Pret no longer offers five coffees a day with the subscription
Club Pret is Pret’s subscription service. It used to offer five drinks a day for £30, but has been given an overhaul, and ultimately downgraded, instead offering half-price drinks for a fiver a month.
Here’s what you need to know about Club Pret, including how many coffees you’ll need to drink each month before you start saving money.
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How Club Pret works
Club Pret gives you five half-price drinks for a monthly fee. You need to sign up in the app or on its website, including entering your payment details. Once you’ve done that, you’ll get a QR code in its app and by email.
When you’re in Pret you order as normal and scan your QR code to get the discount. You can use it five times each day with at least a 30-minute gap between each one, to stop you from sharing the discount with your friends.
If you previously had the subscription then you’ll be moved to this one on your next billing date after 2 September, so you may have been moved to it already. You’ll need to cancel before your September billing date if you don’t want the new membership.
How much is Pret’s subscription?
Club Pret costs £10 a month, although it’s being launched at £5 per month until 21 March 2025. The start of each month is determined by the date you sign up, so if you sign up on 10 May, your next month begins on 10 June.
You’ll be charged for the next month on the last day of the current month. So, in the above example, you’d be charged on the 9 of every month.
There’s no minimum subscription term, so you can cancel at any time. You’ll get the full month regardless of when you cancel so it makes sense to not leave it too late, just in case you forget.
Drinks included in Club Pret
As long as it’s a drink ordered over the counter and prepared by a barista (not a premade one in the fridge) then you’ll get the discount on it. This includes coffee, tea, hot chocolate, iced coffees and Pret Cooler Lemonades. Milk alternatives and syrups are included, too.
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How much could you save?
For our calculations, a latte, flat white or mocha costs £4.05, tea is £3.30 and iced drinks are around £4. The cooler lemonades are £4.20.
If you order a single £4.05 coffee every weekday, you’ll have roughly 22 coffees a month. This would usually cost you £89.10, but would be as little as £49.55 including the £5 membership fee. When Club Pret costs £10 per month, it’ll be £54.55.
If you pay £5 per month for Club Pret from 1 October until 31 March (6 months) and taking into account annual leave, sick leave and bank holidays (so roughly 110 days), you’d potentially save £192.75.
If you go to the office three days per week and get a coffee each time, you’ll save £19.30 each month.
Minimum orders to break even
At £5 per month and with a latte costing £4.05, you need to have as many as three coffees each month before you start saving money. When the membership moves to £10 per month, it’ll take five coffees to break even.
Do you get discounts on food with Club Pret?
Previously, Club Pret subscribers got an additional 20% discount on all menu items – including sandwiches, hot food, soft drinks and crisps, as well as additional hot drinks. This isn’t offered with the new subscription.
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At first, it’s definitely not got as much appeal as its previous “unlimited” but more expensive iteration. However, it could still save you cash, and may even work out better for more casual Pret customers.
If you reckon you buy at least three drinks each month at Pret, it’s probably worthwhile to get the membership. Once the membership goes up to £10 per month, you’ll need at least five every month to start saving money — still a good deal, but only if you know you’ll drink there.
There are downsides — you have to stick to Pret. Don’t let Starbucks’ new syrups tempt you away. And if you tend to get tempted to grab a pastry or sandwich that you wouldn’t otherwise buy, you’re not saving money.
Alternatives to Club Pret
If you’re missing Pret’s original subscription then you could go for Leon’s newly launched subscription that gets you five coffees a day for £25 each month.
Or you can sign up for other coffee shop loyalty schemes which can offer stamps to earn a free drink or other discounts. You might even get free coffee with other memberships or services without even realising it.
The best discounts, freebies and tricks to buy books for less.
I tend to go through spells where I’m reading loads followed by periods where I can’t get going with a book. But when I get into a good book, there’s nothing quite like it.
And the more I read, the more expensive it can get. So it helps to find a few ways to find the best price, add extra discounts or even get books for free.
Here are the tricks I use to avoid paying full price.
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Shop around
Don’t just head to Amazon and assume it’ll be the cheapest place to buy a book. Yes it often does sell at reduced prices, but that doesn’t mean you won’t be able to find it for less.
I use a website called 123 Price Check, which lists most major online retailers. This alone should get you the lowest price – though you can often save more.
Save at independent book shops
I like to shop at my local independent book shop, and they take National Book Tokens (as most retailers will). These are easy to get with a discount. I tend to buy them when there’s a short term TopCashback bonus, often spend £5 get £2 back, and earn cashback on top. You’ll also find them on apps like Cheddar, Jam Doughnut and HyperJar.
It’s also worth checking other membership schemes or work perk sites you have access to in case the rates are even higher. For example, I get 9.5% off National Book Tokens via an old Scottish Friendly ISA account.
