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DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads |
New MSE tool launches today... We launched Compare+ Car Insurance in 2022 and since then estimate 100,000s of people have saved millions with it. Today we launch Compare+ Home Insurance in an early, beta version, because many people messaged us to say: "Do the same for home insurance." We were in two minds, so surveyed 18,000 of you, and 85% replied with a strong yes. So, you asked - and we built it. In early testing 89% gave it five stars, so we thought we'd get it out in beta, even though there's still a little bit of polishing to do. Your feedback & suggestions are welcome. The best way to understand is to try it, but here's a quick briefing on what it does... The tool includes our unique Price Impact Indicator... At the start of the Home Compare+ tool, you answer MoneySupermarket's question set. If you've filled it in before, you can log in and it can auto-fill your details for you.And a totally new innovation of Martin's is our MSE Price Impact buttons, which tell you how much impact each answer is likely to have on your final cost (and is clickable for an in-depth explanation), eg, you may be surprised that what type of locks you have generally has little impact. As one trial user said: "Really useful to know how worried [or not] I should be about stuff. Keep up the good work MSE!" You then get your benchmark quote to start the saving. This is your cheapest quote from the MoneySupermarket comparison, so you can see a price straightaway, but of course we want you to beat it... We show you which other comparisons to add in, and in what order. We've always told you to use as many comparisons as you've time for, and the fact we've a new tool doesn't change that. Different comparison sites include different insurers, and even where the same firms are listed, they can have different prices for them - as Lizzie's email to us last week shows: "I've found exactly the same policy on two different comparisons recommended by MSE, and one has it for £60 a year cheaper. Glad I read your suggestions!" And as one user said in the tool feedback: "Having the main sites available on one screen encouraged me to get the extra quotes." Timing it right can save you - we'll tell you if you're too early, too late or pure Goldilocks. How early before renewal you get a quote can impact how much insurers charge you. Timing it right cuts costs. If you're too early, we'll tell you when to come back. If you're too late, we'll be adding calendar and email reminders so we can alert you at the right time next year (we did say the tool's in beta). And there are more personalised tips on how YOU can cut your costs. From our analysis of your data, we will show you other things you should try to cut costs further (all are trial and error though), such as... - Will upping the voluntary excess (the amount you pay towards a claim) save you money? - Can you pay annually rather than monthly? - Can you save by combining your home and car insurance? To see how it works, give our new MSE Compare+ Home Insurance tool a go (and see the Compare+ Home Insurance FAQs). |
New. Top 5.18% easy-access savings (up to £20,000). A cash ISA's just a savings account you never pay tax on and current top rates clearly beat top normal easy-access savings. There's a new top payer - Plum's 5.18% AER variable* - made up of 3.79% interest paid monthly and a 1.39% bonus paid after 12mths. It lets you put in up to £20,000, and allows three annual penalty-free withdrawals. Like all top cash ISAs at the moment, it has a complex structure. Full info in Top savings. 50p personalised A5 photocard (Christmas or otherwise) including delivery. MSE Blagged. Cheaper than a stamp! Via our exclusive code. 15,000 available. Card Factory How much do Christmas lights cost to run? Many have asked, so we've crunched the numbers. Coupons: free £2 crisps, free £2 caramel & choc dessert, £2 off pizzas & more. See 80+ December coupons. New. Longest LOW-FEE balance transfer: shift card debt for a guaranteed 18mths 0% for just a 1% fee. Shift debt to a 0% card and you usually pay a one-off fee on the amount moved. For those who can repay debt quickly, there's a new low-fee card, Tesco's 18mth 0% (0.99% fee) - which went under the radar in last week's longest 0% balance transfer review. Crucially, with this card, all accepted get the full 0% period. If you can repay even quicker, NatWest's up to 12mth 0% is the longest no-fee, though some accepted get just 10mths. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly min & clear the card before the 0% ends or they jump to 24.9% rep APR interest. 12 bottles of wine £60 delivered - no subscription. MSE Blagged. 5,000 cases available - red, white or mixed. Warehouse Wines. Please be Drinkaware. Related: £10 one-litre Baileys. £140 Instant Pot air fryer £100 (4,000 available). MSE Blagged. This air fryer has six functions, including air fry, roast & grill - and our code makes it the cheapest we've seen this model. Instant Pot £60 beauty box with £367 of Shiseido, Laura Mercier, Philip Kingsley & more. MSE Blagged. Also includes 12mth digital Good Housekeeping mag (normally £30; doesn't auto-renew). Beauty box The Truth Behind Credit Scoring: The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE, ITV1, 8pm tonight (Tue). Martin: "Want to know how credit scoring really works, how to boost it, to dispute arrears, or to cut debt costs? I'm taking on credit scoring tonight, showing you how it works and taking your questions live via X (Twitter) using #MartinLewis or via Bluesky. This and loads more news you can use - do watch or at least set the VHS." |
