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October 2, 2023   |   Articles

More than books: 9 ways your library can save you money

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Libraries offer a great free alternative to buying things you’ll only read once.

I like libraries. I even got married at one. Ok, it just happened that the registry office we used in Mayfair was in some lovely rooms above a library. But still. Libraries are cool.

The problem is, I hardly use them and have always tended to buy the titles I want to read – – whether they’re actual books or digital downloads. 

But unless it’s an absolute classic I’m unlikely to reread anything. So the books sit on a shelf. Read once, then go unloved for months, if not years, before I try to sell them or give them away.

So why don’t I get my books from my library? The answer is very simple. I forget. Yup, the prospect of a free book just completely slips my mind! And books aren’t all that libraries have to offer including e-books, audiobooks and (my personal favourite) the free digital magazines.

The more we use libraries, the more we support them against cuts, then the more likely they’ll survive. Which really is a good thing.

Of course, all libraries are different – and offer different services. The best way to find out is to visit your local or look at their website. So do check out what is going on at your library and join up while you’re there. You’ll probably just need some ID and proof of address.

Read on to find out, nine ways your library can save you money.

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.

Books in a library

1. Borrow free books

Right, an obvious one to start. You can borrow books. For free. You literally can’t get your literature any cheaper.

Of course, your library won’t have every book going, but you can always reserve or order books. There’s usually a cost associated with this. Reservations from within your library’s area (so for me that’s all the branches in North Yorkshire) cost £1. 

If a new title is going to be very popular, libraries tend to get a few copies in, and at my local library, you can reserve future releases for £1. Even so, be prepared for a wait if everyone else wants a copy.

It’s a pricier £10 to order books from other districts via an inter-library loan, though that cost may differ where you live. At that price, you’re possibly only going to benefit if you’re after some rare, out-of-print or an expensive textbook.

2. Download free e-books and audiobooks

Most libraries also now lend digital books and audiobooks. It’s a natural modernisation as we consume content digitally. Again this is free. FREE.

Sadly at the moment, you can’t download books for Kindles, but you can read them on most other devices. Often you need an app, which means you can read it on your tablet or smartphone. A couple of common services are BorrowBox and Libby by Overdrive.

You use the same apps for audiobooks. If you were paying for a similar service – say Amazon’s Audible – you’d be paying £7.99 a month (though you can get a 30-day free trial with Audible).

There’s also a music streaming service called Freegal. It looks a bit limited but, once more, it won’t cost you anything compared to other ad-free services like Spotify Premium. It’s not going to be on offer everywhere but it’s worth a look.

3. Get free digital newspapers, magazines and comics

This has been one of my biggest money savers. I discovered that you can download hundreds of magazines a few years back. Exactly which titles you can get depends on where you live.

Though I now get it for free via my Club Lloyds current account, I used to read Empire Magazine this way, and my wife often checks out Vogue and Good Housekeeping. You can read them on your computer or view them via an app on tablets and phones.

Some libraries also have a service where you can read today’s newspapers online. Yes, you can obviously head to the papers’ websites. But if you like reading a paper in the layout you’d get in print, then this is a nice option and cheaper than forking out £2 to £3 at the newsagent.

Plus you can read international titles, or those which are normally behind a firewall, such as The Telegraph (but not the Times or FT). The service I’ve got access to is Press Reader, which includes magazines too. I can access back issues too.

The Observer newspaper on Press Reader

Another discovery at my library was access to the Comic Plus app. This isn’t just great for kids – there are also lots for big kids, including plenty of graphic novels.  I had a brief nostalgia-filled spell a few summers ago where I devoured dozens of issues of Transformers comics – harking back to my childhood! 

If your local authority doesn’t offer any or some of these, a few libraries will let you sign-up online to access these services without proving you live in the area.

4. Borrow DVDs, games and CDs

With faster broadband, it’s pretty easy to stream your music and films via the internet. But if you want to have a physical DVD then lots of libraries still rent them out, including new releases. This can be a pretty cheap way of watching box sets as you’re often charged per box, not per disc.

Less libraries offer CDs now, and any games are probably for older consoles. You’ll also be charged for these. But it’s certainly worth a look.

5. Buy old books & DVDs

If you still like to own books, then it’s worth seeing if your library sells off old titles. My library normally runs them three or four times a year, with the money going towards other library activities.

I last went to one earlier this year and some of the stock had dated – travel guidebooks for example, but there was plenty to choose from. I came home with the Alan Partridge biography for 50p, and a couple of cookbooks at £1 each. All were in really good nick.

6. Attend free or cheap classes

Libraries are great for learning. In researching this article I’ve randomly looked at half a dozen regions in the UK and seen classes as diverse as yoga, coding, gardening, self-publishing, chess, drumming and knitting.

Many of these were free, or a nominal couple of quid. Far cheaper than the equivalent elsewhere. Most library websites list what’s going on.

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7. Access online resources

That learning can also be done at home. If you join your library you should get access to some online tools.

For example, my local gives free access to the genealogy website Ancestry. This normally costs £13.99 a month. There are also all sorts of databases and other memberships you could take advantage of.

8. Entertain the kids

There are also loads of activities for children at libraries. Reading is such an important part of developing kids that it’s great to surround them with so many books from a young age, plus over school holidays there are bound to be events taking place.

And the fact that they are free can be a huge boost. Again, look at your local library’s website, or pop in to see what’s advertised.

9. Work at home, but not at home

Finally, one that could be useful if you need a change of scenery when working from home. I’ve got a decent office set up at home, but I know lots of people like to get out of the house. Yes, you can go to a coffee shop and plug into free wi-fi, but you’ll probably need to keep buying cups of coffee.

For some variety, you can head to your library. Yes some of the computers will be pretty old and you need to be careful with log-ins and passwords, but it’s a free or cheap alternative. And a quiet space to work if it’s noisy at home.

Many libraries also offer meeting rooms to hire, often at far cheaper rates than hotels or other venues. Look out for reduced rates if you’re running a community event.

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September 12, 2023   |   Articles

Ways to save money on the new iPhone 15

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If you really want to buy any of the new iPhone 15 handsets when they go on sale, it won’t be cheap. But it can be less expensive.

You probably either love or hate Apple, but if you love Apple you probably waited excitedly to see what the new iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Plus handsets would be like when announced at the annual Apple event.

I watched the (rather long and uninspiring) video so you didn’t have to, and I’ve shared below what the new handsets will cost and how you can make them slightly less expensive (though not necessarily affordable!).

Here’s what you need to know and a few tricks to help you save money on the latest Apple mobile phones.

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.

The new iPhone 15 range

You can order the new handsets from Friday 15 September, and they’ll be available to collect from 22 September 2023.

iPhone 15

The first phone announced was the iPhone 15. It’s pretty much the same design to the 14, and comes in five colours. The significant change was replacing the Lightning slot for a USB C one. Elsewhere there are some improvements to the chip, camera and charging. Once again there’s a 15 Plus that’s slightly bigger.

