You want to make sure you’re getting the best rate on your savings, and this article will take you through the best options right now.
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Best savings account offers
Some accounts can be boosted by special offers, we’ll share the best here.
Best easy access savings accounts
These are the most flexible accounts available, but as a result, you usually get lower rates. You can add and take your money out at any time. Some accounts may have limits to the number of withdrawals you can make each year.
4.75% gross variable rate applies for 6 months, and includes a bonus of 1.75% AER fixed for 6 months on top of the standard Chase saver variable rate, currently 3% AER (2.96% gross). Offer may be withdrawn at any time. 18+, UK residents. Chase current account required. Available to new customers joining from 14/03/25 for your first 31 days. Interest paid monthly. T&Cs: chase.co.uk/saver-boosted
New customers must enter code CHIPWELCOME to get 1.1% bonus for three months
More details ▼
Additional Info
Rate without bonus 3.5%. Tracks at 1.06% below Bank of England base rate
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Bonus: Includes 1.1% bonus for 3 months (new customers only)
FSCS Protected?: The FSCS protects up to £85,000 that you have saved, per bank, building society or credit union (or up to £170,000 for joint accounts), subject to eligibility. FSCS protection applies differently
A notice account means you have to request to get your money and interest, which will be released after a set time. They often have a variable rate but if there’s a cut you’ll normally be given notice.
Some of the best rates are in or linked to current accounts – or you might just want the convenience of having everything at the same bank (though that’s not always a good idea).
Anyone can open all of these accounts, though you will be credit-checked for opening the current account itself. They often have additional requirements or fees to consider. You may already have seen some of these listed in the easy and limited access lists above.
You can fix your savings for a year or longer and get a slightly better rate in return. However, you need to be sure you won’t need access to that cash over that time. The longer you fix, the greater the risk you’ll lose out if rates were to rise. But at the same time, they’re protected if rates were to fall.
It’s worth noting too when longer fixes provide you with access to the interest. With most it’s at the end of the fix, meaning all that interest will count towards your personal savings allowance for the year you receive it.
The prize rate for Premium Bonds stands at 3.8% from the April 2025 draw onwards. This doesn’t mean you’ll get 3.8% back on your savings, though the closer you are to the £50,000 maximum deposit, the closer you’ll get to the rate (on average). Here’s more.
Best children’s savings account
We’ve written in more detail about the different savings accounts for kids, so do check that article out to understand the conditions such as access and find all the top rates.
Best ethical savings account
The money you hold in your savings is used by the banks to invest and lend money. This could mean it’s used for things you might disagree with, such as fracking, tobacco or arms manufacturing.
There are banks with ethical policies such as Triodos, while building societies must lend 75% of their funds to home buyers, meaning they don’t have the cash to invest elsewhere.
Sharia accounts can’t be used for things against Islamic law, like tobacco or gambling and I’ve listed the top ones further down the article.
The “greenest” banks are Ecology Building Society and Triodos, though they won’t always make the tables above. The following banks and building societies are more likely to appear above.
There’s also the NS&I Green Bond, a 3-year fixed-rate account. It’s currently paying 2.95%. Here’s our analysis.
Top Sharia savings accounts
Paying interest isn’t allowed in Islam, so a Sharia-compliant savings account instead promises a return on the money saved – an expected profit rate. Though technically this means the rate isn’t guaranteed, it’s not happened yet. They’re open to everyone, not just Muslims. Money in these accounts won’t be invested in arms, tobacco, gambling or tobacco.
Look in the tables above for banks offering an expected profit rate rather than AER. The main banks are:
We update this page once or twice a day (check the published date to see when it last happened), but if you find a rate has been cut or isn’t available, you can check the Moneyfacts website for a partial list.
The best cash incentives available when you switch banks right now
We’ll update this page as new offers appear, though you should check the terms and conditions at each bank before you begin to ensure they haven’t changed.
Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.
Bonus paid: Four months after joining Avios Rewards
Existing customers: No, must join Avios Rewards within 4 months of opening your first Barclays current account
Requirements
Open a new Premier Banking account
Earn £75,000 a year or have £100,000 saved/invested with Barclays
Add Barclays Avios Rewards to your account (£12 a month)
Switch using the Current Account Switch Service and close your old account
The old account must be from a different bank
Deposit £1,000 within 31 days
Exclusions
Offer limited to once per person
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About bank switching
Bank switching doesn’t need to be scary, and once you get the hang of it you can make some decent cash! Here’s everything you need to know to get started.
How to switch bank
You can switch bank for a number of reasons, but the main benefit is an effective cash bribe that banks offer to get you to choose them.
