MSE’s Money Tips Urgent 4.8% cash ISA, 13% cheaper energy fix, Age 40 to 73? Urgently get £10,000s more pension, 30%

From: MSE's Money Tips - Tuesday Apr 01, 2025 07:35 pm

MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

Plus... FREE £40 shares, new top spending abroad card, urgent WFH check, how income tax really works

THE TOP TIPS IN THIS EMAIL

ISA warning: Use it or lose it by Saturday
- Your money is often nicer in an ISA
- Top easy-access & fixed cash ISAs
- Most can massively boost old ISAs
- FAQs incl... 'Will Chancellor cut ISAs?'
- Lifetime ISAs, Junior ISAs, Shares ISAs

New. Top cashback & overseas card

Ending forever. £10,000s pension boost

New 13% cheaper energy fix

30% off glasses & prescription sunnies

Martin: How Income Tax really works

Ends. FREE £40 shares if you invest £1

Last chance. Had to WFH during Covid?

NEWLY ELIGIBLE for 90% off water bill?

Beat up to £15 passport fee hikes

Car finance mis-selling update

Off-peak eats: Discount Greggs, BK, etc

Pod: Martin vs biggest UK energy boss

2m to earn up to 18% more from TODAY

Achoo! 180 hay fever tablets £6

Ends Thu. £70 Eurostar returns

School payment firm Squid drops fees

FREE children's football sessions

Poll: Had a flight upgrade in last 3yrs?

This week's best buys: 32mth 0% debt shift, 5.8% loan, 10GB Sim £3/mth

Money Moral Dilemma: Should I stop gifting cash to ungrateful nephews?

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

Use it NOW or lose it...

The top easy-access cash ISAs pay up to 5.6%, smashing normal savings, so your money's nicer in an ISA
Do it NOW, the tax year ends on Saturday

Pop

Martin Lewis, MoneySavingExpert.com founder, who wrote this article. Link takes you to his biography page on MoneySavingExpert.com.

the champagne corks, watch the fiscal fireworks and sing: "Should auld ISAs be forgot, and savings left to die..." as it's the new (tax) year on Sunday. And that means this SATURDAY, 5 April, is the last day you can use this year's ISA allowance, though sooner is safer to avoid admin delays kiboshing things.

PS: There are many other April deadlines - see my Don't be an April fool: 17 must-dos now from this email a fortnight ago (most are still live).

Each tax year, every UK adult (aged 18+) gets a £20,000 ISA allowance to put money away tax-free in savings via a top cash ISA, or in investments via a shares ISA. You can have all £20,000 in one, or split it across both types (there are other niche ISA types too).

If you don't use this year's ISA allowance, you lose it on Saturday (ie, it can't be carried over). Yet once it's in a cash ISA, it stays tax-free year after year, so some who've maxed out every year's allowance have £100,000s protected from tax. Not used this year's ISA and have the money?

- You could put £20,000 in ISAs to protect from tax by SATURDAY.
- And another £20,000 in ISAs from SUNDAY (the new tax year).

Even if you've far less, if you're going to use your ISA allowance, use this year's, just in case you unexpectedly have more next.

Understanding how ISAs work is a piece of cake...

(I've been doing this analogy since 2001, and it's not stale yet, watch my new

why ISAs are a piece of cake

video explainer)

Martin's ISA analogy explained visually, showing an illustrated image of a cake with a slice taken out of it, covered in an 'ISA wrapper'. Link takes you to our Top cash ISAs guide.

Picture a cake, let's say a chocolate cake for cash savings (though it could equally be a strawberry cake for shares). Normally it's just sitting there, so the tax collector can come and take a bite.

But think of an ISA wrapper like a protective piece of clingfilm you can wrap around some of the cake. Once your cash is inside, nothing changes - the cash in savings is still cash in savings (so a cash ISA is just a savings account), the only difference is... now the tax collector can't eat any. See our full ISA guide for a detailed Q&A.

