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Apple: 10% back on gift cards at Asda (ended)
Until 5 March 2025, Asda Rewards customers (it’s free to sign up) will get 10% back to their Asda Rewards Cashpot on Apple gift cards over £50.
You can buy in store at Asda or online. If it’s the latter, make sure you use the same email address that’s used for your Asda Reward account.
The energy price cap is going up, taking a typical bill to around £154 a month. Energy prices be at their highest since January-March last year.
Though they are well down on their 2022 peak, they’re still almost double what we’d pay pre-pandemic and pre-Ukraine invasion.
Here’s what you need to know about the cap and how much you’ll pay.
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How the energy cap works
The energy price cap is a limit set every three months by Ofgem, the government’s energy regulator. It restricts how much an energy company can charge customers.
The cap applies to the price of your gas and electricity on your energy company’s default or standard variable rates. These basically can go up and down whenever the energy company likes. With the cap, the energy companies have to make sure their tariffs aren’t higher than the set rate.
Despite how it looks, it’s not the most you can pay for your bills. Instead, the prices set on the cap are the maximum price per unit of energy you use. Ofgem announces the figure as an annual price, as you probably don’t have a clue how many kwh of energy your family uses.
The quoted “cap” (£1,849) is an annual price based on a typical household. If you use more energy, you’ll pay more than the cap every year. Use less and you’ll pay less.
There are separate caps for gas and electricity, and each cap is also made up of a standing charge (a set amount each day, regardless of whether you use any energy) and a usage charge.
The cap will also vary depending on where you live in the UK. Prepayment caps have always been a little higher, though that changed earlier this year. The new energy price cap also applies to those with a prepayment meter.
Crucially, if you’re on a fixed-rate deal the cap doesn’t apply and the price you pay won’t change until that fix ends.
What is the new energy price cap?
The latest announcement is rise to the price cap from 1 April until 30 June 2025.
The new cap for a “household with average use” is £1849 a year. This is up by about £11, or 6.4% from the current rate.
If you break it down to each actual unit cost, the average caps are:
Energy price cap per unit and standing charge1 January to 31 March 2025
Energy price cap per unit and standing charge1 April to 30 June 2025
Electricity
24.86 pence per kWh 60.97 pence daily standing charge
27.03 pence per kWh 53.80 pence daily standing charge
Gas
6.34 pence per kWh 31.65 pence daily standing charge
6.99 pence per kWh 32.67 pence daily standing charge
Despite Ofgem attempting to present the information in a way we understand, the total annual cap figure isn’t always the easiest to comprehend – especially since our energy use changes throughout the year but this cap only applies to three months,
At the same time, it’s not a flat increase to all bills as there could be different percentage changes to standing charges and unit rates.
So we think it’s easier to understand the price cap when you view it as a monthly direct debit. Your energy company calculates this by taking the predicted cost for a year based on your previous energy usage and dividing it by 12. It’s not 100% accurate, but it’s a handy comparison.
For the latest cap, the average monthly bill will be £154 which is £9 more every month than the current cap.
What is the current energy price cap?
The current price cap (1 January to 31 March) is £1,738 a year, based on the average household. This is with the new typical use figures.
When will the new prices start?
This new energy price cap will come into play on 1 April and will remain in place until 30 June.
How much will you pay under the new energy price cap?
Remember, the price cap figures are based on average use. If you use more than this average you’ll pay more, if you use less you’ll pay less. Plus, it can vary regionally so you’ll need to check where you live to see exactly what it’ll be for you.
If you want to get a rough quick idea, you can add 1.2% from what you pay at the moment (multiply your current monthly bill by 1.012). This doesn’t take into account the balance between unit and standing charges, or whether you’ve got an accurate direct debit set-up, but it could give you a sense.
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Will you pay more or less money with the new energy price cap?
If you’re on a variable tariff
Broadly, anyone on a standard tariff will be charged more per unit of energy from 1 April 2025. Of course, the bill itself will be based on your actual energy use.
If you’re on a prepayment meter
There is no longer a significant premium for those with prepayment meters. In fact, it’ll be slightly less at £1,803 on average for the year.
If you’re already on a fixed tariff
If you’re fixed onto a tariff, your prices usually don’t change when the price cap changes. That’s because you’ve already agreed on a price per unit of energy for a fixed length of time with your energy supplier, usually 12 months.
Should you fix your energy?
We’ve seen more fixed deals returning to the market since last summer. It’ll be worth checking them out to see if you’ll save.
You’ll be comparing prices based on the price cap now, rather than April’s one, so it’s likely most fixes will say you’ll pay more. But of course if you didn’t fix, you’d also be paying more from April on a variable rate deal.
If you go for one of these, bear in mind that some will charge an exit fee if you want to swap suppliers before the end of the term.
There are also some tariffs that track at below the cap, so you’ll always pay less – but not necessarily less than a fix.
Of course, these can change, so it’s worth using a comparison site to see what rates are available.
Will bills go up again?
The current predictions are that the price cap could fall slightly in July 2025 bringing bills down to £1,756 a year, but a lot can change in that time.
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When is the next price cap change?
The price cap is reviewed every three months (though prior to October 2022 it was every six months).
The price cap will next change on 1 April 2025. After this, it’ll change again on 1 July 2025, a change that will be announced in May 2025.
Price cap announcements & changes
Announcement by 26 May 2025 for 1 July 2025 change
Announcement by 27 August 2025 for 1 October 2025 change
How you can reduce your bill
Paying by direct debit will reduce your bills, so it’s well worth doing this.
