MSE’s Money Tips Pizza Express 2for1 is back, 5.07% savings, new top energy fixes, Christmas warning, free £2 latte,

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From: MSE's Money Tips - Tuesday Sep 17, 2024 07:28 pm
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Plus... £14/mth fibre broadband, fix smart meters!, Disney+ £2/mth, crucial benefits letter
                                                           
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 17 September 2024 | View in browser
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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.
 
 
 

150Mb fibre broadband from just £14/mth - most people pay well over double that for half the speed 
New. Easier broadband switching, now just 'one touch' for everyone

The playing field is levelling on broadband, making it far easier to switch to the new local 'alt-nets' that set up their own networks rather than relying on BT in the background. And as many of them undercut big providers, we're trying to add more into our broadband comparison, which now covers 25 firms. If you've not switched broadband for years, you're almost certainly out of contract, and can SAVE LARGE by taking advantage of short-lived promo deals...

The latest big change is that, until now, switch broadband and with some of these providers (as well as Virgin), you've had to contact both your new and old provider to do it (sometimes leaving you paying for both during the overlap). Now, regulator Ofcom has changed the rules, rolling out a 'One Touch Switch' service that means the new firm should seamlessly sort it for you (all providers below are on it now, some others may not be for a few weeks).

 New. Hyperoptic. '£13.83 a month' for 158Mb fibre to the premises (2yr contract) Local Mainly larger towns/cities, incl London, Manc & Birm. Via this Hyperoptic 158Mb link, you pay £17.99/mth for broadband (no line) & can CLAIM a £100 Amazon/M&S voucher (don't forget). Factored in, that's equivalent to £13.83/mth over 2yrs. Service rating: N/A.
Gigaclear. £19 a month for 300Mb fibre to the premises (18mth contract)
Local Mid/south England towns & cities, eg, Gloucestershire & Berkshire. Via this Gigaclear 300Mb link, you pay a straight £19/mth for 18mths, with no vouchers to claim. Service rating: N/A.
Community Fibre. '£19.75 a month' for 920Mb fibre to the premises (2yr contract)
Local In London & the south-east of England. Via this Community Fibre 920Mb link, you pay £26/mth for broadband only (no line), but can CLAIM a £150 shopping voucher (don't forget). Factor that in & it's equivalent to £19.75/mth over the 2yrs. Community Fibre was rated 'Good' in our last service poll (1).
New. Virgin Media. '£22.45 a month' for 264Mb fibre & line (18mth contract)
National Available to 60% of homes. Via this Virgin 264Mb link, you pay £28/mth for broadband & line (incl weekend calls) & get £100 bill credit on your 1st bill automatically, so there's nowt to pay for 3mths (excl calls). That's equivalent to £22.45/mth before call costs. Virgin was rated 'OK' in our last service poll (1).
New. Vodafone. '£22.55 a month' for 67Mb fibre & phone line (2yr contract)
National Available to 97% of homes. This Vodafone 67Mb deal's more widely available. You pay £24/mth, but CLAIM (don't forget) a £35 Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's or M&S voucher. Equivalent to £22.55/mth before call costs. Vodafone was rated 'OK' in our last service poll (1). National Available to 40% of homes. Via this Vodafone 500Mb link, you pay £30/mth, but CLAIM (don't forget) a £60 Amazon, Tesco, Sainsbury's or M&S voucher within 4mths. Factor that in & it's equivalent to £27.50/mth before call costs. Vodafone's rated 'OK' for service (1). On Universal Credit or similar benefits? Try a social tariff. Many providers offer special discounted social broadband tariffs, which give long-term cheap prices of usually £13/mth to £20/mth for 30Mb+. Add your postcode via the link above and, within your search results, you'll see the social tariffs local to you.
Find the cheapest broadband deal for YOUR postcode...
All go via our revamped broadband comparison so you can see what's available at your address
To compare, we use 'equivalent costs' - adding all costs, except calls, deducting promo credits & averaging over the contract. (1) Broadband service ratings tend to be worse than other sectors, so all scores are lower, and feedback's relative. For some smaller providers, we don't have enough data to give a rating. For full results, see our broadband service poll.
Slow broadband? Before switching, test your speed - is it the Wi-Fi or the connection? Do a speed check - first via Wi-Fi, then by plugging your device into the router (if you can). If Wi-Fi's a lot slower, try our speed-boosters.

