Black Fri deals & duds, £3 shoes, unpleasant issues, £17/mth broadband, double Nectar points, 30mths' 0% debt shift

Plus... £502 beauty £99, huge 100GB Sim just '£6.25/mth', 50% off Lego/Barbie, cheap theatre tix

                                                           

21 November 2023 | View in browser

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THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL Martin: 'It's time for a difficult conversation', including... - Wills & inheritance tax - The crucial Power of Attorney - Planning can help Hot broadband: 67Mb fibre £17/mth, 145Mb full fibre £25/mth Track bills, MoneySaving alerts, AI-powered chatbots - it's the MSE App Watch Martin's Black Friday message MSE's live Black Friday analysis Extra 10% off £1 to £6 ex-high street clothes, shoes & more £78 Eurostar returns £502 of Elle beauty for £99 Toy sales: 50% off Tesco, 10% off B&M, £5 off £50 at Smyths Ends Thu. Extra 20% off Kärcher, eg, £100 window vac £56 Nectar 'double-up' back... for some 29mth 0% debt shift Cheapest ever 100GB Sim - '£6.25/mth' Spend a fiver, get £28 cashback Martin: 'Ban unnecessary Christmas presents?' Live tonight, 8pm. The Martin Lewis Money Show Live Martin's pod: free flight upgrades & more Dear Govt, don't be yankers! 'I was with home insurer for 23 years - then switched to save £268' Tricked into paying for £5 Wowcher 'VIP' subscription? Get cash back £10 to £50 London theatre tix This week's best buys, including £200 bank switch, 5.9% loan, Compare+ Car Insurance 'Should we leave golf club and rejoin later to get a cheaper deal?' BEST BUYS & TOOLS MSE Cheap Mobile Finder Credit Club including free credit report 0% balance transfers Compare broadband deals MSE Compare+ Car Insurance Best bank accounts Top savings accounts Credit cards for bad credit Credit Card Eligibility Calculator Loans Eligibility Calculator Mortgage comparison Compare travel money Cheap Energy Club, with Pick Me A Tariff Best Sim-only deals

