Plus... Is solar worth it?, Easyjet hike, £330 beauty £60, Eurostar £68rtn, free Santa letter | | | Cheapest fibre broadband we've ever seen - '£14/month' (incl line rent) or superfast '£15/month'
Can you save over £300/year? How much do you pay for broadband? Add it up including the landline rental. The nine million people out of contract typically pay £45/month - that's £540 a year. And most can get it faster - at half the cost - but to do that, you need to pounce on short-lived promotions. These promos are rarely available direct from broadband firms, as that'd cannibalise their existing business. Instead, they put them on comparison sites. There may also be some of you waiting for Black Friday, but each year we monitor prices and the deals then aren't usually any cheaper than now, a fortnight before. And until this Thursday, the cheapest fibre deal we've seen in the four years since we've tracked prices is on (and we doubt there was cheaper before). So our suspicion - no promises, we don't have a crystal ball - is this is the moment to pounce. There are full deals for your location in our broadband comparison tool, but here's a brief rundown of the top newbies' deals (you can't have been a customer within a year), followed by key tips. TOP NEWBIES' BROADBAND & LINE DEALS
Postcode dependent - links go via our broadband tool to check | | Deal & equiv cost (1) | How good is the deal? | Ends Wed 1 Dec
Plusnet broadband & line
10Mb (standard) ADSL '£11.74/mth'
MSE Blagged
Service rating: 6.2/10 (good)
| The cheapest broadband deal. Apply via this Plusnet link and you pay £17.99/mth on a year-long contract. You AUTOMATICALLY get £75 to spend on a prepaid Mastercard within 45 days - factor that in, and it's equivalent to £11.74/mth.
The contract allows for an annual 3% over inflation price rise. So in a year it may be about £1/mth more (2). | Ends 11.59pm Thu
Vodafone broadband & line
38Mb fibre (fast) '£14.08/mth'
or
67Mb fibre (superfast) '£15.08/mth'
Service rating: 4.7/10 (OK) | Cheapest fibre we've EVER SEEN. You pay Vodafone £19.49/mth for 38Mb fast fibre or £1/mth more for 67Mb superfast fibre . It's a two-year contract and lets you CLAIM (don't forget) a £130 Amazon, Tesco or M&S voucher. If you'd have spent there anyway, factor that in and they're equivalent to £14.08/mth or £15.08/mth.
The contract allows for an annual 3.9% over inflation price rise. So in two years it may be £2.50/mth higher (2). | Ends Tue 30 Nov
Virgin Media broadband-only (no line)
108Mb fibre (megafast) '£19.84/mth'
Service rating: 3/10 (poor) | Cheapest megafast fibre broadband-ONLY deal (no phone line). Apply via this Virgin Media link and you pay £24/mth over the 18-month contract. You can CLAIM (don't forget) a £75 Amazon voucher. If you'd spend that anyway, factor it in and it's equivalent to £19.84/mth.
Thankfully there's no 'price rise' clause in the contract. So if it does increase prices you can leave penalty-free. | The bar is not high for customer service ratings for broadband - very few of the main providers get higher than 6/10.
(1) To compare, we use 'equivalent costs' - adding all costs, deducting promo credits and averaging over the contract.