And a welcome surprise is that the handsets are actually cheaper than their equivalent iPhone 14 models last year – though they’re still not cheap!

The “standard” iPhone 15 is down by £50 to £799 (for 128GB). It’s then £899 (down from £959) for 256GB and £1,099 (vs £1,179) for 512GB. You’ll pay more again for the Plus version, which start at £899 (also £50 less than the 14 Plus launch price).

The iPhone 15 Pro & Pro Max

The changes for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max include a titanium casing (making it smaller, stronger and lighter) and a faster chip that allows improved gaming. There’s also a new “action” button on the side.

As ever, you’ll really pay to get these Pro models, but once again they’re less than a year ago. The iPhone 15 Pro is starts at £999 for the 128GB model (down £100), and goes up to £1,499 (down £150) for a huge 1TB of storage.

The iPhone 15 Pro Max beings at £1,199 (for 256GB, at the same price as the 128GB 14 Pro Max last year) and hits a massive £1,599 for the 1TB model (down £150)

Other iPhones are still available

Each time there’s a new release, Apple also removes a group from sale in its official range.

You can still get the iPhone 14, iPhone 13 and iPhone SE, all of which will fall in price. The 128GB iPhone 14 for example is now £699 – £150 less that at launch. You can get the 13 and 14 Plus too.

Though the older Pro models have gone when sold direct by Apple, you might be able to pick them up elsewhere. The same goes for older models which are also gone from the official Apple range (such as the 12) could mean other retailers will possibly reduce them further to clear stock.

Should you get one of the new iPhones?

It’s tempting right? But you need to ask if you’re buying it because you like shiny new things (understandable), or because it’s actually going to be significantly different to your current handset.

Yes, there are improvements to previous models, but can you justify hundreds of pounds of expenditure to get them? I’d say it’s unlikely if you last got a new model a year or two ago.

I used to upgrade my phone every couple of years, but now I tend to wait another year or two. And you know what? My phone still worked fine and did everything I need it to for those extra years.

So if your current phone is absolutely fine then keeping it is going to be the best value for money.

There’s an argument that you’ll get more money by selling your current phone now rather than in a year – which is true. Even so, I still think waiting is the best bet.

But if you’re adamant you want (or need) to upgrade your phone when the new iPhones are available, here’s how to save some cash.

How to get a new iPhone for less

Avoid upgrading or buying on a contract

One of the most expensive ways to buy any new phone, not just the iPhone, is to buy it through your mobile network.

Instead, you should try to buy it upfront, and get a separate SIM-only contract. This is almost always cheaper. More on this further down the article.

I’m not even going to bother comparing contract prices at the different networks as there are far cheaper ways to get your hands on the new phones.

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Why mobile contracts are bad for your pocket

Lots of people get a new phone as part of an upgrade via their network. That’s usually as part of a 24-month contract – or even longer.

This actually costs you more money! By doing this you’ll essentially be taking out a loan on the handset and paying interest each month. The extra they charge can easily be hundreds of pounds.

If your monthly charge is a combination of handset and tariff then it’s also easy to get caught in the trap of continuing to pay for the handset after the contract ends. Again, quickly adding up if you don’t switch straight away.

Buy the handset outright

Don’t be tempted to get a higher specification than you actually need. Most people won’t use 256GB storage, let alone 512GB or 1TB. Realistically, last year’s 14 will probably be fast enough for most people, so it might be hard to justify paying more for any of the 15 series.

You also don’t need to buy direct from Apple, handy if they’re out of stock. Check anyone from Amazon to John Lewis – and see if there are any codes or discounted gift cards that might help you bring down what you pay.

Even so, you’re probably thinking, how the hell can I afford a £799+ phone?!

Here are a few ways to make it more affordable:

Use your savings

If you’ve got savings, and they aren’t earmarked for something else, I’d normally suggest using these.

BUT only if you can afford to. There’s no point having to borrow money in a few months because you’ve spanked it all on a phone.

Pay with a 0% interest offer

It’s better perhaps to spread the cost out with a 0% interest deal.

Apple often has 0% finance on new handsets. You can always get this in Apple stores (take photo ID with you) with the iPhone Payments scheme offering 20 months interest free.

The online offer comes and goes, but it’s back for launch of these new handsets. Do this and you’ll spread the cost of the phone out over 24 months without any extra charges.

Or you could look at a 0% purchase credit card. As long as you make the minimum repayment each month and know you can afford to pay the card off before the 0% period ends, you can again spread the cost out.

This could also be an option if you want to keep earning interest on your savings, via a process known as stoozing.

Of course make sure with both of these that your credit report is up to date and your score reasonable. A rejection for the credit could hurt your score.

Watch out for “upfront” that costs more

If you buy the handset outright from Apple or another store like John Lewis, you’ll pay the real price.

However some networks, including O2, have the cheek to charge you even more when you do – even if it’s not part of a contract.

Get cashback on a contract

If you don’t want to go via the handset upfront/SIM only routes and really want a contract, then go via a cashback site like Quidco or TopCashback, even on upgrades. You might get money back.

Buy it abroad

This one won’t be possible for everyone, and it’s harder to get a deal in recent years thanks to awful exchange rates, but most years buying your phone abroad can be cheaper.

Prices for handsets in pounds and dollars are slightly different (eg $799 vs £849 for the 14, and from $999 vs £1099 for the Pro), and you have to add tax on top which varies depending on the state you visit, to work out the actual price. Even so, you can potentially save £100 or so, depending on the model phone you go for.

Of course, to save money you need to be going to the States anyway. But if you do have a holiday planned, wait until then and you’ll make a decent saving. I did this four years ago when buying an iPhone 11, saving me around £120.

If you are going to do this, make sure you pay with a specialist travel card, and if it’s on a credit card, pay it off in full ASAP to avoid interest charges.

Buy last year’s model

If you are going to buy a now older model, do shop around, or even wait a little bit longer so prices drop again.

If you’re happy to go second hand or refurbished there will soon be a rush of people who have just upgraded who are looking to get rid of their 14 or earlier. So you’ll get an improved handset but at a lower price.

Sell your old phone to fund the new one

If you really do want the new phone, then try to offset it by selling your old phone. From my experience, you’ll get the most money from eBay.

However as soon as a new phone is announced prices for older handsets fall in value, so don’t leave it too long. Here’s how to get the most money from selling your old handset

SIM Only

If you do buy the handset outright then you’ll need to get your network contract as SIM-only offer.

You can choose between a 30-day or 12-month SIM and most people should be able to get by paying less than £8 a month for your minutes, texts and at least 8GB of data. Here’s more on how it works.

