Here’s how to get the most euros, dollars and more for your pounds when you’re getting travel cash for your holiday
Looking for the best ways to get your currency? Well, coins and notes aren’t going to be the best way to pay, and I rarely use them. In fact, when I go overseas the bulk of my spending is with a debit or credit card (a fee-free one naturally).
But from giving a tip through to buying from street vendors, not everywhere takes cards – and ATMS can charge per withdrawal. So having some cash with you makes sense, and here are the five ways you can get the best exchange rates.
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.
Paid advertisement
1. Ignore “0% commission” signs
One of the most misleading signs on the high street is the one that says “0% commission”. It makes you think that you’re not getting charged anything to change your cash – but you will be.
Rather than add a commission on top of your swap, the bureau de change will simply set their own exchange rate! You can read more about this in our “Why 0% currency commission is a lie” article.
2. Don’t get travel money at the airport
Since bureaus and banks are allowed to set their own exchange rates, it makes sense that the worst rates around will be at the airport. Once you’re there, and particularly once you’re through security, there is nowhere else you could go to get travel money than the bureaus in the departure lounge.
The only workaround if you really have left it too late to go elsewhere is you can order in advance online to collect at the airport, and you’ll get a better rate than just walking up to the booth. You will often need three or four hours notice though.
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
Paid advertisement
3. Compare for the best exchange rates
Instead of just popping to your bank or the Post Office as many do, it’s better to compare all the different rates available in your area. The tool I use for this is Money Saving Expert’s Travel Money Max. You can choose between collection, delivery and even airport collection, and you’ll be shown the best rates.
Your choice will increase massively if you live in London, but you’ll still get a decent range of options elsewhere. Do check whether you need to order in advance to get the rate you see – some will charge you a worse rate if you don’t.
4. Don’t use a credit card to swap your cash
Once you know where you’ll get your cash, you want to avoid any extra charges on your swap. This means paying with cash or a debit card. That’s because using a credit card is what’s known as a “cash advance“.
With this you’re effectively taking money off your card as cash and then using the cash to make the transaction – even if you don’t actually get your hands on any physical notes and coins to hand over.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
5. Get a specialist card for extra cash machine withdrawals overseas
Don’t take too much cash with you. Apart from the risks of losing it, if you don’t spend all of it you’ll get a poor rate when you try to swap it back to sterling. So instead I’d recommend you only take out enough to cover essentials for the first few days – depending on the infrastructure at your destination of course.
Then, if you need more cash, you can use an ATM. Though some of these will have local fees set by the bank you use, you won’t have any charges on the exchange rate at all if you use a specialist card such as Chase or Starling.
Don’t blow your holiday budget on your mobile bill
Since Brexit, most major mobile networks have reintroduced roaming charges. And with the constant desire to stay connected, and use your phone to get around, you can end up with a huge bill.
Here’s what you need to know about roaming charges for the major networks, and a few tricks to help you keep costs down.
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.
Paid advertisement
Can you get free roaming?
Until the end of 2020, you were able to use your inclusive data, calls and texts when travelling in Europe. And some mobile companies, such as Three, offered the same deal in countries further afield, including the USA and Australia. O2 is the only major network to carry on offering this — here are the rules for each of the networks.
O2 & Virgin Mobile – free roaming continues
The only major network to retain free roaming is O2, with extra benefits if you also get Virgin Broadband. You can call and text UK numbers from abroad and use your data up to the limits in your monthly allowance or 25GB, whichever is lower.
This only applies in European countries, and you’ll be capped at 25GB of data a month if your normal allowance is above this.
For travel outside of Europe, you can buy an O2 Travel Bolt On for £7 a day which covers 27 worldwide destinations (full list here). You’ll get unlimited data each day, plus 120 minutes of talk time and texts to UK numbers. Some more expensive packages include this, usually those with 30GB of data or more.
If you’re on Pay As You Go, you can get the O2 Travel Bolt On for £1.99 a day in selected destinations.
Or, if you’re with Virgin Media for your broadband then you can link your accounts to get this Bolt On added to your phone tariff for free.
Vodafone
General roaming charges now apply to anyone who took out a Vodafone contract after 11 August 2021. There’s no change for contracts taken out before this.
However, pay monthly plans and Pay As You Go include roaming in the Republic of Ireland, Isle of Man, Iceland and Norway.
Some more expensive contracts will include roaming in the EU and beyond, but if you’re on a basic plan you’ll pay £2.57 a day if you’re travelling in Europe. You can reduce this with an eight-day pass for £16 or a 15-day pass for £21.
Paid advertisement
EE
Your roaming charges will depend on your plan and where you’re travelling.
For example, if you pay monthly for your EE phone contract, you’ll be charged £2.72 a day or £16.50 for seven days if you’re travelling in Europe.
Then there are zones for the rest of the world. If you’re visiting the USA, China, India and a few others in Zone 1, it’ll cost £6 a day or £30 for seven days. The most you’ll pay is £16 a day if you’re going to Zone 4 countries including Nepal and the Maldives.
If you’re on PAYG, you’ll need to pay £2.50 for a day or £10 for seven days to use your allowances in Europe.
If you’re on EE’s Full Works plan, you’ll get its EU and Roam Further Pass included, although this is one of the more expensive contacts.
Three
The Go Roam benefit offered free roaming outside the EU, but all included roaming ended for anyone who took out a new contract or renewed a contract after 1 October 2021.
Now Three offers roaming in Europe for £2 for a day, £5 three days, or £12 for a week.
It’ll cost you £5 a day for the rest of the world to use your existing allowances, with three days costing £12.50 and a week set at £30.
There’s also a £7 a day Data Passport which offers unlimited data abroad.
However, it’s free in the EU if you use (or buy) a Three Pay-as-you-go SIM.
