It takes two... 14 MoneySaving tips for couples

- £1,200 tax break for two million couples
- Free £300 for switching bank
- Get 2for1 cinema & meals for a year for £1ish
- Full service breakdown cover £55/year for two

Whether you're love's young dream, married, living together, with or without kids, have swiped right with success or are even just good friends, when it comes to MoneySaving, it can pay to join forces. So we'll take the excuse of Valentine's Day to share our couples' MoneySaving tips - in the hope it's for richer (and not for poorer)...

1. Married or civil partnered? Check if you qualify for a tax break worth up to £1,220. More than two million eligible couples miss out on this easy way to save on their tax bill. The marriage tax allowance allows a non-taxpaying spouse to shift 10% of their annual tax-free allowance to their basic-rate (20%) taxpaying partner.
   
   It's worth £252 this year, plus you can claim back up to four tax years, as long as you were eligible during that time - backdating can net a cheque for an extra £970. Niaz applied and tweeted us: "Thanks to you, we're just over £1,000 richer because I applied to HMRC for marriage tax allowance."
   
   
2. Spend a romantic 10 minutes, er, switching bank accounts & make a FREE £300. A few banks PAY you up to £150 to switch to 'em - but if you've separate accounts, you can both do it and bag £300 between you. It's easy to do - just use the official switching service and it takes seven working days. Full info, including key eligibility criteria, is in Best bank accounts, but these are the big payers...
   
   - First Direct £150*, plus £250 0% overdraft and TOP service.
   - NatWest Reward £150* or RBS Reward £150*, plus £36/year cashback (£2/month fee).
   - Santander 123 Lite £140*, plus 1-3% cashback on bills (£2/month fee).
   - Nationwide FlexDirect £100, plus one-year 0% overdraft.
   - Virgin Money £100 experience voucher*, plus up to 5.02% interest.
   
   
3. £55/year full service car breakdown cover for you and your other half. Newbies who get MSE long-time top pick AutoAid's* full service policy (comes with home start and onward travel) can get it for £55.49/year after £6 auto-cashback, if the car's under 16 years old. It covers you and your spouse/partner, so long as you both live at the same address. Similar cover from the big breakdown companies is £150+/couple. See full info in Cheap breakdown cover.
   
   Pay for travel & mobile phone insurance too? See if a packaged account could be cheaper. 
   
   
4. Only pay for one Amazon Prime account between two. We're not saying you should get Amazon Prime, but if you have it, you can legitimately link your Amazon account with someone else in your household - and this works whether you're married, partners or just flatmates.
   
   
5. If you live with your partner but you're not married... seriously consider a cohabitation agreement. There's no such thing as common law partners in the UK legal system. While married/civil-partnered couples have certain rights, there's much less set in stone for those who are unmarried, even if you've lived together for years, have kids, a home, a car and a dog.
   
   If you split up, it can be a real nightmare, particularly if you own a property or other assets together. That's why it's best to formalise your relationship. It might not sound very romantic, but it may save a lot of stress and heartache later on if you sadly do break up. See cohabitation agreements.
   
   
6. Get 1/3 off train fares when Two (travel) Together. A Two Together Railcard gets 1/3 off most off-peak fares for two named adults when travelling together - so get one with your other half and you can cut the cost of your love train(s). It's usually £30 for a year, but we've a code that gets a digital Two Together Railcard for £20 - see Cheap train tickets. 
   
   
7. Combine your spending power and get 5% cashback for SIX months. Cashback credit cards pay you for spending, and the big payer is the Amex Platinum Everyday* (best to check eligibility chances first), which gives 5% cashback for the first three months (up to a max of £100) and up to 1% after. But couples can get six months at 5%. Here's how:
   
   You apply and make your partner your second cardholder, so you get the 5% cashback for the first three months. Then, just before your 5% ends, your partner applies, making you a second cardholder, and gets a further three months at 5% (though you must spend £3k+/year per card to get ANY cashback).
   
