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August 3, 2025   |   Articles

Cheapest ways to watch Premier League, EFL & other football on TV

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Here’s how to watch football on TV without forking out the equivalent of a Premier League player’s daily hourly wage.

If you’re dusting off your football shirt ready for the new season, you may also be considering the cheapest ways to watch your team on TV.

This year, more than 260 Premier League games will be shown on TV, split between Sky TV, and TNT Sports (previously BT Sport).

Championship, League One and League Two fans will get most of their action on Sky Sports, with more games than ever broadcast. Plus there’s European football on TNT and Amazon Prime. And let’s not forget international matches too/

If you want to watch as many games as possible, it doesn’t come cheap. And if you don’t support one of the big teams, they’ll be featured less often, which can make it more expensive per match.

Here’s my guide to the cheapest ways to watch Premier League, EFL and other football.

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.

Cheapest ways to watch football on Sky Sports

Sky Sports is available on as an add on for Sky, EE TV and Virgin Media packages, or as a pay as you go pass via NOW.

If you already pay for Sky or Virgin, then it’s worth haggling to see if you can add on Sky Sports, or reduce your existing spend. However if you just want the sport channels you’ll be tied into an 18 or 24 month contract for all your other services you have with them such as broadband, as well as forced to also pay for entertainment options, really bringing the price up.

Sky Sports is currently £20 a month for 24-months direct from Sky with the standard Sky channels and Netflix adding on another £15 a month, at least.

Sadly it doesn’t look like Sky is still offering a cut price deal just for the football channels or just for the F1 channel – but keep an eye out for either’s return.

You can pay a £25 a month for a monthly rolling contract via Sky Stream as an introductory offer, but you’ll need to pay at least £18 a month on top for Sky Entertainment and Netflix. For most people you’re better off going with NOW.

With Virgin Media it’s also another £20 on top, at least for the sports channels. Again, not bad, but you’re likely over paying for the other channels.

Get day or month Sky Sports passes with NOW TV

NOW TV passes are particularly good if you don’t want to pay for other Sky or Virgin channels or Netflix (which is bundled with Sky), or if you won’t watch all year around.

Plus, combine a NOW TV pass with a cut-price broadband and phone line deal and it’ll often be much much cheaper than getting everything as part of the full Sky or Virgin packages.

If you only plan to watch a few games at home throughout the season you can buy a NOW day pass for £14.99. You get all the Sky Sports channels for 24 hours. This isn’t as good a deal as it used to be, but still a money saver if you just want to watch a single match.

A monthly pass is also available, meaning you can view more sport. But at £34.99 it’s not as cheap as adding to Sky if you pay it every month.

The good news is there are regular deals to reduce the price of a pass. These have dwindled a little over the last few years, and there are very few day pass deals.

But monthly ones do still pop up quite regularly, often dropped to between £21 and £26 a month either when you first sign up or as a retention offer if you go to cancel. Get it this low, if not lower, then it’s more comparable to what you’d pay adding it to Sky without the requirement for other channels.

More recently you might find these offers tie you in for a minimum period, perhaps as long as six months, which isn’t as flexible. But others still let you cancel when ever you want.

You can get more details on NOW TV sports deals in our regularly updated list of the best NOW TV Sky Sports Pass offers.

You can stream the NOW TV app on your TV, console or streaming stick; or on your computer or mobile device. Though you can’t record (it’s all on-demand and catch up), you can now pause and rewind live sport.

If you want HD or to share your pass you’ll need to pay more. It’s £6 a month for Boost (2x streams and 720p) and £9 a month for Boost Ultra (3x streams and 1080p). Again, there are often deals to bring the price down.

Watch Sky Sports without a subscription

All the latest Sky Sports on NOW deals

Now TV and Sky Sports pass deals

The cheapest way to watch football on TNT Sports

TNT Sports is available to add to TV packages from Sky, EE and Virgin, or stream direct from Discovery+. We’ve got a deals page which highlights some of the best TNT Sports deals available, but here are the cheapest options.

Free with some BT broadband packages

If you have been with BT for a while for broadband or mobile packages then it’s worth checking if you’ve got free access to the full Discovery+ package, which includes TNT Sports. If you’re not eligible you can add it for £10 a month with no long contract commitment.

Buy a month’s pass

If you don’t have or want expensive pay TV contracts, you can access TNT Sports with Discovery+ for £30.99 per month. You don’t need to commit to a contract, so you can get a month’s access whenever you need it, making it good for casual fans.

Save money on TNT Sports

All my ways to save on this dedicated TNT Sports deals article

TNT Sports deals

The cheapest way to watch football on Amazon Prime Video

There will be 17 Champions League games shown on Amazon Prime this season, spread across the year. It costs £95 for the full year, and obviously you get access to other Prime benefits. But there are ways to pay less if you’re only after the odd match.

Get a free Amazon Prime trial

If you’ve never had Prime, you can take out a 30-day trial for free. And if you have had a trial before, it’s still worth checking as you can normally get another one after a year, if not sooner.

Pay £5.99 a month

You can also sign up on a monthly basis, at just £5.99 a month. That’s much cheaper than the full monthly Prime price of £8.99 a month, and you’ve got the flexibility to cancel if there are no games on, and resign up when there are.

Save money on Amazon Prime Video

All the latest Amazon Prime Video deals

Save more on pay TV

Switch to a new deal

With Sky Sports and TNT Sports, rather than just add the channels to your existing service as a top-up, it’s often cheaper to switch your service to a new company.

There are always offers for current customers signing new contracts, but the best deals are usually for new customers or those who threaten to leave. You can generally save even more by going via cashback sites.

Haggle with your provider

You can add on the Sky Sports and TNT Sports channels to your existing Sky, Virgin, Talk Talk and BT TV packages, but this can get very expensive.

