MSE’s Money Tips 4.75% savings, Council Tax to be fixed?, cheapest € and $, hot Pixel 9a deal, ignore 'sorry it's out

Summer's fast approaching and with many heading abroad, now's the time to ensure you're getting the max bucks (or baht) for your bang. This is especially important as there are so many rip-offs to avoid, so here are our top tips to STOP PAYING TO PAY when you're overseas...

1. Plastic is usually the cheapest way to spend abroad, but which type? Spend on your plastic abroad and banks get a virtually-perfect exchange rate, but most then charge us an up to 3%-ish non-sterling exchange fee on top, so £100 worth of euros costs you £103. The top specialist cards don't do that, so you get the same near-perfect exchange rates as they do...

- Top credit cards: Pay cashback on top & give extra protection.
- Top debit cards: Two choices here, either an easy-to-get card or free £175+ if you'll switch bank.
- Top prepaid cards: You can opt to get the rate on the day you load up rather than when you spend, letting you lock in a rate if you choose.
- Top cards for under-18s abroad: Gives them some independence.
- Top cash rate: Rates not as good, but some prefer notes anyway.

2. TOP OVERSEAS CREDIT CARDS: Perfect exchange rates, added cashback and extra protection. See top overseas credit cards for full details, but here's a summary. All cards do a hard credit-check to see if they'll accept you. Links go via our eligibility calc, so you can see before applying.

Top-pick overseas spending credit cards All give near-perfect on-the-day exchange rates in every country
	Barclaycard Rewards Visa Winner for most as cashback & no ATM fee.	New. MBNA Cashback Visa Long-term guarantee, but ATM fees.	New. Virgin Everyday Cashback Mastercard Max cashback for THIS summer, but ATM fees.
Cashback on spending abroad?	✓ 0.5% on almost all overseas & UK spend till 30 Nov (0.25% after).	✓ 0.25% on almost all overseas & UK spend for 3yrs.	✓ 1% (max £15/mth) on almost all overseas & UK spend for 3mths (0.25% after).
Fee-free SPENDING?	✓ Yes	✓ Yes, for 3yrs (2.95% fee after).	✓ Yes
Interest-free SPENDING?	✓ Yes, if paid IN FULL monthly (avoid if not, as 29% rep APR interest).	✓ Yes, if paid IN FULL monthly (avoid if not, as 13% rep APR interest).	✓ Yes, if paid IN FULL monthly (avoid if not, as 25% rep APR interest).
Fee-free ATM CASH? (ATMs may charge)	✓ Yes, up to £500/day.	❌ No, 5% fee, so avoid.	❌ No, 5% fee, so avoid.
Interest-free ATM CASH?	✓ Yes, if paid IN FULL monthly (avoid if not, as 29% rep APR interest).	❌ No, even if paid IN FULL monthly (avoid, as 13% rep APR interest).	❌ No, even if paid IN FULL monthly (avoid, as 25% rep APR interest).
Section 75 protection?	✓ Yes, by law all credit cards have full Section 75 protection (UK & abroad). If something costs £100 to £30,000, the card firm's jointly liable with the retailer for problems. Valuable extra protection unique to credit cards.

Which is YOUR winner? Barclaycard is the safest option for most, as it's no-fee however you use it, provided you clear the card IN FULL every month to avoid interest. The others are only good if you just use them to pay abroad, not to withdraw cash, as they charge hefty ATM fees if you do.

If ATM withdrawals are irrelevant, Virgin's a winner for this summer due to its 1% cashback, while MBNA's the only one that guarantees to give cashback and no exchange-rate fee for the longer term (the others may, there's just no guarantee). So the choice is yours.

3. TOP EASY-TO-GET OVERSEAS DEBIT CARD: No hard credit-check, and no need to switch bank. With the Chase* debit card, there's only a soft credit-check (so almost everyone gets it and it doesn't mark your credit file), and you can just open its app-based current account alongside your existing current account, so there's no need to change your banking setup (see full Chase account review).

- It has the same near-perfect exchange rates as the credit cards above.
- There are no ATM withdrawal fees (or interest).
- It no longer pays cashback overseas (it used to, now it offers 1% back on UK groceries, transport & fuel).
- Newbies can also get its top-paying 5% easy-access saver on up to £3m (see top savings).

