MSE's weekly round-up
With a FREE £210, an M&S beauty bargain, Martin's BAFTA win & more
Welcome to the hottest MSE content from the past week! See our latest top tips, best deals and news-you-can-use, plus Martin's musings, all in a quickfire bite-sized format. To catch up on all you need to know from this week, read on...
MSE's Money Tips email: Earn a free £210 AND cashback on bills, power up your pension, get paid to spend overseas & more
Some highlights from this week's email include...
-
Switch to a top bills account & bag a free £210. Santander also offers up-to-£120-a-year cashback on eligible bills as part of this deal.
-
Power up your pension with Martin's 13 tips, tricks & must-knows. Including the three pension superpowers, how to get free one-on-one help and ways to track down £10,000s in lost savings.
-
Off on your holidays? Get near-perfect exchange rates AND cashback on overseas spending. Barclaycard gives 0.25% cashback on all spending (including in the UK) on its Rewards card, boosted to 1% for six months.
Hot deal: Bag £190's worth of M&S beauty for just £40
The M&S summer beauty bag is back for 2026, containing 11 products worth up to £190, from Estée Lauder, Clinique, Color Wow and more.
MSE Olivia opens up the bag and talks you through its contents, plus how much they're worth. You can watch her unboxing via the link below.
The latest from Martin Lewis: Watch Martin's BAFTA Awards speech after his big win
On Sunday, MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis received a deserved accolade in recognition of his tireless and impactful broadcast work: the 2026 BAFTA Television Special Award. Naturally, he gave a rousing acceptance speech, which you can watch below.
BAFTA says the honour recognises our Martin's impact on consumers and public life after more than 20 years of consumer campaigning and broadcast journalism.
It's a big nod not just to Martin – it's also acknowledgment that financial journalism can genuinely change lives, whether that's helping people to cut bills, reclaim what they're owed or make sense of major financial decisions. So, to the boss: well done and congratulations!
CHECK OUT MARTIN'S BAFTA ACCEPTANCE SPEECH
Key MSE News: 69 councils fix carer discount info after our campaign
In January, we reported that 69 councils had been giving incorrect information about the live-in carers' Council Tax discount. This likely deterred some of the up-to-five-million unpaid carers in England and Wales from claiming support typically worth £500 to £1,000 a year.
Thankfully, ALL those councils have now significantly improved their online information, meaning unpaid carers are now far less likely to miss out.
So, if you're a carer and previously thought you didn't qualify for the discount, it's worth checking again. In some cases you may be able to get a backdated discount, too, to when you first became eligible.
READ THE FULL CARERS' COUNCIL TAX STORY
What's new on MSE: Get to grips with investing as a beginner
Our new beginner's guide to investing explains the basics of shares, bonds, funds, risk, diversification and more in a simple and engaging way.
Based on Martin's 'Investing for Beginners' live show special, the guide can help you to decide whether investing is right for you and how best to do so if it is, whether that's £10 a month or a large lump sum.
And while your money can go up or down and there are no guarantees, if you understand the risks and take a long-term approach, you can see strong returns.
CHECK OUT INVESTING FOR BEGINNERS
From our social channels: Save big on Council Tax with a quick check & challenge
Could you be living in one of the hundreds of thousands of homes across England and Scotland in too high a Council Tax band? Try Martin's check & challenge system to find out – and potentially gain £1,000s.
This week's social post drives home the importance of checking. One MoneySaver moved from band E to band D, saving on future bills, and getting £7,600 back after following our tips – not bad going. So while results will vary, it's well worth a quick check.
CHECK YOUR COUNCIL TAX BAND
And finally, from the MSE Forum: Garden inspiration, bathroom renovations & bank balance verifications
Some highlights from the MSE Forum this week include...
Green-fingered? This forum board is for you. The Gardening board is packed with practical MoneySaving advice on everything from growing your own trees, plants and shrubs to making use of coffee grounds in your garden.
Got any useful bathroom revamp tips? One forumite is planning a bathroom renovation and is tapping into the forum for ideas. Do chime in if you think you can help!
Vote in our latest forum poll. We're asking how often you check your bank balance: are you multiple times a day, daily, weekly or even less often? Let us know.
Share this guide?
