Make money at home: Value your junk, 1p Lenor, superfast b’band £21/mth, free Ideal Home, Martin's energy alert, free eye test, beat school hol hikes, 50%+ off wine, £20 to cut debt

The Government's desperate to super-charge the UK's broadband network to lift us out of the international slow lane. It says it wants 10m homes and businesses to be able to get full fibre - capable of insanely fast 1Gb+ speeds - by 2022.

While we're not there yet, it is possible for 50% of households to get up-to-100Mb speeds now. We don't normally feature them as even heavy gamers or video streamers don't need to pay the premium prices they often come with, but right now you can get 'em for less than half the price many pay for slow up-to-17Mb connections on non-promo deals. Plus this deal's only 67p/mth more than the cheapest up-to-38Mb fibre (and remember, that's already considered fast).

So here are the current top deals, whatever your need for speed.

New. Virgin Media up-to-100Mb fibre broadband & line rental, equiv to £20.67/mth. This is the cheapest deal we've seen at such high speeds. Via our special Virgin Media deal, until 11.59pm on Monday, anyone who hasn't been its customer in the last year can get unlimited up-to-100Mb b'band, line rent & weekend landline calls on a 1yr contract. Here's the key info:

- It's £29/mth for the year, £45/mth after. The normal £20 activation fee is added to your first bill, but immediately refunded so you never pay it.
- You get £100 bill credit once your account's active. So you won't need to pay for the first 3mths (unless you use chargeable services), making it an effective £20.67/mth over 12mths.
- It's only available to 50% of the UK. Our Virgin link lets you check if you can get it.
- Virgin scores well in our customer service polls. In our most recent, 41% rated it 'great', 36% 'OK'. That's ahead of BT, Sky and TalkTalk, but below Plusnet, which is ranked highest of the big firms.
New. Vodafone up-to-38Mb fibre broadband & line rent, £20/mth. If you can't get Virgin, this Vodafone deal for newbies is a simple £20/mth for 18mths (£23/mth after), with nothing to pay upfront (unless you need a new line) and nothing to claim. It's available to 94% of the UK - the link above shows if you can get it. Its customer service rating is good but not spectacular.
Ends Tue. BT-owned Plusnet up-to-17Mb speed broadband & line rent, equiv to £10.24/mth - the cheapest this year. If your connection doesn't need to be as fast, you can get this standard speed Plusnet deal on a 1yr contract if you've not had its b'band in the past month. It was rated top among the big firms in our latest customer service poll. Here's how it works:

- Broadband is 'free'. If you can, pay £197.88 upfront for a year's line rent. That's equiv to £16.49/mth - otherwise it's £18.99/mth, but no calls are included.
- You MUST claim a £75 cashback cheque. You'll get an email within 10 days of activation explaining how, and you must claim within 2mths. Your cheque should then arrive within 30 days.
- How does it stack up? Assuming you claim the cashback, it's £122.88 (before calls) over the year, equiv to £10.24/mth. After 12mths, it rises to £29.98/mth.
- The deal's available to 90% of the UK. The link above shows if you can get it.

None of these takes your fancy? Use our free Broadband Unbundled tool to check the best deals in your area.

Top broadband-switching tips

What speed do you need? If you just send/receive emails or browse, standard up-to-17Mb speed should do. Fibre - with speeds of up to 38Mb - is best for large households online at once, gamers and heavy downloaders. As 38Mb is fast, Virgin's up-to-100Mb is really fast, and a luxury product, but right now it's cheaper than most fibre deals.

