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Updated July 29, 2025 | Articles

Free and cheap magazines: tricks to save money

Don’t pay full price when you can get free or discounted magazine copies and subscriptions.

For about 20 years I subscribed to the film magazine Empire, but I’ve not paid at all in the last decade – thanks to different deals and hacks to get it, and other titles, for free. And if they don’t work, there are ways to pay less too.

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Free magazines tricks

Free digital magazines and newspapers from your library

Libraries don’t just lend books and DVDs – you can also borrow digitally. As well as (non-Kindle) e-books, magazines and newspapers are available. The service will vary depending on your library, but for me I’ve got access to the Press Reader app.

You just need to join your local library, and many will let you do this from their website – even if you don’t have proof of residency. Others will require you to visit the library itself.

Once signed up you can access different magazines that can be downloaded to your tablet, phone or viewed on a computer. It doesn’t take much getting used to reading them on a tablet; an extra bonus is you can zoom in on any bits that are a little too small to read.

I’n the past I’ve regularly download Empire, Radio Times and Wallpaper for free, and my wife has chosen Vogue, Good Housekeeping and Newsweek – and there are dozens and dozens of other options.

Free magazine subscription via a Club Lloyds bank account

Every year with this bank account you have the choice of a free annual magazine subscription, six free cinema tickets or a year of Disney+ with Ads.

Though you’re limited to just one personal account, you can get another as a joint account. That means a couple could have three Club Lloyds accounts, and three freebies. So even if you prefer Disney+ as your first choice, you could easily add a magazine via one of your other accounts.

You do need to pay in £2,000 a month into the current account to avoid a £5 monthly fee, but you don’t have to keep the money in the account, nor does it need to be in one go. We’ve more details in our Club Lloyds review.

There’s also sometimes a switching bonus for Lloyds if you close an account at another bank and move everything over so it’s worth keeping an eye out for that.

Free magazines with the Club Lloyds bank account

The magazines available include (updated 29/7/25):

Best
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
Inside Soap
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 online magazines with Amazon Prime

A less well-known feature that Amazon introduced for Prime members called Prime Reading. Here you get free access to a number of books and magazines.

The selection rotates each month so you won’t see the same titles featured every month, but there’s a decent mix to choose from. At the time of writing you can pick up 59 different magazines including Top Gear, Elle and Today’s Golfer.

You don’t need a Kindle to read them, in fact they work better if you use the Kindle app on your tablet.

Prime costs £8.99 a month or £95 a year, though you can get a free 30-day trial each year.

Cheap magazine subscription tricks

Try a multi-magazine digital subscription

If you don’t have the RGB service at your library, you can try a couple of different Netlflix style services where you pay a monthly fee for unlimited access.

The two main ones are Readly and Magzter, and both have free or cheap trials to give them a go. Right now, Readly offers a two-month free trial, while it’s 7-days free at Magzter. Both have thousands of titles, many of them designed specifically for tablets making them a far more interactive read.

Once the trials end it’s a bit pricey at £12.99 and £14.99 a month respectively. However, it’s not bad value if you’d normally buy two or three magazines a month – and even better if you can split the subscription with friends or family. There are often more ways to save, so hunt for deals.

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FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

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Buy a cut-price subscription online

If print is more your thing, please don’t pay full price for a subscription. You’ll almost always be able to find a cheaper deal online.

If you have Tesco Clubcard vouchers, you can exchange 50p in points for £1 to spend on a variety of titles.

Sites such as Great Magazines and iSubscribe offer money off full price, though you’re unlikely to get more than 40% off. Occasionally you can also get a free voucher (eg Amazon or Ticketmaster) with a reduced subscription.

Check cashback sites too, as they may have bonuses for orders. And if you’re not already a TopCashback or Quidco member, make sure you sign up via our links for up to £20 extra back on top.

Check for deals

From time to time there are other special offers to help you save, and we’ll share significant ones in our magazines and newspaper deals page. Recent examples have included a huge stack of deals on Which? and £1 a month deals for The Athletic.

Haggle for trials and discounts

Finally, if you’re already paying for a magazine, don’t just auto-renew. As with many other bills, call up to cancel to see what they’ll offer. Turn down their initial deal, and see if they can get prices down even more.

And if you don’t have a current subscription, you can still haggle. In the past I was constantly called by the Empire sales team as a former subscriber. At one point I got 12 issues for less than £10!

Or you can contact the magazine publisher direct. Go to their website to find the number and see what you can get.

Just make sure you cancel before the full Direct Debit starts.

