Should MSE be recommending the ‘best PPI claims handlers?’
Reclaiming payment protection insurance (PPI) has gotten much easier since the banks threw in the towel a month ago and put £6 billion aside to pay out consumers. But claims handling agencies are leaching on top of this, charging 30%+ to process claims most people can EASILY do themselves. We currently have a ‘don’t use ’em’ stance...
Is being a cheapskate an insult or a compliment?
Is it time to reappropriate the word cheapskate as a badge of pride rather than an insult? That’s only a partially tongue in cheek question (tongue half in cheek). The point is, should we really deem it socially acceptable to make fun of people not wantonly spending? This was prompted by a post on my Facebook page...
Student Finance 2012 changes – it’s time to tackle the ignorance
Update Note 13 June 2011: Now see the new Student Finance 2012 the facts guide (direct link www.studentfinance2012.com I had a good meeting yesterday with David Willetts (Minister for Universities and Skills) and Simon Hughes MP (Advocate for Access to Education). While I’m not the greatest fan of the 2012 changes, I do believe a chunk of...
Am I really “the most powerful man in retail” as The Grocer magazine says?
It’s a strange thing to read about yourself. The Grocer magazine’s ‘Power 100’ list is just out and has "No. 1 Martin Lewis, founder of MoneySavingExpert.com" ahead of the new boss of Tesco at No. 2. Yet, as I tweeted when I first officially heard…how come I still have to queue for 15 minutes at Morrisons? When...
Is it time to teach uncertainty in schools?
Sometimes there just isn’t a right answer, or at least not without a crystal ball. This simple fact is one many people struggle to grasp. My focus is financial, but this impacts all elements of life including relationships, work and health. The Government is looking to try and boost our happiness, perhaps ensuring the understanding of uncertainty...
My Curb Your Enthusiasm moment, “You talk too fast horrible man, I’ll never watch you”
Heart sinks. Take a breath. Try not to look bothered! I was having coffee in London’s Westfield shopping centre with two BBC big wigs, Jeff Anderson the Editor of BBC1 Watchdog and Jo Vaughn-Jones the Senior Producer, discussing how we’ll be doing PPI reclaiming on next week’s programme… when it happened. Jo had just asked me, “do...
Is the Olympics sponsored by Wonga.com?
The first Olympic ticket payments will begin to be taken today and the 1.8 million applicants need to urgently ensure they’ve enough cash in their account to pay – or they face bank charges. The entire system feels designed to cause people major cash flow issues, it’s a surprise it’s not sponsored by Wonga.com. The organising committee...
PPI Twitter clinic questions and answers
I’m experimenting with live Twitter Q&A clinics on my Martin Lewis Twitter feed. Yesterday it was payment protection insurance (PPI) reclaiming, following the huge climb down by the banks – and their putting over £6 billion away to foot the bill. So, I thought it would be useful to recap the answers here. This is a direct...
The new Scrabble words – a player’s analysis of how useful they are
The new Collins Scrabble dictionary is out today with a host of newly accepted words. As a self-confessed Scrabble nerd, I thought I’d attempt to analyse how useful some of these new words are to players. Apparently 3,000 have been added and I’ve not seen the full list yet, so I’m just going to share my notes...
Financial education MP named ‘MP of the month’
It’s great to see the campaign to get financial education in schools getting recognition within political circles. Congratulations to Justin Tomlinson MP for being named ‘MP of the month for May’ by Total Politics magazine, one of the main in-house political journals read by politicians. This is a crucial step, both as an indication that there is...
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Recent Blogs
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Martin Lewis VIDEO: Should you pay off your Plan 1 student loan?
5 May 2020
If you started university between 1998 and 2012, or since then in Scotland and Northern Ireland, you'll have a Plan 1 student loan. While much is written about whether those with savings should overpay the current English Plan 2 student loans, there's little out there about Plan 1. I wanted to change that, so here's a video explaining how to decide...
