Earn extra cashback from TopCashback with these offers, including a welcome bonus
I’ve earned thousands of pounds through TopCashback and Quidco in the last 10 years – and that’s just by doing some normal shopping.
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New member sign up deals
I think the best welcome bonuses are the ones that aren’t linked to a specific retailer. These open-ended offers mean you can get cashback no matter where you shop.
There are sometimes other deals that will pay a similar amount but they are restricted to specific retailers or require a higher minimum spend (eg £30). I’ll share these below if they are better than the generic offers.
You can only get one new sign-up offer.
Free £20 bonus
You can get a £20 new member bonus. You need to spend £10 via one of the retailers listed on TCB to get this bonus (excluding takeaways). You must go via this link or the button below.
Read the full terms and conditions when you click through. The £20 bonus ends 30 September 2025.
From time to time there are special bonuses you can activate. Often it’s £2.50 when you spend a tenner, though sometimes they are higher or linked to a specific type of purchase.
Find the hummingbirds for Instant Win cashback
TopCashback is launching a treasure hunt across the website on Monday 4 August until Wednesday 6 August 2025, at 10:00. You need to be a member to join in (but above, you can get a £20 bonus for joining). You need to log in and search the website for hummingbirds, and you’ll be able to win instant cashback. There are daily clues to help you find them on their blog, too.
Prizes range from as little as 10p to £100, and one lucky member will win £1,000.
Some members can currently get a bonus of £2 with a £10 spend. You’ll be able to find out if you’re eligible on the Top Offers page of the website, where you need to activate the offer. Then, you need to make a purchase by 23:59 on 21 July 2025. You’ll get the bonus as well as any cashback earned on the purchase.
Not everyone can get this, you have to have been selected for it. And if you don’t have TopCashback yet, you can earn £20 by signing up above.
Here’s how to watch football on TV without forking out the equivalent of a Premier League player’s daily hourly wage.
If you’re dusting off your football shirt ready for the new season, you may also be considering the cheapest ways to watch your team on TV.
This year, more than 260 Premier League games will be shown on TV, split between Sky TV, and TNT Sports (previously BT Sport).
Championship, League One and League Two fans will get most of their action on Sky Sports, with more games than ever broadcast. Plus there’s European football on TNT and Amazon Prime. And let’s not forget international matches too/
If you want to watch as many games as possible, it doesn’t come cheap. And if you don’t support one of the big teams, they’ll be featured less often, which can make it more expensive per match.
Here’s my guide to the cheapest ways to watch Premier League, EFL and other football.
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.
Cheapest ways to watch football on Sky Sports
Sky Sports is available on as an add on for Sky, EE TV and Virgin Media packages, or as a pay as you go pass via NOW.
If you already pay for Sky or Virgin, then it’s worth haggling to see if you can add on Sky Sports, or reduce your existing spend. However if you just want the sport channels you’ll be tied into an 18 or 24 month contract for all your other services you have with them such as broadband, as well as forced to also pay for entertainment options, really bringing the price up.
Sky Sports is currently £20 a month for 24-months direct from Sky with the standard Sky channels and Netflix adding on another £15 a month, at least.
Sadly it doesn’t look like Sky is still offering a cut price deal just for the football channels or just for the F1 channel – but keep an eye out for either’s return.
You can pay a £25 a month for a monthly rolling contract via Sky Stream as an introductory offer, but you’ll need to pay at least £18 a month on top for Sky Entertainment and Netflix. For most people you’re better off going with NOW.
With Virgin Media it’s also another £20 on top, at least for the sports channels. Again, not bad, but you’re likely over paying for the other channels.
Get day or month Sky Sports passes with NOW TV
NOW TV passes are particularly good if you don’t want to pay for other Sky or Virgin channels or Netflix (which is bundled with Sky), or if you won’t watch all year around.
Plus, combine a NOW TV pass with a cut-price broadband and phone line deal and it’ll often be much much cheaper than getting everything as part of the full Sky or Virgin packages.
If you only plan to watch a few games at home throughout the season you can buy a NOW day pass for £14.99. You get all the Sky Sports channels for 24 hours. This isn’t as good a deal as it used to be, but still a money saver if you just want to watch a single match.
A monthly pass is also available, meaning you can view more sport. But at £34.99 it’s not as cheap as adding to Sky if you pay it every month.
The good news is there are regular deals to reduce the price of a pass. These have dwindled a little over the last few years, and there are very few day pass deals.
But monthly ones do still pop up quite regularly, often dropped to between £21 and £26 a month either when you first sign up or as a retention offer if you go to cancel. Get it this low, if not lower, then it’s more comparable to what you’d pay adding it to Sky without the requirement for other channels.
