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Updated July 15, 2025 | Published January 4, 2017 | Articles

2017: Six easy ways to make nearly £2,000

It’s all well and good to try and save money, but you should be thinking about earning extra cash too. And we’re talking decent sums of money – possibly more than £2,000.

Each of the money making actions I’ve listed below might take a little time, but they’re all easy to do. You can get through most of them in a couple of hours if you wanted, or spread them out over the next 12 months. To get the most of some you need to repeat the action through the year, but others are done once and will earn you cash every time you shop or pay a bill.

Do these alongside my six ways to save money in 2017 and you could be better off by £3,500 in a year – perhaps even more!

1. Switch (and switch again) your bank account

You could earn: £585 in 12 months

Time it takes: 20 to 30 minutes to open each account

Fancy a free £150? Of course you do. How about another £125, and another £100? It might seem too good to be true, but it isn’t.

Five banks are currently offering a cash bonus if you switch to them, and it’s possible to do four, possibly even all five over 12 months (you often need to wait a couple of month to get the bonus in your account).

With the current bonuses available you could earn a possible £585 tax-free cash in a year.

The switching guarantee means everything is moved for you, including future payments, though my tip is to open another account for your day to day banking (see below).

Warning: you will be credit checked each time you apply so make sure you’ve a decent rating and aren’t planning on applying for a mortgage

>> Here are all the current account switching offers

2. Get cashback on your household bills

You could earn: £100 plus (after fee)

Time it takes: 20 to 30 minutes to open a new account

Santander and NatWest both have accounts which give you money back on your bills.

Though each charges a fee, you should easily cover it with the cashback and make more on top. I’m pretty good at getting the lowest bills possible and I’m still up £100 a year. If you spend more on pay-TV or have lots of people using up energy, it could be even more.

The great thing about these accounts is you don’t have to switch from an old account. You can simply open it up as a new account, leaving you free to maximise the switching bonuses mentioned above.

>> How to choose which cashback current account is best for you

3. Spend with a cashback credit card

You could earn: £100

Time it takes: 15 minutes to apply

I rarely use cash or my debit card anymore. Instead, I’ll put as much as I can on my cashback credit cards, unless there’s an extra charge.

We’re not talking about huge amounts per purchase – probably just 1% per pound. But added up over a year and you should easily met £100, particularly since the best ones have sign up bonuses.

However, these cards are only worth it if you PAY THE BALANCE OFF IN FULL EACH MONTH. Sorry for shouting there but it’s soooooo important.

>> The best cashback credit cards

4. Shop via cashback sites

You could earn: £252

Time it takes: Five minutes to join each site, less than a minute extra each time you shop

Even more cashback? Yup! And it’s a good earner too. Quidco say the average earned each year is £252!

Pretty much every time I shop I start at either Quidco or TopCashback and search for the retailer I’m buying from. There’s also a new one called TBSeen, run by Kate Thornton.

Simply clicking through can earn me between 1% and 10% from my shop. It’s even more when you’re looking at broadband, TV and mobile switching.

Plus use your cashback credit card and you’re earning twice.

>> See how you can earn even more with an exclusive sign-up bonus at Quidco

5. Make decent money on your savings

You could earn: £286 or more

Time it takes: 20 to 30 minutes to open a new account

With rates so low, you might think there’s no point trying to earn interest on your savings – but it’s still possible to get 5%, even if it’s just on small amounts of cash.

There are less options than in 2016, but my top pick is to open a Nationwide FlexDirect account, where you can save £2,500 and earn 5% for the first year – a total of £125 earned.

Then you can open a Nationwide regular savings account and save a further £500 a month, also at 5%. Put in the full £6,000 over the year and you’ll earn an extra £161.

There are other accounts worth considering if you’ve more money to put away such as Lloyds (2%) and TSB (2.5%), while First Direct and M&S also offer 5% regular savers for customers.

Again, you don’t usually have to switch accounts to get these offers, simply open up a new account instead.

>> Find out which current accounts have the best interest rates

6. Check for any money owed

You could earn: £600

Time it takes: Five minutes to check bills and bank statements, then however long to call and claim your money back

I’ve switched energy, broadband and my mobile twice each in the last two years, and each time I’ve been owed money by the old company. That’s my money they’ve kept and wouldn’t have given back if I hadn’t asked.

There are other places where you might be due some cash. If you’ve returned an item to a shop, especially if it’s online, have you got a refund? Have you been overcharged on any bills? Has anything broken within its warranty you could take back?

All of these can and will boost your bank balance this year – I found £600 of this type of money in the first six months of last year.

>> How I found £600 of lost money

Updated July 15, 2025 | Published June 15, 2016 | Articles

New TSB cashback credit card: do I need my Amex?

Andy Webb

There’s a new cashback credit card in town from TSB, offering 1% back on your spend. I’ve crunched the numbers to see how it compares to other cards.

This month TSB launched the Platinum 20 Month Purchase Credit Card. What makes it interesting is it offers 1% cashback on all purchases. That’s not too far off the 1.25% I get with my American Express. I love my Amex, but it’s still not accepted everywhere, and it comes with a £25 fee – so could this new TSB be a better bet?

First, here’s a look at what the two cards offer:

TSB Platinum cashback credit card

1% cashback on first £500 spend each month until 30th September 2017
5% cashback on first £100 spent via Apple Pay until 31st December 2016
20 months interest-free purchases
You need to have a TSB Classic Plus current account

This card could be a nice little earner. If you spend £500 every month on the TSB Platinum 20 Month card, you’ll get a fiver. Over a year that’s £60 in free money.