A cash ISA is just a savings account you can put up to £20,000 in per tax year where the interest is NEVER taxed. Just like normal savings, they can be easy-access, notice or fixed accounts - the only difference is they're inside a tax wrapper.

The interest earnt in it DOESN'T count towards your Personal Savings Allowance either (the interest you can earn tax-free each year from any form of savings), so a cash ISA is an extra allowance (more on how savings are taxed below).

Rates are changing rapidly. The team have updated the tables below for me at the last moment before we send the email (I'm filming). Even so, do click the guide links at the top of each column, where we'll keep updating any rate changes.

Top cash ISAs

Top normal savings

- Top straight rate: Tembo 4.8%

(app only, min £10), though it's still variable, so could change.

- Top big name: Post Office 4.4%* (min £100). The rate includes a year's 3.15% bonus. Effectively a year's minimum rate guarantee, but then it'll plummet, so be ready to transfer at that point.

- Highest rate, but only as it has short-term newbie bonus: Trading 212 4.5% variable + 3mth 1.1% bonus, so 5.6%* (min £1). As the underlying 4.5% rate is decent, this is a reasonable option. Plum, Chip & Moneybox

are scrapping with it to be top. Their headline rates are similar but they've lower underlying rates. These rates are changing all the time, latest updates in Top cash ISAs.

All let you open and put this tax-year's ISA money in until 5 April.

- Top rate: Atom Bank 4.75% (app only, no min), though rate falls to 3% in any month you withdraw.

- Top big name: Post Office 4.4%* (min £1). The rate includes a year's 3.15% bonus. Effectively a year's minimum rate guarantee, but then it'll plummet, so be ready to transfer at that point.

- Highest rate, but only as it includes short-term newbie bonus

: Chip 3.5% + 3mth 1.26% bonus 4.76%

(app only, min £1). The underlying rate isn't that strong, so it's only a winner if you're focused on the short term.

Top easy-access savings

(AERs) All these are variable rate, ie, the rate can change, so monitor them

Top cash ISA rates currently BEAT top normal savings. This used to be unusual, but over the last year it's become commonplace. So even if you wouldn't pay tax on interest, if you want easy-access, you may as well save in a cash ISA as the rates are higher.

For those who will pay tax on savings interest, the impact is heightened. The top cash ISA standard rate is 4.8% - compare that to what you'd get in the top 4.75% savings rate after tax, that's equivalent to just...

- 3.8% after basic 20% tax

- 2.85% after higher 40% tax
- 2.61% after higher 45% tax

Top fixed cash ISAs

Withdrawal interest penalties

Top fixed savings

Money can't be withdrawn early

Vanquis 4.51% (min £1k)
Charter Savings 4.51%

(min £5k)
Big Name: Lloyds 4.25 (min £3k)
Big Name but 18mths fix: Skipton BS* 4.25% (min £5k)

DF Capital 4.7% (min £1k)

Cynergy 4.65% (min £1k)

Big Name: Tesco 4.4% (min £2k)
Big Name but 18mths fix: Skipton BS* 4.25% (min £500)

Furness BS 4.45% (min £1k)
United Trust Bank 4.45% (min £5k)
Big Name: Nationwide 4.1% (min £1) Secure Trust Bank 4.59% (min £1k)
Birmingham Bank 4.58% (min £5k)
Big Name: Tesco 4.15% (min £2k)

Top fixed-rate savings AERs Here as the rate is locked in, they can't drop it
1-year fixes
2-year fixes

Fixed cash ISAs have one advantage over normal fixes. Top fixed cash ISAs rates are lower than normal savings rates. Of course, for those who'd pay tax on the interest (or want to protect money in case they will in future), they're still far better. If not though, on rate alone, normal savings win.

Yet while normal fixed savings require you to lock the money away to get the guaranteed rate of interest, cash ISAs can't lock your savings away, even in fixes. So you can access your money, normally by closing the account, though you will need to pay an interest-rate penalty (90 or 180 days of interest, or more for longer fixes).

