Independence, self-discovery and the freedom to do whatever you want are just some of the benefits of solo travel. But it comes at a price.

Earlier this month, Siculiana, a small seaside town in Italy, was offering €1 holidays to boost tourism. The deal sounded enticing, but, unfortunately, solo travellers were not eligible for the trip.

That’s because, to be in with a chance of winning the budget getaway, applicants had to submit their entries in pairs — a detail that upset many Metro readers.

Merry Smith said: ‘Annoying that you can’t enter as a solo traveller!’ and Amanda Webster asked, ‘Why does it have to be couples?’

Kenny Thomson wrote: ‘Singles are always left out,’ while Erika Mikaelsson shared, ‘I would love to go and I am in Sicily right now. But I am here alone. So I guess I am out…’

This comes at a time when the popularity of solo travel is rapidly increasing, with Airbnb’s latest spring travel trends report revealing searches for solo trips have grown by 80% over the last year.

Adam Schwab, co-founder and CEO of travel company Luxury Escapes, told Metro: ‘The solo travel boom isn’t just a trend – it reflects how we’re living now. People are settling down later, placing more value on independence, and are tired of putting off amazing experiences just because their friends can’t get time off work.

‘Social media has made a huge difference too. Seeing others have amazing solo adventures on Instagram and TikTok has normalised the concept and shown people it’s not just acceptable, but actually incredibly rewarding.’

He added: ‘The best part is that the industry is finally catching up, with solo-friendly activities and apps that help you connect with like-minded travellers.’

But, despite this, solo travellers still often find themselves paying more just to take a trip alone.

Research from Which? Travel in 2023 revealed that solo travellers are charged up to 87% more than those holidaying as a pair.

This is because those travelling alone often have no choice but to pay extra to occupy a double room, or a ‘single supplement’, a fee that’s been nicknamed the ‘singles tax’. However, the research also revealed that some companies applied the charges to small single-bed rooms too, despite these being only suitable for one person.

Some Metro readers have direct experience of this.

Kirk Parsons shared: ‘I was once charged a single room supplement on the grounds that the hotel would usually have two paying adults in a room. Fair enough. Except that I was then given a small room with a single bed, which couldn’t have accommodated two people anyway.’

Michelle Poczapsky revealed: ‘Since my dad died, my mum’s really wanted to go on a cruise, but the supplement you have to pay as a single traveller is crazy money… They really penalize solo travellers, which is such a shame.’

Schwab explained that, as far as the tour operator is concerned, if you want a room all to yourself you have to pay more. ‘To them, the costs for staff and transportation remain much the same,’ he added.

But there are ways to cut costs when travelling solo.

Lesley Morgan said: ‘I tended to travel in the shoulder seasons, so single rates are not so bad. But travel in the summer and the hikes were massive.’

Linda Clinton added: ‘I can relate to that. I tried out staying in a hostel a couple of times last year and purchasing flights separately due to the packages in the summer getting very expensive at the place I go to.’

For some, the cost has put them off travel completely. Richard Yampy Williams said he doesn’t go on holiday anymore, calling the prices a ‘rip off’.

Metro spoke to Chelsea Dickenson, a seasoned solo traveller and founder of Cheap Holiday Expert.

She refuses to compromise on cost when it comes to travelling alone, but admits that this isn’t always easy.

‘I love travelling solo on the cheap, but sometimes a ‘single tax’ does make it a bit more difficult to do on a budget,’ she revealed.

As well as having to pay extra as a single person in a double room, she added: ‘I’ve also had to avoid certain activities such as jet skis and snowmobiles where the advertised price is actually per person between two people, but you have to fork out the full cost when it’s just you on your own.’

How to cut costs when travelling solo

Despite the barriers, there are ways solo travellers can spend just as little (or even less) than those holidaying in pairs if they do their research before booking.

To start, Schwab recommended hunting for hotels that cater to solo guests: ‘More properties are finally waking up to this market and offering decent single rooms or ditching those ridiculous extra fees during their slower seasons.’

This also applies to tours that target solo guests, as these are designed not to charge extra for people travelling alone.

Meanwhile, seeking out online community pages, often used for planning and sharing travel tips, can help holidaymakers find a travel buddy who’ll be heading to the same destination around the same time.

But if you do find yourself on a tour that includes groups and couples, Schwab advises asking your operator about pairing you with another solo traveller.

