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DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads |
Important: Martin's alert for ALL disabled or ill pensioners Earlier this year, we asked if you are one of 21m missing out on £19bn in unclaimed benefits - including Universal Credit, water bill help, Housing Benefit - and then explained how to check. Many were surprised at what they were entitled to, yet a few also suggested to me that we look at Attendance Allowance (a payment to help cover costs of pensioners who need someone to 'attend' them) as there's a huge lack of awareness. So we set things in motion and started work with Policy in Practice, which identified the 'missing out' numbers in the original research. The results are staggering. It has estimated up to 1.1m aren't getting the £3,500/yr minimum Attendance Allowance they're due in Great Britain (the stats don't cover N. Ireland, but the benefit does). MSE Ben & Rosie have prepared a great new Attendance Allowance help guide that we launch today. In brief...
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Send a totally FREE personalised photo Christmas postcard. MSE Blagged. For newbies to the free FreePrints Cards app, they even post it for you. It's normally £1.25. If you're sending Christmas cards, or celebrating any other occasion, this could be one for you. Related: 33% off at Scribbler. Updated. Does your energy firm owe you £100s? 5 steps to get it back. Energy firms are sitting on over £8bn of our Direct Debit credit... 1) Ensure you've an up-to-date meter reading. 2) Use our updated 'Is your direct debit right?' calc, which now includes Jan's 5% price rise data. 3) Check if you're in credit - about 2mths of DDs is right at this point in the cycle, a lot more isn't. 4) Too much credit? See how to get it back. 5) If your DD's substantially too high, ask for it to be lowered. New. British Gas launches cheaper fix available to new & existing customers. Plus Octopus launches a cheaper existing customer deal. Are they worth it? See our guide for full info.
How much do Christmas lights cost to run? Many have been asking, worried if they can afford it. We've crunched the numbers in our Christmas lights analysis. Related: Energy saving checklist. Boots No7 'Star Gift'. £140 of No7 skincare for £42. We've one day's early access to buy this £85 set half-price (everyone else can get the discount from Wed). No7 Star Gift Urgent, ends Sun. Are you over 65 and have total income under £220 a week or £320 a week if in a couple? If it's yes to both, urgently check if you are due the Pension Credit top-up to the state pension, as do it before Sunday and you can get an extra one-time £599. See Martin's Pension Credit blog for info, who qualifies and how to apply. Are you owed £1,000s? Reclaim, reclaim, reclaim - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, 8pm tonight (Tue), ITV1. Over to Martin: "My focus tonight is three big reclaims due if 1) You went to uni, 2) You've had a loan or a credit card, 3) You've ever lost a partner. It's a very important programme, do spread word & watch or set the Betamax (or catch up later via ITVX)." |
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Can't afford to clear your credit cards? You can't afford not to try a balance transfer This isn't great news, but it is important. The new longest balance transfer deal is 28mths 0%, after the old longest, 29mths, was pulled from the market. We're concerned other top deals will be pulled, with little better likely till after Christmas. A balance transfer is where you get a new card you ask to pay off debt on your existing card(s), so you now owe it, but interest-free - meaning your repayments clear the actual debt, not just cover the interest. So if you're paying credit card interest, or soon will (as your current 0% is ending), DON'T DELAY, check our 0% eligibility tool to see which cards will accept you.