Look out for special offers at the start of the season, or get on the phone with your provider and haggle for a better deal. 

Cancel it when you don’t need it

These big pay TV companies often let you take Sky Sports month by month, so if there aren’t any matches you want to see, or you know you won’t have time, just call up and cancel.

You can sign up again when you want to restart watching the channels. Check the terms and conditions before subscribing and see if there is a notice or minimum period.

The cheapest way to watch every live TV game

Share it with a friend

Know someone who has TNT Sports, NOW TV or Sky? You can usually watch the channels on up to two devices (smart TV, computer, tablet, phone) simultaneously, so you could split the cost between you. Here’s my guide on sharing your subscriptions.

Watch it in the pub

Of course, you can save all that hassle and head to the pub.

Premier League fans will normally be able to find somewhere showing the games, though Championship and lower may struggle. A few pints would cost the same as a NOW TV day pass.

What matches are on which TV channel?

There’s no point signing up for all the channels showing football this year if the team you support isn’t going to be featured. Here’s a very detailed breakdown of which leagues will be show on each broadcaster this season.

Where to watch the Premier League 2025/2026 on TV?

Only selected games are broadcast on TV, though from this year all matches outside the Saturday 3pm kick off will be shown. These are picked a couple of months ahead and will be split between Sky Sports and TNT Sport. Free to air highlights will once again be on the BBC.

With no Amazon fixtures this year, and fewer on TNT Sports, Sky is going to be where you’ll catch most games.

BroadcasterNumber of games
Sky SportsAt least 215
– 32 on Saturday at 5.30pm
– 32 on Sunday at 2pm
– 32 on Sunday at 4.30pm
– 32 on either Friday at 7.30pm or Monday at 8pm
– All 30 matches on 1st, 2nd and 3rd midweek fixtures (Dec & Jan)
– All 10 matches from last day of the season
– Plus at least 57 rescheduled or additional matches
TNT Sports (previously BT Sport)52
– 32 on Saturday at 12:30pm
– All 20 matches from 4th and 5th midweek fixtures (Feb & Mar)
BBCHighlights on Match of the Day
Until 2029

You can see selections on the Premier League website. Expect these to be announced on these dates (though in my experience they change a lot):

Match datesEstimated announcement date
August/September9 July
October20 August
November17 September
December/January15 October
February17 December
March21 January
April4 March
Match week 3525 March
Match week 361 April
Match week 378 April
Match week 38After match week 37

Where to watch Champions League, Europa League and Europe Conference League on TV in 2025/26

Amazon Prime

17 Champions League games will be shown on Prime for the first time this season. They’ll be on Tuesday nights and Amazon have the first pick for these games.

TNT Sports

All the other games and highlights are on TNT Sports. The finals have historically been free to watch on the BT Sport YouTube channel, and are now on the Discovery+ app. 

BBC

You’ll get free to air highlights for the Champions League on the BBC until 2027.

Where to watch Football League (Championship, League One, League Two, League Cup) on TV in 2025/26

Sky Sports

Sky is the only place to watch EFL games. As with last season there are a huge number of games shown on Sky Sports. 1,059 out of 1,891 matches will be on TV. You can see what’s been picked on the EFL upcoming live games page.

It will be broadcasting the following:

  • 328 EFL Championship games
  • 248 League One games
  • 248 League Two games
  • All play-off semi-finals and finals
  • All 93 EFL Carabao cup games
  • All 127 EFL Trophy games

Each week there will be:

  • Five matches in the Sky Bet Championship
  • Five from Sky Bet League One and League Two

This includes:

  • All opening and closing day fixtures
  • All mid week fixtures
  • All bank holiday fixtures

Shown across these time slots:

  • Saturday at 12.30pm
  • Friday night and Sunday 12.30pm
  • Some Thursday and Monday nights

ITV

You’ll be able to watch 10 live EFL matches and 10 EFL Cup matches (including the final) on ITV, along with EFL highlights.

Where to watch FA Cup on TV matches in 2025/26?

In 2025/26 the FA Cup will be completely free to watch.

BroadcasterGames
BBC18 fixtures including the final
ITV20 games including the final

Where to watch Women’s Super League, Championship & FA Cup on TV in 2025/26?

Matches are split between Sky and the BBC, and some may be on YouTube too. All Women’s Championship are on YouTube.

BroadcasterGames
SkyUp to 44 live league games
BBC21 live league games plus 7 FA Cup games and the League Cup final
YouTubeSome games not shown on the BBC or Sky, all Women’s Championship games

Where to watch international friendlies and qualifiers on TV?

The home nations’ men’s international qualifiers and friendly matches are split across different broadcasters, depending on which team you want to watch.

England’s women’s games are on ITV. BBC Wales has the women’s international games for Wales.

BroadcasterGames shown
ITVAll England mens games, including World Cup qualifiers and Nations League
BBC Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland mens matches
SC4Wales mens matches (in Welsh)

Where to watch other football on TV?

This Wikipedia page will show you who has the broadcast rights for other matches, including the Scottish Premier League, non-league and La Liga.

The average cost to watch each Premier League team

A couple of seasons ago, we looked at the potential savings you could make from mixing and matching providers rather than committing to a year of sports channels. We found that football fans could save themselves up to £850 on watching the Premier League this season.

If you pay for all the services all year you’re going to get better value if you support one of the big teams and very poor value if you support a smaller one. However, if you’re a fan of various different sports or like to watch multiple teams, it might be worthwhile.  

(All this football talk reminds me of this classic Mitchell and Webb sketch…)

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August 1, 2025   |   Articles

Best ways to collect and spend Nectar points

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If you have a Nectar card, are you making the most of your points?

If you shop at Sainsbury’s, you’ve probably got a Nectar card, and may even collect the points every time you visit without thinking much about it. And if you’ve been collecting points, you’ll need to spend them to get the most out of your rewards. But do you know how to use your Nectar points?