Martin: 'It's time to have a difficult conversation' How to financially protect yourself & loved ones from the 3Ds - death, dementia & divorce While we all rightly hope for the best, it's just as important to also plan for the worst. It isn't pleasant, but it is important. The financial and emotional cost of ignoring 'unpleasant issues' is a nightmare. Anyone who has people who rely on them needs to think about the 3Ds. So have a chat with your parents, have a chat with your children. Be candid, blunt & as unemotional as possible... though the odd tear in the eye is fine, it just means you love each other. Below are my key need-to-knows. If you've questions, I'll be taking them alongside specialists on my ITV show at 8pm tonight (21 Nov). Wills & inheritance tax need-to-knows 1) Only 9 days left: Will Aid - get a solicitor-drafted will in return for a charity donation. A will means you get to decide who gets what. If not, the rigid intestacy rules are what dictates it. Yet a will also should reduce the time and hassle involved in sorting things out after. The will-writing gold standard is a solicitor-drafted will, which can cost £100s. There are ways to cut will-writing costs, including working with specific charities that'll help (for a bequest), yet there are two wide-ranging charity schemes, one of which is on now and just about to end. - November is Will Aid (18+). Will Aid month runs across the UK. Solicitor firms give time for simple wills in return for a suggested £100 donation (£180 for couples' mirror wills) spread across nine charities, eg, Age UK and Save the Children - likely far cheaper than normal. Can't afford it? You can give less, but don't game it, as it's for charity. You need to BOOK by Thu 30 Nov, but do it ASAP as spaces may run out, though appointments can run in Nov, Dec or even Jan with some firms. There are still virtual appointments left across the country, and in-person available in Scot, Wales, N. Ireland, NW and NE England. - Free Wills Month (over-54s) is in Mar & Oct. A smaller scheme, with Free Wills Month you get the will done free, but they ask for you to leave money to charity in it. 2) Wondering where to store your will? Often solicitors will store it in a safe place for free. If you're using Will Aid, check if storage is an option with the firm (it's possible to store a will at home in a safe place). 3) You CAN'T leave pensions in your will, ensure you've an up-to-date expression of wishes. Die before taking your private or company pension, and the provider/trustees decide what to do with it. An expression of wishes (or 'nomination') form tells them your preference. So check you've done one and it's up to date. As Floochy tweeted me: "@MartinSLewis - had a case where a colleague's ex-husband was still on her nomination form. Family had to contest. A nightmare for all involved." 4) Unmarried and living together? Get a will, a contract, a civil partnership or tie the knot - your relationship means nowt in law. It doesn't matter if you've lived together for six centuries and have more children than a primary school, if you're not married/civil partners, your relationship has little status under inheritance law. So if one partner dies, the other mightn't get the house, even if they've lived in it years. That's why a will is oft crucial here, see cohabiting & no will rules. It's also worth considering a cohabitation agreement, which spells out what happens if your relationship breaks down. 5) Check your will is up to date, especially if you've got married. An out-of-date will is almost as bad as no will. It's important to note that in Eng, Wal and NI, wills are often revoked when you get married, so you'll need a new one. 6) Most people shouldn't worry about inheritance tax (IHT), only one in 25 estates actually pay it. There's been talk about the Chancellor cutting or abolishing inheritance tax in this week's Autumn Statement. The truth is that'd only impact those at the higher end of the wealth scale, as far fewer estates (just 4%) pay inheritance tax than most believe. Full help in how inheritance tax works, but in brief... - Anything left to a spouse (married/civil partners) is EXEMPT from IHT. - You don't pay IHT on the first £325,000 of your estate left to others. - This can be boosted to £500,000 if you pass on your main residence to your (biological/foster/step/adopted) children or grandchildren. - You can pass on any unused allowance to your spouse, so if you left them everything, they could then leave £1m (your £500,000 and their £500,000) including their home to children or grandchildren. Any amount that isn't exempt is taxed at 40%. - If an IHT bill is looking likely, gifting rules can cut/cancel it (whether from annual income or bigger gifts if you live long enough after). 7) Protect your digital legacy: social media & photos when you die. This can include all your online documents, photos, social media accounts and more. There's no UK law specifically dealing with it yet, but you can give the right to access digital 'assets' to beneficiaries in your will. More help in MSE Kelvin's digital legacy blog. It's worth doing, some families have had to get court orders when their loved one hasn't specified what access others should have when they were still alive. So: a) List your digital directory on paper (everything that's important). b) Back up your most important things (pref on an external hard drive). c) Record decisions via a digital legacy template. d) Note executor on platforms that allow it (Apple, Facebook, Google-ish). Does looking after the finances hurt your partner? Three women once came up to me after a talk, all in their 40s to 50s. It was years ago, but sticks in my mind as they weren't together, but one after another each told me they'd recently lost their husbands and were desperate: "I'm in dire straits, where do I start?" Their partners had each hoped to ease their wife's burden by becoming the Chief Family Finance-doer (CFF). Yet that kindness was a curse. Doing it all for them loaded financial misery on to grief, leaving them inexperienced and ill-equipped for solo responsibility. One, whose husband was will-less, was struggling even to access 'his' money to pay the mortgage. This isn't about gender, it can happen in any couple, and could be dementia or divorced caused. So while I'm not against one partner being the CFF (no surprise I am in my home), the real issue is doing it 'all', especially without communication and understanding on both sides. So I've three quick steps for the CFF to do to help... a) Beginner's briefing. Sit down to do a beginner's briefing on the family finances for a partner who's not already involved. They may resist, but be blunt that this is so they could take over if needed (blame me if you need). b) Create a financial factsheet listing all product providers, from roadside recovery to investments, boiler cover to bank accounts. Keep it somewhere safe, easily accessible, but without too many security details in. c) Kitchen table catch-ups. Every few months, have a kitchen table briefing to update & discuss. I'd love to know how you do it, via this couples' financial tips forum discussion (and read others there). Power of Attorney's MORE crucial than a will If you die, you're gone, it's about leaving money to others, and while it's cumbersome, there's a process even if you're will-less. Yet losing your faculties is less clear-cut - who'll look after you, and who can access your funds even to pay for YOUR care or make decisions. That's why the less-discussed Power of Attorney is arguably more important. 