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May 15, 2019   |   Articles

Credit cards, Section 75 and your consumer rights

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Buy something worth more than £100 with a credit card and you could get your money back if it’s broken, doesn’t get delivered or the company goes bust.

I’ve written a few times about how a credit card can save you money. They can earn you cashback. They can cut nasty overseas spending charges. They can even act as 0% interest loans or help build up your credit rating.

Of course, credit cards won’t be for everyone – and if you can’t afford to pay off the full amount each month they’re almost always worth avoiding.

But there’s one benefit which it’s really worth having a credit card for – and it’s called Section 75.

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.

What is Section 75 and how does it work?

It’s not exactly a sexy name, but it’s a very powerful part of the Consumer Credit Act. This means it’s part of law.

If you buy something that costs more than £100 and less than £30,000 with a credit card, the credit card company is equally liable for your purchases with whoever sold it to you.

So if there’s something wrong with a purchase and you aren’t having any luck with the retailer, you can ask the credit card company to refund you.

And since it’s the law, they have to do it.

It doesn’t cost you anything

As long as the item you buy is over £100 you get the protection, and it won’t cost you anything! Plus all credit cards have to offer this, though it’s a different story for charge cards and some store cards.

You only need to spend £1

If you’re buying something particularly expensive you might find you don’t have the credit limit to buy it outright with your credit card.

Likewise, some retailers or businesses might tell you they won’t accept credit cards or charge you a fee.

Neither means you can’t get the Section 75 protection. As long as the item costs more than £100, you only need to pay for part of it on a credit card to be covered for the total amount. We did this for our wedding reception venue.

It’s single items, not total spend that count

Let’s say you’re out shopping and buy a suit jacket for £60 and suit trousers for £40. That’s £100 on your credit card. But since neither item cost more than £100, this purchase isn’t covered. However, buy a suit for £100 as a single item and you will get the protection.

Secondary cardholders don’t count

I’ve got an Amex cashback credit card. To maximise the money we make Becky has a supplementary card in her name. So when she spends we get more cashback.

But for some weird reason, anything she buys isn’t protected unless there’s proof I’m affected. So if she bought me something it would be covered, but something for herself wouldn’t.

Watch out for PayPal

You only get Section 75 protection if you spend directly on your card. This means PayPal and other middlemen like Groupon can sometimes break that link – meaning you might not get the cover.

It’s the same with travel money cards like Curve. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use these services as there are advantages to them, but it something worth considering.

However, Apple Pay and Android Pay don’t break the chain, so you still get Section 75 protection on these purchases over £100.

Chargeback could protect you if you spend less than £100

There’s a scheme called Chargeback that could get you a refund if your purchases were less than £100.

Here you ask the bank to claim the money the back from the trader’s bank on your behalf. It works for both debit and credit cards as long you claim within 120 days.

However, Chargeback isn’t enforced with a law so there’s no guarantee you will get your money back.

Fraudulent payments can be protected too

This isn’t part of Section 75, but there’s an extra protection bonus that comes with credit cards. The maximum you are liable for if your credit card is stolen is £50. And that’s only if money has been spent on it before you report it missing.

Of course, it’s different if you were negligible, say by leaving the PIN on a note with the card. Yes, people do this. I know it can be difficult to remember all your PINs (I completely forgot one the other week), but at least try to not keep any reminders with the card.

May 8, 2019   |   Articles

My top “refer-a-friend” offers

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Use bespoke codes to give friends a discount and earn you some extra cash or credit.

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Some articles on the blog contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund the blog. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or the blog’s independence. Read more here.

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Since you’re reading my blog, you’re no doubt already pretty savvy and like to use codes and offers to save some cash when you get the opportunity. You might not have realised it, but some of those codes were likely to be “Refer-a-friend” offers where whoever gave you the code also got a discount.

It’s usually a win-win for you and your mates. If you already use or shop with these companies it’s an easy opportunity to help out your friends and earn you a little extra too.

However, there are a few things to watch for.

  • Some of the rewards you get for referring a friend will have a minimum spend, possibly prompting you to spend money you hadn’t intended to part with
  • These won’t always be the best companies to use, both in terms of price and quality
  • You and your friend might be able to get better discounts a different way

Where to get refer-a-friend bonuses

It’s actually surprising where you can find these schemes. From your physiotherapist through to shops like Habitat and Glasses Direct it’s possible to get discounts for you and your friends.

The key is to check in your apps and accounts to see if there are unique codes for you to share. Or if you want to signup to a new service, see if any mates can refer you.

I’ve listed below the schemes I use, and a few others which could be great to explore. If I can share my code to get you a saving it’s below, then once you’ve signed up you can share your own codes with your friends.