Get an extra discount
The big chains often offer deals and voucher codes, so if you’re shopping online these could help bring the price down. If there are bookshops you like particularly then it’s worth signing up to email lists – WH Smiths for example often emails promo codes to use online.
Most of the big online retailers will also offer money back via cashback sites Quidco and TopCashback. In an ideal world you’ll be able to combine this with a discount code or discounted gift card, though check the cashback site terms and conditions. It’s worth seeing if you can also earn via Airtime Rewards at the same time, with retailers including Waterstones also offering cashback.
Use loyalty schemes
My local independent has a stamp scheme where you get a stamp for each £5 you spend. Get a full card and you’ve £10 credit to use. Another good reason to support your local shop.
Larger chains also have loyalty schemes. Both Foyle’s Foyalty scheme and Waterstones Plus give a stamp for every £10 spent, and once you have 10 stamps you get £10 to spend.
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Visit your library
It’s easy to forget you can pick up free books from your library, including new releases though you might need to wait your turn.
Most libraries will have online catalogues and ordering systems which also let you renew if you haven’t finished.
If they don’t have the book you want you can request it. They’re often a small fee for this, but it’ll be less than buying a book outright.
Though it can vary depending where you live, you can often join a library online and even order books for collection.
You’ll also be able to pick up a decent read from your local charity shop, and your purchase has the added benefit of supporting a good cause. Obviously you’ll probably struggle to get a specific title, but if you’re open to what you read it’s worth a look. It’s worth seeing if there’s an online option, such as this one from Oxfam.
Or specialist second-hand book stores – both online on the high street – could give you a wider range of titles and perhaps a more knowledgeable staff to help you pick a decent read.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf 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%
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Finished a book? See if a friend, colleague or family member wants to switch it with something they’ve loved.
If you’ve young children see if anyone is clearing out books their kids have outgrown – parenting groups on social media can be great places to look.
You should also see if there’s a swap box in your local area or workplace. These are generally set up by individuals – we’ve got one on our street where you can leave a book and take another. If there isn’t one, maybe look at setting one up yourself. This site has some listed, but it’s by no means a full list, and there’s this one too.
Go digital
Ebooks might not give the same experience as handling a paperback or hardback, but they can make reading a lot more convenient, especially when out and about. And they can also be a lot cheaper.
You can borrow them for free from your library, or get access to titles out of copyright via sites like Project Gutenberg – though these won’t work on a Kindle unless you convert them.
If you do have a Kindle then you can still save, with regular 99p offers on Amazon, and tools that help you track price drops and other promotions. You can read more about these in my article to help you save on Kindle books.
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If you need to sell old books to raise funds for new books, then it’s worth looking at sites such as We Buy Books and Music Magpie. From my experience you won’t get anything for any popular titles, but rarer books and text books could get you a few quid. Here’s my guide to how these sites and apps compare.
Avoiding Amazon
Obviously lots of people will go to Amazon first for books, but I’m consciously avoiding any spending with them. Yes it does mean I could pay more for my books, but high street chains tend to be fairly competitive if you can’t afford smaller indies.
And even if you do still use Amazon, if the book is sold by a different retailer, take a note of their name and see if you can buy from them direct. They’ll get more of the money, and it could even be cheaper.
The numbers that can add a fair whack to your phone bill.
I’m so used to inclusive minutes on my mobile SIM that I forget not all numbers are included in the allowance. Fortunately, there’s a work around if you come across premium rate digits.
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What’s the deal with 0845 and 0870
Most non-mobile numbers start 01, 02 or 03, while mobile numbers start 07. These are generally included in your mobile phone allowance. 0800 and 0808, or freephone, numbers are also now included. All well and good.
But the rest… well it’s pretty confusing. On the whole, every other type of phone number isn’t going to be included in your mobile allowance, while it’s possible some might be part of your home phone package.
If these calls are on top of your allowance you’ll pay an “access charge”, often per minute which is set by your network. Then on top is another service charge per minute which is set by the people you are calling. And together it can make your calls pricey.
So you should avoid them if possible. And that’s not just 0870 and 0845. It’s the same with similar variations such as 0871 and 0843. Oh, and premium 09 numbers too. And don’t forget the exorbitant 118 directory enquiries numbers.
Numbers which are unlikely to be included in your mobile phone minutes
If the number you want to call starts with any of the following it’s likely to cost you money on top of your monthly contract cost.
0842
0843
0844
0845
0870
0871
0872
0873
09
118
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How to avoid paying for 0870, 0845 and other non-inclusive numbers
You obviously want to avoid these extra charges. Here are a few ways to find an alternative.
Search for another number
You can, of course, go to the company website or Google to see if there’s an alternative number.