(2) We've estimated inflation at 4% to work this out, so take this as a rough guide, not hard fact. |
Broadband switching quick key tips 1) Check your current broadband speed to start with. It's worth understanding how fast it is, so check your speed (it's best to do this from a wired connection, so it's the broadband speed coming into your home you're measuring, not how well you're connecting to Wi-Fi). See our 8 speed-boosters to make it faster. 2) Compare that speed & price with the best deal. Advertised speeds are MUCH more reliable than they used to be. Since 2018 the rules have stated 50% of customers must get the advertised speeds at peak time (8pm-10pm). All bigger providers also must indicate your estimated minimum speed pre-application. Plusnet, Vodafone and Virgin let you cancel penalty-free if your speed doesn't meet the minimum for three consecutive days, and they can't fix it within 30 days. 3) How fast should you go? Standard 10/11Mb broadband is usually fine for browsing or light streaming for one person. If multiple people use the broadband at the same time, or you're a gamer, then faster speeds are more necessary. 4) Members of cashback sites may be able to undercut some deals. Our Top cashback sites guide explains how these sites work - they often feature broadband deals and give cashback on them. In some cases, factor in the cashback and they can undercut promotional deals elsewhere, though don't assume it's the same deal: they can be structured differently, so check carefully. 5) Switching is usually done remotely and only means about two hours' downtime. You're told the switch time in advance and it's often quick. Most won't need an engineer to visit, but with switches involving Virgin it's more likely - you're usually told before you apply. 6) Happy where you are? Haggle to cut the price. If you're out of contract and happy with the service you get, still check out the prices above (and double-check they're available in your area). If so, take them to your existing firm and haggle. Broadband firms are easy to haggle with. Of those who tried, in our last poll in November 2020, the success rates were over 70% for Sky, BT, TalkTalk and Virgin. But you may need patience, as some providers are short-staffed due to the pandemic. See Broadband haggling tips. |
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| 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. |
| Ho-ho-dough. FREE money to help the Christmas coffers
Now SEVEN banks give switchers £100+. Topped by First Direct (top service) & Santander (cashback on bills) at £130
Time for a bit of financial razzle-dazzle. The festive season has become the bank switching season. There are currently seven banks offering to pay you to move, with Halifax the latest to join the party. From our records, the last time there were more top bank accounts paying switch bonuses was in 2015. So if you want to boost your Christmas coffers they're worth a look, unless your bank's so good it gives you a foot rub on request, and free tickets to the Oscars. £130 paid into your account just for switching - and don't worry, it's easy and hassle-free. You just use the bank's seven (working) day switching service and it moves your balance, standing orders and direct debits for you, closes your old account, and ensures any payments to it are auto-forwarded. In Martin's Twitter poll a few weeks ago, 80% said it was mostly easy and hassle-free.
While some of the bonuses won't come until the New Year, knowing they're coming may help offset your Christmas costs. To qualify for them, you usually need to be a new customer (details of what counts vary), and pass a not-so-harsh credit check. Here's what's out there...| CURRENT FREE BANK-SWITCH BONUSES | | Account & criteria (1) | Key info | Payout time (2) | First Direct 1st Account*
Min pay-in: £1,000 for bonus | Top pick: FREE £130, top service and 0% overdraft. In our most recent poll, 85% rated it 'great' for service, so it's the top bank that's not app-only. It also gives many an ongoing £250 0% overdraft - so if you find yourself occasionally overdrawn let the £130 help pay some off and hopefully the rest will be interest-free. See our full First Direct eligibility info & review. | Just before Xmas | Santander 123 Lite*
Min pay-in: £500/month
Must move or set up: 2 direct debits | Top pick: FREE £130 and cashback on bills (biggest easy gain). You pay a £2/mth fee but get cashback from it on most bills paid by direct debit. We calculate for a home with medium to large bills this can be a £40-£80 annual gain after the fee, on top of the £130. This works for joint bills accounts too. See our full Santander eligibility info & review (including how some existing customers may qualify). | Mid-Jan | Nationwide FlexDirect
Min pay-in: £1,000/mth
Must move: 2 direct debits
| Top pick: FREE £100 and a top pick for those with bigger overdrafts. Nationwide gives a year's 2% in-credit interest on up to £1,500. Plus many get a year's 0% overdraft (credit score dependent) which can be for a decent amount. So if you're overdrawn it's a good option as the £100 can clear some debt, then you've a year to clear the rest, or it's 39.9% rep APR interest after. See our full Nationwide eligibility info & review (including how some existing customers may qualify). | Early Dec | New. Halifax Reward
Min pay-in: £1,500/mth
| FREE £125 + possible monthly freebie (such as £5 or cinema ticket). As well as the upfront cash, if you spend £500+/mth (and stay in credit) or keep £5,000+ in its no-interest account, then each month you can choose to get £5, a Vue cinema ticket, two film rentals or three digital mags (your choice is fixed for a year). See our full Halifax eligibility info & review (including how some existing customers may qualify). | End Nov
| NatWest Reward or RBS Reward
Min pay-in: £1,250/mth
Must move or set up: 2 direct debits
| FREE £100 to switch, plus £50 after a year and £36/year cashback. The upfront cash is easy, but to get the £50 you must make 10+ transactions every month. To get the £5/mth cashback you must pay a £2/mth fee, log in to the mobile app and pay out 2+ direct debits (min £2) each month. See full NatWest/RBS eligibility info & review (including how some existing customers may qualify). | End Jan (RBS) or
early Feb (NatWest) | Virgin Money M Plus*
Min pay-in: £1,000 in its 0.35% M Plus savings account
Must move or set up: 2 direct debits
| NO CASH, but FREE £150 experience day or 12 bottles of wine. A useful option if you need a high value gift for yourself or others. Also offers 2.02% in-credit interest but only on up to £1,000. Its debit card is a top pick for spending abroad too, as it has no exchange fees abroad. See full Virgin eligibility info & review.
