| Hi - here are your latest deals, freebies, tricks and messages to help you save.  THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL
| | Ending. MSE Big Energy Switch 14 It's started a Big 6 price war, as British Gas and Scottish Power launch CHEAP tariffs that take on our E.on deal - save £290/year
 It's not the first time our MSE Big Energy Switch - where we leverage our huge user base to get firms to provide special tariffs - has shaken up the market.
Since we launched our event a fortnight ago, two big players have cut prices to get a slice of the switching pie. Our tariffs END THIS FRIDAY and we've no idea how long the others will keep their prices cheap. So for safety, act now. And without further ado, let's run you through our deals and the pick of the responders... The savings we list are for someone with typical dual-fuel (ie, gas & elec) use, compared with the average £1,178/yr they'd pay on a Big 6 standard tariff. For your own price & saving, do a comparison. We aim to secure cheaper than the market's cheapest deals. We didn't quite make that, as there's an outlying cheap small firm, with a 65% POOR customer service rating (do a whole-of-market comparison to see that). But our deals offer huge savings for most... - MSE Big Switch tariff 1: 3,000 left. Pure Planet variable rate. Top service & it's renewable - save £288/yr on typical use. This MSE Pure Planet 100% Green tariff online-only deal was capped at 10,000 switches - we nearly ran out but managed to get it to give us a few more so there are now 3,000 left.
Pure Planet is a mid-sized supplier with 100,000 customers. It's been around since 2017 and got a 95% 'great' score in our last customer service poll. This tariff is its normal cheap variable deal, but we've arranged an extra £47 credit on your bill (ie, a reduction), plus you get our standard £25 MSE dual-fuel cashback if you switch to it. It means on avg it's £890/yr based on typical use.
The fact it's variable means its rates can change, though it is competitive and has mainly only changed prices in the past when wholesale prices (which energy firms pay) shifted. Note: you won't be able to get the £140/yr Warm Home Discount with Pure Planet.
MSE customer service score: 95% 'great' (246 votes) + MSE enhanced - ie, we can escalate issues to a dedicated team.
Renewable? 100% renewable electricity, gas is 100% carbon offset.
Fixed? No, it's variable so prices can change.
Early exit fees? No, you can leave penalty-free at any time.
Dual-fuel only? Yes, you must get gas & electricity.
Payment: Must be by monthly direct debit.
Smart meters: It has started a small-scale optional roll-out.
PS: Click the Pure Planet link above, do a comparison and our filters exclude all but 'top service' results (you can undo the filters).
- MSE Big Switch tariff 2. E.on 1yr FIX. 100% renewable elec. New customers only. Save £279/yr on typical use. This MSE E.on 1 Year Fix Exclusive Autumn 2019 tariff will end at 4pm, Fri 25 Oct. It's an avg £899/yr based on typical dual-fuel use, including £25 MSE dual-fuel cashback. As it's a fix, the rate you pay can't rise for the first year, though what you pay will of course depend on your use.
When we launched our event, it was the cheapest typical Big 6 price in 18mths, though Scottish Power (see below) has undercut it.
But it's ONLY for new customers. Unfortunately E.on excludes existing customers. We fought that hard, but it wouldn't budge and we didn't want to deny others the cheap deal. We suggest E.on customers look at switching to the other options here to save.
MSE customer service score: 32% 'great', 33% 'OK' (217 votes).
Renewable? 100% renewable electricity, gas isn't green.
Fixed? Yes, for 12mths from supply start date.
Early exit fees? £30/fuel if you leave 49+ days before the fix ends.
Dual-fuel only? No. It can be dual-fuel or elec-only (incl Economy 7).
Payment: Monthly direct debit is cheapest, but available other ways.
Smart meters: They're available for free, on request.
PS: Click the E.on link above or the other Big 6 tariffs below, do a comparison and our filters exclude all but 'big name' results (you can undo the filters). British Gas & Scottish Power's (incl existing customers) NEW cheap deals
 Two big-name providers have launched cheap tariffs since we started our event. This often happens. We can't confirm it's a direct response, but it's certainly very plausible that it is. As they're popular and offer big savings compared with their standard deals, we wanted to detail them. - British Gas fix. 100% renewable. For new AND existing custs. Save £277/yr on typical use. This BG Energy and Boiler Cover Green Oct 2020v2 dual-fuel deal is ONLY available via comparison sites (not direct), incl via our link, which also gives an extra £25 MSE cashback. Factor that in and it's £901/yr on typical use.