Travelling during the shoulder season and, if you’re able to be flexible, booking late onto a tour can also save costs. Schwab said: ‘If a tour does not reach capacity, you may find an operator adds single rooms at the last minute without adding a single supplement fee.’

Meanwhile, some major travel companies have begun offering trips for solo travellers, including easyJet, TUI and Thomas Cook.

Jet2 was recently recommended by Which? for solo travellers, so it’s worth checking out their offerings.

Dickenson shared her favourite locations for low-cost travel with Metro, saying: ‘The main way I deal with not feeling out of pocket is by heading to affordable destinations where I know my money goes a lot further.

‘In Europe, this includes places like Portugal, Poland and Albania where the accommodation can be much cheaper. Further afield, I love Thailand for not only great hotel prices but a street food culture that makes it easier to eat out solo, and make friends too.’

She also recommended looking for home-sitting opportunities as a way of securing free accommodation.

‘I’ve found that homeowners often want just one person to look after their place whilst they’re away. My favourite websites for this are TrustedHousesitters and Nomador.’

And if you’re looking for more tips to keep costs low on your next trip, Metro has rounded up the cheapest places for a weekend break in Europe, as well as the cheap places to travel to while you’re young and on a budget and 11 places you can fly to for less than the cost of a UK train ticket.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

If you’ve opened a cash Isa in recent years but not looked at how much it is paying, chances are you could switch your money and get a better deal, Metro’s personal finance expert Rosie Murray-West explains…

High-paying accounts tend to see a dramatic drop in interest rates after 
a year, with old Isa accounts from high street banks now paying as little as one per cent interest.

Fortunately, you don’t have to leave your savings languishing in these poor paying accounts, you can switch them to providers offering far higher rates without losing the tax-free status of your money or eating into this year’s 
Isa allowance.

It is important, however, that 
you use the correct process when moving accounts.

‘Ensure that the transfer is done via an Isa transfer rather than withdrawing and re-depositing funds, as doing so would cause you to lose your tax-free benefits,’ says Interactive Investor’s personal finance specialist Myron Jobson.

Here’s your step-by-step guide to getting it right.

Step 1 Find the right account

There are many competitive Isa rates on the market at the moment, but not every account allows you to transfer in your old Isa. You need to find an account that suits you, whether that is a cash Isa that is available at any time, one with a fixed rate for a time period, or an Isa that allows you to invest in stocks and shares.

You also need to check that it will allow you to put in your money from previous years.

Many high-paying cash Isas do accept transfers in, and you can transfer stocks and shares Isas into cash Isas and vice versa. Some high-paying products at present include Chip’s easy access cash Isa, paying 5.25 per cent, or the Close Brothers 4.43 per cent three-year cash Isa if you would like to lock in a higher interest rate for longer.

With stocks and shares Isas the process can take longer, as investments may need to be sold, and there may be charges. Switching your cash Isa is usually free and you can choose to transfer all or some of your old Isa balance to a new provider.

Step 2 Open the new product and complete a transfer form

The crucial step when transferring your Isa is to open the new account first. In order not to lose the tax-free status from your old Isa, you will need to ensure the money is transferred correctly.

Your new provider should allow you to complete a transfer form with the details of your old Isa, including account number and sort code. It will then request the transfer from your old provider.

Step 3 Wait

Transfers between cash Isas should take no more than 15 working days, and after that the money should be in your new account and earning a better rate of interest. Transfers from stocks and shares Isas can take up to a month.

If your transfer takes longer than this then you can complain to the provider and, if you are unhappy with its response, to the Financial Ombudsman Service, which can order a bank to compensate you for poor service.

Step 4 Make a calendar note

Many Isa rates come with a bonus that lasts for a year, or have a good rate for a fixed term before dropping. Make a note in your calendar now of when the bonus runs out or the rates drop so that you can transfer your Isa again at that point to receive a good rate.

MORE: How to find your lost or dormant Isas and reclaim your cash

MORE: A beginner’s guide to Isas and how almost half of us are missing out on tax-free money

MORE: How many cash ISAs can you have? The rules explained

Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert (MSE) has revealed what he calls ‘the single most lucrative thing you can do with your money’.

According to the finance guru, a simple check could boost the retirement funds of millions of Brits — with many adding upwards of £10,000 to their pot.

