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DON'T believe the fake 'Martin Lewis' or 'MSE' ads |
Vitality Healthcare is a PMI policy that encourages you to stay fit and active, as if you do, you get perks such as 50% off gyms, and a near-free Apple Watch. In the last week, it's moved from the Series 9 Watch to the latest Series 10 Watch and lowered its price. For some younger people, if you'd have spent money on the watch and gym fees anyway, the perks may come close to nearly covering the medical insurance fees (or vice versa). What is PMI? It's a lifestyle choice policy offered by firms such as Bupa and Vitality, so that when you need medical help, you can choose to bypass the NHS - it covers the cost of private consultations, treatments and operations. The main advantages are speed, and 'hotel-like' hospital accommodation. Below we're focusing on the Vitality deal, but if you are going to do it, it's best to first read our full Private medical insurance guide for step-by-step need-to-knows. First do a comparison, as this way you'll get up to £120 on top of Vitality perks. You need to see how a Vitality quote compares to other PMI policies. Most comparison sites out there are 'white labels' of just two actual engines (so while each comparison has its own look, widely-used technology makes it work). For each we've worked to get the white label with the biggest perks if you get PMI (including Vitality) through them. Try both to get a wider spread of firms...- £120 Amazon voucher with MoneySupermarket* (uses Active Quote's engine). Via this link, after your sixth monthly payment, you'll get the voucher emailed to you. Max one voucher a year. - £100 cashback with Howden Life & Health* (this is direct access to an engine that powers many comparisons). Via this link, after six monthly payments for PMI of any value, you get the cashback paid into your bank account. The big Vitality perks in detail. The big boon of going with Vitality* are the perks. It has discounts for Caffè Nero, Nike, Samsung and more, but two big ones are worth serious cash... New. Apple Watch Series 10. It's just upgraded its offering to the new £399 Series 10, which you get for an upfront payment of £10 (or just £1 for the SE watch). You then pay the rest monthly over three years, but what you pay is reduced depending on how many 'Activity Points' you earn - do the top level (eg, 12,500+ steps for 5+ days a week or earn points via gym workouts, Parkrun etc) and you DON'T PAY ANY MORE towards the watch, so it costs just £10. Even for lesser activity, there are decent savings. Up to 50% off many Virgin, Nuffield Health and PureGym monthly fees (even for existing members). These are straight discounts off the full price, not linked to activity (many pay less than full price anyway by negotiating - see cheap gyms, but this is still usually a strong discount). It works even if you're already a member, eg, the Virgin gym in Sheffield has a listed price of £64/mth, but you could get it for £32/mth. How this stacks up & who it works best for... This works best for under-45s (min age 18) who pay for a gym and will earn the max activity points (though anyone can check & see) over three years. We got a Vitality quote for a 35-year-old living in London of £48/mth (so £576/yr). Yet if they were to buy an Apple Watch anyway, at the top activity level they save £120/yr on payments, and if they're already a member of their local Virgin Gym, they get a £44/mth (£528/yr) fee reduction - which is a combined £648/yr saving, more than covering the PMI cost. Vitality is more expensive than the cheapest equivalent quote, which is from around £20/mth depending on where in the country you are, but if you'd use the perks, and the gym in particular, it can work out substantially cheaper - the key is to do your sums before signing up. But be aware that, as with all firms, your policy cost will likely rise annually. |
Martin warns: Miss one Council Tax monthly payment and within 3wks they can make you pay for the whole year! Watch Martin on his soapbox after hearing from someone whose finances were wrecked by this. £280 Ninja air fryer £140 with code (10,000 available). MSE Blagged. This air fryer & cooker has 11 functions, including air fry, bake & steam - and our code makes it the cheapest we've seen this model. Ninja New. TWO cards now let you shift card debt to 30mths INTEREST-FREE. A balance transfer is where you get a new card that pays off old cards for you, so you owe it but at 0%, and the market's hotting up. Until last week it'd been over a year since we'd seen a 30mth 0%, now there are two. New today is Barclaycard's up to 30mths 0% (3.45% fee) - it joins HSBC's up to 30mths 0% card (3.49% fee). Links go via our eligibility calc so you can see which you're most likely to be accepted for - if you're pre-approved you'll definitely get the full 0% length, if not it can be shorter, in which case look at Virgin 29mth 0% (3.45% fee), as with it all accepted get the full length. Golden rules: Repay at least the monthly minimum & clear the card before the 0% ends, or all jump to 24.9% rep APR interest. Full help in Top balance transfers. Cheapest EVER Virgin 264Mb broadband '£17/mth'. MSE Blagged. Switchers in 60% of UK homes can get this Virgin 264Mb broadband-only deal for £24/mth, with an automatic £125 bill credit, meaning it's equivalent to £17.06/mth over the 18mth contract. Want other options? Use our full broadband comparison of 26 providers. Black Friday interrogated - is it really cheaper than pre-Christmas sales? Black Friday analysis The Martin Lewis Money Show LIVE Christmas Special, tonight (Tue) 8pm, ITV1 - don't Christmas shop without it. It's the big one, huge audience, the famous 'festive forecaster' prediction of deals, free cash and children's savings. Last year Martin opened as John Travolta, so we'll be watching through our fingers to see how tonight starts! Got questions? Tweet the show at #MartinLewis. Amazon's Black Friday sale starts THIS Thu, including up to 58% off Amazon devices. See Amazon Black Fri for other brands it's confirmed, and how to spot duds. Related: MSE Christmas Deals Predictor. £93 of No7 beauty & skincare £39. Boots 'Star Gift', including mascara, night cream, serum and more. No7 Martin's new pod: Got Premium Bonds? Who are they good for and who should avoid? | Can you get £100s of student loans back? | Car Finance Misselling update. These and more in the new The Martin Lewis Podcast. Listen via BBC Sounds | Spotify | Apple or wherever you like to get your Martin fix. |
Martin's Car Finance Misselling UPDATE In January, regulator the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched its final stage investigation into car finance hidden Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCAs) mis-selling. This is the 40% of cases where dealers could up the interest and thus consumers' costs to get paid more commission - without consumers knowing. No surprise we've had 2.5m complaints via our free car finance DCA complaints tool. Now, after a Court of Appeal ruling a few weeks ago, the FCA's just announced a consultation on effectively paving the way to extend the scope to ALL deals that had commission on them, not just DCAs, doubling the number of potential complainants (though I have some concerns over this). So let me try and take you through this complex situation... 1. THE BIT WE KNEW: Did you buy a car, van, camper van or motorbike on finance? Ask now if you had a DCA. Our Car finance reclaiming guide takes you through it step by step, but in a nutshell, you may be able to claim an average of £1,100 back due to these hidden DCAs on your policy. It's for motor vehicles. Cars, vans, motorbikes & camper vans with finance taken out from Apr 2007 to 28 Jan 2021. Finance type. Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) & Hire Purchase (HP), but NOT leasing, for personal (not biz) use. It applies even if the person has passed away or the vehicle is paid off. More details in the guide.If that's you... there's no way for you to know if you had a DCA without complaining. Our easy free complaints tool asks for you and then logs the complaint if you did. Speed is worthwhile, as when the ruling comes there may be a time bar introduced, so complain now, even though nothing can happen until May 2025 at the earliest. In my view, the latest court news means those who had DCAs are more likely to be paid out, but it is likely to take longer for that to happen. 2. THE NEW STUFF: Will this be opened up to ALL car finance commission-based deals? Three weeks ago, a landmark Court of Appeal ruling on a claims firm-led case sent shockwaves through the sector. It said: "Consumers need to know all material facts including the amount of commission". This opened the door to possible court reclaims for all car finance commission, and indeed can be read across to other lending areas. Yet it'll almost certainly be appealed to the Supreme Court, which can and commonly does have an entirely different view and overrule it, so this is far from a done deal. I suspect this ruling stunned the FCA too. At the end of last week, it put out a two-week consultation on whether a hold on firms having to deal with complaints (done when there's a systemic issue so it can all be decided at once) should be extended to any deal where commission is involved, even if there wasn't a DCA (an estimated 95% of them). That in effect says they're now potentially part of this too. Yet in reality, it'll all wait until and depend upon what the Supreme Court says, assuming it allows the appeal. What you're asking us: Do I resubmit if I put in a complaint and was told no DCA? Does this change the key dates? Does it broaden the type of motor finance? What do we put in a complaint? All good questions we want to answer, but... The FCA's consulting for two weeks, then has two weeks to put things in place, so mid-Dec(ish). We need to wait to get final answers, and will fully update our guide (& tell you here) then. Please bear with us.
