB of data cost £12.50/mth, last week it was equivalent to £7, now it's equiv a fiver. So if you're happy with your handset and out of contract, or need a Sim to stick in a new phone, you could make a nice little pre-Christmas saver.

Ends 11.59pm Thu. 6GB Sim + unltd mins & texts for '£5.34/mth'. It's a smashing deal for BT broadband customers. If you're new to BT Mobile* (uses EE's network), you can get 6GB of data + unltd mins & texts for £12/mth on a 1yr contract. Claim and use the £80 prepaid Mastercard and the equiv cost is £5.34/mth. You MUST claim after 30 days but within 3mths of activation - BT won't remind you, so use this claim form. It takes 60 days to arrive.

If you leave BT b'band or don't have it, it's an extra £5/mth, which still makes it ultra-cheap but beatable - see below.
Not with BT b'band or need a different allowance? More Sims from £5/mth. Here are our top picks...

- Low users: Go via this link and iD Mobile* (uses Three's network) will charge you £5/mth for 2.25GB of data + 250 mins & 5,000 texts on a 30-day contract - as long as you're not currently an iD customer.
- Medium users: Ends 11.59pm today (Wed). Anyone not in contract with Virgin Mobile* (EE network) can get 6GB, 2,500 mins & unltd texts for £10/mth.
- High users: Via this link, new Three* customers or those who need a second line can get 12GB + unltd mins & texts for £13/mth. More deals and help in Cheap Sim only Deals.
Switching Sim is easy. You can keep your number. Just request a PAC code from your current network and give it to the new one, and your number's switched the working day after. See how to keep your number. You'll also need to make sure your phone is unlocked. You can usually unlock it for free if out of contract. PS: There are new plans to let you switch by text by July 2019.

New. 1.3% easy-access savings. This new Post Office deal is the best right now if you want to access your cash at any time, paying 1.3% variable (incl a fixed 1.05% bonus for 12mths) on £1+. See Top Savings for more.

Boxing Day sales starting EARLY, incl Ugg up to 50% off on NOW. Full updates as they launch throughout the week in Early Boxing Day sales.

Cheap Christmas food, incl 29p for 2.5kg potatoes & 20p for 1kg carrots. Plus chocs and fizz. Cheap Xmas food

Toys R Us fears - what you need to know. The toy retailer is struggling, and while there's uncertainty for staff, if you have gift cards or are in its 'Take Time to Pay' scheme you may lose out if it goes bust. See Toys R Us alert. Also see our Gift voucher warning.

Heads up. 30% off Travelodge on 1m+ rooms. Biggest we've seen in a few years. Starts Boxing Day for 1 or 2-night stays from Jan-Apr, with some exclusions. Travelodge code

Two months' Now TV for price of one. Cinema, Entertainment or Kids packages for £2.99+. Newbies only. Now TV deals

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- 20% off first monthly season ticket payment Ends Wed 31 Jan
- 9 FREE e-books or audiobooks to keep Ends Sun 31 Dec

DID YOU MISS?

- £144 of No7 for £39 incl hot cloth cleanser, mascara
- Year's 2for1 cinema tix for £1.50ish, incl Star Wars
- 'O2 charged me 100x more than it said for roaming'
- Tesco cancels credit cards weeks before Christmas

'I CUT my home insurance by over £500.'

Pocket a nice Christmas bonus in just 5 mins by following our simple steps to cutting costs

We love it when a plan comes together - like it did for MoneySaver Ish, who saved over £500 on home insurance. You should never just auto-renew, instead compare quotes at renewal to slash costs as Ish did: "Thanks to your website I saved £515 on my home insurance. Was shocked to be charged £695 - now I'm paying £180 for more cover." See how to get cheap home insurance, here are the main building blocks...

Step 1. NEVER just auto-renew. Combine comparison sites to get 100s of quotes in minutes. They zip your details to dozens of insurers and brokers at once. Yet as they don't cover the same insurers, and can even have different prices for the same firm, use a few. Our current order's MoneySupermarket*, Compare The Market*, Gocompare* and Confused.com* (see full comparison order and why).
Step 2. Compare with the HOT deals comparison sites miss. Two biggies - Direct Line* and Aviva* - won't appear on comparisons, so are worth checking. We also list special home insurance promos, with the current crop for combined buildings and contents policies, incl:

- £70 Amazon gift card via this Insure4Retirement* link. Ends Wed 3 Jan.
- £50 Co-op food vouchers via this Co-op Insurance* link.
(Vouchers arrive within 120 days.)
How much you cover makes a big difference - don't overpay or underpay.
- BUILDINGS cover - usually only needed by freeholders. Many overinsure by covering their home's market value. Instead it's the rebuild cost that counts (ie, how much to rebuild if it were knocked down). Use a rebuild calc to check.
- CONTENTS insurance - for everyone. Don't underinsure - if you cover £10k of possessions but have £20k, if you later try to claim for a £1,000 TV, you may only get £500. Use a contents calc to check you're properly covered.