Otherwise, it’s hard to do much to reduce what you spend on energy other than by using less energy. The standing charges will still apply, and bills will still be sky-high, but cutting back on gas and electricity will mean you pay less.
It’s worth giving accurate meter readings if you’re not on a smart meter. This will mean you’re more likely to have an accurate direct debit on current use, rather than what you used last year, and stops you from falling into debt on your energy account. Your energy firm will probably not change this automatically, so you might need to ask.
Don’t forget a direct debit does average the spend out over the year so you should hope to overpay in the summer and underpay in the winter to help even out your bills.
How has the price cap changed?
As you can see, the really big changes have happened since October 2021. Before this the average direct debit was under £100, so even with this new cut, we’re still paying more, and even more on top if you had been saving with a lower fixed rate deal.
These are the energy price caps going back to 2019, we’ve roughly adjusted them for the new typical use figures. You can see the historical price caps with the old figures below.
Date
Cost per year with new typical use figures
EPG & grants
Average monthly bill
Change (+/-)
April to June 2025
£1,849
£3,000 EPG
£154
+6.4%
January to April 2025
£1,738
£3,000 EPG
£145
+1.2%
October to December 2024
£1,717
£3,000 EPG
£143
+9.5%
July to September 2024
£1,568
£3,000 EPG
£131
-7.2%
April to June 2024
£1,690
£3,000 EPG
£141
-12.34%
January to March 2024
£1,928
£3,000 EPG
£161
+5.13%
October to December 2023
£1,834
£3,000 EPG
£153
-7.95%
July to September 2023
£1,992
£3,000 EPG
£166
-17.04%
April to June 2023
£3,151
£2,402 EPG
£200
+50.33%
January to March 2023
£4,110
£2,402 EPG & £67/m grant
£133
0.00%
October to December 2022
£3,409
£2,402 EPG & £67/m grant
£133
-15.62%
April to September 2022
£1,893
£158
+54.35%
October 2021 to March 2022
£1,227
£102
+12.21%
April to September 2021
£1,093
£91
+9.21%
October 2020 to March 2021
£1,001
£83
-7.46%
April to September 2020
£1,082
£90
-4.50%
October 2019 to March 2020
£1,133
£94
-5.98%
April to September 2019
£1,205
£100
+10.29%
January to March 2019
£1,092
£91
Estimated costs, due to the change in the typical domestic consumption
Historical energy price caps
These are the energy price caps from before the typical use figures changed. This change made it difficult for us to compare new caps with the old ones, so we’ve converted the old price caps into ones with the new typical figures above.
Here’s how the State Pension works and how to get the full amount
Your State Pension is a regular payment paid out by the Government once you’ve hit your State Pension age (which is currently 66 but is slowly increasing). It could allow you to stop working earlier or wind down the amount you work in later years.
You might think that it’s pointless to care about it until you’re approaching retirement, but there are important questions you should ask, such as how much you’ll get, what age you’d be getting it, and whether you’re even eligible.
When can you get the State Pension?
To start, let’s go back to basics. The State Pension is a guaranteed weekly income paid to you when you reach the State Pension age. You can, of course, retire earlier if you have other income sources or other pensions, but you don’t get this cash until you hit the State Pension age.
The State Pension age is 66 and it’ll keep rising — first to 67 between 2026 and 2028, impacting those born after 1960 and then to 68 years old. This latter change is meant to happen around 2044 (adding a year for those born around 1977) but could occur up to 10 years earlier between 2035 and 2039 (meaning those born after 1968).
Though of course, these ages could – and probably will – change again. I imagine I’ll be 69 when my time comes. And, it’s anticipated that anyone currently under 30 will have to wait until 70 years old to get the payments. Indeed, in 30 years there might not even be a State Pension at all anymore!
How to find out your State Pension age
The way to find out what the date will be (as things stand now) is for you is to use the State Pension age tool on the Gov.UK website.
You simply enter your date of birth and whether you’re male or female (gender only makes a difference to people already in their mid-60s) and ta-da, you’ll see your State Pension age.
Quick note – as the earlier increase to 68 is just a proposal it’s not been factored into the calculator, so add a year if you were born after 1968 to be on the safe side.
Why you should care about your State Pension now
So you now know when you’ll get it, and it could well be a long time until you reach State Pension age. Hey, for me it’s at least another 25 years! So we can forget about it until then, right?
No – there are important reasons I care now, and you should too.
It reduces how much you’ll need in your other pensions
The full amount from the State Pension might not seem much – currently just £221.20* a week and going up to £230.30 per week in April 2025.
That’s £11,502.40 per year until you die (or £11,975.60 after April 2025). If you live for 20 years after your State Pension age then it’s worth more than £230,000.
Say you’ve worked out you need £30,000 a year to live when you retire, the full State Pension means you’ll only actually need to save enough to cover £18,000 a year from your State Pension Age. That’s a much easier (and less scary) total to target.
* How much you get can get a little complicated so this is the most. I won’t go into detail here but you’ll get less if you ever “contracted out”. Or if you would have been better off under the older system, it’s possible you might get small top-ups when you retire.
You’re not automatically entitled to it
But, you don’t automatically qualify for the State Pension. You might think it just starts when you hit the State Pension age, but you’re wrong. You need to make at least 10 years of National Insurance contributions to qualify. Less than this and you won’t get anything.
You generally make National Insurance contributions through your pay, or you might get National Insurance credits through things like child benefit, jobseekers allowance, carers allowance and maternity leave.