Updated July 15, 2025 | Articles

Is your holiday protected?

Andy Webb

You need to make sure you’re covered in case something goes wrong before or when you go away.

Whether you book your holiday through a travel agent or do it yourself, things can always wrong. Hopefully they won’t but if they do, there’s every chance you’ll lose your money.

That is unless you do the following. Though there are always complications, it’s better to have as many protections in place to help you get any lost money back or reschedule your trip with limited, if any, extra costs.

Book your insurance

It’s so important you book travel insurance, and you should do it as soon as you book your holiday, too. That’s because it’s not just about cover while you are away, you’re also partly paying for cover in case you can’t go on your trip.

You could break your leg, have a close relative pass away or see your airline collapse – all of which could prevent you from travelling. But with insurance in place you should be covered to get your money back.

Having the insurance when you’ve booked will also help if the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) later declares a destination as unsafe to visit. And this isn’t just about obvious danger zones like war zones. During the height of the pandemic many countries were off limits. You can see the latest list of places with warnings here.

A few more quick things on travel insurance.

Do read the policy documents to check exactly what you’re covered for. A few years ago I wasn’t covered for coming back early from the USA when I hurt my back as this was categorised as curtailment – and only unused costs were covered, not new costs. So though my original flight home was refunded, the more expensive earlier flight I did take, wasn’t.

Check for cover for things like natural disasters (remember the ash from the Icelandic volcano) and pandemics too – these could be excluded. It’s worth paying a little more for this cover.

In fact, lots of people might think they are covered by a policy that comes with their bank account. You might be, but check those extra terms and conditions to be sure.

In addition, you must declare any pre-existing medical conditions. If you get ill and the insurance company discovers you didn’t declare you’ve had treatment – even if it’s not for the thing you’re ill with on holiday – they will likely reject your claim. It can be more expensive to find a policy if you have been ill before, but it really is worth getting the right one.

And if you’re going to take two or more trips in a year, annual insurance could work out more cost-effective. The problem you get here is do you need to get just European cover, or are you likely to go worldwide. If there’s a strong chance of the latter then make sure you get cover for this. And don’t forget things like winter sports too if you’re going to be getting involved in those kinds of activities.

Look for extra legal protections such as ATOL and ABTA

Though I tend to book everything myself, if you’re looking at a simple holiday, packages can be the easiest way to book – and they can come with added protection.

The biggest of these is ATOL. If you’ve bought your hotel and your flight – whether as a package from a travel agent or since the 1st of July 2018 from the same website at the same time (e.g. Expedia) – then you will have ATOL protection.

With ATOL, the big benefit is if something goes bust – whether with the hotel, flight or tour operator – then you will either get your money back before you go, or you will be flown home if already abroad (though as we saw with the Thomas Cook collapse in 2019, that’s not always straightforward).

So it’s important to look for ATOL certification when booking, and you can check it’s the real thing via the Civil Aviation Authority website.

Package holidays also give you consumer rights if the holiday isn’t what you expected – say there was constant building work you weren’t told about. You can claim compensation.

Now if your holiday doesn’t involve a flight, say it’s a cruise or a coach tour, look for ABTA membership as you’ll get support if something goes wrong. Again you can check the ABTA membership is the real thing, this time on the ABTA website.

Of course you don’t get ATOL if you book the flights and hotels separately from different companies, so it’s worth making sure your travel insurance covers things like airline failure and consequential losses.

However, although it’s not defined as a package, if you bought your flights and hotel from the same website or travel agent within 24 hours but in separate transactions you can also claim money back if one of the providers goes under.

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Offer
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Investment styles
Shares, funds or ready-made portfolios
Minimum deposit
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Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

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Pay with a credit card

Whether it’s a package or a DIY holiday, if any part of it costs more than £100, pay for it with a credit card. Do this and if there’s a problem, such as the hotel going bust, then the credit card company is equally liable for any losses you make. This is thanks to something called Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

But there are two things to keep in mind. First, the £100 minimum relates to each individual item purchased. So let’s say you are buying two single flights. If one is £120 and one is £70, it could be that only the first flight gets this cover – even if you brought them from the same operator at the same time. However, if it’s a return flight at £190 then both are covered.

Secondly, this is only if you have a direct relationship with the provider. So buy EasyJet flights from EasyJet then yes, you get this protection. But buy them from a third party such as Lastminute.com then you won’t.

And of course, with credit cards, make sure you can clear that debt each month before interest charges are added.