Banking refer-a-friend picks

Nationwide – £100 each

If you bank with Nationwide, you and your friend can both get £100 cash through a referral. The FlexDirect is a decent account too as you can earn 5% interest for the first year. Sadly I can’t share this one on the blog, but if you know me just shout and I’ll send you my code!

Santander – £50 Amazon voucher each

Recommend a mate to switch their bank account to Santander and you’ll both get £50 in Amazon vouchers. There are better switching offers out there for them though. However, existing Santander account holders who are recommended by a friend and move another account over into the Santander one can claim the reward too. This one ends 18th June 2019.

TSB – £75 each

Until 30th June 2019, switch to a TSB Classic Plus account with a referral link and you and your friend will both get £75! You’ll also get 3% interest on savings up to £1,500. Again, if you know me, shout and I’ll send you a link!

American Express – around £25 each

This varies depending on which card you have. With my Amex Platinum Cashback card it’s £25 for both the referrer and the friend, with others it’s Amex or Avios points. Again, this can only be shared with friends and family.

Tandem credit card – £10 Amazon voucher

My back-up cashback credit card for when I can’t use my Amex, Tandem offers 0.5% back on purchase – and new users can get a £10 Amazon voucher using a friend’s referral link. Here’s mine!

Tesco credit card – 1,000 Clubcard points

Tesco offers a similar scheme to earn 1,000 Clubcard points or £10 Tesco gift card each if you refer it’s credit card or insurance policies.

Monzo – £5 each

This bank doesn’t require you to switch your old account over –  you just need to make a transaction with your new debit card. Do that and you both get a fiver.

Chip – 1% boost on your interest

Chip is a savings app where it automatically moves money from your current account to a savings account. I’ve been using it for a few years and it’s a good way to save. The basic interest rate is 1% (though I’ve an exclusive code – CLEVER3 – to start you at 3%), but for every friend you refer, you both get an extra 1% (up to 5%)  It’s available via iOs or Android.

Bill refer-a-friend picks

Sky TV – £75 each

If you get a mate to subscribe to Sky you both get a £75 prepaid Mastercard. Great for you, but they might be able to get a better deal through cashback sites.

Virgin offers £50 each, though your friend will definitely be better off with cashback deals.

Mobiles – up to £40 voucher each

If you get your mobile with Three you can both get a £25 Amazon voucher through its refer-a-friend offer.

O2’s Tell a friend scheme offers £25 in vouchers too, while giffgaff gives you both £5.

Gas and electricity – between £20 and £50 voucher

You can get vouchers or credit if you get a friend to switch their energy supplier, including EDF, Ovo and First Utility. Of course, the key here is to get your friend to compare prices first, and they might get a better cashback deal via sites like CheapEnergyClub.

One that does look good is via Bulb, as you both get £50 which is usually better than cashback rates.

Money saving apps and websites refer-a-friend picks

AirBnB – £23 for you, £34 for them

You can get your friends £25 off their first stay and £9 off an experience, and in return you £23.

Topcashback & Quidco – Up to £20 for you

I’m a big fan of sites like Quidco and Topcashback. The latter is best for referrals as there are sometimes £5 incentives for friends, though most of the time it’s just you who will benefit. Premium members get £7.50 for every friend who signs up and earns £10 in cashback, and there are offers that increase it to £20.

However, new members are usually better off signing up on their own and earning up to £17 of free cash.

Shopmium – Freebies for them, £3 credit for you

This supermarket cashback app gives new users a free bar of chocolate (at the moment it’s Lindt) when they use a refer-a-friend code. In return, you get £3 credit on the app. Frustratingly you can’t cash this out. Instead you get the full cashback when you buy one of the featured products.

> Download Shopmium and get a free Nutella pot (use code KHMYEEFW)

 

Do you use any other referral schemes? Share them in the comments below

April 23, 2019   |   Articles

My 14 bank accounts, and why I’ve got each one

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Yeah, you read that right. I’ve got 14 different bank accounts.

That’s probably 13 more than most people. And you might think it’s 13 more than anyone could need. But from decent interest rates to cash rewards, there’s a reason I’ve got each and every one.

And there have been more, such as Lloyds and M&S, which I’ve switched away from. But to give you an idea of what each account offers me, here’s a rundown of why I got it in the first place, how I use it now, and whether you should be getting that same account too.

Plus, at the bottom of the article, some more info on where you can go to check out all the different offers and deals banks are running right now to get you to open an account with them.

You can listen to my podcast episode on this very topic here:

1. Nationwide FlexDirect

This is my main current account. For the first year, I got 5% interest on up to £2,500 saved there. That’s since dropped to a not-so-great 1%.

I also got £80 cashback when I opened it, and another £100 when I referred my wife to open one for herself. 

