MoneySavingExpert's Money Tips Email

- Exclusive 1: 25,000 Octopus cheap top-service switches
- Exclusive 2: 10,000 EDF TWO-winter fix - market's cheapest
- Plus big-name, top-service Ovo slashes its 1 year fix price...

It's the midst of winter. The heating's on and bills are ballooning. If you haven't already got a cheap energy deal, we've been working hard to sort it for you - with top collective switches (aka exclusive cheap deals not available elsewhere).

Being straight, the days of us beating the market's very cheapest are over, as we won't put our stamp of approval on new tiddler suppliers with no track record and an inability to cope with big switch volumes (though of course we will show you them when you compare).

Instead we've two exclusive tariffs and a deal from a big name that's dropped its price knowing we're doing this event. All are FIXES where your rate's locked, so you won't be hit by price rises.

1) A very cheap Octopus 1yr fix - small to mid-sized supplier with a 90% 'great' customer service record, which has agreed to MSE enhanced service.
2) Ovo 1yr fix - the cheapest big-name deal & top service.
3) EDF two-winter fix - the market's cheapest two-winter fix & it's from a Big 6 firm. Great for those who don't like switching often.

The links take you to our Cheap Energy Club comparison, and use the filters there to show comparable tariffs (eg, top service and top big name), but do play with them to get your own comparison.

Whatever you do, take some action - it's worth it. As Josh tweeted: "@MartinSLewis I just switched energy supplier and saved £491/yr. Thanks for prompting me to switch." And Lara even topped that: "Thanks, I just saved £880/yr by switching - and it was so simple."

At a glance - your switch and save options
All prices below based on regulator Ofgem's typical DIRECT DEBIT use (a). To find YOUR cost and cheapest, do an Energy Club comparison.

60% OF YOU ARE ON BIG 6 STANDARD TARIFFS: EDF, Brit Gas, Npower, SSE, Scot Power & E.on, paying typically £1,130/yr.

Market's cheapest: £810/yr (variable) - so save £320
Cheapest 1yr FIX + decent service: £840/yr - save £290
Cheap 14mth FIX + MSE enhanced service: MSE Octopus £860/yr (b) - save £270
Cheapest big-name FIX: Ovo £870/yr (b) - save £260
Cheapest TWO-winter FIX - MSE EDF £930/yr (b) - save £200

FULL INFO BELOW

(a) Rounded to the nearest £5. (b) Our Cheap Energy Club gives £25 dual-fuel cashback on these tariffs, so we've included that in the saving. For 2yr fixes, we spread the saving over the time (ie, £12.50 a year).

How to pick the right deal for YOU

The explosion of new energy firms has made picking a new deal daunting. We want to help you through that. In practical terms switching isn't a biggie. No one visits your home. It's the same gas, same electricity, even the same safety - the only change is price and service.

The following doesn't apply if you're on prepay or in N Ireland. See below...

The cheapest deals are from small firms with limited or poor feedback, but for only a little more you can get more peace of mind...
- Cost with a small firm for typical usage: £807/yr
- Find YOUR cheapest of these: Your winner depends on location and usage. Do an Energy Club comparison of the whole market.

You've told us your biggest energy switching turn-off was small firms you've not heard of. And sadly we've seen why. Firms launch with low prices, many people pile in and they can't cope. The current cheapest tariffs are all from new firms we've almost no feedback on, and what we have often ain't great.

Yet use our special 'Superb service' comparison, which uses our filters to exclude firms getting less than a c. 70% 'great' rating (min 50 votes) in our service polls. There you're likely to see...

- Avro 1yr fix: £840/yr and scored 73% 'great' (176 votes)
- Tonik 1yr fix: £842/yr and scored 86% 'great' (154 votes)
- Plus our winner below...

MSE Big Switch Winner:
Octopus 14mth fix, 90% 'great' service, no early exit fees, typical cost £862/yr - 25,000 switches only

The MSE Collective Octopus 14M Fixed tariff costs a typical £862/yr including £25 MSE dual-fuel cashback. The rate's fixed for a little longer than other equivalents, as it's 14 months rather than a year.