Last chance. Amazon £5 off £25 spend. Some app newbies may get £5 off a £25 spend when they sign in for the first time. Likely ends today (Wed), but Amazon won't confirm when. Check if you're eligible for £5 off at Amazon.

Get 20% off first month's payment on train season ticket scheme. MSE Blagged. CommuterClub buys your annual season ticket (incl London travelcard) for you upfront and you pay it back in 11 monthly instalments. It's cheaper than paying a train firm monthly, but costs more than if you pay in one go (incl via interest-free loans from work). CommuterClub

Charity gifts, incl £13 goat, £14.50 polio vaccines etc. If unsure what to give, don't give tat, give a gift you KNOW will be used. See charity gifts for inspiration. Plus we wanted to give a gift on your behalf, so we've given £2k for polio vaccines to protect kids.

A Christmas message from Martin - do you have experience of mental health issues? If so, we need you. "Two years ago I set up the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute charity. Its purpose is to investigate and lobby to change policy, firms' behaviour and regulation, in order to break the hideous connection between debt and mental illness. Our community now has 4,000+ people (including carers) who make a huge impact, confidentially sharing their stories and telling us what would help - but we need more (especially men). If you can, please join the community."

Track Santa's location as he delivers presents on Christmas Eve. Free website to track Santa.

Christmas decorations sales now boosted, eg, up to 50% off John Lewis & M&S. Plus big discounts at House of Fraser, Debenhams & Wilko. Full info in Cheap decorations for some last-min additions.

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: Barclaycard* up to 38mths 0%, 1.4% fee (19.9% rep APR)
No-fee 0%: Sainsbury's Bank* 28mths 0%, no fee (18.9% rep APR)

Get comparison site quotes in this order:

Then check insurers they miss:
Direct Line*
Aviva*

Cheapest for £5,000-£7,499: Hitachi* 3.4% rep APR (2-5yrs)
Cheapest £7.5k-£15k: Sainsbury's Bank* 2.9% rep APR (Nectar custs, 1-3yrs)

Standard b'band & line rent: EE equiv £16.50/mth
Fibre b'band & line rent: Plusnet equiv £24.58/mth

£100 to switch + top service: First Direct
5% interest fixed for a year: Nationwide FlexDirect

Top easy-access: Post Office 1.3%, min £1
Top one-year fix: OakNorth Bank 1.77%, min £1,000

100,000s have OVERPAID student loans - are you owed money?

Many start paying too early, when they aren't earning enough, or keep paying after the loan's cleared

Repaying student loans is a chore. Yet the way payments are calculated and then collected automatically via your employer means 100,000s of you who have taken out a loan since 1998 have been repaying when you didn't need to, and sometimes without even knowing. Some are now owed £1,000s - but the onus is usually on you to reclaim. We've full details in our new Student Loan Overpayments guide. It explains how you or your kids can get money back, here are the key lessons...

New. You could have started repaying your loan too early. Most don't need to start repaying until the April after you left. Yet a recent MSE investigation showed 100,000+ in the last three years alone starting repaying before then, essentially extending their repayment period. Getting money back is easy and the average reclaim is £333. Mekila told us: "I got £1,100 for early repayments, it took 5 mins." Hannah said: "Got a £500 refund - nice early Christmas present." See How to check and reclaim if you paid back early.
You could have overpaid in a particular year. You only have to pay back your student loan if you earn over the earnings threshold in a tax year (currently £21,000/yr for most who started uni in or after 2012 - see full thresholds). However, this is calculated on each pay date (weekly or monthly for most). So if your annual earnings are below the threshold, but you have a lucrative week or month, eg, via a bonus or extra shifts, or you stopped working part-way through the year, you could end up repaying. It's unclear how many have done this - see How to check and reclaim if earnings were low.
You could still be paying even though you've already paid off your loan. A huge 86,000 overpaid this way in 2015/16 alone. This happens because the Student Loans Company only gets told how much you've paid once a year. As a result, people who've finished paying off their loans can still have money deducted up to a year later. See How to check and reclaim if you paid after clearing the debt.