Until recently I was also able to have a 5% regular saver, though this feature was closed in April. This could now be a “switching” account that I ditch in order to get offers elsewhere.

Why you should get it: The 5% interest for the first year can’t be beaten by any other account right now. And if you’re referred by a friend you’ll both get a £100 bonus.

2. Starling

One of the new app-only banks, Starling gives me fee-free spending and cash withdrawals overseas. 

Why you should get it: There’s no better card for overseas spending. Plenty of budgeting innovations too that help you keep track of your spending.

3. NatWest Reward

This is a joint account with my wife and we use it to pay all our shared bills. In return for the £2 a month fee we then get 2% cashback on most of those outgoings, including Council Tax, energy and mobile phones.

Why you should get it: The cashback. RBS offers the same account, though there’s also the Santander 123 Lite which might work out better for you – it depends on the size of your bills.

4. First Direct

I had to open this account when I took out my mortgage, but I’ve kept it as it gives access to a 5% regular saver. This has a monthly limit you can save of £300.

Why you should get it: New joiners can get £100 for switching, and there’s a £250 interest-free overdraft.

5. Monzo

Like Starling, Monzo is a new app-only bank. I got it for the foreign transaction benefits, but these aren’t as good as they were and I’d rather use my Starling account or Tandem credit card when overseas. 

Why you should get it: If you want to try out some of the innovative features to help you track your spending.

6. Tesco Bank

I opened this a few years ago to get 3% on up to £3,000 saved there. Sadly this amount is going to be dropped to 1% in June. I’ll be switching it away then, possibly to Lloyds to get some free cinema tickets.

Why you should get it: One to avoid now. If you’ve got it then you should be switching away.

7. Barclays

I opened the Barclays account as part of a switching deal to get double Blue Rewards for the first year. This should net me £120 over 12 months. After this it’ll drop to just £36 a year. Better than nothing, but not too special.

Why you should get it: Only switch to Barclays if there’s a double Rewards offer, or if you have extra things like a mortgage or insurance via Barclays.

8. Halifax Reward

I took advantage of a £100 switching bonus to get this account. I’ve kept the account as I get a £2 reward each month for having two direct debits and paying in a certain amount – though it’s not as profitable as it once was – the rewards have dropped from £5 when I first had the account.

Why you should get it: There’s currently a switching bonus worth considering, though the monthly reward isn’t that special anymore.

9. Transferwise

This is a different one. I sometimes get paid in US dollars, mainly for the advertising you see on the blog. Now it could get paid straight into my business account but then I’d be hit with extra fees to swap it to pounds. Instead I get it sent to a Transferwise account. It stays in dollars, which I can then spend without converting – lots of the software that runs the blog and podcast is American run – or swap to pounds later at a better rate.

Why you should get it: If are regularly paid or spend in different currencies.

10. Yorkshire Bank

This is my business account which I got for 25 months fee-free banking. Yep, fee-free. Most business accounts charge you a monthly fee and even extra for each time you have money paid in or out. My fee-free time is nearly over though so I’ll be looking for an alternative.

Why you should get it: If you have your own business and want to avoid extra charges.

11. TSB Classic

Another account I opened to get high interest on savings. In June it will be cut from 5% to 3% (on balances up to £1,500), but it’s still better than most other savings accounts.

Why you should get it: If you’ve already had the Nationwide 5% account for a year, then this is the next best place for your savings.

12. TSB Classic (number 2)

Sadly you can’t do this anymore, but I was able to have two accounts.

13. TSB Classic (number 3)

This is a joint account with the same interest rate.

14. TSB Classic (number 4)

The last one with TSB, and it’s another joint account. Again you can only have one joint account now.

> Check out all the latest bank switching offers and high-interest deals from current accounts

Why you need more than one bank account

The best bank switching, cashback, interest & overdraft offers (January 2022)

 

How many accounts do you have? Let me know in the comments below.

April 22, 2019   |   Articles

Taking cash out on a credit card – all the ways you pay more

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It can be expensive to use your credit card for cash – and you might not even realise you’re doing it.

I’ve been full-on with filming for the next series of Shop Smart Save Money so I’ve enlisted the help of my blogging friend Sara Williams for this guest post. Sara writes the fantastic Debt Camel blog, where she looks at everything to do with debt and credit ratings. 

You probably know it’s more expensive to take cash out on a credit card than if you bought something costing that much. But did you know that most credit card companies have three different ways to rack up the charges on cash advances? And that these extra charges don’t only apply to getting cash at an ATM? They also apply to “cash-like” transactions?

The extra fees on cash transactions

There are three ways you pay more for these cash withdrawals.

First, the interest rate on a cash transaction is usually higher than on a “standard” transaction, when you buy something.