More recently you might find these offers tie you in for a minimum period, perhaps as long as six months, which isn’t as flexible. But others still let you cancel when ever you want.
You can stream the NOW TV app on your TV, console or streaming stick; or on your computer or mobile device. Though you can’t record (it’s all on-demand and catch up), you can now pause and rewind live sport.
If you want HD or to share your pass you’ll need to pay more. It’s £6 a month for Boost (2x streams and 720p) and £9 a month for Boost Ultra (3x streams and 1080p). Again, there are often deals to bring the price down.
TNT Sports is available to add to TV packages from Sky, EE and Virgin, or stream direct from Discovery+. We’ve got a deals page which highlights some of the best TNT Sports deals available, but here are the cheapest options.
Free with some BT broadband packages
If you have been with BT for a while for broadband or mobile packages then it’s worth checking if you’ve got free access to the full Discovery+ package, which includes TNT Sports. If you’re not eligible you can add it for £10 a month with no long contract commitment.
Buy a month’s pass
If you don’t have or want expensive pay TV contracts, you can access TNT Sports with Discovery+ for £30.99 per month. You don’t need to commit to a contract, so you can get a month’s access whenever you need it, making it good for casual fans.
The cheapest way to watch football on Amazon Prime Video
There will be 17 Champions League games shown on Amazon Prime this season, spread across the year. It costs £95 for the full year, and obviously you get access to other Prime benefits. But there are ways to pay less if you’re only after the odd match.
Get a free Amazon Prime trial
If you’ve never had Prime, you can take out a 30-day trial for free. And if you have had a trial before, it’s still worth checking as you can normally get another one after a year, if not sooner.
Pay £5.99 a month
You can also sign up on a monthly basis, at just £5.99 a month. That’s much cheaper than the full monthly Prime price of £8.99 a month, and you’ve got the flexibility to cancel if there are no games on, and resign up when there are.
With Sky Sports and TNT Sports, rather than just add the channels to your existing service as a top-up, it’s often cheaper to switch your service to a new company.
There are always offers for current customers signing new contracts, but the best deals are usually for new customers or those who threaten to leave. You can generally save even more by going via cashback sites.
Haggle with your provider
You can add on the Sky Sports and TNT Sports channels to your existing Sky, Virgin, Talk Talk and BT TV packages, but this can get very expensive.
Look out for special offers at the start of the season, or get on the phone with your provider and haggle for a better deal.
Cancel it when you don’t need it
These big pay TV companies often let you take Sky Sports month by month, so if there aren’t any matches you want to see, or you know you won’t have time, just call up and cancel.
You can sign up again when you want to restart watching the channels. Check the terms and conditions before subscribing and see if there is a notice or minimum period.
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FSCS Protected?: Yes
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The cheapest way to watch every live TV game
Share it with a friend
Know someone who has TNT Sports, NOW TV or Sky? You can usually watch the channels on up to two devices (smart TV, computer, tablet, phone) simultaneously, so you could split the cost between you. Here’s myguide on sharing your subscriptions.
Watch it in the pub
Of course, you can save all that hassle and head to the pub.
Premier League fans will normally be able to find somewhere showing the games, though Championship and lower may struggle. A few pints would cost the same as a NOW TV day pass.
What matches are on which TV channel?
There’s no point signing up for all the channels showing football this year if the team you support isn’t going to be featured. Here’s a very detailed breakdown of which leagues will be show on each broadcaster this season.
Where to watch the Premier League 2025/2026 on TV?
Only selected games are broadcast on TV, though from this year all matches outside the Saturday 3pm kick off will be shown. These are picked a couple of months ahead and will be split between Sky Sports and TNT Sport. Free to air highlights will once again be on the BBC.
With no Amazon fixtures this year, and fewer on TNT Sports, Sky is going to be where you’ll catch most games.
Broadcaster
Number of games
Sky Sports
At least 215 – 32 on Saturday at 5.30pm – 32 on Sunday at 2pm – 32 on Sunday at 4.30pm – 32 on either Friday at 7.30pm or Monday at 8pm – All 30 matches on 1st, 2nd and 3rd midweek fixtures (Dec & Jan) – All 10 matches from last day of the season – Plus at least 57 rescheduled or additional matches
TNT Sports (previously BT Sport)
52 – 32 on Saturday at 12:30pm – All 20 matches from 4th and 5th midweek fixtures (Feb & Mar)
BBC
Highlights on Match of the Day
Until 2029
You can see selections on the Premier League website. Expect these to be announced on these dates (though in my experience they change a lot):
Match dates
Estimated announcement date
August/September
9 July
October
20 August
November
17 September
December/January
15 October
February
17 December
March
21 January
April
4 March
Match week 35
25 March
Match week 36
1 April
Match week 37
8 April
Match week 38
After match week 37
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Where to watch Champions League, Europa League and Europe Conference League on TV in 2025/26
Amazon Prime
17 Champions League games will be shown on Prime for the first time this season. They’ll be on Tuesday nights and Amazon have the first pick for these games.
