December 2022

MoneySavingExpert.com and its founder Martin Lewis are among a coalition of organisations today calling on energy firms to take urgent action to ensure households on traditional (non-smart) prepayment meters can access the Government's vital energy help. 

The alternative fuel payment, which will give £200 to households that don't use mains gas, will be made "as soon as possible in the New Year", according to the Government. We've full info on what the scheme is and how it'll work below. 

First Direct is now accepting new applications for its current account, after temporarily pausing them on Friday 16 December. It had initially told MoneySavingExpert.com it had made the move in order to maintain its customer service standards and let staff catch up and have a break over the Christmas period, but has now decided it has the resources to process applications as normal. 

Higher earners in Scotland will be hit with income tax rises from April next year, while most Scottish social security benefits will rise by 10.1% in line with inflation, deputy first minister John Swinney has announced. The changes come as part of today's Scottish budget – we round up what the new measures mean for you below.

Rising rates have dominated mortgage headlines this year, with both fixed rate and variable deals becoming more expensive. To try to provide clarity on what you can expect, we have spoken to mortgage experts and financial market analysts to see what they think is in store for 2023.

About six weeks ago Mark and Roxanne Hoyle (LadBaby) contacted my team to ask if I'd join them in a reworking of Band Aid (with Bob Geldof and Midge Ure's permission) – I thought they'd confused me with someone else.

NS&I will increase its Premium Bond prize-fund rate to 3% from 2.2% for its January 2023 draw and beyond, with an extra £80 million in higher-value prizes up for grabs. The odds of winning will remain the same at 24,000-to-one, but there will more than three times as many prizes between £5,000 and £100,000 available.

As the festive period draws nearer, we've searched the aisles and crunched the numbers to find the cheapest supermarket for your Christmas dinner – with Aldi coming out on top.

Mortgage lenders have been pushed to offer more support for struggling homeowners following a meeting with MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis, the Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, and the financial regulator. The move comes as homeowners continue to face higher and significantly more expensive interest rates amid the cost-of-living crisis.

Some claiming Personal Independence Payments (PIP) say they have yet to receive their money for this month, leaving many struggling for cash ahead of Christmas. The disability payments were due to be paid on Monday (5 December).