Second, you get charged this interest rate immediately you withdraw the money. When you buy something, there is a period of several weeks – usually between 45 and 60 days – when no interest is added. When you get your next statement, you won’t be charged any interest on the new purchases showing, so if you clear your whole credit card balance then, you never pay any interest. But if you have taken cash out, there will be an immediate charge on your next statement.

Third, there is often a transaction fee that is charged on top. This may be dependent on the amount you have taken out, say 3% with a minimum of £3. So it’s “cheaper” to take out c£150 in one go than in two transactions.

And if you use an ATM abroad, there may be extra foreign transaction fees, from your credit card and sometimes from the local bank as well. Though there are exceptions – more on this in a bit.

What are “cash-like” transactions?

Credit cards treat the following transactions as “cash-like” and charge you the higher interest and fees on them:

  • buying foreign currency, pre-paid foreign currency cards or Travellers Cheques at a bank or a Bureau de Change;
  • gambling and betting, including lottery websites;
  • making a cash transfer, to your bank account or to someone else by wire transfer;
  • adding money to a pre-paid card;
  • buying a Money Order to send to someone.

That isn’t a complete list. If you want to do something that is basically moving money around or using your credit card to “buy” a different sort of money, this may be treated as a “cash-like” transaction. Ask your credit card company what you will be charged before you do this!

If you are wondering how your credit card company will know you have just used your card on a sports betting website or to buy Lottery tickets, there is a Merchant Category Code (MCC) attached to each transactions. These identify types of gambling, as in some countries customers are not legally allowed to use a credit card for gambling.

Taking cash out on your credit card overseas

If you spend a lot on holidays abroad it may be worth getting a special “travel credit card”. These are cards that work just like a normal credit card – you spend on them abroad and get a monthly statement to pay off – but they are cheaper than using normal credit cards on holiday.

Andy has reviewed some in Travel money: my top ways to spend on holiday.

Some of these have:

  • no foreign transaction fees;
  • better exchange rates;
  • no ATM fees for cash withdrawals abroad (but you may still be charged by the local bank and you will also start incurring interest immediately).

These cards can work out to be the cheapest option for travel money. If you already have one, check it’s still the cheapest a few months ahead so you have time to get another card if a the is a better alternative this year.

A very expensive form of emergency cash

Apart from planned spending on these travel cards, it’s best to avoid taking money out on a credit card at all. All those extra fees add up to big profits for the card company and a big problem for you.

Once in a blue moon, in a real emergency, that’s fine.

But figures from UK Finance, the trade association for banks and credit card companies, show that £5 billion pounds was taken out last year in cash withdrawals from credit cards. There were more than 2.8 million cash advances on credit cards on November 2018 alone – that’s not peak holiday time. That seems like an awful lot of “emergencies”…

Lots of people are taking cash out just to scrape through somehow to the next month. But then the high fees make your situation worse. If your debts are too large and you have bills you can’t pay, read this article over on Debt Camel about Money and debt worries – because cash advances are making your position worse, not better.

April 18, 2019   |   Articles

Cheap chicken isn’t something to shout about

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Iceland has launched what it claims are the cheapest supermarket chicken breasts – and I’m not happy.

Late last week a press release popped into my inbox. The title read “Chick this out! Iceland launches lowest priced chicken in the UK”. You can see some of it in the image below.

Iceland’s press release announcing it’s cut-price chicken

 

So what’s the problem? Well, although I’m often celebrating saving money, I don’t think supermarkets should be shouting about the lowest price chicken.

Really cheap chicken can only mean one thing – poor welfare. And it could be a signifier that it’s lesser quality meat too, perhaps pumped full of water. Yes, ok it could be a subsidised loss leader to get people through the doors. But not to an extent that mitigates my concerns.

And according to the RSPCA, most people don’t want this either. Eight out of 10 people think the chicken they are buying is higher welfare – but it’s not.

Animal and bird welfare

To sell chicken at this price must surely mean these birds will be enduring horrific conditions. It’s not just the overly crowded pens with little or no natural light, which are both pretty horrendous.

The RSPCA has further concerns about the consequences of intensive farming of the birds. Many are genetically selected for faster than natural growth which means the chickens can’t walk or stand, and even suffer heart attacks.

And intensively farmed birds aren’t likely to have been slaughtered to any sort of humane standard.

The scale of the problem

Chicken is the UK’s most popular meat, with one billion chickens reared each year. Yet, according to this infographic from the British Poultry Association, less than 4.5% of UK reared chicken is free-range or organic. That means there’s a huge amount of chicken that’s potentially raised in these shocking conditions. 

Infographic by the British Poultry Association

What supermarkets should be doing

Rather than trying to find the cheapest chicken, I think Iceland – and the other supermarkets – should be trying to find a more sustainable way to give us ethical and affordable meat.