So if you're mostly happy to lock money away, but there's a slim chance you'll need to access it, cash ISA fixes are a get-out-of-jail-free card.

Will you pay tax on your savings?

How savings tax really works

Your savings aren't subject to Income Tax, but the interest you earn on them is. Yet whether you need pay it depends on what you earn. Understanding how it works is crucial for working out where to put your savings. My how savings tax works video takes you through it, but let me give you a brief rundown...

On a very low income? You can usually earn up to £12,570/yr from earnings (work or pension or other income) and interest combined before paying any Income Tax.

Low earnings & savings interest. The starting rate for savings means some can earn up to £18,570 of earnings and interest combined without paying tax on it (link explains how it works).

Basic 20% or higher 40% rate taxpayers. Most people who pay tax on income get a Personal Savings Allowance (PSA). This is the amount you can earn each year from any form of savings, without paying tax on it...

- Basic 20% rate taxpayers can earn £1,000 interest a tax year.
- Higher 40% rate taxpayers can earn £500 interest a tax year.
- Top 45% rate taxpayers do not get a PSA.

In practice, you'd currently need more than £21,000 at the top savings rate to generate £1,000 interest, so only basic-rate taxpayers with more are taxed. For higher-rate taxpayers, you'd need £10,500 at that rate to generate £500 interest.

Cash ISA interest doesn't count towards the starting savings rate or the personal allowances you get, so if you're going to pay tax, protecting it in an ISA is a crucial extra allowance.

The only other main form of tax-free savings are Premium Bonds - that isn't an annual allowance, though it's a maximum £50,000. See Are Premium Bonds worth it?

Many with old cash ISAs either had poor rates to begin with, or have seen the rate plummet after the first year or so. So check your rate now. If it's worse than those above, ditch & switch! To do that, don't just withdraw the money, as then it's no longer within an ISA. Instead, transfer it. All the best-buy cash ISAs above allow ISA transfers in.

To transfer to a higher-rate cash ISA. Open a new one. You can do this even if you don't want to add new money in (say you've already used your ISA for this year) - the application form will ask you about transferring cash ISAs. You can transfer some of your old cash ISAs over, or all of the money held in them - it's your choice.

Do it this way and it moves it for you, usually within a few weeks. There's no deadline on this, your money is already in an ISA, so the tax-year end is irrelevant as you're not using any new allowance. If you already have an ISA you want to transfer it into, if it allows transfers (you'll need to check), just ask for a form to do it.

Julie emailed us in Feb: "I've been watching Martin's show for a long time and subscribing to the weekly emails even longer. My time has been well spent - I've checked our cash ISA rates, which will drop to 3.5%. I have now transferred the balances to 5.03%, great job. Thanks all at MoneySavingExpert!"

Mobile phone screen showing our 'Ditch my fixed cash ISA?' calculator, with a link taking you to the tool itself.

Got a fixed-rate cash ISA? Check if you can ditch, switch & gain. If your fixed rate is low compared to the best today, you still have an option. You can transfer it to a new provider and pay your current fixed ISAs' interest-rate penalty for early withdrawal.

Our fixed-rate cash ISA switch calculator works out if it's worth it for you. A year-ish ago, Warren told us: "Took Martin's advice and switched two low-paying fixed ISAs with Kent Reliance into its 1-year fix. Cost me £118 in penalty charges, but they will generate £880 in the new ISA."

I've been doing shows on cash ISAs in the run-up to the deadline, so thought I'd compile the most frequent questions (oh & I'll answer 'em too!):

Q. Should I stop saving in cash ISAs because Rachel Reeves is going to start taxing them? I've heard this question asked many ways, but this is the most worrying formulation - as it's far from what's being talked about. The only proposal I've heard (and it's no more than that) is that in the Autumn Budget, the Chancellor may reduce the amount you can put into cash ISAs (some say to £4,000). Indeed I was asked about this when giving evidence at the Commons on LISAs.