What's the difference between fibre to the premises (FTTP) and fibre? Most older fibre broadband is 'fibre to the cabinet' connection (FTTC), where there's fibre to a junction in your street, but a slower copper line to get it from there to your house and that's what limits the speed. Fibre to the premises (FTTP), also known as 'full fibre', is where you have a fibre cable fitted to bring the connection into your home too, allowing speeds of up to 1,000Mbps.

Don't want to switch? 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.

Switching usually only means about two hours' downtime - whether an engineer comes depends on what you're getting. You're told the switch time, and most don't need an engineer to set it up. There are exceptions to this - if you're moving to or from Virgin you may need one (you're told before applying). Plus if you're getting FTTP, which is common for much faster broadband, often they may need to send someone to look at the externals of the home.

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.
 
Free Lucky Saint 0.5% beer, free Kenco latte, free Coke Zero & more. See 50+ Sept supermarket coupons.

STOP PRESS: Time to fix as E.on, British Gas & Outfox launch CHEAPER 1yr energy fixes. All three have shaved down prices since last week, so they're now up to 7% LESS than the October Price Cap (though that's still slightly more than most pay now). For many who are risk averse, it's a good time to fix as the Price Cap's currently predicted to stay near that higher October level for the next year. Who's your cheapest depends on where you live and what you use - our Cheap Energy Club comparison does it for you, and includes cheap trackers and other options too.

Pizza Express dine-in 2for1 pizza for £1 - valid ANY day. Its vouchers used to be ubiquitous, but have been harder to come by recently, so it's nice to see an easy one out there. Grab a code to slice the price. Pizza Express

New. Top 5.07% easy-access savings (up to £20,000). A cash ISA's just a savings account you never pay tax on. And current top rates clearly beat the top normal easy-access savings. The standout is Chip's easy-access 5.07% AER cash ISA*, which newbies to app-only Chip can get by opening an account, depositing £1+ and entering code ISABOOST by Sun 22 Sept. You can put up to £20,000 in it, it allows unlimited withdrawals, and allows you to transfer (without limit) existing cash ISAs in too. It's worth noting that it has a slightly complex structure. More options in Top savings and Top cash ISAs.

Cheap medical insurance - when private cover can pay for itself. Last week's How do I get the cheapest private medical insurance or pay for NHS costs? was far bigger than we expected. If you missed it, it's worth a look.

'I thought mum was over the Pension Credit limit, but she IS eligible & WILL get Winter Fuel Payment.' Lucinda's our success of the week. She emailed: "Thanks so much for Martin's Pension Credit email. My mum was just over the threshold, so we didn't apply, but worried about the Winter Fuel Payment, no free TV licence, cheaper broadband etc. Then I saw Martin's email saying: 'If you're only just over, try it anyway.' A (long) call to the DWP later and mum told me she'll get Pension Credit. My dad died earlier on this year, so not only has mum been going through it, but money is much tighter. I can't thank you enough. She's both relieved and thrilled." If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), send us your successes.

Martin: 'Too many energy smart meters are broken, they need fixing, the Govt needs to change its targets.' Read Martin's smart meter open letter to the Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

Cheapest ever iPhone 15 '£30/mth'. As the iPhone 16 goes on sale later this week, prices are starting to drop for its predecessor. Newbies to iD Mobile (uses Three's signal) can get an iPhone 15 (128GB) on a 24mth contract with 10GB data via Carphone Warehouse. It's £9 upfront, then £29.99/mth, making it £729 in total, equivalent to £30.37/mth. Buying just the handset from Apple is £699, so this is a decent deal. The retailer is responsible for the handset, iD Mobile for the contract. Want more options? Use our Cheap Mobile Finder.

Warning: On Tax Credits, Housing Benefit, ESA or similar? Don't ignore crucial letter - you could lose your benefits. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is sending letters to many people saying you MUST now apply to switch to Universal Credit. DON'T ignore it - tragically, DWP stats show a third have had benefits cut off after not applying. Full help in our Benefits switch-over guide.