Don’t forget to go via a cashback site to save even more money, and there are new member deals too.

August 2, 2023   |   Deals

Sports streaming services – deals and offers

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Watch Sky, TNT Sports, Eurosport and Premier Sports for less.

There are a number of ways to watch sport online – and to save money by doing it.

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.

Flash offers

Virgin Media Stream: Add Sky & TNT Sports for £28.75 a month

If you have Virgin Media broadband you can sign up for a Virgin Media stream box for an extra £35 set up fee, and then add on different streaming packages on 30 day rolling contracts.

The pick of the option are cut price TNT Sports for £10 a month and Sky Sports for £18.75. Considering you’ll pay £29.99 via Discovery+ Premium and £34.99 via NOW (combined) for access to the same channels you’ll save a packet.

You can cancel at any time but the prices are protected for 18 months (as long as you don’t cancel). This is a huge saving – if you actually want access to all the sports channels.

My review of Virgin Media Stream

Sky Sports/NOW TV streaming deals

You can get day and month passes to Sky Sports channels via NOW TV. As with the other NOW TV deals I’ve got a dedicated page to all the latest offers and deals.

Watch Sky Sports without a subscription

All the latest Sky Sports on NOW deals

Now TV and Sky Sports pass deals

TNT Sports deals

BT Sport is now TNT Sports — not much has changed, except for its branding and it’s now accessible through Discovery+. You don’t have to sign up via BT, Sky or Virgin as you can get a monthly rolling contract, however there are some good deals to add TNT to your existing broadband or TV package, as well as deals for EE mobile customers. Again, I’ve got a dedicated page for all TNT Sports offers.

Save money on TNT Sports passes

All the latest BT Sports deals

TNT Sports deals

Eurosport (via Discovery+) streaming deals

It’s possible to watch Eurosport online without an annual subscription to services like Sky or Virgin. The Discovery+ app is available on a number of devices, or you can watch Eurosport Player via Amazon if you are a Prime member – though with both you do have to pay extra. Here are the best offers.

Save money on Discovery+

All my ways to save in this Discovery+ deals article

Discovery plus deals

Amazon Prime deals

There are limited sports on Amazon, mainly the odd Premier League fixture and tennis. You need to sign up to Amazon prime which is £95 a year or £8.99 a month (£5.99 if you don’t have the extra Prime services). There is also a 30-day free trial.

Here’s more about Amazon Prime membership and whether I think it’s worth it.

Save money on Amazon Prime Video

All the latest Amazon Prime Video deals

ViaPlay Sports deals

ViaPlay (previously called Premier Sports) costs £14.99 a month or £11.99 a month if you pay upfront for the year.

May 9, 2023   |   Articles

How to get the best value hotel rooms

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Seven steps to find the best price on hotels, motels and resorts.

On most of my holidays, it’s accommodation which is the biggest expense each day. But this article isn’t about finding the cheapest possible hotel room.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not someone who goes for luxury suites or top-end resorts. But I don’t want the most basic either.

Though I don’t usually spend a huge amount of time in these rooms, I want somewhere I’ll be able to get a decent night’s sleep and have a decent shower. Somewhere at least nice. And location can be important too, especially on short trips. And these things can all add to the cost of a room.

So how do I bring down the price? Here’s what I do to get the best possible value when staying in hotels – giving me more money to spend on the rest of the trip.

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.

Step 1: See what accommodation is available

With any trip I make I’ll first look on booking.com. I find it has a decent range of hotel and B&B options at (usually) competitive prices. It’s also a bit better than other websites at sorting and refining searches with filters such as guest ratings. It’s not perfect, but it does the job.

However, not all hotels are on Booking. com. I’ll generally search for apartments on AirBnb I’ve used this site a lot, especially in the USA, where hotels can be crazily expensive, and even in the UK. Don’t ignore traditional B&Bs either, they can often be far better value than hotels in some destinations.

I’m a fan too of Travelodge and Premier Inn and these often can only be booked direct. They do what they say they will and are usually good value for money. Though as with everything right now, I’m finding them not as cheap as they used to be.

Step 2: Check the reviews and details

Of course, the price isn’t my only consideration. So I always browse through the reviews and check TripAdvisor too.

You can’t trust all the comments, but you’ll hopefully get an idea of potential problems – and a sense of whether the hotel is worth the listed price.

Also, take a look at the small print. Often there’s extra to cover tax or resort fees. Find out if Wi-Fi is included, and if you are paying for a breakfast you don’t really want.

The best deals

Find our picks of the best offers in our dedicated deals library

Step 3: Find the cheapest price

Once I’ve found a couple of options I’ll quickly search hotel comparison site Kayak. It will tell you the rate for your hotel across a dozen or so websites, including other big booking sites like Expedia. It’s a great start to see what’s available and a quick way to spot savings.

It’s always worth checking directly with the hotel too – they might have extra discounts if you book with them as it means they’re not paying any commission on the sale.

Another option I’ve looked at but never booked is as a “secret hotel” on sites like Lastminute.com or Priceline. With these promotions, you don’t actually know the hotel until you’ve booked, and as a result, you pay less. You can usually work out which hotel you’ll get with a bit of investigating – i.e. cut and paste the description into Google and see what comes up!

Step 4: Check for free cancellation

Now you’ve found where you want to stay, find out if any of the websites list it with free cancellation. This is a huge factor for me when choosing a hotel. It means that if I change my plans or find a better deal (potentially for the same hotel), I’ve got the flexibility to cancel and rebook. 

However, there are often discounts for non-cancellable rooms, so if you’re confident that you’re not going to need to cancel then it’s possibly not worth it.  

Step 5: Bring the price down even more

Booking. com, Expedia and a few others offer extra discounts if you’re registered with them, so it’s worth signing up just for these discounts. Or there are loyalty schemes such as the one with Hotels.com where you earn a free stay after booking 10 nights.

Then I’ll always try to book a hotel through a cashback site such as TopCashback and Quidco (get a welcome offer here). Rates usually range from 2% or 3% up to 10%.

Though I often get emailed voucher codes for sites such as Expedia and Hotels, I usually find the cashback rates are better. However, it’s worth remembering that voucher codes are guaranteed savings, while cashback might not track.

Step 6: Get more from your booking

Once I’ve decided where I’ll stay and made the booking, I’ll let the hotel know if I’m celebrating something special. On our honeymoon, we were upgraded a few times and given little freebies like a bottle of fizz and a cake from Magnolia Bakery. We also got a few extra perks on our first wedding anniversary. It’s always worth asking.

Step 7: Pick how you pay for the hotel

With many of these websites, you’ll usually pay when you get to the hotel – and if you’re abroad how you do this makes a big difference to the price you pay.

I’ve written an article about how to get the best value when you spend overseas, but the headlines are: always pay in the local currency, and try to pay with a specialist card such the Halifax Clarity credit card or the Starling current account. This will get you the best exchange rates.