And in a recent edition of the MSE newsletter, he urged ‘everyone’ under age 73 to see if they’re eligible now, as there’s not much time left to act.

The door closes for this on April 5, but Martin warns that ‘it’s not a quick process’, so the sooner you get the ball rolling the better.

Here’s what you need to know

How to boost your pension

According to MSE, buying back missing years in your national insurance record could massively boost your pension.

Your state pension is determined by how many years you have paid national insurance (NI). As a general rule, you need about 35 years to get the maximum amount, which is currently set at £221.20 a week.

However, some people may have gaps in their NI record for a variety of reasons:

• You were earning a low wage (it’s only mandatory to pay NI if you earn more than £242 per week from one job), or were unemployed.
• If you were self-employed making small profit margins
• You lived or worked outside the UK for a period of time

While currently, men aged under 73 and women aged under 71 are able to buy missing years back to 2006, the launch of the ‘new’ state pension means the option won’t be available for long.

You’ve now got until April 5 to buy back any missing national insurance years from 2006 to 2018. After this date, you can do it to 2019, potentially meaning you’ll miss out on the years you need to boost your retirement.

And when we say boost, we mean it. One MSE subscriber emailed into the financial advice platform to share just how lucrative this hack is.

‘My wife had 10+ years missing,’ David wrote. ‘Her pension forecast was £69/wk, but a (large £8,200) contribution to fill the gaps increased it to £132/wk.’

This equates to a £3,280 per year jump — a staggering £60,000 if his wife draws her pension for 20 years.

The process is pretty straightforward, although Martin’s advice is to start now, commenting: ‘Leave it to nearer the deadline and if the systems get clogged, it could be very cumbersome to make it work.’

Step one is to check your national insurance record on the UK Government website.

If you do have any missing years, MSE says its worth using the Government’s state pension forecaster to determine how much pension you’ll get with your current NI record. If you’re already getting the full state pension – which will show as a £221.20 a week forecast – there’s likely no point in buying back any years.

Bear in mind too, if you’re still a way off retirement, you still may have plenty of time to make up enough years, so you might not need to fill those gaps.

In some cases, you may not even have to pay for a full year (which typically costs £824), so the risks of spending more than you’ll get are effectively ‘diminished’.

‘What matters most here is whether you’re on track to get the full forecast, the cost of the years, and your age right now,’ adds Martin.

The Government website can help you decide whether to buy back certain years, and how to do it, and you can find more information on the MSE website.

This article was first published on March 5, 2025.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Martin Lewis has offered fresh advice around a major scandal dubbed ‘the new PPI’, as regulators confirm millions of UK drivers could be entitled to compensation.

In January, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) launched an investigation into potential misselling of Discretionary Commission Arrangements (DCAS) in car finance policies.

Around 80% to 90% of UK car owners purchased their vehicle on finance, and as much as three quarters could be owed money back, with the average payout estimated to be in the thousands.

Although a ruling won’t be made until May next year, the Money Saving Expert founder has now issued an update after the FCA made a new announcement, which he described in his weekly newsletter as ‘absolutely huge’.

What is the latest announcement on DCA car finance compensation?

The latest update on the car finance compensation saga saw the FCA announce that, should misselling payouts become necessary, they will be made through an industry-wide redress scheme.

This is important because, under section 404 rules, people will not have to individually seek redress from their lenders.

Instead, the FCA will instruct the companies to find anyone who is eligible (based on their criteria) and then make a compensation payment in accordance with the ruling’s terms.

While the FCA is still technically ‘consulting’ on this, Martin states in his latest update that this ‘pretty much means it has made it’s mind up’ on the issue.

Who might be eligible for DCA car finance compensation?

In his MSE newsletter, Martin noted that the criteria for misselling is yet to be announced.

However, you may be eligible if you bought a van, campervan or a motorbike on finance between April 2007 and January 28, 2021, provided the vehicle was for personal use and through a Personal Contract Purchase (PCP) or Hire Purchase (HP) agreement.

Between 40% and 74% of vehicle finance policies taken out during this time had DCAs included, allowing firms to increase interest rates at any time without telling the customer, with dealers and brokers earning huge commissions, hooked to the interest paid.

While these agreements have since been banned, people who had a DCA before this and weren’t made aware may have been unfairly charged.

The refund rules apply even if the original user has now passed away, as the relevant executor or beneficiary can claim on their behalf.