In our Nov poll its service rated a huge 90% 'great' (177 votes) and it's a very high 9.6/10 on review website Trustpilot. Plus it's agreed to our bolstered customer service commitments incl dedicated contact details and special service briefings on this deal.

- It's available for dual fuel & elec-only, incl Economy 7.
- You get £25 dual-fuel (£12.50 elec-only) MSE cashback.
- We've 25,000 switches (dual fuel & elec-only) before it closes on Thu 8 Feb.
- The rate (not cost, that depends on use) is fixed for 14mths.
- You need to pay by monthly direct debit + get paperless billing.
- It IS PORTABLE - ie, it can move home with you.
- There are no early exit fees.
- You CAN'T get the Warm Home Discount.

Cheapest BIG-NAME top switches - want a firm you've heard of?
- Cost for typical usage: £867/yr (including MSE cashback)
- Find YOUR cheapest of these: Your winner depends on location and usage. Do an Energy Club 'Big Name' comparison.

For those who want a name they know, we've got the cheapest...

Tariff launching to 'coincide' with this event:

Ovo 1yr fix: £867 - TOP service and from a big name

We asked Ovo to bid in our collective, but it preferred instead to cut its prices to coincide with us. So you can get the new Ovo 1yr fix from us or direct, but with us you'll also get £25 MSE dual-fuel cashback to bring the price down further. We don't know how long this price will last.

Ovo is one of the biggest non-Big 6 providers. It's been around since 2009 and has about 800,000 customers. This price makes it on average the cheapest big name, but surprisingly for such a big firm, it still manages an 80% 'great' rating (511 votes) in our poll and 8.8/10 on Trustpilot.

- Available for dual fuel & elec-only (incl Eco 7).
- You get £25 dual-fuel (£12.50 elec-only) MSE cashback.
- The rate (not cost, that depends on use) is fixed for 1yr.
- You must pay by monthly direct debit + get paperless bills.
- It's NOT portable - you can't take it if you move home.
- There are £30/fuel exit fees.
- The core Warm Home Discount is available (ie, if you get it automatically).

Cheapest TWO-WINTER FIX - lock in a good price now, protect from price hikes and the need to switch again so quickly.
- Cost for typical usage: £928/yr (including MSE cashback)
- Find YOUR cheapest of these: Your winner depends on location and usage. Do an Energy Club comparison BUT THEN select the filter for 18mth or longer fixes, though to find the cheapest two-winter fixes you'll need to scroll a little.

MSE Big Switch Winner:

EDF March 2020 fix, market's cheapest TWO-WINTER fix and existing custs can switch too - 10,000 switches only

Not only is the EDF Simply Fixed March20 the cheapest two-winter fix on the market, but it's from a big firm, and existing EDF customers can get it.

Its price is £928/yr typically including MSE cashback - the next cheapest two-winter fix is £940/yr. This is a great deal if you've never switched before as you get a name you know and its 2yrs before you have to switch again.

- Available for dual fuel & elec-only, incl Eco 7.
- You get £25 dual-fuel (£12.50 elec-only) MSE cashback.
- We've 10,000 switches (dual fuel & elec-only) before it closes on Thu 8 Feb.
- The rate (not cost, that depends on use) is fixed until 31 Mar 20.
- Pay by monthly direct debit or quarterly cash/cheque/DD.
- It IS PORTABLE - if you move home you can take it with you.
- Leave early & there are £70 dual-fuel exit fees (£35 single fuel).
- The core Warm Home Discount is available (ie, if you get it automatically).

Don't want to switch firm? Find YOUR PROVIDER'S cheapest.
- Cost for Big 6 typical usage: £880/yr - £1,020/yr (incl cashback)
- How to find YOUR cheapest of these: Use our Cheap Energy Club 'My Current Supplier' comparison which filters out all but your existing provider's best tariffs.