   However, DON'T use cashback as an excuse to spend more than you normally would, and ensure you set up a direct debit to repay IN FULL each month to avoid the 24.5% rep APR interest, which would wipe the gain. Full help and other reward cards are in Credit card rewards (APR examples).
   
   
8. When two become one... pay £1 for a YEAR'S 2for1 meals and 2for1 cinema tickets. A movie and a meal isn't always a cheap date, but the 2for1 meerkat trick gets you the restaurant discount from Sun to Thu and the flicks on Tue or Wed.
   
   
9. Buying a first home? Get TWO 25% boosts of up to £1,000/year. This is a no-brainer for anyone 18-39 planning to buy their first home. With a Lifetime ISA, the state adds 25% on top of what you save, which can mean a free £1,000/year. If you're in a couple, you can both save into a LISA and double the bonus. And even if one of you isn't a first-time buyer, the other can still do it.
   
   
10. If your partner's struggling with card debt, you can shift their debt to your 0% card. But should you? The ultimate way to cut the cost of existing credit or store card debt is a balance transfer. This is where you get a new card that pays off existing card(s) for you, so you owe it instead, but at 0%. It means more of your repayments clear the debt, rather than just covering the interest, so you're debt-free quicker, possibly saving £1,000s.
    
    But if your partner's credit score means they're struggling to get a new 0% card, and you have a good credit score, one solution is to apply for a 0% card and shift their debt to it.
    
    Yet this needs very careful consideration. Do this and it legally becomes YOUR debt to pay off, even if you split up. Never be forced or guilt-tripped into doing this if it doesn't feel right - IF IN DOUBT, DON'T.
    
    But if you're in a trusting relationship and happy to help them, here's how:
    
    Step 1: The person with the debt should use our Balance Transfer Eligibility Calculator - which shows the 0% cards they're likely to be accepted for, if any.
    
    Step 2: If they've limited eligibility, then some lenders allow you to shift your partner's debt to your card. So again, use the eligibility calculator to see what YOU may be accepted for, then look for these brands...
    
    Barclaycard, First Direct and HSBC have all confirmed they allow this. Santander and Virgin Money do too, but with both, your partner needs to be added as a second cardholder first, and may face a limited credit check. See Best balance transfers for the top-pick cards (APR examples).

11. Couples who share car insurance can often get cheaper cover. Adding your partner can slash car insurance costs - as long as they've a good driving record. This tip's useful when adding a responsible older driver if you're young, and can help partners cut costs too, as John emailed: "Got my renewal quote today - £368. Called insurance company and added my wife, the quote's now £303." Full info and loads more tips to slash costs in Cheap car insurance.
    
    
12. If marriage has a nice ring to it, buy your diamond engagement ring... with Tesco Clubcard points. You can swap your Tesco points for a voucher at jewellers Goldsmiths worth three times the value, so a £600 sparkler costs just £200 worth of points. Our Forumites have long used this trick to snap up wedding rings, earrings and even a diamond eternity ring. Full help in Boost Tesco vouchers.
    
    
13. You can both get up to £400 of travel, phone and breakdown insurance for £114 with a packaged bank account. Paying a monthly account fee can be a waste, yet done right - as a cheap way to buy insurance - it can be fruitful.
    
    Our top-pick packaged account for couples is Co-op Bank's Everyday Extra, as for £15/month (£180/year) you get worldwide travel insurance (up to age 79), plus smartphone insurance and UK and European breakdown cover - just add your partner as a joint account holder so they get the benefits too. A couple needing it all could pay up to £400/year separately.
    
    Full eligibility info and more options, including better family cover from Nationwide and Virgin Money, in Packaged bank accounts.
    
    
14. What's mine is yours? It can be better NOT to share credit histories. No matter how deep your relationship, always be mindful when applying for a joint mortgage, loan, bank account and some utility bills, as this creates a financial link between you. If one of you has a poor credit history, this can impact the other's ability to access credit - so consider keeping finances separate. See our Credit score tips guide.