Already paid off the vehicle? Or don’t own it anymore? That doesn’t matter either: you can still make a claim and get that money firmly back in your pocket.

How much DCA car finance compensation could you be due?

According to Martin and MSE compensation could stretch into the thousands with the average payout potentially being around £1,100.

The finance guru’s site explains: ‘For discretionary commission arrangements, I think it probably boils down to somewhere between two things.

‘The first one would be; if they pump the interest rate up from the minimum; you would get all the difference between the minimum of what they pumped it up to back, and the typical payout for that is going to be around £1,100.

‘But what the regulator may say is no, actually this is too low. We’re going to say what we think a minimum interest rate is, and that might vary depending on situation.

‘And we’re only going to give you the difference back between the minimum interest rate and what you were charged.’

Should you put in a complaint for DCA compensation?

While the latest update means compensation will likely be paid automatically, Money Saving Expert has a free tool for lodging a complaint in case you wish to draw what Martin Lewis described as ‘a line in the sand’ as ‘there’s no impact on you doing that’.

He previously concluded that a time limit for claims may be introduced for the FCA’s investigation closing – in which case only those that complained ahead of that date would receive compensation.

‘The key to all this is to get a complaint in ASAP,’ said Martin in his newsletter. ‘The sooner you log a complaint may mean the less chance you’ll be excluded.’

However, in more advice, he also added, ‘Is it worth complaining about now? On the whole, no, because we think it’s going to be mass redress. But, I mean, it might be worth putting a line in the sand if it doesn’t cost you and you want to put a complaint in.’

Since MSE launched their tool in February, a staggering 2.3 million complaint letters have been sent.

Should you use a claims firm to make a DCA complaint?

Martin also warned that anyone thinking about making a claim through a ‘no win, no fee’ service should not do so.

This is because, if compensation is paid, it will now be sent directly to the person needing redress without the need for a claims firm to file a complaint.

The MSE site explained: ‘Now, what’s very important on this is anyone who is thinking of doing this via a claims firm – who are going to take 25% of what you get – just don’t do it.

‘It’s very likely, if a payout is going to come, you’re going to get that money automatically’.

This article was originally published on July 3, 2024.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

With the end of the financial year looming, Brits are being warned to check HMRC rules, as a ‘significant’ number of savers could end up with hefty tax bills due to rising interest rates.

Although you don’t have to pay tax on money you’ve saved, you are taxed on interest earned over a certain amount — and with the fiscal year ending on April 5th, it won’t be long before letters start landing on doorsteps.

What you should expect all depends on the type of account you have and your income tax band.

Here is what you need to know.

How much tax do you pay on bank interest?

Basic rate taxpayers – earning £12,571 to £50,270 annually – are allowed to earn £1,000 a year in tax-free interest, with anything above this amount charged at 20%.

Meanwhile, the personal savings allowance (PSA) for those on the higher rate – with an income of £50,271 to £125,140 each year – is £500, beyond which a 40% tax is incurred.

Then there’s the different type of account: according to Money Saving Expert (MSE), those on the basic rate would need around £20,000 placed in a top easy-access savings account to exceed the allowance at current rates, with the figure for higher rate taxpayers sitting just over £10,000.

However, if you save through a fixed-rate account, which locks your cash away for a set time, the threshold will be far lower.

Because you’re taxed on savings interest in the tax year you can access it, if you opt for a fixed-rate savings account longer than a year where the interest is paid at maturity, all the interest is counted towards the final year’s PSA.

So, higher rate taxpayers with as little as £3,500 on a three-year fixed rate of 5% will go over their allowance, or roughly £7,000 for anyone on the basic rate.

Paragon Bank recently revealed 2.4 million fixed term non-ISA savings accounts are set to mature in the next three months, up to 887,000 of which have generated enough interest to incur a tax payment.

Derek Sprawling, the company’s managing director of Savings, advised affected savers look at switching to an ISA variant ”if they don’t already utilise their annual tax-free allowance.’

‘The upcoming months will be a pivotal time for millions of savers as their fixed-rate accounts mature,’ he added.

‘It’s therefore essential for savers to consider their options carefully to match their current, and future, returns.

‘With a significant portion of these accounts earning rates which were set when underlying reference rates were at their peak and showing signs of upward movement, most maturing savers will, unfortunately, likely not be able to match their previous rate when it comes to an end.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert (MSE) has revealed what he calls ‘the single most lucrative thing you can do with your money’.

