MSE’s Money Tips Cheap(er) energy, Homebase 15% off, 'free' National Trust pass, 24 lily bulbs £9, S24 '£30/mth', top

There's a small spark of recovery in energy switching with a handful of new cheaper fixes, materially cheaper than the current Price Cap, which about 90% of homes in Eng, Scot & Wales are still on (you're almost certainly on it unless you're on a fix or an electric vehicle tariff).

The most recent Price Cap prediction by analysts Cornwall Insight was a month ago, and displayed in our graph it shows on average the Price Cap's predicted to drop 3% over the next year. But Cornwall tell us things have sadly got more expensive since, so the Price Cap fall possibly won't be as big as predicted. Our Cheap Energy Club comparison will give you a bespoke prediction based on the March data when you use it. All this means locking in a price below that looks a better deal...

1. New. Cheaper fixes plus cashback via Cheap Energy Club comparison. Below we list the market's cheapest standalone deals, though rates vary by region, and savings vary with usage - so your results likely won't be in the order below. Most are fixes, with the key strength that you lock in the rate for a year (though what you pay depends on usage).

To help, use our stripped back energy comparison to show WHAT YOU'LL PAY AND SAVE. Within it, Martin's designed a unique way to demonstrate to those on the Price Cap a bespoke prediction of its costs over the next year, compared to switching.

Cheapest standalone energy deals (1) Prices vary substantially based on use & region, so links go via Cheap Energy Club to give you a personal comparison.
	Compared to current Price Cap (2)	Energy Club cashback?
New. EDF Essentials 1Yr May25 fix (unlikely to be around long) - New & existing customers - Dual fuel or elec-only - Monthly Direct Debit or pay in receipt of bills or smart prepay - Need have/apply for smart meter	7% less on average £25/fuel early-exit fees	£10/fuel, so £20 dual fuel
British Gas 1yr fix - New & existing customers - Dual fuel, elec-only or gas-only - Monthly/quarterly Direct Debit or pay in receipt of bills	5% less on average £50/fuel early-exit fees	No, as we can't switch you to it
Stop press: E.on Next 1yr fix, 5% less on average than the Price Cap, has just launched. We're awaiting a full tariff breakdown, it'll be in Energy Club once we get it.
Outfox the Market 1yr Apr 25 fix - New & existing customers - Dual fuel monthly Direct Debit only - Doesn't require smart meter	3% less on average £25/fuel early-exit fees	£10/fuel, so £20 dual fuel
Not a fix... E.on Next Pledge 1yr tracker - New & existing customers - Dual fuel or elec-only - Monthly Direct Debit only - Need have/apply for smart meter	Tracks 3% under the Price Cap, so if the Cap gets cheaper, it does too. Basically it's a discounted Price Cap tariff - a good option if you're unsure what to do. No early-exit fee	No, as we can't switch you to it
(1) Standalone means you needn't sign up to other products, eg, broadband & mobile, or boiler cover. (2) We give 'averages' based on UK average rates for someone on Ofgem's typical Direct Debit usage figure.

Sorry. Cheap Energy Club isn't yet optimised for everyone. Sadly, our comparison's currently ONLY optimised for dual-fuel monthly Direct Debit price-capped users. If that's not you, while Cheap Energy Club shows your cheapest deals & price, other info including 'savings' explanations won't be right. We're working hard on that and hope to change it (if lucky, by as soon as next week). You can also find a more detailed explanation in our Should I fix? guide.

2. Alternative cheaper tariffs. As the energy market shifts, there are a number of new options that are tough to display via the traditional comparison site model (we're trying to work through how to get it right for the future as this becomes more common). So we wanted to talk you through the main ones...

Octopus Tracker & Agile can be substantially cheaper. Existing Octopus customers can switch to its Tracker tariff, where rates change daily based on wholesale costs, so when they're low, as they are now, it's cheap. The rates have been 35% cheaper than the Price Cap on average, but there's no guarantee - it can go the other way. Also, its elec-only Agile tariff's rates change half-hourly, based on wholesale prices - good for those who can shift their usage nimbly to take advantage of super-cheap times.