New. Wondering what to do with energy bills with big hikes coming? | Warning for anyone who pays council tax | How some make £1,000s out of stamp price rises. Martin's podcast is back - listen to him talk through what you should do about the big issues, especially those impacting energy bills right now (fixing, standing charges, winter fuel payments and more). All this and more via BBC Sounds | Spotify | Apple or wherever you like to get your Martin fix.
 
 
 
 

New. Flight delayed or cancelled this summer (or years ago)?
You could be due money back even if you CHOSE to cancel, or you missed a flight

The summer holidays are sadly already starting to feel like a distant memory. Yet if you were one of many whose flight didn't go to plan, don't push it out of your mind until you've checked whether you're due £100s. This isn't just for the summer just gone, you can often go back years. And while we've long explained that regulations mean you're often due COMPENSATION on top of a refund if your flight was delayed or the airline cancelled, now we've added a new guide, showing how you may also be owed money even if you choose to cancel or miss a flight. Let's fly through both...

1) Flight delayed by 3hrs+ or airline cancelled it? You could be due £500+. Many are unaware of their legal right to up to £520 per person compensation if the airline is at fault, ON TOP of any refund, alternative flight or food reimbursement. Celia emailed three weeks ago: "My Heathrow to Barcelona flight was cancelled at 9pm the day before due to 'operational constraints'. We were put on the next flight. I used your tool, and have received an email today confirming a successful claim totalling £440 for me and my son. Thank you very much, I am delighted."

These rules apply to any UK or EU 'regulated' flight within the last six years (five in Scotland). That's ANY FLIGHT leaving a UK/EU airport and any UK or EU AIRLINE arriving at a UK/EU airport. See which flights count and also what to do if your flight wasn't UK/EU.

For DELAY compensation: the flight must have arrived over three hours late. What counts is when the doors open on arrival. See how to check delay lengths and how much you can claim.

Did your flight land four or more hours later than scheduled? You could be due £520. The image shows a ticket for a cancelled flight due to depart at 10.05am and due to land at 3.55pm, plus an alternate ticket for a flight due to depart at 3.10pm and land at 9.05pm. Image links to our Flight cancellation rights guide, and specifically a section titled 'Was your flight cancelled less than 14 days before departure?'For CANCELLATION compensation: what counts is when it was cancelled & how late or early the alternative flight was. If airlines cancel, you're always entitled to a choice of a refund or alternative flight plus compensation, but only if the cancellation was within 2wks before departure and the alternative flight offered takes off earlier or later than the original (this dictates when you're due cancellation compensation). This applies even if you opted for a refund - the compensation's still based on the time of the alternative flight offered (even though you didn't take it).

You're ONLY due compensation if it was the airline's fault. Most issues are defined as the airline's fault - for example, staff shortages (including due to illness), or knock-on issues due to the prior flight being delayed. But if it's an extraordinary circumstance, like extreme weather, or problems directly caused by 3rd parties such as the airport or air traffic control, it isn't. See what counts as the airline's fault.

Use our FREE letter templates - DON'T pay to claim. Our flight delay and flight cancellation reclaim tools draft your complaint and help to escalate it to the relevant resolution scheme if rejected - and as it's totally free, you keep ALL the compensation. Though if it gets tricky, there's some decent no win, no fee help available as a last resort.

Should I always claim if I'm eligible? It's up to you, but if the flight cost £20, is it fair to claim back £100s? See Martin's legal vs moral concerns where he talks you through it.

PS: If you're significantly delayed at the airport, the airline must pay (or reimburse you) for food, drink and, if necessary, overnight accommodation - so keep receipts. See rights if delayed at the airport. 2) New. Have you ever cancelled or missed a flight taking off from the UK? You may be due £100s back in airport tax, even from years ago (eg, during Covid). If you take a flight from a UK airport to anywhere worldwide, it includes air passenger duty (APD) tax of up to £202 per person, yet this isn't paid by the airline to HM Revenue & Customs till you fly. So if you don't fly, it's not paid. This applies even if you're cancelling, or miss a non-refundable flight.