Unlike Clubcard and other loyalty schemes, you can rack up points at other retailers, including Argos. When it comes to redeeming points, you can spend them when shopping, exchange them at face value, or even swap them for Avios points.
In this article, we’ve explained how Nectar works and how you can sign up. Plus, we share tips for both collecting and spending Nectar.

Nectar logo

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.

More ways to make the most out of the Nectar loyalty scheme

What is the Nectar loyalty scheme?

Nectar is the loyalty scheme for Sainsbury’s and Argos, where you can earn points on your purchases. It’s actually owned by Sainsbury’s, though points can be collected and redeemed with other brands. As a member of Nectar, you can also access discounts on specific items when shopping, a bit like Tesco Clubcard Prices.

How Nectar points work

One Nectar point is worth 0.5p, meaning if you earn 1 point from a purchase it’s the equivalent of 0.5% cashback. 100 points are therefore 50p, 200 points equal £1 and so on.

The value of different loyalty card points varies quite a bit, with Nectar points equating to half the value of Tesco Clubcard points. However, when redeeming Nectar points at other participating retailers, you could get more value out of them –  so it’s worth keeping an eye out for the latest deals.

Nectar points value conversion

  • 1 Nectar point = 0.5p (or half a penny)
  • 2 Nectar points = 1p
  • 100 Nectar points = 50p
  • 200 Nectar points = £1
  • 500 Nectar points = £2.50
  • 1,000 Nectar points = £5
  • 2,500 Nectar points = £12.50
  • 5,000 Nectar points = £25

How to collect Nectar points

You earn points when you shop at participating retailers and scan your Nectar card. Bonus points can be earned at specific retailers or through special deals and promotions.

To collect Nectar points when shopping in stores, you’ll need a Nectar card. Your card can be either a physical plastic one or a digital one stored on the Nectar app. When shopping online, you’ll need to either connect your Nectar card to the relevant account or shop via the Nectar website.

You can also earn when spending via Nectar credit cards, or by converting Avios points into Nectar points.

How to spend Nectar points

Your options for using Nectar points are more limited than other reward schemes. You can use them in-store and online, such as at Sainsbury’s, to donate to charity, or spend them with a handful of partners.

To redeem your points, you’ll need to swipe your card or scan the app in-store, while you can select to use them online. With some partners, you’ll need to convert your points into vouchers first. You can also swap them for Avios points.

How to sign up to the Nectar scheme

The Nectar loyalty scheme is free to join. You can get a Nectar card online, via the app, or by picking up a form in a Sainsbury’s store.

Once you’ve got set up, a physical card will be posted out, though you’ll have a digital card to use via the app straight away.

8 places to collect Nectar points

1. Sainsbury’s

Earn points as you spend

You’ll get one point for every £1 spent at Sainsbury’s. 500 points are worth £2.50, so this works out at 0.5% cashback.

Scan your Nectar card at the till to get your points, and keep an eye on the app or digital account for special offers which boost the number of points you’ll get.

You might also get vouchers for extra points at the till, sometimes doubling or tripling points on your next transaction, it’s just a matter of remembering to bring them to your next shop. If you wanted to, you could even buy a single, cheap item at the start of your shop to use any vouchers printed out on the rest of your shopping.

Get bonus points via weekly offers

As well as generic offers, you’ll also get ones tailored to your shopping habits. These change every Friday.

You have to save the offers to your account, though there’s a handy “save all offers” button. And of course you still have to scan your card at the till.

Nectar Prices

Nectar Prices are discounts for Nectar holders, similar to Tesco Clubcard prices. To get these, you just shop as normal, looking out for the Nectar price on the shelves. At checkout, you need to make sure you remember to scan your Nectar card, and the discount will be applied.

Your Nectar Prices

This sounds like it could be the same as Nectar Prices above, but Your Nectar Prices are specific to you. These come through weekly and will be based on your shopping history, potentially saving you money on things you’ll actually buy. There are only a few offers each week, but it’s worth having a peek when you get the notification.

2. Argos

You can also earn points at Argos. It’s one point per £1 spent, though it’s occasionally doubled. You’ll need to link your Nectar and Argos accounts before you can earn points.

3. ESSO

Esso replaced BP on Nectar back in 2019. You can earn 1 point per litre of fuel, or swipe in-store to get two points per £1 spent on other things, so roughly 1% back in points. When you get to 300 points it gets you 5p off every litre of fuel.

4. Avios

You can convert 400 Avios points to 400 Nectar points, which is handy if you’ve got a surplus of Avios points that you won’t use. You can also swap them back the other way (you’ll only get 250 points though). This is also a way to boost the value of Amex Reward points. Find out everything you need to know in our step-by-step guide to convert Avios to Nectar points and vice versa.

5. Via Nectar credit cards

If you shop at stores that are part of the Nectar scheme often, it might be worth getting a Nectar credit card.

The American Express Nectar credit card is your best bet and will earn you up to two points for every £1 spent, worth 1%. There’s also a bonus worth £100 when you first sign up and spend £2,000.
If you’re thinking of getting a Nectar credit card, check out our best cashback and reward credit card promotions to see if there are better options for you.

6. Via Amex membership rewards

You can convert American Express Rewards points to Nectar points at a value of one to one, meaning one Amex point would be worth 0.5p. This could be a good use for large Amex welcome bonuses, which can be worth between £100 and £500, depending on the card.

7. Via utilities & insurance

You can earn bonus points for signing up for other Sainsbury’s Bank products such as home insurance, as well as Sainsbury’s Energy. Though they could be worth it, these offers shouldn’t be a reason to choose Sainsbury’s over other providers as they could work out more expensive than options you find via a full comparison.

