Your weekly money saving deals and news from money expert Andy Webb
My top articles this week
1. How to stockpile for an emergency
You can't have escaped news reports of people "Brexit prepping" by stocking up on supplies ahead of a potential no-deal. And the effect of people doing this is noticeable in the supermarket with some shelves cleared out already.
So should you be doing the same? Well, it's certainly worth having some supplies in the event of an emergency, wether that's Brexit related or just down to illness or severe weather.
I've shared my thoughts on what to look for so you've an emergency supply of food at home if you need it - whatever the reason!
2. Cash hack: Boost your cashback payouts
I hope you're all earning cashback from the likes of Quidco and Topcashback - it's easy money that you get each time you shop online.
And you can boost what you receive even further. Here's how to earn more when you shop and to increase your payouts.
3. Energy price increases from three of the big six
As I've written previously, the energy price cap introduced by the government in January doesn't necessarily mean you'll pay less on your bills. And that's been proven as Npower, Eon and EDF all hiked the rate for their standard variable rate tariffs to match the increased price cap levels. The rest are likely to follow suit.
So the only way to make sure you're paying as little as possible is to compare, then likely switch and fix. Here's my guide to making this as easy as possible. It should take you no more than 10 minutes and you could save a couple of hundred pounds a year.
4. Zeek facing financial problems
I've not written an article about this, so this is just a heads up. The gift card website and app Zeek is struggling and looking for a buyer. It doesn't look good. New transactions have been paused, but if you have any gift cards stored on the website get online ASAP and copy down codes and pins. If the site does go under then you might lose access to any cards you've bought. Hopefully it'll be saved as it's been a great money saving tool.
-----------------
The top deals this week
I only share deals and special offers on the blog which I think are really good value - and here they are for you too. First some newbies in a bit more detail, then some you might have missed from previous weeks. Click the red titles or blue links for more information.
1. Win a year's Kid Pass membership
If you'd like to be in with the chance of winning a 12 month Kids Pass membership, head over and enter my simple competition. You can also get a 30-day trial for just £1, good timing for half term activities, or anyone (whether you have kids or not) who wants to get cut-price cinema tickets.
2. Last chance to get Natwest £150, plus increased HSBC £175 bonus
You've only got until Friday to start a switch to Natwest bank to get a £150 bonus. I really like this one as even existing Natwest customers can take advantage.
Also, there's a £25 increase on the bonus you can get from HSBC, making it the highest one out there. Here are all the current switching deals.
3. NOW TV increase Sky Sports pass prices - stock up now
I like NOW TV a lot to save on pay TV prices, but it's got a tad more expensive to watch sport via the service. Day passes are up a quid to £8.99, while week passes are up £2 to £14.99.
However, there are ways to get week pass gift cards for £10, or day passes bundled in with entertainment or movie passes for £19.99. So if you're likely to use a few of these over the coming months it might be worth getting these offers now before they go up in price too.
4. 20% off Family & Friends rail card
School holidays are always a good to time to find a deal on the family rail card, and with half term here there's a 20% off code now available. The rail card will give you discounts on train travel.
5. Boots now offers a 10% student discount
Many of you will have found my blog thanks to the NUS card loophole, now sadly closed. But if you still have a valid card then there's some great news from Boots. You can now flash your NUS / Totum card in store to save 10%. Here's more info, and my pick of other student discounts you can get.
Quick deals
Banking offers including
- Up to £175 via bank switching deals
- 3% interest on savings with Chip
- Free £5 and 1% cashback at shops inc Apple, Ikea & Waitrose with Curve
Shopping vouchers and other deals
Entertainment deals
Food and drink offers
- Two months Tastecard or Gourmet Society for £1
- Free Nutella jar with supermarket cashback app
- Free Hotel Choc on your birthday
------
Recent articles you might have missed
I know it can be tricky to read everything I write every week, so here are my main articles from the last few weeks.
- The ways hotel booking sites could mislead you
- Should you ditch the TV Licence for other TV, radio and online services?
- Why you’re paying too much for medication
- Santander to close 140 branches – find out which ones
- How anyone can get Vodafone’s VeryMe rewards
- Should you switch to a small energy company?
- Cash hack: Save 4% at Amazon every time
- Are you oversharing on social media?
- Fix your finances in 2019 part 4: Get the best deal
- Fix your finances in 2019 part 3: Sort out your savings
- Fix your finances in 2019 part 2: Better manage your borrowing
- Fix your finances in 2019 part 1: Know your money
- How to spot a scam email
- Six best Tesco Clubcard deals
------
Follow me on social media
Want to stay connected throughout the week? I'm on Facebook & Twitter, and there are videos over on YouTube.
Listen to the podcast
My Cash Chats podcast tackles all sorts of money topics and I'm often joined by a guest to share their experiences of money saving and money making. You can download or subscribe at iTunes or in all good podcasting apps.
0 comments