On top of this, there’s another £5 a month available until Christmas if you spend using Apple Pay. Plus, to get this account you need to have a TSB Classic current account, which offers a similar 5% cashback spend on the debit card via contactless until 31st December. So there’s a potential £30 more to be made this year.

If you really want to push your returns, you could also take advantage of the interest-free period. Rather than paying the credit card off in full each month you could move that money into a high rate interest account or regular saver account where you’ll be earning another 4-5%. Just make sure you pay the card off when the 20 months end!

Another advantage is this Mastercard TSB will work with the Supercard and Curve card (more on these soon), meaning you can keep earning cashback when spending money abroad.

One downside though is if you spend more than £500 a month, or £700 if you include Apple Pay and the current account, you won’t earn an extra cashback.

American Express Platinum Cashback Credit Card

1.25% cashback
2.5% for one month each year if you spend £10,001 in a year
5% in first three months on spend up to £2,500
£25 annual fee

If you don’t have either card, I think the American Express Platinum Cashback card is the best option, at least for one year. The 5% on a £2,500 spend is worth £100 after the fee – a great extra if you’re spending that much and are able to pay it off in full every month.

Since I’ve already got the card, I only get a bonus 2.5% month every year, and only if I’ve spent £10,000 in the previous 12 months – that’s £800 a month. Since not everywhere takes Amex, and I use my Santander 123 card for travel (see bottom of this article), that’s not necessarily going to happen.

Still, even just 1.25% is a better rate,and you earn get the cashback if you spend more than £500 each month – perfect for big purchases.

Also, Amex run special offers throughout the year that provide even more cashback. I’ve just redeemed one for a £30 statement credit when spending £100 at Selfridges, and these can easily add up to £100 a year – if not more.

How much do you need to spend for the Amex to be the better option

An annual spend of £6,800 (equivalent to £567 a month) on the Amex would earn £85 cashback a year. Once you remove the £25 fee that’s the same as spending £500 a month on the TSB card. So you will earn more cashback for every additional pound you spend.

However, if you used the full Apple Pay and contactless TSB offers you’d need to spend £9,200 a year (£767 a month) on the Amex to earn the same £90 (after the fee).

Factor in the TSB’s 20 months 0% purchase option and you need to spend even more on the Amex to compete. However, you will have a credit limit – i.e. how much you can spend on the card – meaning there’s probably just £2,500 to £3,000 you could keep in savings.

Remember, you only get cashback on full pounds. Amounts will be rounded down, so £1.99 is the same as £1 as far as the banks are concerned.

Also, only spend on credit cards if you’re confident you can pay them off each month – or before the end of 0% period – otherwise you’re be paying far more in interest than you’d make in cashback.

So will I ditch my Amex?

It’s a tricky one, but I think I’m going to try the TSB. There’s very little in it based on how much I’d probably spend on the cards, but the 0% spending aspect and the ability to connect it to the Supercard give it a slight edge.

That doesn’t mean I’m going to give up on American Express completely. There is a Platinum Cashback Everyday card which doesn’t have an annual fee. The cashback rates are less – 0.5% for the first £3,500, eventually leading up to 1.25% – but I’d still have access to the statement credit offers.

A little note about the Santander 123 cashback credit card

The decision was a little more complicated for me as I’ve also got a Santander 123 cashback credit card. I get 3% back on all petrol and travel spend, up to a max of £9 a month. We generally get £6 or £7 back each month, which after the fee is worth around £50 each year. So there’s £300 or so each month we wouldn’t be spending on either the Amex or TSB card.

Sadly, if you don’t already have the card, new customers are capped at £3 back on travel, which is cancelled out by the £3 a month fee, so it’s not really worth it. Due to this I didn’t factor this card into the calculations above.

Updated July 15, 2025 | Published May 15, 2018 | Articles

Why 0% currency commission is a lie

Andy Webb

Don’t fall for the false promises to get the best rates on your currency.

Commission-free sounds great, doesn’t it? Why wouldn’t you go to that bank or bureau de change to get your currency? It surely means you’re not getting charged a penny – not one penny – to swap your sterling for euros, dollars and yen. Except it doesn’t.

These banks and bureau de changes still make cash by setting their own exchange rate. Yes, it’s based on the real rate, but there’s no rule that says it has to be the same. So the claim you’re getting something without commission just isn’t true.

And it’s not just small places claiming to offer 0% commission on currency conversions. Big brands such as Post Office, Asda and Lloyds all say the same.

Of course, I’m not saying these places shouldn’t make money from the transaction. If they didn’t how would they pay staff or cover overheads? But it’s the sneaky way they promote the exchange as fee-free. They’re all claiming to be saving you money, when really using them for your travel money well be costing you cash.

The hidden charges in the exchange rates

Since the profit is being hidden in exchange rates rather than an extra commission, it’s not easy to spot exactly how much you’re being charged. To do so you need to know the real rate the banks themselves use, but even then it’s unlikely the extra will be clear.

And as the banks and bureaus set the rates themselves, there can be a huge difference in what you get for your money.

I’ve visited some local banks and businesses today to find out their rates, and crunched some numbers based on converting pounds into €100. At Natwest, it would cost £92.35, and at Lloyds it would be £92.22. At the Post Office it would work out as a huge £96.15! And if you leave it until you reach the airport, then it’s likely you’ll pay even more.