From Amazon vouchers and free trials of Amazon Prime to flash sales and tricks for free delivery
Let’s face it, Amazon is probably the one website that most people use pretty regularly, so it helps to have a voucher or discount stored up. Here are the best deals at the moment.
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There are some decent offers throughout the year to watch out for. You won’t be eligible for all of them but it’s worth a look.
Amazon gift card and voucher offers
Snoop: £5 Amazon Voucher
Snoop is an app to help you track your spending. It also analyses your bank date to suggest ways you can save money. Right now there’s an offer to get a £5 Amazon voucher.
You must go via the link below for the offer to track.
Once you’ve downloaded the app and signed up you need to connect a bank or credit card account and stay connected until the end of the following month. The voucher will then be paid.
Santander customers can access a cashback portal called Santander Boosts, and if you shop via this before 27 April 2025 you could get a £10 Amazon voucher on top of your cashback.
You’ll need to spend £10 at one of the listed retailers which includes Waterstones, Nike and Naked Wines.
There are only 5,000 of these gift cards available, so check to see that the promotion is still running when you log in. You can see the terms and conditions here when logged in to Santander Boosts.
This one’s worth trying even if you’ve used a similar promotion. However you can normally only qualify once every couple of years. Check the offer is displayed when you click through. The latest offer we’ve seen offers £6 extra when you buy £60 in gift cards.
If nothing is displayed, it could mean it’s ended or you’re not eligible. These deals are often extended or return after a short absence.
Similar to the gift card promotion, here you top up your Amazon account and get some extra credit added. The promo value changes often, but it’s currently £5 when you add £60.
If it is running, it’s only for any people who haven’t topped up their account in the last 36 months. Again, this deal can come and go, so it’s worth checking.
You might have personalised Amazon offers. It’ll show you trials and discounts you are eligible for. However, we still think it’s worth looking at the offers above and below in case they don’t show.
You know the drill here. You get free next day delivery, Amazon Prime Instant Video, access to Amazon Prime Now and loads of other goodies. It’s normally £95 a year but you can get a free 30-day trial.
You will hopefully be able to do this every 12 months, but it’s unclear if this is guaranteed for all customers. You can always try your luck (you never know), but if you’ve not yet taken out a trial, I’d wait until you’ve got a lot of spending coming up, or a big sale such as Prime Day or Black Friday (more on these below).
If you’ve previously had Amazon Prime but aren’t yet eligible again for a second free trial you might be offered a week for 99p. After this you’ll pay full price unless you cancel.
Amazon Student and 18-22 year-olds: six months free, then £47.49 a year
If you have a student card you should also be able to join Amazon Student. This is essentially Amazon Prime. You get six months free, then 12 months at half price. Amazon might ask for additional proof you are a student. You’ll get the student account for as long as you’re a student or for up to four years.
If you’re between 18 and 22 then you can get this too, but you’ll need to prove your age with a valid driving licence or passport. You can get this account until you’re 23.
There are lots of ways to save on Kindle books, but Prime members can also nab one of six titles every month for free via First Reads. There’s normally a mix of genres and once you pick your book you can send it to your Kindle.
Prime Day is Amazon’s big sale just for Prime members. In 2024 it took place on 16 and 17 July.
It’s important to remember that not all the deals are the best price. Some are simply old stock that needs clearing, while others are often as cheap throughout the year. We’d recommend using uk.camelcamelcamel.com to see the price history before making any purchase
Most offers are product-specific, and we’d encourage you to check for price matching elsewhere, especially on tech like Echo speakers and Ring doorbells.
Prime Day: 16-17 July 2024 (ended)
Amazon is running its special two-day sale for Prime members on 16 and 17 July 2024. The summertime deal event could offer the chance to grab a bargain ahead of larger autumn sales such as Black Friday.
It’s worth shopping around and seeing if you can get the same item for less elsewhere, or with added features. If you do buy something at Amazon and the price drops during the sale you can get a refund for the difference.
As always the biggest discounts are on Amazon’s own devices, such as Kindle, Echo, Fire, Eero and Ring. If you’re new to TopCashback you can get a £20 bonus plus up to 3% back on these devices. We’ll add some here once they launch.
This sale for Prime members is taking place on 8 and 9 October 2024. It’s pretty much a carbon copy of Prime Day. As soon as we spot any early offers, we’ll share them below.
As with Prime Day, don’t get carried away. Only buy the things you actually need, and check that they’re decent prices.
Don’t forget you’ll need to be a Prime member to get the offers – but we’ve listed deals above that’ll save you money or perhaps help you get it for free.
October’s Prime Big Deals Day sale (expired)
Amazon is running its special two-day sale for Prime Members on 8 and 9 October 2024. The autumn deal event could offer the chance to grab a bargain ahead of Black Friday and the Christmas sales.