You’ll get free to air highlights for the Champions League on the BBC until 2027.
Where to watch Football League (Championship, League One, League Two, League Cup) on TV in 2025/26
Sky Sports
Sky is the only place to watch EFL games. As with last season there are a huge number of games shown on Sky Sports. 1,059 out of 1,891 matches will be on TV. You can see what’s been picked on the EFL upcoming live games page.
It will be broadcasting the following:
328 EFL Championship games
248 League One games
248 League Two games
All play-off semi-finals and finals
All 93 EFL Carabao cup games
All 127 EFL Trophy games
Each week there will be:
Five matches in the Sky Bet Championship
Five from Sky Bet League One and League Two
This includes:
All opening and closing day fixtures
All mid week fixtures
All bank holiday fixtures
Shown across these time slots:
Saturday at 12.30pm
Friday night and Sunday 12.30pm
Some Thursday and Monday nights
ITV
You’ll be able to watch 10 live EFL matches and 10 EFL Cup matches (including the final) on ITV, along with EFL highlights.
Where to watch FA Cup on TV matches in 2025/26?
In 2025/26 the FA Cup will be completely free to watch.
Broadcaster
Games
BBC
18 fixtures including the final
ITV
20 games including the final
Where to watch Women’s Super League, Championship & FA Cup on TV in 2025/26?
Matches are split between Sky and the BBC, and some may be on YouTube too. All Women’s Championship are on YouTube.
Broadcaster
Games
Sky
Up to 44 live league games
BBC
21 live league games plus 7 FA Cup games and the League Cup final
YouTube
Some games not shown on the BBC or Sky, all Women’s Championship games
Where to watch international friendlies and qualifiers on TV?
The home nations’ men’s international qualifiers and friendly matches are split across different broadcasters, depending on which team you want to watch.
England’s women’s games are on ITV. BBC Wales has the women’s international games for Wales.
Broadcaster
Games shown
ITV
All England mens games, including World Cup qualifiers and Nations League
The average cost to watch each Premier League team
A couple of seasons ago, we looked at the potential savings you could make from mixing and matching providers rather than committing to a year of sports channels. We found that football fans could save themselves up to £850 on watching the Premier League this season.
If you pay for all the services all year you’re going to get better value if you support one of the big teams and very poor value if you support a smaller one. However, if you’re a fan of various different sports or like to watch multiple teams, it might be worthwhile.
(All this football talk reminds me of this classic Mitchell and Webb sketch…)
Which Amex credit card will earn you the most cashback or rewards in the UK in 2025?
There are a number of different American Express cards, so which is the best?
In this best buy guide, I’ll take you through my top picks whether you want to get your first card or change the one you already have.
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The best American Express for welcome offers
There are a number of great welcome bonuses from American Express that could earn you more than £100 extra in your first few months. They are often boosted too, making them even more profitable.
Importantly you can only get these offers (on most cards – more on this in a bit) if you’ve not an an Amex in your name in the last two years.
Each offer also comes with a spending requirement to trigger the bonus, so make sure your normal spending will fit this.
The best first Amex card welcome offers
To keep you eligible for additional welcome bonuses, I’d actually only consider one of these two cards, even though you’ll earn less from the bonus. They rarely have boosted welcome deals so I’d go for them at any time.
If you aren’t going to later for a second bonus with the Amex Platinum then you could also consider the Amex Preferred Rewards Gold – though I’d wait until it’s boosted.
20,000 bonus Nectar points (+ 2,000 points from spending)
Spend £2,000 in the first three months
£120 in Nectar points
2 Nectar points per £1 (=1%)
American Express Cashback card
£25 a year
5% cashback
On the first £2,500 spent in the first three months
Up to £125
0.75% on the first £10,000 spent a year, then 1.25%
American Express Preferred Rewards Gold card (review)
Free in year one, then £195 a year
20,000 bonus Amex points (+3,000 points from spending)
Spend £3,000 in the first three months
£115 in Nectar points
1 Amex Reward point per £1, bonus points for every £5,000 spent (= 0.5% to 0.75%)
Additional Amex welcome offers
After the Nectar or Platinum Cashback, there’s the chance to get another boosted offer on both the British Airways American Express Premium Plus (as long as you’ve not had either BA Amex card in the last two years) and the American Express Platinum credit cards (as long as you’ve not had the Preferred Rewards Gold or Rewards cards in the same time). I’ve written in more detail about this multiple Amex welcome offer hack here.
However, these cards come with big fees and the bonuses have large spending requirements, so I’d wait until they are boosted and you can earn more points.