9) A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) makes it easier for someone to take over your finances & financial decisions if you can't. Like many, I've felt the pain and horror of seeing close loved ones suffer the ravages of dementia. While there's little that can be done to stop it, a Lasting Power of Attorney is one of the most important precautions (or its predecessor, an 'Enduring Power of Attorney'). Lose your faculties, and don't assume relatives can walk into the bank and access your money - not even to pay for your care, or the mortgage. This weekend, I was chatting to a young couple expecting their first child who'd been helping older members of their family with LPAs. I asked them if they'd considered getting one themselves. Filling the pause, I said...  "Ask yourself what'd happen if you suddenly lost your faculties? Would your loved ones be locked out of crucial accounts in your name? If that'd leave you in trouble, get a Power of Attorney, or at least reorganise where your money is." Losing faculties doesn't only happen to the elderly; accidents, strokes, early onset dementia and more can hit anyone. And younger people tend to have separate finances. I'm only 51 (I know, I know, I look younger). While I've no reason to foresee losing mental capacity, I've long had a Lasting Power of Attorney set up, in case. With an LPA, you nominate a trusted friend or relative to look after your affairs if needed. This DOESN'T mean giving up control now - you can opt for it only to be in effect if you're no longer capable. The cost of registering a single LPA is £82 in Eng & Wales (it can be more in the rest of the UK), yet most people will want help to do it. Solicitor-drafted is again the gold standard, and costs £200 to £500. An alternative is the Which? Wills* £74 deal (via this link) - where you write it, but with help available. See LPA help. 10) Without a Power of Attorney, it's the 'dreaded' Court of Protection. To take care of someone's finances without an LPA, you'd need to apply via the Court of Protection (or similar). I've heard many nightmares, about both time and cost, with people deeply regretting they didn't sort things sooner. As David tweeted: "@MartinSLewis This is so important. My dad collapsed and suddenly was diagnosed with dementia. I had no LPA, so had to apply through the Court of Protection to get access to his bank accounts. It took nearly a year, and all the while his £2.5k care home fees had to be paid." 11) There's a health Power of Attorney too. There's also a Health & Welfare Power of Attorney and a living will (officially 'an advance decision'), where you can refuse certain medical treatments if you lose capacity in future. Not my expertise, but worth considering. Every 20 minutes a child loses a parent This statistic from the Childhood Bereavement Network is both sobering, and personal. I was one of those children. It's why when friends who've just had kids ask me: "Where should I save for their future?", before answering I ask if they've considered life insurance. Families already struggling with dire grief can risk losing their income, standard of living or home if unprepared. The simplest protection is explained in our Level-term life insurance guide. It pays out a fixed sum if you die within a set period. How you buy it can make a huge cost difference. Eg, on Tuesday, quotes for a £200,000 policy to last till children leave education (21 years) for a 45-year-old non-smoker were: - With a bank: £29/mth (£7,300 over the term). - Via a comparison site: £21/mth (£5,200 over the term). - Via execution-only broker: £15/mth (£3,800 over the term). To get this, you usually pay a one-off £25 fee, but then it rebates all the commission, which is where the big saving comes from. Yet to buy it execution-only, you need to know what you're doing. Many will be better off getting advice due to complexities like 'writing in trust' - this will normally cost somewhere between an execution-only broker and a comparison site. Full help in the guide. Death needs dealing with... at the worst time Death is often cruel, shocking, and grief-inducing. And at that moment, when many families are at their most vulnerable, they must deal with a host of practical and admin issues. So pre-planning can help. 13) Funeral costs. Want to pay for your funeral now? Funerals are expensive, even basic ones can cost £4,000. So that and wanting to save loved ones from stress are the prepaid funeral sector's big sells. The sector finally became regulated (by the Financial Conduct Authority) in July 2022, meaning tighter fairness rules and more protection. Prepaid plans can make sense - see our Prepaid funeral plans guide - yet be aware they often exclude things like burial plots, headstones, flowers, embalming and wake costs, so there can be £100s or £1,000s more to be paid by loved ones. NB: Beware over-50s' life insurance plans - they work in a very different way and are a waste of cash for many. 14) A checklist of what to do when someone dies. If someone you know passes away, even if it was expected, it can be a very difficult time. Just so you're aware, we've a What to do when someone dies checklist, which helps you through the practicalities step by step from the very first moment. It's worth remembering if you may need it. 15) Loved one passed away and you're the executor? The process of dealing with their estate is known as 'probate' ('confirmation' in Scotland). While probate can seem daunting, for simple estates, you may be able to complete the process yourself and save £1,000s. See our Probate DIY guide. So I hope all that has given you enough info to have the unpleasant chat as efficiently and practically as possible. Good luck.