4. TOP 'GET PAID TO SWITCH' OVERSEAS DEBIT CARDS: Free £175+. While all the top overseas cards above are easy to get without changing the rest of your financial setup, with these top bank account deals, you'll need to switch bank account (at least, you will if you want the free cash). Still, as you'll be paid to do it, it's an easy way to add to your holiday coffers. With both of these deals, their debit cards...

- Have the same near-perfect exchange rates as the cards above.
- Have no ATM withdrawals fees (or interest, unless you're overdrawn).
- Won't pay spending cashback (but do give it for switching).

Top overall First Direct FREE £175 + top service + £250 0% overdraft + 7% regular saver. The First Direct 1st Account's* been near-top of every customer service poll we've ever run, with currently a 92% 'great' rating. It also has a £250 0% overdraft for many, and a linked 7% regular savings account you can put up to £300/mth in. See our First Direct review for full help & eligibility info.
Top for bills Santander Edge FREE £180 + 1% bills cashback (£3/mth fee) + 6% easy-access savings (max £4,000). Santander Edge* charges a £3/mth fee, but for most that's easily outweighed by the 1% cashback it pays on household bills you pay from it by Direct Debit, including energy, Council Tax, broadband, TV, mobile & water bills (max £10/mth). You also get a linked 6% easy-access saver for up to £4,000. See our Santander review for full help & eligibility info.

Got a Santander bank account? For a further £3/mth, you can get a Santander Edge credit card*, which has perfect exchange rates and pays a big 2% cashback on most overseas & UK spend in the first year (1% after). So spend over £150/mth on it and you're up (do pay off IN FULL to avoid the 30% rep APR interest). Don't withdraw cash on it though, there's an ATM fee.

5. CHEAPEST FOREIGN CASH: Speedily compare 15+ bureaux. While the top plastic beats it, if you just want a little foreign cash in your pocket for safety before you go (or you're going to a country with less card acceptance), or if it helps you budget, then our TravelMoneyMax comparison tool quickly compares 15+ bureaux, factoring in all rates & costs to find your best.

Eg, on Monday it showed the cheapest place for $1,000 cost £755 all in, compared to leaving it to the airport, where it'd likely be close to £900.

6. TOP OVERSEAS PREPAID CARD: If you want to lock in an exchange rate. All the cards so far give you the rate at the time you spend. Yet some top prepaid travel cards let you get the rate at the time you load money up on the card, thus locking it in.

The cheapest is Revolut* (£5 card delivery fee). It gives near-perfect rates Mon to Fri on up to £1,000/mth (1% fee on weekends or £1,000+). The first five ATM withdrawals are free each month (up to £200), then there's a 2% fee after (min £1).

Of course, locking rates in can move against you too, and anyone who says they know what currency markets will do is telling porkies. Yet locking in is helpful for those scared the rate will move against, so ask yourself: "Would I be content with today's rate?" If yes, and your real fear is rate falls making your holiday unaffordable, play safe and buy now.

Or hedge bets and buy half your spending money now at the best rate, and the rest at the best rate on the day you spend. This means...

- If the rate gets worse, you've locked in half at the better rate.
- If the rate gets better, half your money is at the improved rate.

For all the cards we've loved before... You can't beat a bit of Julio Iglesias (search if this draws a blank). The cards we've listed are our top picks that generally beat other specialist cards due to cashback / perks / ease, but it's marginal. If you've another card, many needn't bother switching. Let's give some honourable mentions: Club Lloyds, Halifax Clarity, Monzo, some Nationwide debit cards, some NatWest credit cards and Starling. Full options in Top overseas cards.

7. TOP CHILDREN'S / UNDER-18S' OVERSEAS CARDS. With fewer using cash to spend abroad, it's tougher to give children spending money, so top kids' overseas prepaid cards let you or them load up money to spend (many also let you set spending limits and monitor via apps too).

'Free-ish' kids' cards with near-perfect exchange rates
Card	Who for?	Near-perfect exchange rates?
HyperJar* 'free' prepaid card (£5 card delivery fee). There can be small fees if you top up over 10x a month, or below £10.	6 to 17-yr-olds (parents must download free app)	✓ Yes on spending, but can't withdraw from ATMs
Nationwide FlexOne debit card, as part of a children's bank account (no monitoring facilities)	11 to 17-yr-olds (under-13s must apply in-branch with a parent)	✓ Yes on spending, and fee-free ATM withdrawals
Starling Kite free prepaid card (but parents must have or get a Starling current account)	6 to 15-yr-olds	✓ Yes on spending, and fee-free ATM withdrawals

As a note, the popular, but paid-for, GoHenry* prepaid card also gives near-perfect exchange rates and fee-free ATM withdrawals, plus apply via our link using code AFFMSE25 and you'll get £5 cashback, and the £3.99 monthly fee will be waived in the first two months.