You might not get the full amount
That 10-year figure is the minimum. You’ll need as many as 35 years of National Insurance contributions to get the full amount. But, depending on your age, it could be a little less – more on this later. It’s well worth making sure you have made or will make enough contributions to reach this number.
If you only qualify for two-thirds of the full amount (roughly what you’d get if you only made 24 out of 35 years of full contributions) then you’d be around £3,900 worse off a year. That will make a difference.
I’ve detailed further down the article how you can check your current status and how much you’d get (at current figures).
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If you’ve been working or on certain benefits each year since school or University (or even before) then it’s likely you’ll have each year so far marked on your record as full. But if for any reason you took time out – a gap year perhaps – you’ll have a missing year.
And the closer you get to retirement, the bigger the impact any missed year will have on how much you get. But if the missed year is within the last six years you can voluntarily pay to top it up.
Of course, if you’ve got plenty of years to catch up you might not need to do this, but it’s worth thinking about if you’re approaching the time you’d like to stop working.
You won’t want to be making future contributions if you retire early
Do you want to keep working until you actually reach the State Pension age? If you can afford to retire earlier it makes sense to ensure you don’t have to keep making (voluntary) contributions when your income is low, in order to get the max State Pension available to you.
Say you’re aiming to quit in 10 years at 55 years old but have 23 years of contributions so far. You’ll either need to change your goal to 57 years old, or you’ll need to make voluntary contributions for another 2 years to reach the magic number of 35 years of contributions.
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How many qualifying years do you need?
Under the new system (introduced in April 2016), you qualify for the State Pension after 10 years of contributions and will get the full rate after 35 years of contributions (this is for men born after 1951 and women born after 1953).
But as I mentioned above, it’s not going to be 35 years for everyone – it could actually be less. This is despite pretty much every major newspaper and personal finance website stating it’s now 35 years for everyone. It’s not! And I’m proof of this.
If you started making contributions before April 2016, which is going to be most people in their late 20s and some younger – the total number of years is based on a mix of the new and old systems.
For me, I only need to make a total of 30 years of full National Insurance contributions. For my wife, it’s 32 years. This is despite the fact we’ve both already contributed the same number of years so far.
A few years ago I called up the HMRC helpline to find out why this was and why so many sources reported a blanket 35 years. The answer wasn’t massively clear, but it might be down to me being a little older than her, or me earning more in some of those years. Whatever the reason, we’re both examples of people who need to pay less than 35 years – so it could well be the same for you.
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How to check your State Pension record
There’s a way to check how much State Pension you’ll get when you retire, based on your current record and also if you continue paying in. You’ll also be able to see if there are any gaps.
It’s a five-minute job well worth doing so you know if you’re on track, or whether you need to take action now – and if you’re over 40 you may well need to fill in any missing gaps.
You need to request a State Pension forecast. It’s easy and doesn’t take long. You need a Government Gateway ID, and it might take five to 10 minutes to set this up. You need to validate your identity using your passport or a recent payslip, but once sorted you can find out how many years you still need to contribute to get the full amount.
In the same system, you can check your National Insurance record. You’ll see how many years you’ve already made full contributions. Add those figures and you’ll get the total number of years that you need to pay.
This page will also tell you how many more years you have left to make contributions – i.e. before you reach the State Pension age.
See if you can top-up your State Pension
Though you’ll keep gaining qualifying years when you work or claim certain benefits, you can also pay money now to fill in some gaps. This is meant to be limited to the past six years, but an increased time frame has been extended a few times.
You’ve got until 05 April 2025 (extended from the original 5 April 2023 deadline) to make back payments. This extension is for men born since April 1951 and women after April 1953. If that’s you, you can top up as far back as April 2006.
There’s a cost to any top-up – roughly £824 per full year if you do it in 2025. This is a sizeable amount, but for each year you add now, you’ll break even if you claim the State Pension for at least three years. So claim it for four years and you’ll be better off.
If you’re self-employed, then you’ll need to pay less per missing year to make it a qualifying credit. There are different rates for this.
Broadly, this isn’t going to be worth it for those under the age of 45, and probably a good few years after that. But the closer you get to state retirement age, the more likely it is you could benefit from a top-up rather than missing out on the full amount or having to keep working for longer.
Of course, those who are able to get free credits from things like missing child benefit or other benefits, should make sure they claim those to help fill any gaps.
You’ll probably want to contact the Future Pension Service on 0800 731 0175 before making any overpayments as they can advise on whether you need to. There have been huge backlogs and delays getting through (hence the extensions), so keep trying.
Alternatively, if you’re sure you want to go ahead, some might be able to make the payments via their government gateway account – it’ll show as an option when you check your current NI record.
Is it worth adding the fee-paying extra to your Barclays current account?
Barclays customers generally get a poor deal for bonuses and freebies, and the Blue Rewards scheme has been pretty poor compared to other banks.
You get a 4.87% AER rate on savings and free Apple TV+. I’ve taken a look at whether it’s worth signing up.
What are Barclays Blue Rewards?
Barclays Blue Rewards is an add-on you can choose to put on your Barclays current account. You’ll need to pay a monthly fee, which is currently £5 a month. This makes it one of the most expensive add-ons for current accounts.
For the monthly amount, you get an exclusive 4.87% savings account and free Apple TV+ streaming, and other benefits come along every now and then.
Barclays Blue Rewards requirements
First, you have to have a Barclays current account. You can’t get Blue Rewards if you already have Barclays Avios Rewards, though you can change over.