Get a GHIC

The Global Health Insurance Card is essential if you are going to Europe this summer, and replaces the previous EHIC that ended under the Brexit aggreement.

With a GHIC you can access the same health care as locals at the same price they pay, which isn’t necessarily free. But without one it could cost you a fortune – and most travel insurance policies require you to have one too or they could reject any claim you make.

These are free – so don’t fall for dodgy websites charging you to get one. Instead go via the NHS website.

Updated July 15, 2025 | Articles

How to refill your water bottle for free

Andy Webb

Reuse and refill to save money with a handy app.

There’s no need to keep buying water when you’re thirsty thanks to a scheme that will let you top up at local shops and businesses.

Though the summer is taking a while to get going yet this year (and rain is always around the corner) there have been some been fantastically sunny and hot days in the last month. And that means it’s more important than normal to keep hydrated when out and about.

Yes, a chilled coke can be good, and apparently, a hot drink will help lower your body temperature. But personally I’ll always prefer to have a nice cold water.

But buying bottled water isn’t always cheap. Yes, you can pick up a chilled own-brand 500ml bottle from supermarkets for around 70p, but that’s way more than it would have cost a few years ago. And you’ll be paying way over £1 at coffee shops and corner shops.

For those still commuting to the office, buying just two bottles a day during a working week could easily cost £10, if not more.

And it’s not good for the environment either. The organisation City to Sea estimates that UK households buy 480 plastic bottles a year, and only half get recycled. So it’s better for both your wallet and your conscious is to reuse either a “single-use” bottle, or buy a tougher one designed to be used again and again.

But if you’re not at home or work with access to a tap, where do you top up your bottle? Well, I’ve got some info to help you find out where you can hand over your bottle and get it refilled up for nothing.

Look for the Refill symbol

In recent years I’ve spotted more and more of the Refill logo in the windows and doors of cafes, pubs and even places like gyms.

This logo means you’ll be able to get a refill of your water bottle for absolutely nothing. You can also plan in advance by downloading the Refill app which has a searchable map.

There are apparently over 330,000 businesses operating as “Refill Stations” in the UK, including brands such as Costa, McDonalds, Starbucks and Greggs.

Look for this Refill logo to get free water

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Offer
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Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
Fund fees If you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

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Restaurants and bars – your rights

Of course, not everywhere will have the logo – but that doesn’t mean you can’t get free water. It’s always worth asking places if they’ll top up your bottle, though it’s always better to do this if you’ve been a customer.

Though spending money doesn’t mean you are entitled to free water. Restaurants and cafes don’t even have to give you free water with your meal unless they are licensed premises.

If they do serve booze then they must have it available, but they can charge for service if they wish. And it doesn’t mean it’ll be very good tap water. I’ve eaten in places where the water is not great at all, and not even that cold. Still, it can help keep costs down.

Find public fountains

The Refill app also has an option to help you locate public fountains.

Filling up at airports

Though you can’t take liquids over 100ml with you then you go airside (though that might be changing), you can bring empty bottles. You should then be able to fill up your water bottles once you’re through security.

Not all airports have fountains, and they’re not always easy to find, but I’ve usually managed to bring a bottle or two through to ensure I can stay hydrated on long-haul flights, and avoid the sky-high charges you get on budget airlines.

Money Saving Expert has a useful list of airports which have fountains and where to find them.

Updated July 15, 2025 | Deals

National Art Pass deals and offers

BCWYC Team

This card gives you free or reduced entry to galleries and museums.

If you’re an art or museum lover, you’ll know it can be expensive to see all the major exhibitions, especially in London. The National Art Pass is a pretty good way to indulge your hobby for less.

How much is a National Art Pass?

It’ll cost you £83 for the year, reduced to £62.25 if you pay by Direct Debit. Buy a Double membership and it’s £124 a year or £93 via Direct Debit.

Is it any good?

The bigger galleries and museums will probably offer you 50% off with the pass, while smaller ones might give you free entry.

Andy had one before and didn’t quite use it enough. But if you frequently visit galleries and museums, it’s well worth considering.

Where can you use it?

There are hundred of places – from the National Gallery to Tate Liverpool to HMS Belfast. You can search for your favourites or places near you on the National Art Pass website.

National Art Pass deals

3 months for £15

It’s unusual to get a pass for less than a year, so if you want to try it out, then you can currently get a discount for three months. It costs £15 for three months and add a plus one for £5.

This runs until 30 June 2025.

Get a 3 month Art Pass trial

Under 30s discount

If you’re aged under 30 years old you can get an annual pass for £50. (Or £37.50 if you pay by Direct Debit).