The idea is to do it to try and encourage people to invest, hoping people will choose shares ISAs instead (I don't think that'll work for most, many will just keep saving but pay tax). Yet there has been no talk of stopping the tax gains from money in a cash ISA. If anything, the fact there's a chance future limits may be cut is a reason for maxing out cash ISAs now, to protect what you can.

Q. Is the interest paid into an ISA part of your £20,000 cap? No. Any interest paid stays within the ISA wrapper, but doesn't form part of your £20,000 limit. The limit is on what YOU put into the ISA each tax year. You didn't put the interest in, the savings provider did. So you're fine.

Q. If you can choose between receiving interest monthly or annually, which is best? If you want to access the cash, monthly is best because you can access it more regularly. If not, there's no difference. I suspect you're asking me because the same account will list different rates, eg, one 1yr fix pays 4.52% annually or 4.43% monthly.

This is a technical, not a real, difference. The annual rate includes compound interest. The monthly rate has to assume you withdraw the interest each month, so you don't get interest on the interest. If you don't withdraw it, it would compound and you'd have the same amount.

Q. Is it worth opening a cash ISA even if you aren't going to use your full allowance of £20,000? It's just a savings account you don't pay tax on, so if the rate is higher than normal savings, even if you won't pay tax on interest, then put what you have in there. It may also mean that if you did come into more money in future, you've got more room to protect that too.

Q. Can I have multiple different cash ISAs in the same tax year? Yes. You've always been able to from past years' ISAs, but since last April, you've been able to open more than one in the current year too (eg, a fix and an easy-access) just as long as you're not putting in more than £20k in total.

Q. Is it worth combining all my old cash ISAs into one place? Yes, then they can all be with the top payer. Plus it makes it far easier administratively, as then they're all in one place, and if the rate drops in future, it's simpler to transfer in one go. There are two main exceptions...

- If you wanted different types on the go (say, easy-access and a fix).
- If the total is over the £85,000 savings safety limit, in which case you may want to spread it across a couple of providers.

Q. How do I combine my fixed-rate cash ISAs if they all mature on different dates? If that's your aim, for an easy life when the first fix matures, transfer it to a top-rate easy-access cash ISA, then keep transferring the others into the same one when they mature. Once they've all matured, you could transfer all into a fix.

Of course, the time taken means there's a risk you might miss the best fix rates, but the current easy-access rates pay slightly more than fixes anyway, so hopefully it will work out well for you. You can't do it directly to a fixed cash ISA because you have to fund them within the first 30 to 90 days.

Cash ISAs are not the only fruit...

Lifetime ISAs, Junior ISAs, Shares ISAs

With the tax year ending on 5 April, now's the time to use all of these allowances, if relevant, before they reset.

LIFETIME ISAs (LISAs): Saving for your first home? Get up to £1,000/yr on top.

A LISA is a powerful tool for first-time buyers' savings (even if you're buying with someone who's owned before). You can save up to £4,000 each tax year and the state adds 25%, so a max £1,000 free cash every tax year.

If you've not filled this year's up yet, and have the cash, do it before 5 April (for detailed step-by-step help and best buys, read the Top Lifetime ISAs guide). Though I've four basic caveats...

- You have to be aged 18 to 39 to open one.
- You're only due the 25% bonus once it's been open a year.
- It's only for residential mortgages (not buy-to-let) on homes worth under £450,000. Looking to buy bigger? It's not for you.
- Withdraw for any reason other than to buy a qualifying home (ie, one under £450,000), or once aged 60, and you pay an effective fine of 6.25% of your money to access it.

PS: I recently gave evidence to the House of Commons Treasury Committee about the LISA system holes that need fixing. Yet that doesn't mean you shouldn't do it. It's still good for most. Just ensure you understand whether it's right for you first.

JUNIOR ISAs (JISAs): Up to £9,000 a year saved tax-free for under-18s.

JISAs

let under-18s save or invest up to £9,000/yr tax-free, so if needed, use the allowance by 5 April or you lose it. The money is then locked away till their 18th birthday. Yet while children are eligible to pay tax on savings interest just like adults (see above), most don't earn enough.