Barclays Premier current account holders can no longer add this to their account, though they’ll get the Rainy Day Saver and Apple TV+.
To get the rewards you need to:
Deposit £800 into the current account every month
Pay £5 a month fee
Register for online banking or app banking (app only for new customers from 4 September 2024)
Be over 18 years old
It’s worth noting that the £800 doesn’t need to stay in the account, so you can withdraw it to a different current or savings account (or spend it), straight away.
What you get with Barclays Blue Rewards
Rainy Day Saver: 4.87% on up to £5,000
This Rainy Day Saver offers an exclusive rate of 4.76% gross / 4.87% AER for Blue Rewards members. Though you can hold up to £10 million there, you’ll only earn the rate on the first £5,000.
It’s fully easy access, so you can take out and deposit the money as and when you want. There’s only one account per person, whether that’s in sole or joint names.
To find and open the account in the app, go to the Products tab at the bottom of the screen, click savings, then “see all accounts”. You’ll then see the Rainy Day Saver account to open. You can also open it online, over the phone or in branch.
Interest from savings is paid straight into the savings account, so if you have the full £5,000 saved you’ll want to withdraw the extra on top each month and move it to a better paying account.
Note this is different from the Blue Rewards Saver which pays far less.
Apple TV+ & MLS season pass
A new offer since June 2024 is free Apple TV+, worth £8.99 a month. This alone is worth £107.88 a year, so even with the £60 annual fee, you’re in profit.
However, there are regular free passes for Apple TV+, even for previous customers. I’ve had 25 months free in the last 41 months, and have never paid a penny! And even if you’re happy to pay full price for it, there’s really not enough content on there to justify a whole year.
You can also add on Apple’s Major League Soccer (MLS) season pass for free, which if you would pay for normally could represent a decent saving as it costs £99 for a year.
1% cashback
From September to November 2024 there was 1% cashback on spending with your Barclays debit card. This may return again this year. It was a decent offering but since it was only temporary and can be matched or beaten elsewhere it’s not a reason to sign up for or stick with Blue Rewards.
Exclusive offers
From time to time there are other offers and competitions. The main one to check is up to 15% cashback at selected brands via the Barclays Cashback Rewards feature – though you can also get this for free via a Barclaycard.
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 1.1% AER to 5.6% for 3 months
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Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
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Are Barclays Blue Rewards worth it?
Andy’s Analysis
Blue Rewards have always been the poor cousin to better schemes from Halifax and Lloyds, and even NatWest/RBS.
The changes in 2024 and the rate drop in 2025 put not just Blue Rewards, but also Barclays, right at the bottom of the pile. When you look at everything you get, you need to decide if £60 a year is worth it.
I think not.
Yes, the savings account could be worth up to £243.50 per year, but you can get similar or better rates elsewhere, especially when you factor in that monthly fee, which brings the effective interest rate down to 3.56% if you save the full £5,000.
First, you need to have a Barclays current account. Once you’ve got this, you need to sign up for Blue Rewards from your online banking or the app.
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How to cancel Barclays Blue Rewards
If you decide you don’t want to continue with Blue Rewards you can easily cancel it in your online or app banking. I did in on the app in just a few seconds.
Open up your app and choose Blue Rewards from the home screen
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen
Select “Leave Barclays Blue Rewards”
Tick the box at the bottom of the screen
Press the “Confirm” button
Any money you have left or pending in the Blue Rewards wallet will be moved to your current account. If you want to re-join, you’ll have to wait at least two days.
Alternatives to Blue Rewards
Barclays isn’t the only bank to offer extras, and many have benefits without having to save any money. You could choose to switch your account to a different bank (and maybe nab a switching bonus) or you can simply open up extra current accounts.
Get cheap movie tickets so you don’t pay over the odds
If I can, I always try to see films at the cinema. The big screen, surround sound and darkened room make all the difference (though I’m not so fond of people chatting or checking their phones). Still, this is an expensive hobby so I do everything I can to get cheap movie tickets.
And I do pretty well at it too. It’s very rare for me to pay more than £5 or £6 – even in central London where prices are usually well over a tenner. In fact, out of the 17 films I saw at the cinema last year I’ve managed to get the bulk of my tickets for free, and the rest for just a quid or two.
These aren’t the only ways to get cheap movie tickets (we’ve listed all the tricks and deals in our huge cinema savings deals page) but these tricks show whatever day you want to see a movie, there’s a way to pay less – and even nothing at all.
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Midweek cinema deals
The cheapest days to go are always Monday to Thursday. Most cinemas have lower prices on these days, and cheaper still before 5pm. So it’s worth looking to see what your local cinema offers. However, there are ways to save even more so your ticket should cost less than £5.
Tuesday & Wednesday – 2 for 1 tickets with Meerkat Movies
This is a fantastic saving at most cinemas. You need to buy an insurance policy via Compare the Market (there’s a trick so this costs just £1), and you’ll then get access to Meerkat Movies for 12 months.
Meerkat Movies gives a code so you can buy one ticket and get one free. The promotion is valid on Tuesday and Wednesday, though you can only take advantage of the offer once a week.
If you subscribe to the Times you’ll get access to Times+ offers, including a rare two-for-one ticket to Everyman cinemas. You can claim one code each week and it can only be used on Wednesdays.
Cinemas charge a fair bit more from Friday to Sunday, and there are less deals that will save you money at the weekend. Personally I’d save any tickets that can be used any day of the week for the weekend (more of these in the next section).