You can buy this at any time before you hit 30. So if you’re 29 and your birthday is tomorrow you’ll still get the full discounted membership for a year.

Get an under 30 Art Pass

Student Art Pass for £10

You can buy a Student Art Pass for £10. You need to be over 18 and studying full-time at a UK university or college. You’ll need to prove your eligibility with a uni email address.

It’s worth trying the code TAKE20 for an extra 20% off.

Get a Student Art Pass

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Offer
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FSCS Protected? Yes
Interest on uninvested cash 3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional shares Yes
Foreign exchange fee 0.7%
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Offer You need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority Yes, FRN 583263
Risk warning The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts available General investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)

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Updated July 15, 2025 | Articles Review

Club Lloyds review

Andy Webb

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.

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 £5 fee (increased from £3 on 2 June 2025).

However, if you pay in £2,000 every month you will get that £5 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.

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

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.

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+

Alternatively you can choose a year of Disney+ with Ads, the streaming service with Disney, Marvel, Fox and Star Wars content. This is worth £59.88 a year.

You aren’t able to upgrade to a Standard or Premium tier without adverts or additional features.

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+ with Ads is £4.99 a month, so its worth just under £60. Though this saving 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.

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 £59.99 via Great Magazines.

The Gourmet Society membership could cost you as much as £79.99 a year, but it’s easy to find offers reducing it to £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 savings 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%.

Linked 3.25% Advantage Savers

You also get access to an ISA or normal savings account paying 3.25% – as long as you make three or less withdrawals in a year.

Is Club Lloyds worth it for the interest?

The monthly savings account is a great option, especially since it’s fixed for a year. But the in-account interest and other ‘Advantage’ savers 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

Other Club Lloyds perks & features

Free spending overseas

You can use your card abroad for spending and cash withdrawals without any charge. That means it’s a decent pick for your holidays, though a handful of alternatives will earn you cashback on top.

Club Lloyds overdraft

With a Club Lloyds account, you get a £100 interest-free overdraft. Beyond this you’ll pay 39.9%. Here’s more on your alternatives.

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. I’ve only really used this for LNER trains, otherwise my experience of these offers with other banks, 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.

Our podcast

Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.

Episodes every Monday.

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Lloyds 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.

Multiple account hack

You’re only allowed one personal Club Lloyds account, but you can get another as a joint account. That means if you’re in a couple, between you there are three accounts up for grabs, and three ‘lifestyle benefits’. You can only get one Club Lloyds Monthly Saver each though, not a third joint one.

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 Saver	6.25% AER up to £400 a month (must apply separately)
Interest on savings	1.5% on balances between £1 and £3,000; 3% on balances between £4,000 and £5,000
Overseas	Fee-free spending and cash withdrawals abroad
Fee	£5 a month (£0 if you pay in £2,000 a month)
Requirements	The account requires two active monthly Direct Debits to earn interest
Overdraft	£100 interest-free buffer Then 39.9%

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. The same goes for the monthly saver.

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.

Updated July 15, 2025 | Articles

Will a water meter save you money?

Andy Webb

How to find out if you’re better off with a meter or set rates.

With some huge price increases on water bills in 2025, any way to save some money is going to be a good thing. SO is a water meter the answer?

Well, the answer depends mainly on how much water you actually use. Sometimes they can save you a decent chunk of cash every year, but others will see their bills rocket when one is installed.

I’d always been unsure about them, but now after a good few years of being charged for the water I use, I can share with you whether it was worth it for me, and how to estimate what one could mean for you.

Plus I’ve some tips to help you reduce your usage and bring bills down further.

Who can get a water meter?

For most homes in England and Wales you can ask your water company to fit a water meter. It’s normally completely up to you. However, some water companies, including Thames Water, have made it compulsory.

It’s free to get a water meter installed in England and Wales. You’ve usually got one to two years after installation to compare costs. If you find it’s costing you more, you can switch back to your standard rates. That is of course unless you’re in an area with compulsory metering.

Some water meters are smart meters that let you monitor use. Others need to be read by the water company and you have to wait for your bill to find out charges.

In Northern Ireland your water rates are already included and in Scotland a water meter installation isn’t free.

Should you get a water meter?

So how do you know if one is good for you? Well, non-metered water is charged based on the size of your house – a bit like council tax. Water meters on the other hand measure exactly how much you are using.

A simple rule of thumb to decide which is for you is if there are more bedrooms than there are people living in a house. If so then you’re likely to be paying more than you need to for your water.