Of course, if you’re given the option to pay upfront, you might want to do this – especially if you want to guarantee how much you pay.

Read next

May 1, 2023   |   Articles

0% balance transfer credit cards explained

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The pros and cons.

Balance transfer credit cards can be a useful way to help clear debts. But there are dangers with using one if you don’t follow the rules.

This Be Clever Basics guide is going to explain how 0% balance transfer cards work so you can find out if one is right for you.

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.

Keep reading or watch this video

What is a 0% balance transfer credit card?

Got credit card debts? Chances are you’re paying close to 20% in interest on the money you’ve borrowed, if not more. This adds up quickly, making your spending more expensive. And if you’re spending on credit cards in the first place it’s probably because you can’t afford what you’re buying – so extra charges aren’t welcome!

But if you get a 0% balance transfer card, you can move the debt from other credit cards to it, and crucially not have to pay interest for an agreed time. At the moment this can be as long as 30 months – that’s two and a half years.

The idea is that you use this time to clear the debt without adding to it, saving you money in the long run. If you’ve other debts, it might also give you a little breather while you clear those.

How much money you could save

Obviously it depends on how much you owe right now, the interest you’re being charged, and the card you get.

But let’s take a few examples. These are with set repayments each month. If the interst rate is higher or if you’re just paying the minimum your savings would be much larger!

Debt = £2,500

If you have £2,500 at 18.9%, and you’re paying a fixed £100 back each month, it’d take you 32 months to clear the debt and cost you £631 in interest.

But switch the debt to a 0% card with at least 26 months and continue paying £100 a month you’d pay zero interest!

Yes, you need to factor in the transfer fee – if it was 3% it’d be £75 – but you’d still be £556 better off!

Debt = £1,000

If you owe less, say one grand at a similar interest rate but a £50 set repayment each month, you’d take two years to clear the debt and pay £190 in interest.

But putting it on a 0% card for at least 21 months would reduce that interest payment to nothing. You’d just need to cover a transfer fee, which assuming 3% would be £30. That’s a total saving of £160.

What to watch out for with 0% balance transfer cards

The 0% time will end

Once the 0% offer period ends, the interest rate goes up to a normal – if not higher than normal – one. So the idea is to use that 0% time to clear the debt.

There’s often a fee

As mentioned, you will usually have to pay a fee on the total balance you move over. So a 3% fee on a £3,000 balance transfer would be £90.

Though there are cards with shorter 0% lengths which don’t charge and these can be better options if you are confident you need less time to clear the debt.

You usually have to make the transfer early

Once you’ve got the new card, most transfers need to be made within the first two or three months in order to get the 0% rate. Leave it too late and you’ll get a much higher rate, defeating the purpose of the switch.

You still need to make a monthly payment

If you don’t make the minimum repayment each month, the special 0% deal could be ended early, meaning you’ll start paying high rates of interest again. Set up a Direct Debit to make sure you don’t forget.

You might not get the advertised deal

Credit card companies want to make money from you, but they also want to be sure they won’t lose money on you. If you do get accepted, you might not get the full deal. You could be offered a shorter 0% deal, the rate of interest after the 0% could be higher. 

Applying can be bad for your credit score

And of course there’s the risk you could also be rejected outright. If you do get rejected it’s not just bad for your debt, it’s bad for your credit rating too.

To help the card company make that decision, they’ll run a credit check. To get an idea of whether you’ll be accepted, try a soft check on a comparison site. It’ll look at your credit report but not leave a trace.

You might not be able to transfer your entire credit card debt

Let’s say you’re successful and get the 0% balance transfer card. Great. But there’s no guarantee that the credit limit (i.e. the amount you can have on the card) will be the same or more than your current debt. 

Additional spending will not be 0%

Unless you have a card which specifically has a 0% purchase offer in addition to the 0% balance transfer you will get charged interest on any additional spending.

They aren’t the answer if you don’t think you can clear the debt over time

If your only debt is the card debt, balance transfer cards are a big help. But if your wider finances are in a bad shape and you don’t think even a year or more on a 0% card will help you clear your debts, then you’re just delaying a bigger problem. Really you need to get some free debt advice. Read more about what you can do if your debts are getting too big

Read more about credit cards

How to make a 0% balance transfer card work for you

Plan for how to pay off the debt

Say you’ve got a £1,000 debt and you transfer it to a 25 month 0% deal, you should try to evenly pay it off each month. That would be £40 every month.

Or even better, pay as much as you can afford each month to clear it sooner. Even though you’re not paying interest on the debt during the 0% period, you don’t know if something could happen later that stops you from paying your planned amount.

Decide if a longer deal or lower fee is better

Don’t go for a long balance transfer deal if you don’t need it. Instead you might be better off picking one with a low fee – or even one that is fee-free.

Of course the lower the fee, the shorter the deal, so the best bet for you really depends on your circumstances. If you need a long time to pay off the debt, a longer deal could suit you, even if the transfer fee is higher.

Shop around

I’m often getting junk mail through the post from my existing banks offering a balance transfer deal. These might be decent, but don’t just jump at the first one you see. Shop around and see what the best offer is out there.

Try not to keep moving the debt

Some people transfer the debt to a new 0% card each time the deal ends. And again. And again.

It’s potentially risky as you might get rejected for a new card. Plus since you generally have to pay a fee each time you transfer, it could cost too.

If you think you won’t be able to clear the debt, consider a longer 0% period for the card.

Don’t spend on your balance transfer card

New spending doesn’t just add to the previously transferred balance. It’s a new debt so interest won’t be 0%. So to avoid this look for a better spending card. If it has to be a credit card, then you can get a 0% purchase credit card which does the same thing but for new spending, or an all-rounder which has 0% on transfers and purchases.

If you do spend on a balance transfer card, try to clear that full amount at the next billing date. The most expensive debt is cleared first, so any monthly payments you make will go to clearing this new spend first. But if you don’t pay off enough to cover the new spending, you’ll get charged interest on it.

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Editor-in-chief Andy Webb and Deputy Editor Amelia Murray.

Episodes every Tuesday.

Listen now
Andy and Amelia with the text "Cash Chats Personal finance podcast"

April 24, 2023   |   Articles

Should you be sharing your TV streaming accounts?

Written by
Will you get in trouble for using someone else’s Netflix account?

The shift to digital entertainment in the last few years has been huge. Six in ten adults now watch on-demand services such as iPlayer and Netflix according to Ofcom.

The problem is, all these subscriptions can be pricey, especially when you factor in media services you’re already paying for like the TV Licence or your Sky TV package.

So, many of us do something a little cheeky to lower the costs. We share our accounts with friends and family. If you don’t do it yourself, chances are you know someone who does.