If you have no joy there’s another option. For years I’ve been using the website Say No To 0870. It’s pretty basic but is a big help. Essentially you search for the company you want to contact, or enter the number you have, and hopefully there will be an alternative.
In my experience, it’s hit and miss. The numbers are all provided by users so they can be out of date, or just plain wrong. But more often than not you’ll get some new digits to dial that won’t cost you extra.
Call the overseas number
This is a trick I’ve always used when calling a bank. On the back of your card there’s often a number to call from overseas, which starts +44 followed by a number starting 1, 2 or 3. Basically, ditch the +44 and replace it with a 0.
Use your landline
If you really have to call one of these numbers, then find out the cost from your landline. Some providers include these in your call package (if you have one), or are cheaper than using your mobile.
To be fair it’s years since I’ve had to do this – we haven’t even plugged in a phone at our new house. But it’s a decent backup option.
Try webchat
If you can’t find an alternative number, it’s worth seeing if the company has an online webchat service. These can be frustratingly slow, but they won’t cost you anything.
Most of the time paying your bill by direct debit will save you money – but if you’re not careful they can also end up costing you hard earned cash.
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When direct debits aren’t the best idea
“Pay by direct debit to save” is a message you’ll see on most bills. And most of the time it’s true. From gas and electricity to magazine subscriptions and gallery memberships, you’ll find lots of places will give you a discount if you set up these regular payments.
But there some high profile instances where it’s actually better to pay the whole amount upfront.
Insurance is the worst offender. If you pay in installments you’re borrowing the money to pay for the cover, and then getting charged interest. So the vast majority of the time it’ll cost you more money.
And some direct debits can be estimated – meaning you pay more than you actually should. Energy bills are the main culprits here, and you could end up with more money on your account that you’ve actually spent.
I’ve broken down some of the times it’s bad to split your payments by direct debit, and when you can make a saving by using them. It won’t be the case for every company, so make sure you check the terms and conditions.
Regular payments that aren’t direct debits
You might think that any payment you set up to leave your account on a regular basis is a direct debit, but they aren’t.
If you’ve used the long number on your debit or credit card that’s known as a continuous payment authority (CPA), or if you’ve set up a regular transfer between different accounts that is probably a standing order.
There can be advantages of using these options, and in many cases you won’t actually be able to choose between them – for example, streaming service subscriptions are pretty much all CPAs.
Which direct debits are bad?
You will usually be charged extra money on each of the following if you choose to pay by direct debit as you’re effectively taking out a loan for the product.
Insurance policies – from home and contents to travel and car, making a monthly payment adds interest meaning you pay more.
Car and vehicle tax – Pay for the full year for the cheapest price. There’s a 5% surcharge if you pay in monthly or 6-monthly instalments. However you can still set up a direct debit for a 12-month payment to make sure you don’t forget. All the different costs are here.
Mobile phone handsets – it’s not always the case but you’ll usually pay less overall if you pay upfront for the handset rather than get it as part of a contract.
White goods – rent to own services charge extortionate interest when you buy a TV or washing machine.
Alternative ways to spread the cost
If not a direct debit, what? Well paying for a full year in one go for car insurance or a new phone can be pretty expensive. Ideally you’ll have planned for these as most are expected costs and have the cash available in your savings The easiest way to do this is to calculate the annual costs for there services and split it by 12. This is how much you need to save into a separate pot each month to cover the costs.
But if you don’t have the savings to pay for them? If you can get a 0% purchase credit card it’s a good way to spread the payments without getting charged. You will need to make minimum payments each month, and make sure you have a plan to clear the borrowing before the 0% period ends. Fail to do both of these and the charges can be sky-high.
Or you could borrow from a friend or family member – just make sure you do pay them back!
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When direct debits are good
Of course, on the whole, direct debits are good and can save you money or help you budget. They’re also protected by the direct debit guarantee. This means if something goes wrong, perhaps you’re charged too much, you’ll get the money back.
These are the key services where you could be given an extra discount for paying in regular instalments.
Gas and electricity bills – these charges will be estimated so give regular meter readings to make sure you don’t get caught out by paying too little or too much. You can contact your supplier and ask for a refund if you have a decent balance.
Credit card repayments – you won’t forget to make your monthly payments this way! Try to clear the whole balance, or at least as much as you can afford, rather than the minimum required.
Magazine and streaming subscriptions – Monthly payments give you the option to cancel at any time. Just don’t forget to do this or you’ll roll over for another month or year.
Memberships – e.g. gym, galleries and clubs. Watch out for auto-renewal here too.
Donations to charities – though if you can give via Payroll Giving at work you’ll be able to give before you get taxed.
Then there are a few where it doesn’t make much a difference – well you don’t make a saving. However, paying for the following by direct debit will help you spread the cost over 12 months.
