Martin: 'I'm teary after Council Tax de bt win', free £190 bank switch, 21 holiday t ips, £40 off 1yr Disney+, supermarket coupon s

Martin: Summer's coming! Going away? Here are:
21 things you can do NOW to slash costs & hassle when you go abroad

Cheap $, € | Roaming | Zara tips | Passport alert | Rebook trick & more

It may still be May, but change is in the air, the summer holiday season is close to taking off, after all...

Humidity is rising (mm rising), barometer's getting low.
According all sources... holiday's the place to go.

Sorry, as I started writing I came over all a bit Weather Girls. Yet the good vibes can't detract from the fact that while many yearn for a break, if you're not careful it can break your pockets. The average Brit going abroad will spend around £3,000 on their main getaway (source: Easyjet). To ease that, I've a supercharged pre-prep checklist of 21 things to look at now, that'll cut the cost and hopefully the hassle when you go.

1. THE PASSPORT CHECK: Don't risk being turned away. There are more stories coming in of people not being allowed to get on flights or being turned back at border control. There are two checks you should make, but even if you pass them, if you're not far from failing, with seemingly increased border control rigidity, it may be safer to sort a new passport. Check now that, on the day you enter the country...

a) Will there be at least 6mths left (3mths for EU)?
b) Even if so, will your passport be less than 10 years old?

If you said no to EITHER, check our country-by-country UK passport rules to ensure you won't be sent back, unlike Abigail, who emailed to tell us she was denied boarding her flight to her best friend's hen do in Lisbon because her passport was over 10 years old... even though it had seven months left on it. The Passport Office says you should allow "up to three weeks" to renew. Full help on how in Cheapest passport renewals.

2. USA BOUND OR JUST PASSING THROUGH? You'll need an ESTA. There's heightened security at the border, due to a push back on immigration, so carefully ensure your travel docs are in order. See our ESTA guide, which'll also show you how to avoid scams overcharging for this.

3. CHEAPEST WAY TO SPEND ABROAD: Use the right plastic for best rates for euros, dollars, dong & more. Spend on your plastic abroad and banks get a virtually-perfect exchange rate for that moment, but most add up to 3%-ish non-sterling exchange fees on top of what we pay. So £100 worth of euros costs you £103, and others whack more fees on too. Yet top specialist overseas cards don't add this fee, so you get the same near-perfect, bureaux-beating exchange rates as the banks.

Which is YOUR winner? It's quite a clear-cut choice right now...

- Willing to switch your current account? First Direct wins if you're new to it, as it pays you £175 cash to switch, is top rated for service, has a linked 7% regular savings account & many get a £250 0% overdraft. See top bank accounts below.

- Overall best card: Barclaycard, as it's a top cashback credit card abroad and a decent one in the UK, meaning you're paid to pay (provided you pay it off IN FULL each month, preferably by Direct Debit, to avoid any interest). Plus it's the only one you get Section 75 protection on, important if you make big purchases.

- Easiest to get, with no hard credit-check: Chase, as there's only a soft credit-check, not a full one, and you needn't switch bank accounts, just open it alongside your existing bank.

4. IF THEY ASK 'WANT TO PAY IN POUNDS OR EUROS?' Pay in the local currency. These days, buy things abroad or take cash out and the store or ATM will pressure you to pay in pounds. That's so they can ramp up the conversion cost and pocket extra profit. Just say non/nein/no! Full help in my Pay in pounds? video & blog.

5. JUST WANT TO TAKE CASH? Speedily compare 15+ bureaux. While the top plastic beats it, if you just 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 best. Eg, on Monday it showed the cheapest place for $1,000 cost £755 all in, compared to leaving it to the airport, where it'd likely be somewhere close to £900.

6. REBOOK TRICK: Is hotel or car hire cheaper than when you booked? If your booking has low-cost or free cancellation, regularly check if you can get the same for less. Try using Skyscanner*, Kayak*, Carrentals* and Trivago*. If you find it cheaper, just rebook, then cancel your original (best to do in that order, check you can actually really get that price before cancelling).

Paul emailed us his success last year: "Booked car hire direct in January 2024, collecting and returning for one week from Carcassonne Airport in August. It cost £609. Read your newsletter about rechecking and did. Beginning of August cost £248 - identical terms. Thanks for the heads-up." See step-by-step cancel & rebook hotels and cancel & rebook car hire help.

8. GOING TO THE EU? Ensure you've a valid (free) EHIC/GHIC. 1.8m expire this year. These cards are a valuable additional to travel insurance and give access to state-run hospitals or GPs in EU countries for the same price as a local, so if they don't pay, you don't pay. Yet check your card, as almost two million expire this year.

If it shows it's no longer valid you'll need a new one, now called a GHIC. It gives the same coverage as an EHIC, plus it can be used as proof of UK residency to access state-funded treatment in Montenegro, St Helena, Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha - regions which aren't part of the EHIC/GHIC scheme. Both the EHIC and GHIC can also be used this way in Australia, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

Yet the card should always be free. Never pay to get a GHIC. Beware shyster sites trying to charge you for 'fast tracks' or other fake nonsense. See how to safely get a free GHIC.

9. FAMILIES SIT TOGETHER FOR FREE. On BA, Virgin, Jet2 and more. A family of four could have to stump up £250+ to book seats to sit together on return flights. Yet gen up on the rules and your rights via our Airline-by-airline seating guide now, and you may be able to do it free (though even we struggle to find a way to overcome Ryanair's charges).