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Another £10 1L Baileys offer. It's Tesco's turn - you'll need a Clubcard for £10 Baileys (£11 in Scot). Pls be Drinkaware 'I got £4,403 backdated Pension Credit for my mum - and she now gets Winter Fuel help too.' Our success of the week comes from Annie: "On 12 Oct, I submitted a Pension Credit query on behalf of my 93-year-old mum. I first submitted forms about 18 months ago, and never received a reply. Yes, she was eligible and, on 5 Nov, £4,403 of backdated credit dropped into her current account. Thank you so much for the online links and encouragement. We can now await Winter Fuel help and her TV licence fee." If we've helped you save (on this, or owt else), send us your successes. Starts Thu. £10 to £60 London theatre tix for 50+ shows, incl Lion King, Mamma Mia & Wicked. For performances from Jan 2025, and Mastercard-holders get first dibs this week. London theatre tickets Martin: 'Yes, I'm on Bluesky now too...' Many are asking him, so yes, you can now find Martin on Bluesky as well as his existing Threads, X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and TikTok accounts - he's a very social chap. Mortgage rates rising despite base rate cut - should you fix now? Rates on fixed mortgage deals have gone UP since the Budget and US election, meaning sub-4% deals have disappeared. We asked brokers if you should fix now or wait. New. Grab £28 cashback when you spend £5+ online. MSE Blagged. Quidco newbies that sign up via our special link will get an extra £28 cashback when they spend at least a fiver through the site. Quidco bonus Cheap Xmas & New Year train tix now on sale - don't delay. Advance fares for the festive season & beyond are now available from all train firms, but the cheapest will get snapped up quicker than you can say 'Christmas cracker'. All aboard Citroën, DS or Peugeot diesel driver? Decide now whether to join emissions lawsuits. This month sees the deadline for new claims against these manufacturers. See our Should I do a diesel claim? guide. |
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AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS
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CAMPAIGN OF THE WEEK Did the pandemic affect you financially? Help the UK Covid-19 Inquiry understand your experience. If you were impacted - whether through work, financial stability, or personal and family challenges - your experience can help the inquiry understand what happened, the impact it had, and the lessons you think should be learned. Visit the Every Story Matters page for more info and to share your story. |
THIS WEEK'S POLL Do you have car breakdown cover? As the weather gets colder, it becomes more likely that your car could break down on the road, or not start at all. If this happens, your compulsory car insurance won't help - you need a specific breakdown policy. So we want to know if you've got one, and if so, which provider it's with, and how much you pay. Vote in this week's poll. Virgin Media, AA, RAC, TalkTalk, Sky and EE are among the easiest firms to haggle with. Last week, we asked which companies you've tried to haggle with in the past year, and if you got a better deal - over 2,300 of you responded. Virgin Media customers had the most joy, with 87% of those who tried haggling reporting some form of success, compared with 82% of TalkTalk customers - the next highest broadband firm. Haggling with breakdown companies also paid off, with 84% of AA customers and 83% of RAC customers also getting a better deal. For mobile, 79% of Sky Mobile customers and 73% of EE customers managed to negotiate an improved tariff. See full haggling poll results. |
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MONEY MORAL DILEMMA Should we ask our daughter and her boyfriend to start paying us rent? My daughter and her boyfriend have bought a house. They're redecorating before moving in, so they've been living between our house and his parents' home. My daughter stopped paying us rent in May, shortly after they got the keys. While I'm happy to help, my husband and I are both low earners and claim a small amount of Universal Credit. My daughter puts £1,000 away in savings each month, and she and her boyfriend earn £120,000 a year between them, so I feel it's unfair she's lived with us rent-free for five months. Should I tell her this? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should we ask our daughter and her boyfriend to start paying us rent? | Suggest a Money Moral Dilemma (MMD) | View past MMDs |
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MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (TUE 19 NOV ONWARDS) Tue 19 Nov - The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, ITV1, 8pm MSE TEAM APPEARANCE Wed 20 Nov - BBC Radio 4, You and Yours with Winifred Robinson, with MSE's Helen S on cashback cards, from 12pm |
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 natwest.com, firstdirect.com, santander.co.uk, chase.com, moneysupermarket.com, howdenlifeandhealth.co.uk, vitality.co.uk, tescobank.com 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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