Alternatively, if you're a Revolut customer, then your child can get the free (but £5 delivery) Revolut <18* prepaid card, which also gives near-perfect exchange rates, but only up to £500/mth (0.5% fee above), and free ATM withdrawals up to £100/mth (2% fee above).

8. IF THEY ASK 'WANT TO PAY IN POUNDS OR EUROS?' Pay in the local currency. These days, buy things abroad or take cash out and the store or ATM will pressure you to pay in pounds. That's so they can ramp up the conversion cost and pocket extra profit. Just say non/nein/no! Full help in Martin's Pay in pounds? video & blog.

9. BEWARE OVERSEAS ATM CHARGES. Don't think they're all the same, and watch for scare tactics. It's becoming more common for the actual cash machine to charge you when abroad. There's no way around this, but don't assume all ATMs charge the same...

Martin: "A couple of years ago, I did a cash machine experiment when I was filming abroad (ah, the glamour - some are sent to Cannes, others the Oscars, I do an ATM crawl), and as part of it, often found ATMs within 200m of each other with withdrawal fees ranging from €2 to €7.

"While the €7 fee machines did sometimes offer better exchange rates, that's irrelevant, as you should SAY NO to the foreign bank doing the conversion - you want your UK card to do it (especially if you've a specialist card).

"Foreign ATMs don't like that. They'll push and try to scare you to let them convert for you, with an 'are you sure?', or 'are you really sure?' if you select the option they don't want (as they make less money). Yet still say no to currency conversion. Do that and the only thing that matters is the fee, so go for the cheapest one of those."

10. SHOULD I WAIT TO GET CASH ONCE I'M ABROAD? We're oft asked this, so here's Martin's view... "Personally, if I need cash, I tend to use my specialist overseas card to withdraw from an ATM as I arrive at the airport, and if you have one, that's what I'd do.

"Yet if we focus only on bureaux... in general, it's a safer bet to get cash beforehand, as you can research the very cheapest rates here (use TravelMoneyMax), but you're blind to what's out there, and especially in tourist resorts, you may find poor rates and limited competition.

"I'm not saying overseas bureaux can't undercut UK ones, but they'd need be very cheap to beat the UK's cheapest, and it'd be rare to randomly stumble on that. The exception is if you know of a specific super-cheap bureau, for example, you go to the same place every year. Then absolutely, if you know what you're doing, wait."

11. LLOYDS, HALIFAX, BofS or TSB CUSTOMER? Beware if you travel outside the EU. Most debit cards add a 3%-ish load on the exchange rate, but a few ALSO add a charge on top each time (though it's free in the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway). So buy something for a fiver and you can pay £6.15 for it. These are the spending fees...

Bank of Scotland (50p) | Halifax (50p) | Lloyds (50p) | TSB (£1)

Check out your debit or credit card's charges. Use our card-by-card charges tool to find out.

Yet that's only on the more standard accounts. Those who pay a fee for their banking won't pay extra charges, eg, Club Lloyds, Lloyds Platinum, Lloyds Silver, Bank of Scotland Platinum or Halifax Ultimate Reward.

12. WITHDRAWING CASH ON A CREDIT CARD ABROAD? It could impact your credit rating. We get this question a lot, as we warn against credit card ATM withdrawals in the UK, as it risks high interest and many lenders see it as a debt-problem indicator. Yet if you only do it occasionally abroad on a specialist card, it's not a biggie, just don't overdo it and pay it off in full. More details in credit card ATM withdrawals credit score impact info. It's also worth noting that in a few countries, using a UK card can be a bit trickier...

- In Japan, you may need special ATMs to use international cards.
- In China, hotels take cards, but elsewhere Alipay is easier.
- In India, some shops & restaurants won't take international cards.

13. DON'T USE A CREDIT CARD TO BUY CASH OR LOAD A PREPAID CARD. You'll likely pay fees & interest. Most credit-card providers count these as a cash transaction - so charge withdrawal fees and interest. It's always better to use a debit card if you can. More info in don't buy travel cash with a credit card.