If you want to get a more accurate picture, then there’s also an online calculator. That’s what I looked at before deciding whether to give the meter a go.

The calculator will give you a rough total which is estimated on exactly how many showers you have a week, how many times you use the dishwasher, washing machine, baths, how many times you flush the toilet and so on.

The problem is if you have more people in a house than there are bedrooms or people use water a lot – maybe you’re a keen gardener regularly using the hose – then it’s very likely to cost you more money.

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Did it save us cash?

Andy’s analysis

Because only two of us are living in a four-bedroom house there was always a good chance we’d be paying less with a water meter.

Back in the summer of 2018, before we switched, our annual bill was £590. The calculator estimated a new cost of £376 a year via a meter, a huge saving of £214. So it was a no-brainer for us to give this a try.

Frustratingly, we couldn’t read the meter ourselves, and there was no bill at all for the first 13 months!! When it arrived the total for that first year was pretty close to the estimate at £390. A little more than the estimate, but we were still saving a fair wedge of cash each year.

However, since then, our water usage – and our bills – have varied. Water usage in 2019 was 102m³, but a massive 123m³ in 2020 (probably due to lockdowns). This meant our bill jumped up to £480. Still a decent saving, but not as large.

In 2022, usage was down to 78m³, costing £324. Then it went up again in 2023 to 91m³ and a total of £425. The figure for 2024, the last statement I received, was 92m³ at a cost of £481.

That’s still a big annual difference of more than £100 compared to our non-metered charge from back in 2018! And since prices for unmetered rates have increased every year, the actual saving will be far higher.

When I think back to my previous house, where I lived for close to eight years, if we’d switched then and got similar savings we could have been close to a grand better off.

But – bear in mind my savings are based on the water usage of two people. I’ve played around with the calculator to estimate the cost if more people lived here. It’s still cheaper with three adults, but it could easily be £70 or £80 extra each year with four people than the fixed rates. So it’s important you check for your own circumstances.

How to reduce costs when you have a water meter

If you’ve already got a meter because you’ve moved into a house with a meter, had one for more than two years or compulsory installations are happening, well there are still ways you can cut your bills and it’s very very simple. You use less water.

There are obvious things you can do. For example, turning off the tap when you clean your teeth, or it’s making sure that you don’t necessarily flush the loo every single time. There’s that phrase “if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down”. It might sound a bit rough… but it’s true that you don’t necessarily need to flush it every time – and that will save some water.

Free water saving devices

In fact there are all sorts of things you can get which can help you use less water. From special bags that go in the water cistern to reduce the flush through to shower timers. There are even slow release crystals you can put in plant pots which mean you don’t need to water them as often. And they are free from most water companies.

For most providers you can go via Save Water Save Money and enter your postcode. You’ll see what’s available and what you can order for free. Alternatively, just google your water company and see if they offer anything for customers.

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Updated July 15, 2025 | Articles

How to volunteer at festivals (and go for free)

Andy Webb

How to not pay for a ticket to festivals big and small.

I love music festivals. But they aren’t cheap. One-day events can easily cost more than £80 after fees (those damn fees!), and you’ve got to factor in travel, food and drink on top. And obviously it’s much more for weekend festivals.

This means I’m always looking for deals and ways to save on festivals, but if money really is tight yet you have the time, then it’s well worth looking into volunteering.

Essentially in exchange for a shift or two (or three if it’s a longer festival), you get free entry to the festival. Yes, you are working, so you might miss some of the action, but it could easily be saving you hundreds of pounds.

What volunteers do at festivals

If you’ve ever been to a festival, you’ve seen the type of jobs volunteers do. There are those scanning tickets and tying wristbands. There are people pulling pints. There are others picking up rubbish and recycling. And there are some just generally helping out by giving information.

Shifts tend to be seven or eight hours long. Though these are assigned in advance, it looks like at most festivals it’s possible to switch with other volunteers if they agree – just in case your favourite band clashes with the time you are working.

For longer festivals you may be required to work one night shift, and you might be working far away from the stages. Day festivals shifts tend to end at 8pm so you’ll be able to catch the headliner.

You also usually need to attend some training, and some festivals require volunteers to attend a day or two before the masses arrive.

Festivals you can volunteer at

There are dozens of festivals running in 2025, and I’ve seen opportunities including:

Glastonbury (waiting list only for 2025 as of May)
Leeds/ Reading Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
BST
All Points East
Download
Boardmasters
Latitude
Camp Bestival
Boomtown
Latitude

If you really want to get one of the bigger events you’ll want to keep an eye on registrations which tend to open in the new year. You may also have to have volunteered at a smaller one first.