EVERY Big 6 firm and many other providers have a cheaper deal than their standard tariff (EDF customers should look at the deal above). So though you SHOULD be switching suppliers to get the best deal, if you just won't, at least switch tariff with your current provider.

Prepay, green tariffs or live in Northern Ireland?

As usual, we tried to get deals for prepay and renewable and as usual no suppliers would give us (a decent) one.

- Prepay customers can still switch and save: Try our prepay comparison - savings are smaller, typically £55/yr, but it could still be worth doing. For bigger savings see if you can switch to a credit meter. Full help in cut the cost of prepay energy.

- Want a green tariff? We didn't get any cheap green bidders this time. Yet do an Energy Club comparison and from the results, click '100% renewable' in the filters.

- Northern Ireland: No UK comparisons include NI, but see Cheap NI Electricity or the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland's tool.

Key energy switching info...
For more, see the full Cheap Energy Club FAQs

Q. What info do I need to switch? It's best if you have a bill, and input kilowatt hours (kWh) into Cheap Energy Club, rather than cost. But DON'T WORRY if you don't know your usage; the tool can guesstimate for you. While the answer won't be perfect, it's usually far better than doing nowt.

Q. Does MSE make money from this? Yes. Like all energy comparison sites, we're paid each time you switch through us, and we give you about half in cashback (money you don't get if you go direct). The rest helps cover our costs and hopefully makes us some profit.

Q. What happens if my supplier goes bust? New rules that came in last year mean any credit is protected and your energy stays on as you'll be transferred to another supplier. However, you could lose any cheap deal you're on.

Q. How does Cheap Energy Club work? It does 3 things:
1) We compare ALL market tariffs to show your price and saving.
2) You get £25 dual-fuel cashback (£12.50 single fuel) if we can switch you. It's paid roughly 90 days later.
3) We check for better deals. You set a 'trigger saving', eg, £150/yr, then we alert you if you can save this by switching again.

Your most common queries answered...

Q. Can I switch if I've a smart meter? Yes, but you may lose functionality. See Smart switch.
Q. How come it's put my price up when I'm fixed? The rate's fixed, but your bill depends on usage. See Unfair Direct Debits.
Q. How do I find the standing charge and kWh cost? They vary by region, so we display yours in the comparison result.
Q. Can I pick a date for the switch? No. Providers don't allow this.
Q. I'm in credit. You will get your credit back. See Reclaim credit.
Q. I'm in energy debt. You can usually switch while in energy debt.
Q. I've solar panels. You can still switch. See Solar info.
Q. Is monthly direct debit cheapest? Yes, but do regular meter readings.
Q. Why do you show a different cost from my supplier's? Enter kilowatt hours and we show the avg each month, yet your direct debit's an estimate so can differ. Direct debit help.
Q. I have an independent gas transporter. You can still switch. See IGT help.

FIGHT: Help to Buy ISAs vs Lifetime ISAs + parking ticket rights
The Martin Lewis Money Show, ITV, 8pm Monday night

Over to Martin: "Huge response to my boost your credit score show on Monday (watch again online or via the Sun morning ITV repeat). Next Mon is all about first-time buyer savings, and why it's urgent to make your mind up. Plus unfair parking tickets - do you know your rights? Watch or set your Betamax."

Saved cash? Shout it from the rooftops.

If this email's ever helped you, please forward it to friends and suggest they get it via moneysavingexpert.com/tips

Slash your mobile bill in minutes: 'Ta, I'm saving £265 a year'

You keep your number, yet can slash your monthly bill, so if you're out of contract CHECK NOW

Your Sim's the little chip you slot into your phone to make calls and get online. You normally get it as part of a new phone deal, but many stick with the same tariff once it ends, and as prices of Sims have plummeted in the last two years, many are overpaying. If you're out of contract and your phone's unlocked, most shouldn't pay more than £10/mth, and as Sally found out - switching can bring big savings: "Thanks for the Sims tip. I'm saving £22/mth, about £265 a year." Here's how to do it...