You also get a year's 'free' boiler insurance if you don't already have its cover, but it auto-renews after a year, so cancel then if you don't want it. You MUST agree to get free smart meters (one for gas, one for elec) installed within 3mths if you don't have 'em already. That isn't an issue though: they just give automatic meter readings.
MSE customer service score: 40% 'great', 33% 'poor' (200 votes).
Renewable? 100% renewable elec & 100% carbon offset gas.
Fixed? Yes, until 31 Oct 2020.
Early exit fees? £60 if you leave 49+ days before the fix ends.
Dual-fuel only? Yes.
Payment: Monthly direct debit is cheapest, but avail other ways.
Smart meters: You'll need to get 'em.
- Scottish Power fix. Cheapest Big 6. For new AND existing custs. Save £281/yr. The new Scottish Power Super Saver November 2020 B4 tariff is actually the cheapest of the Big 6, but only just. We've put it second as SP has the worst customer service record of the Big 6. It's working on trying to improve that, so how much of this is legacy from people burnt by poor billing and more years ago, and how much is current is tough to tell. Yet it's worth being aware.
Again, this deal is ONLY via comparison sites (not direct). Our link above gives you the extra £25 MSE dual-fuel cashback, which makes it £897/yr based on typical dual-fuel use. As with BG, you MUST arrange to have free smart meters (one for gas, one for elec) installed within 3mths if you don't have 'em already.
MSE customer service score: 18% 'great', 56% 'poor' (198 votes).
Renewable? No.
Fixed? Yes, until 30 Nov 2020.
Early exit fees? £30/fuel if you leave 49+ days before the fix ends.
Dual-fuel only? No. It can be dual-fuel or elec-only (incl Eco 7).
Payment: Monthly direct debit is cheapest, but avail other ways.
Smart meters: You'll need to get 'em. It's never easy to get a special tariff for those on key or card meters - so we're delighted to include this one. - MSE Big Switch tariff. Bulb. Cheapest PREPAY, 100% renewable elec, top service. Save £228/yr on typical PREPAY use. Bulb is one of the biggest suppliers outside the Big 6, with over 1m customers and it's been around since 2016.
This Bulb Vari-Fair Prepay deal is scheduled to last until 4pm on Fri 25 Oct. In effect it's Bulb's normal variable tariff, but we've arranged an extra £30 dual-fuel cashback (£15 elec-only), on top of the usual £25 MSE dual-fuel cashback (£12.50 elec-only) for new customers. Bulb cashback will take up to 90 days to arrive, ours up to 6mths.
Including that, on avg it's the cheapest prepay tariff on the market at a typical £989/yr, compared with £1,217/yr for someone on a Big 6 standard prepay tariff. Of course, as it's variable the rate can change, though most prepay tariffs are variable.
MSE customer service score: 88% 'great' (732 votes).
Renewable? 100% elec, 10% green gas & the rest carbon offset - about as good as it gets outside of super-green deals.
Fixed? No, it's variable.
Early exit fees? No, you can leave any time penalty-free.
Dual-fuel only? No. You can do dual-fuel or elec-only.
Payment: Prepayment.