According to the finance guru, a simple check could boost the retirement funds of millions of Brits — with many adding upwards of £10,000 to their pot.

And in the latest edition of the MSE newsletter, he’s urging ‘everyone’ under age 73 to see if they’re eligible now, as there’s not much time left to act.

The door closes for this on April 5, but Martin warns that ‘it’s not a quick process’, so the sooner you get the ball rolling the better.

Here’s what you need to know

How to boost your pension

According to MSE, buying back missing years in your national insurance record could massively boost your pension.

Your state pension is determined by how many years you have paid national insurance (NI). As a general rule, you need about 35 years to get the maximum amount, which is currently set at £221.20 a week.

However, some people may have gaps in their NI record for a variety of reasons:

• You were earning a low wage (it’s only mandatory to pay NI if you earn more than £242 per week from one job), or were unemployed.
• If you were self-employed making small profit margins
• You lived or worked outside the UK for a period of time

While currently, men aged under 73 and women aged under 71 are able to buy missing years back to 2006, the launch of the ‘new’ state pension means the option won’t be available for long.

You’ve now got until April 5 to buy back any missing national insurance years from 2006 to 2018. After this date, you can do it to 2019, potentially meaning you’ll miss out on the years you need to boost your retirement.

And when we say boost, we mean it. One MSE subscriber emailed into the financial advice platform to share just how lucrative this hack is.

‘My wife had 10+ years missing,’ David wrote. ‘Her pension forecast was £69/wk, but a (large £8,200) contribution to fill the gaps increased it to £132/wk.’

This equates to a £3,280 per year jump — a staggering £60,000 if his wife draws her pension for 20 years.

The process is pretty straightforward, although Martin’s advice is to start now, commenting: ‘Leave it to nearer the deadline and if the systems get clogged, it could be very cumbersome to make it work.’

Step one is to check your national insurance record on the UK Government website.

If you do have any missing years, MSE says its worth using the Government’s state pension forecaster to determine how much pension you’ll get with your current NI record. If you’re already getting the full state pension – which will show as a £221.20 a week forecast – there’s likely no point in buying back any years.

Bear in mind too, if you’re still a way off retirement, you still may have plenty of time to make up enough years, so you might not need to fill those gaps.

In some cases, you may not even have to pay for a full year (which typically costs £824), so the risks of spending more than you’ll get are effectively ‘diminished’.

‘What matters most here is whether you’re on track to get the full forecast, the cost of the years, and your age right now,’ adds Martin.

The Government website can help you decide whether to buy back certain years, and how to do it, and you can find more information on the MSE website.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

It is not every day £100 can make you £1,000,000, but that is exactly what happened to one Premium Bonds saver.

The new millionaire, from Cleveland in Yorkshire, purchased their winning bond two years ago in May 2023.

NS&I Premium Bonds are a savings account, where the interest paid is decided by a random monthly prize draw.

NS&I dishes out £1,000,000 to two bond holders every month, with other cash prizes ranging from £25 to £100,000.

This month’s winner from £100 defied odds as small as 1 in 620,000,000 to take home the largest jackpot.

It is the second smallest holding ever to win the top NS&I prize.

In top spot is a £17 bond holder who became a millionaire in 2004, 45 years after first purchasing the bond in 1959.

The other March 2025 millionaire had a £35,000 worth of bonds and came from Cumbria.

Another ultra-lucky winner bagged £100,000 with a holding of just £14, which they purchased over 48 years ago.

There were 82 other £100,000 prizes in this months draw.

How do I check if I’ve won?

If you know your bond number you can check your winnings with NS&I’s Premium Bonds Prize Checker. 

There you can see a full list of the monthly winners from £5,000 all the way up until the two millionaires.

You can also use your NS&I number to find your winnings, but only through their prize checker app.

If you are lucky enough to have won, you should see the money in your account within the first seven working days of the month.

If you’re waiting for a winning cheque, that can take until the end of the month to arrive by post.

Those prize cheques expire after 3 months, so you will have to ask for a replacement if yours does expire.

How much money can I make with Premium Bonds?

All Premium Bonds have a 22,000 to 1 chance of winning, however the prize rate is to drop from next month.