If you are a member of Vitality health or life insurance then you will also be eligible for a £100 statement credit when you spend £2,000 in the first three months, even if you’ve got any other Amex.
Here’s what you could be looking at based on increased sign-up offers that have run in 2024.
Card
Fee
Most recent boosted welcome offer
Potential condition
Total value
Ongoing cashback rate
British Airways American Express Premium Plus card
So what do you do once you’ve got bonus (or bonuses) and you’re faced with a fee at the start of the second year? Well, I’d be looking to ditch that card and find an alternative.
But the headline cashback/reward rate isn’t the only thing to consider. You need to take into account whether there’s a fee or minimum spend. And you also need to decide how you want to receive your money back – as cash or points?
Depending on which card you went to for your first card (the Nectar or Cashback), I’d actually then get the other one next or look at the Amex Preferred Rewards Gold which is free in year one.
But after the first year on each of these, the annual fees on all three will eat into your cashback earnings.
But if you want to keep an Amex, then there’s the Amex Rewards card or BA Amex which are both always free. Just don’t get these (or the Gold) if you haven’t yet claimed those additional Platinum and BA Amex Premium Plus welcome bonuses.
Amex card
Annual Fee
Cashback/Reward
Equivalent rate
Nectar
Free in year one, £30 after
2 Nectar points per £1
1%
Cashback
£25 (first year can be covered via cashback site)
Up to 1.25% cashback (paid on year anniversary)
0.75% on first £10,000, then 1.25%
Preferred Rewards Gold
Free in year one, £195 after
1 Amex Reward point per £1, bonus points for every £5,000 spent
0.64% to 0.75% if you spend at least £5,000
Reward
Free
1 Amex Reward point per £1
0.5%
British Airways American Express
Free
1 Avios point per £1
0.5% (if converted to Nectar)
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Best Amex for extra offers
There’s a final category to consider when choosing your Amex – are there extras that come with the card? And if so, how much will they cost?
This table shows the main additional card benefits you might want to take advantage of.
Amex Card
Key additional benefits
Annual fee
Preferred Rewards Gold
2 x £5 Deliveroo credit every month 4 Priority Pass airport lounge visits each year
£195
Platinum
Worldwide family travel Insurance £200 UK dining credit each calendar year (£100 every six months) £50 Harvey Nicholls credit until the end of June 2025 Airport lounge access all year
£650
British Airways Premium Plus
BA Companion voucher if you spend £15,000 each year (lasts 24 months, and valid in all classes)
£300
British Airways
BA Companion voucher if you spend £15,000 each year (lasts 12 months, and only valid in economy)
Free
I wouldn’t keep the Gold card once the fee kicks in after the first year. I’d also avoid the Platinum after the year which includes a welcome bonus.
It’s a harder call with the BA cards. If you opt for the free BA card, it’s only valid for 12 months and only in economy, which might make it hard for you to find a flight you want to use as tickets are released 12 months in advance on the BA site, so you could well miss out on big destinations.
The Premium Plus voucher lasts longer, but you will be paying £300 to get it. From my experience it’s hard to get that back on economy flights, so you’d want to aim for Business.
But, to use a 2-4-1 Companion voucher you need to have enough Avios points to pay for the first flight AND you have to pay for taxes and fees on top. If that’s unlikely then neither are worth it. And you also need to weigh up whether you’ll be able to get a cheaper flight shopping around.
Best Amex to protect your Amex Reward points
If you decide to cancel the Platinum card at the end of your first year, make sure you protect any Amex Membership points linked to it before doing so. You’ll need to swap them or open up a different Reward card to ensure you don’t lose them.
There are two options here. The Reward card and the Preferred Reward Gold card. Remember, do not open up either of these cards before the Platinum if you think you’ll try for the boosted welcome offer on that card at some point.
Amex card
Annual Fee
Cashback/Reward
Equivalent rate
Preferred Rewards Gold
Free in year one, £195 after
1 Amex Reward point per £1, bonus points for every £5,000 spent
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Best Amex for 2-4-1 flight vouchers
Two American Express cards can earn you British Airways companion vouchers. However, don’t get the free BA Amex card before the BA Amex Premium Plus if you want to try for the higher welcome offer with the latter card detailed further up this article.
With the Premium Plus you’ll need to spend £15,000 in the first year you’ll get a BA Companion voucher. This gets you 2-4-1 flights or an upgrade and is valid for two years and in all flight classes. Remember there is a £300 annual fee.
But after this year you have two options. If you cancel completely you won’t lose your Avios as they’ll have been added to your British Airways Executive Club account. This resets the clock to enable you to (potentially) get another bonus in two years time.