Not with Octopus? To get these, you could try first switching to Octopus's Price Cap tariff then, once in, switching to one of these (if still available).
Got an EV? Consider a dedicated tariff. Several suppliers have launched specific two-rate tariffs that offer cheaper electricity overnight for charging your electric vehicle (EV). If your car charge costs make up a decent proportion of your electricity usage (or you can shift other usage to these hours), these can work well. See what's available in our EV tariffs guide.

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

Victoria contacted us on Twitter with her success: "Thanks to @MartinSLewis and the MSE newsletter, I've just had the loft in my Victorian terrace insulated 100% free under the Great British Insulation Scheme. They also fitted 3 new extractor fans! Here's to a slightly warmer winter!"

4. Can you cut your bills by cutting your energy usage? Obviously, cutting use cuts bills - and hopefully there are cuts you can make to improve efficiency that don't impact lifestyle too much.

- Start with Energy saving tips.
- Add in the Energy mythbusting guide for less clear-cut issues.
- Really struggling? See our Heat the human not the home guide (though thankfully the improving weather helps right now).

5. What to do if you're struggling to pay. If you're struggling, it's always worth talking to your energy firm. Be polite and straight with it, and make sure you explain if you're vulnerable. There can be hardship & debt grants from energy suppliers. For far more guidance, see our full What to do if you're struggling to pay energy bills 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.

Cut mobile phone insurance by £100/yr per person

Many pay over the odds. Switch to cheap standalone policies or 'self-insure' to save

Are you a loser? If like many of us (Martin certainly admits to being a loser), you've a habit of misplacing, dropping or otherwise damaging that expensive handset, then having cover is worth it. In our modern world, many feel their lives cut in half without a phone. Our Cheap mobile insurance guide has full info, but here's a quick briefing...

Cheap standalone insurance: £55/yr to £70/yr for phones bought in last 3yrs. These cover loss, theft & accidental damage, at a fraction of the cost of mobile network's policies. Though do check replacement speed - it can be as quick as two days (excluding processing time), but some are slower. You usually pay a £50 to £100 excess per claim. While exact prices vary by handset, we found via spot checks these four are usually the cheapest, meeting our minimum cover levels...

1. Insurance2Go* plus £10 off 'Full' cover with code 'MSE10'. 2. Mobile Phone Insurance Direct* get 2mths free if you pay for annual 'Premium' via this link. 3. Love It Cover It* code 'SAVE10' gets 10% off 'Premium' cover. 4. Switched On* 'Ultimate' cover.
The fastest replacements: Your network's cover, but it can cost up to £186/yr. Here, handsets can arrive the next working day, but you can only cover new phones and insuring an iPhone 15, say, costs £150 to £180 with excesses £40 to £149. See firm-by-firm insurance. Cheaper models? These cover them, but you're sometimes paying as much during the contract as you could buy a replacement for, so you'd often be better using one of the methods below...
In a family or couple? Pay under £160/yr to cover all your smartphones (of any age) and get quality travel & breakdown cover too. They're called packaged bank accounts, but for us the main purpose is insurance. Get one of these bank accounts (you don't have to switch it to be your main account), pay a monthly fee and loads of decent quality insurance is thrown in (do register your phones if possible, as it can speed up claims). Briefly, here are our top picks, but for full details, options and eligibility criteria, go to our Top packaged bank accounts for insurance guide.

- Families: cover for under £160/yr. The longstanding Nationwide FlexPlus* £13/mth is now slightly undercut by Virgin Money Club M at £12.50/mth, though Nationwide's banking customer service rating is far stronger at 84% 'great' to 43%.

Both cover phones of any age for all the 'family' living in the household, including the kids (Nationwide max 18 years old, or 21 if in full-time education), and give worldwide family travel insurance and UK & European breakdown cover. So for under £160/yr, you get all this insurance for roughly the cost of network cover for one phone.

Jane emailed: "I read your article about mobile phone insurance which gave info on Nationwide. I had been shopping around for annual travel insurance. By opening this account, my husband and I saved £695 on our travel cover, and have breakdown and phone cover also. Thank you."