Without knowing the real rate these numbers don’t mean much, do they? Well the real “interbank” rate, which at the time of writing was 1.1379 euros per £1, puts the cost of €100 at £87.90. That means those places are taking roughly between 5% and 9.5% on each transaction. So much for zero commission!

These were just the rates I found in my local town by popping into the first three places I came across. You can get a far better rate if you do want cash. For example, if you went to Thomas Exchange in London’s Holborn today you’d get your €100 for £88.93. That’s £6.22 less than the Post Office would have charged per £100, and only £1 more than the real exchange rate.

And it is possible to get even closer to the interbank rate if you use a specialist travel credit or debit card. The Halifax Clarity credit card or Starling bank account, for example, would convert at £88.18. That’s likely to be the best you’ll get.

You might be thinking it’s only a few quid, but that’s just for buying €100. If you like to take lots of cash with you (or need to because you’re going somewhere remote), that £9 the cost office makes on €100 can quickly add up.

Why exchange rates can vary so much

Obviously there’s making a profit and covering costs, but there are a number of other factors which could affect how much you pay each time you convert.

First, how much competition is there near you? In London there are dozens of smaller bureau de changes undercutting each other to get your business. Out of the bigger towns and cities though there is less choice, and you could well pay more.

You might even get charged more depending on how much you convert. The Post Office example I gave wasn’t actually on the electronic board. The rate displayed was actually less, but you had to exchange at least £1,000. Even then though it’d have been the equivalent of £91.24 per €100. Better, but not great, and I’m sure lots of people don’t even realise they’d get a worse rate than what was displayed if they wanted less travel cash.

And just because those were the rates I found in my Post Office, it doesn’t mean you’d get the same as each branch has the ability to set a different rate. The Post Office even highlights this on its website FAQs:

“Do all your branches have the same rate? No. Branch exchange rates depend on several factors like branch location, competition, cost of order, convenience, etc. We will always try and offer the best rate, subject to this criteria”.

Confusingly, you can actually get yet another rate at the Post Office by pre-ordering for collection – not something that I saw advertised in my local branch. Today €100 would cost £90.41 this way, lower than just turning up, so if you really need to get your money from the Post Office it’s well worth ordering online to collect.

How to get the cheapest cash for your holiday

1. Use a comparison site

I always use travelmoneymax.com. Enter how much you want to get and your postcode to see the cheapest options.

2. Order in advance

The best rates, even those identified through a comparison site, will normally require you to order in advance. This locks in the rate too, so you’ll know exactly what you’re going to get for your money.

If you do forget and you’re at the airport, then even then you can get online and order to collect rather than walking up to the counter.

3. Collect if you can

The cheapest is always to collect, but you can get prices based on delivery.

4. Get a specialist travel money card

The cheapest way though is to get a card such as the Starling or Monzo current accounts or Halifax Clarity Credit Card. Payments with these are fee-free, and you can get cash out too without charge – though of course there could be extra fees added by the foreign bank.

>> READ MORE: How I get the best travel money

How I get the best value travel money

Updated July 15, 2025 | Published October 7, 2018 | Articles

Budget long-haul flights: Can you really avoid the extra charges?

Andy Webb

Yes the fare seems a bargain, but there’s a good chance you’ll have to pay more by adding on hold baggage, seat reservations and food.

Thanks to EasyJet and Ryanair, we’re used to flying no-frills for a lower price. And in the last few years, the rise of budget transatlantic airlines has had a big impact on the traditional carriers.

Both BA and Virgin now offer a basic rate that doesn’t include hold baggage, cutting rates by around £60 on a return journey. And I’m sure it’s no coincidence that this has coincided with increased competition and some of the lowest fares to the USA I’ve ever seen. Good news for consumers.

But it could be too good to be true. Just last week one of these challenger airlines went bust with no notice, leaving thousands of passengers stranded. Primera Air – which only launched long-haul trips from the UK in March – promised £99 one-way flights to the US but found the budget business model and high fuel prices impossible to tally.

And in reality, whether with BA, Virgin, Wow or Norwegian, I’m not sure these lower prices are a real representation of what you’ll actually end up paying.

On a weekend city break in Europe you should be able to pack light and take a few snacks for the journey. Even not sitting together isn’t a massive problem. It’s a different story flying further afield.

For a start, you’re likely to be going for a week at least – meaning more or heavier bags. Then you’re going to be on a plane for eight or more hours – so food and drink, as well as seat choice, become more important. And each of these adds to the expense, making the budget price not so attractive as it first seemed.

Can you really avoid the long-haul flight extra charges?

I wanted to put the budget prices to the test. So on my recent trip to Orlando for a money bloggers conference, I chose to fly with Norwegian Air.

My ticket was £325 and that was the cheapest option available at the time of booking. To check in a bag it would cost £35 each way. To choose my seat it was also £25 each way. And food and drink, another £25 per flight. There was also an option to get all three for £50 more, so £100 return.

But my mission was to avoid these extras as much as possible and keep to the basic option. Here’s how I fared.

Baggage

The weight limit for carry on with Norwegian is 10kg across two bags – one small suitcase and another smaller bag. That’s not much at all when going away for a week. Still I can travel light and I aimed to pack as little as possible.

It’s always difficult to gauge weight so during Amazon’s Prime Day I snapped up a cheap luggage scales gadget so I attached it to my suitcase. 12kg!!

I ditched the laptop and charger, but that still wasn’t enough. So out went a few items of clothing. I was just over the weight limit but there was literally nothing else I could go without. I basically had clothes for each day and toiletries.

