If we spot any standout John Lewis offers or discount codes we’ll share them on this page.
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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%.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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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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!
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.
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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.
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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.
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 TravelMoneyMaxcomparison 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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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.
From the ballot to the queue, here’s how to get in at SW19
Wimbledon is one of the highlights of my summer, even though getting a ticket to see the tennis isn’t always cheap or easy – but you can do it on a budget.
Here are my top tips for getting a ticket.
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Me having just got into the grounds in 2018.
1. Go in the first week
In terms of value for money, the best way in my experience is to go towards the end of the first week (which this year starts on Tuesday 30 June).
At this point, the tournament will be in the second or third round where the players will be much more evenly matched. Round one games, especially with the top seeds, can often be a whitewash.
If you want to experience Centre Court, the cheapest tickets are for the first couple of days.
2. Try to buy last-minute tickets
If you’re looking to guarantee a ticket before heading out, such as if you live a little further afield, then last minute ticket options might be an option.
Try your luck the day before
Some tickets are typically sold a day or two before, but there’s no details on the website about them just yet. You normally need to download the official Wimbledon app to get them, so it’s worth downloading and signing up to prep.
American Express cardholder tickets
American Express cardholders might be able to grab themselves some last-minute tickets to Centre Court during the tournament. It’s not been confirmed for 2025 yet, but if it’s running again any sales will be revealed on Amex socials this year, so give them a follow.
Ballot tickets
You might still be able to get access to returned ballot tickets – these will be restricted to those who were unsuccessful in the ballot. Those who are eligible will get an email detailing how to access the resale.
In previous years you needed to be quick. Several hundred tickets for Centre Court and Court 3 went on sale at 9am the day before. Returns for the same courts went on sale roughly 48 hours before the start of play, also via Ticketmaster.
It’s a good idea to sign up for the Wimbledon newsletter to be the first to know of any extra ticket releases.
3. Join the queue
The queue is a great way to nab yourself some great tickets on the day. It’s an early start, especially if you live outside of London, but it’s quite an experience in itself – you even get a booklet on how to queue (how British!).
It’s first-come, first… serve (sorry) so the earlier you join the queue the better. If you want a show court you’ll need to be there overnight. A limited number of tickets are available for Centre, No.1 and No.2 Courts. Only one ticket can be bought per person, so you need to be queuing together to get more than one.
For other tickets, well the earlier the better is still the case. Historically, we’ve arrived at around 7am, and didn’t get into the grounds until just gone 1pm! But for most of that time we were just sat in the sun in a field which was actually really nice – just bring a book! There are toilets, food outlets and water refill stations.
Gates open gradually from 9.45am and play normally starts on outer courts around 11am. There’s usually a comprehensive guide to the queue on the Wimbledon website which details how it’s handled.
This year you’ll need to download the Wimbledon app and sign into a MyWimbledon account so it’s worth doing this ahead of time.
The Wimbledon queue when we arrived just after 7am
4. Get a ground pass
The best way to save money on Wimbledon is to get a Grounds Pass – these let you watch some quality tennis on the outer courts for a fraction of the price. In week two you’ll have fewer singles to watch but don’t worry, there’ll be some great doubles action if you go on a Monday or Tuesday.
If you are early (and quick) there are also some unreserved seats and standing space on Court 3. A ground pass will cost you £30 during the first week, less from the second Tuesday onwards.
5. Get £10 returns
It used to be that extra tickets went on sale from a hut inside the grounds. These became available as people left for the day and donated their ticket to be resold, with profits going to charity. But it meant more queuing!
The good news is this changed recently, and you can now do it via the Wimbledon app. You’ll need to get your phone scanned at kiosks in the grounds or the queue by 2.30pm. Then as tickets become released between 3pm and 9pm, keep an eye out for a text message saying you’ve “won” a show court seat.
You’ve 10 minutes from the text to accept it, and another 20 minutes to pay for your ticket from the resale kiosk by Court 1.
Costs in 2025 were:
Centre Court: £15
No 1 Court: £10
No 2 Court: £10
6. Bring your own food
Once you’re in, it gets very expensive. Check the T&Cs on your ticket and on the Wimbledon website, but to avoid paying high prices for disappointing burgers, bring a picnic. The same is the case with drinks. You’re allowed to bring your own booze – though not spirits – and there are (fairly generous) limits per person. Remember to bring along a corkscrew to avoid taking a bottle of wine on a day trip (speaking from experience).
Don’t forget a bottle of water – there are fountains where you can refill – and bring along sun cream, or risk paying over the odds for it in the shop. You’ll save near on £20 this way, if not more.
Amex cardholders are usually able to get a discount on purchases in the Amex lounge while last year Barclays customers got free strawberries and cream – so keep an eye out for anything like this.
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7. Go there after work
If the sun is shining, there’s every chance play will carry on until 8 or 9pm. Possibly even later now there’s a roof on Court One as well as Centre.
When I went a few years ago there was a discounted cost after 5pm – entrance to the grounds was £14 after during week one, less in week two, so I’d expect it to be not too much more this year.
However, you can only buy these tickets if people have left the grounds as it’s one-in, one-out.
8. Look for people leaving show courts
If people look like they’re calling it a night, just ask politely if they mind giving you their ticket. This is the best way to get yourself into Centre Court. It’s worth a shot!
I used to do this as a kid, and managed it again at the French Open a few years ago (using some very poor GCSE French!).
A couple of years ago one bloke a few feet away just shouted out if anyone wanted his tickets as he was on his way out. We just missed out!
Late on, you’ll see many seats empty as corporate guests head home. The likelihood is they won’t hand their tickets in to be resold so there’s no official way to fill the seats.
So a young ‘un, I used to just be a bit cheeky and ask if I could nip into one of the empty seats at the back – and I often got onto Centre or No. 1. It might not work, but you’ve nothing to lose.
10. Get a refund if it rains
We all hope it won’t happen, but there’s rarely a year when play doesn’t get rained off. If you see less than an hour of play due to rain you can claim a full refund. If it’s more than an hour but less than two, you’re entitled to 50% back.
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If you don’t fancy getting up really early, or get there too late, then there are a load of big screens across London, and no doubt other big cities too. They often have deck chairs and a nearby bar!
A great one is the free Open Air Film Festival from the canal side steps on Granary Square in King’s Cross. The steps are covered in AstroTurf and there’s usually beanbags and cushions. Nip to a nearby shop to pick up a can of Pimm’s and you’re good to go.
12. The Wimbledon Ballot for next year
Most of the tickets for the show courts are sold through a public ballot which generally opens in September and ends in December, with the results announced in February.
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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)
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What is Loan to Value?
Loan to Value, or LTV, is essentially how much you have borrowed against the value of your house. 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 3.89%, according to mortgage broker Tembo. This is based on taking out a 35-year mortgage term with a 60% LTV. At 75% LTV, the lowest five-year fix available is 4.1%, 4.22% for 80% LTV and 4.32% for 90% LTV.
And over time there’s a good chance your LTV will have changed, 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.
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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. For example, it suggests my house has gone up by £20k to £79k more than we paid for it two years ago.
You can also get an idea from Zoopla and RightMove as to what other similar properties have gone for 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 guides.
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.
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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.
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