The Premium Bonds prize fund rate, which is the average return a saver would make in a year, is currently at 4 percent.

However NS&I announced last month the rate will be cut to 3.8% and the number of prizes available will be reduced.

The number of £100,000 prizes is expected to drop from 82 in February to 78 in April. 

There will still only be two winners of £1million, but the amount of £25 prizes will increase from 1,807,915 to an estimated 2,170,903 in April.

In a post on X in December 2024, personal finance guru Martin Lewis, wrote: ‘Why do so many people give children Premium Bonds? Premium Bonds are only a decent bet if you’ve a big whack in, say £10,000+ and you pay tax on savings interest.

‘Most kids have/do neither. With £1,000 in over a year with typical (median average) luck you’ll win nothing.’

However big winners have said they can take home far more than what they would expect with interest rates.

The likelihood you’ll take home one of the two top monthly prizes of £1 million is around 1 in 60 billion per bond.

This is more unlikely than nabbing the National Lottery jackpot, which has odds of roughly 45 million to 1.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Despite the fact the average UK salary sits at £37,430 per year, you’ll need to earn significantly more to be considered rich.

In fact, according to a new survey, nine in 10 Brits who take home a six-figure annual wage before tax don’t see themselves as well off.

And the amount required to be classed as wealthy eclipses £100,000 in most parts of the country.

The research, from HSBC, reveals a wide wealth perception gap, with people underestimating their earnings relative to others by roughly 30 percentage points.

Those in the top 4% also tended to identify as the ‘squeezed middle’,positioning themselves in the top 52% relative to the rest of the population.

Overall, an average annual income of £213,000 was judged to be the amount needed for ‘wealth’, while higher earners put the figure at a whopping £724,000.

Perceptions aren’t just affected by income level either, as different regionsshared vastly different views on what constitutes well-to-do in 2025.

Respondents in the North East of England said £80,000 would make someone affluent; still higher than the nationwide average, but far less than the £367,000 sum from the South East.

Londoners thought earnings of £289,000 meant someone could be considered wealthy, a figure which was (perhaps surprisingly) lower than that Scotland’s £331,000 and South West England and Gibraltar’s £323,000.

When it comes to other signifiers of affluence, 51% of the people saidowning a private jet and 48% owning a yacht.

However, high earners are likely to consider non-material factors – such as retiring early (48%), frequently travelling abroad (45%) or having investments (54%) – as more relevant symbols.

Additionally, a third of 18 to 24-year-olds believe having a strong work-life balance is a strong signifier of wealth – something 41% are aspiring to achieve in the next two years.

Vicky Reynal, financial psychotherapist, commented: ‘HSBC UK’s findings reveal a paradox: despite having high earnings and ambitious financial goals, many mass affluent individuals still don’t feel wealthy.

‘This disconnect underscores the psychology behind people’s perceptions of wealth.

‘Anxieties about rising costs, inadequate savings, and the pressure of social comparison create a sense of scarcity, even when objective wealth exists.

‘By redefining wealth beyond the bank balance, focusing on our achievements, reducing unhelpful comparisons, and prioritising financial actions within our control, people can move confidently toward the future they aspire to.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

The world of ISAs can be overwhelming — different types, rules and restrictions, and don’t get us started on all the financial jargon surrounding them.

But as we approach the end of the tax year, you’ll likely be starting to consider your options, with a cash ISA (Individual Savings Account) potentially on the cards.

The good news is that not only can you have more than one, an ISA offers the opportunity to save for your future while maximising on interest.

So should the prospect of a cash ISA intrigue, we’re here to help with the basics.

What is a cash ISA?

An ISA is a form of savings account, which differs from other options as it allows you to accumulate tax-free interest on the money you deposit.

Thanks to this, you can build your nest egg – up to a certain amount each year – without being taxed on the interest you rack up, or being charged capital gains tax like you would on standard investments.

As well as a cash ISA, there are three other main types of adult ISA to choose from: stocks and shares, lifetime (LISA), and innovative finance (IFISA).

Each of these comes with different stipulations and features, and will work best for different savings goals.

There’s also the junior ISA, which allows you to put away cash on behalf of your child for their future until they turn 18.

How much can you save in a cash ISA?

With a cash ISA specifically, you can save up to £20,000 per tax year, which runs from April 6 to April 5.

You can’t carry allowances over, but each year you get a new ISA allowance.

