State Pension 2.5-times lock?, FREE £300 bank switch, free £75 SpaceX shares, 8p/l off petrol, finally a TRUE energy comparison

Plus... 12 bottles wine £60, ditch Premium Bonds?, Prime Day deals, 5% savings

                                                           

06 October 2026 | View in browser

Banking & Savings Household Bills Deals Insurance Cards & Loans Mortgages Income Reclaim

The top tips this week New. Huge FREE £300 bank switch - All the bank switch best buys - High earner? Get a FREE £600 - Bank switching FAQs Finally, do a true energy comparison! Martin: "State Pension 2.5-times lock" New. 5% savings easy-access 12 bottles of wine £60 delivered News. When'll Car Finance mis-selling be sorted? Ends Wed. Amazon Prime Deals Martin video: Ditch Premium Bonds? New. FREE £75 shares, eg SpaceX, Nvidia 8p/litre off petrol/diesel Grab 5% cashback credit card Question Time: I lost money investing, should I try again? Martin Pod: The WRONG people have Premium Bonds "I got £7,000 Council Tax refund" Cheap wooden toys, eg £18 rocking horse Student discounts: 'Free' KFC, Ikea £20 off, etc 30+ AI tools to save time/hassle Best buys: 35GB Sim £3/mth, 36mth 0% card, etc MMD: Should we pay half for ugly fence? Quick deals: £1 Costa, 40% off Harvester, etc