FREE e-books or audiobooks to keep (norm £30+), incl The Break by Marian Keyes. MSE Blagged. Nine books, can be read on Kindles, e-readers and mobiles. Free books

MARRIAGE TAX ALLOWANCE - SUCCESS OF THE WEEK
"Claiming marriage tax allowance took literally 5 mins. HMRC was very quick and a cheque for £431 is on its way to me. Thank you for your help. It was so easy."

(Send us yours on this or any topic.)

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

Charity urges Govt to stop people with Parkinson's missing out on benefits. Parkinson's UK is campaigning for sufferers to get fairer assessments. You can get more info and sign its petition to show your support.

THIS WEEK'S POLL

Which celebrity chef would you want to cook your Christmas dinner? Whether you plump for turkey, goose, ham or a good-old nut roast for your festive meal, which celebrity chef would you want to cook it?

Almost 70% of you have switched energy provider this year. In last week's poll, we asked what you've switched in 2017, with options including broadband provider, mortgage and home insurer. It seems our energy switching message is getting through, with 67% of women and 70% of men switching their gas and/or electricity this year. But you're not switchers across the board, as only about 30% of you switched your bank account, and only 3% switched partners. Find out what else you switched.

MONEYSAVING NEWS

- Top story: Mobile phone users to be able to switch providers with a single text
- Scottish income tax shake-up - how what you pay will change
- Toto Energy hikes winter direct debits by 50% and admits to 'misprint' over price promise
- Peter Kay cancels tour - here's how to get a refund
- Pension auto-enrolment to be extended to 18-year-olds

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should I share my discount with friends? I often book theatre tickets for myself and friends, who pay me back. However, I recently bought a £40 discount card that gets money off. Should I continue to charge my friends full-price until I've recovered the cost of the card, or just ask them to pay me the discounted price? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I share my discount with friends? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs

THE QUICKIES

- Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: 2018 Frugal Living Challenge
- Competitions thread of the week: £500 Guerlain goodies
- Old-Style board thread of the week: What's happened to Cheddar cheese?
- Family, marriage, relationships chat: Returning Christmas presents to sender
- Discussion of the week: Christmas party games

Wilko - 50% off pick & mix sweets
Halfords - free four-pack of AA or AAA batteries via O2 app
Bonusprint - 80-page photo book £25 all-in (norm £71ish)
Virgin Wines - 12 bottles of wine £56 delivered (norm £138)

Free food - Mystery dine at Wagamama, Giraffe and more
Just Eat - 20%-30% off selected takeaways
Domino's - 2for1 collection only
Free KFC - wings, fries, popcorn chicken and more via app

Supermarket coupons - 100+ coupons worth £100+
Fresh counters - save up to 40% off meat, fish, cheese etc
Hidden bargains - how you can save by looking low
World foods - up to 80% off herbs, spices, sauces & more

Free non-alcoholic Budweiser beer. Don't stop beer-lieving
Free printable 2018 year planner. Make a date
3for2 Disney x Cath Kidston collection. Take the Mickey

MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC)

Wed 20 Dec - BBC Cumbria, Money Talks with Ben Maeder, from 6pm
Fri 22 Dec - BBC South West stations, Good Morning with Joe Lemer, from 5am, Xmas travel tips

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: Does a lump-sum payment made by a bank for switching my main account to it count towards the £1,000 tax-free savings allowance? Or is it entirely tax-free? John, by email.

MSE Karl's A: Free cash from switching bank accounts does not count as interest, is not taxable and therefore doesn't count towards your personal savings allowance (PSA) - which only covers savings interest.

Under the PSA, every basic-rate taxpayer can earn £1,000 interest without paying tax on it, while higher-rate taxpayers can earn £500. Additional rate taxpayers don't get a PSA. For more, see our Personal Savings Allowance guide. And if you're looking to switch bank accounts for an incentive of up to £125, see Best Bank Accounts.

Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails).

A CHRISTMAS CLOWN FROM THE 1800s & A 50-YEAR-OLD ELF

That's all for this week, but before we go.. what's the oldest Christmas decoration you have? After a man hit the headlines for using the same Christmas lights since 1969, we were inundated with tales from MoneySavers who still use their ancient decorations each year, including a Santa from the 1930s, a 45-year-old snowflake and nativity figures from the 1960s. Let us know the festive favourites you still use in our Christmas decorations Facebook discussion.

We hope you save some money,
The MSE team