Friday to Sunday – £3 ticket for Cineworld or Picturehouse via Three
The Three+ loyalty app has a cinema deal and at £3 a ticket it’s a decent saving for Cineworld and Picturehouse.
You can show the code at the box office to get your ticket, but if you book online there’s a 75p fee on top.
And, also like O2, you can get the Three+ app even if you’re with a different network thanks to a trick where you top up a Three Pay-as-you-go SIM every 90 days. If you’re going on a weekly basis that could be worth it, even once a month could save you cash – depending on the full price of a ticket at your local.
These are all good deals, but I’d priotitise them for more expensive weekend showings when you get the best value for the discount.
Six free tickets for Vue or Odeon via Lloyds
If you open up a Lloyds Club current account you’ll be given six free cinema tickets every year. You can choose between Vue or Odeon, though you can’t mix and match.
There is a fee of £3 a month for this account, but it’s not charged if you pay in £2,000 a month. This might seem like a lot, but it doesn’t need to stay in your account. You can transfer the money in when you get paid, then straight back out again.
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12 to 36 free Vue tickets via Halifax
A similar offer runs with Halifax’s Reward current account, which offers 12 free Vue tickets a year. You’ll get one each month and they’ll be valid for a year.
You do have to jump through a few more hoops to get the free tickets. Once you have the account you must pay in £1,500 each month to avoid a £3 fee and keep the balance above zero. Then you need to spend £500 each month on your debit card.
If you have Sky Cinema you can get two free Vue tickets each month – though it might not be the cheapest option for your TV, so it’s not a reason to stick around.
While anyone with Vitality, perhaps health insurance via work, can claim a free Odeon or Vue ticket each month if they hit enough activity points.
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 1.1% AER to 5.6% for 3 months
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Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
Flexible ISA?: Yes
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Up to 40% off with other memberships
There are a number of schemes and memberships that give discounts at most big cinema chains and many independent ones too. Though the schemes look similar, prices might be different so it can be worth looking at one for two.
Often these are available via your employer’s “work perks” scheme, but Santander customers can also get access for free, and Lidl often gives free membership too via it’s Lidl Plus app.
Other ways to take advantage are paid for, though look for free trials. Tastecard is another good one that also gives restaurant discounts (here are the best deals), while Kids Pass gives additional savings for children’s attractions.
However, these don’t always work out cheaper, so check the prices at your local cinema before buying tickets via these schemes, but you can get cheap trials of both to give them a go.
Two Vue tickets for £9 via O2
This mobile SIM loyalty programme isn’t as good as previous offers (O2 used to give a free Odeon ticket away each week), but it’s still a good offer if you go to Vue cinemas.
Every Monday at 10am you can get a code which will you can redeem for two Vue tickets for £9, or four for £18, meaning you’ll pay just £4.50 each. You can book with it until the following Sunday. It’s also valid at all Vue locations, including the West End.
You’ll get access to O2 Priority if your phone is with O2 or broadband is via Virgin Media, though this hack means anyone can buy a PAYG SIM and top up by £10 every six months (at the most) to get access.
Two Odeon tickets for £9-£10 via Amazon, Octopus or Vodafone
There’s a similar offer for Vodafone users, this time for Odeon tickets. You can get two for £8, though with a £1 booking fee. Or Amazon Prime members or Octopus customers can get two for £10.
One Vue a month & more via Monzo for £7
£7 a month for a Vue ticket via a Monzo Perks current account isn’t going to be the best deal out there. But for the fee you also get an annual railcard and a weekly Greggs freebie. Take advantage of these and that ticket could actually cost you just a few quid.
Get a membership
If you go on a weekly basis then memberships can work out cheaper. We’ve written here about the different schemes which run at Odeon, Cineworld, Curzon and Everyman.
Other cheap movie ticket deals
There are always other special offers running that could get you cheap or free tickets. These include discounted gift cards (which you can use alongside other offers as payment) and flash sales.
We’ve listed special offers and other tricks to save at all the major and independent chains in our ultimate cinema savings page. Have a look to see what the latest offers are.
“Credit score” is a phrase you might occasionally think about. Maybe worry about. But do you understand it?
I wasn’t really bothered about my credit score or credit report until a decade or so ago when I had to apply for a mortgage. Only then did I realise just how important it can be.
Fortunately, it was all ok and I got my mortgage. In the years since I’ve kept track – and that’s something you should do to even if you’re not going to buy a house.
Here’s my Be Clever Basics guide.
Credit score vs credit report
Before we talk about your credit score, we need to talk about how it is different to your credit report. These terms are often used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same thing.
What is a credit score?
A credit score, or credit rating as it is sometimes called, is based on this information in your credit report. It’s basically a number that reflects how good or bad your credit report is.
What is a credit report?
A credit report, or credit file, is basically a record of your financial history. Any account that’s required a credit check will be on there as well as any money you owe. It also shows how long you’ve had the account and your payment history, including missed or late payments.
Other elements in your report include details of any bankruptcy, county court judgments and other debt solutions.
You’ll also see your address history and records of any financial connections you have, such as joint accounts and joint mortgages.
Why lenders check your credit report
Your credit report is one of the leading factors that influence lenders when they’re deciding whether to offer you a product or loan.
Using the details on the report they’ll work out whether you’re a good or bad customer for them. That’s not just about how likely it is you’ll be able to afford the borrowing, but also how likely it is they’ll make money from you.
The data in the file can also affect how much you’ll be lent, the length of a deal (e.g. 0% balance transfer cards) or the interest rate offered.
Your credit report is also frequently used to verify your identity.