Other networks
Here’s what some of the other networks are doing:
BT Mobile – free European roaming remains
Giffgaff – free European roaming remains
ID Mobile – free European roaming remains
Lebara – free European roaming remains
Sky Mobile – free roaming ended in May 2022
Smarty – free European roaming remains
Tesco Mobile – free European roaming remains
Voxi – free roaming ended in May 2022
Paid advertisement
New rules to cut roaming fees
Mobile network providers must tell you if you’re going to be charged for roaming when you’re abroad under new proposals from Ofcom (the UK’s communications regulator). The provider has to tell you the costs, fair use limits and any relevant time limits. They should also inform you of how to set a limit on your spending.
These rules were introduced on 1 October 2024.
How to reduce your phone charges abroad
Check your destination
Even if you have roaming included or there’s the option to set a daily price cap – check that the country you’re going to is part of that deal. If it’s excluded then you’ll need to look at some of these other tips.
Switch to a different mobile network
As well as O2 and Virgin Media, many smaller networks are keeping EU roaming. These could well be cheaper than the major networks back home, too.
If you don’t fancy doing this permanently, you could look at Three’s PAYG SIM or sign up for just one month of one of the smaller networks.
Get an eSIM
An eSIM is a handy way to get service while you’re abroad. It’s essentially a digital SIM card that you can load onto your phone to use local network providers. You can get ones that are just data, or you can get one with a local phone number to also make calls and send texts.
We have a full guide on eSIMs here where we explain how they work, the benefits and the savings you can make.
Cap your charges
If you don’t want to switch, you should find out what your network will charge where you are going.
It’s worth seeing if your network has a cap on overseas charges, particularly for data. This will stop your bill getting out of control – but don’t assume you’ll get this. You often have to ask for this to be implemented.
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
Another option is to buy add-on packages that give you a pre-agreed amount of minutes, texts or data to use when abroad.
Get Volt via O2 and Virgin Media
Worldwide roaming is included if you have both a mobile with O2 and broadband from Virgin Media. Though only go down this route if the prices for both are decent.
Turn off your data and use Wi-Fi instead
Another option is to simply not use data at all. You need to do this before you get on the plane, train or boat. Go to your settings and turn off data roaming or mobile data – and keep it off until you’re back in the UK.
This also means the apps on your phone won’t automatically access data behind the scenes. It also protects against accidentally opening your email — yep, you’d get charged, even if it’s just a few seconds.
If you’re in a destination where roaming is included, check your limits. There may be a reduction in how much of your regular allowance you can use.
With data turned off, the only way to connect to the web will be using Wi-Fi. You might get lucky and get it for free at your hotel. If not, look for coffee shops and public spaces that don’t charge. You can research in advance too, using the Wi-Fi Finder app.
However, be careful using unsecured Wi-Fi with banking apps or online shopping. Don’t enter login or password details.
Write shorter texts
If your text is longer than 160 characters, it’ll count as two texts (or more), so try to watch your words. It’s also worth not sending picture messages via text (at home and abroad) as they’ll be charged extra. Use messaging apps instead (when you’re on Wi-Fi).
Our podcast
Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.
Unless you’ve got a specific add-on which allows it, any calls you make to numbers at your destination or texts messages to local mobiles aren’t included in roaming. You might be better off getting a local SIM or calling card if you’re going to make a lot of these calls.
Don’t answer calls and turn off voicemail
Outside inclusive roaming counties you’ll often be charged to answer a call, so don’t answer unless you need to. You won’t be charged to get a text message though, so tell mates back home that’s the best way to communicate with you while you’re away.
Some networks – with EE the worst – will also charge you for receiving a voicemail when abroad, even if you don’t access it. I always used to call my provider and turn voicemail off before I left to avoid any unnecessary charges.
Use apps to make calls and send messages
When you’re connected to Wi-Fi, you’ll also be able to use apps like WhatsApp to make free calls and send messages, including photos.
This cuts out the costs of making and receiving calls overseas. However, if the Wi-Fi signal is weak, it can be a very frustrating phone call!
Don’t miss out on even better deals when looking for a new mortgage offer.
If you’re on a fixed mortgage deal, you might just see remortgaging as something you need to do to avoid moving on to a more expensive standard variable rate. Of course, doing that will save you money but it’s possible to use remortgaging to reduce how much you pay over the term even more.
I’m not going to go through everything you need to do when you remortgage here – things like check your credit report for errors, get paperwork together and watch your spending and credit applications in the run-up to your application.
This is all very important stuff and could well have changed since you last got a mortgage. So do read up on all of that.
Instead, I’m going to focus here on a few simple things you can do that could make a big difference to the monthly and total cost of your mortgage. And the main one involves something called “Loan to Value”.
Watch this video or keep reading (or both)
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.
Paid advertisement
What is Loan to Value?
Loan to Value, or LTV, is essentially how much you have borrowed compared to the value of your home. So if you originally bought a £300,000 house with a £30,000 deposit you would have had an LTV of 90%. That’s a mortgage loan of £270,000.
So why does this matter to remortgaging? Well, LTV is measured in bands. They generally start at 95% (meaning you’ve put down a 5% deposit) and drop in 5% increments down to 60%, though sometimes the gaps between tiers are larger (eg 75% and then 60%).
Mortgage interest rates tend to then drop for each band you move down. And obviously the lower the interest rate you get, the less you’ll pay.
For example, at the time of writing, the lowest available five-year fix is 4.48%. This is based on taking out a 25-year mortgage term with a 60% LTV. At 80% LTV, the lowest five-year fix available is 4.68%, at 90% that rises again to 4.84%.
And over time there’s a good chance your LTV will have changed, thanks to prices rising as well as you paying off some of your loan, meaning you might get a better deal when it comes around to remortgaging.
There are two key changes that could have affected your LTV since you agreed to your last mortgage deal.
Try our mortgage calculator
Our mortgage calculator helps simplify things by giving you an idea of how much you could borrow and your likely monthly repayments.
First, unless you’re on an interest-only mortgage, you’ve been paying into your mortgage every single month, building up equity.