Instead most are actively making it harder for consumers to find and afford it. Labels can mislead people into thinking the chickens are living on an idyllic farm, or just that there are any kind of humane conditions. The RSPCA even found higher-welfare meat positioned away from shoppers’ eyelines and rarely in promotions.

And by offering even cheaper intensively farmed chicken, they are also making the price difference between it and free-range and organic chicken even wider.

What Iceland says

I was surprised to see this come from Iceland because they made such a strong stance on palm oil and deforestation at Christmas with their banned Greenpeace advert, which focussed on saving a sad cartoon orangutan. Are they saying they only care about animals they don’t sell in a party platter? 

It’s unfair to single them out though – I’ve just picked out Iceland for actively trying to promote the cheapest chicken. The majority of chicken you buy in a supermarket isn’t going to have been raised in the conditions you imagine.

I wanted to let Iceland respond to this. Here’s what they said about the welfare conditions of their chicken. 

“We offer a range of poultry products across our chilled and frozen ranges, with tiered price points to appeal to all of our customers. We work closely with our suppliers and have reduced the level of margin on our lowest priced chicken in order to offer these lines at such low prices. 

We are committed to offering our customers choice, and alongside our ‘lowest priced chicken in the UK’ we offer slightly higher tier products which are Red Tractor Assured, for example. All of our suppliers must adhere to our strict animal welfare policies and we work with them to ensure high standards based on the ‘Five Freedoms’ endorsed by the Farm Animal Welfare Council.”

Personally, this doesn’t make me any more confident about the standards used to farm the chickens, and I wouldn’t buy any chicken from Iceland. But the same goes for any other low-welfare chicken at most supermarkets.

So what can you do?

How to be ethical and pay less for your chicken and other meat

For most of us, we can’t afford to live a life that’s 100% ethical. You need to pick your battles – and I think better conditions for chicken is one which can be fought. Here are just some of the ways you can eat higher-welfare poultry and other meat without breaking the bank.

Look for RSPCA Assured, free-range or organic chicken

The only labels you can trust are RSPCA Assured and Soil Association Organic. These are certifications which require the farms to adhere to certain standards. And though free-range isn’t certified, it will be fine too. 

Don’t be fooled by Red Tractor logos – something Iceland and others offer on some poultry. These are the minimum legal animal welfare and food safety standards – which in reality doesn’t mean much if you are concerned about the life an animal led. Jamie Oliver has said he wouldn’t feed his kids anything labelled Red Tractor.

Only buy your chicken from certain supermarkets

If free-range or organic prove too expensive – and they can be – then you should buy your meat from supermarkets which have their own higher welfare policy. Though they won’t be at the same level as RSPCA Assured, they won’t be far off. 

I tend to buy my meat from two supermarkets. Waitrose’s basic “essential” fresh chicken meets RSPCA standards and Marks & Spencer has committed to meet higher standards across all poultry by 2026 (it already does a lot better than most with the bulk of its fresh chicken). 

One to avoid though would be Tesco, which according to this Huffington Post article sells more intensively farmed chicken than Asda and Morrisons combined.

Choose cheaper cuts

You can bring down the cost of your chicken if you switch breasts for thighs, which are generally cheaper and tend to have more flavour and moisture than chicken breasts. Skin-on will cost less, you just need to remove it. 

Use the whole bird

If you’re buying a whole chicken, don’t waste any of it. Get into the carcass and pick out all the bits to make sure your money and meat go further. You can even go one further and use the carcass to make chicken stock for use in soups and gravy.

Raid the reduced shelves

I do all the above, but my biggest savings are down to picking up some reduced to clear bargains. I’ll separate the packs into portions and then put them in my freezer. This makes shopping more affordable at supermarkets such as Waitrose or M&S where I know the standards are higher even if I’m not able to find free-range or organic.

Eat less of it

A few generations ago a chicken was a treat. Now it’s a daily meal in some households. Realistically the price of ethical chicken means most of us will have to eat less of it. But that’s no bad thing either – there’s a whole other article that could be written about farming and its impact on the environment, particularly cattle.

Lobby the supermarkets to change

Finally, you can sign up to the RSPCA’s Better Chicken Commitment campaign, which emails Tesco a message asking them to improve their standards.

March 13, 2019   |   Articles

How much mobile data do you really need?

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You’re probably paying for far more data than you actually use. Here’s how to work out the right allowance for your phone.

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Contents

  •  How to check how much data you use
  •  How to reduce how much data you need
  • Reduce how much you pay for your mobile data

Some articles on the blog contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund the blog. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or the blog’s independence. Read more here.

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It’s now more common than not for mobile deals to come with unlimited text messages and even unlimited minutes as standard, which I think is great. If these are standard it means the difference in tariff prices is often down to the size of your data allowance. So the more you pay, the more data you’ll have every month.

