
Is it time to ban Christmas presents?
Update September 2017: It’s eight years since I first braved this subject, expecting a snowstorm of protest. Instead, year after year more join in, like Julia who recently tweeted me, “@MartinSLewis, finally took your advice and told my family I can’t afford Christmas presents. What a weight off my mind. Thank you.” One year even the Archbishop of...

Martin Lewis: To those who sent me messages about the interview on losing my mum when I was 11…
Last Wednesday, for the first time, I spoke publicly about losing my mother when I was a child. I wanted to write a brief note today, primarily to express thanks for the huge volume of support, shared grief, emotional outpourings and condolence messages I’ve had. I’ve been overwhelmed in every way. Doing the Radio 5 Live interview...

A year ago Santander 123 halved its interest to 1.5% – now most should consider ditching it
Update Note: 12/12/2017. I wrote this blog just before November’s base rate rise, predicting then UK rates would rise and Santander 123 wouldn’t follow. Well UK rates did rise, and Santander’s confirmed it won’t follow. So everything below still stands. Some of the alternative accounts and rates have shifted slightly, but most are pretty similar – just click...

Are student loans broken? What I told Uni Minister Jo Johnson
If you read the papers you’d think the answer is a clear cut yes. I too agree, to an extent. Yet the most commonly quoted problems tend not to be what worries me most, and the things least mentioned can hurt. On Tuesday, MSE organised an event at the Tory party conference, where I debated this subject...

Have you been Plevined? A new rule means just having had PPI means you are due money
Have you been Plevined? I ask that question in the almost certain knowledge that most people reading this won’t have a clue what I’m on about. Yet the answer is YES for millions, and if so that means you’re owed big money. At the end of August, the financial regulator the Financial Conduct Authority launched a two-year...

Why cutting the student loan interest rate will only help richer graduates…
This weekend the papers have been mooting that Theresa May’s Government is looking to cut the English and Welsh student loan interest rate – now at a 6.1% headline rate for those who began uni in or after 2012 – in order to appeal to the youth vote. I find this frustrating. Not because I object; I’ve...

Five things EVERY student and their parents should know
Fear grabs votes and makes headlines. Sadly, though, both sides’ political spin and spittle over student finance have resulted in widespread rampant misinformation – and it’s got worse again this year. So with a new academic year about to start, my message to students and their parents is simple – forget the politics – ensure you understand...

How to make a tweet/Facebook post go viral – 7 lessons from ‘You don’t need your polling card’
Last Wednesday, the day before the general election, I casually popped a little note on social media. That message exploded. I’ve had posts go viral before, but this was by far the biggest. So I thought it would be interesting to bash out the stats of the tweet, and try to explore why this message triggered the instinct...

What the triggering of Article 50 means for your mortgage, savings, debt and more
On Wednesday, the UK formally triggers Article 50, the start of the two-year negotiation process of leaving the European Union – the culmination of the vote to leave the EU in June 2016. The day after that vote I wrote an instant first impressions news analysis guide on what Brexit is likely to mean for your finances....

Autumn Statement Submission 1: Unfreeze the student loan repayment threshold, stop the retrospective hike
On 23 November the new Chancellor Phillip Hammond, will present his first Autumn Statement – it’s likely to contain a range of major policy announcements. As always the Treasury has invited submissions, and this year MSE and I felt it was time to take them up on the offer – we’ve submitted two. Here’s the first (the second...
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Recent Blogs
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Martin Lewis VIDEO: Should you pay off your Plan 1 student loan?
11 January 2021If you started university between 1998 and 2012, or since then in Scotland and Northern Ireland, you'll have a Plan 1 student loan. While much is written about whether those with savings should overpay the current English Plan 2 student loans, there's little out there about Plan 1. I wanted to change that, so here's a video explaining how to decide... -
Martin Lewis: Payment holidays coming to an end – but should you take one? Mortgages, credit cards, loans, payday loans, car finance and more
5 January 2021Within the last week, we've seen the extension of coronavirus credit card, personal loan and overdraft help to 31 October 2020, with mortgage payment holidays already extended. The regulator's other help schemes are also likely to be extended too, including car finance and payday loans, yet should you do it?