However, with money given to under-18s from parents/step-parents (not grandparents or others), if they earn £100+/yr interest from this, it's taxable as if it was the parents' money (to stop parents stashing cash in their child's name). So it's when you pay tax on savings, and give your kids money, that JISAs come into their own.

The top cash JISA payer is Coventry BS's 4.25% AER variable via post, branch or phone. The top online openable account is NS&I's 4% AER variable. Both let you transfer in existing JISAs or Child Trust Funds (JISAs' predecessor). More help is in Top JISAs.

STOCKS & SHARES ISAs: Investing often beats savings.

Investing is generally for money put away over the longer term (say, five years plus), in the hope it'll substantially outperform savings - and while there's no guarantee that'll happen, it really is something many should consider.

I rarely talk about it, not because I'm anti-investing, but because it's not my professional expertise, yet I'd definitely suggest you consider it. You can invest up to £20,000 in a stocks & shares ISA, and then you don't pay Dividend or Capital Gains Tax.

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.

New. Top card for UK cashback AND spending abroad
Near-perfect exchange rates, no fees, and six months' 0.5% cashback in the UK & overseas

This new Barclaycard Rewards credit card deal has almost certainly been timed to take the crown as top reward card, launching just as reigning champ Chase downgrades its offering. Of course, as it's a credit card, Barclaycard hopes it'll recoup some of what it gives away through interest charges, but it's easy to neuter that so you come out on top. Just set up a Direct Debit to repay the card IN FULL

each month - that way, all spending's interest-free (fail to do so and it's 28.9% rep APR interest). More help & options in top cashback cards

and top cards for spending overseas

New. Top cashback & cheap overseas spending. Barclaycard Rewards

Mobile phone screen showing our Credit Card Eligibility Calculator, with a link taking you to the tool itself, where the Barclaycard Rewards credit card is already selected.

is the new top fee-free, non-Amex cashback card. It pays cashback (either annually or on request) on ALL retail spending (barring gambling & buying currency) anywhere worldwide. Newbies applying now get 0.5% cashback until 30 Sept, then it's the usual 0.25% after.

It was already our top pick overseas spending credit card, as it doesn't charge a 'non sterling exchange rate fee', so you get the same near-perfect exchange rate it does. Nor does it charge ATM withdrawal fees, or interest on cash withdrawals (provided you fully repay each month). Plus, you get the cashback on overseas spending, in effect beating the best-possible exchange rates. And as it's a credit card, you get all-powerful Section 75 spending protection too.

It's beatable for UK cashback: Amex 5% cashback for 5mths (perfect for a big purchase). Newbies getting the Amex Everyday fee-free credit card get an unbeatable 5% cashback for 5mths (normally 3mths) up to a max of £125 (normally £100) paid annually. After that, it's 0.5% cashback on spending up to £10,000/yr and 1% above.

This is a strong offer, but mainly for bigger spenders as you need to put over £3,000/yr on it to get any cashback. Of course, pay this off IN FULL each month or the 30.4% rep APR interest dwarfs the cashback gain. And it's worth noting that Amex is less universally accepted than other cards. PS: This card is not a good one for using abroad.

Get PAID £175 & near-perfect exchange rates. Newbies switching their current account to First Direct's 1st Account* get a free £175 with the top-rated bank for service (92% 'great'). Its debit card doesn't pay cashback but, like Barclaycard, gives the same near-perfect exchange rates & fee-free ATM withdrawals abroad. Full eligibility in our First Direct review.

The easiest to get... Chase. It doesn't credit score, gives 1% cashback-ish & has perfect rates abroad. The Chase* bank account only does an ID check, not a credit check, and you can get it on top of your normal bank account, you don't need to switch. Till now it'd been our top pick, but on Mon 7 Apr it reduces its offer (we've written the above as if that's happened, as by the time your new card arrives it will have).