And I’ve seen some ridiculous deals recently offering huge amounts of data for quite low prices. Unlimited data for £20 a month seems good, doesn’t it? And it is. If you need unlimited data.

But I’m going to say that you don’t need unlimited data. Or 40GB. Even 12GB is more than most of you should be using. So even with these cut-price contract special offers, it’s likely your bill will still be bigger than it needs to be.

Instead you’ll probably be far better off with a lower allowance at an even lower price. The key is to work out how much data you need.

How to check how much data you use

If your network has an app or online account, there’s a good chance you can check your usage through it. You should see your history over the last few months, as well as the running total for the current month. If you don’t have this in our account, you can call up your network and ask them to share this data with you.

I’m with Three and the app shows I usually use just under 2GB each month, and my usage only edges closer to 3GB on occasion. I very, very rarely head towards 4GB, and never more than this.

From this data I know I don’t need more than 4GB – and that’s likely enough for the average user. It’s possible to find SIM-only deals at this level for under a tenner every month – which is probably a lot less than you’re paying now.

So, first of all, check your current usage and compare that to what you’re paying for. Just doing this could significantly cut your bill. The next step is to look at how you actually use the data in your allowance. 

How to reduce how much data you need

Me being me, I’m careful with my data usage. By using some simple tricks I avoid unnecessarily racking up the megabytes. You won’t be able to copy me 100%, but following these principles will mean you avoid wasting data. And the less data you waste, the lower monthly allowance you actually need.  

Download music and movies rather than stream

Movies and TV are two of the biggest drains on your data allowance. Streaming a two-hour movie in SD could use close to 2GB. If it’s in HD it’s double. So don’t stream video.

Instead you should download it when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. The videos are then ready for you to watch offline. You can do this with iPlayer, Netflix, Amazon Prime and NOW TV and the other catch up services too. 

Though music files are a lot smaller you should download your Spotify playlists and podcasts too. It takes no time at all.

Turn off mobile data

Once you’ve done this you need to turn off the ability for some apps to use mobile data. I do this for anything that could eat up a lot of data, so not just video and music apps. Doing this means they’ll only work when you’re connected to Wi-Fi. It’s easy to quickly flick this option back on if you do need to use the app via mobile data.

While you’re at it, you can go through all the settings on your phone to reduce background data use by apps. Pick and choose. You don’t need your email folder to constantly check for new messages, though you probably do want to get What’s App messages when they are sent.

Use Wi-Fi as much as you can

You should always be connected to Wi-Fi at home, and ideally at work too. This will reduce a huge amount of your data use.

Be careful though about using certain apps if the Wi-Fi isn’t secure. If you’re not sure, quickly flick back to mobile data to log-in to things like mobile banking or when paying for something. But most of the time if you’re just browsing the web this makes a big difference.

Watch out for auto-play videos

Even by following the above steps it’s possible to get caught out. Some webpages and apps will autoplay videos, often adverts. If you’re worried about your data allowance and this happens just close the tab on your browser. 

With social networks it’s worth checking the settings so videos only autoplay on Wi-Fi. You can still choose to watch those videos, but at least you’re in control.

Use data exempt apps

Some SIM deals will let you use certain apps without impacting your data usage. For example, Three has Go Binge with unlimited streaming of Netflix, Apple Music, Deezer and others; Sky Mobile includes unlimited Sky Go streaming; and EE offers six months of Apple Music and Amazon Video.

Carry unused data over

A couple of networks let you carry unused data over each month, rather than lose it. Sky, ID and Virgin are among those which allow data rollover, while Smarty will refund £1.25 to your bill for every 1GB you don’t use.

Reduce how much you pay for your mobile data

Once you know how much you actually need, it’s time to change what you pay. This might be as simple as moving down a level with your existing network. Or you could shop around to see what some of the smaller networks are offering – it’ll likely be cheaper.

But you can also use this information to haggle for a better deal. Some networks are desperate to keep you and will offer big discounts. I threatened to quit Three last month and in response they offered me 20GB for £15 a month.

I knew I didn’t need that much data, and I also didn’t want to pay that much money. So I stood firm. In the end I accepted an offer of 8GB for £10 – that’s £2 less than I’d previously been paying for just 4GB.

Even though that’s way more than I need, the price is at a level I’m happy to pay. And it also means I’ve got a little more wiggle room on data every month.

Read more about cutting the cost of your mobile phone

How to get the best price on your mobile phone contract and save

14 apps to save you money on your holiday

How to sell your old phone and make some money

March 6, 2019   |   Articles

Slow broadband? How to leave penalty free

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New rules should make it easier for you to get the broadband you’re paying for. Though it won’t solve wi-fi issues.