8. At other retailers

You’ll see many other brands listed on the Nectar website, such as Expedia and Very. To earn points via these retailers you have to click through via the Nectar portal. Most of the time you’ll get two points per £1 spend, so the equivalent of 1% cashback, but they can be more or less. There are often points boosting offers to look out for.

Participating Nectar retailers include:

  • ASOS
  • Just Eat
  • Expedia
  • Groupon
  • Europcar
  • Very
  • Dominos
  • Wayfair

These extra places to earn points might sound appealing, but I would avoid using them since you can usually beat these rates by clicking through a cashback site instead for a better bonus.

Where to spend Nectar points

Sainsbury’s shops

To use your points in Sainsbury’s stores you must have used your Nectar card in that specific store in the last year. You can also use them online on the Sainsbury’s website.

They can also be used on petrol but you have to pay in the kiosk, not at the pump.

Argos

You can use multiples of 500 points at Argos, each worth £2.50. To spend them in an Argos store, simply scan your card. To spend online, you must have connected your card to your Argos account.

Converting to Avios points

We think that most people are better off using cashback credit cards and air mile reward credit cards. You’ve got the flexibility to use your earnings how you want, and not be restricted to certain flights.

However, if you are an Avios fan, then you can boost your points by converting 400 Nectar points to 250 Avios.

Donate to charity

Nectar Donate allows you to give your points to charities using Crowdfunder. The points are worth the same as usual, so 1,000 points will be a £5 donation. There’s a minimum of 200 points, and it must be in multiples of 200.

Other ways to redeem Nectar points

Nectar offers just a fraction of the partners you get with Tesco Clubcard, and fewer opportunities to boost the value. Some retailers let you swipe your card or link your card to use points. Others require you to exchange the points for a voucher or code via the Nectar website.

Spending your points isn’t particularly flexible or as straightforward as you might think. To recap, 500 points are usually worth £2.50. You also have to spend Nectar points in chunks (usually 500 points or 1,000 points) rather than choose how many you’d like to use. 

For example, you can exchange 2,000 points for £10 off purchases at Eurostar. Other poor options include swapping for movie rentals at Sky Store since you can get far cheaper rentals elsewhere. There are much cheaper ways to rent movies out there, so don’t rely on Nectar to save you lots of cash.

Nectar points special offers

Occasionally, there are offers that increase your points at Sainsbury’s and other Nectar partners, both to earn extra points and sometimes (though more rarely) to use them.

You can usually find any points offers in the Nectar app and website, so it pays to check every now and again, before your weekly shop, or when you’re looking to save a little extra.

When we spot any really good Nectar points deals, we’ll share them on our loyalty scheme offers page.

How to check your Nectar points balance

Not sure how many Nectar points you have? The Nectar app and website both contain your current points total, as well as a record of where and when you earned your points.

How to lock your Nectar points

One downside of Nectar in the past was that anyone who found or stole your card could use your points. This was particularly bad news for those who had earned tens of thousands of points using credit card welcome offers. Earlier this year, Nectar introduced a feature that lets you lock your points to ensure they can’t be used without your authorisation.

To lock your Nectar points, you’ll need the latest version of the app.

  • Log in and you’ll see your points total near the top of the app screen, and below that a line telling you whether the points are locked or unlocked
  • Tap this to bring up a locked/unlocked switch
  • Toggle between these for when you want to use your points
  • It should unlock immediately, but it’s worth doing it a little before you want to spend the points to be safe, rather than wait until you’re at the checkout

This feature will only work for the main account holder, not additional cardholders.

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July 29, 2025   |   Articles

Free and cheap magazines: tricks to save money

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Don’t pay full price when you can get free or discounted magazine copies and subscriptions.

For about 20 years I subscribed to the film magazine Empire, but I’ve not paid at all in the last decade – thanks to different deals and hacks to get it, and other titles, for free. And if they don’t work, there are ways to pay less too.

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.

Free magazines tricks

Free digital magazines and newspapers from your library

Libraries don’t just lend books and DVDs – you can also borrow digitally. As well as (non-Kindle) e-books, magazines and newspapers are available. The service will vary depending on your library, but for me I’ve got access to the Press Reader app.

You just need to join your local library, and many will let you do this from their website – even if you don’t have proof of residency. Others will require you to visit the library itself.

Once signed up you can access different magazines that can be downloaded to your tablet, phone or viewed on a computer. It doesn’t take much getting used to reading them on a tablet; an extra bonus is you can zoom in on any bits that are a little too small to read.

I’n the past I’ve regularly download Empire, Radio Times and Wallpaper for free, and my wife has chosen Vogue, Good Housekeeping and Newsweek – and there are dozens and dozens of other options.

Free magazine subscription via a Club Lloyds bank account

Every year with this bank account you have the choice of a free annual magazine subscription, six free cinema tickets or a year of Disney+ with Ads.

Though you’re limited to just one personal account, you can get another as a joint account. That means a couple could have three Club Lloyds accounts, and three freebies. So even if you prefer Disney+ as your first choice, you could easily add a magazine via one of your other accounts.

You do need to pay in £2,000 a month into the current account to avoid a £5 monthly fee, but you don’t have to keep the money in the account, nor does it need to be in one go. We’ve more details in our Club Lloyds review.

There’s also sometimes a switching bonus for Lloyds if you close an account at another bank and move everything over so it’s worth keeping an eye out for that.

Free magazines with the Club Lloyds bank account

The magazines available include (updated 29/7/25):

  • Best
  • Bike
  • Bird Watching
  • Car
  • Classic Cars
  • Cosmopolitan
  • Country Living
  • Country Walking
  • ELLE Decoration
  • ELLE
  • Empire
  • Esquire
  • Garden Answers
  • Good Housekeeping
  • Harper’s Bazaar
  • House Beautiful
  • Improve Your Coarse Fishing
  • Inside Soap
  • Landscape
  • Men’s Health
  • Modern Games
  • Mojo
  • Practical Classics
  • Prima
  • Red
  • Runner’s World
  • Spirit & Destiny
  • Steam Railway
  • Today’s Golfer
  • Trail
  • Women’s Health

Free online magazines with Amazon Prime

A less well-known feature that Amazon introduced for Prime members called Prime Reading. Here you get free access to a number of books and magazines.