 

 

DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads Lots of scam ads litter social media and even newspaper websites - some of these lie that we or Martin promote Bitcoin, binary trading etc. See Fake ads warning.

 

 

 

Black Friday broadband deals stack up for once New. What are you paying? Get 67Mb fibre for £17/mth or FULL 145Mb fibre with a top service rating for £25/mth Millions are out of contract & can save £100s Black Friday for broadband is oft a damp squib, less of a deal, more marketing hype. Yet this year we're pleasantly surprised at some pretty good short-lived deals, including the cheapest fibre offer we've seen in eight months. Our speedy broadband comparison shows the cheapest for your postcode. As usual, these are switchers' deals (you can't have been a customer for a year) and normally go via comparison sites, as these offers aren't available direct from the firm (except Plusnet this week). - Are you one of seven million out of contract? You're free to ditch & switch, it's easy. If you've been with your firm for years, you're likely out of contract, paying double what you could. The new firm does the switch for you, you have 2hrs of downtime max, and no engineer comes (barring some switches to/from Virgin - you're told before applying). Top broadband new customer deals Postcode-dependent, links (except Plusnet) go via our broadband tool which shows if you can get 'em  FIBRE BROADBAND deals: 60Mb to 70Mb fibre broadband deals Shell Energy - 67Mb b'band & line '£16.49/mth' Rated 'POOR' 3.9/10 in our last poll (1) Cheapest, but 'poor' service rating. Via this Shell Energy 67Mb link. Pay £9.95 upfront and £23.99/mth, then CLAIM a £100 Amazon voucher. Factored in, it's equivalent to £16.49/mth over the 12mth contract. Ends Thu. Vodafone - 67Mb b'band & line '£20.38/mth' Rated 'OK' 5.3/10 in our last poll (1) Cheapest with 'decent' service rating. Via this Vodafone 67Mb link. Pay £23.50/mth, then CLAIM a £75 Amazon, Sainsbury's, Tesco or M&S voucher. Factored in, it's equivalent to £20.38/mth over the 2yr contract.  FULL FIBRE deals: faster 100Mb+ connecting your home direct to the exchange Only available to roughly 52% of homes, you'll be told when applying. More info in our Full fibre (fibre to the premises) guide. Shell Energy Full Fibre - 109Mb broadband-ONLY '£17.82/mth' Rated 'POOR' 3.9/10 in our last poll (1) Cheapest ever superfast fibre, but 'poor' service. Apply via this Shell Energy 109Mb link. It's £9.95 upfront, then £26.99/mth, but CLAIM a £120 Amazon voucher & it's equivalent to £17.82/mth over the 12mth contract.  MSE top pick. Plusnet Full Fibre - 145Mb broadband-ONLY '£24.91/mth' Rated 'GOOD' 7.4/10 in our last poll (1), second highest Cheapest with 'GOOD' service and it's part of BT.  Apply via this Plusnet 145Mb link and you pay £26.99/mth. Then CLAIM a £50 prepaid card and it's equivalent to £24.91/mth over the 2yr contract. Plusnet is part of the BT Group. Ends Thu. BT Full Fibre - 145Mb broadband-ONLY '£27.33/mth' Rated 'GOOD' 6.1/10 in our last poll (1) Cheapest from BT we've seen at this speed. Via this BT 145Mb link, pay nothing for 3mths, then £35.99/mth. But CLAIM a £50 Amazon, M&S or Tesco voucher via Broadband Genie (who the link goes through) & a £50 prepaid card from BT and over a 2yr contract it's equivalent to £27.33/mth. Ends Fri. Vodafone Full Fibre 500 - 500Mb broadband-ONLY '£29.71/mth' Rated 'OK' 5.3/10 in our last poll (1) Cheapest 200Mb+ with decent service & available nationwide. Via this Vodafone 500Mb link. Pay £32/mth, CLAIM a £55 Amazon, M&S, Tesco or Sainsbury's voucher and over a 2yr contract, it's equivalent to £29.71/mth. Are you eligible for a special social tariff? On Universal Credit or similar benefits? Try a social tariff. Many providers offer discounted social broadband tariffs, which give long-term cheap prices on standard speeds. Find them in the comparison if you select 'show social tariffs' and add your postcode. To compare, we use 'equivalent costs' - adding all costs except calls, deducting promo credits & averaging over the contract - though prices are likely to rise above inflation each April. (1) For full results, see our broadband service poll. While Shell's cheap, its customer service rating is poor. It's also just been fined £1.4m by telecoms regulator Ofcom for failing to tell customers when their contracts were ending, and is refunding around 6,000 who overpaid. Full info in our Shell fine MSE news story. Don't want to switch? Haggle. If you're out of contract and free to move, you're in a powerful position to haggle. In our December poll, the vast majority of those who'd haggled with the big broadband firms were successful. Use the deals above as a benchmark to help you get your costs down. Not sure how? Read full Broadband haggling tips. At least 50% of customers must get the advertised speeds at peak times. The providers above also tell you the estimated max speed you're likely to get before you sign up. Members of cashback sites can sometimes undercut deals. In some cases, the cashback can mean these sites undercut promos elsewhere, though sometimes the deal differs - so check carefully. More in Top cashback sites.