Or you can downgrade to the free BA Amex easily via a call or live chat and this will mean you keep an Amex without a new credit check.
If you choose to keep spending on it you still need to hit £15,000 in a year for a BA Companion voucher to use in economy class, valid for a just one year.
With both companion vouchers, bear in mind you need to have enough Avios points saved up to cover the cost of one ticket before adding the 2-4-1 voucher, and you still pay tax and fees on both tickets.
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
Lidl Plus: free ticket to 3,000 activities across the UK
If you’ve got Lidl Plus, then until 24 October 2025, you can get a free ticket every day to one of 3,000 activities across the UK. To get it, go to your Lidl+ app, find it in ‘Partner offers’ in ‘More’ and click ‘Redeem this offer’.
Once in, you can search for activities nearby – most of the activities are for things like dancing, taekwondo, paintballing and museum visits.
Barclays is offering free social tennis sessions each weekend across the country for all ages every weekend. The sessions are at 10am on Sunday mornings — you can find a nearby court on the website and book onto a session.
You’re not just limited to one session either, you can book every weekend if you want to.
You don’t need to have any equipment, know-how or even a partner to play with. The sessions are social, so you can meet new people to play with.
To book, you go to the website and search for a park tennis court near you with your postcode. If there’s not one near you yet, keep checking, as they’re adding new ones all the time.
Kelloggs: free football camp with promotional boxes
If you pick up a promotional Kellogg’s product between 1 April and 18 August 2025 then you can get a free day at a football camp for kids aged between 7 and 14.
To claim the free day, you need to scan the QR code on the pack or go here to register. You need to enter the last four digits of the barcode for the product you bought, as well as your postcode. Then you’ll be able to see the current places and request a code to book.
Tennis for Free: free sessions for kids and adults
Tennis for Free is offering free tennis sessions at a number of locations across the UK. Sessions are usually at the weekend and last about an hour. Some are for kids aged 12 and above, while some are for all ages, and they’re more about having fun than professional coaching.
All abilities are welcome and equipment is provided for the sessions.
Once you’ve found a venue near you, you’ll need to sign up for an account and book a slot online. If there’s not one near you yet, keep checking, as there are more coming soon!
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.
With WalesOnline and InYourArea you can get a free family day pass to participating National Trust sites.
But you’ve got to be quick! There’s a limited number of passes available, and they tend to be snapped up very quickly.
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 might need to prebook. When booking, select ‘Affiliate organisation member or passholder’ for the number of people your pass can admit.
The vouchers need to be used by 31 August. You can redeem it Monday to Sunday, excluding 23 to 25 August 2025.
National Trust: get a free one-day family pass with the Daily Mirror (ended)
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 until 13 July. You can use it on two adults and three children or one adult and four children.
The vouchers need to be used by 31 August. You can redeem it Monday to Sunday, excluding 23 to 25 August 2025.
Check the T&Cs before going, as some sites are excluded. When booking, select ‘Affiliate organisation member or passholder’ for the number of people your pass can admit.
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.
Open Farm Sunday: free farm visits on Sunday 8 June (ended)
On Sunday, 8 June, farms across the country will be opening for free for the day. You can book tickets on the Open Farm website.
You’re able to get tractor rides, meet the animals, go on a guided tour, learn about science in farming, see how the machinery works and visit farm shops.
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“Open House” events
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.
Heritage Open Days (England) – September 2025
On weekends from 12 to 21 September 2025, Heritage Open Days is offering free access to events celebrating England’s history and culture, such as tours and exhibitions. You can register for tickets until 14 August. Details here.
Open House London – September 2025
From 13 to 21 September 2025 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 at midday on 20 August 2025. Details here.
Doors Open Days (Scotland) – September 2025
In September 2025 there’s a similar open day festival in Scotland giving you access to buildings and events across the country. It runs across four weekends, depending on location. Details here.
Open Doors (Wales) – September 2024
Throughout September 2025 you can get free entry and guided tours to more than 200 historic sites in Wales. Loads of events don’t require booking. 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.
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.
It’s worth knowing that even if you’ve had a free trial in the past, it doesn’t mean you can’t get free or cheap offers o rejoin.
30-day free Amazon Prime trial every year
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.
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.
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.
Sign up for the new Amazon Barclaycard and you’ll get £20 in Amazon credit added to your Amazon account. This may even be more if you’re a Prime member.
You’ll also earn 1% at Amazon and 0.5% elsewhere, dropping to 0.25% after a year. There are double points during the Black Friday sale.
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 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.
£5 off £15 (for some)
Click the button below to see if you’re eligible for a £5 off £15 spend promotion. You’ve 15 days from choosing to ‘activate the offer’ to take advantage.
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. This year, it ran from 8 to 11 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
And don’t get caught up spending money just because there’s a sale on. If you don’t actually need it, don’t buy it.
