Martin Lewis: How to teach yourself scam self-defence
Criminals aren’t always thugs with meaty arms and little between the ears. In our ever more interconnected world, these days many thieves wear suits, have charm, act in a sophisticated manner and make out they are on our side.
Martin Lewis: Are you an overdraft prisoner? How to escape it
The old adage – that banks will lend you an umbrella when the sun shines, and ask for it back when it rains – feels like a modern reality for many with overdrafts.
Martin Lewis: Why it’s the PERFECT time to check if you can reclaim £100s of energy credit
The sun has got its hat on – hip hip hip hooray. The sun has got its hat on – check your bills without delay. Well, it almost scans, but at least my message is on point.
Bravo to the Personal Support Unit, which helps those facing civil or family court without lawyers
A couple of months ago I became a patron of the PSU charity, which helps those facing civil or family courts. I went along to the Royal Courts of Justice to explain why and to meet a superb collection of volunteers – who provide a mix of hand-holding of scared people, to providing excellent guidance to help them navigate the court system.
Martin Lewis: How to go Christmas cold turkey
If there was a big red CANCEL CHRISTMAS button, would you press it? While the festive season is usually portrayed as unerringly joyous, not everyone feels that way. It can put stress on you and on your pockets. So, forgive me, but to relieve that pressure, and possibly increase happiness, it is worth considering going cold turkey.
Martin Lewis: Is it unfair to charge loyal customers more?
Should loyal customers be charged more than new ones? On the surface the answer is a simple no – but nothing is that simple. Many consumer marketplaces function because only some people embrace competition, and we need to work out what happens if we change that.
Martin Lewis – Warning: Energy price comparison savings are WRONG due to the price cap – and how it needs to be fixed
The new energy price cap (following on from the prepay price cap) for millions of customers on a standard tariff will begin on 1 January 2019. It's already been wrongly reported, but there's a bigger worry that it will make the savings on comparison sites wrong.
Martin Lewis: How much should you save for your kids to go to university? (VIDEO)
Update January 2020: We now have a new how much should you save for your child to go to University calculator and my updated parental contribution briefing. Please go there as that’s more up to date than this blog.
This is a warning for parents of all teenagers. Now over 50% of our young people go on to university. And while you commonly hear that you don’t need to pay for that upfront, it’s no longer true - there is a hidden parental contribution.
Why don’t we include energy firms’ kilowatt hour costs in our weekly email?
I always suggest, when you’re doing an energy comparison, to enter the kilowatt hours (kWh) figure from your bill, if possible, as it gives a more accurate result than entering the cost. (Though the sin of inaction is far greater than the sin of inaccuracy – so if you’re unsure, don’t be put off.)
Martin Lewis: A drugs bust - stop letting big pharmaceuticals rip you off!
Harry Potter's got nowt on the pharmaceutical industry. It's full of real wizards - both those who make drugs that help, and the marketers who have a raft of tricks to persuade us there's hidden magic in their brands. Drug companies spend millions promoting 'only-use-the-name-you-know' messages... but it's often marketing baloney, balderdash and any other 'b' words you can think of.
Latest MoneySaving Tips
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10 big tips to cut motoring costsIncluding MSE's new car insurance tool
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Top savings rates for a decade1.5% easy access, 2.68% fixed
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Reclaim lost cash for FREEUp to £50 billion's waiting to be found
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Energy price cap predicted to rise 42%Should you fix?
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£25 M&S beauty bag with £30 spendNormally £160
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Aged 45-70?Can you boost state pension by £1,000s?
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Amazon £10 off £30 for somePlus another 33 Amazon tricks
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Premium Bond rate up to 1.4%See our full analysis
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£17 million of Clubcard vouchers expiringHow to extend 'em
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Shift card debt to 33 months 0%AND get £25 cashback
Recent Blogs
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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. -
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.