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Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
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When lenders search your credit report
Your report isn’t just searched when you apply for “serious” financial products like mortgages, loans and credit cards. Everyday consumer contracts are subject to searches too.
That’s because you’re essentially asking for credit when you open a new bank account, get a contract mobile phone and switch your utilities.
Even paying your home or car insurance by Direct Debit requires a credit check (it’s usually cheaper to pay these in a lump sum if you can).
Hard checks vs soft checks
Any application for credit will be subject to something called a “hard” search. This will then appear on your report for other lenders to see, whether you’re successful or not. They’ll stay there for 12 months.
However, if your report is looked at by comparison sites or to assess eligibility, this is actually a “soft” check, and though you can see it on your file, lenders can’t.
Well, yes and no. Though the score reflects your report, lenders will add in extra information they have on you to decide whether to lend to you.
You’ll have put information on the application form and if you’re an existing customer they might have their own file on you. Plus, an investigation by Money Saving Expert a few years ago found that lenders are using Open Banking data too.
So this means the score won’t reflect everything the lender is taking to account. That can lead to rejection even if you have an excellent score or acceptance with an average score.
But they aren’t pointless. Credit scores are still great indicators of how healthy your credit report is.
The higher your credit score, the more likely it is you’ll get accepted for credit products, or get a better deal such as lower interest payments.
And a low score will indicate a bad credit report, which could mean you get rejected or get offered less money than you need.
So, checking your score will help you decide whether you need to do anything to improve your report. And when those actions make a difference you’ll see that reflected in an increased score, telling you that you’re on the right path.
Who decides your credit score?
You actually have three reports and therefore three different credit scores. These are calculated by three different companies – Experian, Equifax and TransUnion.
These are the credit reference agencies that lenders go to for your financial information.
They all hold slightly different data on you in their credit reports, and then work your score out slightly differently. They even have completely different scales. So you can’t really compare one with another.
It’s worth noting that when you apply for credit, you don’t know which of the three credit reference companies will be used. This basically means all three credit reports are as important as each other.
Checking your credit score
You can check all three scores and reports for free via these websites:
Equifax via ClearScore
Transunion via Intuit Credit Karma
Experian via Experian’s CreditExpert. With this one you can get a free 30 day trial – but cancel before the end of the trial to avoid the £14.99 a month fee. You can then get Experian’s free statutory credit report.
Your credit score is most important when you’re going to apply for a product where your report will be checked. If you know this is coming up, then you should check for any errors or potential problems before applying.
It’s also worth looking at least once a year, if not more often, just to make sure there’s nothing fraudulent going on.
From Sparks offers to freebies – we’ll list them here
At one point it seemed like every couple of months there was a 20% off at M&S voucher! Though less frequent nowadays, if you can hold off, it’s worth waiting until the deals come along. I’ll list these and other great offers on this page.
Remember with many of these deals you can stack them, meaning you can combine the offers to get even bigger discounts.
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.
20% off shopping at Marks and Spencer
The 20% off codes were almost every month pre-2020, but now they’re pretty rare. When they do appear you usually need to have a Sparks membership – or know someone who does.
You can either activate the offer to your card from your online account or the Sparks app. You might also get an email or some vouchers in the post, including spare codes to give to friends and family members, though I’ve not had these in quite a while.
The offer also tends to be split over two weekends, with some customers getting the deal in week one of the promotion and others a week later.
It’s a lot rarer for generic codes for everyone. When these offers come up there’s often a digital code (which I’ll share here), and occasionally a voucher you can print to use in stores.
Latest 20% off weekend
The latest 20% weekend runs 30 January until Wednesday 5 February 2025. You’ll see it in your Sparks account, or you might have received an email.
We don’t know if all Sparks customers will get it this weekend or not. Offers seem to be ad hoc in the Sparks app, and not universal to all customers.
If not, it’s worth checking with family and friends to see if they’ve got a code you can use.
Members of the free M&S Sparks loyalty scheme get offers sent to their account frequently and can be for food, clothing, home or beauty. There’s a lot of recurring offers, so if you know you need something, it may be worth holding out for that offer to become live again before you purchase. You can sign up to Sparks here.
How often you get sent Sparks offers does vary, but there does tend to be a new selection every three to four weeks or so. Sparks offers range from money off to free products, so it’s always worth checking your M&S app for your latest since they include personalised offers.
If you’re expecting or recently had a baby, you can sign up for the M&S baby club which gets you free cake, a pastry or a fruit pot when you buy a hot drink on Tuesdays between 9.30am and 11.30am.
To get it, you need to be a Sparks member, then from the app you select “the parent hood” and just have to give a few details like your due date. Once you’re signed up, you’ll have an offer in your Sparks app that can be scanned every Tuesday for a year.
The baby club also gets you 10% off babygrows for a year and other monthly rewards such as discount on Mamas and Papas products.
New Sparks members should get a welcome offer when they first sign up. When I joined in 2020 I got a free tote bag, while in spring 2021 the advertised offer was a £5 discount on a £40 spend on food and drink, and 10% off fashion and home.
The more you scan your Sparks card when you shop at M&S, the higher the chance you’ll get a free birthday treat. There’s no guarantee – I didn’t get anything this year.
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Sales and promotions
Beauty: £315 beauty advent calendar for £50(ended)
You can get a £315 M&S beauty advent calendar for £50 when you spend £35 on full-price clothing, homeware or beauty.
The Beauty Advent Calendar 2024 includes a selection of 25 products, including some full-size products across bath and body, skincare, haircare and make-up.