New. Huge FREE £300 just by switching bank... now thankfully for employees AND the self employed - We got Barclays to rewrite its terms to include self-employed & pensioners - Ends Wed. Santander's FREE £240 bank switch offer (no min monthly pay-in) - High Earner? You can now switch & get a FREE £600 Martin: "When I first heard about the new Barclays £300 deal, I thought great, then I read the terms and it frustated me. It's the best-paying deal this year, barring high-earner free cash. OK, you must stick with it for six months to get the full benefit, yet that's no biggie, as over half of it will be in your pocket by Christmas. Overall it's a strong offer for those who can get it.  "Now to what was the problem. You need pay in a min £2,000/mth - that's not too unusual (though many best buys don't), but on Monday when the offer went live, its site said this must "be received via BACs from an employer" - effectively excluding those with only self-employed, pension, or other income. For me, that's a poor precedent. So we contacted it and, in a nutshell, it said that wasn't the case: "It does not matter if it is not from an 'employer'. Payments via other methods are also accepted." "Yet the terms on its site still contradicted that. And I didn't want to put it to you unless they changed. The good news: after some to-ing and fro-ing, Barclays agreed and did that just before we sent this email. Now, thankfully it says salary payments must be received via BACs from an employer, state or private pension, or transfers from a UK business account (even if in same name). This should cover most who earn enough.  "Though it does stop the 'gamifying' trick, where you pay money into another account then move it back to hit the minimum pay in. Anyway, I thought I'd let you know the background - now the team I'll run through the deals." Top free cash switch bonuses Banks partly judge profitability by a 'cross-sell' ratio - how many different products they can sell you. And if they get your current account custom, they've often a better chance of selling you more. That's one reason they're willing to (legally) bribe you to switch, especially in the run-up to Christmas. So grab the cash, but don't let it buy your loyalty... when picking cards, loans, savings, or investing, always focus on the best product for the job from across the market (use our guides). Switching's usually quick & easy: To get the bonuses, you need to use the bank's seven-working-day switch service. It'll close your old account for you, move your money over, and shift Direct Debits & standing orders. Payments to the old account are auto-forwarded too. The vast majority find it a piece of cake, though you'll need to pass a not-too-harsh credit check. So let's first go through the standard accounts, then the high earners... FREE CASH for new switchers You usually need to switch 2+ Direct Debits. Full eligibility: Top bank accounts New. Barclays Bank Account* Fee-free? Yes. Min pay-in: £2,000+/mth earnings for 6mths (equiv £29,000/yr pro-rata salary going in). None after. Switch joint accounts? No. £150 Cash Paid by 25 Nov (1) FREE £300: £150 at the start, then £30/mth for 5mths. The Barclays Standard Bank Account* has two cash offers that work together: - £150 upfront for switching 3+ Direct Debits. - Five £30 monthly payments for five months if you make 10+ debit card payments. - For an optional £5/mth fee, you can join its Blue Rewards scheme to get Apple. TV included (it would normally cost £10/mth). To keep this after six months, you'll need to continue paying in £800/mth & register for digital banking. Eligibility: Can't have received a previous switch bonus from it or have held an open current account on 1 Oct. See full Barclays eligibility & review. Ends 2pm Wed. Santander Everyday* Fee-free? Yes. Min pay-in: £1,500 total within 60 days from any source (can be in dribs & drabs). Plus £200 in the regular saver. Switch Joint accounts? Yes. Cash Paid by 5 Jan 2027 (1) FREE £240, plus top 8% regular saver. Santander's Everyday* pays £240 if you pay in £1,500 within 60 days and put £200 at least once in its... - Linked 1yr 8% variable regular saver you can put up to £200/mth in. Eligibility: Can't have received a previous switch bonus from it, or held a Santander current account on/after 1 Jan 2026. You need to switch over 2+ 'household' Direct Debits. See full Santander Everday eligibility & review. HSBC Bank Account* Fee-free? Yes. Min pay-in: £2,000 total within 60 days from any source (can be in dribs & drabs). Switch Joint accounts? No. Cash Paid by 15 Dec (1) Rare FREE £220. The HSBC brand rarely does this, so it's good for those who've already switched elsewhere. HSBC Bank Account* pays £220 if you spend £500 on the debit card within 60 days - just do (some of) your normal spending on it. It also has: - Linked 1yr 5% fixed regular saver you can put up to £250/mth in. Eligibility: Unlike its sister bank, First Direct below, even if you've had switch cash from HSBC or FD, as long as it was before 2023 and you're no longer a customer, you can get it. See full HSBC eligibility & review. Boosted. First Direct 1st Account* Fee-free? Yes. Min pay-in: £1,000 total going in within 45 days (can be in dribs & drabs). None needed after. Switch joint accounts? Yes. Cash Paid by 20 Nov (1) Top all-rounder. FREE £210, plus top service account, 7% regular saver, 0% overdraft, top debit card overseas. The 1st Account* usually offers £175 switchers cash but until 2 Dec it's boosted up to £210 when you make 5+ debit card payments and register for digital banking within 45 days. While it's not the top payer, First Direct has long topped our customer service polls with 90% rating it 'great'. That combined with these other perks, makes it our top all-rounder pick: - Linked 1yr 7% fixed regular saver for up to £300/mth. - Many get a £250 0% overdraft (see switching if you've an overdraft). - Top card for spending overseas, with near-perfect exchange rates. Eligibility: New customer, NEVER had a First Direct product or opened an HSBC bank account since Jan 2018. See full First Direct eligibility & review. Club Lloyds* (link via QR code) Fee-free? Yes, if you meet the min-pay in, or its £5/mth (avoid). Min pay-in: £2,000+ a month from any source (equiv £29,000/yr salary going in). Switch joint accounts? Yes. Cash Paid by 27 Oct (1) FREE £200, plus a choice of reward (eg, Disney+). The Club Lloyds* account offers £200 cash to switch in from an account as long as you have 3+ Direct Debits. The strength of its offer comes from the perks though...  - Linked 1yr 6.25% fixed regular saver for up to £250/mth. - Yearly perk, eg: cinema tix, Disney+ (with ads), magazines subscription, etc. - Possible £100 0% overdraft buffer. - Top card for spending overseas, with near-perfect exchange rates. Eligibility: Can't have received a previous switch bonus from Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland since 1 Jan 2023. See full Club Lloyds eligibility & review. Two more standard accounts that'll pay you to switch... NatWest Reward FREE £200 plus possible £2/mth cashback and 5.25% regular saver on up to £5,000. Nationwide FlexDirect FREE £175 plus 5% interest on up to £1,500 and up to £10/mth cashback for 12mths. (1) Dates are our estimates for if you switched tomorrow, as most set a max time after you've switched & fulfilled criteria. Top high-earner free cash switch bonuses Over the last year, we've seen a rise in bigger incentives for those earning £75,000+ to sign up for special premier accounts. Yet the earnings limits tend to be stricter. If standard accounts want a minimum monthly pay-in it may be gameable (eg, for £2,000/mth, if you earn £1,800, just withdraw £200 each month and pay it back in). Here, they tend to focus on actual earnings and look more carefully. If you've variable monthly income but earn over the annual threshold, you should be fine. Bigger cash but ONLY for higher earners You usually need to switch 2+ Direct Debits. Full eligibility: Top bank accounts New. Barclays Premier To get this, pay in a min £75,000/yr salary.  Cash paid by 25 Nov (1) FREE £600. Free Apple TV & possible £500 0% overdraft.  See the full Barclays Premier eligibility & review. HSBC Premier FREE £500* To get this, pay in a min £100,000/yr salary. Cash paid by 29 Dec (1) FREE £500. Free worldwide family travel insurance & digital GP access.  See the full HSBC Premier eligibility & review. NatWest Premier Reward FREE £500 To get this, pay in a min £100,000/yr salary. Cash paid by 13 Feb 2027 (1) FREE £500. Plus £7/mth cashback. See the full NatWest Premier Reward eligibility & review. Lloyds Premier FREE £200* (link via QR code) To get this, pay in £5,000/mth (£85,000 salary). Cash paid by 27 Oct (1) FREE £200. Free digital GP access, Disney+, top overseas debit card, 1% cashback etc.  See the full Lloyds Premier eligibility & review. (1) Dates are our estimates for if you switched tomorrow, as most set a max time after you've switched & fulfilled criteria. Frequently asked questions (& answers, obvs) Q. Can I switch multiple times to make £1,000s? Yes, and a decent minority (including here in MSE towers) do it. As Dawn emailed in June: "Dear MSE Team, I've switched a second current account several times and received around £1,500 in switching bonuses. I've got a bonus hotel stay still to use from a TSB switch too!" The key technique is to set up a burner account (on top of your normal account) with a bank that doesn't pay a switching incentive - it's a burner as you don't plan to use it, just have it to switch from, making sure you meet the minimum criteria each time. For full pros and cons, see make £1,000s by repeatedly switching bank. Q. Will switching bank affect my credit score? One extra search on your credit file shouldn't make much difference (many in a short time can). Though closing the old account can temporarily reduce your Credit Score from a credit reference agency (which is just a loose indication of how it thinks a typical lender may see you) for a month or two, as lenders like evidence of longevity. If you're imminently (within a couple of months) about to apply for a mortgage or an important, needed debt, avoid switching until after. More in how switching banks affects your credit. Q. What about packaged bank accounts with insurance, any good? If you shell out each year for family travel insurance, breakdown cover, and mobile phone protection, a packaged bank account - where you pay a monthly fee and get lots of insurance products thrown in - could save you £100s. Our top current pick is Club Lloyds Silver* which gives switchers £200 cash, which effectively covers 17mths of its £11.50/mth fee. It includes European family travel insurance (max age 64), mobile cover for the account holder(s), and family UK breakdown cover. Full info in packaged bank accounts guide. Q. Are subscriptions moved when you switch? Direct Debits and standing orders are moved for you. But recurring payments (eg, Netflix, Disney+ etc, where you give the long number on your debit card when you pay) do NOT switch - you must update these yourself. If you do forget, though, normally they'll just notify you that 'your payment card no longer works', so you can update it. It's not usually a biggie. See recurring payment help. Q. I'm overdrawn, can I switch banks? Yes, and it's worth looking at, but focus on reducing the overdraft cost as it's the most expensive mainstream debts, with typical rates around 40% (nearly double standard high-street credit cards). If you're overdrawn, you can switch but the new bank may not offer an overdraft or match your current one. Luckily, most banks have a pre-apply overdraft eligibility checker to see if you'll get one. More help in our top overdraft accounts guide. First Direct* is worth a note for smaller overdrafts. For example, if you're £450 overdrawn, the £210 clears some of that and the rest would be at 0% interest - a big help. Though you'll have to 'switch' the overdraft over yourself. This means when you switch, your old bank will ask you whether you can pay it off or want to keep it account open while you gradually clear it (it varies by bank). If you do keep it open, payments to the old account are unlikely to be forwarded to the new one, so you may need to arrange to move them yourself. A few more of Martin's tips: If you have a larger overdraft, a specialist 0% money transfer credit card may let you pay a larger chunk into your bank. Aim to repay a fixed monthly amount. Eg, if £500 overdrawn, 'paying' £100 means being £400 overdrawn at month end. Doing a budget will help, as will going through a full money makeover to check what you're overpaying on. Consider moving Direct Debits to just before payday. The idea is you're overdrawn for less time, so costs are lower. Got savings? Use 'em to clear it. See Repay debt with savings? Struggling with all debt? Get help from Citizens Advice, National Debtline or StepChange. They can help you make a plan and can make a huge difference. For more, see our Debt crisis help guide.