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Other volunteering benefits

You often get secure camping, guaranteeing you a decent spot that isn’t miles away from the action – and possibly some exclusive showers and toilets. When you’re working you’ll probably get a free meal too, saving some extra cash.

Some festivals will allow you to bring children with you too – though it depends on each event.

Volunteering requirements

You will need to be over 18 at most if not all festivals in order to volunteer and have proof you can work in the UK.

You also need to pay a refundable deposit, which is usually the equivalent of the ticket price. There’s a good reason for this – it stops people using volunteering as an opportunity to get tickets to sold out events and not turning up for their shifts. But it does mean you need to send cash up front. You may also have to wait up to 30 days for the deposit to be refunded.

Some roles require experience, such as bar work, though that depends on the festival. The most popular festivals might also request you work another festival in the same year too.

How to apply for festival volunteering

You can check out the information pages at different festivals, or take a look at one of the following sites. Some festivals offer different opportunities through different organisers. For example, you can volunteer for Reading or Leeds with either Hotbox or Oxfam.

If you’re applying with friends you can ask for shifts together (or at the same time) on the application.

Most are first come first serve, so the earlier you apply the better.

If you go via the likes of Oxfam or My Cause then you’re also helping charities, which sounds good to me!

Have you ever volunteered at a festival? I’d love to hear about your experiences in the comments below.

Updated July 15, 2025 | Articles

Can you pay less on your Council Tax?

Andy Webb

Most of us have no choice when paying Council Tax – but there are ways to make sure you aren’t paying too much.

Along with everything else, my Council Tax bill has gone up. For my council, it’s up by 6.4%, which works out as an extra £15 a month. This is the biggest annual hike I’ve experienced, and it adds up to £175 extra over the year.

Though I’ll be able to afford it, I know not everyone will – and some might have seen larger increases. Many councils have voted to increase by the maximum 4.99% that’s allowed, and few others have been forced by financial issues to trigger referendums for even larger hikes.

So I thought it was a good opportunity to share with you ways you might be able to pay less, or at least make how you pay work better for you.

What is Council Tax?

Your Council Tax largely pays for local services, so the amount you pay is set each year by your local council. It varies all over the country.

Some of the money will also go towards funding social care as well as police and fire services in your area.

There are eight ‘bands’ of council tax, all based upon the approximate value of the property in 1991. A is the lowest, H the highest.

You can get cashback from Santander

There are two current accounts you can open which help you save on your Council Tax bill. Though these current accounts have fees, you generally make the money back on cashback from bills, including Council Tax as long as it’s paid by Direct Debit.

The Santander Edge and Edge Up current account will give you 1% cashback on your Council Tax. The money is returned to your account along with cashback on other bills, such as energy, broadband and water. However you will pay a monthly fee.

If you already have the Santander 123 or 123 Lite accounts (now closed to new customers), then that has a lower monthly fee. You can read my comparison of the four accounts to see which I think is best.

Santander Edge vs Edge Up vs 123

Find which out which account is better to earn cashback on your bills.

There are discounts… if you’re eligible

To be fair, most of you won’t be able to cut the monthly rate unless you fit one of these exceptions:

Living alone? In which case you’re able to get a 25% discount on the rate. If you’re the only adult but have children under 18 or not in education, then you qualify for the discount too as a sole adult
Students pay nothing if they’re in full-time education
If you are unemployed or meet other conditions, it’s possible to claim Council Tax Reduction payments, which could be as much as 100%
Got a second home? You might be able to get a discount too. It’s up to the local council, but if it’s furnished it’s possible to get up to 50%. If it’s empty for two years or more, they can charge more
If someone has passed away, there is no charge for six months
Disabled people who need a bigger house to accommodate space for wheelchairs or extra bathrooms can get their band reduced down a level for example they’d pay C rates on a D property
Adults who are medically classed as having a severe mental impairment will get 100% discounted if they live alone or with others who don’t pay, 50% if you live with a carer only, and 25% if you live with just another adult
Live in carers can get a 25% to 50% discount if they meet the conditions

You can read the full criteria for all of these on the government’s Council Tax website.

You can check to see if you’re paying too much

Use this government site (or this one in Scotland) to see what band houses around you are in. If it looks like houses around you are less, it might be worth appealing. The StreetCheck website is good to find out neighbouring postcodes.

You can also see what neighbouring houses are valued at, to help get a sense of whether yours is worth more or less. Zoopla is good for this. You’ll ideally want to see valuations from 1991 as changes could have taken place since then.