| End Dec
| | (1) You need this much going into the account and this number of active direct debits to get all the perks fee-free. (2) Rough date you'll receive cash/voucher if you start the switch today and meet all criteria. |
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| MSE campaign win. Government finally agrees to be upfront about hidden 'uni parental contribution', after letter from Martin. The living loan students in England get is means-tested based on family income. For most under-25s that's a proxy for parental income. Even though this can halve what they receive, that point isn't mentioned. We've long campaigned for transparency, and finally, the 4th Universities Minister Martin's written to has agreed to tell students about the funding gap . Today (Wed) is a big day if you had an iPhone in 2011 & 2012. We should get the result from the Supreme Court of Lloyd vs Google - to see if you're due compensation. For background, read this Google You Owe Us story (as soon as the result comes out, we'll put a link there to the updated news story). Easyjet is hiking hand luggage costs for most. The budget airline is revamping its hand baggage rules, which we've analysed, and unsurprisingly, most on standard tickets will pay more. See Easyjet baggage charges. Ends today (Wed). ShopDisney 24% off toys code, including Frozen & Lion King. Strongest code it's released this year, on selected full-price and reduced items. See ShopDisney for where it wins (and where it sometimes doesn't). Government WRONGLY tells 10m to switch energy - many of them vulnerable. And it doesn't plan to stop. The Department for Work and Pensions has sent misleading info on envelopes to those who get the winter fuel payments, but the right thing for most is to DO NOTHING - don't switch. Yet it's not planning to stop - see our Government misadvises on energy switching news. 19 green MoneySaving tips, including free water-saving gadgets, get paid to recycle & green savings. See Martin's 19 green MoneySavers, in case you missed them last week. New. Cheapest loan now 2.8% plus get a £50 Amazon voucher (on £7,500 to £15,000). Sister brands Cahoot* and Santander* (check eligibility odds before applying ) offer 2.8% rep APR interest £7,500-£15,000 loans, plus all accepted can CLAIM (don't forget) a £50 Amazon voucher after 30 days. See loan best buys for all amounts. Only borrow if you NEED to - ensure it's for a planned, affordable, budgeted-for one-off purchase. If in doubt, don't. Plus all loans are 'rep APR' so only 51% of those accepted need get the advertised rate - others can be charged more ( APR examples). Updated. 30+ Amazon tricks, including 'free' £6, early Black Friday sale analysis & one year's free Deliveroo delivery. See Amazon tips & tricks. Thu 8.30pm ITV: Boost SAVINGS rates - The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE. Over to Martin: "Top rates are up to treble what they were in March, yet most people haven't moved their cash. It's time to take action and make every penny pay. Plus of course the latest news-you-can-use. Do watch or program your VideoPlus." |
| New. 'Is now the time to buy solar panels?' With energy costs at all-time highs, they could add a little sunshine to your bill... While it's getting colder, thankfully that doesn't write solar panels off as they're about daylight, not sunshine or temperature (which means a marginal gain for those in the southern parts of our isles). And with the energy bills crisis, and a growing green movement, many are asking us about solar panels, so we've updated and rewritten our Solar panels - are they worth it? guide. Read that if you're serious about them, here's a quick briefing for those dallying with the idea... The solar panel maths is getting better, though it's worse than it was. Panel prices have dropped over the years, from more than £6,000 for a decent-sized 3.5-kilowatt (kW) system eight years ago, to under £5,000 now. Plus the price of energy has rocketed, so generating it yourself is a far bigger saving than it was.
