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It's time to STOP PAYING TO PAY when you go abroad. There are many hidden charges, so most people overpay every time they spend. Yet it only takes a few minutes to sort it - whether for the coming half term, or more likely the rapidly approaching summer holiday - and get peace of mind you're getting the max bucks (or baht) for your bang...

1. The easy & cheapest way is play your cards right. Spend in a foreign currency on plastic and most banks add a 3%-ish fee - technically the 'non-sterling exchange fee' - to the near-perfect exchange rates they get. So £100 worth of euros/dollars etc costs £103.

Yet some top specialist overseas cards don't add this, so you get that day's same near-perfect, bureau-de-change-beating exchange rates the bank does. Our three current top picks all also give you cashback too - include that and you're usually getting better-than-perfect rates.

Our 3 top-pick overseas spending cards All give near-perfect exchange rates in every country
	Chase Mastercard* DEBIT card via app (no bank switch needed)	Halifax Clarity Mastercard CREDIT card	Barclaycard Rewards Visa CREDIT card
Cashback on spending?	✓ 1% back on up to £15/mth on almost all UK & overseas spends	✓ New. £20 on 1st overseas or UK spend (just buy a banana) within 90 days	✓ 0.25% on almost all overseas & UK spends
Can you get it without a credit check?	✓ Yes, just an ID check, so most can easily get it	No (eligibility calc shows odds of acceptance)	No (eligibility calc shows odds of acceptance)
Interest-free SPENDING?	✓ Yes (it's a debit card)	✓ Yes, if paid IN FULL monthly (avoid if not, as 24% rep APR)	✓ Yes, if paid IN FULL monthly (avoid if not, as 29% rep APR)
Fee-free ATM cash? (1)	✓ Yes, up to £1,500/MONTH	✓ Yes, up to £500/DAY	✓ Yes, up to £500/DAY
Interest-free ATM cash?	✓ Yes (it's a debit card)	No, 24% to 30% even if repaid in full, so best minimised.	✓ Yes, if paid IN FULL monthly (29% rep APR if not, so avoid)
Does it have Section 75 protection?	No, though has lesser chargeback protection	✓ Yes, full Section 75 protection	✓ Yes, full Section 75 protection
(1) These cards won't charge you, but individual ATMs may.

Not sure which to pick? A little more help...

Chase: easiest to get, best if used at home & abroad. Just grab the Chase app*, there's no credit check, and you needn't switch bank. To max the cashback benefit, use the card at home and abroad. Its main, relative drawbacks are a) lower cash withdrawal limits, though it's still enough for most, and b) no Section 75 protection, which counts if you are making important purchases on it.
Halifax is good if you only want it for abroad. The Halifax Clarity £20 cashback is a nice, quick, easy boost, and so it's useful if you just want to pop something in your overseas wallet and forget about it when at home. Of course, only do this if you pay off IN FULL each month though, as it's a credit card.

And it always charges cash-withdrawal interest, avoid that, and just pay for stuff on the card. Alternatively, if you want cash withdrawals and Section 75, Barclaycard comes into its own.

Are there other near-perfect rate cards? Yes, but the ones above are our top picks, mainly due to the cashback. However, if you've a First Direct 1st Account, Monzo, Nationwide (FlexOne, FlexPlus, FlexStudent, FlexGraduate), Santander (Edge, Edge Up, Zero), Starling, and some NatWest and Virgin Money credit cards, then you're doing pretty well anyway, so there's no urgent need to switch.

Imminent travel? Instant top card (even if already away) Apply for Chase* and you're often accepted within minutes, and can then instantly put its digital card in your Apple or Google Wallet and start paying with it. Martin's done programmes where he's stopped Brits abroad and showed them how to do it there and then to cut costs. The prepaid card Revolut (see below), also allows similar.

2. Switch bank to get FREE £175 & a top card abroad. The cards above can all be grabbed without changing your existing banking set-up. Yet two top bank accounts will pay you to switch, and give you a debit card with near-perfect exchange rates (& no ATM fees).

