MSE’s Money Tips Can you turn £825 into £5,400?, 15 winter cost-cutters, under-23s warning, FitFlop 20% off, 500 bulb

From: MSE's Money Tips - Tuesday Oct 15, 2024 06:58 pm

MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL

15 winter cost-cutting tips, incl:
- Full breakdown cover £57/yr
- Beat the 10% energy hike
- Cheap boiler cover
- Free winter car check
- Help if struggling to pay bills

Martin: Can you turn £825 into £5,400?

New. Now THREE cards let you shift debt to 0% for 29mths

Under 23? A warning from Martin

Hyundai, Kia or Volvo diesel driver? Claim deadline looms

Top 5.1% easy-access savings

Call centre insider tips

500 spring bulbs for £12

Google Pixel 8a + 100GB data '£13/mth'

FitFlop 20% off almost everything

Martin's pod. Unpleasant issues help

Martin: Saying yes to Gift Aid means charities get more (& you may too)

Book Christmas food delivery NOW

£50 to £300 'free' John Lewis gift card

Poll: How good is your bank's app?

This week's best buys, including up to £200 bank switch bribes, broadband '£20.84/mth', 15GB Sim '£3.63/mth'

Would I be stealing my brother's inheritance by caring for our mum?

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

Winter is coming...
15 crucial tips to cut costs, stay warm & get your house in order

Latest energy deals, flu jabs, free coffee, 70+ home energy savers, slash boiler costs & more

The clocks change next weekend, Strictly is in full swing, and The Martin Lewis Money Show is soon to restart on ITV (Tue 29 Oct, 8pm - don't miss it - ML). Yes, winter is coming, and many already have the heating on. So now's a good time to do the prep before the serious cold hits...

1. Do you know where your STOPCOCK is? Everyone should know where their main 'water off' switch is. Frozen pipe bursts create on average £9,000+ of damage - worse if you can't find the off switch as your home floods. If you aren't sure, see How to turn your water off.

2. Drive down BREAKDOWN COVER costs, get the whole shebang(er), full service for just £57/yr. Breakdowns spike in cold weather, and the consequences are often worse too, eg, stuck on the side of the road when it's freezing...

£57 for roadside recovery, home start and onward travel. AutoAid's* been one of our top picks for over a decade. It covers you and your partner in any car you or they drive. Newbies via this link pay £57.28/yr (£20 more if the car's over 15 yrs old). Call-out time and service feedback is decent. Alternatively, Eversure* at £57.50/yr is similar, though it's newer to us. Similar with the big providers can be nearer £200. See Cheap breakdown cover for options.
Want a new AA/RAC policy? Use a cashback site to save 50%+. For new policies (so if with AA, go for RAC and vice versa) buy direct, and even basic cover can cost around £150. Yet use the right cashback sites, and it can work out as '£53/yr' basic or '£72/yr' full service.
NEVER just auto-renew, breakdown is the number 1 sector to haggle in. Haggle success rates: RAC 85%, AA 84% of those who tried. That's according to our last poll (Dec 23). As Sam emailed: "I rang RAC to cancel, and after some haggling they agreed to match AutoAid's price at the same level of cover! An incredible saving of just over £300 for a phone call... thank you so much!" Full Breakdown haggling tips.

3. Get off the ENERGY Pants Cap to beat 10% rise - but go quick, more cheap fixes have been pulled. On 1 Oct, the Energy ~~Pants~~ Price Cap, which dictates the rate most households in Eng, Scot & Wales pay, rose by 10%. Yet for now, the deals you can compare & switch to are far cheaper. That's why Martin has been calling it a Pants Cap, as stay on it and you'll miss out on savings.

You can still fix and save an average 9% on the current Cap, though just one tariff's left at that level (a fortnight ago, there were six). A fix gives you peace of mind that the rate won't change for a set time. Yet currrently, a host of 1yr fixes still significantly undercut the Price Cap - and look a good bet for a saving, as currently Price Cap predictions show it's expected to average roughly the current cost over the next year.