 

 

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.

 

 

 

Not on a fixed energy deal? Your price has just gone up, so... 1) Finally, comparing NOW shows a true saving, and beware - if you don't fix, your bill will likely rise another c20% in Jan! 2) Is it all too complex? Use our easy 'Pick Me A Tariff' tool Martin: "Last Thursday, the new higher Price Cap started, so almost everyone on a firm's standard tariff (so all bar those on fixes/special deals) will have seen their price rise. So if that's you and you compare now, you'll likely see an INSTANT SAVING. I know I've nagged about this for a while... yet before this week I was warning about a future price rise, knowing it isn't shown in your comparison results. Now it is, making it clearer. First, my key need-to-knows then, the team have put best buys together." You can LOCK IN a fix at less than you pay now, knowing it won't rise. A fixed tariff is simply one with certainty that the Standing Charge and Unit Rate won't move. So see the cheapest fixes (sadly not for those on prepay). That is important, as do nowt and you'll be paying possibly 20% more from January. We're halfway through the 13-week assessment period for the Jan to March Cap. The latest predictions show a ballpark rise of 20% (making the Price Cap even less attractive). It may be more or less depending on world events, but it's almost unthinkable it won't rise a lot. Is it all too complex? Use our new Pick Me a Tariff tool. We've tried to make it as simple as possible. Register or log in so we can find your usage. Then just rank what's important to you including... Price | Service | Name you know | Fix | Tariffs we can monitor for you. Unsure? Click 'Martin's suggestions' for my default preferences, which you can then tweak if you want. Our algorithm then finds the tariff that best fits you. Cheapest FIXES: All allow both new & existing customers Links via our comparison, as deals change, and you need a bespoke result (your region's Standing Charges & Unit Rates are there). Cheapest one year-ish fixes Ends 5pm Wed or when all 7,000 tariffs go (1).  E.on Next Fixed 12m Exclusive v10 12mth fix Dual fuel & elec-only | Monthly Direct Debit only (2) | No Smart Meter needed | Exclusive deal Avg Cost: 4.2% LESS than the current Price Cap when £20 MSE dual-fuel cashback is included. Early Exit Fees: £50/fuel. So £100 to leave gas & elec before fix ends. New. Fuse Energy Oct 26 Fixed v2 14mth fix Dual & single fuel | Variable Direct Debit only (3) | No Smart Meter needed Avg Cost: 2.3% LESS than the current Cap when £20 MSE dual-fuel cashback is included. Early Exit Fees: £50/fuel. So £100 to leave gas & elec before fix ends. Cheapest LONGER fixes These give price certainty for longer, but today's rates are relatively high and might not look competitive in a year if the Middle East conflict de-escalates. So, if you go long, focus on lower early-exit fees - a get-out-of-jail-cheap card, in case you need ditch it later. Ends 5pm Wed.  Fuse Energy Oct 26 Fixed (24m) v1 24mth fix Dual & single fuel | Variable Direct Debit only (3) | No Smart Meter needed | Exclusive (though available direct without the cashback) Avg Cost: 4.8% LESS than the current Cap when £20 MSE dual-fuel cashback is included. Early Exit Fees: £50/fuel. So £100 to leave gas & elec before fix ends. Ends 5pm Wed or when all 7,000 tariffs go (1).  E.on Next 24m Exclusive v22 24mth fix Dual fuel & elec-only | Monthly Direct Debit only (2) | No Smart Meter needed | Exclusive deal Avg Cost: 3.9% LESS than the current Cap when £20 MSE dual-fuel cashback is included. Early Exit Fees: £100/fuel. So £200 to leave gas & elec before fix ends. What is 'MSE cashback'? Some providers pay energy comparison sites to facilitate the switch (you still get the same price as going direct). Unlike other sites, we don't default to hiding tariffs that don't pay. Instead, we show them all, but when we get paid to switch you, we give you a chunk of this as cashback. That means tariffs where we're paid are relatively cheaper for you, so it's likely more people switch to them. Win-win. -------------------- (1) The 7,000 switching cap is on both E.on deals - switches to either deal count towards the limit. (2) This is standard Direct Debit, where annual usage is estimated and you pay the same each month across the year. (3) You pay for what you use each month by Direct Debit. Once signed up, you can request to switch to standard DD. Frequently Asked Questions. We covered many last week, so will link you there or to our guides where that's better: Already fixed? Should I ditch my fix to refix? (Spoiler: probably not.) See what to do if already fixed? Some variable deals beat fixes - are they worth it? See our other tariff types worth considering. What actually happens when I switch? Switching's easy, the only thing that changes is customer service and who bills you. The switch should take about 5 days to complete. See how it works. What happens if I switch when in credit or debt? Those in credit should automatically get the money back after the final bill (do check). Those in debt will need to pay it, but big debt can see switches rejected. See switching in credit/debt. I'm a low user, is there a way to cut the Standing Charge? See low Standing Charge tracker tariffs. Are there special deals for solar panels or electric vehicles? Yes - see solar panels tariffs & EV tariffs guides. Best way to cut my usage? See our guides on: Energy saving tips | Heat the human, not the home | Energy mythbusting. I'm struggling to pay - what do I do? It's always worth talking to your energy firm. Be polite and straight with it, and make sure you explain if you're vulnerable and ask to be put on the 'Priority Services Register'. There can also be hardship & debt grants from suppliers. For far more guidance, see our full What to do if you're struggling to pay energy bills guide.