It’s always worth shopping around and seeing if you can get the same item for less elsewhere, or with added features. If you do buy something at Amazon and the price drops during the sale you can get a refund for the difference.
Before the actual day, the offers are mostly on Amazon’s own products and devices.
Early offers include:
Discounts on Echo devices – 31% to 58% off.
Blink cameras and doorbells – 31% to 61% off
Fire TV – 28% to 62% off
Kindle Scribe – 24% off (just a few pounds off its cheapest price)
Amazon Music Unlimited – get 4 months free (usually one month)
discounts on branded gift cards, including Lego, Vue and One4All – details on our gift card deals page
Amazon Business Amex: £25 credit and no annual fee
For a limited time Amazon has removed the annual fee of £50 and is offering a £25 gift card when you successfully open up an Amazon Business American Express credit card. Plus, if you spend £1,000 in the first three months then you can get £75 statement credit.
From digital to physical copies I’ll share top deals to save on your regular reading.
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Magazine offers
Which? Magazine: deal stack
You can combine up to three different deals to bring down the price of an annual subscription to the ‘full access’ Which? magazine.
50% off via Which? (ends 30 April 2025) – this takes the price to £49.50
Not everyone will be able to get the Amex offer (you need to check your card offers and add it to the card if it’s showing), but the other two options are there for all.
It means you’ll pay Which? £49.50 for a full access subscription, and then get around £15 back from the cashback site (the rate varies so check both). Remember to apply via the cashback site and close any Which? tabs that are open.
If you have Amex you’ll save more again. We’ve seen 50% off a £30 spend, but other deals may be out there as these vary by cardholder, and there’s a chance you won’t see the offer at all. But say you get 50% off the price paid, that’s another £24.75 off.
There’s a chance this last part is dependent on clicking through from the Amex app, but it wasn’t when Andy did this in December 2022, so it should be fine this time too.
All in that could mean you pay just £9 for one year, saving more than 90%.
Bear in mind you’ll be charged the full £99 after 12 months if you don’t cancel.
You can get a year’s subscription to a number of titles if you open a Club Lloyds current account. I use this to get a year of Empire, though you might be better off with the alternative freebies such as 6 cinema tickets or a year of Disney+ Standard with Ads.
Magzter is an online digital subscription where you can access more than 8,000 magazines. You can read the magazines on any iOS or Android device via the Magzter app.
This offer on Groupon gives you access for £19.95 rather than £99.99. And if you combine it with a code you might be able to save more.
There are plenty of UK titles such as Total Film, Reader’s Digest, BBC Good Food, Marie Claire and Woman & Home, as well as international faves such as Entertainment Weekly. There’s also randomly Spurs and Everton match programmes!
You can have five separate accounts with the subscription so it’s a good option for a family.
It does auto-renew after the year so be sure to cancel it before the year is up.
This subscription service costs £7.99 a month. You can currently get a month for free. Or sign up for the free Lidl Plus app and you can access a two-month free trial.
You can earn cashback or earn rewards on your business spending
Business credit cards can be used for your business spending to earn you rewards and cashback. They often come with an annual fee; however, a lot of them offer a free first year, so you can switch cards after a year if you don’t want to pay. Here are some of the best business credit cards available at the moment.
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Representative APR: Based on a credit limit of £1200 charged at 16.9% variable per annum for purchases. Fee of £28 per annum applies from year 2. Representative 22.4% APR variable.
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Rewards: Potential rewards include 25% back on Slack, 20% back on Dropbox, 5% back on Microsoft Advertising and 5% back on Avis car rental in the UK
Additional cards: Split your credit limit between as many cards as you want
£50 Amazon gift card then £50 statement credit if you spend £1,000 within the first 3 months. Representative APR: Based on a credit limit of £1200.00 charged at 27.6% variable per annum for purchases. Representative 39.0% APR variable.
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Rewards: Earn 2% on selected Amazon purchases or get 90 extra interest-free days on some Amazon purchases
Additional cards: Up to 20 complimentary Supplementary Cards for your employees
Offer details: If you spend £1,000 on your card within the first three months you'll get an additional £50 as statement credit
£25 Amazon Gift Card upon approval then £75 statement credit when you spend £1,000 within the first 3 months. Representative APR: Based on a credit limit of £1200 charged at 27.6% variable per annum for purchases. Representative 39.0% APR variable.