Smart meters: Sadly, if you already have them you can't get this tariff. Here's a quick Q&A - for more, see the full Cheap Energy Club FAQs. Q. Is switching risky? Could I be cut off? No. No one visits your home (unless you want a smart meter) and it's the same gas, same electricity and same safety. The only things that change are price and service. See our Switching FAQs. Q. I live in Northern Ireland. Can I get these deals? Unfortunately not. No UK comparisons include NI, but see Cheap NI Electricity or the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's tool. Q. Does MSE make money from this? Yes. Like all energy comparison sites, we're paid each time you switch through us, yet we give you roughly half (that's £25 dual-fuel, £12.50 single-fuel cashback). This is money you wouldn't get if you went direct (not that the deals above are available directly anyway). So it's a win-win. The rest helps cover our costs and hopefully makes us some profit. We've lots more help, incl... Switching with smart meters | Why's my price risen when I'm fixed? | Reclaim credit | Switching-in-debt help | Switching if I've solar panels | How direct debits are set | I've an independent gas transporter, can I switch? | Can I pick a switch date? | How do you compare my rates? | | 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. | Martin's 5-min WINDFALL CHECK - can you get £1,000s back in just a few days? Successes are flooding in, you can't afford to ignore this
 A month ago, after the end of PPI reclaiming, I led this email with a list of other ways to reclaim £1,000s of your wrongly taken money. Since, I've been swamped with people getting in touch to say they've got huge money back, often in days. So now I've the proof of the pudding, I'm again urging you to check my 13 ways you may be owed £1,000s back. All of these can be DIYed - there's no need to pay anyone. So scan through it and see if you're due. Here's a soupcon of successes to inspire you to act... - Ever paid a monthly fee for your bank account? Stephen emailed: "Thank you. After reading your reclaim packaged bank accounts article I did what you said and 3 days later had £4,500 credited to my account."
- Did you get a PPI payout? Claim the tax back. Geoff tweeted: "@MartinSLewis thanks for your advice on claiming a tax refund that was deducted from my PPI claim. Just received £300 from joint claim. Didn't know HMRC could act so fast."
- Married/civil partners? Can you back-claim 5yrs of marriage tax allowance? John emailed: "After reading your marriage tax allowance article I realised a simple task had not been done. My wife applied online that day. Amazement, received a cheque issued the next day for £902. Thank you, and thanks HMRC for a 24hr response. "
- Have you ever had a payday loan? Ricky tweeted: "@MoneySavingExp @MartinSLewis I filed some reports for 'irresponsible lending' following advice from you guys and have managed to get £2,400 back. Incredible, thanks so much for what you all do." See reclaim mis-sold payday loans.
- Reclaim student loan overpayments if you started paying too soon. Clare emailed: "Thanks for your student loan reclaiming article. My boyfriend and I received nearly £200 each for a 5-min phone call."
- Severe Mental Impairment (eg, Alzheimer's / Stroke / Parkinson's) council tax discount. Catherine emailed: "Thank you for highlighting the council tax refund for those with dementia. I've just applied on behalf of my mother and over £7,000 is being refunded. Nobody from any agency had ever mentioned this, so I am very happy to have read your emails."
And these are just the tip of the reclaim iceberg, so do a quick windfall check to see if any of the rest fit, and please report any successes to us, via emailing MSE successes, or tweet MSE or tweet me. | Three customer? Can you get compensation after last week's huge outage? The answer is possibly, and we've seen successes already, eg, Nigel emailed: "I got a £20 credit on my next bill." See Three compensation. New. Shell broadband & line '£10.74/mth'. MSE Blagged. Shell Energy newbies can get standard 11Mb speed b'band & line rent for £16.99/mth for 1yr, but via our link you get an auto £75 bill credit at the end of Dec, making it equiv to £10.74/mth - the cheapest deal in weeks. Lots more in our Broadband Unbundled tool. ALL toys up to 50% off at Tesco, incl Lego, Barbie & Playmobil. Now's a cheap time to buy kids' Xmas prezzies. Toy sale New. Martin's 'Should you overpay PLAN 1 student loans or save?' VIDEO. If you started uni between 1998 and 2011, or since 1998 in Scot/NI , you're on a Plan 1 student loan. While much is written about whether you should overpay current English/Welsh Plan 2 loans, there's little out there on Plan 1. So we're changing that with Martin's 'Overpay Plan 1?' video. Related: Should I overpay Plan 2 loans? £170 Dyson V6 Animal cordless vacuum (norm £200). MSE Blagged. Dyson discounts are rare and this isn't as cheap as a hugely popular deal we had in Sep, but is still a saving. This model has extra pet-hair attachments and while not the latest version, which costs £500+, it's the cheapest we've seen for this one. Full 'cheap' Dyson info. Out this week: £160ish of Boots No7 beauty products in £42 Advent calendar. Mega-popular beauty deal incl mascara, nail polish, eyeshadow and creams. But you may need to GO QUICK. See full contents in No7 calendar. | Bizarrely, it's cheapest for most FAMILIES to get travel, breakdown & mobile insurance by grabbing a new bank account. You could save £100s
Millions of people buy travel, mobile and breakdown insurance policies each year. Surprisingly, our research shows that many can get more cover while paying less through a packaged bank account . For these you pay a monthly fee and they 'throw in' insurance. In fact, for us, they're best viewed as insurance products with an added bank account.Banks often mis-sold these in the past, but for some people savings can be huge. So simply total what you pay for each insurance separately and then compare it with the total cost of the account per year... -
 Winner for families - Nationwide £13/mth (£156/yr) - and you don't have to do your banking with it. Nationwide's FlexPlus* account wins here as its mobile insurance covers the account holder(s) plus kids up to 18 (or 22 in full-time education) living in the same home. A family with two smartphone-toting teens gets up to £320 of mobile cover plus the travel and breakdown benefits for £156/yr. There's no min pay-in and you don't need to switch direct debits. Just keep the money you'll use in there and put the rest in top savings.