 

New. Top 5% easy-access savings BUT only for 6mths. And NS&I boosts its fixed rates. Newbies to online-only bank Starling* can save up to £25,000 with unlimited withdrawals at an unbeatable 5% for 6 months - after which it drops to 2.5%. So it's best for those who are happy to grab then ditch & switch after, or who only want to save short term. You open it via its current account (though there's no hard credit check to do that). Full info and best buys in Top savings. New top NS&I fixes: Govt-owned NS&I has increased its fixed rate savings to now pay up to 5.17% - nearly table-topping. See NS&I rate rise. 12 bottles of wine £60 delivered (normally £90+) with no ongoing subscription. MSE Blagged. 5,000 cases available - red, white or mixed - normally goes quickly. For newbies to Warehouse Wines. Please be Drinkaware. News. When'll Car Finance mis-selling be sorted? Legal challenge date to be set this week! Millions have used our Car Finance Free Reclaim tool, and last March, regulator the FCA finally announced a mass redress scheme... then all-stop as one small consumer firm & three car finance firms took it to court. This week we're expected to hear whether the court will hear the case in Dec or Feb... more in Car Finance: When'll it happen? news, which'll be updated when we know. Ends Wed. Amazon 'Prime Big Deal Days' - sort deals from duds, including £129 off Bose headphones, £114 off Kindle, £80 off Vax steam cleaner & 15% off Amazon Resale. See full Amazon Prime sale analysis. Martin video: 'Is it time to ditch Premium Bonds?' There's over £136bn in Premium Bonds, but are they any good? See Martin's 2min Premium Bond video, and if that piques your interest, listen to his full Are Premium Bonds for you? podcast. New. FREE £75 in shares (SpaceX, Nvidia, etc) if you put £200+ in an investment account. New eToro* customers who join via this link & deposit £200+ in its investment (not ISA) account for 12mths, get £75 of free shares (almost) straight away. You can just leave the £200 in its cash account for 12mths, or you can invest it. What free shares? You choose from SpaceX, Nvidia, and more, or a US S&P 500 tracker fund. You can sell them & reinvest elsewhere, but can't withdraw the value for 12mths. Their value can rise or fall, and normally we say single shares are risky - but these are free. What can you invest the £200+ in? eToro has a big choice of shares & ETFs, so whatever you like. Yet it does have quite strong investor gamification marketing, so keep a cool head. Full eToro free £75 shares help. Related: Martin's Investing for beginners. 8p off per litre of fuel when you spend £60+ at Tesco. On petrol and diesel at 500+ filling stations. See Tesco 8p/litre off fuel. Related: 50+ tips to cut the cost of motoring. Grab 5% cashback credit card for 5mths (max £125). The fee-free Amex Everyday credit card pays 5% cashback for 5mths (max £125). After that, it's 0.5% cashback on spending up to £10,000/yr, 1% above. So while it's not the strongest for regular spending, if you've got big, planned and budgeted-for one-off spending coming up, it's unbeatable and worth grabbing, as cashback intro deals often don't last long. Always pay it off IN FULL each month to avoid interest (and don't withdraw cash or exceed your credit limit). The cashback's paid after a year as long as you've spent £3,000+ on it, so only do it if you'll hit that. You can't get it if you've had Amex in the last 2yrs. Full info: Credit card rewards. - I lost money investing after Trump's actions - should I try again? - Success: I got £3,000 extra pension just by listening to the pod! - I just bought a house aged 30, can I fix energy before home move? The investment question caused a big stir on socials, with over 3,000 responding on how they'd persuade someone to restart. So do listen to those, plus of course Martin answer these questions from listeners & more in this week's must-listen Martin's Question Time podcast. Do give it a listen, via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc. Is it time to ditch your Premium Bonds? How do they compare to saving/investing? Often the WRONG people have them. Plus wills, how to lend to friends and family, and more in this week's Big Topics pod. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify etc.