Under the smart export guarantee (SEG) scheme that started in January 2020, while you get paid for putting unused energy back in the grid measured via a smart meter, the prior feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme was far more generous, with higher rates, and payments for generating energy, even if you used it yourself. Having said that, if you've savings, with interest still so low it's worth doing the numbers for yourself on solar panels, though do check if your home is right for panels.
The biggest gain comes from using what you generate - up to a £310/year saving per 3.5kW system. Solar panels are best for those who use the electricity as it is generated, as you pay about 21p per kilowatt-hour (kWh) for it on a price-capped tariff, but will typically only get paid up to 5p/kWh for sending it to the grid under the SEG. So it's a boon for those whose homes have people in during the day, or can set all appliances to work then (or even get battery storage).
Based on Energy Saving Trust estimates (which we've added an uplift to, so we account for the energy bills spike), a typical household can knock between £120/year and £310/year off their bill, depending on system size, electricity use and the tariff. See how big are solar savings?
You get paid for generating electricity, but SEG tariffs differ widely - up to £125/year for a 3.5kW system. If you export energy to the grid you can be paid for it, but under the new system the rate is no longer fixed or locked in, it depends on the deal the energy firm gives. The rates are 1.5p/kWh to 5p/kWh (more if you have certain batteries). So you need to find the highest payer, though of course the firm's solvency matters too. See who pays the most.
The break-even time is likely to be 11+ years. Based on the Energy Saving Trust's figures (plus the uplift for current prices), the break-even time for typical panels is 11 to 28 years - depending on where you live, the energy you use, if you're at home during the day and more. Use a solar panel calculator to see.
But remember even that is an estimate, the cost of energy can change, as can what you're paid for generating it, so there is some guess work here.
If you're likely to move home in the next decade, it probably doesn't add up. Porting panels to a new home is tough and could be costly (and you may not be able to get the SEG with used panels), so they'll likely stay where they are. Whether they add enough value to the home when you sell is questionable. See moving home with panels.
If you already have solar panels and get the feed-in tariff, nothing changes. The old feed-in tariff (FIT) scheme paid a (generous in the early years) rate that was locked in for at least 20 years from when you started for all the electricity you generate, even if you used it yourself - not just the excess energy you export, like the new SEG scheme. The closure of the FIT scheme for newbies won't affect you if you're already signed up. See feed-in tariff info. |
| Martin: 'It's time to tackle the forgotten utility - can you save £400/year on your water bill?' It's a big bill many ignore, but with a combination of water-saving freebies, and switching how you're billed, many can save large. Water you waiting for? Free letter from Santa. See when to post kids' letters to get a reply from the big fella. Free Santa letter Ends today (Wed). £68 Eurostar returns to Paris from London. Book by end of today for travel between 16 Nov and 23 Mar. Eurostar £330 of Molton Brown, Crabtree & Evelyn etc for £60 via beauty Advent calendar. MSE Blagged. Including delivery, 3,500 available. The calendar is normally £74 but we've got you more off. Latest in Beauty
Martin: 'Quick tip: Check prices TODAY if you're planning to buy on Black Friday.' There's much pricing sleight of hand on Black Friday, so if you've items you want to buy, note down today's prices to see if the discounts are real. 'I reclaimed £3,000 of bank fees.' Our success of the week comes from Sarah who used our tool to reclaim packaged bank account fees . She said: "I did it all through your link to Resolver and it could not have been easier. This has made such a difference to my family at a difficult time, so I really can't thank you enough." Please send us your MoneySaving successes on this or anything else. It's November so Will Aid is on, where you can get a cheap solicitor-drafted will. They're drawn up in return for a charity donation, but the scheme gets booked up quickly. See Will Aid help. Facebook Marketplace launches delivery service - and buyers & sellers must pay from January. See Facebook delivery changes, including how to keep it free if you sort delivery/collection yourself. |