Santander Edge FREE £175, 7% savings, bills cashback. Our top pick is Santander Edge*, with it you pay a £3/mth fee and get:

- 1% cashback on most bills paid by Direct Debit (max £10/mth).
- 1% cashback on supermarket, fuel & train spend (max £10/mth).
Even after the fee, we estimate a typical home is £80 to £100/yr up.
- 7% variable interest on up to £4,000 easy-access savings.
See our Santander Edge briefing in last week's email.
First Direct FREE £175, top service, £250 0% overdraft. Top for service, and fee-free, First Direct's 1st Account comes with a 7% regular saver (max £300/mth in it) and a £250 0% overdraft for many.

3. Just want cash? Our TravelMoneyMax compares 15+ bureaux in seconds. If you want a little foreign cash in your pocket for safety before you go, or more as it helps you budget, then our TravelMoneyMax comparison tool quickly compares 15+ bureaux, factoring in all rates & costs to find your the best.

Here's what $1,000 costs in cash vs a big high-street name (rates correct Tue 21 May):

Cheapest for delivery (including delivery costs): £795
Cheapest for collection: £797
M&S... click & collect: £800, walk-up cash: £815
Post Office... click & collect: £808
Airport bureau de change walk-up cash: £953

Slash travel costs. Key MSE travel guides - Booking: Cheap flights \| Cheap hotels \| Cheap package holidays - Cheap insurance: Annual & single trip \| Over-65s \| Medical conditions - Others: Cheap car hire \| Cheap airport parking

4. 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). Better still, some of them offer near-perfect exchange rates on the day you spend. Here are our top picks...

Three 'free-ish' kids' cards with near-perfect exchange rates
Card	Who for?	Near-perfect exchange rates?
Hyperjar* pay £5 for delivery, but get a £5 Amazon voucher. Free to load if it's £10+ a time	6 to 17-yr-olds (parents must download free app)	✓ Yes on spending, but can't withdraw from ATMs
Nationwide FlexOne children's bank account (not prepaid - so 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	6 to 15-yr-olds, but parents must have or get a Starling current account	✓ Yes on spending, and fee-free ATM withdrawals

If you have the very popular, but paid-for, GoHenry* prepaid card, it also gives near-perfect exchange rates and fee-free ATM withdrawals. As does the free (but £5 delivery) Revolut <18* prepaid card, but only on weekdays (1% fee on weekends), and free ATM withdrawals up to £40/mth.

5. Want a card to lock in an exchange rate? All the cards we've discussed so far give you the rate on the day you spend. Yet some prepaid travel cards let you get currency at the rate on the day you load it up, thus locking it in. Then you use it when abroad with all spending at that rate.

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). For more options, see top overseas prepaid cards.

Of course, locking rates in can move against you too, and anyone who says they know what currency markets will do is telling porkies. So you could 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 (see points 1 & 2). 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.

If really nervous, ask yourself: "Would I be content with today's rate?" If the answer's yes, and your real fear is further rate falls making your holiday unaffordable, play safe and buy more now.

6. What should you say when they ask: "Do you want to pay in pounds?" These days, buy most things abroad and the store will pressure you to pay in pounds (as will overseas ATMs), but is it the right thing to do?

In short, the answer's NO. See Martin's 'Pay in pounds?' video & blog for full info, but the main reason is if you say yes, the overseas bank does the conversion and the rates are poor. Yet say pay in 'local currency', and it's your card doing the conversion, and especially if you've a specialist card, that means the rate is near-perfect.

7. 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. Over to Martin:

Martin: "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."

8. 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 with that card.

Similar is true for Chase card-holders using its card in the US.

9. Travelling outside the EU? Beware the debit card bad boys... 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 £6.65 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.

10. Is it cheaper to wait, and get cash at a bureau de change once I'm away? We're oft asked this, so here's Martin view...

"Personally if I need cash, I tend to use my specialist card to withdraw from an ATM as I arrive at the airport. 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.

"Though 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. Don't use a credit card to buy cash or load a prepaid card. 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.

12. Will withdrawing cash on a credit card abroad impact my credit rating? It's a question we get 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 a specialist card abroad can be the cheapest way to get cash - so it's not so bad, just don't overdo it, and pay it off in full. More details in credit card ATM withdrawals credit score impact info.