INSURANCE - Travel: Worldwide family cover up to age 69, incl winter sports and golf. £65 surcharge if 70+. Always declare medical conditions. Mobile: For the family. Breakdown: UK and Euro for account holder(s) in any vehicle.
PS for existing FlexPlus customers. You may know this account currently pays 3% interest on balances up to £2,500, but that ends on Fri 1 Nov. Many of you are understandably angry at the loss of this up-to £74/yr benefit. But if you've got it for the family insurance it's still a winner. Just withdraw cash you won't spend and put it in a top savings account.
- Winner for couples - Co-op £15/mth (£180/yr) but can drop to £9.50/mth (£114/yr). Co-op Bank's Everyday Extra costs £15/mth. But you can get £4/mth back and 5p per debit card use (up to £1.50/mth) - making it cheaper. To do this, join its rewards scheme, bank paperlessly and every month log into online banking, have 4+ direct debits paid out, stay in credit or within your agreed overdraft, and have £800/mth going in (equiv to a £10k/yr salary). So it could easily undercut Nationwide. Yet as mobile cover is only for the account holder(s) we think Nationwide wins for families. You must upgrade from a Co-op current account, so you'll need to open one first.
INSURANCE - Travel: Worldwide family cover up to age 79, incl golf and winter sports (up to 64). Always declare medical conditions. Mobile: For account holder(s). Breakdown: UK and Euro for account holder(s) in any vehicle.
- Special options if you're 70+, single or need gadget cover. There are some important nuances...
- Winner for older travellers. Co-op covers you as standard until your 80th birthday, so is a top pick if you're 70-79.
- Winner for singles. Always check separate insurance prices as it may work out cheaper, but - if you'll jump through the hoops - the Co-op account wins on price for packaged accounts.
- Winner if you need gadget cover. Check Clydesdale/Yorkshire which covers gadgets, mobiles, breakdown & travel.
- Make it a joint account to get extra cover (if in a trusting relationship). Some policies only cover the account holder - so if you're in a couple and you get one as a joint account (even if only one of you will use it) you get extra cover for free. Yet think carefully about whether a joint account is right for you if you've never linked before - don't feel pressured into joining finances with anyone. See Martin's financial abuse blog for pros, cons and warnings.
PS: As you'll see in Martin's reclaim note above, packaged bank accounts were commonly mis-sold (not when you made an active choice to get them, like here, but when pushed by the banks). If that's you, you may be able to reclaim fees. | Tell your friends about us They can get this email free every week | HOLD ON to your Nectar points (for now) & find out how to boost them There's a big 'double-up' coming soon, and changes galore mean new ways to play points to the max Nectar - owned by Sainsbury's - is one of the UK's biggest loyalty schemes, with 18m members. We've long cautioned never to let loyalty schemes dictate where you shop, but if you shop somewhere that has one, you may as well grab it. It's been a big year of Nectar news that has created a buzz, so there are new ways to help you make sweet savings. -
 New. Nectar double-up coming... hold on to your points. This promo - where points are worth double their usual value at Sainsbury's - is what many collectors wait for. Nectar has confirmed on social media its 'double-up' is coming in the next two months, and there are strong rumours it'll start in a few days. Last time it gave 2x value on gifts, homeware and more, making it the best way to max your points. See our double-up watch for the latest.