- Couples: cover for £135/yr (and a year's free Disney+). Club Lloyds Silver* covers your & your partner's phone for £10/mth (£11.50/mth from 1 July; min pay-in £2,000/mth) if you set it up as a joint account (even if only one of you actually uses it). You also get Europe & UK family travel insurance, UK breakdown cover and a 'free' 12mths of Disney+ (with ads).
The DIY option: Self insuring - especially good for lower cost handsets. If you rarely lose or break your phone, or have an older and/or lower-value model, rather than paying for cover, you could simply put a similar amount of cash aside each month into a top savings account. If you need to repair or replace your phone, the cash is there to pay for it. If not, it's yours (the main issue is if it goes wrong in the very early days of saving - so it can be good to combine with...)
The E.T. Option: Phone, home insurance. Many home contents insurance policies cover handsets lost in a burglary or fire. Some let you pay extra to cover your phone for damage or loss/theft outside the home too, though excesses can be high and a claim could whack up renewal costs. Yet it can easily take more than a week to get a replacement phone or the equivalent cash through your insurer, so think about if you could cope without in the meantime.
Mobile phone insurance claim unfairly rejected? You've a right to go to the free Financial Ombudsman. All these policies are fully regulated, meaning if you claim and it's rejected unfairly in your view, you can make a formal complaint. And if that's rejected, you can go to the free Financial Ombudsman for an independent adjudication.

Ends today (Wed) 11.59pm. Rare Homebase 15% off code. Online and in store. See Homebase sale.

'Free' National Trust family day pass (normally £30ish). Via papers. Excludes Scot & bank hols. Family days out

New. Top 0% balance transfer card, a DEFINITE 27mths 0% with a lower fee. You can shift existing card debt(s) to Virgin Money's 27mth 0% card and, last Thu, it cut the one-off fee to 3% making it the cheapest long card - better still, all accepted definitely get the full 0% period. Barclaycard offers 28mths 0%, but it's an 'up to' card so not all accepted get the full 0% length and its fee's a higher 3.45%. Links go via our eligibility calculator so you can see if you'll likely get them, but also see full help and options in top balance transfers. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly minimum & clear the card before the 0% ends or they jump to 24.9% rep APR.

May the fourth be with you - FREE Star Wars Lego. At Lego & Smyths stores this weekend, limited stock. Free Lego

Samsung S24 '£30/mth' for 500GB. Newbies to iD Mobile (uses Three's signal) can get the S24 (128GB), the latest model Samsung, on a 24mth contract with 500GB of data & unlimited calls/texts via Mobiles.co.uk. It's £99 upfront but you get £10 cashback (use code CASH10), then pay £25/mth (rises by inflation + 3.9% in Apr 2025). So it could be around £710 over the 2yrs and the handset alone is £799 direct from Samsung. The retailer's responsible for the handset, iD Mobile for the contract. Find cheap handsets/Sims: Cheap Mobile Finder.

24 Oriental lily bulbs £9 delivered. MSE Blagged. 12,000 available, excluding N. Ire/parts of Scot. Thompson & Morgan

Ends Thu 11.59pm. 132Mb Virgin broadband '£20.95/mth'. MSE Blagged. Switchers in 60% of UK homes can get this Virgin 132Mb broadband & line deal for £26.50/mth plus an automatic £100 bill credit, equivalent to £20.95/mth over the 18mth contract. Full comparison: See MSE Broadband comparison.

BMW or Ford diesel driver? Decide now whether to join emissions lawsuits. Firms have set May deadlines for new claims against these brands. See diesel claim pros & cons.

Martin's new podcast: Pay over £8/mth for your mobile or £30/mth for broadband? STOP | Barclaycard customer warning | Zara trick. And more in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast. Listen via BBC Sounds | Spotify | Apple or wherever you like to get your Martin fix.

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- 24 Oriental lily bulbs £9 delivered 12,000 available
- 132Mb Virgin broadband '£20.95/mth' Ends Thursday
- Earn extra £20 Amazon voucher via surveys Ends 7 May
- 'I Am Proud' skincare set £35 4,000 available

DID YOU MISS?