Council Tax – you can ask to pay this over 12 months rather than the default 10 months if you want consistency each month
Remember a direct debit means the amount can vary each month, but a standing order is for a fixed amount. It’s important to make sure you have enough money in your account before committing to a direct debit to avoid penalties for going overdrawn.
Get cashback at shops like Primark and Argos to bring down your phone bill
Airtime (formerly Airtime Rewards) is a cashback app that can help you cut down the cost of your mobile phone bill. Essentially, you just connect your cards to it and earn cashback on your spending. This can then be taken off your mobile phone bill. Here’s how it works and how much you can earn with Airtime.
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What is Airtime?
Airtime (formerly Airtime Rewards) is an app you download to your phone that you connect to your bank cards. Every time you use your connected card at participating retailers — found within the app — you’ll earn some money back that’ll go towards your phone bill.
For example, if you use your connected card at Oasis to buy a £30 shirt you’ll make the transaction as usual. You don’t have to follow a specific link or scan a code at the till.
Airtime will automatically track the transaction and calculate how much cashback you’re owed – in this example and at the time of writing, that’d be 3%, which means you’d earn 90p in cashback.
This all goes into the “Rewards” section in the app, then when you have £10, you can get it knocked off your phone bill.
How does Airtime work?
You can earn cashback in two different ways: from your connected cards and by buying gift cards. Here’s how each of them works.
Connected cards
As long as you’ve connected your card to Airtime, it’ll track your spending and automatically apply cashback to your account. You may see some transactions as “pending” for a while – this is normal, and it’ll be in your account in the period specified. It’s just to allow for things like refunds.
Buying gift cards
You can also earn cashback by buying gift cards through the app. This can be a little difficult to find, but if you go to “More”, you’ll see a link under the title “More ways to earn”. Here, you’ll see the option “Buy gift cards”.
Here you’ll be able to see a list of retailers available to buy gift cards from. It seems that the general reward available is 4% across the board, and we’ve not seen any fluctuation from this yet.
To purchase a gift card, you choose the one you want and the amount you want and pay with a credit or debit card or using Apple or Google Pay. The gift card will be emailed to you and can be used immediately. The card you use needs to be registered with your account, so it can be tracked in the usual way.
This is similar to what JamDoughnut offers. You get cashback in your Airtime account a few days after making the purchase.
How much can you earn with Airtime rewards?
The rates vary by retailer. Some offer just 1%, while others offer as much as 15%. The average is about 3-4%. There are plenty of retailers that you might use often, such as Argos and Waitrose, so you can pick up a lot of cashback from regular spending.
On average, I can cash out £10 every few months.
What cards can you add to Airtime?
The cards can be a debit or credit card, but only Mastercard or Visa. Sadly, American Express won’t work.
In addition, it’s best that you don’t use Curve as this can break the link between the retailer and Airtime needed to make it track.
You add a card in the app, either by using the camera icon in the top right corner of the app to scan your card, or by typing in your card number and expiry date.
It can take 24 hours for cards to be approved, so it’s worth getting as many of your cards on the app as soon as you get it. You need to have the card active before making a transaction for it to track.
What mobiles networks can you use with Airtime?
Sadly you can’t use Airtime with every network, and some are Pay As You Go (PAYG) only. At the time of writing it works with the following:
EE
Giffgaff
O2
Three
Vodafone
Lebara Mobile (PAYG only)
Lycamobile (PAYG only)
Now Mobile (PAYG)
If you aren’t with one of these networks you won’t be able to sign up just yet.
If you switch networks, you can still collect the rewards and then either save them up for if you switch networks or gift them to someone else to put towards their mobile bill.
How do you redeem Airtime rewards?
It’s very easy to redeem your rewards. You hit the rewards tab on the app (the little piggy bank), select the amount and hit redeem. The money will be sent to your phone network and knocked off your bill. This should take just 24 hours, however it can sometimes take longer.
You need to have earned at least £10 to activate your reward, and you can only redeem £20 at a time. You can repeat the process to get more, though.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf 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%
OfferYou 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 AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe 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 availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
How much you need to spend to get £10 with Airtime?
A typical rate is 3-4%, however some of the bigger brands are less than this. With an average of, say 3.5%, you’d need to spend just under £300 to get your first £10.
To boost your initial rewards, you can check out the sign-up bonus on our Airtime promo codes page. You can usually get £1.50 credit, and there are frequent bonus offers available.
Gifting your rewards
If you’re feeling generous, you can send reward credit to another user registered with the app. That means that if you happen to have more than you need or aren’t on a participating network you can gift £10 to £50.
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What retailers are on Airtime?
The big names are Argos, Waitrose, Boots and Primark, but there are dozens more you’ll know.