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Contents

Some articles on the blog contain affiliate links, which provide a small commission to help fund the blog. However, they won’t affect the price you pay or the blog’s independence. Read more here.

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There’s little more frustrating in modern life that bad broadband. My work is mainly online, so a decent connection is essential, and most of the time it’s sufficient. But when it comes to streaming films and TV, I’ve had to give up when dropped connections and slow speeds cause constant buffering. So some new rules this month are more than welcome.

Your new rights

There are a few parts to the ‘code of practice’. Although participation is voluntary, BT, Virgin, TalkTalk, Sky, EE and Plusnet have all signed up – which amounts to 95% of the market. Here’s what you can expect as a consumer:

Companies have 30 days to fix speed problems or let you leave fee-free

When I’ve had speed and connection issues my major frustration has been the cycle of deferment to get anything done. Most recently it took three or four calls to get an engineer booked to take a look at my Virgin connection. Hopefully this new rule will make providers act faster.

If they don’t you can cancel and take your business elsewhere. There are likely to be some great new customer deals for you to take advantage of. Though ask neighbours who they are with and what speeds they get – it could be a case of better the devil you know.

You can cancel TV and phone contracts at the same time

One major issue with bundled telecoms is you’re often tied into the other parts of your package even if you can leave one. Now, as long as you took out the additional services at the same time as your broadband, you can cancel them all without penalties if the speed issue isn’t fixed within 30 days.

You’ll be told the minimum speed you’ll get at peak times

This only really applies to new customers – though if you’re a keen money saver then this could be you every 12 to 18 months. Now when you sign up, you’ll be told the minimum guaranteed speed at peak times, which Ofcom says are 8pm to 10pm. It’s these hours, when more people are at home and more devices are being used that more strain is put on the broadband infrastructure, and speeds drop as a result.

This applies to all connections

Until now cable wasn’t included in fairness rules. These changes cover all connection types, whether copper, fibre or cable – as long as the provider is signed up.

Ofcom broadband rules graphic
Ofcom’s guide to the new rules

What it doesn’t cover

I’ve noticed more and more when I contact Virgin about low speeds that they try to fob the issues off as wi-fi problems.  So if the problem with speeds is actually down to the size of your house, positioning of walls or placement of the router, it won’t be something the code of practice covers. I think this will be the excuse used to get around the rules – though in fairness, the speeds advertised are only into the home via a connection.

How to improve bad wi-fi signal

You can try wi-fi boosters to help improve your signal. These include powerline adaptors you put plug sockets so the signal is transferred via the electrical wiring. You plug one into a socket near your router and connect them via a cable. Then you put your other adaptors in sockets in rooms the signal can’t reach. I installed a set similar to this at my parent’s house and it works well to give them coverage in a black spot.

However they didn’t work for me at my house, possible because the wiring was on different circuits. So I tried instead a wireless extender. This acts as a relay point and works well.  They can cost more though – this is the one I got on offer last Prime Day to make it more affordable.  and

Or if this doesn’t work, you can try very expensive “mesh” systems” (like this one from BT) which create a new network for you. Or something. 

How to check your internet speed

Ideally you should connect your computer or laptop to the router via a cable to get the most accurate speeds – and those are the figures the broadband companies will use as a benchmark. But you can test on wi-fi too to get an idea. I tend to use Speedtest.net on my devices (there’s an app for phones and tablets too), and Ofcom has it’s own checker too.

How to get cheaper broadband

I’ve written a few guides to help you cut what you pay for your internet connection. Take a read off the following articles to learn more:

How to cut the cost of your broadband and landline bills

How to beat broadband price hikes

The seven levels of Talk Talk hell

February 26, 2019   |   Articles

Are your debts a problem?

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Seven questions to help you decide if your debts are worse than you think.

The average total debt per UK household is currently £59,261 according to the Money Charity’s latest figures. That’s a mix of credit cards, loans and other types of borrowing such as mortgages. But take out mortgages and the average consumer credit debt stands at £7,863 per adult. The interest costs alone on that amount are going to be huge.

Those figures are averages. You could have more or you could have less. And they might be perfectly affordable for you. But there’s a risk, whatever the amount of the money you owe, that these debts are or soon could become a problem.

I’ve got seven questions for you. Have a think if they relate to you and your debts. Make a quick mental note of whether it’s “yes” or “no”.

1. Are you unsure of how much debt you have?

I’m not saying to the nearest penny, but could you say within £50 or £100? If not, total up the debt. This can be quite sobering.

2. Are you spending more than you earn?

I imagine for lots of people the answer is probably “I don’t know”. To find out you need to do a budget, something I wrote about here.

3. Do you need to use credit for everyday essentials?

By the end of the month, do you need to use a credit card or overdraft to get food from the supermarket or pay some bills?