 

Watch the Chancellor's Autumn Statement with Martin & MSE (12.30pm-ish Wed). Follow Martin's live Twitter explanation & analysis and then hit MSE News as we explain in detail what it means for you. IT'S BLACK FRIDAY WEEK... Watch Martin's Big (Short) Black Friday Message. When to buy & when not. Martin's 20-sec Black Friday memo. LIVE MSE's Black Friday predictions and analysis of the best deals & duds. It's easy to get sucked in, but we'll help you sort which deals are hot or not in our constantly moving, ongoing Black Friday analysis. First check what's going on in key stores: Amazon | Boots | Currys | John Lewis | M&S | AO.com | eBay | Screwfix | Argos | Adidas | Nike | La Redoute | Apple Highlighted deals we like right now (whether they call 'em Black Friday or not): Extra 10% off £1 to £6 ex-high street coats, dresses, shoes & accessories. MSE Blagged. Discount retailer Everything5pounds (well, it's not all £5) sells a mixture of ex-high street and non-branded items, and we've blagged a code for an extra 10% off AND free delivery (normally £4+). Everything5pounds £78 Eurostar returns. For travel to Paris, Brussels, Lille, Amsterdam or Rotterdam, most dates between 3 Jan and 16 Mar. 75,200 cheap seats available till Mon. Eurostar Elle beauty Advent calendar for £99 with huge £502 worth of stuff. Includes Fenty, Tatcha and Dr Barbara Sturm (great for splitting up and giving as gifts). The £502 is our calculation, not its marketing. One Elle of a beauty box Toy sales: Tesco up to 50% off including Lego and Barbie, B&M 10% off, Smyths £5 off £50. If you're looking for children's gifts, now could be a good time. See toy sales. Ends Thu. Extra 20% off Kärcher code, eg, £100 window vac for £56. MSE Blagged. Valid on everything, including already-reduced items. Kärcher Nectar's brought back 'double-up' points... for some. Are you eligible? See Nectar double-up. Shift credit card debt to 29mths 0%. A balance transfer's where you get a new card that pays off the debt on existing cards for you, so you owe it at 0%. Barclaycard's up to 29mths 0% (3.45% fee), though if you can repay quickly there are lower-fee cards, including NatWest's 14mth 0% NO-FEE (links via our eligibility calc). Full options in Top balance transfers. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly minimum & clear the card before the 0% ends or they jump to 24.9% rep APR. Cheapest EVER 100GB mobile Sim, just '£6.25/mth'. This iD Mobile Sim (uses Three's signal) is £5/mth for the first 3mths, then £10/mth, but you can CLAIM a £30 Amazon or Currys voucher within 3mths. Factor that in and it's equivalent to £6.25/mth over the 12mth contract. Want different data / network? Use Cheap Mobile Finder. Spend a fiver, get £28 cashback. MSE Blagged. Quidco's upped its newbies offer. Quidco newbie cash Martin video: 'Time to ban unnecessary Christmas presents? The best gift may be not buying anyone anything.' Watch Martin's make a no unnecessary gift pact film. The Martin Lewis Money Show Live - tonight (Tue) 8pm, ITV1. An unpleasant but important watch. Over to Martin: "I'm on a mission - as you'll see from the top of this email - to get people talking about unpleasant issues, so my show focus is wills, Power of Attorney, financial factsheets, dementia finance and more, and I'm joined by a team of specialists to help answer your questions. Plus of course the latest News You Can Use (if you miss it, catch up later via ITVX series 13 ep 4)."