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: 8 – 11 July 2025 (ended)
Amazon is running its special four day sale for Prime members on 8 and 11 July 2025. 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 an additional £20 bonus plus up to 2.12% back on these devices. We’ll add some here once they launch.
This sale for Prime members took 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
The highest paying easy-access and regular children’s savings accounts and Junior ISAs
Here’s our guide to the best children’s savings accounts. Check the date to see when this was last updated.
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.
Easy access accounts
These can be current accounts for kids or specific children’s savings accounts and are open to anyone under the age of 18. Rates are usually variable, which means they can change, and are often only on a limited amount of money.
With these accounts, your children will be able to manage the money themselves once they reach a certain age.
0.25% of the average balance of all Demelza accounts given to Demelza Children’s Hospice each year
Open it in branch or via post
Regular Savers
These children’s savings accounts pay higher rates but you’re limited on how much you can save each month. Usually, it’s a fixed rate for a year. When the time months is up, the account will close and the money will be transferred to a linked savings account.
You or your child can save £9,000 a year in a Junior ISA. These can be cash ones earning interest or stocks and shares ISAs which are invested (meaning the value can go up and down).
Though interest or gains earned in an ISA are tax-free, it’s unlikely it makes much difference as there are other allowances that will be more than enough for most kids.
Money in Junior ISAs is also locked away until the child turns 18. Then it’s their money to use as they want.
Parents or guardians have to open the account but anyone can add money – handy for grandparents and other family members who want to put money aside.
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 0.61% AER to 4.67% for 12 months
More details ▼
Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
Flexible ISA?: Yes
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Tax and children’s savings
Andy’s analysis
When choosing a children’s savings account, you probably won’t need to worry about tax on interest.
Children can earn a total of £18,500 from savings and other income each financial year. That’s the £12,500 personal tax allowance, the £5,000 starting savings allowance and the £1,000 personal savings allowance.
However, if parents (and parents only) are adding money to any of the non-tax free accounts then there’s a £100 interest limit each year per parent.
So say the child has £2,000 saved earning 3.75%, they’d make £75 in interest. That’s fine. If they amassed £3,000 in contributions from the same parent the amount earned would be £112.50.
That’s still ok if the money comes from both parents, as the allowances would be combined and the total interest that can be earned would be £200.
But if it’s from one parent, then the entire £112.50 would need to come out of that parent’s Personal Savings Allowance. That might not be a problem – but if it exceeds this, then the whole amount will be subject to tax at the rate the parent pays, which could be 20% or 40%.
To avoid this you might want to save into a Junior ISA.
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Other ways to save for kids
Premium Bonds
You can also buy Premium Bonds for children. These cost £1 each, but there’s a minimum purchase of £25. Grandparents are able to buy Premium Bonds, as well as parents and guardians.
The current prize fund is 3.6%, which isn’t the same as 3.6% interest. It’s very likely that with small amounts of cash in Premium Bonds you won’t win anything, but there’s the chance of getting up to £1 million every month.
Pensions
Yep, you can start putting money into a person pension for a child at any age. They won’t be able to access the cash until they reach 57 years old (though that will likely increase when they’re older). However, they can manage where the money is invested from the age of 18.
As with adults adding to pensions, they’ll get 20% tax relief from the government, meaning for every £80 that’s added, £100 will be invested.
There is an annual limit though of £2,880 where you’ll get this extra top-up.
Piggy banks
It can be good to get young kids familiar with coins and money by giving them a piggy bank to save with. Obviously they won’t earn any interest (unless you want to work that out yourself).
Once they get a little older to understand branch and online banking it might make sense to replace the piggy bank with the accounts above.
Apps
Starling offers a free app to help kids learn about money and spending while also giving the parents extra control over purchases called Starling Kite. You can also pay a monthly fee for apps like Go Henry and HyperJar. However, you’re unlikely to get any decent rate of interest from any of these.
Find a free business bank account for your business type
A business bank account is a separate bank account from your personal one that you maintain just for your business. These accounts are more tailored to business banking, so you can integrate accounting tools, make invoices and categorise your expenses. Some accounts are limited to certain types of businesses, so you’ll need to check that your business is eligible to have an account with your chosen bank.