But should you be sharing your passwords – and is it safe? Plus, with Netflix set to crack down on this workaround in 2023, will you even be able to?

I’ve delved into the terms and conditions to find out what they say about letting others use your digital accounts and looked at just who you can share with.

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.

sharing streaming accounts

Is sharing your accounts allowed?

For most, the answer is yes, but within the family or household.

In fact, all the main digital streaming services allow multiple users and watching or listening on multiple devices – though you often have to pay extra to make this work practically. If there are a few of you in your home with varying tastes, it may well be worth shelling out so you can watch or listen to what you want in peace.

Sharing your account with people further than your front door is a different matter. The Intellectual Property Office says it’s illegal – though it’s unlikely anyone would be prosecuted for doing this with a handful of mates.

Many explicitly say you should not give your account details to anyone outside your household, though there’s very little in the Ts&Cs for each of the services that breaks down what would happen to you if they found out. What is clear is that the main account holder is responsible for any use or misuse of the service. 

But even the ability to share could be soon be changing. In some countries, Netflix has already introduced a charge for those who want to give access to their subscription to others and is set to crack down on password sharing in the UK by June 2023.

Is sharing your account a good idea?

Of course, we all do it. But I bet most people don’t consider what this actually means for our viewing and out budgets.

It could put your data at risk

I’d urge you to think twice before handing out your sign-in details. If you give your username, often your email address, and password to a friend or family member – no matter how much you trust them – it’s out of your control.

It’s unlikely they’ll be able to see your card details as these are generally encrypted, but they could make additional purchases or change your subscription package. They may also share your log in details with further friends and family, making it near impossible to track who has done what.

The risk could even go beyond the account you share. Though we all know it’s best practice to have different passwords for all our digital accounts, the likelihood is there will at the very best be some similarity to others you use. At worst, it’s the same for everything. This opens up the risk of fraud, theft, and locking you out of your own accounts. 

Even if the horse has already bolted from this open gate, you can change your passwords on the accounts you’ve shared, locking out anyone outside your household – though bear in mind you may also have to change details for all those other accounts too.

It might not save you money

Yes, if you are using someone else’s account you’re saving cash. But what if you’re the one who is paying and letting others have access? Plus, sharing could tempt you to have more subscriptions that you actually need. (I think it’s impossible to get the most out of more than one or two services each month).

You need to make sure that if people are splitting the payment with you that they actually pay. Or more practically you could each pay for one service so it cancels out.

But the wider the details are shared the harder it’ll be to know who is using what and who is contributing.

It might prevent you from watching when you want

This is one of the biggest downsides to sharing your password. Even if you are fine with letting others have access to your account, it’s not necessarily as simple as everyone watching what they want and when.

The services all have limits on the number of simultaneous streams and many also have limits on devices you can use.

For example, say only two can only watch at the same time. Add in a third person and you’ll get that dreaded error screen. Cue frantic messaging to find out who is watching and if they can stop.

Or if you want to be able to watch on your main TV, your bedroom TV and two phones in the house it could mean anyone you share with is limited to just one or two devices.

These aren’t necessarily a problem if you’re not paying. But if you are contributing part of the fee or paying for a different shared service you’d rightly be pissed off if you can’t watch what you want to watch when you want to watch it.

Sharing your streaming password – service by service

So what are you allowed to do? With the above points in mind, here’s what you can share – and possibly shouldn’t do – subscription by subscription.

Sharing Netflix

Netflix has previously been pro-sharing your account, but only within your household and Ts&Cs require that users “should not reveal the password… to anyone”. Until recently it hadn’t done anything to stop people, but

But it recently said it will crack down on shared accounts, and has tried a few different ways to do this in some countries. It’s likely you’ll have to pay an extra fee from the summer of 2023.

Until then, how many people can watch at the same time depends on how much you pay. The basic £6.99 a month subscription is limited to one screen, but for £10.99 (and HD) two people can watch different programmes on different devices simultaneously, while that goes up to four people (and 4K) for £15.99 a month. Anyone you share with uses the same log in as you.

How to pay less for Netflix

All my ways to save on this dedicated Netflix article

Sharing Amazon Prime Video

You’re limited to three simultaneous streams on Amazon Prime Video, and you can only watch the same title on two devices at the same time. You can create up to six different profiles for people on the account.

Strictly speaking though this is still limited to the account holder. The official way to share Amazon Prime is to set-up Amazon Household where a maximum of two adult accounts are connected. 

The big problem with both the official and unofficial sharing methods is that you are sharing your full Amazon account. That means anyone you share with could shop at your expense.

Personally, I’d only share Amazon with people you really trust, like your immediate family members.

Save money on Amazon Prime Video

All my ways to save on this dedicated Amazon Prime Video deals article

AMazon Prime video deals

Sharing NOW TV

NOW TV will allow only one user to watch programmes at the same time, though there’s no limit to the number of devices you can use each month.

You can boost to three simultaneous streams via the Boost package which costs £6 extra a month (you also get full HD and no adverts). I’ve always been able to get this knocked down to £2 a month, though that’s you’ll probably need to pay £6 in the first month to get these discounts.

Responsibility for the account sits with the account holder, so if your friend adds a month of Sky Sports for £34.99 you’ll have to get them to pay you rather than complain to NOW TV.

The log in can also be used to access your Sky account (you’ll have one if you have NOW TV, even if you weren’t aware), where further purchases can be made.

Services are pretty cheap though compared to full Sky or Virgin packages and switching over can save you a fortune – especially if you share!

How to pay less for NOW

All my ways to save on this dedicated NOW TV article

Sharing Disney +

You can stream on four devices at once and have seven separate profiles, making it very easy to share with others. You can also download to 10 different devices.

In fact, in the subscriber agreement (1.b) it says that if you share your account details with others they are subject to the same terms and conditions. Which is another way of saying it’s ok to share.

Save on Disney+

All the latest offers in our dedicated Disney+ article

Sharing Apple TV +

Apple TV+ allows six simultaneous streams, though there’s no facility to create individual profiles. Plus this uses your Apple ID and password – not a good one to share seeing as it can be used for purchases and access to other Apple devices.

You can though add five other accounts to your apple “Family Sharing” which will give access to a number of Apple features.

By default this includes iCloud storage and purchases on the app store (and more). You can stop these extras being shared, but you can only toggle these on and off for everyone you share with.

Save money on Apple TV+

All my ways to save on this dedicated Apple TV+ deals article

Apple TV Plus offers

Sharing Sky Go

If you have Sky TV, you’ve also got access to Sky Go which allows you to stream your channels on up to six devices. But it’s only one stream at a time for customers since March 2019. Older customers can watch two at once.

If you want to download programmes iPlayer style and stream on two devices at once you can upgrade to Sky Go Extra (via Sky Multiscreen or Sky Glass/Stream), which also allows you to watch on up to four devices.