There are new retailers added all the time and if you sign up for emails you’ll be told when this happens. It sadly won’t let you know if one leaves the app.
Some shops let you earn the money back both online and in-store while others restrict you to just one. You might need to use the card itself and not Apple Pay or Google Pay in some cases. This information is all on the app, along with the current cashback rate.
Here are some of the retailers available to earn from via your connected cards. A lot of the same retailers are available to buy gift cards from, too.
Euro Car Parts Click Mechanic Halfords Halfords Autocentre
How to stack Airtime rewards with other offers
If your bank or credit card has a reward programme which offers extra cashback at participating retailers, then you should be able to get both those rewards.
You can take it a step further and connect your card to other cashback apps, like Cheddar. And, if the Airtime retailer allows online purchases then you could shop via a cashback site like Quidco or TopCashback and earn another set of cashback. Some people say that they have issues using Chase with Airtime due to its virtual cards, but it tends to work for online purchases.
Is Airtime any good?
If you pay some attention to which retailers are on the app, and what the rates are, then you can do pretty well from Airtime. You can also double (or even triple) this up with other cashback, such as the cashback offered by Chase, and by connecting your account to Cheddar, too. I did this recently, earning 3% from Decathlon from Airtime and another 7% with Cheddar, getting a total of 10% back on my spending. I could’ve improved this using Chase. Unfortunately, you can’t use Airtime with American Express.
With this in mind, there’s the potential to earn some decent cashback with Airtime, especially if you don’t use an Amex. If you do, then you’ll need to keep an eye on the retailers on the app. It’s worth doing this anyway as some of the shops do come and go.
The faster you pay off debts, the less they’ll cost.
I use my credit card as much as I can for two reasons. One, I earn 1% cashback on most of my spending, and two, I know I can pay the full amount off every month.
Yet if those two weren’t the case, especially the last one, I’d avoid credit cards on almost all occasions (there are some exceptions). Misuse credit cards and the debts you build-up could cost you far more than you realise.
Here are six ways to clear your cards faster – whether you’re just mismanaging your repayments or you’re struggling with an unmanageable debt.
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Pay it off with savings
You’re probably being charged at least 20% interest on your credit card spending. Possibly 30%, if not more. So if there’s £500 on there, just 20% will add on nearly £10 for the first month alone.
So if you were to pay off the card rather than keep cash in savings you’d save £7.92 a month, or £94 a year. And it’ll be a much bigger saving if you’ve got a larger or more expensive card debt.
It’s good financial sense to have access to emergency cash, but if you have a credit card available, then consider that as your back up and clear the debt.
Transfer it to a 0% card
A zero percent balance transfer card allows you to move your existing credit card debt to a new one which doesn’t charge ANY interest for a set time.
This is a good alternative to paying off the debt straight away and it’ll give you some breathing space to cut down the card.
Have a plan of how you’ll pay off the card before the 0% period ends, ideally a set amount each month.
You can get ridiculously long 0% cards now, though if you think you can do this under 18 months it’s possible to avoid paying a transfer fee at all.
Pay as much as you can each month
It’s amazing how many people don’t realise just making the minimum repayments is a bad thing. Yes, though it’s vital to do this to avoid nasty extra fees, it won’t help you pay off a card.
Most minimum repayments are a percentage of the debt. So as you reduce the debt, the payments get smaller and smaller. This means it takes ages to pay off the debt. For example a £500 debt at 19% would take close to 18 years to clear and cost £842 in interest (based on paying just 2% each month).
Really you should be paying as much as you can. Doing this will reduce the interest you pay and clear the cards faster. So £25 a month will clear it a £500 debt in two years at the cost of £95. That’s a saving of more than £700!
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Prioritise multiple credit card debts
If you have more than one card you owe money on, don’t pay them off evenly. Instead focus the bulk of your cash on one of those until that is cleared, then move on to the next one.
If you go for the most expensive debt, i.e. the one with the highest interest rate, you’ll reduce the total interest cost faster. This is known as the “avalanche” method.
Or if you target the smallest debt first, you’ll reduce the total number of debts faster. This is known as “Snowballing”, and is popular to help with motivation.
What’s vital with either approach is that you still maintain the minimum repayments on the other cards while you do this.
Set up a direct debit
Even though I always pay off my cards in full, there was one time where I forgot to post the cheque (yes, this was a a long time ago). If I hadn’t remembered and phoned the card provider on the due day, the missed payment would have shown as a default my credit report and added penalty charges to my bill.
To avoid this, I set up a direct debit to guarantee payment is made every month. You do need to make sure you have enough in your current account though – otherwise you could get hit by overdraft charges.
Get a low rate, long-term card
If you’ve got large or multiple credit card debts, or don’t have the credit rating to get a 0% card, you could look to consolidate your cards at a lower monthly interest rate.