Say you’ve knocked £15,000 off the mortgage in equity payments (don’t forget some of your monthly repayments will have gone towards interest charges), then you have added an extra 5% to what you own. This means your LTV would now be 85% and you can apply for the next tier of mortgages.
And second, your property value could have increased. Let’s say it’s now worth 5% more at £315,000. That’s an extra £15k. Alongside your initial deposit and the £15k in repayments, it would give you £60,000 of equity – roughly 19% of the total value. That means the LTV is now 81%.
However, in the example above, the repayments and extra value might give an LTV of 81% but it would still only mean getting access to deals in the 85% LTV bracket, rather than 80%.
When you’re really close to a new tier, finding some extra cash from savings or cutting back ahead of remortgaging would be well worth it. Here an extra £3,000 might seem a huge amount but the drop down to the 80% band could be a big saver over time.
Using our example mortgage size, a 0.45% difference between 85% and 80% LTV tiers over five years would be just £2,000, but over 25 years that variation in rate would be worth £15,000.
It’s worth having a go on our mortgage calculator to find out what effect things like different rates have on payments, so it’s worth taking a look at playing around.
How to get a new valuation for LTV
You can get a sense of price changes using a site like Zoopla. You put your postcode in and you’ll get an estimate as to the current value of your property. It’ll be shown in a range which can be quite broad. When I looked, for example, it suggested my house had gone up by £20k to £79k in value since we paid for it two years ago.
You can also get an idea from Zoopla and RightMove as to what the list prices were for other similar properties that have sold recently. Have a nose at the listings online so you can see if it’s a similar layout and standard inside. Remember these are just asking prices, so the actual deal could be different.
For a more accurate idea you could invite an estate agent over to give you their input – there’s no commitment for you to list the house if you do this. You can then put a figure on your application.
The mortgage lender will then want to do their own valuation (and charge you for it!). This could just be a drive-by looking at the outside of the property, or they might want to come into the house. You probably won’t know which one it is, so make sure everything looks good inside just in case.
This won’t happen though until you’re already quite a decent way through your application process so if you don’t get what you want to bear in mind you’ll start all over again with another lender.
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
Shop around for the lowest rate
Once you’ve checked the LTV you could just remortgage with your existing lender. That might be the quickest option, and it could mean you don’t need to go through as many hoops and cut out some fees. But it could also mean you’re missing out on some much lower deals.
You can also talk to a mortgage advisor, who will be able to give you a much better idea of what you could be offered based on your individual circumstances, and even ways to boost your affordability.
A few extras to bear in mind when comparing different rates:
Find out if you are able to overpay
It’s really worth looking to see what the rules are in terms of overpayment. Some won’t let you do it at all, while others might have annual limits. Best is complete freedom to pay what you want each month and the ability to clear it completely before the term ends.
Even if you don’t think you’ll be able to overpay by much, if at all, right now, you never know how things could change. It’s really useful to have that flexibility.
You’ll get charged all sorts of different fees with different mortgages, and they can make good looking deals actually worse than ones with higher interest.
The main ones are the arrangement and booking fees. These facilitate the deal and could be non-refundable. You need to factor in these to the total cost of the mortgage deal.
Do this over the length of the deal (eg three years) to work out what you’ll actually be paying over time, and compare it to one with higher rates and lower fees.
Consider if you want to fix for longer
If interest rates are going to shoot up in the coming years, you might want to look beyond the usual two-year fixes. There are often five and 10-year options available, though you may pay a higher rate for these.
Check how much you’ve left to pay
One reason not to remortgage is when you’ve almost cleared your debt. That’s because the fees that are added to new deals could well wipe out the savings you’ll make by sticking put – even if it’s at a higher interest rate! So work out how much you’ll be paying by sticking put just in case it works out cheaper.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
It’s worth looking for new deals around six months before your deal ends as it can take time to get the process approved.
Saying that, you can remortgage at any time, though if you do it before your deal ends you may get hit with exit fees – usually known as early repayment fees.
So generally it’s best not to do it early but you might want to keep an eye on any potential base rate changes by the Bank of England.
If it looks like there’s going to be a significant rise you might want to switch your deal early to get hold of lower price deals – but of course you need to factor in any early repayment charge as well as any changes to LTV.
Important
*Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Be Clever With Your Cash may receive a payment from Tembo Money if you complete a mortgage through the link provided. This will not affect the amount you pay for the service.
This broker fee discount of up to £499 is applicable for standard mortgages and remortgages only, more complex cases including guarantor, buy-to-let, adverse credit, and equity transfer may be liable for a fee. The fee you are required to pay will be clearly outlined by your adviser prior to an application being submitted on your behalf. The offer does not cover any other potential fees that may arise during the mortgage process.
Tembo Money Limited (12631312) is a company registered in England and Wales with its registered office at 18 Crucifix Lane, London, SE1 3JW. Tembo is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority under the registration number 952652. Tembo Money was awarded Best Mortgage Broker at the British bank awards in 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025. Rates are not guaranteed and may change by the time you come to apply. Eligibility criteria may vary by lender.
Our calculator is only an estimate of how much you are able to borrow and does not constitute mortgage advice
This streaming service from Disney has increased prices twice in a year and cracked down on password sharing – but there are still plenty of ways to save.
We’ll share the best ways to pay less when we spot them, including special offers, free trials and discount codes.
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.
Paid advertisement
Disney+ price
Sadly there’s no free trial for Disney Plus. Though a seven-day trial was initially available, you’ll now need to pay to access the service.
You can pay monthly (and cancel at any time) for three of the options ranging from £599 with adverts, £9.99 for the “standard” option and £14.99 for “Premium”. The latter two tiers can also be paid for annually for a small discount.
You now have to pay between £4.99 and £5.99 a month to share your account with one other household. We’ve explained all in our guide to how Disney+’s Extra Member will work.