You can create additional users for your household, so you would be able to limit the access to your account by providing a Secondary Sky ID.

Sharing Virgin TV Go

Virgin’s TV Go is available on your computer, tablet or phone. You need to register which ones will use it, and there’s a limit of four, though you can change three every month. There’s a max of two simultaneous streams, though it’s limited to one if it’s for a Sky channel.

Unlike the others, Virgin are very clear in their terms you must not let anyone else use your log in, and that they may “restrict or remove your access to the Service” if they believe someone else is using your sign-in details.

Sharing BT Sport & BT TV

You can watch BT Sport – and any other channels you receive as part of BT TV – on two devices at the same time.

However, BT are firm the service is for members of your household and require the account holder to “do everything you can to keep your BT ID username and password secure and confidential and prevent anyone else from using them”. 

Should you use “sharing services”

I’ve seen a handful of streaming sharing services pop up in the last year or two. With these you pay a third party every month for access to a service. They’ll provide you with a log-in, but they’ll also give the same details to someone else.

In theory this protects your payment card and other details as they won’t be on the shared account – but they will still be held by the facilitating website.

Personally I’d stay clear. These are very new so it’s impossible to vouch for any of these providers (hence why I’m not listing them). In fact one that was brought to my attention had its website suspended!

If you want to share you will most likely know someone who wants to split costs, and I think that’s a better option – as long as you follow the rules I’ve set out above.

Of course this could change, so I’ll keep an eye on these services and write more if so.

Stopping someone using your account

If you no longer want to share with someone, or are worried that someone you haven’t authorised to use your account is doing so, then there are ways to get control back.

Netflix and NOW will let you see which devices are using your account, and Amazon will let you deregister any you don’t want to use your account. Netflix and Amazon can even reveal what is being watched on each profile, helping you spot unauthorised use. Meanwhile Disney+ lets you require a password to set up new profiles

Some, including Netflix and Disney, will let you sign out of all devices, meaning people will need the password to rejoin – and you can easily change this in settings.

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Editor-in-chief Andy Webb and Deputy Editor Amelia Murray.

Episodes every Tuesday.

Listen now
Andy and Amelia with the text "Cash Chats Personal finance podcast"

Spending less on TV & movie streaming services

Sharing accounts isn’t the only way to pay less for your subscription. You can take out free trials, buy cheap passes and mix and match the ones you use to save some money. Here’s my deals page with the latest offers.

The best streaming service deals and discounts

March 20, 2023   |   ArticlesReview

Club Lloyds review

Written by
With free cinema tickets and up to 6.25% interest on savings, is it worth opening this current account with Lloyds?

Regular readers will know I’ve got a lot of current accounts as I like to take advantage of the offers and benefits they each provide. But you don’t need to have as many as me – you’ll be fine with three or four.

So how do you decide which ones to go for? The Club Lloyds account is definitely a contender right now thanks to a choice of free cinema tickets, Disney+ or magazines. Plus, there are regular switching offers worth around £175.

Here’s what you need to know about the account.

[Video from 2022 – some figures have changed and are listed in the article below]

What is Club Lloyds?

Club Lloyds is a current account from Lloyds Bank with some extra benefits over the standard classic account. It comes with a fee – though you can easily avoid paying it.

If you are going to get an account with Lloyds, this is the one you’ll get the best value from.

How much does Club Lloyds cost?

It’s not a free account. There’s a monthly £3 fee.

However, if you pay in £2,000 every month you will get that £3 refunded. £2,000 a month is roughly what you’d get paid if you earn £30,000 a year (not including pensions or other contributions).

That means it’s affordable for most people, which means there’s really no reason why you should pay the monthly fee.

Top Tip

You don’t have to keep the £2,000 in the account if you don’t want to. When you get paid you can transfer the cash in and then transfer it back out to another account.

You can even do it in smaller amounts, four lots of £500 for example.

Here’s more about how I find extra Direct Debits and pay minimum amounts into multiple current accounts each month.

Can you get a switching bonus?

Lloyds regularly offers switching bonuses between £100 and £175 for the Club Lloyds and Club Lloyds Platinum accounts. There tend to be three or four a year.

New and existing customers are usually able to claim the offer if they open a new account and switch to it from a different bank. I’ve shared more details on the latest offer over on this page.

Latest Lloyds Bank switching offer

Find out if you can get free cash for switching to Lloyds right now

Lloyds bank

Club Lloyds Lifestyle benefits

When you open up a Club Lloyds account you can claim a free gift each year.  You get to choose from four different “Lifestyle Benefits”. 

You need to select your choice within 30 days of opening the account and this gift remains fixed for 12 months. You can swap to a different benefit once that period ends, or stick with the same offer.

There’s also the ability to earn up to 3% interest on savings, access a 6.25% monthly saver and get cashback on some purchases.

Free cinema tickets

You can select six tickets to use at either Odeon or Vue. You’ll get all six tickets at the start of the year and they’re valid for 12 months. If you’re thinking this list should say Cineworld, then bad news. The chain was replaced by Odeon earlier in 2020.

These tickets are valid for 2D and 3D showings. At Vue you can also use them at VIP or Xtreme screenings. Odeon will let you use them for Premier or recliner seats and some Luxe screens. You can’t use them at the BFI Imax, Odeon Luxe & Dine or screen 1 at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square.

Though technically you can’t use them with another offer, I’ve seen them combined with things like Meerkat Movies – doubling your saving. 

They can be used any day of the week – so they’re probably best to save for expensive days like weekends, if you want to see a movie in 3D or at pricier upgraded locations.

Free Disney+

A new option from April 2023 is a year of Disney+, the streaming service with Disney, Marvel, Fox and Star Wars content.

Free magazine subscription

There’s a decent choice of 29 print or digital titles available. All are Hearst Magazine or Bauer Media publications (full list below). You won’t get the first issue for up to eight weeks which can making it a challenge to know when to stop buying copies if it’s something you already read.

Club Lloyds magazine choices (print or digital)

  • Bike
  • Bird Watching
  • Car
  • Classic Cars
  • Cosmopolitan
  • Country Living
  • Country Walking
  • ELLE Decoration
  • ELLE
  • Empire
  • Esquire
  • Garden Answers
  • Good Housekeeping
  • Harper’s Bazaar
  • House Beautiful
  • Improve Your Coarse Fishing
  • Landscape
  • Men’s Health
  • Modern Games
  • Mojo
  • Practical Classics
  • Prima
  • Red
  • Runner’s World
  • Spirit & Destiny
  • Steam Railway
  • Today’s Golfer
  • Trail
  • Women’s Health

Free Gourmet Society membership

This restaurant discount card will give you 25% off your bills, including drinks at selected restaurants. There are also extra discounts available like cinema tickets, theme parks and movie rentals.

Which freebies are the best value for money?