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| AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS | 0% balance transfers Longest 0%: Santander (check eligibility / apply* ) 31mths 0%, 2.75% fee - min £5, plus claim a £40 Amazon voucher (20.9% rep APR interest)
No-fee 0%: Sainsbury's Bank (check eligibility / apply* ) up to 21mths 0% (20.9% rep APR) Broadband top picks Standard (10Mb+): Shell Energy, equiv £12.66/mth
Fibre (30Mb+): Vodafone, equiv £14.08/mth
Superfast fibre (55Mb+): Vodafone, equiv £15.08/mth Top savings accounts Top standard easy-access: Shawbrook Bank 0.67%, min £1,000
Top one-year fix: Zopa 1.35%, min £1,000 Car insurance Get comparison site quotes in this order: Confused.com* Compare The Market MoneySupermarket.com* Gocompare* | Cheap loans Cheapest for £5k-£7.5k: AA (check eligibility / apply* ) - 3.3% rep APR (AA members), 3.4% rep APR (non-members)
New. Cheapest for £7.5k-£15k: Cahoot (check eligibility / apply*) and Santander (check eligibility / apply*) - 2.8% rep APR, plus claim a £50 Amazon voucher Best bank accounts £130 to switch + top service: First Direct
£130 to switch for new and existing customers: Santander Cheap Sims Up to 3GB data: Lebara, equiv £3.68/mth for 3GB, unltd mins & txts
4GB-9GB data: Plusnet, equiv £4.34/mth for 5GB, unltd mins & txts
10GB+ data: Plusnet, equiv £5.50/mth for 15GB, unltd mins & txts |
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| THIS WEEK'S POLL Which supermarket is your favourite? When it comes to grocery shopping you've a lot of choice - from the aisles of Aldi to the wonders of Waitrose. Yet your choice could be costing (or saving) you hundreds. So tell us, which supermarket is your favourite? It's an even split for whether or not you'd pay more to go green... except for financial products. Last week we asked if you'd be willing to pay more for a variety of 'green' products and services. Some 3,600 people responded, and for most options there was no clear winner. Yet for banking and savings, less than 25% said they'd accept lower rates of return to go green. See full green poll results. |
| MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I keep the money I found at work? I found a £20 note on the floor in reception when walking into the office the other morning. There was no one around to ask if it was theirs. I work for a fairly big company - do I send an email around asking if anyone has lost £20, even though there would be no way for them to prove it's theirs, or should I keep it? I've had a rough couple of weeks, so could use the pick-me-up. Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I keep the money I found at work? | Suggest an MMD |
| MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 10 NOV ONWARDS) Wed 10 Nov - Ask Martin Lewis, BBC Radio 5 Live, 1pm. Listen again
Thu 11 Nov - This Morning, phone-in, ITV, 10.30am
Thu 11 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV, 8.30pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC) Thu 11 Nov - BBC Radio Manchester, Morning with Michelle Dignan, from 09.40am
Thu 11 Nov - BBC Radio Tees, Nights with Steffen Peddie, with MSE's Katie Watts on scams, from 10.15pm
Tue 16 Nov - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire, Mid-morning with Jeremy Sallis, from 12.40pm |
| WHAT'S THE BEST LONG SERVICE AWARD YOU'VE HAD AT WORK? That's all for this week, but before we go... long service awards, whether for a year, 5 years, 10 years or longer at the same firm can vary massively, as we found when we asked for your tales on social media last week. MoneySavers told us they'd got many weeks of extra leave, watches, £100s in gift cards... or just a handshake. See the stories or share your experiences in our Long service awards Facebook post. We hope you save some money, stay safe,
The MSE team |
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