Integration with accounting tools: Connect your own accounting software or export transactions to share with your accountant for free
Invoicing tools: Yes - send 3 per month free
Cash withdrawals: £1 per withdrawal
Access: Online or via app
Eligibile businesses: Registered limited companies or sole traders
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SumUp
Monthly fee
£0
Cash deposit fee
Can't deposit cash
Fee for transfers in/out
£0
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Integration with accounting tools: Can be connected to accounting sotware
Invoicing tools: Yes
Cash withdrawals: 3 free per month, 2% thereafter
Access: Online or via app
Eligible companies: Sole traders or limited companies
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Paid accounts with free trials
3 months free & free accounting tools
Countingup Business Bank Account
Monthly fee
£3-£18 per month
Cash deposit fee
Post Office: 0.5% (£2 min) / PayPoint: 3%
Fee for transfers in/out
30p
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: No
Integration with accounting tools: Fully integrated accounting tools
Invoicing tools: Yes
Cash withdrawals: £1 per withdrawal
Access: Via app
Fee details: After the 3 month free trial, you'll pay a monthly fee depending on how much you deposit each month. Deposits up to £750: £3 per month; Deposits up to £7,500: £9 per month; Deposits over £7,500: £18 per month
Eligible companies: Sole traders or registered limited companies
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Do you need a business bank account?
If you’re a sole trader or just earning extra via a side hustle then you don’t need to have a specialist business bank account. You can make do with a standard (and free) personal account.
You don’t have to use the same one you bank with day-to-day. It’s generally best to separate your business money from your personal cash, so it’s best to open a new account — it’s up to you whether you stick with the same bank you use for your personal banking or try a different one. Keeping them separate will be useful when it comes to doing your tax return and working out which purchases were business-related.
But, if you are part of a Limited Company then you’ll have to have a specific business account.
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What to look out for when searching for a business bank account
When choosing a business bank account there will be a few differences from regular bank accounts that you’ll want to consider.
Fees
You’ll be more likely to come across fees with these bank accounts. We’ve shown the free accounts above, although this refers to whether there’s a monthly fee. The other fees you might come across include:
Initial set-up fee
Cash deposit fees
Cash withdrawal fees
Transaction fees
Fees for payments in
Fees for transfers out
It’s important to consider what your business is likely going to need. For example, if you take a lot of cash payments, you might be more interested in getting free cash deposits, while a company that doesn’t handle cash much wouldn’t be bothered about cash deposits.
Eligibility
Some accounts aren’t available for all businesses. If you have a Limited Liability Partnership, for example, you’ll have fewer choices when it comes to business bank accounts. Check out “eligible companies” in further details above for an overview. You’ll also want to double-check with the bank directly. Generally speaking, sole traders and limited companies should be eligible for all of the accounts above, although there are often excluded business types.
Cash deposits
Many of the business bank accounts listed above are digital banks, which means there isn’t a high street branch for you to deposit cash into your account, however, most of them will let you deposit cash at the Post Office or using PayPoint. Some have associations with high-street banks — for example, Mettle is owned by NatWest so you can pay in cash at NatWest branches.
Integration
A lot of business bank accounts offer integration with accounting software like Xero or Quickbooks. Or, they’ll offer the option to export your transactions to give your accountant or upload them into your chosen software. If you don’t have accounting software, you probably wouldn’t need this, although it may be useful in the future.
Some business bank accounts come with a free trial of accounting software. While this is worthwhile if you think you’ll need accounting software, remember to cancel it if you don’t think it’s something you’ll need.
Investment firms often give incentives like free cash to get you to give them your money.
These offers are extra cash payments and freebies you can get via starting an investment. We’re only sharing these promotions as a way to get some free cash rather than a recommendation of individual investment platforms or funds.
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.
Here at Be Clever With Your Cash, we’re not regulated to give you financial advice. We aim to give you the facts about a provider or investment but it’s up to you to decide if it’s suitable for you. If you’re looking for more personalised guidance, find a financial adviser who can give you specific advice. Remember that your capital is at risk when investing — don’t invest more than you are prepared to lose.
Welcome offers
These are offers to tempt you to sign up for an account. There may be a minimum amount you need to add in order to get the bonus. Remember, we’re just sharing offers here and not recommending any individual ISA investment platforms, so do your research before applying. Our S&S ISA best buy tables are a good place to start.
You can reduce the custody fee to £0 per month when you place more than 3 trades in the previous quarter. New customers can get up to £100 of free shares when they sign up and invest at least £20 by 15 August 2025.
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Transfer in existing ISA?: Yes
Interest on uninvested cash: 4.5% on up to £100,000
Flexible ISA: Yes
Foreign exchange fee: 0.70%
Fund fees: If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees depending on the funds you choose
Offer details: You can get up to £100 of free shares when you sign up for a General Investment Account, ISA or Self Invested Personal Pension and invest at least £20 between 2 June 2025 and 15 August 2025 .
New customers get a free fractional share worth up to £100 when you sign up via our link or use the code BCWYC
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Transfer in existing ISA?: Yes
Fractional shares: Yes
Interest on uninvested cash: 4.90%
Trading fee: £0
Flexible ISA: Yes
Foreign exchange fee: 0.15%
Fund fees: If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees between 0.03% and 0.78% depending on the funds you choose
Offer details: Once the account is open, you then need to add at least £1 to your account within 10 calendar days. It will take about three days for the share to be added. This offer is only for Trading 212 Invest or the Trading 212 Stocks & Shares ISA.