The selection rotates each month so you won’t see the same titles featured every month, but there’s a decent mix to choose from. At the time of writing you can pick up 59 different magazines including Top Gear, Elle and Today’s Golfer.

You don’t need a Kindle to read them, in fact they work better if you use the Kindle app on your tablet.

Prime costs £8.99 a month or £95 a year, though you can get a free 30-day trial each year.

Cheap magazine subscription tricks

Try a multi-magazine digital subscription 

If you don’t have the RGB service at your library, you can try a couple of different Netlflix style services where you pay a monthly fee for unlimited access.

The two main ones are Readly and Magzter, and both have free or cheap trials to give them a go. Right now, Readly offers a two-month free trial, while it’s 7-days free at Magzter. Both have thousands of titles, many of them designed specifically for tablets making them a far more interactive read.

Once the trials end it’s a bit pricey at £12.99 and £14.99 a month respectively. However, it’s not bad value if you’d normally buy two or three magazines a month – and even better if you can split the subscription with friends or family. There are often more ways to save, so hunt for deals.

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Buy a cut-price subscription online

If print is more your thing, please don’t pay full price for a subscription. You’ll almost always be able to find a cheaper deal online.

If you have Tesco Clubcard vouchers, you can exchange 50p in points for £1 to spend on a variety of titles.

Sites such as Great Magazines and iSubscribe offer money off full price, though you’re unlikely to get more than 40% off. Occasionally you can also get a free voucher (eg Amazon or Ticketmaster) with a reduced subscription.

Check cashback sites too, as they may have bonuses for orders. And if you’re not already a TopCashback or Quidco member, make sure you sign up via our links for up to £20 extra back on top.

Check for deals

From time to time there are other special offers to help you save, and we’ll share significant ones in our magazines and newspaper deals page. Recent examples have included a huge stack of deals on Which? and £1 a month deals for The Athletic.

Haggle for trials and discounts

Finally, if you’re already paying for a magazine, don’t just auto-renew. As with many other bills, call up to cancel to see what they’ll offer. Turn down their initial deal, and see if they can get prices down even more.

And if you don’t have a current subscription, you can still haggle. In the past I was constantly called by the Empire sales team as a former subscriber. At one point I got 12 issues for less than £10!

Or you can contact the magazine publisher direct. Go to their website to find the number and see what you can get.

Just make sure you cancel before the full Direct Debit starts.

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July 28, 2025   |   Deals

Latest John Lewis offers and deals

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The best John Lewis discounts and sales.

If we spot any standout John Lewis offers or discount codes we’ll share them on this page.

John Lewis logo and Be clever with your cash logo on an orange background

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.

More about saving at John Lewis

John Lewis codes and discounts

Daily reward with ‘Treats of Summer’

John Lewis is offering rewards every day between 28 July and 3 August for My John Lewis members.

While not confirmed by John Lewis, the offers are thought to be:

  • Monday 28 July – 15% off John Lewis Nightwear & Swimwear (confirmed)
  • Tuesday 29 July: free pot of Jude’s Ice Cream
  • Wednesday 30 July: competition to win SharkNinja products
  • Thursday 31 July: 20% off Le Creuset
  • Friday 1 August: free pot of Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum Bum Cream
  • Saturday 2 August: 20% off John Lewis summer bedding
  • Sunday 3 August: competition to win a West End weekend break to see Matilda The Musical

Just tap ‘Treats of Summer’ in the app to reveal the reward. Treats expire at midnight on the stated expiry date of each one.

Join My John Lewis

MyJohnLewis vouchers

John Lewis regularly offers MyJohnLewis members (it’s free to join) special deals and discounts.

It’s always worth logging in to see if you have anything worth using, though you might find there’s nothing showing.

We’ve seen vouchers like £10 off beauty and £15 off fragrance, although the offers vary by user.

Check your MyJohnLewis account

MyJohnLewis Anniversary gift

Keep an eye on your MyJohnLewis account around the anniversary of when you first signed up as you’ll usually get a gift, perhaps a £5 voucher.

Sign into MyJohnLewis

£5 off clothes when you donate old items

If you’re looking to buy clothes from John Lewis stores (sadly not online), then it’s worth returning some old items in order to get a £5 discount.

The Fashion Cycle scheme requires you to be a member of the My John Lewis scheme. You’ll need to spend £20 too.

More on this and other recycling schemes

Earn cashback at John Lewis

Both Quidco and TopCashback offer cashback. Though rates change, it’s usually on most items, with some departments occasionally boosted to 4%.

If you’ve never used either site before then you can earn a welcome bonus on top, worth up to £20! You can find the best options here.

Get up to £20 as a cashback site welcome offer

Buy discounted John Lewis gift cards

Apps like Cheddar and Jam Doughnut allow you to buy gift cards to spend at John Lewis and earn cashback on that initial purchase. You can also buy Waitrose gift cards this way to spend at John Lewis. It can be worth as much as 6%.

More on discounted gift cards

The best cashback site welcome offers

Find out how to get a bonus when you first sign up and spend at all the leading cashback sites

July 27, 2025   |   Articles

Travel money: Find the best currency exchange rates

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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’s how 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.

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 my “Why 0% currency commission is a lie” article.

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.

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.

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.

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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.

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July 23, 2025   |   Deals

The best cheap theme park deals

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How to get two-for-one, Kids go free and other deals to save money and get you cheap theme park tickets.

I love a good theme park – but ticket prices for UK theme parks such as Alton Towers and Thorpe Park can be more terrifying than the fastest ride, especially for a family. But it’s actually really easy to pay less.