14. SANTANDER OR CHASE CARD-HOLDER? Check its ATMs. If you've a Santander debit or credit card, then as long as it's a good one for spending abroad, use its overseas ATMs in Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Uruguay or the USA and, even if the machine itself usually charges a withdrawal fee, it usually won't charge one with that card. Similar is true for Chase card-holders using its card in the USA.

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: Council Tax News (Eng)Finally we've a chance to fix some of the broken bits!Plus... THREE Council Tax cost-cutters:
1) Are you in the wrong band? You may be due £1,000s
2) Or missing a discount or reduction?
3) And are you due back credit?

I've a split message for you today. First, I want to update you on big likely changes to Council Tax, then it's on to the practical checks you can do right now - as MILLIONS of people are potentially overpaying. Let's start with the news. There's no doubt Council Tax is broken, but on Friday, we finally got an opportunity to FIX some bits of it - watch my Council Tax changes video explainer or read this box...

Council Tax - what's being looked at?
Big changes to nightmare debt collection, band challenging rules & SMI discount are possible

The Council Tax system is broken, and having called for some fixes for nearly 20 years, I'm glad the Government has listened. I met with the Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner on this in March, and everything I asked to be included is in the 'Council Tax Administration' (Eng) consultation launched on Friday. The 'administration' bit means it's about the finer print only, but still, done right it could improve things for millions. I'd strongly encourage you to feed into the consumer consultation (though it can be tricky). The more who push for change, the more chance it'll happen.

Stop overly rapid, aggressive, destructive Council Tax debt collection. Within 3wks of missing a monthly payment, many councils say you must pay for the whole year... ridiculous. If you can't afford a month, how can you afford a year? After a further 3wks, councils can send bailiffs in and rack up charges on charges. No commercial lender can behave anything close to this. It is a financial cataclysm that hurts millions.

Worse, it can add to councils' costs and is counterproductive - if people don't have the money, they can't pay it back. The Government listened to the evidence from the team at my charity (read the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute's 'so aggressive it'd make banks blush' findings), especially on the impact on mental health, and the consultation thankfully looks at slowing it down, adding in consideration, capping added costs, and pointing people towards help to pay.
End the '6mths to challenge your band' rule. Council Tax bands in Eng & Scot haven't been revalued since the stopgap drive-by valuations first done back in 1991 (see how to check & challenge your band), leaving huge numbers of errors. While sadly a full rebanding isn't in the consultation's scope, what is, is removing the requirement to do a formal challenge (the easy route) within 6mths of moving into a property, which is too early for many to realise the problem. The time limit should be replaced with a 'you can do it once per property' rule.
Make it simpler to claim the Severe Mental Impairment discount. We've long campaigned about the underclaimed, overcomplex, underpublicised, horribly-named Severe Mental Impairment (SMI) discount, which is for those with severe dementia, Parkinson's, strokes and more. The Welsh Govt embedded our improvements into standard practice across Wales back in April 2019. Now, this consultation proposes to change the name to Significant Cognitive Impairment, and is consulting to follow Wales and move towards a simpler, more universal, less off-putting application process. See claiming SMI help for more.
Other changes: 12 monthly payments, and improvements for carers & apprentices. The changes above were the ones I've pushed for. The Govt is also consulting on changing the default so you can spread repayments over 12 monthly instalments rather than the current 10 (you'll still be allowed to opt for 10 if you want), and on increasing the maximum income threshold for both carer and apprentice discounts.

Have your say on Council Tax via: Govt's Citizen Space
(It has a few pages of reading at the start, do persevere)

Millions are missing out on cutting their Council Tax bill. 3 cost-cutters

1) Is your property in the wrong Council Tax band? I developed my Council Tax check & challenge system back in 2007, and we've had 10,000s of successes since. If you are in too high a band, not only is your band lowered, you get a backdated refund, such as the one received by Trevor, who emailed a couple of weeks ago: "Following your programme on Council Tax, we received a refund of £8,871 for an incorrect banding going back 28 years." To check, in brief...

- Step 1. Compare your band with nearby similar homes. See the neighbours check.
- Step 2. Estimate your home's value in 1991. See the valuation check, including a free tool to help.
- Step 3. Only challenge if BOTH checks show your band may be too high. Just one check leaves a risk that it could be your neighbours are in too low a band - and theirs is upped. Follow our detailed how to challenge your band help.