Paid advertisement
Disney plus offers
£3.99 a month for 3 months
You can currently get a Standard with Ads subscription for £3.99 per month for three months, down from the usual £5.99 per month, saving you £2 per month.
You can also get Premium for £9.99 per month (usually £14.99 per month) or Standard for £6.99 per month (usually £9.99 per month).
The offer runs until 4 May 2026. If you don’t cancel within the three months, it’ll renew at full price.
If you sign up to an annual Uber One pass at £49.99, you’ll get a free year of Disney+ Standard, worth £99.90 at full price (already a £49 saving on the annual cost).
If you’ve not signed up to Uber One before, you might be offered the first four weeks free, but you’ll have the option to choose annual payment after the trial.
However if you’ve previously taken the Disney+ offer from Uber you won’t be able to get it again until 14 months have passed.
You’ll also get discounts on Uber rides and Eats. Here’s more in our Uber One review.
Users of Quidco and TopCashback can get cashback when they take out a year-long subscription to Disney +. You’ll still pay the full £99.90 for the Standard package, but you’ll get £10 paid back into your account with Quidco and £5.95 with TopCashback.
Even better, if you’re new to TopCashback or Quidco you can also get a £20 sign up bonus, too.
Andy’s analysis – is it worth paying for a year upfront?
If you know you want Disney+ all year round (hello anyone with kids!), the annual pass discount and potential cashback bring the price down.
But it’s worth thinking just how often you’ll actually watch it. Do you only want it for the big Marvel and Star Wars TV shows? If so, maybe you only need to get it when these are released.
And if you can cut Disney+ for at least two months a year (more if you get the cashback), then it’s exactly the same cost to go for the monthly price. So every month on top that you don’t subscribe you are saving cash.
Of course you do need to remember to cancel and not let it keep rolling over month to month.
Clubcard: 50% off
Swap £15 in Clubcard vouchers for three months of Disney+ Standard, which would cost £30 at full price.
There’s a cheaper option for Disney+ with Ads, which requires £9 in Clubcard points for three months, worth £18.
If you’re on a pay-monthly refresh tariff or a SIM-only 12 or 18 month contract, then you can add any Disney+ tier to your mobile plan (so you’ll pay alongside your bill) at full price.
But you’ll get £2 credited to your bill every month, effectively meaning you’ll pay £7.99 a month for Standard and £12.99 for Premium.
That’s a decent saving each month; however, there is a minimum term of six months.
And if you keep it for a full year, then the savings are smaller as you need to compare them to the discounted annual plans. Versus the annual Premium plan cost of £149.90, you’ll actually pay more this way. For Standard, it’s a saving of just £4.02 a year versus the annual cost of £99.90.
You can get this offer until 31 December 2025. It’s not available for existing Disney+ subscribers but isn’t specifically for new ones, so you could cancel and then sign up through O2 to get the discount.
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
Up to six months free with O2
If you’re new to O2 or upgrading then you can claim either one, three or six months of Disney+ for free. This can be a great way to save, but you need to make sure you can’t get a cheaper SIM-only deal elsewhere.
This “Extra” is only available on certain deals, and most of the time O2 SIM deals are more expensive than elsewhere.
However, sometimes you can find a bargain via a comparison site, so it’s worth seeing if it could be cheaper.
Activate cashback offer on participating bank cards, such as American Express or Monzo, for 15% off the full price
This could help you make some decent savings. For example, if you sign up as a new TopCashback member and have the offer on a payment card it would bring the price of the annual Standard membership down from £99.90 to under £46
Details on all these separate offers are below too.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
It’s worth checking apps for your debit and credit cards to see if there’s a discount on Disney+.
15% off with American Express
If you have an Amex card then check the offers tab in your account to see if you can add a deal to save 15% on Disney+.
You’ll need to activate the offer in the app first. The offer comes and goes with different expiration dates, and you’ll get the discount on all transactions that are on your card in that time.
Digital bank Monzo regularly offers customers 15% back when you spend at least £99.90 – so effectively it’s one of the two annual plans.
You’ll need to activate the offer in the app and pay with your Monzo card. It comes and goes, so if it’s not there, check when offers refresh each week.
Plus Disney+ newbies can stack this with the Quidco or TopCashback offer mentioned above and it brings the annual Standard price down.
The cheapest ways to watch TNT Sports on your TV or app
If you want to watch Premier League and Champions League football, Premiership Rugby, along with other sports, on TNT Sports, then you’ll need to sign up via your pay TV provider or use the Discovery+ streaming service.
Here are the best offers right now to save you cash.
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.
Paid advertisement
What is TNT Sports?
TNT Sports is the new name for BT Sports. It now sits under the Discovery brand, though you can add just the TNT Sports channels to your Sky, Virgin and other pay TV services.
The channels are:
TNT Sports 1, 2, 3, and 4: available in standard and high definition, plus six red-button channels.
TNT Sports Ultimate: stream select events in 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos (with a compatible device).
TNT Sports Box Office: get pay-per-view access to exciting sports events (for both subscribers and non-subscribers).
This tier of streaming service Discovery+ gets you all the TNT Sports channels to watch via the Discovery+ app on your TV, smart stick, games console, computer, tablet or phone.
For an extra £3 a month you can also get lifestyle channels such as TLC, Quest and Discovery.
This is a monthly pass and you can cancel at anytime. This effectively replaces the old BT Sport monthly pass, though the difference is this will renew if you don’t cancel.
Some BT Broadband customers, usually long standing ones who used to get BT Sports for free, may now have access to the full Discovery+ Premium package for free.
If you get your internet services from BT then you can get the TNT Sport channels for an extra charge each month by adding BT TV. The sports packages starts from £20 a month.
Although you can still watch via the BT Sport App you’ll need to move to the Discovery+ app in due course.
If you’re adding it to an existing BT contract then it could mean you start a new contract for all your BT services, possibly for 24 months.