As only 10% must get the advertised 'up to' speed (though ad rules will be tightened this month), if performance is key, aim for an 'up to' speed about double what's required. Eg, up to 38Mb if you want 17Mb. Big firms do give estimated speeds before you sign up, and you can check your broadband speed via special tools.
Can I get broadband without a phone line? Virgin is the only major provider to offer it but it's far more expensive than the deals above with broadband AND line. If you won't use a phone, just don't plug one in.
Don't want to switch? Haggle. The best savings come via switching, but big broadband firms are some of the easiest to haggle with. In our last poll, 86% of Sky customers who replied said they had success haggling, BT 72%. Full help in Broadband Haggling.
Could the providers hike prices? Sadly, telecoms firms often do, though if that happens and you weren't warned before sign-up you can leave penalty-free. But check if there's a better deal first.

DON'T believe the fake ads on Facebook
Lots of scam ads that litter social media lie that we or Martin promote Bitcoin, binary trading etc. See Fake ads warning.

Ending. Get £20 cashback when you shift debt to 25mths 0% NO FEE

Paying credit card interest? STOP - and get PAID to stop. But go quick, top deals are ending

A balance transfer is simply a new card that repays existing credit and/or store cards for you, so you owe it instead, but at 0% interest - meaning more of your repayments go towards clearing the debt. Many of these cards charge a one-off fee - a percentage of the sum shifted - yet some also offer cashback, which can be bigger than the fee, so you're PAID to cut costs. Top deals end soon though, so if you need one, don't wait...

Before applying, use our Balance Transfer Eligibility Calculator to see the cards you've best odds of getting, without hitting your creditworthiness. Go for the lowest fee in the 0% period you're SURE you can repay in.

Top card if shifting £1k+ & you can clear within 2yrs-ish. Ends Mon. Accepted new Barclaycard (eligibility calc / apply*) cardholders can shift debt for up to 25mths 0% for NO FEE (well, it charges 2% then refunds it), and you get £20 cashback if you transfer £1k+. Whether you get the full 0% length depends on your credit score. If our eligibility calc shows low odds, M&S Bank below may win - if accepted for that you'll definitely get the full 0% period. After the 0%, Barclaycard's rate soars to 19.9% rep APR.
Top if shifting £100-£999, or you need 2.5yrs+ to clear it. Ends today (Wed). New M&S Bank (eligibility calc / apply*) cardholders can shift debt to 32mths 0% for a 0.99% fee (min £5). But apply via our link by 11.59pm today and anyone shifting £100+ by Sat 30 Jun gets £25 back. That's more than the fee for transfers of up to £2,525, so you're PAID to shift debt. After the 0%, the rate jumps to 18.9% rep APR.
Top if you need even longer to clear it. Ends Mon. A different Barclaycard (eligibility calc / apply*) gives new cardholders up to 35mths 0%. There's a 1.85% fee (actually 3.5%, with the difference refunded) yet if you apply by Mon 14 May, it pays £20 cashback on £1k+ transfers, which covers the cost of the first £1,080. Clear before the 0% ends or it's 19.9% rep APR.
Balance Transfer Golden Rules.
a) Clear the debt or shift again before the 0% ends and the rate jumps.
b) Never miss the min monthly repayment or you could lose the 0%.
c) Don't spend/withdraw cash. It usually isn't at the cheap rate and withdrawals hit your creditworthiness.
d) Some are 'up to' lengths, so you may get a shorter deal even if accepted.
e) You must usually do the transfer within 60/90 days to get the 0% and cashback.

Full help and more best buys, incl up to 36mths 0%, in Best Balance Transfers (APR Examples).

Trick to pay 1p for 1L Lenor Secrets fabric softener. Normally £6. See how with MSE Coupon Kid's new supermarket coupon-stacking trick.

How to BEAT school hols travel price hikes. Eg, find hidden cheap booking dates and get a £608pp holiday for £324. Beat school hols hikes

Martin: '3 tips if you want to start your own business, from an accidental entrepreneur.' Read Martin's entrepreneur tips blog.

Facebook overhauls its privacy settings - how to protect your data. See Facebook privacy help. Related: Martin's suing Facebook - the latest.

10,000+ FREE Ideal Home Show Scotland tickets (norm £13-£16). 31 May-3 Jun in Glasgow. How to bag free Ideal Home Show tickets.