Check your usage to get the right Sim. Buy too low an allowance and you're penalised if you go over. Go too high and you're paying unnecessarily. Initial results from our poll suggests that 74% of you use 5GB/mth or less. So simply check recent bills to get your actual usage, or if unsure, try a free tool such as Billmonitor*, which tells you your past use (but you need to give it your mobile account login).
Low users - pay £5/mth. Via this link, new customers of iD Mobile* (uses Three's network) pay £5/mth for 2.25GB of data, 250 mins &a mp; 5,000 texts. It's a 30-day contract, so if you find you're using more you can switch again.
Medium users - pay £9/mth. Anyone not currently in contract with Virgin Mobile* (EE network) can get 5GB, unlimited texts & 1,500 mins (equiv to 50 mins' worth of calls per day) for £9/mth on a 12mth contract.
High users - pay £14/mth. Via this link, new Three* customers or those who need a second line can get 12GB + unltd mins & texts for £14/mth on a 12mth contract.
You can keep your number, and other top tips for a smooth switch. This terrific trio of helpers are key:
- Keeping your number's easy. It normally takes just one working day. See Number porting.
- You may need to unlock your phone. Firms have to let you if you're out of contract. See Unlock your phone for free.
- Don't want to change network? Haggle. Mobile firms are among the easiest to haggle with. See Haggling help.

For more options, incl special deals for BT broadband custs, see our Cheap Sim-only guide.

'I paid 67p for a £41 shop'. Best 'wombling' story we've seen. Read Stuart's 67p story for how.

£4.75 Topshop, Zara, New Look or equiv 'de-tagged' shoes, jackets, dresses etc. MSE Blagged. Discount retailer sells surplus stock from popular high street stores + non-branded clothing. Norm £5 + a min £3.95 delivery charge, but our code gets it for £4.75 all-in. Till Fri. Everything5pounds

Updated. Martin's 'student loan interest 6.1% - panic or pay it off?' guide. The Govt has promised to increase the student loan repayment threshold, which changes the maths, crucial as get this wrong and you risk LOSING £1,000s. Read Martin's graduates' 6.1% interest guide. Pls share with anyone impacted.

New cheapest loans - £5k to £7.5k for 3.3%. Last week we showed how to borrow at 0% on a credit card. Yet if you need £5k+, loans normally win, though ONLY borrow if it's planned and affordable. After recent rate cuts, the top deal for £5k-£7.5k loans is Admiral* at 3.3% rep APR. Need more? M&S Bank* is 2.8% rep APR on £7.5k-£15k. You're credit-checked when you apply so use our free Loans Eligibility Calc to find which you've the best chance of getting, without hitting your score. Full help and more best buys in Cheap Loans.

Victory for MSE - Tesco to keep 4x boosted Clubcard Rewards till June. Follows furious customer backlash and Martin's intervention against last week's no-notice cut. Full details in Tesco rewards.

Check your credit score, credit report and affordability score for FREE. See what lenders see, plus tips to improve your scores and much more. Join the MSE Credit Club

BLAGGED FOR MSE

- EXTRA 10% off discount groceries code Ends Wed 28 Feb
- Cornerstone shaving set £14 all-in Ends Wed 28 Feb
- Cheap wills codes, incl £84.50 Which? will Ends Wed 31 Jan
- 8 craft beers for £12 delivered (similar £27) 1,000 avail
- £16 for two ready-planted pansy containers 2,000 avail

DID YOU MISS?

- Ryanair slashes free hand luggage allowance
- Cheapest Fitbit and Garmin fitness trackers & watches
- 13 ways to cut plastic AND save cash
- Yankee Candle 50% off, eg, £10 medium jar candle
- Some big-name brands STILL charging credit card fees

Make £1,200 by being a bank tart - 'It's paid for Xmas & holidays'

MoneySaver Anthony and his wife have made £680 over the past 6mths - and still another £500 to go

Last week we revealed the secrets of the hidden movement sweeping the UK (drumroll, please)... bank tarting - ie, grabbing easy, free cash from switching bank, then doing it again and again to net £100s. We've been inundated with successes since, some of £1,000+, such as Anthony's below. And you can join the tribe by taking advantage of the current bank-bribe war - see bank tarting explained, incl up to a combined £600/person in upfront cash.