EE customers can get access to the TNT Sports via a Discovery+ Premium pass that costs £20 a month. You need to text SPORT to 150 to start your subscription. You can cancel anytime.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
If you have a reasonably expensive contract with EE (via the Full Works plan), you can choose TNT Sports as one of your Inclusive Extras.
TNT Sports is probably the most expensive of the options, though alternatives include:
Apple One Individual
Google One Premium AI Plan
Netflix Premium
Xbox Game Pass Ultimate
Though there will be cheaper SIM deals out there, with EE or another network, it is much less than getting TNT Sports (and Discovery+) direct from the streaming service. The difference though is you’re committing to a 24 month contract, and prices will likely increase each spring with inflation.
Ultimately you’re probably better off shopping around for a cheaper SIM-only deal and getting TNT Sports as and when you need it.
Add TNT Sports to your O2 mobile contract and you’ll get charged a lower £26.99 a month, and then also get £2 credited back to your account each month.
There’s no long term commitment, so you can cancel at any time.
Watch the Europa League, Conference & Champions League final for free
Though TNT Sports has the rights to show the finals of all European competitions, they’re continuing the offer to watch them for free without a subscription.
You can watch for free via the Discovery+ app on TVs and devices, or you can also watch via the Discovery+ channel on Prime Video.
If you don’t have an account you will need to register, but there’s no need to pay for any of the packages.
You can watch TNT Sport on your TV if you have the Discovery+ app (and the right level of subscription).
This is available on the following (though check the full list here in case you have older incompatible models)
Amazon Fire Sticks
Apple TV
Chromecasts
Samsung & LG Smart TVs
Android TVs
Roku devices (including NOW sticks)
Sky TV
Playstation 4 & 5
Xbox One and XIS
Buy an HDMI cable
As long as you have a laptop with an HDMI connector, you can just buy a cable to connect to your TV. This should be the cheapest option – but I prefer the smart stick options!
Pay less for wine and other booze in the supermarket, shops and in pubs
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.
Paid advertisement
Wine deals
Warehouse wines: 6 bottles of wine for less than £30
Get 6 top-quality bottles for under £30 – delivery to your door and no subscription sign-ups. That’s a 40% saving on normal prices.
Warehouse wines put together this selection to show off some of it’s best bottles. You can choose between a red wine bundle, a white wine bundle or a mixed case.
You’ll find a Chilean Malbec, a lush Tempranillo Syrah from Spain and The Bight Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon from Australia among the reds – for £4.99 a bottle. Whites include a classic Italian Pinot Grigio the Leaf & Stone Limited Release Sauvignon Blanc from France and a unique Romanian entry made with hand-selected native grapes .
You need to be 18 or over and a new customer to take advantage of the offer. P&P is £4.99, UK addresses only.
Not to be combined with any other promotional discount or offer. Vouchers can be used only once. There is no obligation to buy any more wine.
Good Pair Days: free cooler set with your first box
If you sign up for the wine subscription Good Pair Days then you can get a free cooler (with a cheeseboard lid), wine tumbler and insulated bottle with your first box. Look out for a pop up with the promotion.
You need to put at least three bottles of wine into your box – these can be just under a tenner each. Delivery costs £5 but it’s free if you order four or more bottles – so adding an extra £10 bottle will only cost you £5.
Ultimately it means the four bottles of wine and the freebies could come in at around £40, which we think is pretty good.
When we looked at some of the wines elsewhere they were £1-£2 cheaper, so this subscription box isn’t value for money without the freebie. Remember to cancel the subscription if you don’t want to continue it.
Zoe and Andy in the team have tried it and the actual cooler, tumblers and bottle are great quality, and the wines (so far) have been decent.
Andy got the link to the deal after ordering the mini bottles below, which Laithwaites says you can share with friends and family. So we’re offering it to all of our Be Clever with Your Cash community, obviously!
Choose from four red wines, four white wines or four mixed.
There are lots of beer-related offers out there, so I’ve set up a separate page to help you save money on craft beer from supermarkets, specialist shops and online beer clubs, including discount codes for Beer52 and Honest Brew.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
What you’ll really pay if you get your groceries delivered from a takeaway service.
It’s never been easier to get takeaways or your supermarket shopping delivered to your front door – including getting those groceries collected and dropped off by Deliveroo and Uber Eats.
You can order supplies and get them within a few hours, if not less. It’s certainly convenient. But as with using these apps and websites for takeaways, I wanted to find out if you’ll actually be overpaying.
So I’ve compared prices from the apps vs going direct to the supermarkets, plus looked at any extra charges. Here’s what you need to know before ordering.
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.
Paid advertisement
Which delivery apps offer grocery delivery?
You’ll find the major supermarkets as well as some convenience stores on Uber Eats, Just Eat or Deliveroo.
There are similar services such as Getir, Gorillas and Beelivery too. These often have their own warehouses rather than working with traditional retailers. I’m not covering here as the reach is still limited around the country.
Which supermarkets are on Uber Eats, Just Eat and Deliveroo?
The apps have partnerships with Asda, Co-op, Iceland, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, as well as smaller shops like McColls, One-Stop and even some petrol stations.
Of course, you need the supermarket to be in your delivery area to appear on the app. And even if you have a store near you, they might not partner with the apps in your area.
All three apps seem to have an offer with most supermarkets – it used to be that you’d have to use a specific app to shop at specific shops.
Paid advertisement
Ordering & delivery
Using these apps is completely separate to the supermarket’s own delivery service, so you don’t need an account with the supermarket itself.
You will need to download the Deliveroo, Just Eat or Uber Eats app, or access them via a web browser. You then need to sign up if you haven’t already.
Making an order is exactly the same as with a takeaway. If you have a participating supermarket near you it’ll appear on the app.
Add the items you want to your basket and pay. Then wait for them to arrive at your door.