Here’s a quick summary of how much it would cost you to buy those freebies yourself:

The value of the cinema tickets freebies depends on where you live as tickets can really vary in price. I’d say it’s within a range of £30 to £90. But if you choose to go for 3D and VIP seats then they could easily be worth more than £100.

Disney+ is £7.99 a month, but annual passes are discounted to £79.90. Though this assumes you’ll actually watch Disney+ every month. If you have other streaming services it makes sense to mix and match over the year, paying only for ones you’re actually watching. Say you cut your Disney+ usage to just six months the real saving is £47.94.

The magazine value obviously depends on which title you get and how many issues there are a year (e.g. Esquire has only six issues). But to give you an idea, a year’s subscription to Empire is currently discounted to £45 via Great Magazines.

The Gourmet Society membership would cost you £35 for a year.

Which lifestyle benefit should you choose? 

Andy’s Analysis

Ultimately it comes down to which one you’ll actually use – and how much you’d spend on it.

It’s possible to save money on tickets most days, but it is harder to get discounts on weekends or for posh seats. So if you go to the cinema at least six times a year (or three times if you’re a couple), it’s likely this is the best option.

Or if you know you’ll have Disney+ all year around, no matter what, picking that is a locked in saving.

Club Lloyds Interest rates

You can earn interest on money held in the account and in a separate regular saver.

6.25% Monthly Saver

Pick of the bunch is a monthly saver that’s exclusive to Club Lloyds customers. This offers 6.25% and you can pay in between £25 and £400 a month. 

The 6.25% is fixed for 12 months when the interest is paid and the savings account closed. It’s really easy to open this via your account. I did it via the app. You can’t access the money More details here.

You can also open a standard Lloyds Monthly Saver if you have more to put away. This has a lower rate of 5.25% and the max you can add it £250 a month.

Up to 3% interest in your account

There’s also some in-account interest. To get it you must pay out two direct debits every month.

For the first £3,999 you hold in your actual current account you’ll get 1.5% interest. Then you’ll get 3% on the next £1,000. So if you always have £5,000 in your account you’ll earn the equivalent of just under 2%.

Is Club Lloyds worth it for the interest?

The two monthly savings accounts are decent options, but the in-account interest can be easily beaten by savings rates elsewhere.

The best savings accounts

Check out our list of the highest paying regular, easy-access, fixed and ethical savings accounts

Club Lloyds overdraft

With a Club Lloyds account, switchers can get a £300 interest-free overdraft for the first three months, falling to a £50 interest-free buffer after this. Beyond these limits the rate you’ll be charged on any arranged overdraft could vary.

Club Lloyds customers actually get a lower rate than standard Lloyds customers – but that doesn’t mean it’s a reason to choose the bank.

At best it’s 27.5%, at worst it’s a massive 49.9% – making it among the worst options out there. Of course, the new overdraft regulations mean no overdrafts are good ways to borrow money so it’s best to avoid them at all costs. Here’s more on your alternatives.

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Editor-in-chief Andy Webb and Deputy Editor Amelia Murray.

Episodes every Tuesday.

Listen now
Andy and Amelia with the text "Cash Chats Personal finance podcast"

Cashback on purchases

All Lloyds accounts also give you access to Everyday Offers, worth up to 15% off when using your debit card.

You will be offered retailers based on your spending and will need to activate them before spending. 

However, since I don’t use the account for any spending – just for the benefits – I’ve yet to have a single offer come my way! That could change if I spend just once as the wording does suggest this could help.

I’ve not bothered though. My experience of these offers with other banks, such as Natwest and Santander, is that it’s very hit and miss. Plus the deals are often available elsewhere. 

But it’s worth checking to see what you are offered. And where these do work is that you can use them in combination with cashback site savings.

The app

The app is effectively the same one as Halifax, and it’s relatively easy to use. In fact, it’s one of my favourite ones outside Starling, Monzo and Chase. If you want to see how it compares to apps from other banks, check out this guide.

Here are some of the features worth knowing about:

Account details and management

An important feature for me is the ability to copy and share account details from the app – and Lloyds let you do this. You can also amend your address.

Card details and controls

You can see your PIN, long card number, expiry date and security code in the app. You can also copy the long card number to paste into online shops.

There are a handful of controls too. You can set your own contactless limit and freeze the card for a handful of reasons (overseas, online, in person, gambling and contactless).

Cheque payments

Lloyds is one of a handful of apps that lets you pay in cheques via the app. More info on how this works here.

Save the change

This is available to all Lloyds current accounts and it’s pretty cool. You may have seen it already via digital banks such as Monzo.

The idea is every time you spend money with your debit card the bank will top up the amount to the nearest quid from your account, and move it to a separate savings account.

So, say you spend £2.80, an extra 20p will be taken from your account. It’s a nice way to automate your savings and put money away without any effort.

You do need to activate the feature so it won’t happen unless you give permission. 

However you won’t be earning any interest on this money so I’d get in the habit of transferring it across to a better paying account on a regular basis – which kind of defeats the purpose of making it something that happens without you doing anything.

Budgeting and tracking

It’s relatively limited but you can see where your spending goes via a spending insights option. You’re able to view upcoming payments, to help you ensure there’s enough money in your account.

As with more and more apps, you’ll get notifications of spending and money coming in via the app.

Subscription Monitoring gives you the ability to cancel subscriptions within the app. You’ll also be told when subscriptions are due to end. It’s a handy way to avoid overpaying for services you don’t use or stopping subscriptions where it’s a nightmare to get through to someone on the phone. But it’s not a reason to get the account.

Summary – should you get it?

Club Lloyds Current Account

Rewards‘Lifestyle Benefit’ giving you a choice of 6 free cinema tickets, Disney+, a magazine subscription or Gourmet Society membership

Limited cashback
Monthly Saver6.25% AER up to £400 a month (must apply separately)
Interest on savings1.5% on balances between £1 and £3,000; 3% on balances between £4,000 and £5,000
Fee£3 a month (£0 if you pay in £2,000 a month)
RequirementsThe account requires two active monthly Direct Debits to earn interest
Overdraft£50 interest-free buffer

Then 27.5% or 49.9%

More on the Club Lloyds account

Andy’s Analysis – Is Club Lloyds a good account?

The Club Lloyds account is a decent all-rounder. Not the best reward, best interest rate or best banking app. But all are still better than what you’d get from most accounts. If you already have it, I’d keep hold of it.

Personally, I think you should open one up as a spare account rather than a main account. It’s always useful to have another account as a backup, and you can claim the lifestyle rewards even if this isn’t your main account.

And you can get that freebie year after year for free as long as you transfer in £2,000 a month – which is easy to do.

But should you switch from another bank to get it? Well if there’s a switching bonus then it’s definitely worth it. But if not, then no, I wouldn’t switch. There are better accounts out there to priotitise, including some offering an incentive to switch.

