Amy Roberts

Senior Money Writer

As one of MSE's Money writers, Amy's main topics include student loans, credit scoring, budgeting and buy now, pay later. Having worked at MSE for over a decade, Amy has covered everything money related over the years, from mortgages and pensions, to investments and reclaiming.

Before joining MSE in 2013, Amy worked as a Senior Features Writer at Financial Adviser (a Financial Times business publication), and was also a Senior Reporter at Post, a magazine from the insurance industry, after qualifying as a journalist in 2009.

As a busy mum of three, Amy spends any spare time she has running the streets of her home town Norwich, or attending a dance class – a hobby she has continued since she was three years old.

Amy has been recognised twice at the British Insurance Brokers' Association Awards – she was named runner-up for the Online Award in 2011 and was highly commended in the Trade Feature Award category in 2012. She was nominated for the General Insurance Journalist of the Year at the 2010 Association of British Insurers Financial Media Awards, for Trade Newcomer at the 2012 Santander Media Awards and for General Insurance Journalist of the Year at the 2012 Headline Money Awards.

Latest from Amy Roberts

The Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) doesn't just protect your savings. If you've an insurance, investment or pension product with a regulated company that's gone out of business, you may also have FSCS protection. It could prevent you from being left £1,000s or even £10,000s out of pocket – even if the company went bust decades ago.

7 May 2026

Most money related conversations while at uni focus on your student loan. While its a debt of sorts, there’s other more serious debts you could take on as a student that can have dire consequences if used incorrectly. This guide talks you through what debt is, how to budget and where to get help if you find yourself in debt.

6 May 2026

Credit unions, also sometimes called community banks, offer an alternative to traditional banks and building societies for saving and borrowing – especially if you've found it tricky to access financial products in the past. We explain what credit unions do, who can use them and what they can offer.

6 May 2026

Student loans - the truth about uni fees, loans and grants

If you live in Northern Ireland and decide to go to university, you'll be on a different student finance system to the rest of the UK, regardless of where in the country you go to study. There are 11 key things you need to know about how this work if you, or someone in your family, is applying for a 'Plan 1' student loan in Northern Ireland.

8 April 2026

Wales has had the same student loans system for over a decade, yet there are still misconceptions about how it works, with many students (and parents) worrying about leaving university with £10,000s of debt. But that worry is mostly misplaced. This guide is written to bust common myths about how these 'Plan 2' student loans work for Welsh students who started uni since 2012.

8 April 2026

MSE's 5 need-to-knows about 'Plan 5' English student finance.

September 2023 saw the biggest shift in student finance for a decade, as new 'Plan 5' loans launched for new higher education starters from England. Paradoxically, the changes are both subtle and massive. On the surface it looks like a tweak, in practice it will increase the cost by over 50% for many typical graduates and double it for a few.

7 April 2026

Over 2.5m English and Welsh students who started uni before August 2012, and Northern Irish students who started since 1998 are currently paying back their Plan 1 student loans. But the simple question of whether you should pay off your student loan early if you've got extra cash, depends on whether or not you've other debts.

7 April 2026

Student loan interest is now 6.2% - should I panic or pay it off?

You leave university, looking forward to your future, then spot your student loan statement. There's a sinking feeling as you see £1,000s of added interest. Yet student loan statements can be dangerously misleading. They've led some into making catastrophic financial decisions. For most graduates, bizarrely, interest isn't relevant. Ignore it, and it'll go away.

7 April 2026

Many have student loan repayments automatically deducted from their wages each month, and assume all is well. Yet 100,000s accidentally overpay their student loans each year, often without realising. Here's how to check if you're one of them and, if so, how you can reclaim £100s, or even £1,000s.

7 April 2026

Student loans in Scotland work differently to the rest of the UK. If you normally live in Scotland and decide to go to university, there are 11 key things you need to know about how 'Plan 4' student finance works – even if you study elsewhere in the UK.

7 April 2026

HMRC app: Check income tax, state pension, benefits and more.

If you need to contact HM Revenue & Customs about your Income Tax, Self-Assessment, State Pension, benefits and more, first check if the HMRC app can help. It lets you check and update an array of information and might save you a lengthy phone call. This guide explains how to get the HMRC app and eight of the best ways to use it.

1 April 2026

In September, the new ‘Plan 5’ loans launch for higher education starters from England. This big change could see many graduates and university leavers repaying far more, so some with savings are, understandably, considering avoiding the loans if they can.

27 February 2026

Mobile phone with a '999' credit score on its screen, plus a credit card and pen and notepad

For many students, going to university is a time of increased financial independence. That often goes hand-in-hand with increased borrowing, whether via a student loan, overdraft, or credit card. While not necessarily a bad thing, it's vital to know how this impacts your credit score, and what you can do now for a healthier financial future post-uni. Here are our 10 key need-to-knows.

26 February 2026

4 February 2026

18 December 2025

If you took out an old 'mortgage style' student loan between 1990 and 1997, you might be wondering whether overpaying is a good idea. With many of these loans due to be written off in the next couple of years and many, especially those who can't afford to pay back, deferring their payments – the answer is 'no'. This guide explains who has these loans, when you do and don't have to repay and whether you should ever consider overpaying.

3 September 2025