"If it wasn't for switch bonuses I don't know what I would have done. They paid for my Christmas and my annual holiday spending. In six months me and my wife switched three times each making a total of £680.

"With NatWest now offering £125, and we're still to do the M&S offer of £125 in vouchers, it means if we both switch to each offer we stand to gain another £500, making our total for the year £1,180.

"Thanks for finding all the wonderful switch bonus offers. You've really helped me out. I just need some more banks to offer through the year so I can keep it going."

EXTRA 10% off 'best before' ending groceries, eg, 36p Lucozade. MSE Blagged. Online shop sells discounted food close to or past 'best-before' dates, but still safe to eat. Our code makes it even cheaper. Min £22.50 spend + del, so best for bulk-buyers. Approved Food

Cornerstone shaving set £14 all-in (norm £36). MSE Blagged. Incl personalised razor, 6 blades, face wash, scrub, gel and balm. 10,000 avail. £14 Cornerstone set

Do you know when your MOT is due? Get a FREE Govt reminder to avoid a £1,000 fine. Takes 1min. Free MOT reminder

50% off Which? wills code. MSE Blagged. Write a will online, and it's checked by a specialist. Singles cost £84.50 with code WML1S or £129.50 for couples using WML1M via Which?*. We've also blagged discounted wills from Co-op Legal Services*. Singles are £99 (norm £150), couples £185 (norm £234). You draft it online and it's checked by a specialist who calls and writes it for you. Co-op will also store it for free. See Cheap and Free Wills for full info.

Extra discount codes that work on sales: Nike 25% off, Urban Outfitters 30% off and Body Shop 40% off codes. Final boosts on January sales, mainly online. Sales codes

8 craft beers for £12 (similar £27). MSE Blagged. 1,000 boxes of eight available from Beer52. Pls be Drinkaware.

Tell your friends about us

They can get this email free every week

AT A GLANCE BEST BUYS

Longest 0%: MBNA* up to 38mths 0%, 1.44% fee (19.9% rep APR)
No-fee 0%: Halifax* up to 29mths 0%, no fee (19.9% rep APR)

Get comparison site quotes in this order:

Then check insurers they miss:
Direct Line*
Aviva*

Cheapest for £5,000-£7,499: Admiral* 3.3% rep APR
Cheapest £7.5k-£15k: M&S Bank* 2.8% rep APR (1-7yrs)

Standard b'band & line rent: TalkTalk equiv £13.95/mth
Fibre b'band & line rent: Vodafone £20/mth

£150 to switch + £50 if you stay a year: HSBC
5% interest fixed for a year: Nationwide FlexDirect

Top easy-access: Post Office 1.3%, min £1
Top one-year fix: Atom Bank 1.9%, min £50

Can you make £2,018 extra cash in 2018?

January can be tough on your wallet so boost your coffers by selling clutter, watching TV, being creative etc

Each New Year forumites share their top ideas to boost their income - cajoling, supporting each other and sharing ideas to take it to the max, as is happening right now in the Save £2,018 in 2018 club. With that inspiration, we've revamped our 70 Ways To Boost Your Income guide to make it a fiscally fab year. Here are our top picks...