The cheapest 1yr standalone fixes Links go via Cheap Energy Club for a personal comparison and as it'll update with the rapid changes
Outfox the Market Fix'd Dual Oct24 v4.0. No smart meter needed. Dual fuel \| Monthly Direct Debit only \| Online account	Save avg 8.8% compared with today's Price Cap. £50 dual-fuel early exit fee.
Ovo 1 Year Fixed / Ovo 1 Year Loyalty Fixed. Dual fuel or elec only \| Need have/apply for a smart meter \| Monthly Direct Debit only \| Online account	Save avg 5.8% compared with today's Price Cap, including £20 MSE cashback. £50/fuel early exit fees.
E.on Next Fixed 12m v30. Dual fuel or elec only \| Need have/apply for a smart meter \| Monthly Direct Debit / cash / cheque	Save avg 5.6% (4.5% for existing customers) compared with today's Price Cap, including £20 MSE cashback for new customers ONLY. £50/fuel early exit fees.
There are also 1yr fixed tariffs more than 5% cheaper than the Price Cap with So Energy, Octopus and British Gas.
Also allows those on smart prepay to switch
EDF Essentials 1yr Oct25v7. Dual fuel or elec only \| Need have/apply for a smart meter \| Monthly Direct Debit / cash / cheque or smart prepay	Save avg 4.3% compared with today's Price Cap. £25/fuel early exit fees.
Full details in our energy comparison, which also includes non-standalone tariffs - ie, those that require you to get other products, eg, broadband or boiler cover, to get the price. The Price Cap doesn't apply in N. Ireland. Sadly, there are few deals for those on standard prepay meters.

Fixing isn't your only choice to save. For most, it's the simplest and safest way to guarantee a saving, but there are alternatives, including discounted Price Cap tariffs, specialist electric vehicle tariffs, and Octopus's rapid price-change tariffs Tracker and Agile (potentially big savings for sophisticated users, but not without risk).

4. Free or cheap HOT DRINKS. If you know what you're doing, you can get free takeaway cuppas at Caffè Nero, Ikea and Waitrose (you could grab the freebie and give it to someone sleeping rough), or free refills at Morrisons Café and Wetherspoons pubs. See Free tea & coffee tricks for full info).

5. Is your ENERGY DIRECT DEBIT (DD) too high? Do a 2min check. As energy rates rose on 1 Oct, if you're on a Price Capped standard tariff, you may see your DD rise. If you pay by monthly DD, enter your kWh usage from your bill into our 'Is your Direct Debit right?' calculator to find out roughly what it should be. If too high, see how to challenge unfair DDs.

PS: If you're fed up with monthly DDs and just want to pay for what you use, to avoid paying 6% higher rates, see variable DDs.

6. Many can slash BOILER COVER costs and get a 'free' service. Don't feel you must get boiler cover from your energy provider. Standalone deals are often far cheaper. The cheapest depends on what you want covered (from just your boiler to electrics, drains and plumbing) and the excess (how much you pay towards a claim).

Our Cheap boiler cover guide has full info, but here's a warm-up of top deals (all meet our min cover requirements, incl... you get at least an annual boiler service and can claim 30 days after the policy starts).

Cheap cover with high excess. The more reliable your boiler, the more you can hedge towards a higher excess. For dirt cheap prices, YourRepair* has a high £120 per claim excess and costs just £3.45/mth (so £41.40/year) for its basic boiler-only policy, and £5.50/mth for its Home policy*, which also includes pipes, radiators, plumbing and home electricals.

Yet the more you cover, the more you may need to call it, and the excess is for each call-out. It may be best combined with self-insuring, putting cash aside monthly in case repairs are needed. If you opt for a lower excess, the price increases rapidly.
Wide-ranging cover - including plumbing, electrics and drains. These also cover drains, toilets, plumbing and home electrics. At £120 excess, YourRepair (Home Plus)* is £6.80/mth, at £60 excess it's £20/mth. Also check Hometree (Your Home)*, which is £19.95/mth with a £95 excess, BUT you can claim a £40 Amazon voucher - factor that in and it's £16.62/mth.
Want a wider choice? Use comparison sites. If you want to go granular, for a range of excesses & features, use MoneySupermarket*, uSwitch* or Gocompare. Ensure you know what you're getting though (for example, check against our min cover levels).

7. Over 70 home ENERGY SAVING tips

Our checklist of 70+ ways to save energy is a mix of hardcore savings and some thrifty crowd-sourced tips. As just a taster...