 

 

BLAGGED FOR MSE - 12 bottles of wine £60 delivered (normally £90+) 5,000 available	DID YOU MISS? - Are you due a share of £56m in car or van compensation? - £397 of beauty in £75 M&S Advent calendar - Halifax customer? Online/app banking will be axed this month - 5p/litre off petrol or diesel with £40+ spend at Asda (excl. Scot) - £35 Calvin Klein prescription specs or sunnies

 

 

Martin: 'What's really happening to the State Pension triple lock? See it as a move to a 2.5-times lock!' Plus seven ways you can boost your State Pension Since April 2011, the State Pension (see a What is the State Pension? mini-briefing below) has been triple-locked, meaning it rises each April by whichever is highest of: Average earnings growth | The CPI rate of inflation | 2.5%  Last week, the PM Andy Burnham said he'd "adjust" it to "generate significant savings which we will use to build up our National Care Service". It's planned to start in 2030, but it's likely the legislation to do it'll be brought in this Parliament.  I've seen the change described as a 'double lock' or 'scrapping the triple lock'. Having looked in detail, I see it more as a 2.5-times lock. In simple terms it will still rise with whichever is the highest of inflation or 2.5%, but will rise more than those if it's falling behind average earnings growth over a long period. Whether this is a good or bad move is for you to decide. Yet as many are worried it means a static pension, I want to explain how it'll likely work in practice - "likely" as we know the general principles, but not exact details. Start with an easy video briefing or read how it'll likely work... My quick You Tube video explainer (for more explainers do subscribe to my channel) takes you through how it works now, how it's likely to change, and the impact of that, using my all-expenses-spared, home-made graphics! Or if you prefer to read the detail, our new MSE News: Triple lock change explained story takes you through it (and has the video in there too). Seven ways to boost your State Pension Scroll down the checklist and read those that impact you... i) Helped with childcare for grandchildren? You could be missing out on vital National Insurance (NI) credits. ii) Age 40-73 and not enough NI years for full State Pension? See how you can top up. iii) Could you take State Pension later? See if it's worth boosting it by deferring your pension. iv) Took time off work 1978 to 2010 to care for children / disabled relative? 100,000s were wrongly left with NI gaps. Check with our Home Responsibilities Protection guide. As Mary emailed me earlier this year: "A HUGE thank you for highlighting Home Responsibilities Protection, I have just been awarded £16,000." v) Self-employed at any time 2015-2024? Up to 800,000 may have wrong NI gaps. See Self-employed missing pension. vi) Female & reached State Pension age before 2016? 100,000s were underpaid because their pension wasn't boosted using a (late/ex) husband's record. Check our Missing State Pension guide. vii) Carer and missed out on credits? If you're under State Pension age and give 20+ hrs/wk unpaid care to someone on a qualifying benefit (eg PIP, DLA), you get NI credits - even if caring for a partner or child. You can backdate Carer's Credit one tax year. Doing more hours? You may get Carer's Allowance instead. A simple State Pension explainer... The State Pension starts being paid once you hit State Pension age, currently just over 66, rising to 67 (check your State Pension age), if you've enough qualifying National Insurance (NI) years. Think of each NI year as a token you must gain - either by earning enough from work, caring for your children, or being on certain benefits (see claim free NI years?).  On the current system, you need 10+ tokens to get any State Pension, and roughly 35 for the full new State Pension. There are actually two State Pensions... - New one: For those who hit State Pension age after 5 Apr 2016. Its full current amount is £241.30/wk (£12,548/yr).  - Old one: For those who are older. Its full current amount is £184.90/wk (£9,615/yr), though extra bits such as the Additional State Pension can lift that higher.  The State Pension isn't tax-free, it's taxable income. It's just that, for most, it's long been less than the personal allowance (the amount you can earn each year without paying tax). Yet as the pension's risen & the allowance is frozen at £12,570/yr, the full new State Pension is just £22 below it. And from April 2027, the State Pension is due to rise 3.9% under the triple lock, meaning full new State Pension alone will be over the tax-free allowance. Last year Rachel Reeves promised me you wouldn't pay tax from then if the State Pension was your only income - and recently the Treasury said it'd keep that pledge. PS: If you don't get the full State Pension and have a low income, check out Pension Credit, which can top it up.