Paid advertisement
Charges and extra fees
On Deliveroo, most of the supermarkets say it’s free delivery, but on Uber Eats all added a fee of around £2. Some charged a different rate depending on how close you were to the supermarket, others charged a flat fee. Just Eat charges £1.29 to £3.29 for delivery.
There’s also a minimum order of around £15 with Uber Eats and Deliveroo, although Just Eat doesn’t seem to have one. If you don’t meet this threshold, you’ll be charged an additional fee, often around £3.
You’ll also find that most add an extra service charge. For Uber Eats, it’s 10% of the order. On Deliveroo it was generally 5%, with a minimum of 49p and cap of £2. And Just Eat charges a service fee of 99p to £2.99.
And on top of this, you might be charged for carrier bags at 10p per bag, though one dummy order I set up added 40p despite having just four items. There’s also the option to provide a driver tip.
It’s possible to request a specific time slot or just ask for it as soon as possible. You’ll get an indication of when the delivery will be made, and you can track progress. In my experience of using both for takeaways, there’s always a good chance it’ll be late! You might be charged more for this or a priority order.
Paid advertisement
Can you collect your loyalty points?
Previously, you couldn’t use your loyalty cards using these apps, but you can now link your loyalty apps to Deliveroo and Uber Eats. Not all loyalty apps work with both apps, but we’ve seen that you can connect your Nectar card, MyWaitrose card, Morrisons More card and Co-op membership. It’s likely that other supermarkets (and Just Eat) will follow suit.
In some cases, you get member prices by linking your card.
Our podcast
Listen to Cash Chats, our award-winning podcast, presented by Steve Alderton and Editor James Andrews.
You can’t order anything you want. While the number of items has increased over the years, there’s nowhere near the same number of products available as going into store.
This means it’s impossible to do a full shop this way. And even if you only need a few things, you’ll likely have to compromise, opt for more expensive brand names or go without.
Paid advertisement
Prices are higher
This is the real kicker, although some are now opting to align their prices with the in-store prices, and sometimes there are reduced prices for linking your loyalty app, aligning them more.
I selected some random products for each supermarket, and the prices were all noticeably higher. Here’s a small selection.
Supermarket
Product
Direct
Best delivery app
Mark up
Asda
Cadbury’s Giant Buttons
£1.50
£1.85
23%
Morrisons
Cathedral City extra mature cheddar (350g)
£3.75
£4.55
21%
Sainsbury’s
Febreze Classic Spray
£2.50
£3.25
30%
Waitrose
King Prawn, Garlic & Chilli Sourdough Pizza
£6.75
£8.10
20%
Prices correct as of 24 April 2026
All the items I checked cost more on the app than buying direct from the supermarket – and that’s before those extra service charges.
You miss out on special offers
The prices you see aren’t just higher, and even when they have the same prices and in-store, they don’t take into account special offers at the supermarket. This means you’re not just paying the premium added on top, you’re missing out on further savings.
This includes multibuy promotions and sometimes reduced prices in-store.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
Extra discounts
I often get emails or notifications from the apps saying I can get 50% off my grocery order or £10 off, so it’s worth looking for these. Uber Eats sometimes offers a reduced price for fruits and vegetables.
However, don’t think this will make your basket cheaper! Since items are already more expensive and there are extra charges on top, you might find you’re only saving a few quid if anything at all. Plus the reduced range means you might be struggling to meet a £40 minimum order of things you actually need. Don’t be tempted to order things you don’t want or need just to reach a discount threshold.
Paid advertisement
The pros and cons of using takeaway apps for groceries
Pros
Quick delivery
An alternative way to get delivery if all direct slots are full
Lower minimum order total cost than going direct
Cons
Limited range of products
Increased prices
No special offers
Extra service charges
Should you order groceries from Deliveroo and Uber Eats?
Zoe’s analysis
I tend to keep my use of delivery apps for groceries to a minimum. For the most part, I’d prefer to take a walk down to my local Waitrose or drive to another supermarket if I want something. However, these apps do sometimes come in handy.
When sick, pet-sitting or downright busy, it can be handy to order something in. The 50% off fruit and veg often offered by Uber Eats does, often, save a fair amount of money, as long as I’m mindful about what I order.
It’s a huge improvement to finally be able to connect your loyalty cards to the apps, too.
Which Amex credit card will earn you the most cashback or rewards in the UK in 2026?
There are a number of different American Express cards, so which is the best?
In this best buy guide, I’ll take you through my top picks whether you want to get your first card or change the one you already have.
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.
Paid advertisement
The best American Express for welcome offers
There are a number of great welcome bonuses from American Express that could earn you more than £100 extra in your first few months. They are often boosted too, making them even more profitable.
Importantly you can only get these offers (on most cards – more on this in a bit) if you’ve not an an Amex in your name in the last two years.
Each offer also comes with a spending requirement to trigger the bonus, so make sure your normal spending will fit this.
The best first Amex card welcome offers
To keep you eligible for additional welcome bonuses, I’d actually only consider one of these two cards, even though you’ll earn less from the bonus. They rarely have boosted welcome deals so I’d go for them at any time.
If you aren’t going to later for a second bonus with the Amex Platinum then you could also consider the Amex Preferred Rewards Gold – though I’d wait until it’s boosted.
1 Amex Reward point per £1, bonus points for every £5,000 spent (= 0.5% to 0.75%)
Paid advertisement
Additional Amex welcome offers
After the Nectar or Platinum Cashback, there’s the chance to get another boosted offer on both the British Airways American Express Premium Plus (as long as you’ve not had either BA Amex card in the last two years) and the American Express Platinum credit cards (as long as you’ve not had the Preferred Rewards Gold or Rewards cards in the same time). I’ve written in more detail about this multiple Amex welcome offer hack here.
However, these cards come with big fees and the bonuses have large spending requirements, so I’d wait until they are boosted and you can earn more points.
If you are a member of Vitality health or life insurance then you will also be eligible for a £100 statement credit when you spend £2,000 in the first three months, even if you’ve got any other Amex.