- Updated. Are solar panels worth it?
- Don't put bananas in the fridge...
- Grüum face, body & hair bundle £4 delivered (normally £29)
- FREE £25 when you spend £5+ online

Seven quick, quirky or fun ways to put a 'cha-ching' in your pockets... give your piggybank a growth spurt

There are two ways to please your pockets. We normally focus on spending less, but this note is about how to earn a bit more. Now, let's not over-egg the pudding, we're talking £10s or at best £100s here, and it won't always happen, but we wanted to bring out some hidden fun ways to get a bit extra. There are lots more in our 60+ ways to earn extra cash guide.

Are you a bit gobby? 22 sites that pay for your opinion. Willing to give views on activewear, electric cars or washing-up liquid? You can make as much as £5 per survey (though often less). See our 22 top paid online survey sites guide.
Earn £50 to £200 road-testing NEW video games. Before big new games hit the shelves, firms need to test them out. You'll usually need to go somewhere for a few hours to do it, but it typically pays £50 to £200. See Research-i.
Prefer to earn a little bit while playing games on your own phone at home? We've checked out the mobile games that pay you to play them. Quick tips and top apps in Make money playing mobile games (it's mostly an Android thing).
Earn an extra £20 Amazon voucher when you earn £10 doing online activities. Swagbucks is free to join and rewards you for online activities such as surveys, gaming and more - many MoneySavers love it. For a limited time, newbies who go via our link can get a boosted £20 Amazon voucher when you earn your first £10.
Fancy getting paid to buy a beer? It could happen if you choose to take on a mission... free apps pay up to £20/job to check prices/take photos, from tasks such as counting stock in shops, snapping menus in restaurants and even ordering a beer to photograph how it's served. You're competing against others for jobs, so don't get too excited, but you never know. See how to get paid for easy tasks.
Earn £40 to £200 in 2hrs via market research focus groups - often via Zoom. Some MoneySavers make £1,000s, so we've boosted our list of top agencies that pay from 17 to 20 to help you make cash from market research.
Get PAID to report derelict homes. Get a £20 Amazon voucher if you're the first to report an empty/derelict home (in Eng & parts of Wal) + possibly a 1% cut of the building's purchase price, if sold. A few have made £1,000s. YouSpotProperty

PS: Earn £200/day counting votes in elections? Councils need help counting votes and staffing polling booths for general, local & mayoral elections - it's a great opportunity to help make democracy work while earning some extra cash. For example, we saw counting assistant jobs at £200/day. While councils we spoke to were fully staffed for the 2 May local elections, many were still adding to reserve lists. Plus, it'll get you on the database for the next general election.

STOP PRESS. Finally, Govt launches 'buy extra national insurance years' online tool. Some people can now use the new Govt tool to buy extra years. This is complex: It can be very lucrative for many, and a waste for some, so this is just a holding note, we'll bring you a full update in next week's email. Meanwhile, read our buy state pension years? guide.

£35 skincare set from 'I Am Proud' (£100 bought separately). MSE Blagged. The much-hyped brand is from the owners of Ciaté and Lottie London, and it's offering an 8-piece set including its vitamin C serum (mimicking £80 Sunday Riley's), facewash, toner & more beauty dupes. I Am Proud

"I took on the 'ADHD tax' and saved £312/yr thanks to your mobile haggling tips." Our success of the week comes from Penny, who emailed Martin: "I'm a big fan of yours. I have ADHD, you've probably heard of the 'ADHD tax' where we can waste money by not sorting our finances. My mobile bill had risen to £40/mth and I barely phone anyone. I kept getting images of you looking at me disapprovingly, and finally now it's down to £14/mth. A huge saving for me thanks to your mobile haggling tips & all the amazing people at MSE." If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), please send us your successes.

Standing charges, broken smart meters & more: Sec of State for Energy responds after Martin raised critical issues. See her full written response.

Get Spotify Premium FREE for three months (if you're a newbie). Listen ad-free, on demand & offline. Cancel anytime - £11.99/mth after if you don't. Free Spotify. Related: Spotify hiking prices by up to £24/yr.