Now, just because M&S say it’s worth £315 it doesn’t mean it actually is. You can see the entire contents here, so use that to work out whether it’s not just worth paying £50 for.
And of course, try to buy something you actually need to want for the initial £35 spend. Sale and clearance items are excluded from this qualifying spend.
Alongside sales and regular promotions, it’s possible to save more with these ongoing vouchers and tricks.
Free £5 off £35 voucher
You can get a £5 voucher to spend on M&S clothes when you take old clothes to Oxfam, or if you drop the clothes off in-store instead you’ll get a Sparks reward. More details on the Shwop scheme.
You can shop at the M&S website via cashback sites such as Quidco and TopCashback, earning you money back on each purchase. If you’ve not used either of these sites before you can also get up to £20 extra as a first-time cashback bonus.
Thought it’s one of the pricier supermarkets I tend to shop at M&S most weeks as it’s the one right by my office. To help make it more affordable we use a number of tricks. You can read about how to save money at M&S Food.
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.
if you travel a lot then this new membership from Wizz might appeal. You’ll pay £599 a year for unlimited flights.
In sounds good, but there are a number of catches:
Booking only starts in September 2024
There’s an extra 9.99 Euro fee on each flight
You can only book seats on flights that depart in the next three days, making return trips a little risky
It doesn’t include handheld or checked bags (so they’re extra)
Only one personal item is included (max. size 40 x 30 x 20 cm)
If you miss three flights your membership will be cancelled without a refund
It’ll automatically renew each year unless you cancel
Overall it sounds like more hassle than it’s worth, especially when you consider there are cheap tickets available in advance from Wizz and other airlines.
However, if you’re retired or have the flexibility to travel regularly and at the drop of a hat, it could be worth a look.
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Petrol and motoring deals
Halfords: free 5-point winter car check and bike check
Halfords is offering motorists a 5-point winter car check, which includes:
Headlight and brake light check
Wiper blade condition check
Battery health check
Windscreen chip check
MOT due date reminder (UK only)
If you’ve got a bike, you can also get a free bike safety check. Halfords says there’s no obligation to get an estimate for repairs or servicing, if any issues do come up.
If you join the Halfords Motoring Club for free, you can get a free £5 voucher to spend online or in-store at Halfords and a free 10-point car check, worth £15.
There’s a Premium tier for £49 per year that gets you your MOT (worth £44.99), 2 10-point car checks, a free fitting of wiper blades or headlights and 5% off at the autocentres and in-store.
This is generally a pretty good deal, but definitely worthwhile if you’re having enough work on your car to make the most of the 5% off, don’t know how to change your headlights or windscreen wipers and would usually do your MOT at Halfords.
Brompton is currently offering three days of free hire of its bikes when you download the app and use the code 3DAYSFREE in the discount code box, found in “settings”.
Before you can access this screen, it asks you for credit card details and takes 1p from your account to verify it. This is running until 28 February 2025.
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 1.1% AER to 5.6% for 3 months
More details ▼
Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
Flexible ISA?: Yes
▲
Bus, tube and tram deals
£2 bus fare cap – extended to December 2024 (ended)
Bus fares will be capped at £2 one way in England from January to the end of December 2024. Not all bus companies are taking part – you can see a detailed list of the companies and routes here. After the end of the year, buses will be capped at £3 instead, until the end of 2025.
These banks accounts are my top picks for the year
I’ve got 25 different personal current accounts right now. Yes, that’s far too many for most people, but trying them all out really helps me recommend to you the good from the bad.
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.
You can watch my video round up of the top offers, or keep reading
Best dummy current account for switching
If you’re looking to take advantage of switching deals, it’s often worth setting up a dummy account you’ll use purely for this purpose.
Winner: Chase
A couple of reasons why Chase wins here. First, there’s no hard credit check when you first apply. Second, once you have one account, you can set up nine more in the app – and it’s these ones you’ll want to use to switch away.
Just be sure not to switch away your only Chase account as that’ll close your whole account down and you won’t be able to reopen it.
Best bank account app
Banking apps are improving all the time and the best have features such as freezing your card if it’s lost and features to help you save.
Winner: Starling
Recent improvements to the Monzo and Revolut apps made this a close call this year. Chase is decent too. But Starling still edges ahead. All of these digital only banks have features to help you track spending and manage your card, but I think not only does Starling do it best, it does a little more on top.
You can use it on both app and desktop, you can pay in cheques with your phone, you can deposit cash at Post Offices and more.
Runner up: Monzo and Chase
It’s worth taking a look at these other digital banks as often it’s personal preference which makes one stand out over the other. You might prefer them to Starling.
Runner up: Natwest
If you’re after a high street bank then the app I like the best is from Natwest (or RBS which is basically the same). You can do most things you need to do, and it’s clearly set out. A nice extra is you can use it to take cash out at Natwest or Tesco ATMs if you don’t have your card.
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 1.1% AER to 5.6% for 3 months
More details ▼
Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
Flexible ISA?: Yes
▲
Best bank account for spending
I’d normally suggest using a specialist credit card for your spending so you’re earning a little cashback with every purchase and also one that won’t charge you for spending abroad – and there’s a current account that does both of these.
Winner: Chase Bank
You can make 1% back on spending for the first 12 months you have with Chase Bank, which is as good as it gets right now (unless you opt for the stoozing method of spending and saving).
It is capped at £15 a month, so that’s on your first £1,500 a month. Some spending categories are excluded (like adding money to savings or credit cards, and buying cars or gambling).