Getting a card? ALWAYS follow the Balance Transfer Golden Rules: Quick balance transfer FAQs (click links for Martin's answers) |
New. Call centre staff's secret tips & unpleasant issues: wills, Power of Attorney & more... An important listen for anyone who's prevaricated on sorting a will or Power of Attorney - how to do it, and how to get through the 'I can't face it'. Plus secret gems from call centre workers. Listen to the new The Martin Lewis Podcast via BBC Sounds, Spotify, Apple Podcasts & more. 'I've saved £210/yr by haggling with BT.' Our success of the week is from Angus, who said: "I used your Haggling with BT guide and kept the package I have already, but saved £210/yr. The repeated walking away technique was brilliant, three times it came back to me before we settled. Thanks for your help." Great to read - the number one tip is to always be polite and charming, not aggressive, when haggling. If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), send us your successes. Cheap (& sustainable) Christmas jumpers from £3. Thursday is Save the Children's Christmas Jumper Day, so get a festive and eco-friendly pullover for just a few quid with MSE Rhiannon's blog on cheap Christmas jumpers. Barista & Co 50% off selected coffee. MSE Blagged. Get a 600g bag of fresh coffee beans for £12.50 (normally £24.99). Choice of whole beans or ground coffee. The code also gets 50% off selected accessories, such as milk pitchers, coffee press, mugs and more. Barista & Co 'Tis the season for Christmas comping. Compers (hobbyists who regularly enter competitions) look forward all year to the influx of Advent competitions - retailers' daily free-to-enter giveaways - and are sharing their tips and successes on our Forum. Prizes so far include a £1,000 Ikea gift card and a Nintendo Switch Lite. Advent-ures in comping Martin: 'Whether it's suicide prevention, gambling, insurance or embedding debt help in the NHS - I'm proud of MMHPI. Can you help?' I set up the Money & Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) in 2016 and wanted to make you aware of what it has done this year - and to ask those who've had mental health issues if you've any time to help. MMHPI impact and how to help |
AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK Have you been a victim of fraud? The Home Affairs Committee, a group of MPs which looks at how Government policy on crime is working, has just launched a short survey. It wants to know what impact the fraud had on you, and your experience of reporting it (or your decision not to). It wants to find out whether current responses to reports of fraud are effective and if there are gaps in support for victims. Take the 10-minute survey. |
THIS WEEK'S POLL Have you haggled with Sky, BT, the AA or any others this year? Did you succeed? Haggling can result in big savings - on anything from digital TV and broadband to breakdown cover and car insurance. Each year we try to gauge the success rates of those who have done it. So whether you've got cheaper prices, extra goods or better deals, please let us know how successful you've been. Vote in this week's poll. Cuckoo clocks in at number one again for broadband customer service. Last week, we asked what you thought of your broadband provider, and 5,500 of you responded. Of the providers that got more than 75 votes, Cuckoo came out on top with 98% of its customers rating it as 'great', with Zen Broadband close behind. Shell Energy took the wooden spoon with more than 50% rating it 'poor' (though it has just been sold to Octopus, so we're hopeful of change). See the full broadband poll results. |
MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I pay more towards my partner's bills than my own? My partner and I want to live together in her home. She has a small mortgage on her property and I live in a narrow boat that's paid for. My living costs covering food, energy and water are £350/mth, and I believe that's what I should pay if I lived with her. But she thinks I should pay closer to £550, which is half her monthly living costs. In this case I'd be putting money towards her mortgage too, which seems unfair as I'll never own any part of her home. How would you split it? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay more towards my partner's bills? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma |
MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 6 DEC ONWARDS) Wed 6 Dec - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm |
HORROR HAIRCUTS AND CHEAP LOO ROLL - WHAT'S ONE MONEYSAVING THING YOU'LL NEVER TRY AGAIN? That's all for this week, but before we go... what's a MoneySaving thing you've tried but just isn't for you? Many said they'd never reuse teabags again - not a surprise, as millions love nothing better than a good cuppa. Home haircuts were also out, after tales of terrible trims for kids and even dogs. One home cook's sticking to shop-bought houmous after branding their own effort 'grim'. It all goes to show saving money can sometimes be a pain in the bum... which some found out literally when they tried cheaper loo roll! Let us know what MoneySaving things you won't try again in our Facebook and Twitter conversations. We hope you save some money, |
Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com worksWe think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of this email and the site. We're a journalistic website, and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques - but can't promise to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. What you need to know This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips). We often link to other websites, but can't be responsible for their content. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, How This Site is Financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. More about MoneySavingExpert and Martin LewisWhat is MoneySavingExpert.com? Who is Martin Lewis? What do the links with an * mean?Any links with an * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference; the links don't impact the products at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to them. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it's still included in the same way. More info: See How This Site is Financed. As we believe transparency is important, we're including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for content too: Unaffiliated web-addresses for links in this email firstdirect.com, santander.co.uk, barclaycard.co.uk, natwest.com, bank.marksandspencer.com, topcashback.co.uk, quidco.com, tescobank.com Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Note MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FRN: 303190). MoneySavingExpert.com Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration Number: 8021764. Registered office: One Dean Street, London, W1D 3RB. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MoneySupermarket.com Financial Group Limited. To change your email or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips. |
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