13. I'm going to... is it still OK to use a UK card? In most countries commonly visited by Brits, certainly in Europe and North America, you're fine to use a card for almost all spending, and if not, it's usually easy to find an ATM to get cash out of. Yet to find out if people have problems elsewhere, Martin asked for experiences on Twitter and Facebook (feel free to add your comments). If you're visiting a specific country, it's worth looking through for that, but the three we saw repeatedly reported were...

- In Japan, occasionally you 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, use cash.

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.

The Top Savings and Cash ISAs
Martin: 'Even big-name savings pay 5%! What do your accounts pay? Why not ditch & switch to up the rate'

I'm often met with reticence by some to switch savings even if they can earn far more. They tell me 'I'll just stick with my bank, I know it's safe'. I understand the impulse, after all saving is all about risk-free money. So today I want to show that even if you aren't comfortable with 'I've never heard of em' firms, many can still massively boost what they earn using big-name top savings. Check your savings rates today, owt below 4% isn't enough.

Unless you're locked in a fix, all you usually need do to is open a new account, withdraw from existing savings, and put the money in the new one! And if it's a big name that'll convince you to do that - go for it. Though, barring state-owned NS&I, where all your savings are protected (but sadly it isn't troubling today's best-buys), all UK institutions have the same £85,000 per person savings safety protection, so if you're putting away less, as long as it's UK-regulated (all below are) you're protected...

PS Normal savings usually out-pay cash ISAs (though not with easy-access today), so if you won't earn over your Personal Savings Allowance (eg, £1,000/yr interest for basic-rate taxpayers) go for the higher rate. If you will, start with cash ISAs.

Today's top savings Rates can change hourly, so if you click & the rate's changed, use the article links for the latest (more options there too).
	Top accounts	Top 'well-known name' accounts
Easy-access accounts: Simple bog-standard savings, where you can withdraw money whenever you want. Rates are variable, so they can drop (and may do if UK interest rates are cut), so worth monitoring every month or two.
Top normal savings	- Monument Bank 5.01%, min £25,000. So £5.01 interest a year per £100 saved. - Close Brothers 5%, min £10,000 ------------------- Santander 7% on up to £4,000*, but only if you have a Santander Edge current account	- Yorkshire Building Society 4.8%, min £1. So £4.80 interest a year per £100 saved.* - Tesco Bank 4.76% (min £1) - Post Office 4.75%* (min £1)
Top cash ISAs. Put up to £20,000 a year in, and the interest's never taxed.	- Plum (app) 5.17%, on new savings only, not transfers, min £100 (limited withdrawals). So £5.17 interest a year per £100 saved. - Charter Savings 4.97%, new savings & transfers from existing ISAs, min £5,000.	- Marcus by Goldman Sachs 4.75%, new savings only, no transfers, min £1. So £4.75 interest a year per £100 saved.* - Post Office 4.6% new savings & transfers from existing ISAs (min £100)
Fixed-rate accounts: Also called fixed-rate savings bonds. Here you lock your money away for a set time, without access, in return for a guaranteed (it can't drop), usually higher, rate of interest.
1yr fixed savings	- Habib Bank Zurich 5.21%, min £5,000. So £5.21 interest a year per £100 saved. - Close Brothers 5.16%, min £10,000	- MBNA (part of Lloyds Group) 5.05%, min £1,000. So £5.05 a year per £100 saved.* - Tesco Bank 4.91%*, min £2,000
1yr cash ISA fix. Put up to £20,000/yr in & the interest's never taxed. You can close it to withdraw early, but pay an interest penalty if you do.	- United Trust Bank 4.75%, min £5,000. So £4.75 interest a year per £100 saved. - Shawbrook Bank 4.74%, min £1,000.	- Virgin Money 4.61%, min £1. So £4.61 interest a year per £100 saved. - NatWest 4.6%*, min £1,000
2yr fixed savings	- DF Capital 5.07%, min £1,000. So £5.07 per £100 saved. - RCI Bank 5.05%*, min £1,000	- Tesco Bank 4.6%, min £2,000. So £4.60 interest a year per £100 saved.* - TSB 4.35%, min £1
2yr cash ISA fix. Put up to £20,000/yr in & the interest's never taxed. You can close it to withdraw early, but pay an interest penalty if you do.	- State Bank of India 4.65% branch/post only, min £1,000. So £4.65 interest a year per £100 saved. - OakNorth Bank 4.61%, min £1.	- TSB 4.35%, min £1. So £4.35 interest a year per £100 saved. - NatWest 4.2%*, min £1,000
PS We've only included firms you can access from most of UK. Occasionally local banks, BS or credit unions can pay more.