10. FOUR FREE AIRPORT LOUNGE PASSES: Plus a free £165 at Amazon & Sainsbury's. If you've not had an Amex card in the last two years, apply for this card and use it right by 27 May and there are serious freebies, including lounge passes for four. We covered the urgent deadline in last week's email, so see Amex Gold airport passes + £165 Amazon + Deliveroo bonus for full info.

11. KNOW YOUR FLIGHT RIGHTS BEFORE YOU GO: £100s compensation if your flight is delayed or cancelled. If you're on any flight from the UK, or any flight to the UK (but in this case it must be with a UK or EU airline) and your flight is cancelled, or delayed by over 3 hours, and it's the airline's fault (it often is), remember you're entitled to fixed compensation under the law (plus a refund/alternative flight for cancellations). Now that's in your head, if it happens, zip to our Flight delay & Flight cancellation rights guides for the full detail.

Mark emailed us: "My wife, two children and I missed a connecting flight in January back from Lapland and ended up staying a night in Helsinki, missing work and school. I submitted a claim and after a couple of months they rejected it. I followed your guide and submitted a claim to the CAA, and Norwegian then agreed to pay out compensation of £1,400 (£350 each). Thanks."

PS: Had a delay or cancellation in the last six years & didn't get compensation? Check the guides NOW. You may still be due.

12. ZARA, MASSIMO DUTTI OR PULL&BEAR SHOPPER? It's likely cheaper on hols... My Zara trick blog has long been a real winner for anyone going to Europe (especially Spain and Greece).

13. PARKING AT THE AIRPORT? BOOK AHEAD... even if it's on the day. Pull up at Manchester Airport without a booking tomorrow (Wed), and it'll cost you £419/wk to park there, but we found official parking today (Tue) via a comparison site from just £81/wk - in fact, even if you book online on the way to the airport it can be cheaper. Generally though, the earlier you can book, the better the price.

See if you can save with our blagged comparison site discounts (bear in mind the biggest discount doesn't always mean the best price): FHR 11%-51% off* | Holiday Extras 10%-60% off* | SkyParkSecure 3%-44% off* | APH 16%-20% off*. For alternatives and need-to-knows, fly over to Cheap airport parking.

14. AVOID £7+ 'KISS & FLY'... though you may need to get your steps in. How to ditch the pesky charges for dropping people off at the airport, if you know where to go and can walk just a little bit. We've a newly-updated airport-by-airport guide.

15. DO YOU HAVE FREE EU ROAMING? Most big networks don't, many little 'uns do. Vodafone, Three and EE all now charge £2ish/day to use your home phone & data package in the EU. O2 is the only 'big four' network to still be free. Yet many piggyback operators are free to EU-roam, including Lebara, Smarty and Giffgaff.

With 14m of you out of contract, free to switch and often already massively overpaying, why not ditch and switch to save in the UK and in the EU? Or you can do more specific searches via our Cheap Mobile Sim Finder. For example, currently the following all include EU roaming (and roaming in some other countries) at no extra charge:

- Lebara (via Vodafone signal) - 5GB for '£2.63/mth' (includes full allowance)
- iD Mobile (via Three signal) - 40GB for '£3/mth' (max 30GB abroad)
- iD Mobile (via Three signal) - 120GB for '£5.42/mth' (max 30GB abroad)

Do put a spend cap in place for when you go abroad to avoid bill shock, and use our tips for using less data.

16. ROAMING OUTSIDE THE EU. There's an eSIMple way to cut costs. Your home network will charge up to £15/day for very limited data via a costly add-on - just watching TV can cost a fortune. Instead buy cheap international eSims online (eg, £9 for 9GB USA data that lasts 30 days), which adjusts your phone's settings and temporarily routes it via another provider so it provides your data allowance overseas.

Prices differ based on your destination and the length of your trip, so as with most purchases, it's wise to compare a few providers to find the best eSim for your needs. Popular providers to try: Airalo* | Breeze* | EasySim* | Firsty* | GoMoWorld | Holafly | Nomad | Saily*

Frustratingly, feedback on these firms is tough to come by, so we can't vouch for how good the coverage or the speeds are. Even so, don't be put off, many people rave about eSims, including me - read my story of trying an eSim from a couple of years ago (spoiler: it worked well and was far cheaper).

18. SORRY, BUT DO A BUDGET. Though you can factor in what you're not spending at home. Not many relish the idea of sticking to a budget while away, but if you don't you can have a holiday hangover when you get back. Even if it's just an idea of what you can afford to spend, it's useful to do a budget before you go (and be careful if you're out on the town - drinking and sticking to financial limits go together as well as Baileys and lime juice).

As a salve, remember when you're away that some of your usual home expenditure won't be made (no food, lower energy bills & transport), so you can add that into your budget. For general help, see our budgeting guide.

19. HOW LONG DOES SUN CREAM LAST? Turn it around to find out. Don't just assume your old sun cream no longer offers protection and fork out for new bottles. Watch my video explainer or take a look at our turning sun cream around help.

20. BEWARE HOLIDAY SCAMS. They're rife. If you get an out-of-the-blue email or WhatsApp message offering deals, be very careful. Scams are rife - it's a Wild West out there. Any source contacting you that you haven't asked to is a risk. See our full list of holiday scams to be aware of.

21. A MICKEY MOUSE DEAL: How to cut costs at Walt Disney World. Doing the Orlando parks is never a MoneySaving trip, but if you're going, we've 34 Disney & Universal tips and tricks to help with costs, including a code to nab discounted attraction tickets, what to watch out for when booking and how to find hidden freebies.