Hot Sim: 4GB data, 500 mins & unltd texts £8/mth. On a 1mth rolling contract from ID Mobile* - which uses Three's network. Full help and more options in Best Sims.

Ends Thu. Airport lounge access up to 20% off code. MSE Blagged. At Heathrow, Gatwick, Birmingham and Edinburgh. Pay £22-£36 plus free glass of champagne and fast-track security (except Heathrow). Full info and more tips in Cheap Airport Lounges.

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- Oasis 20% off code Ends Sat
- Virgin Wines 12-bottle case £58 (norm £134) 1,000 available
- £16ish Sanctuary Spa travel set 900 available
- £62 Ciaté nail polish set £18 all-in 900 available

DID YOU MISS?

- Amazon - 'free' £10 when you top up £40 in store
- TSB chaos: 'I got £40 back'
- Martin suing Facebook UPDATE
- Get CASH for iPhone pics
- Secret shoe outlets, eg, £21 Puma trainers

New. Martin: 'It's the PERFECT moment to reclaim £100s in energy credit'

It works, as Claire told me: 'Phoned my energy supplier, they reduced my direct debit and I got a £570 REFUND'

The sun has got its hat on - hip hip hip hooray. The sun has got its hat on - check your bills without delay. Well, it almost scans, but at least my message is on point. If you're one of around 70% who pay electricity and/or gas bills by direct debit, check NOW if you're due credit back. PS: It's still worth doing a free Cheap Energy Club comparison to switch and save too.

Why it's time to 'spring' on your credit. Pay by monthly direct debit and energy firms usually bill on an estimate of your usage. Yet estimates are often wrong, leaving some massively over- or underpaying. As most direct debits aim to smooth out seasonal usage, you should've been in credit going into winter, and have no or a slight deficit by now, so this is the safest moment to judge if you're overpaying.
Do you give regular meter readings? If not (unless you've a smart meter doing it for you), fix this first - otherwise you don't know your actual usage. After you give a reading, ensure it's factored into your bill before the next step...
In credit by over a month's direct debit? Go online or call to find out. A month's worth is a lot in spring, so politely request your provider repays any excess over that. Plus, energy firms' licence conditions give you a right to fair direct debits. So if you've too much credit now, ask it to justify why (there may be a legit reason); if it can't, get it lowered.

The impact can be huge, as Claire tweeted me: "@MartinSLewis Phoned my energy supplier as I was paying £147/mth and was £960 in credit. They reduced my DD to £80 and I got a £570 refund." Do tell us how it goes.
Old providers may owe you credit too. When you switch energy firm you should be given any credit back at that point - yet for years many firms operated 'don't ask, don't get' systems. So if you missed out, even if it was a good while ago, ask for it back. As Aston told us: "Eight minutes' work calling old energy suppliers, got £140 refunded. Why don't more people do this?" See Reclaim old energy credit for details.
In substantial energy debt? If you find you owe your supplier money, I'll have full details on what to do next week.

10,000s overpay for hay fever tablets via prescriptions. See how much you could save buying over the counter. How to bag cheap hay fever tablets.

Oasis 20% off almost ALL full-price items code. MSE Blagged. Ends Sat, excludes homeware. Oasis 20% off

FREE eye tests from Specsavers & Optical Express (norm £20ish). Via vchs at 100s of stores. Free eye tests

Hope at last for 30,000 trapped on expensive mortgage deals. We've campaigned about so-called 'mortgage prisoners' for years - now the financial regulator has pledged it'll act. Mortgage prisoner help

Virgin Wines 12-bottle mixed case £58 (norm £134). MSE Blagged. Newbies only, incl red, white and prosecco. Virgin Wines. Please be Drinkaware.