Yet if others aren't available to you (eg, you've a weaker credit profile), it's still worth having. It pays 1% cashback (max £15/mth), usually within days, but from next Mon, this'll only be on groceries, transport & fuel. And while it'll still give you near-perfect exchange rates abroad, it's stopping cashback overseas too. See our full Chase reducing rewards news.

Santander Edge banking customer? Top card if you'll pay a fee. Its debit card gives near-perfect rates abroad plus cashback on bills (for a £3/mth fee), plus you CAN pay a further £3/mth to get its Santander Edge Credit Card*, which pays a year's 2% spending cashback. See our Santander Edge current account review.

When Martin says pay off IN FULL, he means IN FULL, not nearly in full. This is his catchphrase for a reason. With £1,000 spending debt on a credit card, if you clear the whole lot in a month, there's no interest. Yet pay off £999.99, and you usually pay interest on the whole £1,000, not just the 1p left.

Energy Price Cap up 6.4% TODAY.

New cheapest energy fix is 13.4% less, no rises guaranteed for 14mths.

Two-thirds of homes in Eng, Scot & Wales will see bills rise 6.4% today, yet for many on the ~~Price~~ Pants Cap, it's avoidable if you act. This new E.on 14mth fix allows switchers & existing E.on customers to get it, and switchers can get it cheaper via our Cheap Energy Club comparison than they can by going direct, as we can give £20 dual-fuel (£10 elec-only) cashback - when including that, it's the cheapest fix on average. Smart meters aren't required, but paying by Direct Debit is, and it has £50/fuel early exit fees. How it stacks up for you depends on region & usage, which is why you should do it via a full comparison.

30% off code for glasses & prescription sunnies, includes Gucci, Prada.

MSE Blagged. Vision Express code

Martin:

A beginners' guide to how Income Tax works. With the new tax year just days away, watch this quick primer: Martin Lewis' guide to Income Tax. Related: MSE's Income Tax Calc.

Last chance. FREE £40 of shares if you invest £1.

2,500 left. If you've never opened a Trading 212 account before, you can open its stocks & shares ISA* using code MSE40 to get £40 shares in a randomly selected popular company, eg, Apple, Unilever or Barclays, if you deposit £1+. You can keep them & see how they do - it's a nice way to have shares at almost no cost - or sell them & the cash will be added to your account, though can't be withdrawn for 30 days. Note you'll need to have room in this year's £20,000 ISA allowance, so can't do it if that's maxed out. See full info on the £40 for £1 offer.

Last chance.

Had to work from home at the start of Covid-19, even for a day? Claim up to £140 tax relief. If you didn't claim then, you've till Sat to get a rebate for the 2020/21 tax year. See Covid working-from-home tax back help.

Water bills up an average 26% TODAY.

Are you NEWLY ELIGIBLE for a water social tariff? Some save £800/yr!

Until yesterday, 1.6m eligible people were missing out on water social tariffs. Now it's likely more as some suppliers have today increased how much you can earn and still qualify. See our water social tariff firm-by-firm eligibility list. It could slash your water bill by 90%, as our

success of the week from Jacqui shows: "An amazingly humongous, gigantically enormous thank you to the whole team! I'd been considering a water meter, but then read an article from Martin about water social tariffs. I followed the links and am now paying £6/mth, an annual saving of £836/yr. This is the biggest saving on anything I've ever known, so... THANK YOU!"

If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), send us your successes

Passport fees rise by up to £15 next Thu (10 Apr) - check NOW to renew and beat the hike.

There's still time to get the lower rate. See the cheapest way to renew.

What's happening with car finance mis-selling? The new court case is only half the story... The Supreme Court today (Tue) started its hearing into whether to uphold or overturn the Court of Appeal's surprise ruling that all car finance agreements with hidden commission were unlawful. Yet even if it overturns the decision, mis-selling payouts are still likely... full info in Car finance mis-selling news. Related: See our Car finance free reclaim tool & guide.

Off-peak eats: Discounts at Greggs, BK & more if you time it right.

See MSE Georgia-May's Off-peak eats blog.