If both look good, you can try to appeal. If successful you’ll not only get a discount going forward, but also backdated payments.

Be aware though that the council could also choose to raise your band – and how much you pay (and for any neighbours who are also then found to be underpaying).

I’ve taken a look and most of the nearby houses are all on the same band, so it’s unlikely I’d be able to get it changed to a lower band.

You can pay Council Tax over 12 months if you’d prefer

Most Council Tax bills are set to be repaid over 10 months, meaning you don’t pay anything in February and March. For some this break gives a little breather after Christmas to pay off extra expenses.

I choose to spread the cost over 12 months instead of 10, so I know exactly what I’m paying each month. You need to ask your council to change this if you want to do the same.

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Updated July 15, 2025 | Articles Review

Nationwide FlexDirect current account review: 5% interest & 1% cashback

Andy Webb

Top paying interest, ethics and a decent switching bonus make the account worth considering again.

There’s been a revamp of the account. Not only does it offer one the highest interest rates (for some), newbies can also now get 1% cashback on spending. Plus you can nab a decent switching bonus. It also ranks well as an ethical bank and scores highly for customer service. However, the building society has ditched the large 0% overdraft.

So are these extras enough to make it your main account? Here’s what you get with the FlexDirect, and whether you should open up an account.

What is the Nationwide FlexDirect account?

The FlexDirect account is a current account from the Nationwide Building Society. It’s free to open and use, though you do have to pay in at least £1,000 a month to get the interest. That doesn’t need to be in one go, or stay in the account.

You cannot get the account if you already have four or more Nationwide current accounts.

Unlike many competitors, Nationwide has a decent network of branches you can access across the UK, and there’s also a phone support line.

In account interest of 5%

Nationwide’s FlexDirect account is one of the few current accounts that pay interest on balances held in the main account. And it’s usually a much better rate than you’ll get in normal easy-access accounts.

You can get 5% interest on savings – which is hard to beat right now. The rate is also fixed, at 5% for the entire year.

And you can boost your earnings if you’re in a couple. You can each have an account, and then open up a joint account too, meaning you’ll earn the 5% on £4,500.

You have to pay in £1,000 every month to qualify for the interest. This can’t be from another Nationwide account.

Sounds good? Well it has its limits.

First, there is a very important rule that could be an issue – this rate is for first-time account holders only. So if you’ve had the FlexDirect account before, you won’t get the new rate, even if you open up a new account.

You also only earn money on the first £1,500. Above this you get 0%. This means if you have the full amount possible in the account for 12 months you’ll make £75.

Also the rate also only lasts for one year (after that it drops to 1%), so you will want to move your money in 12 months.

The best savings accounts

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

1% cashback on spending

A new feature is cashback on spending with the debit card. It’s only for new customers who’ve not had a FlexDirect in the past. You also need to be paying in the same £1,000 each month to trigger this as you do the interest, though that’s a single payment for both perks, not each.

As with the 5% interest, this cashback is only for the first 12 months. It’s also capped at £5 cashback each month, so it’ll only apply to the first £500 you spend each month.

Cashback won’t be paid on gambling, crypto transactions or cash withdrawals.

FlexDirect 0% overdraft

Sadly with the addition of the 1% cashback, Nationwide has ditched the sizeable 0% overdraft that was available for the first year.

In its place there will be a £50 interest free buffer across all Nationwide accounts. Our guide to the cheapest overdrafts will help you find a larger alternative – though there aren’t many options left now.

Nationwide switching bonus

We’ve written about Nationwide’s bank switching deal in detail in a separate guide, but here are the essential need-to-knows:

Nationwide had an ongoing £175 incentive for bank switchers which ended 31 March 2025. It could return at any time.

The previous offer was open to new and existing customers, so if you open or upgrade to a FlexDirect account you’ll be eligible.

You can only claim the cash once on a personal account, but unlike other banks, you can get an extra bonus if you switch a joint account (there’s just one payment for both of you on this). So as a couple you could have three switching bonuses in total.

Other Nationwide perks

Regular saver 6.5%

There’s also a 6.5% paying regular saver only for all Nationwide current account customers. This can be beaten by a handful of other providers, but isn’t a bad bet.

Annual member bonus

Though there’s no guarantee it’ll still be on offer in 2025, for the last two years Nationwide has offered members with an active current account and savings or mortgage product on top, a £100 ‘Fairer Share’ bonus. Here’s everything you need to know about when Nationwide last offered this free cash.