£16ish Sanctuary Spa travel set (£28ish individually). MSE Blagged. Incl manicure set, body lotion, hand cream etc. 900 avail

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: MBNA* up to 36mths 0%, 1.99% fee (19.9% rep APR)
No-fee 0%: Santander* 27mths 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: Admiral* 3.3% rep APR
Cheapest £7.5k-£15k: Sainsbury's Bank* 2.7% rep APR (1-3yrs, needs a Nectar card)

Standard b'band & line rent: Plusnet equiv £10.24/mth
Fibre b'band & line rent: Vodafone £20/mth

£125 M&S gift card to switch + £5/mth for a year: M&S Bank
5% interest fixed for a year: Nationwide FlexDirect

Top easy-access: Bank of Cyprus UK 1.31%, min £1
Top one-year fix: Investec 1.9%, min £25,000

5 tips to flog your junk for CASH

Get max cash for cast-offs, incl £100s for old toys, flog loo rolls & a DIY barcode price checker

From My Little Ponies and Polly Pockets, to books, DVDs and clothes, you could be sitting on a goldmine in old, unused clobber. Go through your home and ask: "Have I used this since last May?" If not, consider flogging it. One person's junk can be another's gold. The biggie is eBay so we've 40+ eBay Selling Tricks to help, but there are lots more tricks - here are five to get you started...

New. Turn your phone into a barcode scanner to find what old books/CDs etc might be worth. Got something with a barcode such as a book, DVD, CD or something still in its packaging such as make-up or a coffee maker knocking around? Want to know what it's worth before selling? We've a trick to see instantly what identical items have previously fetched on eBay. Turn your phone into a scanner
New. Is your old My Little Pony or Tamagotchi worth £100s? Collectors could be waiting to snap up vintage toys - especially if you're a child of the 1980s or '90s. We found My Little Ponies that sold for £240, Polly Pockets £235, Tamagotchis £100 and a She-Ra castle for £333. See Old toys in hot demand.
Flog TRASH for cash. Surprisingly, you can earn cash for old loo-roll tubes, wine corks, jam jars and more. Eg, £1.40 per jam jar or 14p per loo roll. We've now found more rubbish that people are prepared to pay for, incl old newspaper mags and shirt buttons. MSE Jenny said: "I got £10 on eBay for a Guardian Guide mag with The Killers on the front. Rescued it from the work recycling bin." See Sell your rubbish.
Sell clothes by the kilo. If they're in good condition you'll get a better price flogging 'em on eBay, yet if they've some wear, companies pay decent sums to take 'em away. Forumite PoppyOscar said: "We got £64 - and they took most of the clothes."
Sell for FREE on Facebook. Local Facebook selling groups are hard on eBay's heels and the best bit is there are NO fees. Zoe told us: "I've made £200-£300 selling on Facebook, it works well - no fees, no trips to the post office." Our 28 Facebook Selling Tips has more, plus safety tips.

£62 Ciaté nail polish set £18 all-in. MSE Blagged. 12 mini-sized polishes, incl glitter and shimmer effects. 900 avail

'MY LISA BONUS HAS BEEN PAID' - SUCCESS OF THE WEEK

"Thank you. Just had my Lifetime ISA bonus paid after swapping [from a Help to Buy ISA] on your recommendation. I got paid an amount that usually takes me a year of really hard scrimping and saving."

(Send us yours on this or any topic.)

Help shape the future of the MSE Forum. Tell us what's important to you about the MoneySaving threads and how we can improve them. It's an anonymous survey that should only take 5-10mins. Thank you. MSE Forum Survey

THIS WEEK'S POLL

How much are you worth (or do you owe)? Excluding your home or any student loans, we want to know how much savings (or debt) you have. In other words, do you have a "net worth" or "net debt"? How much are you worth?

Men are more likely to be serial bank switchers. In last week's poll we asked when you last switched bank account. Over 8,700 responded. From the results, men were far more likely than women to be serial switchers, with 24% of men under 25 having multiple accounts and switching often. In comparison, only 10% of women under 25 said they switched all the time, while 44% had NEVER switched. See full bank-switching poll results.