More bank account reviews

Read next

March 20, 2023   |   Deals

Chromecast deals

Written by
The Google Chromecast is a cheap device that makes your TV smart without the wires, letting you watch Netflix, iPlayer and much more on any TV in the home. These deals can save you a packet too!

My first streaming stick was a Chromecast. Now with a much improved smart TV and Amazon Fire TV and NOW TV sticks it doesn’t get much use – but it’s still a handy device to help get whatever is on your phone or laptop on to your TV.

You plug the Chromecast in the back of your TV via an HDMI slot and it lets you wirelessly stream from your computer (using Chrome as a browser), tablet or phone.

You can watch iPlayer, Netflix, YouTube and many other channels, which you can control with your smartphone, tablet or computer. Most computers and Android devices can also ‘mirror’ their screens.

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.

Which Chromecast is best?

A new Chromecast was announced in September 2022, two years after the last upgrade model. This version is HD quality and costs £35 and has been as low as £24 . The full price for the 4K model is £59, but it’s often down to £45 (though I’ve seen it reduced to £35).

Read more on how to make your TV into a smart TV

Chromecast with Google TV deals

A brand new version of the Chromecast was released in late 2020. The big difference from previous versions is it comes with a remote control and “Google TV’ – basically, an interface like you’d see if a Fire TV stick or Roku. Its RRP is £59.99, though it has been on offer at £44.99.

Chromecast 4K: 25% off

A number of retailers are discounting the 4K Chromecast by 25%, reducing it from £59.99 to £44.99.

Buy Chromecast at Amazon

Chromecast HD: £10 off

There’s a larger 29% discount, worth £10, for the HD Chromecast. It’s now £24.99 at Amazon, Argos, John Lewis and Currys.

Buy Chromecast at Currys

Possible £17 extra cashback when you buy via Quidco

If you’ve not used cashback site Quidco before, new users can get up to £10 back. Via the link below you earn £10 back to their account when you spend £5 at any of the shops listed. This includes Argos and Currys, meaning you can save an extra £10 off any Chromecast. 

Sign up via the link below and then search for the retailer you want to buy from. Make sure you don’t have any other windows open in your browser for that shop.

Or if you subscribe to my newsletter you’ll get a code for an £17 bonus when you spend £10.

> Get £10 cashback from Quidco when new users spend £5 at shops including Argos and Currys

Our top deals

Here are a few ongoing and recent offers you might have missed:

Banking offers

Savings and investing offers

Shopping vouchers and other deals

Entertainment deals

Food and drink offers

March 8, 2023   |   Articles

How to reduce food waste & save money

Written by
You’re practically throwing money away when you chuck out perfectly good food.

Most food waste at home can be avoided, whether that’s food chucked out because it’s gone off or we’ve cooked too much. And if you can reduce your waste you’ll also be saving a ton of cash.

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.

Don’t buy more than you need

A simple place to start is to buy less food. Here are the key ways to do this.

Plan what you want to eat

How often do you just head to the supermarket and decide what you’re going to buy as you walk the aisles? The danger here is you buy ingredients that are hard to use in a single meal but won’t fit into meals later in the week.

The way around this is to plan your meals and snacks before you reach the supermarket. You can do this weekly or even daily – whatever works for you.

Write a shopping list

Once you’ve got a plan, make a list of what you need for those meals and when you’re shopping, whether online or in an actual shop, stick to that list. This’ll stop you from buying more items that you probably don’t need and possibly won’t use.

Be wary of big packs and multi-buy offers

Often (though not always), you’ll find it cheaper to buy bigger packs of items or if you buy a couple of packs. The problem is you’re only saving money if you actually use everything. Sometimes you’re better off buying a smaller box or bag at a higher price.

Know what you already have

We’ve probably all done this – you’re at the supermarket and you pick up some of the regulars. Maybe it’s milk or some veg. The things you always buy and always use. But when you get home you realise you’ve already got these items.

That’s not a problem with things like toothpaste or tins of beans, but it could be a problem for anything fresh.

A simple way to avoid this is to take a photo of your fridge and maybe any relevant cupboards before you go to the supermarket.

Don’t cook what you can’t eat

Again, the food preparation and cooking can lead to a huge amount of waste.

Measure the amount you’ll need

Following recipes will really help here, but if you’re used to measuring out quantities by eye, for example with rice, potatoes or pasta, then do some research and even weigh out the amounts you’ll actually eat. If you find these levels are too much or too little, then adjust this and make a note so you don’t forget next time you cook the same thing.

Use more of what you buy

There are certain foods where we’ll use a key part but throw out the rest. But if could be you’re chucking out perfectly good grub. Take broccoli stalks, potato skins or the bits of chicken under the carcuss. And you can use the bones from meat for broth or stock too.

Batch cook

There is an alternative to cooking less, and that’s to cook more than you need with the intention of using it later in the week or freezing. This not only saves time as you don’t have to cook again, but it can also use up more ingredients. Handy if you have bought multipacks or have things which could go off soon.

Eat your leftovers

If you do cook too much and perhaps there’s not enough for a full meal another day, don’t just chuck it in the bin. You might be able to combine it with other things, perhaps whack it in a sandwich or salad.

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Avoid food going off

Know how food dates work

Something that people often get confused about is the date on packs. There are two key dates: use by and best before.

Use by should be consumed before the date on the pack, especially when it comes to things like fresh meat and fish. You’ve got more wiggle room with dairy – use your eyes and nose to sense if it’s off or not.

But best before dates are fine to keep even if that has expired. At worst you’ll find the quality or taste might not be optimum, but they are safe to eat (as long as they’re stored properly). In fact there are websites which sell items already past best before dates for a low price.

Many supermarkets are removing dates on fruit and veg, so just keep an eye on everything after you buy it to make sure it doesn’t go off.

Don’t open a new pack until you need it

If you want something to last longer, then don’t open it until you’re going to use it. My friend recently send me a photo of his mother-in-law’s freezer, including three open loaves of bread, two open bottles of milk and two open cream cheese packs.

One way to help avoid this is to put the items with better dates at the back of the fridge or cupboard, and the ones already open or the ones with sooner dates at the front.

Use your freezer

Freezers are fantastic ways to preserve leftovers and half-used ingredients, including many you might not think you can freeze. And of course they help you store items that are reduced to clear that you don’t have time to eat.

If you want to maximise the space in your freezer you can take things out of packs, while labelling what you’ve frozen and when can be a huge help too.

Store things properly

Covering or closing open items, or moving them into airtight containers, can help prolong the life of food and drink. You should also check the temperature of your fridge is at 5 degrees or less – too warm and it could spoil.

Donate to a food bank

If you have food that you know you won’t use, and as long as they have a decent expiration date, then donate it to a food bank.

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