Should you panic buy fuel? A true prisoner’s dilemma
Many forecourts across the UK have queues, and shortages are starting. I’ve already scootered past one "sold out of diesel" sign. While the potential truckers’ strike was the catalyst, that’s no longer the problem. The issue is the resultant panic. It’s a classic prisoner’s dilemma. The concern is if you don’t act and everyone else does, it’s...
Why stamps that say ‘1st’ stay valid in perpetuity (so hoard ’em)
Stamp prices will be hiked on 30 April, so bulk buy "1sts" and "2nds" now and they stay valid so you can beat this. I’ve been yelling this to anyone who’ll listen, but some have questioned whether this will always be the case. So I thought I’d explain. What’s happening? From 30 April, 1st class letter-sized stamps...
Stamp Duty – can you fix Britain’s worst tax?
I hate stamp duty. It’s not that I object to a tax on purchasing property. It’s this distortive tax that has absurd cliff hangers meaning an extra penny on a house’s price can cost thousands. So on the back of last week’s Budget, which fiddled with the rates but did nowt to change the problem, I’ve a...
Tesco scores second own goal in the ‘£50 iPad’ fiasco
First there was the price error – Tesco Direct offering the new iPad online for £49.99. Cue lots of people asking "I’ve bought it, does it have to honour it?", only to be disappointed that the answer was no. While other companies like M&S, and famously Zappos, have previously honoured such breaches regardless of the law, Tesco...
A new danger for anyone who shares a flat / house
Update 22 March: Hoorah! Since writing the blog, Experian contacted us to say it’d read it and seen your responses and has now changed its mind about the ‘financial linking’ element. See Experian u-turn for the full details. It is also going to think more about how to protect the ‘joint and severally liable’ if their flatmate...
PIP breast implant refunds via credit card companies – will it work for everyone?
PIP breast implant refunds via credit card companies – will it work for everyone? There’s big news today that a woman got a refund off Lloyds TSB for her PIP breast implants which had burst. This happened as she’d paid on a credit card and the purchase cost over £100, meaning under Section 75 law the card...
The UK’s mortgage ticking time bomb
Mortgage costs for most are hugely expensive –- a ticking time bomb ready to blight the finances of millions and put the economy at risk. Whether it’s a lack of political will, clout, or ideas, nowt’s being done to stop it. If you feel a sense of déjà vu over that sentence, don’t worry. It’s not you,...
We don’t hate banks — busting this and other myths about MoneySavingExpert.com
No one has ever quite said to me, "you run that one man, bank-hating website charity, to help those in debt stop spending". But in combination, that’s some of the assumptions people make about the site. So I thought it time for a bit of myth busting. MoneySavingExpert.com hates banks. Not true. We hate bad bank behaviour,...
“Gambling Introductory Offer Loopholes board” – consultation results
A few weeks ago, I launched a user consultation into the future of the forum’s Gambling Introductory Offer Loopholes board. The board was originally set up to discuss taking advantage of risk-free intro loopholes, but over recent years their growing complexity has made it difficult for the forum team to manage. You can read the full explanation...
Eek, my competitiveness embarrassed me at the Ultimate News Quiz
The Ultimate News Quiz is an annual event, where teams/tables from across broadcast news organisations compete in aid of Action for Children. The room was jammed with many big names from TV and radio news – Andrew Marr, Adam Boulton, Emily Maitlis and others like Martha Lane Fox, Rory Bremner and more. My agent had put a...
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Recent Blogs
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Martin Lewis: The one thing everyone aged over 66 needs to know
17 June 2022![]()
It is a national tragedy that getting on for a million pensioners, many of whom have been paying into the system for years, are missing out on a critical boost to their income. It's called pension credit, and this year it also means you get an extra £650 to help with energy bills. -
Martin Lewis: What I asked the Chancellor to do when I spoke to him on Monday...
26 May 2022![]()
With the announcement of the Government's energy cost of living plans due out at lunchtime. I thought I'd speedily bash out a note down of what (from memory) I'd asked the Chancellor for when we spoke on Monday - and the other general suggestions I've been making. -
Martin Lewis: Got a cash ISA? You should probably ditch it
24 May 2022![]()
Press the rewind button and go way back to April 2015... Possibly on the telly in the corner of your living room, I was on-air at the time urging savers as usual to use their new tax-free cash ISA allowance – because 'money was nicer in an ISA'. But things changed in 2016. -
Martin Lewis: 'UO is just as important as UX: A tip for anyone developing their website or app'
6 May 2022![]()
I set up MoneySavingExpert.com nearly 20 years ago – when arguably the modern web was still in its infancy. With an abundance of self-belief (something I had too much of then, as I realise now) I decided not to read any books, or follow prevailing wisdom on how a site should operate – and just do it my way.