MONEYSAVING NEWS

- Top story: 40,000 complain over TSB meltdown
- Britain's train ticket system could be completely overhauled
- 'I got a £7,000 council tax refund after mum was diagnosed as severely mentally impaired'
- Energy firm Outfox the Market ups its membership fees for heavy users
- Letting fees ban introduced to Parliament

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should I give a bigger wedding gift because I can't make the big day? A good friend's getting married and I can't go. I feel I should buy a bigger gift than planned because I'm saving on the usual outfit, travel and hotel costs - but some think I should give LESS as another guest's going in my place. What should I do? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I give a bigger wedding gift? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs

THE QUICKIES

- Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: Bring your lunch to work challenge
- Competitions thread of the week: Win £20k
- Old-Style board thread of the week: Charity shop bargains 2018
- Family, marriage, relationships chat: Managing it in 2018
- Discussion of the week: 25 and financially responsible

Amazon - 'free' £10 when you top-up £40 in-store
Free tennis - free weekend sessions and coaching
Heartier - £30 free-range BBQ meat hamper
Sainsbury's - 25% off 6 bottles of wine, prosecco, etc
MOT - get a free annual reminder

Subway - Sub of the Day £2.50
Harvester - two chicken dishes & drinks for £20
Pizza Express - free pizza via app
Bella Italia - 40% off mains
Burger King - meal deals incl burger and fries £2

Sun cream - where to buy £1 sun cream
'Free' gardens pass - gets 2for1 to 400ish gardens via £5 mag
Halfords - free summer car check incl screenwash top-up
Cheap BBQs - incl £1 disposables
Pimm's - one-litre bottles £12

10 kids' books for £10 at The Works. Read all about it
Lidl weekend offers incl £1.09 cheese. Cheesy does it
Dune shoe sale incl £10 sandals. Shoe know it

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 9 MAY ONWARDS)

Thu 10 May - Good Morning Britain, ITV, Deals of the Week, 7.40am
Fri 11 May - This Morning, ITV, Martin's Quick Deals, from 10.30am
Mon 14 May - This Morning, ITV, from 10.30am
Mon 14 May - BBC Radio 5 Live, Lunch Money Martin, noon. Listen again

MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECTS TBC)

Wed 9 May - BBC Cumbria, Money Talks with Ben Maeder, from 6pm
Fri 11 May - BBC South West stations, Good Morning with Joe Lemer, from 5am
Mon 14 May - TalkRadio, Breakfast with Julia Hartley-Brewer, 9.45am
Tue 15 May - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire with Jeremy Sallis, 2.20pm

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: If I buy something in a sale, can I return it if I change my mind? Jo.

MSE Megan's A: It all depends on where you bought it from.

If from a shop, you've no LEGAL right to return something just because you've changed your mind. Some stores' policies let you return things anyway - but shops sometimes change their return rules during sales, for instance limiting you to an exchange only.

If you bought the item online, it's different. Under consumer law you have 14 days to cancel an order after receiving it and a further 14 days to send the item back, even if you've just changed your mind - and this applies regardless of whether an item's in a sale. For full info, a few exceptions and what protection you have for faulty items, see Consumer Rights.

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

'WE SPENT OUR WEDDING NIGHT APPLYING FOR THE MARRIAGE TAX ALLOWANCE'

That's all for this week, but before we go... what's the most extreme MoneySaving thing you've ever done? Forumites Tigs and Marleyboy, who met on the MSE Forum, got married last week (congratulations from us all) and got busy that night... filling in their application for the marriage tax allowance. Share your stories in our extreme MoneySaving Facebook post.

We hope you save some money,
The MSE team

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Make money at home

Tuesday, May 8, 2018

Value your junk, 1p Lenor, superfast b’band £21/mth, free Ideal Home, Martin's energy alert, free eye test, beat school hol hikes, 50%+ off wine, £20 to cut debt

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