This could be around 5% or 6%, a significant reduction from the rate you’re currently paying. For example, a £500 debt at 6%, with £25 month payments, will cost £27 in interest – £68 less than keeping it on a 19% card.
The mistakes to avoid, and the tricks to help keep your funds going until the end of the month.
When you’ve had an expensive month or there’s been an unexpected cost, the knock-on effect usually means there’s very little left in the bank to get you to payday.
It’s usually at its worst in January as people often get paid early in December, but it can happen all year round, especially with the cost of living crisis messing with savings and spending.
So what do you do? Well it’s very easy to jump to high-cost loans and hope it’s just a one-off. But this isn’t a good solution.
First, I’ve shared the things you shouldn’t be doing so you know not to make those mistakes. Then I’ve written about a few things you can do to help that cash stretch a little further as well as a few cheaper alternatives for borrowing money.
Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.
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What not to do when you’re out of money
Don’t get a payday or guarantor loan
You know that payday loans are bad for you. Despite many of the big lenders going out of business, it’s still possible to take out payday loans, and they will cost you a fortune in interest charges.
Guarantor loans are also bad for your wallet and your credit rating. Avoid both of these types of loan, even if you’re desperate as there are cheaper alternatives (more on those below).
It’s tempting to put the things you can’t afford on a credit card, or buy things via “easy” credit from retailers like Very.
But this isn’t just delaying dealing with the problem you’re also adding to it with extra interest and charges added on top of the amount you borrow.
Don’t use Buy Now Pay Later
You can now find the likes of Klarna, Clearpay and Laybuy on most retailer websites, so the temptation could be to just put your purchases on there to delay the payment over two or three months.
But if you don’t think you’ll have enough left over next month to cover these purchases and all the other new expenses that’ll come along you’re going to get caught up with constantly owing money month after month. Here’s more on why they’re not risk free.
What you should be doing to reach payday
Find and use existing sources of cash
Do use your savings
If your bank balance hits zero then the first place you should go is your savings. This is better than borrowing money where you’ll be charged interest, as that rate is almost certainly going to be higher than what you’re earning on your savings.
You could also see if friends or family will lend money to you, but make sure you all know upfront the terms of lending the cash – you don’t want it to be the cause of any animosity later on.
Do you have a gift card at the back of a drawer, a build-up of never used Nectar points, rewards to your current account or a refund to an online account (Amazon and John Lewis are among the retailers who sometimes do this)?
These are all forms of money you can spend now instead of cash. And don’t forget those coffee shop loyalty cards – you might have enough for a free cuppa!
Claim forgotten money and credit
I’ve written before about chasing down forgotten money, and this is a perfect time to actually do it! When we pay for most utilities we’re actually paying a month in advance. So when you switch away, you’ve actually paid more than you needed. Sometimes this is automatically refunded, but not always, so check to see if you’re owed any cash.
Energy bills might also have been estimated, and if you’ve been overpaying your current supplier then you’ll likely have credit sitting there. You can ask for this money to be refunded to your account (though bear in mind there are still a few winter months ahead of us).
Don’t forget to check places like cashback accounts and money-making apps where you might have enough for a payout to your current account.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf 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%
OfferYou 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 AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe 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 availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
Another option is to look into a 0% purchase credit card. For a limited amount of time (it varies depending on the bank and card) you won’t get charged any interest on your purchases. This is the cheapest way to borrow money.
Of course, it’s not that simple. You will have to make at least the minimum repayments each month on the card and clear the balance before the 0% period ends to avoid any interest at all. And if you don’t think you can cope with this, or think you’ll be adding to the balance every month, then they’re best avoided.
If you don’t have savings and can’t get a 0% credit card, then you can still borrow money without resorting the charges you’ll get from payday loans and overdrafts.
See if you have a local Credit Union. The Finding Finance site will help you find responsible lenders. For bigger costs you can’t avoid then check out comparison sites to see what you’d get charged for a loan from a high street bank.
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Think about how you spend
Do work out a spending plan
Yes, this might sound painful, but it’s essential to find out exactly how much money you have and where it’s going. Here’s how to make a budget.
Track your spending
Use your banking app or even a specialist money management app to keep an eye on where your money is going and when bills are coming up. Here’s my recent guide to these budgeting apps, taking you through how they work and the best ones.
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You’ll need to budget the money you have left and a simple way to do this is to only pay with cash. Withdraw the money you’ll need (and can afford), say for a week and then split it into different expenses. Then only take with you the cash for that activity.
This prevents you spending more than you intended and stops any impulse spending. You’ll need to leave your cards at home.