My hope that I could get away with it were dashed at check-in. All carry on bags were weighed. So in the queue I stuffed my coat and jeans pockets with as much as I could. Plug adapters, my kindle, swimming goggles, business cards, glasses case.

The final weigh-in was 9.6kg. I’m not sure how much the stuff if my pockets weighed but it would have been tight. If I’d been overweight, I’d have had to pay £70 to put my bag in the hold – double the advance rate.

Once through security I repacked, but had a fright at the depature gate. At random some passengers were having their bags weighed again! Fortunately I wasn’t selected and managed to get onboard with my slightly overweight bag at no extra cost.

On my return I decided to take the hit and pay £35 in advance. I’d bought a few things in a spare moment not working and didn’t want to risk the £70 fee at the desk. Fortunately I’d factored in that £35 against the prices I paid when shopping – otherwise it’d have been cheaper to buy things back home. But it certainly reduced my savings.

Result: Tough but possible if you’re going for less than a week and travel light. If you’re travelling as a couple then you could check just one bag each way. But I think most of the time you’ll need to factor in between £25 and £50 on top of the ticket price you see.

Other airlines

On the flights I checked, just taking carry on with Virgin’s Economy Light fare saves you £50 each way, but there’s the same 10kg limit. You’ll pay £45 to check-in a bag if you change your mind or if your carry on is too heavy.

But if you’re travelling on BA’s Basic Economy then you have a much higher weight limit – 23KG per bag, and you get to bring a small handbag or laptop case as well as your suitcase. It looks like it’s another £30 each way per person to check in a bag. This is the best of the bunch.

WOW Air’s Basic fare only includes a small bag as carry on. And I mean small. Think laptop size. You need to pay close to £40 to bring a bigger carry-on suitcase, and that has a weight limit of 12kg, The airline also charges £51.99 during booking, and increases in tiers up to £74 if you are forced to check in hand luggage at the gate. That’s the cost one-way!

Seat choice, boarding and ticket flexibility

I was travelling on my own so I wasn’t fussed about my seat. At least not fussed enough to pay £50 extra.

If you don’t pay up front you have a seat automatically assigned to you on check-in. If you don’t like it you are meant to pay £25 to change it, though I’m sure if you ask nicely they’ll try to accommodate requests. I forgot to ask for an aisle seat, but I got one anyway.

If you travel as a couple or group on the same booking you should be sat together, but the only way to guarantee this is to pay. I’ve been on flights where families have been separated leaving kids on their own!

Equally if you want to avoid sitting by the loos, or like the idea of exit row seats, you’ll have to pay.

Boarding was the same for everyone, filling up the plane from the back to the front.

Flexibility also comes at a cost. You can’t change the lowest prices with Norwegian at all.

Result: While you can avoid the seat fee, I imagine plenty of people will decide to stump up the cash. Again, that’s at least £50 more for a return flight per person.

Boarding is trickier, but if you’re at the gate on time and among the first of your boarding group to get on the plane you’ll hopefully be ok.

If you think there’s a chance you might need to change the day or time you fly then the extra cost to have a (sort of) flexible ticket may be worth it, especially if you’re already paying more to check in luggage.

Other airlines

Both BA and Virgin will charge you extra to choose your seat in advance if you choose a basic fare. Virgin allows you to pick your seat at check-in.

Virgin has standard boarding, with no option to upgrade to priority boarding. On BA you are the last to get on the plane – no matter where your seat it. This could increase the chance you won’t be able to put your bags above your seat. You could even have them put in the hold if the plane is full.

Wow Air is a lot cheaper. It charges £7.99 for priority boarding and £3.99 to get a budget seat.

Neither Virgin and BA allow any changes with their basic fares. Again, this flexibility comes with the next tier of pricing – though you will pay further fees if you need to make alterations.

Food & drink

Food is the easiest win. Airline food is notoriously bad. At best its disappointing. It’s never good. Plus I always end up starving while I wait for the first meal, then stuffed when they bring out the second just a few hours later. So I’m very happy to skip in-flight food.

Instead you can either bring your own sarnies and snacks to get you through. My outward flight was delayed by three hours, so my expected two hours wait turned into five, and the flight was another nine. That’s a long time just on snacks!

So I grabbed a full English from Wagamamas (yes, really), and a meal-deal from Boots for a mid-flight meal. This was topped up by pre-purchased supermarket extras.

In total I spent £18 on food. You could say I’d have been better off just paying the £25 for the plane food, but I’d still have needed to get something beforehand. So I think I saved £15 on my outward flight by not adding this option to my ticket. The return flight was overnight so I go by just on a few more snacks.

I’ll always bring a few bottles of water with me. You can bring empty ones through with your carry-on bags, and most airports have a fountain for you to top them up. Even so, even Norwegian will give you free water if you ask nicely.

If you like a mid-flight tipple there’s obviously no alcohol included either. I’m not much of a drinker on flights, especially long haul. I get dehydrated enough without adding in booze. So it’s not a great loss to me. But if you do like your free wine or whiskey when flying, then bear this in mind.

There is the opportunity to buy food and drink on board with Norwegian. A bottle of water was $3 (roughly £2.30 at the time of writing), while a sarnie was $7. A small wine or craft beer was around £5.

Result: Due to my delay I spent more than I expected at the airport, but I still enjoyed a better meal and could eat on the plane as and when I wanted. And I did this for less than the add-on price. Though drinks are included in the £25 meal charge, I didn’t miss not having booze on tap. This is an easy saving for everyone.