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On the first day of Christmas, MSE gave to me... OK, it ain't as romantic as true love and turtle doves, but here's our carol's worth of consumer rights need-to-knows. It's more important than ever at this time of year, as shops can alter their policies (for full info, see consumer rights help)... You DON'T have a legal right to return goods bought in store if you change your mind. Buy something in store (not online) and you have statutory (legal) rights to return them only if items are faulty. So buy it and change your mind, or it doesn't fit, or you want a different colour... and you have no rights. Only 50% of people knew this in Martin's last poll on it. Of course when we say, "it doesn't fit", we mean it's not quite the right size for you. If it were labelled XS but in reality was an XXL, that's clearly faulty.Yet if a store publishes a returns policy, that DOES form part of the purchase contract. Many stores have overt published policies, eg, John Lewis has free returns for up to 30 days (or longer over Christmas), in which case they're contractually enforceable. But if items aren't faulty and the shop says, "You need a receipt, must ask while waving, and we only give credit notes," then it's right, as you don't have any legal status to enforce it otherwise. Beware - return rights CAN be suspended during sales. Just because a store normally publishes its return rights, don't assume it does at this time of year. Do double-check in the sales before you buy, as you may want to return it later. It's different online - then you DO have a legal right to change your mind. To protect you when buying items remotely, you can return goods bought online, though there are exceptions: eg personalised and perishable items. You HAVE 14 days to notify online stores of a return and up to 14 days after that to send it back. So a maximum 28 days to return most items. If their websites say you must be quicker - as the likes of The Range, Selfridges and Harvey Nichols do - they're wrong. BEWARE buying items online from abroad - you have to pay to send returns back. With online returns, you get back the price you paid, plus the minimum delivery cost (ie, if it's free delivery but you paid £10 for express, you don't get the tenner back). However, there is NO right to a refund on the cost of returning items to them. So beware, if goods come from abroad, sending them back can cost you more than you paid in the first place, so do check, especially on Amazon and eBay, where they're coming from. Knowing what counts as faulty is all about being a SAD FART. If items are faulty, then the law kicks in. However you bought them, you've up to 30 days to return goods for a full refund if they're faulty - after that it's repair or replacement (or if that doesn't work, then a refund, or partial refund if you choose to keep the item). So the big question is: what counts as faulty? Years ago Martin came up with the SAD FART mnemonic to make it easy to remember (see returning faulty goods help for more). When returning faulty items, remember your rights are with the STORE you bought them from. Don't let it say, "You need to go to the manufacturer" - the retailer is the one to push to sort it out. As Martin says, 'WARRANTY SCHMARANTY' - don't let 'em fob you off. Martin gets particularly vexed when people say to him they've taken tech back and people are fobbed off with, "sorry, you're out of warranty". His warranty schmaranty rule explains you have rights sometimes even if it's a couple of years after you bought the item. Anna emailed recently, having succeeded with this... "My son saved up to buy a PlayStation 5 that developed a fault just outside the warranty. Sony wanted a huge amount to fix it and Argos said it wasn't their problem. Then I saw Martin's Instagram post on this, which said it was unreasonable that an expensive electrical should break after a year. So I complained again and Argos gave us a £430 refund. A huge thank you. You've helped make a 13-year-old very happy and shown him he can stand up against big companies!" If items are faulty, you ONLY need proof of purchase. If you're returning something that's faulty, by law you don't need a receipt, just proof of purchase (eg, credit card statement). Always spend a penny... on a credit card for bigger purchases. Buy something costing £100.01 to £30,000 and pay for any of it, even a penny, on a credit card, and the card firm is jointly liable with the retailer for the WHOLE amount. So if you can, put at least some of it on a credit card (paid off IN FULL to avoid interest). Then if the retailer goes bust, won't play fair with faulty items, or you buy abroad and can't take the item back, you can go to the card firm. Full info, including when it doesn't work & how to claim, in our Section 75 guide. PS: Debit card spends & credit card purchases under £100 have the lesser, though still decent, chargeback protection. Cash, cheques, bank transfers have none! YOU don't have a right to return the gift you got, even if it is faulty. Return rights, whether legally enforced or voluntary, generally apply only to the person who actually paid for the item, so gift recipients have no right of return themselves. While most shops do allow it if you have the receipt, to be watertight, get a gift receipt as that transfers the rights to the gift recipient (or write on the receipt that you're doing this). Full help in Christmas gift rights. Sadly, if it all goes wrong, enforcing your rights is tough. If you end up in dispute with a store, go to the Citizens Advice consumer helpline in England/Wales (or similar in Scotland & Northern Ireland) for help. Yet ultimately the only way to get adjudication is to go to do a money claim online court case, which can be a faff and feels scary for some. It's one reason the credit card protection route is so helpful, because then you can go to the ombudsman instead. |