 

'I challenged my Council Tax band - I got over £7,000 refunded AND I'm now saving £600/yr!' Success of the week. Kevin emailed: "I had always suspected my Council Tax band was too high, so I followed the advice given in your 'How to check and challenge your Council Tax band' guide. I was successful in getting my band reduced from E to D! It took nearly 18mths to complete but was definitely worth it as I have now received a refund of £7,213. My future payments will also now be about £50/mth cheaper." If we've helped you save or reclaim (on anything), let us know. Cheap wooden toys: £13 shop till, £18 rocking horse, £35 doll house & far more. Normally these are high-priced items, but the two big 'pile 'em high, sell 'em cheap' shops are getting in on the act from Thu, and they're likely to sell out incredibly quickly. Cheap wooden toys Student discounts: 'Free' KFC, Ikea £10-£20 off, Pizza Express 30% off & more. 40+ student deals round-up. AI, AI, captain! 30+ free or cheap tools to save time and hassle. Our updated guide shows you how to harness AI to restore photos, transcribe meetings, learn stuff, sort your life admin, and more. 30+ AI tools

 

 

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS Top 0% balance transfers Top definite 0% card: HSBC (check eligibility; existing customers use this link), 36mths 0%, 3.09% fee, 24.9% rep APR No-fee: Barclaycard (check eligibility) 12mths 0% 24.9% rep APR Best bank accounts New. Free up to £300: Barclays Ends Wed. Free £240: Santander Broadband top picks Fast fibre (100Mb+): Sky '£19.25/mth' Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Sky '£23.09/mth' Ultrafast fibre (900Mb+): Vodafone '£22.30/mth' On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs Insurance Car: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool Home: Use our Compare+ Home Insurance tool Travel: Use our Compare+ Travel Insurance tool Cheap loans £5,000 to £7,499: M&S Bank (check eligibility), 6.9% representative APR £7,500 to £15,000: M&S Bank (check eligibility) 5.9% representative APR. Top savings accounts Top easy-access savings: Starling 5%, min £1 Top easy-access ISA: Trading 4.7%, min £1 Top one-year fix: Union Bank India of 5.12%, min £1,000 Top energy deals Use our whole-of-market Cheap Energy Club Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.91/mth' for 3GB 4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£2.98/mth' for 5GB 10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£3.16/mth' for 10GB 31GB+ data: Lebara, '£3.31/mth' for 35GB

 

 

MSE NEWS - Top story: Ovo energy customer? You'll soon be moved to E.on

 

 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should we ask our neighbour for some money back from the garden fence we helped pay for? Our neighbours at the back of our house - who we share a garden fence with - came round and asked if we'd contribute towards replacing the fence, as it would benefit both properties. We agreed and paid 50% of the cost. But it wasn't until the new fence was up that we found out the nicer side faces their garden - even though it's behind their shed - while the uglier side, with the posts, rails and fixings, faces ours and is fully visible. They didn't mention doing it this way beforehand. Should we ask for some money back? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should our neighbour give back some of the money we paid for the garden fence? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

 

QUICK DEALS - Ends Sun. Popeyes: FREE chicken Cruncher (normally £2)  - Costa Coffee: £1 regular-sized drink (normally £2-£4) at Co-op, every Fri in Oct - Harvester: Code gets 40% off mains till Fri - Smyths: £5 off a £50-£99 spend or £10 off £100+ spend on Lego sets till Thu

 

 

MSE TEAM BLOG - MSE Forum highlights: air fryers, odd shoes & heating a historic house

 

 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 7 OCT ONWARDS) Thu 8 Oct - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC R5 Live, 12pm Tue 13 Oct - This Morning, ITV1, 10:20am Tue 13 Oct - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 7:15pm

 

 

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