New. £5 off all train tickets via Uber - can you find it? The transport app's offering a discount on fares to 'select users' who haven't booked rail travel with it before. Track down £5 off trains

Live in Scotland? FREE Open University courses (normally costing up to £800). Apply for a microcredential course (undergrad or postgrad). 500 places available. Open University Scotland. Related: We've also partnered with the Open University to offer a free UK-wide personal finance course - see MSE's Academy of Money.

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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility / apply*) - up to 28mths 0%, 3.45% fee (24.9% rep APR interest)
No-fee 0%: NatWest (check eligibility / apply*) - 13mths 0% (24.9% rep APR interest)

Fast fibre (100Mb+): Virgin Media '£20.95/mth'
Fibre (30Mb+): Now Broadband '£23.84/mth'
Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Sky '£28/mth'

On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs

Top easy-access: Monument Bank 5.01%, min £25,000
Top one-year fix: SmartSave 5.18%, min £10,000

Try our Compare+ Car Insurance tool

Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: Santander (check eligibility / apply*), 7.3% rep APR
Cheapest for £7,500 to £15,000: TSB (check eligibility, TSB has asked us to link only to our calculator), 5.9% rep APR

Try our relaunched Cheap Energy Club

1% cashback on bills & travel: Santander Edge
1% cashback on most spending: Chase

Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£3.40/mth' for 3GB
4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£3.65/mth' for 5GB
10GB to 30GB data: iD Mobile, '£4.50/mth' for 30GB
31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£7.50/mth' for 100GB

THIS WEEK'S POLL

Have you switched or fixed your energy in the past six months? There has been a small spark of recovery in energy switching in recent weeks, as providers have dropped the prices of their fixed deals. With that in mind, this week we want to know whether you've switched or fixed your energy bills in the past six months and why (or why not)? Vote in this week's poll.

Most MoneySavers with credit card debt have it all at 0% interest. Last week, we asked how much you owe on credit cards. Of the more than 9,600 people who responded, around half pay off their card IN FULL each month (Martin would be proud). Of those who did have debt, about three in five said it was all at 0% interest. See the full credit card poll results.

MSE NEWS

- Top story: Royal Mail waives £5 penalty fee for some in fake stamps crackdown
- Nationwide urged to 'give members a say' over proposed Virgin Money takeover

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should my husband stop lending money to his parents? My husband has lent a substantial amount of money - in the thousands - to his parents on a few occasions now. They always say it's to pay bills, so he feels obliged. To be fair to them, they do always pay us back eventually, but not before going out to coffee shops and restaurants and constantly buying things they don't need. Should he keep lending them money, or should he tell them they need to stand on their own two (four?) feet and stop spending so much? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should my husband stop lending money to his parents? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

MSE TEAM BLOG

- MSE Forum highlights: Pocket money, coffee pods & preparing a house for sale

DEALS HUNTER BLOG

- The downshift challenge: Can Home Bargains beat both Tesco AND Aldi? How to save on shopping without coupons

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 30 APR ONWARDS)

Wed 1 May - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm
Tue 7 May - This Morning, phone-in, ITV1, 10.20am

TURN LIGHTS OFF, PUT A JUMPER ON AND PUT T'WOOD INT' 'OLE - WHAT'S YOUR NO. 1 HOUSEHOLD RULE?

That's all for this week, but before we go... after a recent survey showed 'switch the lights off when you leave' is the most popular household 'rule', we asked what the rules in your household were. Many centred on keeping energy use down, with turning off lights, putting a jumper on rather than the heating if you're cold, leaving the oven door open after use to heat the home and not boiling more water than needed in the kettle all popular. As was closing the door when leaving a room, and its northern equivalent "put t'wood int' 'ole". The strangest rule? "Do not drunkenly use Sellotape to attach a Toblerone to the next door neighbour's cat, so you can play 'My Little Stegosaurus'." We're intrigued, but have decided we really don't want to know! Tell us your number one household rule in our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram conversations.

We hope you save some money,
The MSE team

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MSE’s Money Tips Cheap(er) energy, Homebase 15% off, 'free' National Trust pass, 24 lily bulbs £9, S24 '£30/mth', top

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