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Rewards: Earn 1.5% in Amazon reward points or get 60 extra interest-free days on some Amazon purchases
Additional cards: Up to 20 complimentary Supplementary Cards for your employees
Offer details: If you spend £1,000 on your card within the first three months you'll get an additional £75 as statement credit
You can earn 20,000 bonus points when you spend £3,000 in the first three months
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Rewards: Partner discounts and statement credits with purchases at Dell
Additional cards: Up to 19 additional cards for employees
Offer details: If you are approved and spend £3,000 on purchases within the first three months then 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards points will be awarded shortly after the end of the three months.
You can earn 50,000 bonus points when you spend £6,000 in the first three months
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Rewards: Travel rewards, including airport lounges, £200 credit towards Amex Travel, room upgrades and travel insurance
Additional cards: Up to 19 additional Business Gold cards for employees
Offer details: If you are approved and spend £6,000 on purchases within the first three months then 50,000 bonus Membership Rewards points will be awarded shortly after the end of the three months.
Representative APR: Based on a credit limit of £1200 charged at 18.9% variable per annum for purchases. Fee of £30 per annum applies. Representative 23.7% APR variable.
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Rewards: None
Additional cards: Additional cards available at no extra cost and control what each cardholder can spend
Representative APR: Based on a credit limit of £1200 charged at 35.6% variable per annum for purchases. Fee of £299 per annum applies. Representative 111.9% APR variable.
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Rewards: Airport lounge access for the main card holder and two free guest lounge passes per year, Radisson Rewards VIP status, metal card and 6 months free Xero for first-time subscribers
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.72% AER to 5.07% for 12 months.
More details ▼
Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
Flexible ISA?: Yes
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Business credit cards explained
Who is a business credit card for?
If you run your own business, then you could benefit from a business credit card.
Anyone, from a self-employed sole trader to a company director, can get a business credit card, but not all sole traders will be eligible for all the cards on offer.
And you should always check if you’re eligible for one before you apply, however, there’s no guarantee you’ll get one if you apply.
Do you need a business credit card?
Credit cards can be expensive if they aren’t cleared each month by paying off the full balance. The interest added on top of anything left over will often cost more than getting a loan, so this isn’t a good idea.
Business credit cards can have benefits like rewards and cashback, which can sometimes be better than what’s on offer for personal accounts, however, these usually come with a cost. In addition, you may get Section 75 protection, however, this depends on whether you’re a sole trader or a ‘corporate business’, such as a limited company or partnership.
Does a sole trader need a business credit card?
If you’re a sole trader, then any credit card for your business is still a personal credit card. Applications will be based on your credit rating, and you’ll be personally liable for any debts you build up.
For this reason, most sole traders will probably be better off with a personal credit card that’s used just for business spending.
You can still take advantage of Section 75 cover, earn cashback with lower annual fees (if any), and even get fee-free spending overseas with some cards.
One of the few areas a business credit card is better for a sole trader than a personal credit card is that you might also get a much higher credit limit. That can help with large purchases. But of course, you need to be able to pay it back!
Section 75 protection for limited companies and partnerships
Section 75 doesn’t apply to these types of businesses. So there’s no added legal benefit to using a credit card in a company. Instead, you’ll need to use a personal credit card and claim the money back if you want to get this protection on purchases over £100.
However, if you run a limited company, it’s much cleaner to have spending made directly via the business rather than claiming it back as an expense. Particularly if you have any employees.
What’s the difference between a charge card and a credit card?
Some of the cards above are charge cards and won’t have an interest rate. These aren’t technically credit cards, as you have to pay the full balance every month. Meanwhile, a credit card lets you roll over a balance and will charge interest after a set period. Be careful which one you choose, as a credit card can make you accumulate debt, however, a charge card may charge you fees if you don’t repay the full balance within the set time provided.
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What you get with a business credit card
Additional cards
Most business credit cards will give you supplementary cards tied to the same account for your employees. This reduces your admin for expenses and helps you track individual spending. With some, you can limit the spending allowed per account.
Cashback and rewards
Another feature of business credit cards is earning rewards in the form of cashback or air miles. There are a handful that offer this on purchases. But these tend to come with a fee, which can wipe out most of the cashback you earn if you’re not a big spender.
You’ll need to calculate just how much you’re likely to earn in cashback after the fee to work out if they’re worthwhile. But say you spend £5,000 a year earning 0.5%, you’ll make £25.
Interest-free days
You’ll get a certain number of interest-free days with your business credit card or charge card, ranging from 42 to 59 days. This is how long you’ve got until a purchase will start to accumulate interest at the variable rate you’ve got with the card. Be sure to clear the balance within this timeframe to pay no interest on your purchases.
Supermarket deals, including discounted gift cards, free chocolate, new online supermarket customer offers
There are so many supermarket-specific deals that we’ve moved this section away from our food and drink deals page. We’ll keep adding to the page as new offers appear.
Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.