Take the flow rate challenge - cut gas bills by £65/yr. Many gas combi boilers' default flow rate setting (the temperature of the water that circulates) is higher than needed, making boilers less efficient. Reducing it is easy, can cut bills by 3% and you're unlikely to feel a difference. Take the boiler challenge.
Is your fridge and freezer too cool? Fridges should be 5°C, freezers -18°C. If yours are lower, you're likely wasting energy.
Fit FREE water-saving shower heads. As we pay to heat it, cutting water use often reduces energy bills too. There are 100,000s of water-savings freebies available, eg, a low-flow shower head (pushes air through too, so you feel little difference) which can save up to £30/yr of hot water. Related: Slash £100s off water bills with a meter?
Try dropping your thermostat by one degree. Many have thermostats set in the 20s, but 18°C is said to be fine for healthy adults. Test turning it down a degree or more, and adding extra clothing, to see how it goes. A cut from 21°C to 20°C could save a typical home £90 a year. PS: The thermostat's job is to take you to the set temp, it may just take longer, so don't boost the temp when it gets cold.
Don't heat empty rooms - use your radiator valve. Ensure you control which rooms you heat, so you're not wasting cash overheating empty spaces. Make sure you turn down radiators in rooms you needn't heat.
Only if necessary. Heat the human, not the home. Martin asked us to write the extensive Heat the human guide at the height of the energy crisis, as his email bag was overflowing with desperate people. This is not a 'great tips everyone should do' guide, it's a 'things you can do to cut costs if you're in dire straits', though some are useful generally. It includes how to correctly layer clothes | the hot water bottle in a sleeping bag trick | why you should put your feet up. And the big one, the cheapest way to warm up - we compare the running costs of electric blankets, USB gloves, heat pads and more.

8. Are you in too much ENERGY CREDIT (more than 2mths' Direct Debits' worth at the moment)? Get some refunded. If you pay by monthly DD, you SHOULD usually be in energy credit at this time of year, as you've been storing it up over the summer months to use in the winter. Yet more than a couple of months' worth is too much. See Martin's how to get your energy credit back blog for what to do.

It can pay off, as Dianne emailed: "Thanks to you I checked and discovered I was £1,000 in credit with EDF. I am now looking forward to a cheeky little holiday, which I wouldn't normally have been able to afford. Happy days, thank you again."

9. Free CAR CHECK - oil, battery, wipers etc (normally £15). Before any long journey in cold and wet weather, it's a wheely good idea to check your motor's in tip-top condition. And there's a way to get Halfords' 10-point car check for free - it examines oil levels, battery, tyres, wipers and bulbs, and includes a screen wash top-up.

10. Are you in council tax bands A to D (or A to E in Scot/Wales)? You may be due FREE INSULATION. If so, and your home's energy performance certificate rating is D or below, you may be eligible for free insulation under the Govt's expanded scheme - our guide has full details. In Northern Ireland? See NI energy grants.

11. Free FIRE SAFETY check. There are around 30,000 house fires and almost 300 fire-related deaths in Britain each year - oft related to heating and electricals, many of which are used more in the winter. This free Fire safety check could reduce risks.

12. Help if STRUGGLING to pay energy bills

We've full help in our What to do if you're struggling to pay energy bills guide, but in brief...

Check if you're due automatic Government support (also see N. Ireland energy support).
- Those on Pension Credit get up to £300 in Winter Fuel Payment. Yet over 700,000 eligible people are missing out. See Martin's Are you due Pension Credit? blog.
- Those on some benefits and Pension Credit, in 'inefficient homes', get the £150 Warm Home Discount. Most in Scotland and those in park homes will need to apply - do it ASAP, as funding is limited.
- The Cold Weather Payment (Eng, Wales, NI) period starts on 1 Nov, and the flat £59 Winter Heating Payment (Scot) will be from Dec.
Talk to your energy firm - be polite and straight, and tell it if you're vulnerable. Tell it you're struggling, it may be able to change your payment plan or help in other ways. Some also have big help schemes that give out grants. See firm-by-firm help.

If you're vulnerable, ensure you go on the Priority Services Register. It can prevent disconnections and ensure you get extra support. For more bespoke assistance, some key charities can help: National Energy Action, Citizens Advice, StepChange, plus Age UK for older people and Scope for disabled people.
Can't afford to heat your home? Find a warm bank. Warm banks/spaces are places, offered by libraries, councils and others, where people are welcome to go to spend time and stay warm. It's a bittersweet concept - sad it's needed, great to know help's out there. It's a few extra hours with the heating off that makes things affordable. See if you, or perhaps a nearby elderly neighbour, can find a warm space near you.