Nationwide’s app

So far so good. Now the bad. The app is one of the main reasons I moved my main banking from Nationwide to Starling a few years ago.

There have been some massive improvements, but it still falls short of the features you get from challenger banks like Monzo, Starling and Chase.

So what does it do? You can activate a couple of features to help you save. One, Impulse Saver lets you add money to your savings account from the homescreen of the app.

The other is a round-up feature, as you see with many other banks. If you turn this on a small amount of money will be transferred each time you spend. So say you spend £1.20 on your debit card, 80p will go to savings.

You’re also able to lower your contactless limit, freeze your card and block gambling transactions.

My big frustration is that you still need a card reader. Though a recent update has reduced how often this is required, including for app payments, you can’t throw it away. And it’s not clear when you will and when you won’t need it – it just says “for some other things”, which looks like could still include setting up new payees. Of course, that might not be a bad thing as it does add an extra layer of security, but it’s not something most of the other banks I use require.

You also can’t access card details, and it’s a few clicks to find and copy or share account numbers. There are also no tracking or budgeting features.

Account ethics

Something I’ve been thinking about more over the last few years has been how the money I keep in a bank is being used. It’s not sitting in a vault, it’s being invested and loaned by the bank. And that could mean it’s used for things I really don’t agree with – from supporting arms manufacturers through to funding new oil pipelines.

If this bothers you too then Nationwide is regarded as one of the best options. A big part of this is that it’s a building society rather than a bank, which means it has to use 75% of its holdings to lend to home buyers.

That prevents it lending large amounts to unethical sources – but it also has a positive investment policies. For example your money will not be invested in fossil fuels.

Nationwide is also a mutual – meaning it’s owned by and run for the benefits of its customers (or members) rather than shareholders.

Ethical Consumer rates Nationwide ahead of all the other major banks, so it’s a good bet if you want to put your money somewhere other than low-scoring banks such as HSBC, Natwest, Barclays, Lloyds, Santander and co.

And while the top-rated current account for ethics is from Triodos, that comes with a £3 monthly fee and a more limited app, so Nationwide represent a good alternative.

Should you open a Nationwide FlexDirect account?

Andy’s Analysis

With savings rates dropping on easy access accounts, Nationwide’s FlexDirect has sprung back into contention. That 5% can be beaten, but not with a fixed rate.

The £1,500 limit for this rate will be a frustration for some (especially since the balance used to be £2,500 a few years ago), but if that’s not a worry and you want to lock in a rate it’s worth a look – for one year only though.

And the switching offer is a fantastic extra too, especially if you’re a couple who can also switch a joint account.

The app has also improved massively, though it’s not as good as the offering from digital banks Monzo, Starling or Chase.

The cashback might sounds good, but it is limited by the £5 monthly cap – and it’s only for one year. You can beat this with a credit card like the American Express Nectar.

But, vitally in my opinion, it’s a great account to go for if you’re concerned about how your money will be invested.

What do customers say?

Customer reviews on our sister site Smart Money People rate the FlexDirect account at 4.24 out of 5, liking the customer service and the availability of high street branches. The app is where people think it could do better.

Nationwide Flex Direct summary

Cashback	1% cashback on spending for the first year (capped at £500)
Interest	5% AER (fixed) interest on the first £1,500 saved for 12 months (drop to 0.25% after a year)
	Access to 6.5% AER (variable) Flex regular saver (max £200 a month)
Overdraft	£50 0% buffer
Fee	None
Requirements	Pay in £1,000 a month
Multiple accounts?	Two – one personal and one joint
Notes	Transfers in from other Nationwide accounts don’t count towards the £1,000

More on the account on the Nationwide website

Free magazines tricks

Free digital magazines and newspapers from your library

Free magazine subscription via a Club Lloyds bank account

Free online magazines with Amazon Prime

Cheap magazine subscription tricks

Try a multi-magazine digital subscription

Buy a cut-price subscription online

Check for deals

Haggle for trials and discounts

Book your insurance

Look for extra legal protections such as ATOL and ABTA

Pay with a credit card

Get a GHIC

Reuse and refill to save money with a handy app.

Look for the Refill symbol

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Did it save us cash?

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You can get cashback from Santander

There are discounts… if you’re eligible

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You can pay Council Tax over 12 months if you’d prefer

What is the Nationwide FlexDirect account?

In account interest of 5%

1% cashback on spending

FlexDirect 0% overdraft

Nationwide switching bonus

Other Nationwide perks

Regular saver 6.5%