You can pick the carton up from Sainsbury’s, Tesco or Morrisons – and the way you redeem the offer depends on the store. You’ll either pay for the item and claim your cashback afterwards (hold onto your receipt) or click ‘ready to pay’ and it unlocks your coupon which you can scan at the checkout.
Once you’ve signed up you have six days to grab your Chocomel. Offers ends 23:59 on 30 August or once 15,000 coupons have been redeemed – whichever is sooner.
Iceland is currently running a 8 for £10 multibuy offer. The offer is on Birds Eye products and includes pizzas, veggies, fish fingers and fish cakes, amongst other standard frozen items.
Most of the items in the offer would usually cost between £1.50 and £3, so it’s a good opportunity to fill up your freezer if these are items you’d usually buy anyway.
There are a number of apps that’ll give you money back when you buy gift cards, including some of the major supermarkets. Use these for your everyday shopping and you’ll be saving every time.
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Supermarket cashback apps
Waitrose: 4% back via HyperJar
If you use your HyperJar card to spend at Waitrose, you’ll receive 4% back, beating the cashback rate from other options including most discounted giftcards.
However, the credit you receive can only be used on future Waitrose shops, so only go down this route if you are going to visit regularly.
You don’t need to activate the offer as it’ll automatically earn you the money when you spend.
The HyperJar account is free, though if you don’t use it within a 12 month period a £3 monthly fee is charged. This is easily avoided by setting up a standing order to transfer over £1 every year, though if you’re using it for cashback on spending or on gift cards, that’ll also count.
CheckoutSmart had free Rachel’s rice pudding at Morrisons, free Bahlens Pick Up biscuit bars at Sainsbury’s and free Little Dish kids meals at most supermarkets.
Over on Green Jinn there was free Kombucha and popped chips at Tesco, free Love Corn at Waitrose, Asda and Sainsbury’s and free protein shakes and pea milk at Morrisons.
While Shopmium offers included free oat milk at Sainsbury’s, free Iron Bru at Asda, Co-Op and more, free Rachel’s organic yoghurts at Waitrose and Sainsbury’s, free Jerky at Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s and free Diet Pepsi at Tesco. And don’t forget there’s also free Pringles for newbies (more on this below).
Shopmium: free Dairy Milk Buttons
One – Shopmium – offers a freebie to get you started. Right now it’s a pack of Dairy Milk Buttons.
Previously it’s been a pack of pringles, tub of Ben & Jerry’s, a snack jar of Nutella and it used to be a bar of Lindt chocolate, and has at times been a box of cornettos. It should say when you download the app.
Use the code KHMYEEFW to activate the offer. Once you have signed up you’ll need to buy the item and then scan your receipt to get the money paid back.
There are always lots of other discounts and freebies on the app, so it’s worth browsing to see what else you can buy.
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.72% AER to 5.07% for 12 months.
More details ▼
Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
Flexible ISA?: Yes
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Grocery delivery offers
Ocado: 25% off for new customers
If you shop at Ocado for the first time and use the codeVOU4239713you’ll save 25% off your first order. You’ll also get free “Smart Pass” delivery for three months. Minimum spend £60, max discount £20.
It’s also worth checking your email to see if you’re an existing customer in case you get sent a similar deal.
New to the speedy grocery delivery apps is Zoom by Ocado. Available in West London only at this time. Get 20% off your first order with the code WELCOME20.
Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Iceland and Morrisons all tend to offer Christmas savings schemes. Depending on how much money you add to your account you’ll get a bonus reward. You can use your savings for any shopping in-store or online at the selected supermarket.
Amazon Fresh: £15 off each of your first three shops (ended)
Get £15 off a minimum spend of £60 on your first three shops with Amazon Fresh. Use the code WELCOMEFRESH at the checkout when you place your first order and the offer will be automatically applied to your next two orders. Offer expires 8 January 2025.
Morrisons on Amazon: £20 off each of your first three shops (expired)
If you’re new to Morrisons on Amazon, you’ll get £20 off each of your first three shops with the code NEW20OFF01, NEW20OFF02 and NEW20OFF03 for your first, second and third shops respectively. £70 minimum spend applies.
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Shop deals
Hotel Chocolat: free treat on your birthday
If you sign up to Hotel Chocolat’s VIP ME scheme you’ll get a free gift on your birthday (I got a free £5 voucher to spend), as well as other offers through the year such as 15% off your next purchase. You can only sign up in-stores.
If you fancy some posh Hotel Chocolat but won’t pay full price, the Easter sale is a good chance to get 50% off. It’s still pretty expensive mind, and you’ll need to pay for delivery if it’s not available to reserve in store.