2) Do you qualify for £100s of discounts? Many people miss out as they're not aware what's available. Jane, who emailed a few weeks ago, was in this boat: "I live with my adult son and we both care for each other in different ways, so we BOTH got 25% carer's reduction, slashing our bill by 50%. Little did I know, until recently, that because I use a wheelchair indoors, I qualify for a reduction that's dropped my band from D to C. So I've saved about £1,250 a year. Thanks for your continuing help." Our full Council Tax discounts guide takes you through it, but the main ones are...

- Live alone, or only with under-18s or full-time students? You may be due a 25% discount.
- Is everyone in your household a full-time student? Then there's no Council Tax to pay.
- Have a live-in carer? See if you could cut your bill by 50%.
- On Universal Credit / benefits / a lower income? Some can get reductions of up to 100%.
- Receiving Pension Credit? Many are due a 100% reduction. See Pension Credit and Council Tax.
- Adapted your property for someone with a disability? You could drop a Council Tax band.
- Have or live with someone with a Severe Mental Impairment? Eg, Alzheimer's, severe Parkinson's or a stroke. If so, and you're eligible for benefits such as Personal Independence Payment or Attendance Allowance, you may be due a discount. Julie wrote to me back in March to say: "I can't thank you enough for the amazing advice on your show. I filled in the SMI forms for my brother who had a brain tumour and now not only does he never have to pay Council Tax ever again, he received a refund of over £2,000." See full Severe Mental Impairment Council Tax help.

3) Moved home since 1993? You might be owed £100+. Council Tax is paid in advance, so often you'll be in credit when you move, and you're entitled to that money back. Our investigation found local authorities across Britain were sitting on £141m in overpaid Council Tax, from 808,000 households. You're MOST likely owed if you've moved out of a council area since 1993 and weren't paying by Direct Debit. If so, check our Council Tax overpayments guide.

New. Top easy-access savings pays 4.75%. App-based bank Atom's 4.75%* AER variable (max £100,000) is the top easy-access savings account, yet while you can take money out when you want, it's best not to do so often as the rate drops to 2.5% in any month you do. But it's beatable for those who haven't used this tax year's cash ISA as Trading 212's 4.92% cash ISA* (max £20,000) has a higher rate (4.1% variable + 1yr 0.82% newbie bonus). Full info: Top savings.

Martin. 'House offer accepted, then they wanted £20,000 more! What should I do?' Martin was stopped in the street last week and asked this. It's had millions of views, so watch Martin's answer - do you agree?

New. Google's latest Pixel 9a mobile & 500GB/mth data £16/mth. £100 cheaper than buying the phone alone. Newbies to iD Mobile (uses Three's signal) can currently get Google's latest mid-range Pixel 9a (128GB) handset with unlimited UK mins, calls & a whopping 500GB/mth data for £49 upfront. It's then £14.99/mth (rising to £16.49/mth from April '26 and £17.99/mth from April '27). Plus, you'll be emailed a £50 Currys voucher, so factor all that in and it's equivalent to £386 (£16/mth) over the 2yr contract - Google sells the handset alone for £499. Want other options? See Cheap Mobile Finder.

Bank with Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland? You may get a new overdraft rate. These banks are cutting rates for millions - but say others will pay more, up to a hideous 50% interest. See Lloyds overdraft news.

Ends Sun. 30% off prescription (sun)glasses, eg, Gucci, Prada. MSE Blagged. Vision Express code

Balance transfer competition hots up... shift debt to INTEREST FREE till Apr 2028. A 0% balance transfer's where you get a new card that pays off old cards for you, so you owe it instead, but interest-free for a set period. Overall longest: NatWest's up to 34mths 0% (3.49% fee). New this week: MBNA's up to 33mth 0% (2.99% fee) - slightly shorter but a lower one-off fee. Top definite-length 0%: With both those cards some accepted applicants may get a shorter 0%, yet with Tesco's 33mth 0% (3.19% fee) & Barclaycard's 33mths 0% (3.45% fee), all accepted get the full 0% period. So if you're not pre-approved for the others in our eligibility calc and have decent odds of one of these, they're safer. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly min & clear the card before the 0% ends, or it jumps to 24.9% rep APR interest. Full help in top balance transfers.