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - Extra 10% off £5ish coats, shoes & more Ends Mon 27 Nov - Quidco £28 cashback when you spend £5 Ends Thu 30 Nov - 20% off all Kärcher home and garden products Ends Thu	DID YOU MISS? - Ends today (Tue). Baileys £10 for a one-litre bottle - With Shell or Octopus Energy? Make cash with Martin's trick - Aged 40 to 73? Can you boost your state pension by £10,000s? - The hidden hot water bottle code that shows if it's still safe - Amazon's Black Friday sale started LAST Friday

 

 

Have you tried the MoneySavingExpert App yet? It's MSE but appier... Track your bills, MoneySaving alerts, AI-powered chatbots and more only on the app... The MSE App has just had its first birthday, and even though we've not pushed it hard, we love the fact over 800,000 of you have downloaded it. When we first launched it a year ago, the priority was to ensure it had everything the mobile browser did, but was appier. Since then, we've been experimenting with a host of new ways to use it to help you save more money and make it easier to use. So forgive us a touch of self-promotion - here's why you should give it a try: Download the MSE App (it's free, obvs) at Apple's App Store Google's Play Store (Android) 1. Everything that is on MSE is on the app. That's rule number one. We didn't want to cut content or detail just to fit the format, so if you can do it on the main site, you can do it in the app. 2. Get this email first. It takes time for us to send to the nearly 10m recipients of this email. If you've the app, we can send you a notification as soon as it's live, so you can read it straightaway, which is useful for short-lived deals. 3. New. If you want, we can track your bills, alert you when contracts are ending, and help you with what to do. We've put the first sectors, mobile & broadband, in our new Bill Buster tool - you'll find it in the MyMSE section. With it, we'll alert you when your contracts are ending and let you know about which deals to look at. And this is just the start - we're working on adding lots more, so hopefully soon we'll be able to manage all your bills for you (if you want us to). 4. The app knows you, so you don't start afresh each time. Register and you can save articles to read later, and see your search history in our onsite search bar - handy if you want to revisit a topic you've previously looked up. Get easy access to our tools, calcs and widgets - often without re-entering details - such as the Cheap Broadband Finder and the Credit Card Eligibility Calc. We're working towards just one login for all our tools. 5. MSE ChatGPT - our AI chatbot to answer money questions. Using the powerful capabilities of MSE ChatGPT, ask our chatbot a MoneySaving question and it'll answer, with the primary source of information being a daily sweep of the guides, blogs and info on the MSE site. In the app, we've nestled this feature alongside our onsite search - giving you the option of searching for information the traditional way or asking the chatbot for an answer. 6. Opt for bespoke MoneySaving alerts, as well as this email. It's early days, but we're experimenting with a feature that, if you choose to let us scan your bank accounts, can try to find specific tips just for you based on your spending. Alternatively, just answer questions about your goals and habits and we'll do the same.

 

How to get a free flight upgrade | And must-listen for anyone paying credit card interest (even if rejected for 0%)... A jam-packed pod that includes a 'naughty' way to earn £50 switching energy supplier and how to get an 'actual' letter from Santa this Christmas. All in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast episode - listen via BBC Sounds, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more. Dear Govt, please don't be yankers! MSE has teamed up with Which? and Citizens Advice to try and stop the Government shelving its buy now, pay later regulation. See please don't be yankers. 'I was with a home insurer for 23yrs - then saved £268 by switching. Thanks'. Our success of the week is from Sharon, who said: "I've been with the same insurer for 23 years and renewed out of habit. But not this year - I looked at your home insurance cost-cutting info and have saved a wonderful £268. The cover is better, and we'll get a car insurance discount too. Thanks, it was so helpful." If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), please send us your successes. Tricked into paying for £5 Wowcher 'VIP' subscription? How to get your money back. The deals site has been rapped by the competition watchdog for using dodgy tactics to flog 'em. Full info in Wowcher warning. £10 to £50 London theatre tix: 40 shows, including Frozen, Mamma Mia, Kim's Convenience. Now on sale to all, for 1 Jan to 29 Feb performances. London theatre tickets