As our own MSE Clare recently found: "My in-laws, visiting from Australia, needed to change their flight home and assumed they'd lose the money due to non-refundable tickets. Yet after a chat with Singapore Airlines, they learned they were entitled to an APD refund plus other similar fees for other countries totalling £338. Better than nothing." Full help in our new Missed or cancelled a flight guide, yet here's a fly-past...

There's NO DEADLINE to claim, even going back decades, but... Airlines don't have to give the money back, though most have it in their T&Cs that they will upon request. Many don't impose claiming back deadlines, though some (eg, Qantas) do - see airline-by-airline help.

Payouts are up to £202 per traveller. The further you're flying and the higher the class of seat, the bigger the amount. For example, miss an economy flight to Spain, the APD is £13pp, whereas a business flight to Australia would mean a potential £202pp refunded. A few airlines charge admin fees when you ask for a refund, which can wipe out the smaller amount, yet it's still worth a quick check. See how much could I get back?

It's usually NOT automatic, you need to claim. APD refunds aren't a legal right - see our airline-by-airline how to claim.

Similar rules may apply if you're flying from elsewhere too. These rules apply to flights from UK airports, so if you're returning to the UK, you're subject to the rules of the departure country - and many have their own departure taxes which may be due refunds. See reclaim departure taxes from other countries.
 
University is back, your starter for six...

5 things everyone needs to know about student finance. Lots of nonsense is spoken about it, so be careful. Martin's 5 need-to-knows gives a speedy run through, or see the BIG guides for Eng | Scot | Wales | N Ire Find out how much PARENTS are expected to contribute. See our parental contribution calc. Top student bank accounts for this year. They include a £1,500 interest-free overdraft and a 4-year railcard. See top student bank accounts. Student house tips. Students usually don't pay council tax, but do need to let the council now | Some can legally avoid paying the TV licence fee | Consider taking out contents insurance (but do first check parents' polices). Student discounts. Incl £10 off Ikea, Apple gift cards and more. See our student deals round-up. You shouldn't spend more than... Lots of parents rightly tell their student offspring to budget - but don't define their 'income'. For what you should include, see our student budgeting tips.

The £150 Warm Home Discount scheme's open in Scotland - check NOW. While some in Scotland get it automatically (as in Eng/Wal), others need to apply. Don't delay, as it's first come, first served. See Warm Home Discount.

Grind coffee 30% off code. MSE Blagged. Valid on coffee, beans and pods. Grind

FREE Grand Designs Live Birmingham tickets. For 2 to 6 October, normally £13 to £16 each. Grand Designs

 
 
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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
 

THIS WEEK'S POLL

Were you delayed on your last holiday flight, and if so, did you claim compensation? Now the summer holidays have been and gone, we want to know if you were one of many whose flight didn't go to plan. And if you arrived at your destination more than three hours late (the threshold for flight compensation), have you claimed? Vote in this week's poll.

More than half of MoneySavers spent over £100 on their child's school uniform this summer. In last week's poll, we asked how much you spent on school uniform for your child this summer. More than 1,900 people responded, with the majority (38%) spending between £101 and £250, while 19% spent £251 to £500. See the full poll results.
 
 
 
 

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should I refund my friend for the personal training sessions she booked with me? I've qualified as a personal trainer and set up my own business. A close friend asked for eight sessions at mates' rates, so I booked her in at half-price, and she paid upfront. With three sessions to go, she said it was too much hassle for her to get to them, as she has to arrange childcare, and asked for her money back for the remainder of the sessions. I've already put what she paid back into my business, and I feel it's pretty offhand after I gave her a discount. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I refund my friend for cancelled personal training sessions? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs
 
 
 
 

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 17 SEPT ONWARDS)

Thu 19 Sept - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm
Tue 24 Sept - This Morning, phone-in, ITV1, 10.30am
 
 
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Who is Martin Lewis?
Martin Lewis CBE is the founder and executive chair of MSE, as well as the founder of the MMHPI charity. He's an ultra-focused MoneySaving journalist and consumer campaigner with his own prime-time ITV programme The Martin Lewis Money Show, Radio 5 Live Wednesday show Ask Martin Lewis and weekly slot on This Morning, among others. More info: See Martin Lewis' biography.

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