4. Have you been rejected for credit?

This could be anything from a mortgage or credit card, down to a mobile phone contract.

5. Are you ashamed or worried about your debts?

This could manifest itself through hiding debts from your partner, losing sleep or being scared to open up bills.

6. Are you behind on repayments?

This isn’t just being behind or late on paying your bills. It could be you’re only making minimum repayments. Or you find direct debits or standing orders are bouncing.

7. Are you borrowing to pay your other debts?

This could be taking out payday loans or cash advances on credit cards just to clear other debts.

What do your answers mean?

Each of these, just on its own, is likely a sign you need to take action to avoid bigger problems. Hopefully you can sort this yourself by bringing down the cost of your borrowing and finding as much money as possible to clear the debts as fast as you can. I’ve shared a few ways to better manage your debts here.

But if you answered yes to a fair few, then it there’s a chance the situation is past a DIY resolution already. This means you need to get help. Don’t pay for this. There are lots of free and independent advice lines run by charities such as StepChange, Citizens Advice or NationalDebtLine. They’ll help you work out what’s best to do. This guest post from top debt blogger Debtcamel takes you through some of the steps you can take.

Want to read more?

What can you do if your debts are getting too big?

How to quickly clear your credit card debt

How to quickly clear your credit card debt

February 24, 2019   |   Articles

Be Clever With Your Cash is five!

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The highlights for me and the blog over the last 12 months.

I don’t write about me and the blog itself very often, but I find this anniversary each year is a good time to reflect on everything that has been going on. It’s actually been a huge year, with lots of change in my life, but all of it good.

This article is also an opportunity to thank you all for your continued support as the site turns five years old. I know the words I write and speak here on Be Clever With Your Cash can make such a difference to your finances, but without you reading, listening and watching it would all be quite meaningless. So thank you, thank you, thank you.

Here’s what been going on:

Leaving London, going freelance… and on to TV

At the end of February last year Becky and I upped sticks and moved to Yorkshire. The locals have a reputation for being a savvy bunch, so it seems like fate to have ended up here.

In another big change, last May I took the tough decision to go full time and leave the Money Advice Service where I’d been writing their blog for the previous four years, though only part-time for the last 18 months. I was looking forward to devoting more time to the blog, when quite unexpectedly a new opportunity came about… TV.

I’d had chats with TV production companies before, even making a “taster tape” at one point, but none ended up getting commissioned. This one was different, Channel 5 already wanted a new consumer series and the team at True North were looking for a money expert to be part of the team.

The initial chats were promising, and I hoped I’d get this small role on-screen to build upon my other TV experiences. You know that I did make the cut, alongside Gaby Roslin and Fiona Phillips. Shop Smart Save Money had an initial run of three episodes in June 2018, returned for another eight in the autumn.

I didn’t expect quite how large my role would end up being. I’m loving going out and meeting a different family each week, and even more so sharing tips and tricks every week in the studio. We’ve just started filming for another batch which will air in the spring – and I found out last week that I’ve been shortlisted for the Financial Broadcaster of the Year award at the Headlinemoney Awards for my work on the show. Exciting stuff!

The site

The TV work actually takes up as much time as my two days a week at the Money Advice Service, so sadly I’ve not been able to expand my time on Be Clever With Your Cash. But that doesn’t mean the blog hasn’t continued to do well.

One million different people have visited the site in the last 12 months, totalling 1.4 million different page views. Imagine one person saved £1 for each of those views… a huge amount of money saved, and I really think the figure could be much, much higher.

The articles and deals

I wrote a total of 122 articles, and regularly found and updated hundreds of deals. Once more I still didn’t have the time to write about everything I wanted to. My highlights, in case you missed them the first time around, are:

Sadly the last year saw the end of the popular NUS card trick, and it looks like Zeek’s cut-price gift cards are also now finished. So I’ll keep working hard to find new ways for you to get the best discounts and help your money go further.

The podcast & YouTube

Cash Chats clocked up 35,000 listens in 2018. Though I’ve taken a bit of a break over the last few months it’ll return in March with brand new episodes. Plus you can now listen on Spotify!

YouTube also took a bit of a back seat during filming, and with house renovations about to start these videos might not return for a few months. The most popular has been “Why I’m saying no to a smart meter“, which so far has had almost 5,000 views.

Another big award win

When I wrote the article for the site’s fourth birthday, my highlight was winning Financial Blog of the Year at the 2018 Headlinemoney awards. It says a lot about this year that winning it for a second time last May wasn’t the biggest news! But it was amazing to win the award again.

What do you think?

I’d love to know what you think about Be Clever With Your Cash so I can make it even better for you. If you have a few minutes, please do fill in the survey below.