Not used it in 2017? Get cash for clutter. Walk round your home doing a personal stocktake. If you've not used something since last Jan, consider flogging it. As Zoe said: "I've made £200-&poupound;300 selling on Facebook, it works well - no fees, no trips to the post office." See our 40+ eBay Selling Tricks and 28 Facebook Selling Tips.
New. Free £5 when you sell £20+ of CDs, DVDs, books & more. Get instant quotes and quick cash from sites that bulk-buy old music, films etc. Plus one gives an extra £5 when you sell £20+. See Sell old DVDs, CDs & more.
New. Sell designs for T-shirts, mugs, phone cases & even socks. Got a creative streak, or a cool slogan? Special websites let you upload designs which they add to their blank T-shirts, mugs etc. They put them on sale and do the printing, posting etc, and you'll get paid per item bought, eg, £6-£9 for a T-shirt. Get paid for your designs
Flog old jam jars, coat hangers & more for cash. Eg, make up to £1.35 per jam jar, 35p per loo roll, £8 per perfume bottle. Sounds like rubbish, but it works - as forumite cherrylips76 found: "I've sold empty perfume and aftershave bottles at £5-£8 each on eBay." Sell your junk
Grab free Amazon vouchers for doing a spot of window shopping. Simply download a free smartphone app and you can earn Amazon vouchers for snapping pics of job ads in shop windows. Forumite FatVonD said: "Another £18.15 in Amazon vouchers - walked up one side of the high street, back the other and bingo." Snap job adverts
Get paid to watch telly - Gogglebox without the TV camera on you (kind of). Telly addicts can cash in by getting paid for their opinion. You could get up to £70 for a 2-hour focus group, or £3 a survey. See Review TV.

Want an MSE Charity grant? It's offering awards of up to £7.5k to organisations that teach financial life skills to people living with long-term challenges - such as a learning difficulty or disability - and their carers. Applications open on Thu 1 Feb. Find out more and how to apply via the MSE Charity.

SUCCESS OF THE WEEK: 'I RECLAIMED NEARLY £400 IN JUST 10 MINUTES'
"A big thank you for your article on student loan overpayments. I've claimed £391 back, as I started paying early by six months. £391 for a 10-minute call. Can't thank you enough."
(Send us yours on this or any topic.)

£16 for two ready-planted pansy containers. MSE Blagged. Choose plastic or rattan pots for instant garden colour.

THIS WEEK'S POLL

Are you data greedy? How much do you use on your mobile? With the growing use of social networks, streaming services, gaming and more all done on mobiles, we wanted to see how much data you crunch in a month. How much data do you use on your mobile?

A typical MoneySaver needs £6k as an emergency cash fund. Martin often suggests you keep three to six months' worth of basic outgoings as an emergency cash fund if you're debt-free. So to work out how much this is, we asked how much you spend annually on essential outgoings. From over 8,000 responses, the most common spend level is £10k - £15k/yr - where a six-month emergency fund of £6k-ish would suffice. See full basic necessary outgoings results.

MONEYSAVING NEWS

- Top story: 'I cleared £180,000 of debt in 12 years - such a relief'
- Big brands charge customers credit card fees after ban
- 'Switchable' smart meters delayed
- New Curve card claims to be 'the only card you need to carry' - but here's what to watch out for
- Monzo to ditch its prepaid card from April
- Metro Bank now offers its current account nationwide - but how does it stack up?

MONEY MORAL DILEMMA

Should we reimburse our guest's train tickets? We invited an elderly friend who lives a long way away to visit us for a few days but had to ask her to cancel at short notice due to illness, after she'd booked her train tickets. Should we refund the cost? Enter the Money Moral Maze: Should we reimburse our guest's train tickets? | Suggest an MMD | View past MMDs

THE QUICKIES

- Debt-Free Wannabe chat of the week: £2 Savers' Club 2018
- Competitions thread of the week: Compers' Challenge 2018
- Old-Style board thread of the week: KonMari 2018 - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up
- Family, marriage, relationships chat: Wife taking surname
- Discussion of the week: Frump to Fab 2018 - Fabulous Daahlings

Yellow stickers - reductions in places you might not expect
Swagbucks - earn £15 M&S/Amazon vch for online surveys
Superdry - £20 specs code (norm £99)
Ocado - 50% off fresh food code for newbies
Krispy Kreme - free doughnut via newsletter sign-up

Carluccio's - main courses 2for1 for £1
Bella Italia - 50% off mains
Zizzi - 30% off mains
Giraffe - 2for1 on mains
Cafe Rouge - 40% off food

Goodfella's - £1 off pizza
Fruit - £5 off via £2ish cereal spend
Sausages - £1.50 off Debbie & Andrew's
Haggis - 50p off Macsween haggis
John West - 50p off spreadables fridge pack

30-pack of Sharpie markers £6 (norm £22). Marked down
Sainsbury's Tu up to 50% off sale. Up Tu half price
Two for £22 on selected Build-a-Bear. Un-bear-lievable

MSE TEAM BLOG

- Would you charge your five-year-old RENT to teach them about money?