Martin's New Pod: Are you missing out on £1,000s? If you're married OR have children OR on a low income OR are a pensioner - listen up... This and lots more in the new Martin Lewis Podcast. Listen via BBC Sounds | Spotify | Apple or wherever you get your Martin fix. Should you ditch Nationwide FlexPlus packaged bank account as it's upping fee by £60/yr? Our analysis. Ends Thu. Cheapest 100GB+ Sim - '£4.38/mth'. With unlimited mins & texts, this 120GB iD Mobile Sim is £2.50/mth for the first 3mths, then £10/mth. But you can CLAIM (don't forget) a £45 Amazon or Currys voucher within 4mths. Factor that in over the 1yr contract & it's equivalent to £4.38/mth. Want less data or a different network? Cheap Mobile Finder. Beware Martin scammers on Bluesky. To stop copycats, Martin's handle's now @martinlewis.moneysavingexpert.com. New. Support your local foodbank with the Reverse Advent Calendar Challenge. It's not too late to start using our topsy-turvy Advent calendar - built with help from foodbank charity Trussell - which suggests an item to donate each day based on what foodbanks typically need at this time of year PLUS where you can find 'em cheapest. Reverse Advent calendar |
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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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THIS WEEK'S POLL Have you haggled with Sky, BT, the AA or any others this year? Did you succeed? Haggling can result in big savings - whether it's on digital TV, broadband or breakdown cover. Each year we try to gauge the success rates of those who have done it. So if you've got cheaper prices, extra goods or better deals, let us know in this week's poll. Most MoneySavers don't haggle on the high street - but those who do are often successful. Last week, we asked if you'd tried high-street haggling in the last year (as opposed to haggling with a service provider, see above). While almost nine in 10 of you said you hadn't, many of the minority who had were successful, eg, more than 90% of hagglers at Currys had some success. See full poll results. |
MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should I pay my mum back after she replaced my gift to my aunt without asking me? I gave my mum a present to take to my aunt, as she was seeing her before Christmas and I wasn't. But instead of giving my gift, she bought a different one without consulting me and gave it to my aunt on my behalf. I'm upset as she obviously thought my gift was inadequate or unsuitable. Mum returned the original gift to me and wants me to reimburse her for the new one, which was of roughly equal value. Should I take it on the chin and pay her back, or hold off and tell her how I feel? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should I pay mum back for her replacement gift? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 3 DEC ONWARDS) Tue 3 Dec - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 8pm |
Important. Please read how MoneySavingExpert.com worksWe think it's important you understand the strengths and limitations of this email and the site. We're a journalistic website, and aim to provide the best MoneySaving guides, tips, tools and techniques - but can't promise to be perfect, so do note you use the information at your own risk and we can't accept liability if things go wrong. What you need to know This info does not constitute financial advice, always do your own research on top to ensure it's right for your specific circumstances - and remember we focus on rates not service. We don't as a general policy investigate the solvency of companies mentioned, how likely they are to go bust, but there is a risk any company can struggle and it's rarely made public until it's too late (see the Section 75 guide for protection tips). We often link to other websites, but can't be responsible for their content. Always remember anyone can post on the MSE forums, so it can be very different from our opinion. Please read the Full Terms & Conditions, Privacy Policy, How This Site is Financed and Editorial Code. Martin Lewis is a registered trade mark belonging to Martin S Lewis. More about MoneySavingExpert and Martin LewisWhat is MoneySavingExpert.com? Who is Martin Lewis? What do the links with an * mean?Any links with an * by them are affiliated, which means get a product via this link and a contribution may be made to MoneySavingExpert.com, which helps it stay free to use. You shouldn't notice any difference; the links don't impact the products at all and the editorial line (the things we write) isn't changed due to them. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it's still included in the same way. More info: See How This Site is Financed. As we believe transparency is important, we're including the following 'un-affiliated' web-addresses for content too: Unaffiliated web-addresses for links in this email clearscore.com, experian.co.uk, tescobank.com, withplum.com, santander.co.uk Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Note MONY Group Financial Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA FRN: 303190). MoneySavingExpert.com Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. Company Registration Number: 8021764. Registered office: One Dean Street, London, W1D 3RB. MoneySavingExpert.com Limited is an appointed representative of MONY Group Financial Limited. To change your email or stop receiving the weekly tips (unsubscribe): Go to: www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips. |
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