Here’s what you could be looking at based on increased sign-up offers that have run recently.
Card
Fee
Most recent boosted welcome offer
Potential condition
Total value
Ongoing cashback rate
British Airways American Express Premium Plus card
So what do you do once you’ve got bonus (or bonuses) and you’re faced with a fee at the start of the second year? Well, I’d be looking to ditch that card and find an alternative.
But the headline cashback/reward rate isn’t the only thing to consider. You need to take into account whether there’s a fee or minimum spend. And you also need to decide how you want to receive your money back – as cash or points?
Depending on which card you went to for your first card (the Nectar or Cashback), I’d actually then get the other one next or look at the Amex Preferred Rewards Gold which is free in year one.
But after the first year on each of these, the annual fees on all three will eat into your cashback earnings.
But if you want to keep an Amex, then there’s the Amex Rewards card or BA Amex which are both always free. Just don’t get these (or the Gold) if you haven’t yet claimed those additional Platinum and BA Amex Premium Plus welcome bonuses.
Amex card
Annual Fee
Cashback/Reward
Equivalent rate
Nectar
Free in year one, £30 after
2 Nectar points per £1
1%
Cashback
£25 (first year can be covered via referral link)
Up to 1.25% cashback (paid on year anniversary)
0.75% on first £10,000, then 1.25%
Preferred Rewards Gold
Free in year one, £195 after
1 Amex Reward point per £1, bonus points for every £5,000 spent
0.64% to 0.75% if you spend at least £5,000
Reward
Free
1 Amex Reward point per £1
0.5%
British Airways American Express
Free
1 Avios point per £1
0.5% (if converted to Nectar)
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
Paid advertisement
Best Amex for extra offers
There’s a final category to consider when choosing your Amex – are there extras that come with the card? And if so, how much will they cost?
This table shows the main additional card benefits you might want to take advantage of.
Amex Card
Key additional benefits
Annual fee
Preferred Rewards Gold
2 x £5 Deliveroo credit every month 4 Priority Pass airport lounge visits each year
£195
Platinum
Worldwide family travel Insurance £200 UK dining credit each calendar year (£100 every six months) Airport lounge access all year
£650
British Airways Premium Plus
BA Companion voucher if you spend £15,000 each year (lasts 24 months, and valid in all classes)
£300
British Airways
BA Companion voucher if you spend £15,000 each year (lasts 12 months, and only valid in economy)
Free
I wouldn’t keep the Gold card once the fee kicks in after the first year. I’d also avoid the Platinum after the year which includes a welcome bonus.
It’s a harder call with the BA cards. If you opt for the free BA card, it’s only valid for 12 months and only in economy, which might make it hard for you to find a flight you want to use as tickets are released 12 months in advance on the BA site, so you could well miss out on big destinations.
The Premium Plus voucher lasts longer, but you will be paying £300 to get it. From my experience it’s hard to get that back on economy flights, so you’d want to aim for Business.
But, to use a 2-4-1 Companion voucher you need to have enough Avios points to pay for the first flight AND you have to pay for taxes and fees on top. If that’s unlikely then neither are worth it. And you also need to weigh up whether you’ll be able to get a cheaper flight shopping around.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
Two American Express cards can earn you British Airways companion vouchers. However, don’t get the free BA Amex card before the BA Amex Premium Plus if you want to try for the higher welcome offer with the latter card detailed further up this article.
With the Premium Plus you’ll need to spend £15,000 in the first year you’ll get a BA Companion voucher. This gets you 2-4-1 flights or an upgrade and is valid for two years and in all flight classes. Remember there is a £300 annual fee.
But after this year you have two options. If you cancel completely you won’t lose your Avios as they’ll have been added to your British Airways Executive Club account. This resets the clock to enable you to (potentially) get another bonus in two years time.
Or you can downgrade to the free BA Amex easily via a call or live chat and this will mean you keep an Amex without a new credit check.
If you choose to keep spending on it you still need to hit £15,000 in a year for a BA Companion voucher to use in economy class, valid for a just one year.
With both companion vouchers, bear in mind you need to have enough Avios points saved up to cover the cost of one ticket before adding the 2-4-1 voucher, and you still pay tax and fees on both tickets.
Amex card
Annual Fee
Cashback/Reward
Equivalent rate
British Airways American Express
Free
1 Avios point per £1
0.5% (if converted to Nectar)
British Airways American Express Premium Plus
£250
1.5 Avios point per £1
0.75% (if converted to Nectar)
Best Amex to protect your Amex Reward points
If you decide to cancel the Platinum card at the end of your first year, make sure you protect any Amex Membership points linked to it before doing so. You’ll need to swap them or open up a different Reward card to ensure you don’t lose them.
There are two options here. The Reward card and the Preferred Reward Gold card. Remember, do not open up either of these cards before the Platinum if you think you’ll try for the boosted welcome offer on that card at some point.
Amex card
Annual Fee
Cashback/Reward
Equivalent rate
Preferred Rewards Gold
Free in year one, £195 after
1 Amex Reward point per £1, bonus points for every £5,000 spent
Reduce how much you pay for your Netflix subscription
It’s one of, if not the best film and TV streaming services with a great range of shows and films to watch. It’s also one of the cheapest – if you choose the most basic tier.
Though it’s rare to find deals to save money on your Netflix subscription, it is possible to pay less. Here are a few ways to save.
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.
Paid advertisement
How much is Netflix a month?
Here are the different levels of Netflix you can get. Netflix prices range from £5.99 to £18.99 a month.
The big difference between each one is how many streams you can watch simultaneously on different devices and the picture quality.
The cheapest option at £5.99 a month is Standard with Ads. As the name suggests, it has commercials playing at points in the programmes you watch. You also can’t download to watch offline, and some shows are missing due to rights issues.
The others are ad-free and have the full library available. For most people, the Standard tier should suffice, or being an Extra Member on someone else’s plan.