Of course, right now there are still a number of retailers operating as cash-only. If you’re faced with a card-only retailer, or don’t want to deal with change, you could look at using the pots or spaces features on digital banks such as Chase or Starling to split the funds out into different spending needs.
Cutback and shop around
Very simply, buy less. If something isn’t essential then you need to be strong and not spend money on it. This could mean you buy less and go out less.
If you do have to spend cash, look for the cheapest options. At the supermarket, trade down to own brand equivalents. When you travel, find the cheapest fare. Cook from scratch rather than ordering a takeaway It’s all obvious stuff, but you have to follow through and actually do it.
Find alternatives to new spending
Use up the food you’ve got
Check the cupboard, fridge and freezer. You will find all sorts of things hidden away that mean you don’t need to buy as much new food as usual. Just use these items up and then you can restock once you’ve been paid again and things are back to normal.
While we’re on the topic of food, you could also try cooking from scratch rather than buying ready-made meals or ordering takeaways. It really can work out much, much cheaper.
Find (new) clothes in your wardrobe
Go through your wardrobe and I’m confident you’ll find a few items of clothing you’ve forgotten about but are perfectly good to wear.
If anything is looking a little shabby then you could see if it’s possible to repair them – if you can’t do it yourself there will be a local shop that’ll do it for a few quid. I got a coat fixed recently for a fiver and it’s as good as new.
Of course, there’s always the chance stuff doesn’t fit you anymore, in which case you could try “Schwopping” with friends or check out a charity shop.
Watch DVDs, read books and listen to CDs
Though I have a lot less than I used to, I’ve still got a decent collection of physical media, with hundreds of books, CDs and DVD that I’ve rarely touched since everything went digital.
Well, to save some cash take a month off from your streaming services and actually watch those DVDs. You can also find loads to watch on iPlayer and All4.
The same goes for other subscriptions – especially music. Cancel Spotify and listen to some CDs or the radio. And rather than buy a new book or magazine, revisit one of your favourites or head to the library.
If you are paying for TV via Sky or Virgin then you’ll only be able to cancel if you’re out of contract – but that’s well worth doing anyway and moving over to something like NOW TV.
Regift unwanted presents
If you’ve got a birthday or something coming up then check if you’ve anything you’ve been given that you’ve never used that could be a suitable gift. There’s more here on the dos and don’ts.
Since 7 August 2023, almost all Barclays branches open at 9.30am and close at 3pm from Monday to Friday. They now close at 1pm on Saturdays. There are a few exceptions for branches in some shopping centres which stay open later in the week.
What to do if your branch is closing
If you use your branch
If you regularly visit your Barclays branch, this is bad news. You can pay in and withdraw money from your local Post Office, which might be enough, though there may be limitations on amounts per day.
Alternatively, you can open up another account at a bank which has a local branch near you, although they may announce their own closures soon enough.
Depending on the new bank you choose, if you also switch (which will close your existing Barclays account), you might be able to nab a switching bonus from the other bank.
Plus all your Direct Debits, standing orders and payments into your account will be moved over for you, so you won’t need to change anything manually.
However, you don’t need to switch to access another branch – you can just open an account with that bank direct.
If you don’t use your branch
The main reason for the closures is that very few Barclays transactions are done in person. So if you do everything online, you’re probably not going to worry about losing access to a branch’s facilities.
In that case, you don’t have to do anything and can keep your Barclays account. If you do, be sure to join the Barclays Blue Rewards scheme to access the Rainy Day saver account.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf 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%
OfferYou 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 AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe 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 availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
Libraries offer a great free alternative to buying things you’ll only read once.
I like libraries. I even got married at one. Ok, it just happened that the registry office we used in Mayfair was in some lovely rooms above a library. But still. Libraries are cool.
The problem is, I hardly use them and have always tended to buy the titles I want to read – – whether they’re actual books or digital downloads.
But unless it’s an absolute classic I’m unlikely to reread anything. So the books sit on a shelf. Read once, then go unloved for months, if not years, before I try to sell them or give them away.
So why don’t I get my books from my library? The answer is very simple. I forget. Yup, the prospect of a free book just completely slips my mind! And books aren’t all that libraries have to offer including e-books, audiobooks and (my personal favourite) the free digital magazines.
The more we use libraries, the more we support them against cuts, then the more likely they’ll survive. Which really is a good thing.
Of course, all libraries are different – and offer different services. The best way to find out is to visit your local or look at their website. So do check out what is going on at your library and join up while you’re there. You’ll probably just need some ID and proof of address.
Read on to find out, nine ways your library can save you money.
Some articles on the site contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund our work. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or our editorial independence. Read more here.
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1. Borrow free books
Right, an obvious one to start. You can borrow books. For free. You literally can’t get your literature any cheaper.