Download the Krispy Kreme Rewards app to get a free Original Glazed doughnut when joining and another on your birthday. You’ll also get points every time you spend that can be spent in-store.
You’ll be able to get 25% off your doughnuts Sunday to Thursday if you have Meerkat Meals from Compare the Market. There’s a hack that’ll get you access to this for a year for £1, as well as 2-4-1 movies.
There are often voucher codes for Gousto, but if you’re new to Gousto and go via a cashback site you can save even more.
The deals seem to change fairly regularly and switch between TopCashback and Quidco, so it’s best to check both to see which is best.
At the time of writing, going via Quidco can get 50% off your first box, and up to £12 cashback on top.
So the most expensive box (four meals per box for four people) would normally cost £47.85, but the discount brings it down to £23.93. Add in the cashback and you’ll get the recipe box for £11.93 instead!
If you’re also new to Quidco then take another £20 off on top. Here’s more on getting these new customer cashback bonuses.
Hello Fresh: 66% off first box via TopCashback
If you go via TopCashback (this one also switches between the two cashback sites, so check Quidco too) for HelloFresh then you can get 50% off your first box and £10.20 cashback on top. When you order the largest box (five recipes a week for four people), it brings the total down to £21.30.
You can now get free delivery on your Hello Fresh deliveries for a year with an Amazon Prime membership. Delivery usually costs £4.99, so this could save you £20 a month if you get a box every week.
You’ve got to go here and sign in to your Amazon account where you can connect it with your Hello Fresh account. This works if you already use Hello Fresh. You get free delivery for a year if you keep your Prime membership.
If you’re thinking of what you can do with your little ones that won’t break the bank, here are some ways to spend less on days out and activities
Days out aren’t cheap, so here we’ll share special offers where you can bring down the price of tickets, as well as any special free events and activities. We’ve also had a look at schemes such as Kids Pass and Little Bird and shared whether we think they’re any good.
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Activities
Buyagift: free £15 voucher
Head over to the free Lidl Plus loyalty app and you’ll be able to claim a free £15 voucher to use on tickets and experiences from Buyagift. This includes meals out, Vue cinema tickets and memberships to the likes of English Heritage.
A number of purchases are excluded, such as gift cards, Old Trafford tours and entry to Lift 109 at Battersea Power Station.
You need to claim your code by 2 June 2025 and use it by 31 August 2025.
It can’t be combined with other codes, so it’s worth seeing on more expensive options if a different code would save more money.
This annual offer is always worth a look. If you buy the May 2025 edition of Gardeners’ World magazine (out 10 April) you’ll get a card that’ll get you 2-4-1 entry to over 380 gardens in the UK and Northern Ireland.
This includes:
Leeds Castle (save £35)
Hever Castle (save up to £27.40)
Knepp’s Rewilded Walled Garden (save £30)
69 National Trust gardens
26 National Trust of Scotland gardens
12 English Heritage gardens
This year, 137 gardens also offer discounted entry for solo visitors.
The magazine costs £9.99 and you can buy it in shops or online (you can get it for £10.99 including postage).
The pass is valid until 2 April 2026 and can be used as many times as you like.
If you take out insurance via MoneySuperMarket you can get free membership to the SuperSaveClub, which offers free tickets every week and month to big name attractions like London Zoo.
But there’s a way to get access without buying insurance that won’t cost you anything – simply sign up for the free Credit Monitor service. You can also do this for every adult in your home, increasing how many free tickets you get.
The National Lottery runs a regular promotion where you can get free or low-cost days out, including Eden Project, National Trust, the Tower of London and English Heritage properties.
The National Lottery Open Week runs between 15 March and 23 March 2025 — booking is open now.
To get access, you need to have a National Lottery ticket or scratchcard, which you can use to visit a National Trust or National Trust for Scotland properties for free or at a discount. The date of the lottery ticket isn’t relevant, but maybe hang on to it until you know if you’ve won.
Get a free family day pass to participating National Trust sites until 14 March. You’ll need to use an incognito tab as the original offer was sent in a newsletter.
You’ve got until 10 February to apply or until all 30,000 passes have been claimed.
The day pass admits two adults and up to three children, or one adult and four children. Single adults and couples can also use it. You can use it Monday to Sunday.
National Trust: get a free one-day family pass with the Daily Mirror (expired)
National newspaper publisher Reach is giving away free National Trust family day passes to participating National Trust sites in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, worth £50, when you buy the Daily Mirror from 18 January until 26 January.
The vouchers need to be used by 14 March 2025. You can redeem it Monday to Sunday.
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“Open House” events (ended)
In September each year many buildings open their doors for free across the UK. Here are some of the main organisations, but do check locally to see if there are other places offering something similar.