New Martin podcast. 'Energy prices rise 6.4% today, so I ask Greg Jackson - boss of UK's biggest energy firm Octopus - about profits, prices, smart meters & if he really answers the emails to Greg@'. Plus I talk you through what you can do to bat off the rise. All in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast. Listen via BBC Sounds | Apple | Spotify or wherever you get your Martin fix.

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- 30% off specs & sunnies at Vision Express Ends 29 Jun

DID YOU MISS?

- Pssst! Wanna buy stolen goods on the cheap?
- TWO YEARS' 0% borrowing - longest since 2023
- Get an extra £30 cashback when spending £5+ online
- Martin: 'Billed for energy used 12mths+ ago? DON'T pay for it!'
- Up to 50% off toy sales

On SATURDAY the doors shut forever!
Martin: Age 40 to 73 and haven't checked if you can boost your current/future State Pension by £1,000s, £10,000s or even £100,000s (possibly for free)? Do it NOW!
Can't get through govt systems for help? Fill in quick 2min form to buy time

I've nagged you about this for years, and now this is it. After multiple extensions, this Saturday is the final deadline. It's your last chance to check whether you've National Insurance (NI) gaps from 2006 to 2018, and if so, whether plugging them will add huge amounts to your State Pension. This is the single most lucrative thing men born after 5 April 1951 and women born after 1 April 1953 can do right now.

If you took time off work, earnt a low income, lived abroad, were a carer, or didn't claim the right credits when looking after your children, you may be missing NI years. And that may mean you won't get the full new State Pension entitlement (currently £221.20/wk). If so,

some can recoup years for free, some from just £20 (for a part missing year). For those who need to pay for a full year, it costs the self-employed £180ish, employees £800ish. Each extra year usually boosts your annual pension by £330, currently meaning an inflation-proofed £6,000 extra for those living to typical life expectancy.

How to check if you're missing years & can boost your State Pension

(some can do it free, some can pay, all should check)

READ my can you boost your State Pension walk-through

LISTEN to my podcast easy-explainer and detailed Q&A

WATCH my step-by-step guide through it on my ITV show

How to beat the deadline if buying years looks worthwhile: If you need to call up for 1-on-1 help or as the online system doesn't let you do it, and you can't get through, fill in this 2min Gov.uk call-back 'for help' request form by Sat. Even if the call-back is weeks after the deadline, you'll still be allowed to buy the missing years.

Tracey's recent email shows just how big this can be: "Thank you so much for bringing this to my attention. I had 11 years of contributions already and I have now paid an additional 18 years of missing class 2 NI contributions, which cost me £2,968. This has increased my pension from £70/week to £183/week. I reckon this has given me an additional £5,916/yr. If I live 20 years, that's

an incredible £118,000

extra! Wow, unbelievable."

Two million people due to earn up to 18% more from TODAY (Tue) as minimum wage rises. Key checks to make sure you don't miss out in minimum wage.

Achoo! 180 hay fever tablets for £5.99. It's gettin' into sneezin' season, so see our Cheap hay fever meds guide.

Ends Thu.

£70 Eurostar returns (and an extra 5% off).

For travel 23 April to 9 July. Bon voyage

School payment provider Squid agrees to drop £10 refund fees.

Here's what you need to know...

FREE children's football sessions with FA-qualified coaches.

Book now for ages 5 to 11 at 1,600+ locations on selected dates until July. See how to register for free footy.

Have you had a flight upgrade in the last three years?

Many airlines now sell upgrades at the desk, so we want to know if the days of trying to sweet-talk staff to get one for free are a thing of the past. Please vote in this week's poll.

Tell your friends about us They can get this email free every week

AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: Tesco (check eligibility) 32mths 0%, 3.19% fee, 24.9% rep APR interest

No-fee 0%: Barclaycard (check eligibility) up to 14mths 0%, 24.9% rep APR interest

Free £175 + TOP service: First Direct 1st Account

Free £150 + £36/yr cashback:

NatWest Reward

Fast fibre (100Mb+): Sky '£20.67/mth'
Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Sky '£28.67/mth'

On Universal Credit or similar?