Here are some of the best deals right now to get cheap theme park tickets.

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.

Cheap theme park ticket rules

These are the basics that should help you avoid paying full price.

Use a promo code

Every single year there are discount codes, usually offering 50% off or two for the price of one tickets, to all the major theme parks. Smaller parks might have smaller discounts, but there are still savings to be found. We’ve listed below some of the best ones available right now from products you’re likely to buy.

Book in advance

Whether you’re using one of the codes below, or just paying full whack (why?), it makes sense to book in advance as prices are much cheaper. Often, the earlier you book, the better, with online prices on the day often more expensive (though still cheaper than buying on the door). You can sometimes stack a 2-4-1 code with these cheaper prices, meaning you’ll pay even less.

The annual pass trick

You can often pick up a season pass, giving unlimited access to one or multiple Merlin theme parks for the cost of a single ticket. Of course, if you’ve used the other promotions listed on this page you should only have paid 50% of the entry price. But if you are going to go at least twice in a year, then you may as well buy the season pass – even if you don’t go again.

Do check again for any restrictions, for example August weekends and special events are often excluded unless you buy a premium pass.

You can get season passes at locations including:

  • Alton Towers
  • Legoland
  • Thorpe Park
  • Chessington World of Adventures

Try for cashback

While you likely can’t get cashback with some of the offers below, as they’re often booked via promotional websites, if you’re going directly to get tickets, it could be worth trying Quidco or TopCashback for a little something extra — this is only 1.5%-2% at the time of writing, but that could stack up when you’re booking a whole family. Plus, if you don’t have either of these sites already, you can get a £20 welcome bonus when you sign up.

Latest theme park special offers

You can regularly get deals on promotional packs of anything from cereal to soaps. Many do have exclusions, including weekends in August and sometimes October half term. So do check. We’ve put in links with the exclusions and also the lists of participating theme parks, where possible.

National Rail Days Out: 2 for 1 or 1/3 off tickets

If you catch the train to a theme park, then you can get 2 for 1 or 1/3 off tickets on the National Rail website. You have to pre-book with a lot of the attractions, and it’s worth checking what else you’ll need. It’ll often specify that you’ll need a ticket to a nearby station on the day you’re booking. For example, to book Cadbury World, you’ll need a valid train ticket to Bournville station for each visitor and for the same day as your visit.

This is valid until 31 May 2026, although this is renewed every year.

Attractions include zoos, museums, theme parks, boat trips, galleries and activities.

See available attractions

Merlin: two visits for the price of one

Merlin is currently offering a slightly different kind of two-for-one ticket. Instead of getting two people in for the price of one, it’s offering tickets to two theme parks for the price of one. So you can get two days out for the family for the price of one.

Tickets cost from £34 if your first trip is to Alton Towers or Legoland, £33 if your first attraction is Thorpe Park or just £32 per person if your first visit is to Chessington. They can be bought on the website of your chosen attraction to go to first – look at the “offers” tab and select “twice the fun” to find them.

Then, once you’ve booked your first visit, you’ll have a barcode on your ticket which you can use to pre-book your second visit at Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland Windsor, Alton Towers or Thorpe Park. The first and second attractions don’t need to be the same.

You can get the offer until 17 August.

Book Chessington
Book Thorpe Park
Book Legoland
Book Alton Towers

Legoland: £17.50 tickets via Sky

If you pay for Sky TV, then take a look at the Sky VIP section in your account to get a unique code for £17.50 tickets to Legoland this summer.

Tickets are available throughout the remainder of the season, including Legoland at Christmas, but tickets are expected to sell out fairly quickly. You need to buy them before 31 August 2025. You can book up to six tickets each time.

Get Sky VIP

Merlin theme parks: 25% off with Kelloggs

Buy a promotional box of Kellogg’s cereal or a Snack Pack and get 25% off up to two online advance-priced tickets at 25 participating Merlin attractions, including Thorpe Park, Alton Towers and Chessington World of Adventures.

To get it, scan the QR code from a promotional Kellogg’s pack or go to their website. You’ll need to register or login with a Kellogg’s account and enter the 10 digit KPIN code from the promotional pack. You’ll then get a discount code emailed to you with a link to book.

With Snack Packs, you must bring the promotional pack with you, along with your pre-booked e-ticket and show it at the ticket desk.

Tickets are valid until 30 June 2026. Exclusion dates apply and do check the terms and conditions.

25% off Merlin days out

Tesco Clubcard points

If you’re earning points, you can get double value at theme parks, including Alton Towers. Personally, I’d say you’re better off using your points elsewhere, particularly for the Merlin-owned attractions.

That’s because although this promo is in theory the same as the 2-4-1 style offers, the prevalence of the latter means you’re effectively only getting 25% off that lower price. More on Clubcard deals here.

Kids Pass / Little Bird

These subscription-based membership sites offer money off at the major theme parks, including some which aren’t part of the Merlin group. More on them and how you can get cheap trials here.

Expired deals

Adults go free with Kellogs (expired)

Though the wording is different, it’s essentially the same thing, it’s just the adult ticket is free when you buy another full price adult or kids ticket.

Once again it’s for Merlin attractions, so the main theme parks are Thorpe Park, Chessington and Alton Towers.

Any vouchers you collect will be valid until 30 June 2024. Details here. You’ll need to keep the promotional packaging to share at the venue entrance.

How to claim your free adult ticket

Merlin Annual Pass: get £20-£60 off (expired)

Merlin has launched another sale on its annual passes. These run for a full year from when you buy them, so you’ll be able to get until April 2025 if you get one while the deal is on. The sale is on until 7 April 2024.