Tier
New Price
Number of streams
Picture quality
Standard with Adverts
£5.99
2
HD (1080p)
Standard
£12.99
2
HD (1080p)
Premium
£18.99
4
4K
Extra Member – Standard with Adverts
£4.99
1
HD (1080p)
Extra Member – Standard
£5.99
1
HD (1080p)
Extra Member – Premium
£5.99
1
4K
Netflix price increase 2025
In February 2025, Netflix increased prices on all of its packages. Prices for Standard with Adverts and Premium rose by £1 a month, and the Standard plan rose by £2 a month. Meanwhile, the cost of extra members also went up by £1 a month.
Get the best of our money saving content every week, straight to your inbox
Plus, new Quidco customers get a high paying £18 welcome offer
Netflix money saving hacks
Switch your subscription level
There are three levels of Netflix. The Standard with Adverts package costs £5.99, but you’ll get adverts and can’t download.
The next level is £12.99 a month and you’ll get HD and be able to watch on two devices at the same time.
The premium package is £18.99. For this, you get 4K quality (if the content you want to watch is actually available with that version) and you can stream or download to four devices at the same time.
Personally I think most people will be happy with the Standard options and very few people will get the full benefit of the top tier. Switch and you could save yourself £6 a month.
Split the cost
Since 23 May 2023, it’s no longer been possible to share your Netflix account outside your household, and there’s now an additional charge each month to add an “extra member”. We’ve written a full analysis of how it works and whether it’s worth it.
This is £4.99 on top of the main fee for the Standard with Ads tier and £5.99 a month for the other two tiers. You can only add one extra member to the Standard tiers and two to the Premium tier.
So the total costs would be:
Standard with Ads + One extra member: £10.98 a month
Standard + One extra member: £18.98 a month
Premium + One extra member: £24.98 a month
Premium + Two extra members: £30.97 a month
Of course, there could still be savings if you split these, but it’ll cost more.
If you do split this then make sure you’re clear with friends and family who is paying what and how they’ll pay the main account holder.
There is an option to bundle Netflix with Sky, BT TV and TalkTalk, although I’d avoid this. Here’s more on the best ways to pay for Netflix. However, Netflix with Ads is included at no extra cost with some Virgin Media packages.
Pay with a cashback credit card
You can use a cashback credit card to earn money back on your subscription. We’re not talking huge amounts here, but it all adds up.
Discounted Netflix gift cards
It’s rare to spot these, but if I do I’ll share them in the deals section of this page.
A workaround might be to buy a discounted gift card for a different retailer, such as Amazon or Tesco. Technically, it’s not always allowed, but you might be able to then use that gift card to buy a Netflix one.
Invest in a general investment account or stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
FSCS Protected?Yes
Interest on uninvested cash3% on balances up to $50,000, 3.8% on balances over this
Fractional sharesYes
Foreign exchange fee0.7%
Fund feesIf you invest in funds, you'll have to pay fund fees, which cost on average ~0.16% per year, with additional market-spread effects up to 0.05%
OfferYou need to sign up, verify your account and deposit at least £200 to get the free assets. ISA deposits aren't included in the £200 requirement to get the offer.
Authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct AuthorityYes, FRN 583263
Risk warningThe value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk. ISA powered by Moneyfarm. ISA rules apply. UK residents only.
Accounts availableGeneral investment account, stocks and shares ISA (additional fees apply)
Selected EE mobile contracts will give you Netflix Standard with adverts every month for free as part of your tariff. Of course, it might be cheaper to get a lower-cost SIM with a different network and pay for Netflix separately.
Netflix and NOW TV for £5/month for six months (expired)
If you have BT broadband (or sign up for it), you can add on an EE TV package (formerly BT TV) that includes Netflix and NOW for £5 a month for six months. You’ll get:
Netflix Standard with adverts (£5.99 a month)
NOW Entertainment (£9.99 a month)
Discovery+ basic (£3.99 a month)
With this deal, you’re locked in for at least 24 months. For the first six months you’ll pay £5 and this goes up to £20 a month from month seven. It then costs £22 a month from 31 March 2026 and £24 a month from 31 March 2027.
You’ll need to factor in if you can get broadband for less elsewhere, and that you’ll be tied in for two years.
If you want to upgrade your Netflix package you’ll have to pay more. Similarly, if you want HD and no adverts on your NOW pass that’s another £6 a month. And it’s often possible to get cheaper NOW packages directly with NOW – that might not be the case if you pay via your BT bill.
Sky Stream is a box you plug into your TV and broadband to access Sky channels without needing a satellite dish. The core package comes with Netflix and Sky Entertainment included, and you can try it free for one month.
You need to be a new Sky TV customer, and can’t have had a Sky free trial in the last 12 months. However you can be an existing Netflix user, and you can link an existing Netflix account. This will move the payment over to the Sky bill.
The Netflix tier included is the £5.99 “Standard with Ads” package.
It’s a rolling 31-day contract, so you can cancel at any time. If you don’t do this it’ll be £31 a month. That’s more than getting Netflix and Sky channels via NOW separately – so it’s unlikely to give the best value. However, you will also get access to Freeview channels, which is handy if you don’t have an aerial.
If you cancel you’ll also have to return the Sky Puck device. This ends on 23 May 2024.
This offer has ended, but it’s worth checking to see if it returns. It could be that you see an offer when others don’t!
New users can save 50% when they first sign up to Netflix. After the first two months at this discounted price you’ll pay the full price for the level you’ve chosen.
It’s possible you’ll see a different offer, such as buy one month, get a second free. It works out you’ll pay the same amount overall, but do let me know what you see.
Netflix is great, but there are other options with plenty of content – and plenty of deals. So pause your subscription for a month or two and try out free trials from the likes of Amazon Prime Video and Disney + or get dirt cheap passes for Sky channels via NOW TV. Here’s my guide to the latest offers.