£450 Shark robot vacuum £280 with code. MSE Blagged. Yes, we're slightly surprised to be doing this too... this 'PowerDetect Self-Empty Robot Vacuum' does the hoovering for you. As we've blagged it far cheaper than it normally is, we thought we'd dip our toe in the water and see whether it's something enough people have on their shopping lists (don't just do it on impulse). 1,000 available. Save a lot on a robot

Martin: 'Hidden MoneySaving magic - one text that may get your mobile provider to cut your price.' Watch Martin's 60-sec video as an introduction to his full easy-speedy, step-by-step help to cut your mobile costs, in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast (listen on BBC Sounds | Apple Podcasts | Spotify & elsewhere). If you pay over £6/mth for your mobile, do give it a listen. Also in the pod: Does the Middle East crisis mean it's time to fix your energy bill? | If you buy something and the price is reduced the next day, what are your rights?

Ends Wed. 132Mb Virgin broadband under '£20/mth'. Until 11.59pm tomorrow (Wed), switchers in 60% of UK homes can get this 132Mb Virgin broadband-only (no phone line) deal for £23.99/mth (rising to £27.49/mth in April '26). However, it comes with an automatic £110 bill credit - the largest we've seen - meaning you pay £354 over the 18mth contract - averaging £19.63/mth. Want other options? Use our full broadband comparison.

Premium Bond prize rate to FALL to 3.6% (from 3.8%) in Aug. Are they worth it? See Premium Bond analysis.

50% off PGL kids' adventure camps, eg, four-night activity holiday £215 (usually £429). MSE Blagged. Plus you can use it with the Tax-Free Childcare scheme. For ages 8 to 16. 1,000 available. Full info: PGL code.

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- £450 Shark robot vacuum £280 with code 1,000 available
- Vision Express 30% off code Ends Sunday
- 50% off PGL kids' adventure camps code 1,000 places available

DID YOU MISS?

- Mastercard compensation likely to be delayed by months
- £104 of No7 beauty & skincare for £35 - how to get early access
- Reclaim lost pensions for FREE
- Travel in London often? A railcard could save you £100s
- 100 days' free access to over a million audiobooks & e-books

Martin: Faulty tech? Don't be fobbed off by 'sorry, you're out of warranty'. I say... warranty, schmarranty!
'Ta, I got a £150 Garmin watch replacement, even though it was out of warranty'

I feel that big tech firms, whether Apple, Samsung or the rest, sometimes take the mickey out of our consumer rights. Perhaps some global returns policy big boss dictates how staff should reply worldwide, ignoring the fact that, in the UK, you have STATUTORY (ie, legal) RIGHTS with the retailer that outweigh any firm's policy. And never is it worse than when you've a warranty. Clare sent us this email last month...

To: successes@moneysavingexpert.com
From: Clare
Date: May 2025

"Hi Martin and team,

"Thanks to my partner's suggestion and your helpful warranty page, I've managed to get Garmin to send me a free replacement watch. My watch was 2 years & 1 month old, suitable for swimming and yet it stopped working immediately after I took it for a swim. I emailed and said I was unhappy, asked what they could do and they responded with: 'Sorry, you're out of warranty - here's a link to buy a replacement for £142.50.'

"I drafted a response mentioning statutory rights and the Consumer Rights Act 2015... and they have responded with: 'We have reviewed the situation further, and will offer you a free replacement as a gesture of goodwill.'

"Thanks so much Martin and team! Big help!"

A warranty is just a contractual promise between you and a manufacturer (or retailer). Warranties are common for tech products and white goods such as washing machines, likely because the firms want you to register on their database to activate them. This doesn't mean warranties are bad, they're often an easy way to sort issues if things go wrong, and they may cover service issues, tech updates or product recalls that statutory rights don't. Just don't let firms persuade you they're the be all and end all - you also have UK statutory consumer rights, which are more important.
Know your statutory rights, it can save you time & money. Buy something - anything, not just tech - online or in-store, and by law if it's faulty you've a right to return it to the retailer for a full refund within 30 days, or for a repair, replacement or partial refund. To count as faulty, it must break what I call the SAD FART rule:
The big question in this case is... what counts as a reasonable length of time? Technically, to count as faulty, when you buy something it must've been built so it doesn't last a reasonable length of time. So, if you break it, or damage it, or use it in an unintended way, that doesn't count (this is often a source of dispute). Yet with much tech, if you've done nowt wrong and it just stops working, I'd argue it's a fault, depending on when.