PS: Want to help set up a warm space? Two years ago, Martin commissioned a charity to produce this downloadable free Warm spaces (warm banks) best practice guide for those who want to help.

13. Free FLU jabs. Are you eligible? It takes mere seconds to check and, if not, how to cut the cost in our free & cheap flu jabs.

14. Leave HEAT ON ALL DAY or only when needed? This and other energy-saving conundrums in our 14 energy mythbusters guide.

15. Free or cheap FOOD. Pick up a £3.50 roast dinner from food rescue app Too Good To Go, or sign up to be a mystery diner for free grub, plus other tricks in our Free (or cheap) food guide.

Also, if you're worried about those who will struggle to afford food this winter, see our foodbank donation tips, which include suggestions of what to donate and how to save on the products you buy to donate.

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.

Martin: This is your six-month warning!

For each £825 or less you pay to buy National Insurance (NI) years, many gain £5,400+, but much closes in April

It's the MOST LUCRATIVE thing many under age 73 can do, some gain £10,000s. The deadline's half a year away, but the process ain't quick, so start now

While 'boosting your State Pension' doesn't sound sexy, this is about big money, and we've had huge successes from here & my TV show (see my 5-min video explainer), eg, Cheryl emailed me: "Thank you so much for making the nation aware of the National Insurance buyback. I'd been unaware my 36 years didn't entitle me to a full State Pension (some had been contracted out). I've now paid for 7 extra years, which will gain me £40,000 - £50,000 depending on lifespan. A huge thank you."

Don't delay. Today you can buy missing years back to 2006, soon it'll only be to 2019

The 'new' State Pension was introduced in 2016, for all men born after 5 April 1951 and women after 5 April 1953. To get the FULL amount, you need 35ish (it varies wildly) qualifying NI years - earned from work, looking after children, or via some benefits. Yet many miss past NI years, due to years abroad, low incomes, career breaks or not claiming credits.

Transitional arrangements from 2016 let you buy back years to 2006, rather than just the usual 'back six years'. They were due to end in April 2023, but the deadline was twice extended, as very heavy demand left phone lines jammed (many, justifiably, blamed me for that rush). The last, long extension until April 2025 was to give time for an online system to be built for everyone - yet now that's NOT happening. Some can do it online, but HM Revenue & Customs admits its online tool won't work for all. Therefore, the over-demand phone risk is back in the deadline run-up, hence this early warning.

My five steps to work out if you should, and how to, buy NI years

Step 1) Two checks everyone should make.
a) Check your NI record to see if you're missing any full years since 2006. Only a full year's contributions count. If you have a partially-paid year, it can be very cheap to buy the rest (for as little as £20) so it counts too.
b) Check if you're due to get the full State Pension. If you're not due to get the full £221.20/wk and your NI record shows you've gaps, then the aim is to see if you can get those extra years.
Step 2) Can you can plug NI gaps for FREE? It could save you £1,000s. While NI years are usually added automatically, in some cases they need claiming - and you can do that for free. See our full list of free NI years you can claim, but the biggies are Child Benefit NI (either not claimed or claimed by the wrong partner), Grandparents' NI for grandparents (or other family members) providing childcare, and Carer's Credit NI.

As Andy emailed us: "Following your advice, I claimed NI credits for looking after our grandchildren after I'd retired. I still needed six years for a full State Pension. The application was easy, though took 25 weeks to process. I will (eventually) get all six years free. My new State Pension will rise from around £173/wk to the max £221/wk, giving an additional £2,496 per year. I wouldn't have known about this without you and the team."
Step 3) Missing years from 2006 to 2018? Decide soon if it's likely worth buying the years. See our full Is it worth paying to top up pension? guide, and remember you need a minimum of 10 NI years to get any State Pension. (If you can't buy enough to hit 10 years, don't do it.) In short...

- At/near State Pension age (66)? If your State Pension is forecast to be under £221.20/wk, buying extra years is worth considering. Already taking your pension? The sooner you do it, the sooner your pension's boosted.
- Aged 45 to 60ish? You've more time to earn enough NI before you reach State Pension age. Though the more years you're missing, especially if you can buy cheap partial years, the better bet buying is.
- Under 45? If you plan to stay in the UK and work for much of the rest of your life, you've time to fill gaps, so it's not worth it. Unless it's a cheap partial year (say sub £50), then you could think of it as an insurance in case things change.
Step 4) Old years typically cost up to £825, but can be worth an 'inflation-proofed' £5,000+ to you. A full voluntary class 3 (employee) NI year usually costs £800 to £825. Self-employed class 2 years cost around £160. And partial years cost a lot less.