Open House London – September 2024
From 14 to 22 September 2024 you can get free or discounted access to hundreds of buildings and gardens in London, many of which are normally closed to the public. Bookings open 21 August 2024. Details here.
Heritage Open Days (Scotland) – September 2024
In September 2024 there’s a similar open day festival in Scotland giving you access to buildings and events across the country. Bookings are now open. Details here.
Doors Open Days (England) – September 2024
On weekends from 6 to 15 September 2024 Heritage Open Days will provide free access to events celebrating England’s history and culture. Bookings for some events are now open. Details here.
Open Doors (Wales) – September 2024
Throughout September 2024 you can get free entry and guided tours to more than 200 historic sites in Wales. Loads of events don’t require booking and those that do may let you book now. Details here.
At full price – £40 a year – it’s possibly a bit pricey. However, there are ways to save which make it worth a go.
Living Social is selling an annual pass for £27, plus a £1 admin fee. This saves you £11.99 on the standard annual price.
Kids Pass: get paid for a 30-day trial
Alternatively, if you go via TopCashback or Quidco you’ll get more than £1 back in exchange for a trial (duration can vary when you click through).
“Days Out” offers
Another scheme is the Days Out website. This works slightly differently as there’s no membership, but you might find discounted tickets.
Boundless membership
If you work in the public sector or are a civil servant, a Boundless membership gives you free access to UK attractions, including Kew Gardens, a free Kids Pass and Tastecard.
Basic Boundless costs £40 a year
Boundless Plus costs £68 a year
We’ve looked in more detail at who can get it and what you get in our review.
Kids Pass is a membership which gives you discounts on the places and things kids like to do.
Kids Pass promises:
Up to 57% off at “family days out” such as theme parks, bowling and play centres
Up to 40% off at cinemas, seven days a week
Kids eat free or for £1 at hundreds of restaurants
Savings on places like Butlins and Haven
You only need one card per family, rather than per child.
Is Kids Pass any good?
The discounts can be pretty decent, especially the restaurant and cinema deals.
Restaurant deals
Some restaurant chains include are Giraffe, Garfunkels, Barburrito, Handmade Burger Co, and Bella Italia, each offering free food for kids or £1 meals. There’s also BOGOF at Pizza Hut (delivery) and a second pizza for £1 at Papa John’s. There are hundreds of independent ones, too. You can see those involved without getting a membership.
Cinema deals
The cinema discounts through Kids Pass are available at most major chains and various independent places. You get up to 40% off tickets for kids and adults, making it a good option even if you don’t have kids. A quick look at a few different chains and it generally works out as £8 per adult ticket.
Check if it’s cheaper to buy your tickets with a different deal.
You’ll need to buy your tickets through the website or app – you can’t just show your pass at the box office.
Other deals
The theme park and other family activities look good, though as with most entertainment, it’s worth shopping around for other offers. It does look like it includes all the major theme parks and places like Madame Tussaudss and London Dungeon.
You can also save up to 50% at places like Eurocamp, Haven and Butlins.
Trading 212, Monzo, Starling, Chase, Halifax Clarity and more travel cards compared for overseas spending
If you’re heading out of the UK, using the wrong card for spending and cash withdrawals will mean you’re hit with extra fees on every transaction.
The good news is there are a decent number of debit and credit cards which offer near-perfect exchange rates. Here’s our guide to the top specialist travel cards.
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Our top travel debit cards
The cheapest cards are usually specialist debit cards that come via specific current accounts. You don’t have to switch banks to get these – you can simply open up a brand new extra account, and many won’t perform hard checks on your credit report either.
If this is an extra account you get just for holidays, it’s easy to transfer money across, whether as a lump sum or as you go along, using your online or app banking. Or of course, it could be your main current account where your salary is paid each month.
A benefit of debit cards over credit cards is you won’t get charged interest to take cash out of an ATM, though as you’ll see a couple do have monthly limits on your fee-free spending or withdrawals.
It used to be there were only a handful, but there are quite a few to choose from. However, since Chase ended the cashback on overseas spending, there’s not really much to choose between the bulk of them. Here are our top picks.
Top pick: Trading 212 card
This is our top pick for 2025, though it does have some caveats.
Unlike most of the debit cards we’ve listed, this one from Trading 212 isn’t connected to a current account. Instead you’ll need to open up an investing account. But that doesn’t mean you need to invest at all.
You can simply transfer cash over and hold it in your spending pot, with the added bonus you’ll get 4.6% interest on the money until you spend it. However, if you do opt in to also earn interest on the cash the money then won’t necessarily be protected by the FSCS.