So, what's reasonable? It used to be 'what a typical person on the Clapham omnibus' would say was reasonable. Maybe now it should be 'what a typical person who mutes themselves on Zoom when others are speaking' would say was reasonable. Either way, let me give you a couple of scenarios to give you an idea...

- If I bought a 20p plastic whistle and, after much use, it broke after six months.
- If I bought a £1,400 phone and, after normal daily use, it stopped working after 25 months.

There's no hard answer, but in my view, the first lasted a reasonable time, the second didn't. So even if it was out of warranty, I'd want it repaired or replaced. See how to enforce your consumer rights for more.
Remember, your statutory rights are always with the retailer (the store), not manufacturer. If you think an item's faulty and the store says 'you must go to the manufacturer', they're talking balderdash, baloney, and another 'b' word I can think of. Your legal rights are with the firm you paid.

This is where it gets confusing with some big tech firms, as the store & manufacturer are the same company, so they answer as 'manufacturer' about warranty, and miss their 'retailer' obligation. PS: For proof anyone can get it wrong, read my embarrassing consumer rights confession blog from 2011.

And that's just the beginning of what you should know. Do spend a few minutes going through...

You've MORE rights when you buy online | How quick must you return items online? | Protect yourself by spending a penny on a credit card | Used goods rights

Pay for your energy by monthly Direct Debit? It's METER READING WEEK. The Energy Price Cap falls 7% on 1 July. If you haven't got a working smart meter, aim to give an up-to-date meter reading within a few days either side of this date, reducing the risk that your supplier estimates that you've used more at the old higher rate than you have. See firm-by-firm when & how to do a reading. Got a non-smart elec prepay meter? Wait to top up. The meter's told of the price change at top-up, so topping up on or after 1 July means you pay the new cheaper rate. See prepay top-up trick.

From Sun. £5 full school uniform set at Aldi - go quick! In stores only, and it usually sells out fast. Also in Lidl from early July. Plus 20% off uniforms at George Asda this week too. See more ways to save on school uniform.

'Free' football day camps for kids aged 5 to 15. Via promotional packs of Kellogg's cereal (normally £2 to £4). A cereal-ously good deal

Update. Got an old Economy 7 or multi-rate electricity meter? The switch-off's delayed, but still get a new one ASAP. The 'Radio Teleswitch Service' (RTS), which allows some older (non-smart) multi-rate electricity meters to function properly, was due to be switched off nationwide at the end of this month. But it will now be a phased, area-by-area switch-off from 30 June. If you've got one (⁠see how to check whether you've got an RTS meter), don't wait to be contacted - as leave it too late and it could mean your heating and hot water won't function properly, or you'll get incorrect bills once it's turned off in your area. To stop this, you'll need a new meter. See Replace your old 'RTS' meter NOW for full info.

Over 2.3 million have now downloaded the MSE App - try it today. It's the MSE site in app-form, plus MoneySaving alerts, easy Credit Club & Energy Club access, bill-tracking and more. Download free for Apple or Android.

Want an MSE Charity grant? Applications open next week. Know a non-profit group that could benefit from a cash boost? Our charity's summer funding round will be open for a week, starting 2 July, offering grants of up to £10,000 to organisations that help people to improve their money skills. Check whether your group qualifies and see how to apply.

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MSE NEWS

- Top story: Warm Home Discount expansion confirmed - more will get extra £150 energy help
- Base rate held at 4.25% - what it means for you
- Energy complaints to be dealt with more quickly under new plans

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should we change the way we split holiday costs now my partner has passed away? My partner passed away last year. Before then, we regularly went away with friends and would split the cost of the holiday between us - for example, if a holiday home rental cost £500, we would split it £250 per couple. My friends and I are now looking at going away this year, but I'll be going solo. Am I being unreasonable in thinking we should now split the cost per person? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should we change the way we split holiday costs? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

MSE TEAM BLOG

- MSE Forum highlights: Fishing, flight snacks & flogging books

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 24 JUN ONWARDS)

Wed 25 Jun - Good Morning Britain, co-presenting, ITV1, 6am
Thu 26 Jun - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, noon
Tue 1 Jul - This Morning, phone-in, morning view and special item, ITV1, 10.00am

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