DEALS HUNTER BLOG

- Follow the yellow stick(er) road - reductions in places you might not expect

MARTIN'S APPEARANCES (WED 24 JAN ONWARDS)

Thu 25 Jan - Good Morning Britain, ITV, Deals of the Week, 7.40am
Fri 26 Jan - This Morning, ITV, Martin's Quick Deals, from 10.30am. See previous
Mon 29 Jan - This Morning, ITV, from 10.30am
Mon 29 Jan - BBC Radio 5 Live, Lunch Money Martin, 12.30pm. Listen again
Mon 29 Jan - The Martin Lewis Money Show, ITV, 8pm. See previous

MSE TEAM APPEARANCES (MOST SUBJECTS TBC)

Wed 24 Jan - BBC Cumbria, Money Talks with Ben Maeder, from 6pm
Fri 26 Jan - BBC South West stations, Good Morning with Joe Lemer, from 5am, energy saving
Mon 29 Jan - TalkRadio, Breakfast with Julia Hartley-Brewer, 9.30am
Tue 30 Jan - BBC Radio Cambridgeshire with Jeremy Sallis, 2.20pm

QUESTION OF THE WEEK

Q: I'm about to pay a large sum off my credit cards, and cut them up. Is it better for my credit history if I call the credit card companies and close the accounts or is just paying them off enough to improve my score? Jackie, by email.

MSE Nick's A: Improving your credit score is an art, not a science. It's good that you're paying off some debt, but whether to close down an account for the sake of your credit score comes down to a few different factors.

One of these is 'credit utilisation' - the percentage of credit available to you that you're using. Lenders don't like to see you using too much of your available credit, as this can make you look financially stretched, but they want to see you using at least some - we usually say to aim for around 25% utilisation or less, ie, if you've £10,000 of available credit across your cards, 25% is a £2,500 balance across them all.

But it's not just about using a sensible level of credit. Closing long-held, well-managed credit cards could have a negative impact on your credit score, especially if one or more of them have a high credit limit. Get full help in our Should you cancel old cards? guide.

Please suggest a question of the week (we can't reply to individual emails).

'I COULDN'T FILE MY TAX RETURN BECAUSE... MY WIFE WAS SEEING ALIENS'

That's all for this week, but before we go... what's the worst excuse for doing a chore you've heard? Aliens, spilt coffee and being scared to go upstairs all feature in the most unbelievable 'reasons' for late tax returns, according to HMRC, ahead of the 31 January self-assessment deadline. Join in the conversation in our worst excuses Facebook post.

We hope you save some money,
The MSE team

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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.

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More about MoneySavingExpert and Martin Lewis

What is MoneySavingExpert.com?
Founded in February 2003, it's now the UK's biggest consumer help website with more than 12 million people getting this email and about 13 million using the site every month. In September 2012 it became part of the MoneySupermarket Group PLC. Its focus is simple: saving cash and fighting for financial justice on anything and everything. The site has over 80 full time staff, more than a third of whom are editorial - researching, analysing and writing to continually find ways to save money. More info: See About MSE.

Who is Martin Lewis?
Martin set up and is chairman of MSE. He's an ultra-focused money-saving journalist and consumer campaigner with his own ITV prime-time show The Martin Lewis Money Show and weekly slots on Radio 5 Live, This Morning and Good Morning Britain, among others. He's a columnist for publications including the Telegraph, Sunday Mirror and Woman magazine. More info: See Martin Lewis' biography.

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