Other airlines

You’ll get the full meal and drink service with all long-haul fares from BA and Virgin. It’s extra with WOW and must be pre-ordered.

Entertainment & extras

The film selection with Norwegian was pretty poor, and quite small. However I’d downloaded lots of programmes on the iPlayer and Netflix apps, and brought my Kindle, so it was no great loss.

There’s no pillow or blanket with Norwegian, but you still get this included with bigger airlines. Norwegian also charge $3 for headphones, so make sure you bring your own.

Result: These definitely aren’t worth paying more for if you’ve got the tech to use yourself. Bring a neck pillow if you need one and don’t forget layers.

Other airlines

You shouldn’t need to pay for headphones with BA and Virgin, and you should get a better and bigger selection of films.

You’ll also get your blanket and pillow with Virgin and BA. Saying that, the days of getting an eye mask and toothbrush from Virgin are long gone.

Conclusion

As expected, the reality of the low fare was that it was near impossible to travel without topping up – so always treat the headline price as a starting point.

You should be able to work around the extras for food, drink, priority boarding and the little extras. But I’d expect almost all of you will need to add on at least £60 for carry-on luggage, and potentially another £50 return to pick your seat.

The only airline where it could work is with BA with the higher weight limit on carry-on bags. Since you also get your food and drink included it’s probably worth paying a little more to fly with them than a cheaper airline where you need to buy add-ons.

Updated July 15, 2025 | Published October 3, 2018 | Articles

When online supermarket shopping goes bad – and how to fix it

Andy Webb

With Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Amazon all offering same-day grocery delivery, it’s never been easier to get your groceries brought to your door – and there are plenty of offers out there to encourage you to try. But is it worth it when you add in extra charges and ridiculous substitutions?

The pros of online supermarket shopping are pretty obvious. Yes, it’s convenient that I can order from my sofa. Yes, having heavy items brought to my door when I want them is great. And yes, there are no massive queues.

Even better there aren’t any bored toddlers screaming the shop down (though you might have that at home…). It can save you cash too if you stick to a list and avoid impulse “special offers”. Plus there are lots of discounts for new customers. All good reasons to order food online.

However, I’ve mixed feelings about online supermarket shopping. You might have spotted in the news this week that an Asda driver refused to help a heavily pregnant woman carry her shopping up the stairs. This isn’t unusal, and many supermarkets say they won’t carry the items up flights of stairs – some won’t even bring good beyond the front door. In this instance Asda apologised (and offered a bottle of champagne – for a pregnant woman!), but it’s just one example where online shopping supermarket deliveries aren’t as great as they sound.

I think the downsides can often outweigh any of the benefits. Still, even with these in mind, there are solutions.

When online grocery deliveries go bad – and how to fix it

I’ve eight key frustrations as listed below, plus how you can work around them if you feel the same.

1. Delivery charges and minimum orders

I hate to pay extra for any delivery. It’s probably unfair as there will obviously be costs involved, from the picker to the delivery driver – and if we drive to a supermarket instead we’d pay for petrol anyway.

Still it’s annoying that you can pay up to £8 a delivery. And all supermarkets have a minimum order, ranging from £25 to £60, sometimes forcing you to buy more than you actually need.

How to beat it: You can often cut the delivery costs by ordering for weekdays and off-peak times.

Plus by saving up certain items for one big order you might be able to get free delivery (e.g. Sainsbury’s is £100, Waitrose £60).

If you’d prefer to shop online almost every week then a few supermarkets offer Saver Passes, with greatly reduced delivery fees paid up front.

2. Quality of fresh produce & short use by dates

If I can I don’t order easily damaged fruit and veg like salad leaves or berries. These are the products I always inspect in a supermarket, making sure they aren’t too bashed.

But you can’t do that with online orders. Even if ones delivered have survived the trip, they rarely last long.

Often that’s because the use by or best before dates can be very short. It’s not just fruit and veg. I’ve had yoghurt, meat, bread and more which need to be eaten in a day – all things I’d avoid if I picked it myself.

How to beat it: If something arrives that’s not up to scratch, you can send it back when you receive the items.

If you don’t notice until later on, then get on to customer services. I’ve had bad items refunded to my card this way, but you’ll need to do this within a day or two.

3. Substitutions / missing items

It’s rare I get a full order delivered, and often the substitutions are a little odd, or just stupid.

How to beat it: if there are essential ingredients you need on a certain day, try to get that order a few days before. Then you’ve time to pick up any missing items at an actual shop.

Most supermarkets allow you to turn off substitutions, though seeing as you can reject unsuitable ones at the door I generally see what come along – even if I tend to send most back as unsuitable.

4. You can’t pick up reduced bargains

I unashamedly enjoy checking out the reduced aisle at the supermarket (to be honest I’m a little addicted). There can be real bargains found, and with online orders you not only lose out on this, you might even be paying full price for something that should really have a yellow sticker.

How to beat it: Sadly no online supermarket offers reduced stock (though there is Approved Foods – well worth a look).

5. It can take longer to shop

At a supermarket you can whip down an aisle and see everything available in just a few seconds. Online it’s death by scrolling, or just as bad it requires endless clicks of “show me more”.

How to beat it: Don’t browse. Instead just buy what you actually need. And since you’re in your home it’s easy to look in the cupboards and fridge to see what’s missing. It’ll save you money too!

6. Lack of available delivery times

The later you leave your order, the more inconvenient a delivery slot you’ll get. Plus they’re often more expensive at peak times such as weekends, or in the days leading up to Christmas.

