Don’t buy a “HD Ready telly” thinking it’s high-definition – it’s not
Pop into any TV shop or look on any site online right now, and you’ll see a mix of HD Ready and Full HD TVs. They don’t sound very different, yet the way retailers use "HD Ready" makes it a terribly misleading name that needs changing – I’d call it "Half HD". Far too many people buy...
Payday loan self-regulation may be more of a stick than they bargained for
Payday lending, or high cost short-term credit providers (you know – Wonga, QuickQuid, et al with their 4,000% APRs) agreed a revised system of self-regulation last week. While it’s far short of what’s needed, and doesn’t touch the cost of credit, at least it scrapes a little mud off this dirty industry. Better still, I suspect this...
The 10 worst acronyms if you’re a pedant (grrr)
It’s called RAS syndrome (Redundant Acronym Syndrome syndrome), and if you’re a little obsessive and start thinking too hard it can be excruciatingly annoying. The actual syndrome wasn’t something I’d heard of until I tweeted the following… Why do we write "EHIC card" when it stands for European Health Insurance CARD, and "PIN number" (Personal Identification NUMBER)...
No, I WON’T play you at Scrabble online
On Saturday via Twitter and Facebook, many of you asked to play me at Scrabble (or a renamed version thereof) online (6 points). I don’t want to be rude but may I just say, NO, NO WAY, NEVER, IT’S A BASTARDISATION (17 POINTS) OF THE GAME. This rant all came about as I posted the following message...
How safe is Santander UK? – What I really think…
Spanish bank Santander’s had its credit rating downgraded and understandably some are asking questions about its UK arm. I woke up this morning to see I’d been quoted in a few newspapers on this – as can happen when small snippets are taken from larger conversations – they didn’t quite reflect the entirety of what I think,...
Wish I’d never blogged about it now…
If you read my blog last week on a canny bit of gift recycling, you would’ve read the tale of the multi-gifted "Next stop 40" t-shirt. Originally given to me on my 30th birthday by my friend Justin, I gave it back to him the next year for his birthday. Then it was regifted to me last...
Sainsbury’s launches mostly meaningless price promise
A price promise press release has just dropped into my inbox from Sainsbury’s Personal Finance. It’s on shaky ground with me, as I’m no fan of this type of marketing hype where companies promise to reduce prices in the unlikely event that having signed up, you search elsewhere and find it cheaper (see my Price promises aren’t...
A canny bit of gift recycling…
On 9 May 2002, as I hit 30, the gift one of my best friends, Justin, gave me was a ‘next stop 40’ T-shirt. The following May as he followed suit (he’s just under a year younger), I, of course, gifted it back to him. Then last May as I hit 39, I found the same T-shirt...
Latest MoneySaving Tips
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12 ways to save only do with appsFree chocs, 1.5% savings and more
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Martin: 'Aged around 45 to 70?''You may be able to turn £800 into £5,500+'
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New. Top way to spend abroadUnbeatable exchange rates and cashback
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10% off discount 'best-before' storeEg, 23p Pepsi , £4,50 for 1kg Lindt
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Cheaper energy deals kiboshedMartin not exactly impressed
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Lloyds' free £125 bank bribeBut others pay more
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Debt cost-cutting masterclassMortgages, cards, overdrafts, loans...
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48 oriental lily bulbs for £87,500 bundles available
Recent Blogs
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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. -
Martin Lewis: Got a cash ISA? You should probably ditch it
3 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: Money and Mental Health charity 2021/22 – Covid & cost of living hell...
26 April 2022![]()
It's hard to believe the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute (MMHPI) charity is now six years old. As the chair of trustees, each year I write the foreword to its annual report – and today the 2021/22 report is out, so I thought I'd blog my formal chair's foreword here. -
Martin Lewis: What happened to my pledge to give £10m to charity – 2022 update (spoiler: it's now £20m)
11 April 2022![]()
Nearly a decade ago, in June 2012, MSE joined the MSM Group and I pledged £10m to go to charity. As that was a public pledge and I feel I've a duty of transparency, every year or two I bash out a blog report to explain where I'm up to, and who's got what money.