I tend to transfer money across rather than use it as my main bank. That’s no bad thing as it helps you control your spending!
Though many banks offer additional cashback offers linked to specific retailers, Monzo has the easiest one to view and manage. Here’s our review of the feature. You can also spend overseas fee-free, though are limited on cash withdrawals.
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Only Santander will give you money back each month on direct debits for your bills – but sadly the better paying Santander 123 and 123 Lite accounts are no longer open to new customers (if you’ve already got either, then keep using it).
Instead you can choose between the Edge and Edge Up accounts, and it’s the former that will probably earn you more cashback each year.
Both give 1% back on household bills such as Council Tax, energy and broadband, though the Edge costs £3 a month vs the Edge Up’s £5 monthly fee. That extra £24 a year for the Edge Up really cuts into your returns.
Though the earnings aren’t as much as they once were, this cashback via the Edge is better than nothing, and you’ll also get access to the 7% paying Edge Saver.
Runner up: Chase
You can also get cashback on some bills via Chase Bank’s debit card (not direct debits), and also use this to earn money back on other regular subscriptions such as TV and music streaming.
Runner up: Monzo/Starling
If you’re more worried about budgeting than cashback then both Starling and Monzo will let you segregate money into separate pots and then assign one to pay bills direct from it.
Best bank accounts with rewards
Some accounts will pay you each month, either in cash to your account or with a freebie. You often have to pay a monthly fee and meet other criteria.
Winner: Halifax Reward
Though it takes a little more effort than the runner up, I’ve gone for Halifax as you’ll get a better return.
You can get either £5 a month, 12 cinema tickets or 24 movie rentals as long as you jump through a few hoops. The main one to watch is spending at least £500 on a debit card each month, though there’s a hack to get around this. Plus you can have three of these accounts, so there’s potentially £180 a year to make.
Runner up: Club Lloyds
You’ll get less each month from Club Lloyds – either 6 cinema tickets or a year of Disney+ with Ads – but once you’ve set up standing orders you can just leave the account alone. Here’s my full Club Lloyds review.
From inclusive insurance and breakdown cover to extras, sometimes it’s worth paying a fee each month for a packaged account.
Winner: Virgin Money Club M
For £12.50 a month you’ll get worldwide family travel insurance and phone cover, as well as UK and Euuropean breakdown cover for the account holders (so it’s worth opening it as a joint account). That’s decent value if you need two or three of those policies. Here’s our full Virgin Money Club M review.
Runner up: Monzo Perks
If you’re going to buy a railcard, grab a Greggs and go to the cinema each month, this £7 a month account from Monzo is worth a look. You’ll also get access to enhanced budgeting features. Here’s our Monzo Perks review.
For ongoing savings the highest paying account is a regular saver that’s only open to First Direct current account holders. It pays 7% AER – and that’s fixed for 12 months. You can only add up to £300 a month into this regular saver. Read more about other regular savers here.
Winner: Santander Edge
The highest interest rate on larger balances at the moment is from Santander. As long as you have the Edge current account you can open the Edge Saver. This offers 6% on up to £4,000 – though that previously mentioned £3 a month fee needs to be factored in if it’s not covered by cashback. The rate also drops by 1.5% after a year.
Runner up: Kroo
I don’t think having your money separate to your main current account is a problem (in fact it has benefits). But if you want to earn on money that is in there (so not in a separate account), you can get an okay rate of 3.65% at Kroo (though it’ll fall when the base rate drops).
If you use an overdraft you’re probably paying around 40% in interest – far more than it’d cost to borrow elsewhere. So they’re best avoided. But if you are overdrawn then it makes sense to reduce that cost ASAP.
Winner: First Direct
You can currently get a £250 0% buffer from First Direct. That’s not amazing, but it can be useful if you occasionally go a little below zero.
Runner up: Monzo/Starling
If you really need to use an overdraft then you might be able to get as low as 15% of 19% with these digital banks.
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Best ethical bank account
Winner: Triodos
This account tops the charts on Ethical Consumer’s list of ethical current accounts and it’s hard to beat. However it does come with a £3 a month fee and the app is limited. Here’s my full review.
Runner Up: Nationwide, Starling or Co-op
These banks also score well. As it’s a building society, Nationwide is committed to putting the bulk of its lending towards mortgages so it can’t invest heavily in non-ethical practices. It also has positive policies in place to avoid this.
Starling has the edge over its challenger bank rival Monzo, while Co-op is the top-ranked from the other high-street banks.
New Trading 212 customers get an increase of 1.1% AER to 5.6% for 3 months
More details ▼
Additional Info
Existing Trading 212 customers get a rate of 4.5%
FSCS Protected?: Yes
Allows transfers in?: Yes
Flexible ISA?: Yes
▲
Best “I only want one” bank
If you don’t want to have multiple accounts, and really want everything in one place, then these banks combine multiple extras.
Winner: Chase
The 1% cashback on spending makes it the account that’ll be most profitable over a year (up to £180). Alongside this you can get 5% interest on roundups and fee-free spending abroad. The app too is good, if not the best.
Runner up: Santander Edge
We all pay bills, so we may as well get cashback on these, and there’s also 1% back on supermarket and transport spending. On top there’s access to the 6% paying Edge Saver account. The app is average though.
Runner up: Club Lloyds
I think Club Lloyds is also worth a shot. The app is pretty good, and the six cinema tickets or year of Disney+ with Ads is potentially worth £60 a year and there’s a decent (though not best buy) monthly saver at 6.25%.