Further details: Remember, the value of any money invested, which includes your free share, could go up or down.
Get up to £100 welcome bonus when you invest £100 or more. Sign up via the button or use promo code BCWYC (T&Cs apply). We may receive commission from those who sign up through our link. You need to stay invested for at least 12 months to qualify for the bonus. ETF costs apply.
More details ▼
Additional Info
You can't invest in individual shares with InvestEngine, just exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
FSCS Protected: Yes
Transfer in existing ISA?: Yes
Interest on uninvested cash: No
Trading fee: £0
Flexible ISA: Yes
Foreign exchange fee: N/A
Fund fees: When you invest in funds you'll also have to pay fund fees between 0.03% and 0.89%, depending on which ones you choose
Offer details: £100 welcome offer ends 31 August 2025. You need to stay invested for at least 12 months to qualify for the bonus. We may receive commission from those who sign up through our link. You can use this offer alongside the Tax Year End bonus above.
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ISA vs GIA
When you open these accounts you can usually choose between an ISA and a general investing account. If you haven’t used your full £20,000 ISA allowance this financial year, and you don’t plan to do so before 5 April, then that’s the best account for you as any gains you make will be tax free.
If you can’t or don’t want to add any more to an ISA, you can opt instead for the general investing account, although some of these offers may not be available for this account. In this account, you’ll only pay tax on profits after selling your share if it brings you over the Capital Gains Allowance – which is £3,000 in 2024/25.
Bonus offers
These platforms offer a bonus for opening an account or transferring existing accounts. Sometimes the amount you get will depend on how much you deposit or transfer, while other times, it might be a percentage of what’s in the account.
You can get £300-£1,500 cashback when you transfer an ISA between £20,000 and £200,000
More details ▼
Additional Info
Trading fees: You get £50 worth of free trades every 6 months. Funds cost £4 per trade and shares cost £10 per trade.
Fund fees: If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees between 0.03% and 0.78% depending on the funds you choose. There are no platform or trading fees when you invest in Charles Stanley Multi Asset Funds
FSCS Protected: Yes
Trading fee: £50 worth of free trades every 6 months
Transfer in existing ISA?: Yes
Fractional shares: No
Interest on uninvested cash: No
Flexible ISA: No
Foreign exchange fee: 1.00%
Offer details: The amount you'll get in cashback depends on how much you transfer. A transfer of £20,000 gets you £300 cashback.
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 currently available.
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Free business credit cards
Virgin Money Business Credit Card
Annual fee
£28 (from year 2)
Cashback
1% cashback on your spending
Interest free days
59
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
Representative APR: Based on a credit limit of £1200 charged at 34.96% variable per annum for purchases. Representative 34.96% APR variable.
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: Yes
Rewards: Exclusive offers at partner brands
Additional cards: Unlimited, free employee cards
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£50 Amazon gift card
American Express Amazon Business Prime Card
Annual fee
1yr free then £50 per year
Cashback
0.50%
Interest free days
56
£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
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Funding Circle Cashback card
Annual fee
£0
Cashback
2% earned for the first 6 months (up to £2,000) and 1% on all business spending after that
Interest free days
42
The standard interest rate on purchases is 34.9% pa. (variable), so if you borrow £1,200 the Representative APR is 34.9% (variable)
More details ▼
Additional Info
FSCS Protected: No
Cashback details: Get 2% cashback on all card spend for the first 6 months or to a limit of £100,000 spend - that's a total cashback cap of £2,000. After this, you'll earn 1%. T&Cs apply.
Rewards: None
Additional cards: Not available
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£25 Amazon gift card
American Express Amazon Business Card
Annual fee
1yr free then £50 per year
Cashback
0.50%
Interest free days
56
£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
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Business charge cards
20,000 bonus points
American Express Business Gold
Annual fee
1 year free then £195 per year
Cashback
1 point per £1 spent. 2 points per £1 spent on Amex Travel.
Days to pay
54
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.
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50,000 bonus points
American Express Business Platinum
Annual fee
£650
Cashback
1 point per £1 spent. 2 points per £1 spent on Amex Travel.
Days to pay
54
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.
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Business credit cards with an annual fee
Santander Business Cashback Credit Card
Annual fee
£30
Cashback
1% cashback on all business spend with no cap
Interest free days
56
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 34.96% variable per annum for purchases. Fee of £299 per annum applies. Representative 110.86% 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 0.61% AER to 4.67% for 12 months
More details ▼
Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 3.85%
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.
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