Each extra NI year typically adds £329 annually to your State Pension. So even for a full year, it'd pay you back after two and a half years of State Pension - after that, it's profit.

A 66-year-old man living for the typical life expectancy would get a total of £5,400 back, a woman £6,100. We've built a simple State Pension NI contribution top-up calculator to help with the maths. Plus currently (it could change) the State Pension rises at the very least with inflation.
Step 5) Think buying NI years is right for you? Before you shell out... very important safety checks. Even if it's looking a no-brainer, don't do it without bespoke calculations. How you get this, & buy years, depends...

a) Everyone who is already State Pension age or within four months of it. Phone the Pension Service.
b) Under State Pension age and i) filling self-employment or working abroad gaps OR ii) hold a Married Women's Reduced Rate Election certificate or Home Responsibilities Protection eligibility. Phone the Future Pension Centre.
c) Everyone else can go online. The Check your State Pension forecast tool will go through your situation and let you know if you've a complex case and must phone OR can select the year(s) to pay for, in full, online via bank transfer or Open Banking.

Yet even that bespoke advice doesn't cover every situation, including...
- They won't usually tell you if you're entitled to free years, so check for free years first.
- They won't tell you if it'll push you into a higher tax bracket, which reduces (though shouldn't end) the benefit.
- They won't tell you that if you've NO other income, getting a full State Pension could mean you miss out on Pension Credit (& thus Winter Fuel Payments). See our Should I buy years if I've no other pension income? help.

Martin: A warning to those under 23 - you may have a hidden £2,000 in a Child Trust Fund... Some firms are trying to charge to get you access to yours. DON'T PAY. Watch Martin's CTF video briefing instead.

Hyundai, Kia or Volvo diesel driver? Decide now whether to join emissions lawsuits. This month sees the deadlines for new claims against these manufacturers. See our Should I do a diesel claim? guide.

Top 5.1% easy-access savings (up to £20,000). A cash ISA's just a savings account you never pay tax on. And surprisingly the current top-rate Trading 212's 5.1% AER variable* still beats the top normal easy-access savings. It lets you put in up to £20,000, allows unlimited withdrawals, and lets you transfer (without limit) existing cash ISAs in too. It's worth noting it has a slightly complex structure. More options in Top cash ISAs and Top savings.

Call centre workers' insider tips: Skip waiting on hold, dialling shortcuts, top times to call. In honour of last week's National Customer Service Week, dip into our guide of crowd-sourced (unverified) tips. Call centre secrets

500 spring bulbs for £12. MSE Blagged. 12,000 bundles available, excludes NI/parts of Scotland. Plant now for next spring. Thompson & Morgan

New. Cheapest Google Pixel 8a with 100GB data + £100 Currys voucher, just '£13/mth'. Now the Pixel 9's out, we're seeing prices drop on other Pixel models. Newbies to iD Mobile (uses Three's network) can get Google's 'budget' Pixel 8a with a whopping 100GB/mth data for £59 upfront, then £15/mth over 2yrs (so £419 total), plus you get an automatic £100 Currys voucher, which comes before Christmas (factor that in and it's £319 total). Compare that to buying it straight, where you'd pay £499. Want a different handset or Sim-only? See Cheap Mobile Finder.

FitFlop 20% off almost everything code. MSE Blagged. Includes outlet items, eg, we found £90 trainers reduced to £45, then the code made it £36. Plus we blagged free delivery too. FitFlop

Unpleasant issues help: Free wills | Power of Attorney | Inheritance tax and more. Don't have a will? This is the moment. Do, but no Power of Attorney? That's worrying. In both cases (& more), this is worth a listen... the new The Martin Lewis Podcast - listen via BBC Sounds, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your Martin fix.

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- Thompson & Morgan 500 bulbs for £12 12,000 available
- FitFlop 20% off almost everything code Ends Sun

DID YOU MISS?