This gets you into any Merlin attraction – this includes Thorpe Park, Alton Towers, LEGOLAND, Sealife Centre and the London Eye. The different stages of pass have different perks – for example, the Gold one includes parking (usually £5-£10 each time), and there are restricted days on the Silver and Discovery passes. Some of them also have a sign-up fee if you go for a monthly option.

Remember, you’re unlikely to need to pay full price for entrance thanks to other deals, so you’ll need to weigh up whether the pass will represent good value depending on how often you’ll visit the attractions.

Here are the discounts available:

PassSale price (per year)Normal Price (per year)
Discovery£79£99
Silver£129£169
Gold£189£239
Platinum£239£299
Get a Merlin Annual Pass

July 22, 2025   |   Articles

Cut the cost of using your mobile phone abroad

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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.

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 – ended January 2022

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 £15 or a 15-day pass for £20.

EE – ended March 2022

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 £2.59 a day or £15 for seven days if you’re travelling in Europe. If you’re visiting the USA, it’ll cost £5 a day or £25 for seven days. The most you’ll pay is £15 a day if you’re going to Zone 4 countries including Nepal and the Maldives.

If you have a 30-Day plan/Saver plan you’ll need to pay £2.50 a day or £10 for seven days to use your allowances in Europe if you signed up for a new or renewed contract after 7 July 2021. Existing customers before this date won’t see a change.

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 – ended May 2022

This used to be huge money saver when travelling outside Europe. But on 23 May 2022, this Go Roam benefit ended for anyone who took out a new contract or renewed a contract after 1 October 2021.

However, older customers were forced to move from their old tariff, losing the Go Roam benefit.

Now Three offers roaming for £2 a day in Europe, or £5 a day for the rest of the world to use your existing allowances. There’s also a £5 a day Data Passport which offers unlimited data abroad.

Alternatively, Three’s Pay-as-you-go Three SIMs can still get Go Roam. So, you could pick up one of these when you go abroad and switch it over for most usage. You’ll temporarily have a different number, so you won’t get your usual calls and texts.

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
  • Plusnet – free European roaming remains
  • Sky Mobile – free roaming ended in May 2022
  • Smarty – free European roaming remains
  • Tesco Mobile – free European roaming ended for new customers from 16 June 2022
  • Voxi – free roaming ended in May 2022

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 – for now at least. 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 a bolt-on

Another option is to buy add-on packages that give you a pre-agreed amount of minutes, texts or data to use when abroad.

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).

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Be careful when making local calls

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!

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July 15, 2025   |   Articles

My holiday finances checklist

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When you go on holiday there’s bound to be something you forget – but I’d much rather leave behind my toothbrush than head overseas without checking off these money matters from my holiday checklist.

It’s all stuff that will probably affect you too, so here’s my finance related to-do list to help you think about what you still need to do.

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.

Find my GHIC

Because of Brexit, the old European Health Insurance Cards (EHIC) are no longer valid. But in their place is the GHIC – Global Health Insurance Card. And despite the name, it’s essential for trips to Europe.

One of these cards will get you access to healthcare at the same prices as a local. That’s vital, not just in terms of saving money, but also to ensure your travel insurance will validate any claims.

If you already have one, check the expiry date. Each summer holidaymakers find out too late for their trip that they should have renewed their card.

If you need a new one, watch out for websites charging you to apply – they’re scamming you. Instead, apply or renew for free through gov.uk.

You’ll also need to check that your destination is covered. As mentioned, the name Global is deceptive. It’s still just Europe, and even then not every European country comes under the agreement, so it’s always worth checking.

Check my insurance

Sadly, a GHIC isn’t enough on its own. You still needed full travel insurance.

A mistake people often make is waiting until a few days before they travel to get insurance. Though you’d be covered if something went wrong when you were away, you’re at risk of missing out if your airline went bust, lost your job and couldn’t afford to go, or if you were too ill to travel. So get it as soon as you book!

I know it’s a pain, but do read the summary documents at least so you can see what is and what isn’t covered, and by how much. It’s often a case that cheapest isn’t best, especially if you can’t actually use it if something goes wrong.

If you’re going away multiple times this year it might be worth considering annual policies, but for a single weekend or fortnight then a shorter policy will suffice. Likewise, don’t buy a worldwide policy if you’re only going to Europe.

Also make sure you’re not covered elsewhere. Some credit cards and current accounts come with travel insurance (though again, check what the policy actually covers), while some home insurance policies will include partial cover that might mean you don’t need extras on things like possessions outside of the home.

Check passports and visas

It’s obviously vital to check your passport is still valid, but it’s often not as simple as having not expired. Some countries require you to have at least six months left on it when you travel, while in Europe it can’t be more than 10 years old – even if there are plenty of months left.

It’s well worth checking this regularly, or putting a reminder in your calendar, for a good few months ahead of it expiring or reaching those milestones as delays at the passport office could make it tight to get a new one issued before you travel.

And while you’re at it, make sure you don’t need a visa to enter your destination. There may be a small cost for this.

Buy an international driving permit

Another post-Brexit rule is the requirement in Europe to have a UK sticker on your car if you’re taking it across the channel – that’s the case even if you have a GB or EU flag on your number plate already.

If you’re hiring abroad you’ll need to get a DVLA code, while some countries might also need to buy an international driving permit. These have never been checked when we’ve had one, but it’s worth the £5.50 (plus a passport photo) cost to be safe. You can get one at the Post Office.

Oh, and buying a separate car hire excess insurance before you go will often be far cheaper than adding one on when you get to the car hire desk.

Get a specialist payment card

There are now a number of fee-free cards for both spending and withdrawing cash overseas. I’ve written about them in detail here.

You don’t really need to let your card provider know you’re going away anymore, especially for those designed to be used abroad.

Order travel money

I rarely take much money with me. A lot has usually been prepaid already, and I’ll use my specialist travel credit card where I can, but I also want to have some cash on me.