How to beat it: Not only are some slots cheaper the further in advance, you can change your order with most supermarkets the day before, if not on the day. So if you think you’ll want a delivery just throw in a few expensive things (e.g. Champagne) to lock in your slot and process the payment. Then edit or cancel it nearer the time.

7. The bags

Please, no more bags…

How to beat it: Some supermarkets will allow bagless deliveries. I’ve started to order without bags from Waitrose and I bring a box to the front door. The delivery driver empties the food into this and I then carry it through to my kitchen. It adds a minute tops to the whole process. Or if you order via Ocado or Morrisons you can give back unwanted bags and get a refund for each one.

8. Late or early deliveries

Finally, despite booking a set slot, it’s rare my orders arrive during that time. More often they are late, or even early. That’s fine if you don’t have plans, but I generally do!

How to beat it: Sadly you’re at the whim of the driver here.

In part two of this series I’ve compared the services you get from the different supermarkets, including last delivery times, new member special offers, and whether the driver will take your order past your front door.

What are loyalty card points worth?

Updated July 15, 2025 | Published August 14, 2018 | Articles

Tipping point: How much should I leave in restaurants?

Andy Webb

Tipping has got tricky when eating out. Here’s how to navigate the minefield.

It used to be simple. You’d leave some money for your waiter if the service was good. But more often than not, I’m finding this “discretionary” charge automatically added to the bill. The implication is you’ve got to pay it, even if the food arrived cold or your side of chips never made it to the table.

How much you should tip seems to vary depending on where you are. 10% used to be the standard here in the UK, but in London you’ll most likely see 12.5% recommended, maybe even 15%. And in Yorkshire, where I now live, tipping isn’t generally expected when you eat out (though it’s appreciated!).

And then there are questions over who actually gets the money. Will it go to your waiter or waitress? Will the management pocket it themselves?

Here’s more on these and some of the tipping dilemmas I struggle with – and some advice on what you can do in the same situations.

How much should I tip?

I’ve seen more and more examples recently of the tip in restaurants set at 12.5% or even 15% – and I can’t work out why.

Yes in the USA you can easily pay 20% in tips when you eat out, but here wait staff are far better paid. There’s no reason to increase it for standard service.

I stick to 10% for decent service in the UK, rounding up if the experience has been exceptional, and I think that’s still a fair rule of thumb for everyone to follow.

Who gets the tip in restaurants?

I’m sure you remember the micro-scandal a few years back when it was revealed some of the big restaurant chains took an admin fee from tips left by customers. A backlash meant places like Pizza Express cut this charge and made sure all the money went to the service staff – but it still goes on in other restaurants.

In fact, a “service charge” on your bill might not even get to employees at all. Though many will pass it on, there’s no guarantee any of it will end up in a waiter’s pocket.

Some places will also pool all tips and distribute among all the waiting staff, others might split it between front and backroom staff. I’m not saying splitting tips like this is wrong – I don’t know how much they get paid compared to the waiters – but since every restaurant has a different policy, it’s impossible to know where your money goes.

It’s definitely worth discretely asking who gets the money so you can make a call before handing anything over.

Is a cash tip better than one on a card?

This is probably one of the bigger difficulties with tipping today. It seems cash tips are better for the staff as they are more likely – though not guaranteed – to get to keep any physical money you leave for them. However, I rarely have much cash on me since I pay with cards most of the time.

What do you do if the tip is automatically added to the bill?

More often than not, I’m also finding a service charge is already calculated and added to a bill (and often at 12.5% rather than 10%).

For a start, this takes away any discretionary choice you have. If the food or service wasn’t up to scratch, it’s a whole lot harder to not pay it. And, even if it was good, the industry seems to want to make 12.5% the new standard tip – despite wages going up.

You can of course say you’re not paying the full suggested tip if you think it’s too much. Yes it’s awkward and potentially embarrassing, but that’s what the restaurants are relying on. And remember you might not be stiffing the waiter – it could be going into the restaurant’s coffers instead.

What if it’s bad food but good service?

This is a tricky one. Tipping is a service charge, but how often have you reduced your tip because the food wasn’t up to scratch, even if the service has been fine? Really you’re punishing the waiter or waitress for mistakes made in the kitchen, which doesn’t seem fair.

A while back I was out with my wife and her mum at a nice Yorkshire Dales pub. My meat was overcooked, so I nervously asked the waiter about it. The staff were fantastic about it, bought out a perfectly cooked replacement and thoroughly deserved a decent tip. A far better solution than me not enjoying my meal and not leaving a tip.

Of course, it happens the other way around too. Some friends and I were completely forgotten about for hours at a recent meal. The food itself was good (when it arrived) but we probably only tipped 2% in rounding up the bill.

If it is bad food, you’re better off asking for the items in question to be taken off the bill – though make sure you’ve said something during the meal rather than when you ask to pay.

And what about when you’re using a voucher?

I love deals that cut how much I spend on meals out, but I try to be aware of what the smaller bill means to the wait staff and boost what I leave.

Recently I took advantage of an offer on Three’s Wuntu app which gave me a £3 main at Bella Pasta. 10% would be 30p. But on the menu, that main was £12 odd. It’s a big difference so I Ieft £4 in total. But when I’m looking at smaller discounts I tend not to worry.

Food & drink deals (May 2021)

Updated July 15, 2025 | Published July 12, 2018 | Articles

When did you last check your bank statement? Nine things to look for

Andy Webb

Mistakes, forgotten direct debits, auto-renewals – just some of the reasons extra cash could be hidden in your bank and credit card statements – if you check them.