Some can boost interest further. Specialised accounts can pay even more if you qualify:

- 50% bonus for many on Universal Credit or Tax Credits. See Help to Save.
- 25% bonus for first-time buyers aged 18 to 39. See Top Lifetime ISAs.
- Earn up to 7% on smaller amounts if you save monthly. See Regular savings.
- Prefer to invest? Higher returns, but more risk. See Stocks & shares ISAs.

Free £4.25 Itsu noodle soup, free £2.20 pretzels, free £2 lentil crisps & more May coupons. See our list of 40+ supermarket coupons.

Reminder. Santander FREE £175 bank switch + 7% savings + 1% bills cashback + cheap travel spend. Full info on this new deal in last week's Santander FREE £175 briefing.

Already a Santander customer? Get 2% cashback credit card. Existing & new Santander customers can apply for its Edge credit card*, which pays an unbeatable 2% cashback for a year (1% after that) on almost all spending. There's a £3/mth fee (currently covered free for 6mths for some by £18 extra cashback) - so as long as you put £150 of normal spending on it, that's covered. The max £15 monthly cashback is achieved if you put £750/mth on it. Yet only do this if you'll pay off the card IN FULL each month to avoid the 29.8% rep APR interest. More info in our rewards credit card guide.

Ends Thu. £70 Eurostar returns (plus how to get an extra 5% off). For travel 4 June to 18 July. Le Economiser

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 for a one-off 3% fee, making it the cheapest long card - all accepted definitely get the full 0% period. There's also Barclaycard's up to 28mths 0%, but not all accepted get the full 0% length and its fee's a higher 3.45%. 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.

Barbour, Jasper Conran & Hackett prescription specs or sunnies £33 (normally £135). MSE Blagged. Via SpeckyFourEyes code.

New. 132Mb Virgin broadband ONLY '£21/mth'. Switchers in 60% of UK homes can get this Virgin 132Mb broadband-only (no line) deal for £26.50/mth plus an automatic £100 bill credit, equivalent to £21/mth over the 18mth contract. Find other deals: MSE broadband comparison.

It's predicted Ofgem'll announce a 7% July Price Cap fall on Fri - you can fix now for less. The assessment period for the July Price Cap is now over. Cornwall Insight is predicting it'll drop 7% when it's announced later this week. Though it currently suggests prices will rise after (a predicted 4% in Oct, and 1% in Jan). Yet you can currently fix and cut costs by up to 9% with tariffs from Ecotricity, EDF, British Gas & more, easily undercutting what's coming (if the predictions are right). Link goes via our Cheap Energy Club. Related: Should I fix? guide.

Martin's new podcast: The MoneyFesto - how to improve Britain. Frustrated about the way things work and why the rules sometimes don't make sense? Do give this a listen as Martin and policy guru Polly MacKenzie examine your clever suggestions to improve life for UK consumers, whether they'll happen & if not, why not? They include stop shrinkflation | carer's pay | term-time hols | tax back on commuting | cut tax for downsizing & more. All in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast. Listen via BBC Sounds | Spotify | Apple or wherever you like to get your podcast fix.

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- £33 designer specs or sunnies (normally £135) Ends 23 June

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Looking for a cheap mortgage deal?
Big lenders shaving down mortgage rates ahead of Wed's key inflation figures - could interest rates fall soon?