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 29mths 0%, 3.45% fee (24.9% rep APR interest) No-fee 0%: NatWest (check eligibility / apply*) - 14mths 0% (24.9% rep APR) Best bank accounts £200 to switch + 8% regular saver: Nationwide £175 to switch + TOP service: First Direct Top savings accounts Top easy access: Metro Bank 5.22%, min £500 Top one-year fix: Metro Bank 5.91%, min £500 Car insurance Try our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Cheap loans Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: AA (check eligibility / apply*), 7.2% rep APR (members), 7.3% rep APR (non-members) Cheapest £7,500 to £15,000: Tesco Bank (check eligibility / apply*), 5.9% rep APR (must have a Clubcard) Broadband top picks Superfast fibre (100Mb+): Shell Energy '£17.82/mth' (though its customer service rating ain't great) Fast fibre (55Mb+) with 'OK' service: Vodafone '£20.38/mth' Full fibre (100Mb+) with 'Good' service: Plusnet £26.99/mth On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.70/mth' for 3GB 4GB to 9GB data: TalkMobile, '£3.45/mth' for 6GB 10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£3.57/mth' for 12GB 31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£6.25/mth' for 100GB

 

THIS WEEK'S POLL Have you had a free flight upgrade in the past three years? Many airlines now sell spare upgrade capacity at the desk. So are the days of trying to sweet-talk check-in staff to get a free upgrade to premium economy, business or first class long gone? We want to see how common free upgrades are, so please vote in this week's poll. Over 90% of MoneySavers who drive have breakdown insurance. In last week's poll, we asked you if you have car breakdown cover - just over 5,000 of you responded. We found that the vast majority had cover, with only 9% saying they didn't, most often citing the fact that they don't break down often enough as their primary reason for not getting it. Of those who do have breakdown cover, 85% say it costs them less than £100 a year. See the full results.

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Finally! Energy standing charges to be reviewed following Martin and MSE's campaign - Second cost of living payment paid to millions - here's who qualifies and what to do if you haven't got yours - Bank of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds to close 231 branches in 2023/24

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should we leave our golf club and rejoin in a year's time to get cheaper membership? My golf club offers cheaper rates to new members than to those renewing. We've approached the owners about the unfairness of this, but they didn't seem to take us seriously, so a large group of us are now all thinking of leaving, playing somewhere else for a year, then rejoining for the cheaper rates. While I don't want to damage the club, we're being penalised for our loyalty. Is walking out the right thing to do? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should we leave our golf club and rejoin later to get cheaper membership? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: Beef, bicycles and birthday cupcakes

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 22 NOV ONWARDS) Wed 22 Nov - Martin Lewis - Autumn Statement, BBC Radio 5 Live, 2pm Thu 23 Nov - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm Tue 28 Nov - This Morning, phone-in, ITV1, 10.15am Tue 28 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 8pm

 

FLYING A HELICOPTER AND A £32 OMELETTE - WHAT'S THE LEAST MONEYSAVING THING YOU'VE DONE? That's all for this week, but before we go... we asked our social media followers to tell us about the least MoneySaving thing they've ever done. In and among all those (understandably) claiming it was getting married or having kids, there were some more unusual things. Some had coughed up for concerts, including £900 on a Taylor Swift gig in Chicago and flying to Arizona to see Black Sabbath. One aspiring pilot learned to fly a helicopter. The cost... a mere (!) £250/hr. And one hungry tourist was left with egg on their face after paying an eggs-orbitant £32 for an omelette in Switzerland. For more MoneySpending habits, and to add your own, read the full 'least MoneySaving thing you've done' Facebook and Twitter conversations. We hope you save some money, The MSE team

 

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