Of course, your library won’t have every book going, but you can always reserve or order books. There’s usually a cost associated with this. Reservations from within your library’s area (so for me that’s all the branches in North Yorkshire) cost £1.
If a new title is going to be very popular, libraries tend to get a few copies in, and at my local library, you can reserve future releases for £1. Even so, be prepared for a wait if everyone else wants a copy.
It’s a pricier £10 to order books from other districts via an inter-library loan, though that cost may differ where you live. At that price, you’re possibly only going to benefit if you’re after some rare, out-of-print or an expensive textbook.
2. Download free e-books and audiobooks
Most libraries also now lend digital books and audiobooks. It’s a natural modernisation as we consume content digitally. Again this is free. FREE.
Sadly at the moment, you can’t download books for Kindles, but you can read them on most other devices. Often you need an app, which means you can read it on your tablet or smartphone. A couple of common services are BorrowBox and Libby by Overdrive.
You use the same apps for audiobooks. If you were paying for a similar service – say Amazon’s Audible – you’d be paying £7.99 a month (though you can get a 30-day free trial with Audible).
There’s also a music streaming service called Freegal. It looks a bit limited but, once more, it won’t cost you anything compared to other ad-free services like Spotify Premium. It’s not going to be on offer everywhere but it’s worth a look.
3. Get free digital newspapers, magazines and comics
This has been one of my biggest money savers. I discovered that you can download hundreds of magazines a few years back. Exactly which titles you can get depends on where you live.
Though I now get it for free via my Club Lloyds current account, I used to read Empire Magazine this way, and my wife often checks out Vogue and Good Housekeeping. You can read them on your computer or view them via an app on tablets and phones.
Some libraries also have a service where you can read today’s newspapers online. Yes, you can obviously head to the papers’ websites. But if you like reading a paper in the layout you’d get in print, then this is a nice option and cheaper than forking out £2 to £3 at the newsagent.
Plus you can read international titles, or those which are normally behind a firewall, such as The Telegraph (but not the Times or FT). The service I’ve got access to is Press Reader, which includes magazines too. I can access back issues too.
The Observer newspaper on Press Reader
Another discovery at my library was access to the Comic Plus app. This isn’t just great for kids – there are also lots for big kids, including plenty of graphic novels. I had a brief nostalgia-filled spell a few summers ago where I devoured dozens of issues of Transformers comics – harking back to my childhood!
If your local authority doesn’t offer any or some of these, a few libraries will let you sign-up online to access these services without proving you live in the area.
4. Borrow DVDs, games and CDs
With faster broadband, it’s pretty easy to stream your music and films via the internet. But if you want to have a physical DVD then lots of libraries still rent them out, including new releases. This can be a pretty cheap way of watching box sets as you’re often charged per box, not per disc.
Less libraries offer CDs now, and any games are probably for older consoles. You’ll also be charged for these. But it’s certainly worth a look.
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf 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%
OfferYou 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 AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe 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 availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
If you still like to own books, then it’s worth seeing if your library sells off old titles. My library normally runs them three or four times a year, with the money going towards other library activities.
I last went to one earlier this year and some of the stock had dated – travel guidebooks for example, but there was plenty to choose from. I came home with the Alan Partridge biography for 50p, and a couple of cookbooks at £1 each. All were in really good nick.
6. Attend free or cheap classes
Libraries are great for learning. In researching this article I’ve randomly looked at half a dozen regions in the UK and seen classes as diverse as yoga, coding, gardening, self-publishing, chess, drumming and knitting.
Many of these were free, or a nominal couple of quid. Far cheaper than the equivalent elsewhere. Most library websites list what’s going on.
Our podcast
Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.
That learning can also be done at home. If you join your library you should get access to some online tools.
For example, my local gives free access to the genealogy website Ancestry. This normally costs £13.99 a month. There are also all sorts of databases and other memberships you could take advantage of.
8. Entertain the kids
There are also loads of activities for children at libraries. Reading is such an important part of developing kids that it’s great to surround them with so many books from a young age, plus over school holidays there are bound to be events taking place.
And the fact that they are free can be a huge boost. Again, look at your local library’s website, or pop in to see what’s advertised.
9. Work at home, but not at home
Finally, one that could be useful if you need a change of scenery when working from home. I’ve got a decent office set up at home, but I know lots of people like to get out of the house. Yes, you can go to a coffee shop and plug into free wi-fi, but you’ll probably need to keep buying cups of coffee.
For some variety, you can head to your library. Yes some of the computers will be pretty old and you need to be careful with log-ins and passwords, but it’s a free or cheap alternative. And a quiet space to work if it’s noisy at home.
Many libraries also offer meeting rooms to hire, often at far cheaper rates than hotels or other venues. Look out for reduced rates if you’re running a community event.