Check all discounted social tariffs

Car: Use our Compare+ Car Insurance tool

Home: Try our new Compare+ Home Insurance tool

£5,000 to £7,499: People's Choice (check eligibility), 7% rep APR interest (6.5% rep APR interest on £7,000 to £7,499)

£7,500 to £25,000: People's Choice (check eligibility), 5.8% rep APR interest

Highest easy-access cash ISA: Trading 212, 5.6%, min £1

Highest easy-access savings: Chip 4.76%, min £1

Highest one-year fix: DF Capital 4.7%, min £1,000

Use our whole-of-market

Cheap Energy Club

Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£2.83/mth' for 3GB
4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£3.05/mth' for 5GB
10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£3.10/mth' for 10GB
31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£3.42/mth' for 50GB

THIS WEEK'S POLL

Have you had a flight upgrade? Many airlines now sell upgrade capacity at the desk. So are the days of trying to sweet-talk check-in staff to get a free upgrade to premium economy, business or first class long gone? We want to know whether you've had an upgrade in the past three years and, if so, how you bagged it. Vote in this week's poll.

MSE NEWS

- Top story: Universal Credit and disability benefits shake-up confirmed by Chancellor
- Energy smart meter gone 'dumb'? You may soon be due compensation
- Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland to close 254 branches in 2025/26 - full list plus alternatives

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should I stop sending birthday cards and money to my brother's ungrateful children? I don't have children, but my brother has three. I send birthday cards with money in for the children every year. I very rarely get a 'thank you' from any of them and I'm lucky if I get a birthday card from my brother, while my partner of 10 years never gets one. My partner doesn't mind and always says I should be the better person when I ask why I bother. Should I keep sending my brother's children cards and money even though they don't thank me? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I stop sending birthday money to my brother's kids? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

- Win a family bundle of Easter eggs
- Win a lamb cuddling experience
- Win an Easter Cotswolds getaway
- Win an egg filled with beauty products

- Win Easter theme park tickets
- Win a hamper of Easter chocolate
- Win £1,000 cash
- Win an Easter craft kit

MSE TEAM BLOG

- MSE Forum highlights: Childcare costs, cross-stitch and a Caribbean cruise

DEALS HUNTER BLOG

- FREE Ben & Jerry's ice cream scoops on Tuesday 8 April

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 1 APR ONWARDS)

Tue 1 Apr - Newsnight, BBC Two, 10.30pm

Thu 3 Apr - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm

Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com works We think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of this email and the site. We're a journalistic website, and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques - but can't promise to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong.

What you need to know

This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service.

We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips).

We often link to other websites, but can't be responsible for their content.

Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion.

Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, How This Site is Financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis.

More about MoneySavingExpert and Martin Lewis What is MoneySavingExpert.com?
Founded in February 2003, it is now the UK's biggest consumer help website, with more than 12 million users each month and about 8.5 million receiving this email. In September 2012 it became part of the MoneySupermarket Group PLC. Its focus is simple - saving cash and fighting for financial justice on anything and everything. The site has over 80 full-time staff, more than a third of whom are editorial - researching, analysing and writing to continually find ways to save money. More info: See About MSE.

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.

What do the links with an * mean? Any links with an * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference; the links don't impact the products at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to them. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it's still included in the same way. More info: See How This Site is Financed.

As we believe transparency is important, we're including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for content too:

Unaffiliated web-addresses for links in this email

postoffice.co.uk, trading212.com, skipton.co.uk, firstdirect.com, chase.co.uk, sandander.co.uk

Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Note

MONY Group Financial Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA FRN: 303190). MoneySavingExpert.com Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration Number: 8021764. Registered office: One Dean Street, London, W1D 3RB. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MONY Group Financial Limited.

To change your email or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.

MSE’s Money Tips Newsletters

MSE’s Money Tips Urgent 4.8% cash ISA, 13% cheaper energy fix, Age 40 to 73? Urgently get £10,000s more pension, 30%