Within the last week, Barclays, HSBC and TSB cut the cost of their mortgages, some by as much as 0.4% points - though the cheapest fixes, at 4.60% for 2yrs or 4.31% for 5yrs, are still a chunk higher than in January. Yet there's a growing market consensus that the Bank of England (BoE) will soon cut interest rates for the first time in four years (they last changed in Aug 2023, but that was a rise) - though the big debate is which of the next two meetings it'll fall at, Jun or Aug.

Tomorrow (Wed) is a key day, as April's inflation figures are due out, and they include that month's 12% Energy Price Cap drop, so some predict CPI inflation may fall from its current 3.2% to, significantly, 2% - the target the Govt sets the BoE. If so, it'll likely hasten calls for interest rate cuts sooner. Plus, as fixed mortgages are set based on predicted future interest rates, these could creep down quicker. Don't get too excited though - if all goes well, brokers say they're hoping for 4%ish fixes by Dec.

Fix ending before December? Start the mortgage-switching prep NOW. Most times, your existing lender (and sometimes new lenders - see cheap fixes) will let you lock in a new deal up to six months ahead. So start early. This might sound counterintuitive, as rates may drop, but it's a protection against the possibility of future rises. Usually if things do get cheaper before the fix starts, you're free to ditch it. See lock in as insurance help.
On lender's standard variable rate (SVR)? Check if you can get a short-term cheap tracker. Some people are holding off doing anything in the hope rates will come down. Yet if you're doing that by sticking on your lender's SVR, which have an average rate of 8.18%, it's costly. Check if you can source a cheap tracker with no early exit penalties, factor in the fees and see if it'll be cheaper.
Ready to go mortgage hunting? Step-by-step help. Full info in our free 58-page PDF Remortgage guide, but in brief...

1. Dig out the details of your current mortgage. Find out the rate you currently pay, your monthly payments, the total you owe, if it's a fix or tracker, how long's left on the intro deal, how long's left in total, any early repayment charges and your loan-to-value (LTV) ratio (see LTV help).

2. Check what your current lender will offer ('product transfers'). These days, providers offer existing customers competitive rates to keep their custom, which can involve less paperwork and fewer fees. See Product transfer help.

3. Compare this with the best deals on the wider mortgage market. Our Mortgage comparison tool shows what's available from different lenders, so now after these first three steps you have a benchmark rate.

4. Use our range of calculators to make it easy to compare deals. A whole suite of calcs including Basic mortgage cost calculator | Compare two mortgages | Compare fixed-rate mortgages | Mortgage overpay calculator | Ditch your fix

5. Boost your chances of mortgage acceptance - brokers can really help too. Two factors dictate if a mortgage lender will accept you:

a) Affordability. They stress test if you can afford to repay, if interest rates rise. They often want to see your expenditure (so if it's tricky, go cold turkey on spending in the run up to applying). See Boost mortgage chances.
b) A credit score. A poor credit history can torpedo a remortgage application, so check your credit file (for free) to ensure no errors, minimise other credit applications, and pay down debts if you can. See Boost your credit score.

To really help, find a good mortgage broker - not only can they ease you through the process and advise you, they also have details of lenders' acceptance criteria, which aren't available to the public, which can mean they can help find a good rate that you'll be accepted for.

LIVE 3pm Thu. Would asking Martin a question make you appy? Now you can. An exclusive ask Martin anything Q&A via live video on the MSE App - download it free from Apple or Google Play & ensure notifications are on so we can tell you when it's started.

£30 M&S summer beauty bag (worth £161) if you spend £35. We gave you a heads-up on this 12-piece beauty set last week, but there's still stock available - go quick if you want it. M&S beauty bag

'I saved £412 on my home insurance.' Our success of the week comes from Ian: "Thank you for your guidance for cheap home insurance. My automatic renewal price had increased by over £400. I called, following a search of a comparison website, and was told that my insurer wouldn't price-match or negotiate any loyalty discount. But its renewal quote of £786 was bettered by another insurer to the value of £374. A wonderful saving." If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), please send us your successes.

£20 off a year's Disney+ via Uber One trick. Newbies to Uber's £60/yr subscription get 12mths' free Disney+ (normally £80). So it's a way to save on the popular streaming service, even if you don't want any of the other perks ('free' Uber Eats delivery etc). But remember to cancel as it'll auto-renew. See £20 off Disney+ trick.

