Your weekly money saving deals and news from money expert Andy Webb
My top content this week
BLOG, VIDEO & ARTICLES
How to earn rewards & freebies from your current account
If you're happy to have multiple current accounts then its well worth adding extra accounts that give a monthly cash reward or freebie such as cinema tickets and magazine subscriptions.
Here are the ones I rate and the ones I don't, plus my tips to help manage the requirements.
How to survive until payday when you’re out of cash
January is always a tight month, with early paydays and Christmas costs in December meaning there's less cash to go around in the new year. If you're struggling to get to the end of the month, these tips might help.
The best ways to use and earn Tesco Clubcard points
If you've got a Clubcard, then make sure you're making the most of it to earn points and save cash. Plus the best ways to use those points to maximise their value.
Barclays to close 26 branches – find out which ones
This week Barclays announced 15 branches to close over the next few months, joining another 11 that were already slated to go. Find out which ones are affected, and what you can do if you're a customer.
CASH CHATS PODCAST
302 | Credit cards for 2023, a £430 Amex welcome offer and £200 Lloyds bank switch
In the latest episode of the pod I’m talking about:
- The reasons to get a credit card in 2023
- Details of a huge 70,000 Avios welcome bonus
- How to get £200 when switching to Lloyds
You can listen to episodes via all the normal podcasting apps or over on the blog.
If you do listen on one of these apps, please do remember to hit follow so you get each episode as soon as it's released.
YOUR QUESTIONS
Ask Andy Live Q&A: Tuesday 24 Jan @ 7pm
My live Q&As are the best place to ask me your questions. The next one is 7pm on Tuesday.
Make sure you follow me on YouTube or Instagram to join in. The earlier you ask your question the more likely I'll have time to answer it.
Ask a question in the Facebook group
Or, join the Facebook community to ask your questions and share your money experiences and ideas. There are 3,100 of us in there so far!
THIS WEEK'S TOP DEALS
I only share deals and special offers on the blog which I think are really good value. Click the titles or links for more information.
I'll also share a quick update on Instagram on Saturday morning.
1. TopCashback: New on-card cashback
TopCashback is trialling a new in-store cashback where you earn from connected credit and debit cards. It opened last night to the first 2,000 people so you might still be able to register this morning if you're fast. Opening offers for me included 5% back at Sainsbury's and Costa. More here.
2. Discovery+: Free with BT Sport and Sky
If you're keen to watch the Australian Open tennis, or other shows in Discovery+ and Eurosport, you can get it for free via some BT Sport subscriptions or if you have Sky. More here.
3. ShopandScan: £10 welcome offer
Join barcode scanning scheme ShopandScan and you'll get a £10 welcome voucher. You can earn more points to convert to vouchers by scanning groceries you buy. More here.
4. Trainline: £15 off season tickets
Buy a season ticket via Trainline (with a promo code) and you'll save £15. More here.
5. Pubs: Free Madri pint
Claim a voucher to get a free beer at Greene King pubs. More here.
6. Apple TV+: Three months free via O2 or Virgin Media
Alongside the offers from Currys and Barclays, you can also pick up three months of Apple TV+ via O2 Priority, available (along with other freebies) for £10 even if you're not with O2 or Virgin via a hack. More here.
SAVINGS, BANKING & CREDIT CARD BEST BUYS
Banks
Top banking switch and welcome offers:
- First Direct switch: £175 bonus
- Lloyds switch: £200 bonus
- Monzo welcome: Free £5 offer
- Monese welcome: Up to £30 offer
- Tide business welcome: £75 cash bonus
Top banking best buys:
- Top reward account: £5 a month from Halifax
- Top cashback on bills: Up to 3% back with Santander 123
- Top cashback on spending: 1% back with Chase
Savings
Cynergy: 2.9% easy access
The best easy-access account is now at 2.9% from Cynergy Bank, though it's still behind Chip's 3% paying account (and that increases to 3.04% in February). Here's more in my latest best buy savings guide.
Plus for the second week in a row, a best buy rate hike announced in advance was pulled for new customers on the day of launch, with Yorkshire Building Society instead offering up to 2.9% rather than 3.35% if you waited to open a new account. Existing account holders will have received the advertised hike.
Top savings best buys:
- Top regular saver: 7% with First Direct
- Top current account linked interest: 5.12% with Barclays
- Top easy access account: 3% with Chip
- Top 1-year fixed account: 4.33% with Habib Bank Zurich
Credit cards
John Lewis: 3x points returns
If you're new to the John Lewis Partnership card the triple points for 90 days on spending at Waitrose and John Lewis has returned. Here's more.
And if you're an ex-customer who didn't apply when the card issuer changed last year, then do check your emails. I received an offer this week to get not just the above deal, but also three times the points I would have earned since October if I'd kept the card (I assume calculated via the MyWaitrose and MyJohn Lewis schemes). That was worth an extra £28.
Top cashback credit card best buys:
- Top welcome bonus: British Airways American Express Premium Plus (70,000 Avios = up to £486 Nectar points)
- Top non-Amex cashback welcome: Barclaycard Avios
-------
Follow me on social media
Want to stay connected throughout the week? I'm on Instagram, Facebook & Twitter.
-------
MORE DEALS!
Here are a few ongoing and recent offers you might have missed:
Cashback offers
- JamDoughnut: £4.50 welcome offer
- Cashback: Up to £91 for free
- YouGov: £50 cash for sharing bank data
Shopping vouchers and other deals
- Amazon: Up to £10 off for some
- Snoop: Free £5 Amazon voucher
- Flowers: £10 off Bloom & Wild
- LNER: Free £5 train travel credit
- NUS card: Alumni card trick
- Birthday freebies: Food, drink and vouchers
Entertainment deals
- Spotify: Including 12 months for the price of 10
- NOW TV: 40% off passes
- Apple TV+: Up to 11 months free
- Odeon: Free weekly ticket
- Vue: Free ticket and movie rental
- Disney+: Save £2 a month
- Ethical Consumer: Free issue of the magazine
Food and drink offers
- Tesco Clubcard Plus: One-month free trial
- Tastecard: 60-day free trial
- Ocado: 25% off your first order
- Gousto & Hello Fresh: More than 90% off your first boxes
- Pringles: Free pack
- GreenJinn: £1 welcome credit
- Greene King: Free pint or spirit & mixer
- Deliveroo Plus: Free year via Prime
- Brewdog: £150 bar credit for £99
- McDonald's & Burger King: Freebies from loyalty schemes
- Caffe Nero: 25% off drinks and pastries
- Franco Manca: £5 Pizzas
------
Recent content you might have missed
I know it can be tricky to read, watch and listen to everything I create each week, so here are some articles, videos and podcasts from the last few weeks you might have missed.
- What’s in my wallet for 2023?
- The best auto savings apps and hacks
- How to get multiple American Express sign-up bonuses
- The top savings accounts for 2023
- Best Current Accounts for 2023
- 9 ways to cut your household bills
- Be a seat filler and get cheap tickets
- Are savings challenges worth it?
- Top credit cards for 2023
- My month in money #12
- Interest rate at 3.5%: what does the rise mean for you?
- Should you regift an unwanted present?
- How to pay in a cheque online with your phone
- Drip feed savings hack: Is it worth it?
- Why you’re paying too much for medication
------
Are you following me on YouTube?
If you haven't already I'd really appreciate it if you could head over to YouTube to click "subscribe" and the little notification bell that appears next to it.
Please do tell any friends you think would find it useful too. Thanks!
0 comments