- £33 Barbour prescription specs or sunnies (normally £135)
- Can you fly to Mykonos or Ibiza for under £4 one way?
- Now THREE banks pay a free £175+ to switch
- £639 Sol de Janeiro, Elemis, Augustinus Bader beauty for £150
- Disney+ to hike prices by up to £24/yr

Can't afford to clear your credit card debt? You can't afford not to check this out...
New. Now THREE cards let you shift debt to 0% balance transfers for 29mths - more choice, more chance

For a while, the top 0% balance transfer market was getting worse. Now, for the third week in a row, a new card has launched that vies for top spot. As different firms have different acceptance criteria, more choice is beneficial. A balance transfer is the key weapon for cutting credit card interest. It's where you get a new card that pays off debt on existing cards for you - so you now owe it, but at 0%. That way, more of your repayments go towards cutting the debt rather than just paying interest...

1. Apply via an eligibility calc to protect your ability to get credit. Apply for a new card, and even if you're rejected, your credit file gets a hard search mark. Instead, a 0% eligibility calc shows your acceptance odds for top cards, so you can home in on those most likely to accept you before applying, to minimise the credit file impact.

2. Go for the LOWEST FEE within a 0% long enough to clear your debt. Generally, the longer the balance transfer, the bigger the one-off debt-shift fee. So if you can clear quicker, aim to minimise fees. Unsure? Play safe & go long.

3. Usually rejected when you apply? MSE's free Credit Club (available via the MSE App on Apple | Android) can analyse the problem, plus the eligibility calc (accessible via the Club without needing to enter any more details) lists poor credit scorer balance transfers you may be accepted for (up to 16mths 0%). Be aware that, with these deals, the rate after the 0% ends is often higher than you currently pay - if so, only shift debt you're sure you can repay in that time.

Top-pick newbies' 0% balance transfers (ordered by length) Most of the cards below give all accepted customers the full 0% length - only Barclaycard and HSBC are 'up-to' cards
Virgin Money Link goes via eligibility (1)	- 29mths 0% - 3.45% fee - 24.9% rep APR after	Joint-longest 0% and all accepted get the full 29mths. Many are pre-approved via eligibility. If so, you'll be accepted, subject to ID & fraud checks. And even if not, it's a strong choice if you've good acceptance odds.
New. Barclaycard Link goes via eligibility or apply direct*	- Up to 29mths 0% - 3.45% fee - 24.9% rep APR after	Same max 0% length, but an 'up to'... If you're pre-approved in our eligibility calc, you'll definitely get the full 29mths 0%. If not, you could be accepted & offered just 14mths at 0%.
HSBC Link goes via eligibility or apply direct*	- Up to 29mths 0% - 3.49% fee (min £5) - 24.9% rep APR after	Similar to Barclaycard, but with a smidge higher fee. Here, those not pre-approved in our eligibility calc could be accepted and offered either 26mths or 14mths.
Tesco Bank Link goes via eligibility or apply direct*	- 27mths 0% - 2.95% fee - 24.9% rep APR after	Slightly shorter 0%, but lower fee, and all accepted get full 0%. The one-off fee here is a bit cheaper, so if you don't need the whole time at 0%, this could win for you.
NatWest Link goes via eligibility (1)	- 13mths 0% - NO fee - 24.9% rep APR after	Longest NO-FEE 0% - a winner if you can repay quickly. This is the winner for those who can pay off quickly as there's no fee, so no cost at all, but make sure you can clear within the time.
(1) Virgin and NatWest have asked us to send people via eligibility, not direct.

ALWAYS follow the Balance Transfer Golden Rules:
a) Never miss the minimum monthly repayment, or you could lose the 0% deal and it'll cost far more.
b) Aim to clear the card (or balance-transfer again) before the 0% ends, or the rate rockets to the higher APR.
c) Don't spend or withdraw cash. It usually isn't at the cheap rate & withdrawals may hit your ability to access credit.
d) If you don't transfer at application, you've usually only 60 to 90 days to get the 0%. Do check your card's terms.

Quick balance transfer FAQs (click links for Martin's answers)
Q. Is it worth applying if my eligibility odds are low? | Q. What if my credit limit isn't big enough? | Q. Can I shift debt to existing cards too? | Q. Should I try to pay off my biggest debt first? SPOILER: NO.
Full help and info, including options for poorer credit scorers, in Best balance transfers.

Martin: If you donate to charity, why saying yes to Gift Aid means they get more & you may get more too. When charities need someone to explain Gift Aid succinctly, they ask our Martin. Here's his quick video explainer.