I’ve some top things to look out for to make sure you aren’t missing out on YOUR money.

A few weeks back I got a letter in the post from Santander. Nothing strange about that, except I’d closed my account there in early 2017. It turned out some money had been returned to the account rather than the new one – and I hadn’t realised. And it was a decent sum too, just over £180. Really I should have picked this up by checking my bank statements. And normally I do!

A couple of years ago I bought a Reiss suit in the online sales. It was a bargain and one I’d had my eye on for a while. A few days before it was delivered to the store (free delivery naturally), I happened to see it available in a shop. I tried it on, but sadly decided it wasn’t the right fit. The terms and conditions of delivery said uncollected orders would be sent back after 14 days and a refund issued. So I left it.

But checking my statements I saw the refund hadn’t come. I chased and found my order was just sitting in the shop. I’m sure at some point it would have been sent back to their warehouse, but who knows when. And in that time my money wasn’t available for me to spend or earn interest on.

It’s not just purchases where errors happen. As I’ve written about before, I’ve had to claw back money owed to me when switching broadband provider on a couple of occasions. I assumed the money would be automatically refunded, but checking my bank statement it was clear it wasn’t.

These aren’t the only times I’ve found errors, so I expect the same has happened to you – but they can be easy to miss! So you need to check all your payments in and out. I know it’s a big ask and it’s easy to forget what you spent by the time the statement comes through, but online and mobile app banking can make it a lot easier to check on a daily or weekly basis.

To help you, here are my top things to look for each month:

1. Old direct debits

Just like I had with Sky and TalkTalk after I cancelled, your last payment might be too much. Or even worse, it might not be stopped! Get in touch to make sure you get the money back.

You should check active direct debits too, just to make sure you’ve not been overcharged.

2. Double charges

If you’ve ever had a payment machine go wrong on you, you should get a receipt that says the payment was cancelled. Check this is the case.

If you are buying online and the page crashes, there’s no sure way to know you didn’t get charged until you see your statement.

3. Contactless payments

I love contactless. It makes paying so much quicker. But, there’s also the danger, especially when you’re at a bar, that you simply just tap and go without properly checking the amount you’ve been charged. I’ll annoy the cashier/bar person by always asking for a receipt, but you’ll know exactly what you’ve paid. If you don’t want to do that, you’ll need to look at your bank statement.

>> Is contactless your friend or foe?

4. Auto-renewals and subscriptions

Sign up for something like a magazine or annual insurance policy and there’s a good chance you’ve agreed for auto-renewal. But six or 12 months on you’re bound to have forgotten. Ideally put a note in your diary to cancel, or you might even be able to put the cancellation in straight away. The same goes for any free trial you take out but don’t want to continue.

If you do see a charge come through, call the company ASAP as there may be a cooling off period where you can cancel and get a refund.

5. Things you didn’t buy

A few years back my credit card was cloned in America. Checking my statement showed I’d been charged for about $600 of shopping at the US department store JC Pennys. I knew I hadn’t been there so it was a quick and easy call to get the card stopped.

Annoyingly, you’ll often see charges to companies you’ve never heard of, but they usually are just coming through under a parent company name for a place you have actually shopped with, particularly online. But if there’s anything you aren’t sure about, it’s worth a quick google search or calling to check with the bank.

6. Refunds

As I found with my suit order, just because someone says you’ll get a refund, it doesn’t mean you actually will! If I hadn’t looked out for the money in statements it’s easy to assume it’s all gone through.

7. Money you’ve lent to friends

Has a friend said they’ll transfer you some cash you lent on a night out or a meal tab you’ve picked up? It’s easy to forget these payments so I’d advise to keep an eye on your online banking or app and chase your friend if it doesn’t come through.

>> How friends can use your mobile phone number to pay you money

8. Points and cashback

I earn cashback on pretty much everything I spend on my American Express, and sometimes there are additional offers. Most of the time they come through fine, but at times I’ve had to call up. Check you’re getting all the points or cashback you’re entitled too.

9. Interest

You’ll know by now that I’m a big fan of switching bank and taking advantage of the different offers available for doing so. One of the main ones is to get up to 5% interest on savings. However, with each of these switches there are terms and conditions such as requiring a certain number of Direct Debits or paying in a minimum amount each month. If these don’t happen, you don’t get your interest.

Last year I realised I wasn’t getting the interest on my Lloyds Club account. And the reason? One of my charity Direct Debits had been cancelled by the charity! I’ve no idea why, but it meant I’d misssed out on two months of interest.

>> See if you could be better off switching bank with the latest offers

Updated July 15, 2025 | Published January 2, 2019 | Articles

Fix your finances in 2019 pt1: Know your money

Andy Webb

If you’re looking to finally get on top of your finances this year, this series of blog posts will help you kick things off.

Over the next few weeks I’ll be giving you tips on managing your debts, your savings and your spending – all essential to being in control of your finances.

But first, and most importantly, you need to do a little bit of prep. Think of it a bit like a warm-up before doing exercise.

At its most basic that means following a few simple steps to work the real state of your money, and then setting up some low hassle way to keep track.

You need to do this before anything else as it’ll make sure you focus in the right place. Say your goal for the year is to save more. That’s great, and I’ll show you ways to help in a few weeks. But it might be your energy would be better spent elsewhere.

Here’s what you need to do:

1. Make some time

If you’re serious about sorting things out, then set aside a couple of hours this week. It’s never going to be as enticing as other options, but it will be worth it.