Spotify user? Save up to £24/yr by ditching audiobooks. See cheaper plans for subscribers.

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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'
Superfast fibre (500Mb+): Vodafone '£28.21/mth'

On Universal Credit or similar? Check all discounted social tariffs

Top easy access: Monument 5.01%, min £25,000
Top one-year fix: Habib Bank Zurich UK 5.21%, min £5,000

Try our Compare+ Car Insurance tool

Cheapest for £5,000 to £7,499: Tesco Bank (check eligibility / apply*), 7.2% rep APR (for Clubcard holders)
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

£175 to switch + cashback: Santander Edge
£175 to switch + top service: First Direct

Up to 3GB data: Lebara, '£3.36/mth' for 3GB
4GB to 9GB data: Lebara, '£3.65/mth' for 5GB
10GB to 30GB data: Lebara, '£4.99/mth' for 15GB
31GB+ data: iD Mobile, '£5.34/mth' for 50GB

CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK

It's National Numeracy Day tomorrow (Wed) - how are your maths skills? Brushing up on your everyday numeracy skills can help you feel more confident about managing your money. To help you get started, the charity National Numeracy has a free online challenge to improve your numeracy. Try the National Numeracy Challenge.

THIS WEEK'S POLL

How do you normally pay for things when you're on holiday abroad? The summer holidays are rapidly approaching, with many making plans to head overseas. So this week, we want to know how you normally pay for things when you're abroad. Do you stick to cash, or prefer paying by card? Vote in this week's poll.

More than 90% of parents contribute to their children's university costs. Last week, we asked how much (if anything) you contribute(d) to your children's uni costs. More than 3,600 of you replied, with just 8% of parents saying they made no contributions. The majority paid towards their child's rent or through an allowance. Around 43% paid up to £300/mth, while 25% say they contributed between £400/mth and £600/mth. See the full poll results.

MSE NEWS

- Top story: Electric Ireland to stop supplying homes in Northern Ireland
- Tesco shopper? Check if you can earn up to £50 in bonus Clubcard points from this week
- Santander cuts rate on popular 5.2% easy-access savings account
- Shell Energy broadband customer? You'll soon be moved to TalkTalk

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should I contribute to my boyfriend's travel costs if we move further away from his work? I'm looking to buy or rent a house 15 miles nearer to where I work so I spend less time and money on commuting. But my boyfriend, who wants to move in with me as the contract on the flat he rents is ending, says he'll end up spending more time and money commuting as he'll be further from his work. He wants me to either move only half the distance or contribute towards his increased travel costs. Is that fair? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I contribute to my boyfriend's commuting costs? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs

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£1 Caffè Nero drink for Three customers (not free, still decent)

MSE TEAM BLOG

- MSE Forum highlights: Ants, acoustic fencing & affordable skincare

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 21 MAY ONWARDS)

Wed 22 May - Co-presenting Good Morning Britain, ITV1, 6am
Wed 22 May - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm

POLISHED KNOCKERS AND BEDS MADE FROM BOXES - HOW DO YOU MAKE YOUR HOME MORE SELLABLE?

That's all for this week, but before we go... MSE Forumites have been sharing tips for making their home look good for estate agents' photos and at viewings by potential buyers. As a starting point, several posters recommended decluttering - once yourself, then once with a blunt friend, or take your own preliminary snaps and look at them critically, as you'll spot things you wouldn't notice with the naked eye. Some suggest removing family photos, while others recommend plain bedding - if you don't have it, a cheap eiderdown will do. And while the focus is often on the interior, one poster urged sellers not to forget the kerbside appeal, with door knockers shined, and freshly-potted flowers to welcome prospective buyers. One Forumite got so many questions about whether a bed would fit in a small room they ended up making one from boxes with a cover over them to help. But don't work too hard - one Forumite was so impressed by the professional snaps of their own home taken on a sunny day they almost changed their minds about moving! Share your suggestions in our Tips for staging house MSE Forum thread.

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