Book your Christmas food shop delivery slot NOW. Sainsbury's launches bookings from tomorrow (Wed), while Asda, Morrisons and Waitrose have already started. Slots usually go quick. See our Christmas delivery round-up.

Get a £50 to £300 John Lewis gift card if buying a big-ticket electrical item, eg, washing machine, TV. John Lewis has 295 items, ranging from £130+, where it's giving gift cards - the higher the spend, the bigger the gift card. So if you were planning to buy, check the price there and elsewhere, and assess if it's worth it. John Lewis

How do you rate your bank's app? If you access your current account through your bank's app, we want to know how you find it. Please vote in this week's poll.

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: Virgin Money (check eligibility, Virgin has asked us to link only to our eligibility calc) - 29mths 0%, 3.45% fee (24.9% rep APR)
No-fee 0%: NatWest (check eligibility, NatWest's asked us to link only to our eligibility calc) 13mths 0% (24.9% rep APR)

Free £200 + perks: Club Lloyds
Free £175 + top service: First Direct

Fast fibre (100Mb+): Virgin '£20.84/mth'
Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Sky '£27.25/mth'

On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs

Try our Compare+ Car Insurance tool

Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: Santander (check eligibility / apply*), 7.2% rep APR
Cheapest for £7,500 to £15,000: Tesco Bank (check eligibility / apply*), 6.1% rep APR (for Clubcard holders)

Top cash ISA: Trading 212 5.1%, min £1
Top easy access: Chip 5%, no min
Top one-year fix: SmartSave 4.82%, min £10,000

Try our relaunched Cheap Energy Club

Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.93/mth' for 3GB
4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£3.20/mth' for 5GB
10GB to 30GB data: iD Mobile, '£3.63/mth' for 15GB
31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£4.09/mth' for 50GB

THIS WEEK'S POLL

How do you rate your bank's app? We want to know which apps are easy to use, and whether you think your bank's app has all the features you need (or think it should have). So if you access your current account in app, please rate it (the app and its features, not the bank itself). Vote in this week's poll.

Most MoneySavers have savings - and more than half rarely touch theirs. Last week, we asked if you had savings and, if so, how often you accessed them. Around 5,200 people responded, with 97% saying they had at least some savings. Yet most keep them tucked away for a rainy day, with 33% saying they almost never touched their savings, and a further 21% saying they only dipped in once or twice a year. The most common reason to take money from savings was to cover a one-off planned expense (40%). See the full poll results.

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Would I be stealing my brother's inheritance by caring for our mum? My mum's 85 and needs looking after, and I want her to live with me and my husband. We've agreed that we'll sell our house and she'll sell hers so we can afford one with an annex. She's also going to change her will, so that when she dies my brother can't make us sell the house - instead he'd get half of the rest of her assets. On the one hand, I feel like I'm stealing his inheritance, but on the other, I'm prepared to give up my job to look after our mum... (and I'm mindful that if she went into a home, there'd likely be no money left for either of us anyway). Enter the Money Moral Maze: Am I stealing my brother's inheritance? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

- Win a Halloween party bundle
- Win family tickets to Legoland Discovery Centre
- Win tickets to Halloween at Blenheim Palace

- Win a £1,000 Boots voucher
- Win a Halloween day out in Manchester or Newcastle
- Win a trip to a Bristol scare attraction

MSE TEAM BLOG

- Gardening on a budget - ways to save money from bulbs to decorations, whatever size your plot
- MSE Forum highlights: Potatoes, presents & prizes

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 15 OCT ONWARDS)

Thu 17 Oct - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm

ONE-SONG SHOWERS AND AN EXTRA WEEK OF TOOTHPASTE - YOUR RANDOM MONEYSAVING RULES

That's all for this week, but before we go... we asked for your random household rules that actually save you money. Shower rules were popular, with one MoneySaver saying they had the duration of one song on the radio to finish their shower - no 10-minute prog rock anthems allowed! Another used a three-minute egg timer to similar effect. Many have rules on when the heating goes on - if anyone's wearing a T-shirt or shorts, it's not allowed. Others say heating can only go on after the clocks go back, or between Bonfire Night and Shrove Tuesday. Finally, one MoneySaver gets given the 'empty' toothpaste tubes in their home - and usually manages to get an extra week out of them! Let us know yours in our Facebook, Twitter and Threads conversations.

We hope you save some money,
The MSE team

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