Grab a beer or glass of wine, out some music on, gather your bills and statements and get your head down.

2. Work out your bottom line

In an ideal world you’ll set up a budget. For me that means using a spreadsheet to put all my income and spending together in one place. It’s actually really simple and it’ll give you the most accurate indicator of where any problems might be.

Just list out what you’re spending every month in one column and everything coming into your account in another column. Everything. Then subtract the spending from your income to see whether you’re spending within or outside your means. It’s well worth doing it.

There are also online tools like the Money Advice Service budget planner that can help, or even workbooks and diaries you can buy for this. Go for whatever works best for you.

3. Audit your paperwork

Simply going through all your bills and bank statements will be a big help. First look for the following:

Anything you pay for that you don’t really use or need
Old subscriptions or bills you thought you’d cancelled but are still paying for
Expenses that are higher than you expect

Anything you spot in one of these categories is where you can quickly cut back through cancelling or spending less.

While you’re at it, make a note of all of these figures and dates. I’ll come back to what to do with them over the next few weeks.

Bills where you’re out of contract, and the end dates for those where you are still in contract
How much you’re paying on loans, overdrafts, credit cards or other debts
Fees or charges from your bank
How much interest you’re getting for your savings
Which retailers you use more than others

4. Track your spending

You can drill even deeper into where your money goes if you start a spending diary. I did this a few years ago, going into a very forensic amount of detail, but you don’t need to go that far. All you need to do is write down everything you spend money on for a few weeks, perhaps a month.

The idea is you’ll be able to see how even the small things quickly add up. It’s a real eye-opener, and it’s another way to identify the areas where you probably are overspending.

5. Make it easier to manage your money

Now you’ve got a sense of where your money is going, don’t lose track. I update the basics on my spreadsheet every month, and there are some smart apps such as Yolt which allow you to see all your bank and credit card balances, even from different banks, on the same screen.

It’s also worth automating as much of your regular spending as you can. This means direct debits for bills and credit cards, and standing orders for savings. If you can set the dates for these so they are just after payday it means the money goes when you have it, and reduces how much you’ve got left to spend on the non-essentials.

Next week I’ll be writing about clearing or better managing your debts.

Updated July 15, 2025 | Published October 29, 2018 | Articles

Budget 2018: What it means for you

Andy Webb

How you’ll get to keep more of your wages before tax is taken away, and other announcements.

This year’s big financial statement from the Treasury was long. And boring. Oh so boring. I’ve reported on every Budget, Spring Statement and Autumn Statement since 2014 for the Money Advice Service and this has to be one of the dullest.

But that doesn’t mean some of the announcements won’t affect your bank balance, with top earners looking to keep £860 extra each year.

I’ve rounded up the changes which I think it’s worth you knowing about – though bear in mind it could all change if there’s a no-deal Brexit.

Income Tax changes

In recent years the Income Tax thresholds have risen in April, mainly to meet a Tory manifesto pledge to hit certain levels by April 2020. Well the Chancellor said he’s bringing that total forward by a year.

This means from next April you’ll pay less tax on your salary and income. You’ll be able to earn £12,500 each year tax-free (currently £11,850), which is worth £130 to anyone earning over that amount.

The next bracket will go up from £46,351 to £50,000. This means you’ll pay 20% tax rather than 40% tax on any earnings in that range. If you earn £50k or more then it’s £730 on top of the £130, so it definitely benefits higher earners.

Though anyone earning over £125,000 will see the tax relief on that first £12,500 gradually reduce to zero.

Pay increase for low income earners

The National Living Wage will go up in April from £7.83 an hour to £8.21 an hour. There will also be increases for all groups under 24 years old on the Living or Minimum Wage.

Longer breathing spaces for debt

There could be an a new 60-day period for people to get on top of debts before creditors can take action. When this was announced last year only six-weeks was proposed. There will also be a pilot of interest free loans, based an a scheme run in Australia.

High street help

If like me you’ve seen more and more shops and restaurants close in your local town centre then another announcement might help.

Business rates for many businesses will be cut by a third. It’s estimated that 90% of shops, cafes and restaurants will benefit. Fingers crossed it makes a difference.

Another move that could help is a new tax on the really big digital businesses like Amazon and Google.

Universal Credit isn’t going away

Despite some fierce lobbying in the last few weeks, Universal Credit will continue. This benefit system reform has been criticised for long waiting times that push struggling people into food poverty and homelessness.

However the Government announced a few changes. First the work allowance – how much people can earn and keep their benefits – will go up to £1,000.

There will also be an additional £1bn put into funding the transition from the old systems such as Job Seekers Allowance and Housing Benefit to UC so people moving across don’t lose out.

Shared ownership stamp duty refunds

If you were first-time buyer of a shared ownership property since the last budget (22nd November 2017), you’ll be able to claim all or part of your stamp duty back – as long as your home cost less than £500,000.

And the same rules will apply for all first-time buyers from now on.

Potholes to be filled

The Beatles sang, there were “Four thousand potholes in Blackburn, Lancashire”. And that was in 1967. Who knows how many there are today, but it’s a lot. And not just in Blackburn.

So there’s a new fund of £420 million available immediately for local authorities in England to start fixing them.

Good news for beer and spirit drinkers (and drivers), bad news for wine drinker and smokers

Tax is frozen on beer, spirits, petrol and air passenger duty on short haul flights. But it goes up on wine, tobacco and long haul flights.