Usually, I only take a little, just incase there’s an issue with cards at the airport when I arrive. But I’ll check destinations to see if there’s a chance of ATM issues. That’s more likely in far-flung destinations.

The best way to find the top exchange rates is to use Money Saving Expert’s TravelMoneyMax comparison tool. You’ll get the best options in London, though even preordering from the airport will be at a better rate than just rocking up.

Here’s more on getting the best from travel money, including why you should never, ever just exchange when you go to get your flight.

Sort out my phone

Before the days of free-roaming I used to switch off voicemail and turn off any data options before leaving the country – the costs of using both overseas were exorbitant. Sadly for many networks that’s the case once again.

Right now I’m on O2 with the added Volt package that comes from also being a Virgin Media broadband customer so I actually still get to use my allowance in Europe and a handful of other countries. You might not be so lucky.

Check what the deal is for your network and act accordingly. It can often work out better to pre-buy an add-on that gives a certain allowance or caps charges.

If you are trying to avoid massive bills, then my tips on cutting phones costs when you’re on holiday should help. Or you could try an eSIM, which gets you local data, calls and texts for an additional fee.

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July 1, 2025   |   Articles

Is your holiday protected?

Written by

You need to make sure you’re covered in case something goes wrong before or when you go away.

Whether you book your holiday through a travel agent or do it yourself, things can always wrong. Hopefully they won’t but if they do, there’s every chance you’ll lose your money.

That is unless you do the following. Though there are always complications, it’s better to have as many protections in place to help you get any lost money back or reschedule your trip with limited, if any, extra costs.

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.

Book your insurance

It’s so important you book travel insurance, and you should do it as soon as you book your holiday, too. That’s because it’s not just about cover while you are away, you’re also partly paying for cover in case you can’t go on your trip.

You could break your leg, have a close relative pass away or see your airline collapse – all of which could prevent you from travelling. But with insurance in place you should be covered to get your money back.

Having the insurance when you’ve booked will also help if the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) later declares a destination as unsafe to visit. And this isn’t just about obvious danger zones like war zones. During the height of the pandemic many countries were off limits. You can see the latest list of places with warnings here.

A few more quick things on travel insurance.

Do read the policy documents to check exactly what you’re covered for. A few years ago I wasn’t covered for coming back early from the USA when I hurt my back as this was categorised as curtailment – and only unused costs were covered, not new costs. So though my original flight home was refunded, the more expensive earlier flight I did take, wasn’t.

Check for cover for things like natural disasters (remember the ash from the Icelandic volcano) and pandemics too – these could be excluded. It’s worth paying a little more for this cover.

In fact, lots of people might think they are covered by a policy that comes with their bank account. You might be, but check those extra terms and conditions to be sure.

In addition, you must declare any pre-existing medical conditions. If you get ill and the insurance company discovers you didn’t declare you’ve had treatment – even if it’s not for the thing you’re ill with on holiday – they will likely reject your claim. It can be more expensive to find a policy if you have been ill before, but it really is worth getting the right one.

And if you’re going to take two or more trips in a year, annual insurance could work out more cost-effective. The problem you get here is do you need to get just European cover, or are you likely to go worldwide. If there’s a strong chance of the latter then make sure you get cover for this. And don’t forget things like winter sports too if you’re going to be getting involved in those kinds of activities.

Look for extra legal protections such as ATOL and ABTA

Though I tend to book everything myself, if you’re looking at a simple holiday, packages can be the easiest way to book – and they can come with added protection.

The biggest of these is ATOL. If you’ve bought your hotel and your flight – whether as a package from a travel agent or since the 1st of July 2018 from the same website at the same time (e.g. Expedia) – then you will have ATOL protection.

With ATOL, the big benefit is if something goes bust – whether with the hotel, flight or tour operator – then you will either get your money back before you go, or you will be flown home if already abroad (though as we saw with the Thomas Cook collapse in 2019, that’s not always straightforward).

So it’s important to look for ATOL certification when booking, and you can check it’s the real thing via the Civil Aviation Authority website.

Package holidays also give you consumer rights if the holiday isn’t what you expected – say there was constant building work you weren’t told about. You can claim compensation.

Now if your holiday doesn’t involve a flight, say it’s a cruise or a coach tour, look for ABTA membership as you’ll get support if something goes wrong. Again you can check the ABTA membership is the real thing, this time on the ABTA website.

Of course you don’t get ATOL if you book the flights and hotels separately from different companies, so it’s worth making sure your travel insurance covers things like airline failure and consequential losses.

However, although it’s not defined as a package, if you bought your flights and hotel from the same website or travel agent within 24 hours but in separate transactions you can also claim money back if one of the providers goes under.

Pay with a credit card

Whether it’s a package or a DIY holiday, if any part of it costs more than £100, pay for it with a credit card. Do this and if there’s a problem, such as the hotel going bust, then the credit card company is equally liable for any losses you make. This is thanks to something called Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act.

But there are two things to keep in mind. First, the £100 minimum relates to each individual item purchased. So let’s say you are buying two single flights. If one is £120 and one is £70, it could be that only the first flight gets this cover – even if you brought them from the same operator at the same time. However, if it’s a return flight at £190 then both are covered.

Secondly, this is only if you have a direct relationship with the provider. So buy EasyJet flights from EasyJet then yes, you get this protection. But buy them from a third party such as Lastminute.com then you won’t.

And of course, with credit cards, make sure you can clear that debt each month before interest charges are added.

Get a GHIC

The Global Health Insurance Card is essential if you are going to Europe this summer, and replaces the previous EHIC that ended under the Brexit aggreement.

With a GHIC you can access the same health care as locals at the same price they pay, which isn’t necessarily free. But without one it could cost you a fortune – and most travel insurance policies require you to have one too or they could reject any claim you make.

These are free – so don’t fall for dodgy websites charging you to get one. Instead go via the NHS website.

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