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Petar Lekarski

Petar Lekarski

Assistant Editor – News & Investigations

Petar joined MoneySavingExpert in 2019, but his passion for all things MoneySaving goes back much further – as evidenced by his 'Part of the furniture' badge on the MSE Forum.

He developed his in-depth knowledge of bank accounts, credit cards, loans and savings in the Money team before moving across to MSE News. He has written about a wide range of personal finance topics, covering everything from mobile roaming charges to supermarket loyalty schemes to railcards.

In 2021, Petar researched and wrote MSE's comprehensive and massively popular guide to diesel emissions legal claims, and he continues to maintain it as the cases progress.

Petar has also worked directly with Martin Lewis as his researcher, supporting the MoneySavingExpert with his eponymous ITV show and other media appearances over a period of 18 months.

When he's not polishing prose or crunching numbers, you'll find Petar at the cinema, eating spicy food or cycling around London on a rented bike. He also enjoys playing video games, bouldering and lists of three.

Latest from Petar Lekarski

Smartphone showing the Zing app next to a sleek black Zing physical card
Zing travel money app to shut down – what you need to do and the top alternatives
If you're a Zing user, you should spend, move or withdraw your funds before it shuts down on 22 May 2025. It's unclear if you'll still be able to access your cash after this deadline, so it's best to move your money beforehand.
30 January 2025
Hourglass filled with golden sand on a wooden table
Self-employed, high earner or parent with income of £50,000+? Don't miss the 31 January self-assessment tax return deadline
If you're one of the 3.4 million taxpayers yet to file their online self-assessment tax return or pay the tax due, you have just days left until the deadline. You must act soon as those who miss the deadlines face fines of at least £100 – plus 7.25% interest on any late tax payments.
27 January 2025
Person at table using a calculator and laptop with paper forms on the table too
Warning: Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland customer? Your overdraft rate may be raised to 50% this week – who's affected and full help
If you have an overdraft with Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland, the interest rate you're charged for using it could be going up from Friday 31 January as part of a shake-up announced last year. Here's what's happening and what you can do about it.
27 January 2025
Chase Bank's debit card beside a pound coin
Chase saver? Your rate may be dropping to 3.5% – here's how to check and what to do
If you took out Chase's popular boosted saver before 9 December 2024, your rate will drop from 4.5% to 3.5% after your boost comes to an end on Thursday 16 January. Chase will also cut the rates on ALL its savings by another 0.25 percentage points in February. The changes mean you can earn more on your savings elsewhere – though Chase is still worth keeping for its debit card cashback.
16 January 2025
Red South West Trains carriage with blue door waiting at platform
Travelled with South West Trains from London in 2015 to 2017? You have until Friday 10 January to check if you're due £30+
If you took a South West train out of London between 1 October 2015 and 20 August 2017, and held a Transport for London (TfL) Travelcard at the time, you may have been overcharged and you can claim compensation. But you'll need to be quick as the deadline for claims is this Friday (10 January).
7 January 2025
Illuminated Co-op storefront sign
Co-op member? You've got until New Year's Eve to use your rewards balance – or lose it
If you're a Co-op loyalty scheme member, check now if you have any cash left on your rewards balance, as any unused amounts will expire at 11.59pm on Tuesday 31 December.
23 December 2024
Bank of England from the outside with some flowers at the front
Bank of England holds base rate at 4.75% – what it means for your mortgage and savings
The Bank of England has held the base rate at 4.75%. Below we explain why, when it might be cut, plus what it means for your mortgage and savings.
23 December 2024
Piles of gold in a cavern.
Premium Bond prizes worth £92 million still waiting to be claimed – here's how to check if you're due a share
Nearly 2.5 million Premium Bond prizes worth a combined £92 million remain unclaimed, according to the latest figures. Most bondholders now get prizes paid automatically, though this may not be the case if you have older bonds. Plus, prizes paid by cheque may be unclaimed if you haven't kept your address up to date or simply forgot to cash them in.
17 December 2024
A Christmas cracker on a festive dinner table
Yet to order your Christmas food shop online? Co-op and Iceland open bookings – bag your slot now
If you're planning to order your Christmas food shop online, but you've yet to do so, Co-op and Iceland are now taking bookings from shoppers.
17 December 2024
Spotify subscriber? Save up to £24 a year by removing audiobooks from your plan.
Spotify subscriber? Check if you can save up to £24 a year by removing audiobooks from your plan
If you pay for a Spotify 'Individual', 'Duo' or 'Family' subscription and don't mind giving up audiobooks, you may be able to save up to £24 a year by switching to one of its 'Basic' plans. These don't have audiobooks but cost £1 to £2 a month less and let you keep all your other benefits, such as ad-free listening, downloads and high-quality audio – though only existing subscribers can access them for now.
10 December 2024
Parliament House in Edinburgh, where Scotland's Court of Session sits
Winter Fuel Payment cuts to be challenged in court – here's what's happening
A charity has launched legal proceedings against the UK Government, aiming to reverse its decision to restrict Winter Fuel Payments to those on certain benefits. It's still very early days and there are no guarantees, but here's what you need to know.
28 November 2024
Hand holding a smartphone showing the NS&I Premium Bonds prize checker app
NS&I to cut Premium Bond prize rate to 4% – are they still worth it?
NS&I will cut its Premium Bond prize-fund rate to 4% from 4.15% for the January 2025 draw and beyond. But this rate was already lagging behind interest rates on standard savings accounts – so if you're a bondholder, you may want to consider moving your cash to an interest-paying account.
26 November 2024
Chase debit card
Chase cuts rates on linked savers again – should you ditch and switch?
Chase has cut the rates on its linked savings accounts by 0.25 percentage points. As of Thursday 14 November, its easy-access 'boosted saver' now pays 4.5%, while its standard saver pays just 3.5%. The changes mean you can earn more on your savings elsewhere – though Chase is still worth keeping for its debit card perks.
19 November 2024
Woman with mobile phone and laptop
Q&A: Banks MUST now refund some scam victims – what the new rules mean for you
If you're scammed into making a bank transfer to a fraudster, your bank MUST now refund you in most cases, under new industry-wide rules which came into force on Monday 7 October. But you still need to be cautious when making payments, as you may have up to £100 deducted from your refund – and banks will be able to reject claims entirely if they find you were really careless.
18 October 2024
Chase debit card
Chase cuts rates on linked savers – should you ditch and switch?
Chase has cut the rates on its linked savings accounts by 0.1 percentage points. As of Tuesday 8 October, its easy-access 'boosted saver' now pays 4.75%, while its standard saver pays just 3.75%. The changes mean you can earn more on your savings elsewhere – though Chase is still worth keeping for its debit card perks.
8 October 2024
Santander high street branch.
‌Santander cuts rate on popular easy-access savings account again – should you switch?
Santander has cut the rate on its popular easy-access savings account – which paid 5.2% at launch – to 4% from today (Tuesday 1 October). Yet you can easily beat this new rate by switching elsewhere – which you're allowed to do without penalty.
1 October 2024