- Select personalised bonus points. Under its recent revamp, you can now do this each week and use a new digital Nectar card so you don't need the plastic. See how to grab extra points.
- You now earn when buying petrol or diesel at Esso, not at BP. See what fuel bonus you can earn.
- Do online surveys plus more ways to earn free points. There are a variety of tricks - see how to nab free points.
- Outside of the double-up, Sainsbury's isn't always the best place to redeem points. Eg, you can get a £5.99 Sky Store vch for 1,000pts (norm worth £5 at Sains). See redemption options.
Not got Nectar? See tips for Tesco Clubcard, Boots Advantage and Morrisons More in our Loyalty Points Boosting guide. | CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK Help us test a ground-breaking new Open University course in MoneySaving. MSE and the Open University have formed a unique partnership to create a free online MoneySaving course which, if you pass, will give you formal OU credits. It's launching next year, but we need your help now trialling the mortgages module. It takes 2hrs max, though some of you may whizz through much quicker, and it'll give you a decent introduction to how mortgages work, plus let you test your knowledge. Please take the module, then let us know how you got on via a short survey. | THIS WEEK'S POLL Brexit - what should happen now? It's nearly three and a half years since the UK voted to leave the EU. The next 'must leave by' deadline is 31 October. There's now (another) deal on the table. What do you think the right thing to happen now would be? Brexit - what should happen now? Women are more likely to visit their bank branch than men. Last week, we asked when you last used your bank branch and 8,000+ responded. Perhaps unsurprisingly, MoneySavers under 25 were the least likely group to have used their branch recently, but there was also a marked gender divide - 58% of women but just 45% of men said they had visited their branch in the past month. See full bank branch poll results. | No7 - £160ish of beauty products in £42 Advent calendar
Tesco - ALL toys up to 50% off incl Lego, Disney
Dyson - £170 V6 Animal cordless vacuum (norm £200)
Amazon - £5 off £25 code for some
Primark - £10 voucher for £5 for new Groupon customers | Topcashback - 'Free' £2 pumpkin via cashback
Fenty - £20 beauty make-up palette (worth £40ish) at Boots
ShopDisney - 20% off site-wide code
Smyths - £6 off £50 or £12 off £100
Eurostar - £58 returns to Paris, Brussels, Calais or Lille | | MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 23 OCT ONWARDS) Thu 24 Oct - Good Morning Britain, ITV, 7.35am
Fri 25 Oct - This Morning, ITV, from 10.30am
Mon 28 Oct - This Morning, ITV, from 10.30am
Mon 28 Oct - BBC Radio 5 Live, Lunch Money Martin, 12.20pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (SUBJECTS TBC) Wed 23 Oct - BBC Radio Cumbria, Money Talks with Ben Maeder, from 6pm
Fri 25 Oct - BBC South West stations, Good Morning with Joe Lemer, from 5am, Guy Anker
Mon 28 Oct - TalkRadio, Breakfast with Julia Hartley-Brewer, 9.45am, Oli Townsend
Tue 29 Oct - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Lunchtime Live with Jeremy Sallis, 2.20pm | QUESTION OF THE WEEK Q: I found some old American Express travellers' cheques in US dollars. Is there anywhere I can cash them? Tony, via email.  MSE Karl's A: American Express travellers' cheques don't expire, so you can still spend them abroad. But if you want to cash them here in the UK, you can exchange them for sterling at any Post Office branch. Some RBS and NatWest branches, and some bureaux de change, may also accept American Express travellers' cheques - see a map to find your nearest. You may be charged to exchange, and rates may differ too, so check first. In future, you can avoid the hassle of having to cash in travellers' cheques by using a top travel credit or debit card instead, which is the cheapest way to spend overseas. Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails). | CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS... IN OCTOBER? That's all for this week, but before we go... it's not yet Halloween but MSE Steve N got a fright this week when he spotted a giant inflatable snowman on the way to work. That's right, with 63 days still to go, Christmas decorations have started popping up everywhere, with MoneySavers reporting tinsel in Bournemouth, lights in Knutsford and trees in Morecambe. "Nooooooo, way too early" was the general response - though the photo of an Easter display in a shop this week put the protests into perspective. Tell us what you've spotted on our Early Xmas decorations Facebook post. We hope you save some money,
The MSE team | |
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