The major downside is though you’re about to get fee-free cash withdrawals, that’s only with contactless ATMS. There’s not exactly a load of these in the UK, let alone overseas, so you’ll need a back up for taking money out on holiday.
You’ll also need to pay for a physical card, though most of the time you’ll hopefully be ok with adding it to your phone.
Trading 212 debit card summary
Spending overseas
Fee-free (Mastercard rate)
Cash withdrawals overseas
Free, but contactless only
Other benefits
0.5% cashback on all spending (capped at £20 a month)
The following are also fee-free but only worth considering if you’re an existing customer or looking for extras like rewards and travel insurance.
Cumberland Building Society: fully fee-free but requires a £750 a month deposit to the account. Hard credit search
Halifax Ultimate Reward: a packaged account with travel, breakdown and gadget cover that’s got free spending
Santander (other accounts): you won’t be charged for cash withdrawals only if you use a Santander machine outside the UK, but you will pay for spending
TSB Spend & Save Plus: fee-free spending and the potential to earn £5 cashback a month, but has £3 monthly fee
Andy’s Top Tips
When you’re using one of these top travel cards, you’re often best paying in the local currency. If you pay in sterling, it’ll be swapped over at an exchange rate of the local bank’s choosing – which won’t necessarily be in your favour!
Also, though many of the cards we’ve mentioned are fee-free to use in ATMs, that doesn’t mean the local bank won’t add its own fee. So you’ll need to research for any that don’t do this in your destination, or plan ahead by making as few withdrawals as possible.
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Our top travel credit cards
Specialist credit cards can be great for overseas spending as long as you pay off the debt before any interest is charged.
Credit cards are particularly handy for things like hiring a car or putting deposits down on hotel rooms. The money can be held on these without leaving your account. You’ll also get Section 75 consumer rights protection.
With all credit card applications, make sure you check your eligibility first if you can. And remember to clear the balance completely every month to avoid interest charges.
Top pick: Barclaycard Reward
This Visa card from Barclaycard is our top pick for credit cards. It offers fee-free spending and, unusually, ATM withdrawals – and there’s no interest on cash you take out. However, it’s still better for your credit report to use a debit card for cash.
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.72% AER to 5.07% for 12 months.
More details ▼
Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
Flexible ISA?: Yes
▲
Best smart travel spending cards
These cards aren’t normal debit cards, though they work just like one when you’re spending. You actually connect your existing current account or card to them via open banking. The conversion is made by the smart card at their exchange rate, which then takes the money from the underlying bank in pounds.
This makes it cheaper to spend overseas through other bank accounts that would normally be very expensive. They can be a great backup card, or even your primary travel spending card if you really can’t be bothered to go through the hassle of opening new accounts. There’s also no credit check.
Sadly, changes to Curve, our previous top pick, means it’s really not worth it. However, you can still get these features from Currensea.
Top pick: Currensea
With Currensea there are three options, but the free “essential” tier has a no extra fees on top of the exchange rates on your first £500 a month. You can take out £200 a month from ATMs for free.
The big issue could be the limits on which banks it works with. Right now that list is only the bigger banks:
Barclays
Bank of Scotland
Couts
First Direct
Halifax
HSBC
Lloyds
Nationwide
Natwest
RBS
Santander
TSB
Ulster Bank
Virgin Money
You’ll also need to pay £4.95 to get the card delivered.
When you sign up via this link you’ll be eligible for a £10 welcome bonus – however you’ll need to spend £150 in a foreign currency in the first six months to get the cashback.
Currensea smart debit card summary
Spending overseas
Interbank/Mastercard rate on first £500 each month, then 1% FX fee on top
The cards mentioned above will convert fee-free, but only on or just after the day you make the transaction. This means you’re not in total control of your budget when you’re away. If the pound were to fall against where you’re spending, you’ll ultimately spend more cash.
But there are options where you can pay fee-free on cards where you’ve already converted your pounds into another currency. Though of course, this could mean you miss out if the rate changes in your favour.
There’s usually a slight markup on the ‘interbank’ or ‘mid-market’ rates. This tends to be lower than the Mastercard or Visa rates, so even with the fee they’re often comparable.
When you spend with them, you’ll spend in the local currency. If you don’t have the local currency, most will let you pay fee-free and convert at the current rate.
However, there are usually quite strict limits on cash withdrawals, so you’ll likely want another card on your trip. Plus most of these will charge you for a physical debit card, so you’ll be relying on virtual cards added to your phone’s wallet if you want to avoid this fee.
The following are ones worth considering:
Provder
Rate
Free cash withdrawals?
Card charge
Extra info
Smart Money People customer score
Revolut Standard
Interbank (+ 1% on weekends)
£200 limit per rolling month / max 5 withdrawals per rolling month