What are the advantages of a cash ISA?

Not only are cash ISAs exempt from income tax, any interest you earn in one doesn’t count towards your personal savings allowance.

Other key benefits of a cash ISA include easy access to your money, the ability to transfer funds to a different provider, the fact that they’re relatively risk-free compared to other options, and that they’re covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), protecting you up to £85,000.

There are a variety of cash ISA subcategories available too, depending on your needs.

An instant access cash ISA allows you to withdraw money as and when required, a regular savings cash ISA allows you to save a fixed amount each month, and a fixed-term deposit cash ISA pays higher interest if you’re prepared to keep your savings locked in for a set time frame.

How many cash ISAs can you have?

As of the start of the 2024/25 tax year, there is no limit on the amount of cash ISAs you can open with different banks or building societies.

This excludes lifetime ISAs, because while you can hold multiple lifetime ISAs, you can only pay into one per tax year.

You should know however, that the total amount of money you deposit across all of your ISAs cannot exceed your ISA allowance – in this case, £20,000.

A recent change in rules means you can partly transfer funds, but you should check if your provider offers this. Prior to the 2024/25 tax year, if you wished to transfer your money to another ISA, it would’ve had to be the full amount.

What are the drawbacks of a cash ISA?

Cash ISAs are typically billed as a win-win but – as ever when you’re handling savings – it’s important to be fully aware of the pros and cons.

Depending on interest rates, you may be able to earn more through a standard savings account, as these also allow you to earn £1,000 of tax-free interest annually (or £500 if you’re a higher rate taxpayer).

Managing your cash ISA is also dependent on your provider and whether they permit transfers. Sometimes, there will be exit fees.

Additionally, fixed-rate ISAs keep your money locked away for a certain period of time. Should you need to access the money before this period ends, you might have to pay a penalty charge.

There’s no one-size-fits-all option when it comes to savings, so whether a cash ISA is right for you will depend on your specific needs and goals.

Before you make any financial decisions, weigh up your options, looking at factors like how much you could earn and the features each account offers.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

More than 24 million people in the UK have NS&I Premium Bonds and will be impacted by a change coming into force in April 2025. 

As it currently stands, each bond is placed into a monthly draw, with prizes from £25 to £1million up for grabs, but in just a few months, the prize fund rate is being cut.

From April it will be reduced from 4% to 3.8% tax-free, and the number of prizes available will be reduced, with the number of £100,000 prizes expected to drop from 82 in February to 78 in April.

Similarly, the number of £50,000 prizes will go from 164 to 157, while £25,000 prizes will decrease from 328 to 313, and the number of £10,000 prizes will also fall from 820 to 781. 

The number of prizes available will drop for each value, apart from the £1million jackpot and the smaller £25 ones. 

There will still only be two winners of £1million, but the amount of £25 prizes will increase from 1,807,915 to an estimated 2,170,903 in April. 

Despite these changes, the odds of winning remain the same at 22,000 to one for every £1 Bond in the prize draw.

According to NS&I the April 2025 Premium Bonds draw is expected to have over £411million in the prize fund, with more than 5.9 million prizes up for grabs.

What is a Premium Bond? 

For the uninitiated, Premium Bonds are run by the government-owned National Savings and Investments (NS&I). Customers are able to put away between £25 and £50,000 in a secure account, and don’t have to pay tax on any earnings.

No interest is paid on these investments, but each £1 bond is placed into a monthly draw, with prizes from £25 to £1million divvied out among the 121 billion eligible.

Although it’s possible to win with even a single bond, your odds increase the more you amass. But according to Martin Lewis, many savers could have better luck elsewhere.

How many Premium Bonds do you need to win? 

In a post on X in December 2024, personal finance guru Martin Lewis, wrote: ‘Why do so many people give children Premium Bonds? Premium Bonds are only a decent bet if you’ve a big whack in, say £10,000+ and you pay tax on savings interest.

‘Most kids have/do neither. With £1,000 in over a year with typical (median average) luck you’ll win nothing.’

Some commenters felt otherwise, including one who replied: ‘Completely disagree. We’ve had returns that easily outstrip interest rates.’

‘Statistically, I’ve done a lot better with premium bonds than anything else – especially during lockdown when interest rates were practically nothing,’ said another.

However, Martin’s viewpoint does have some truth in it. In December’s Premium Bond draw, £62million was handed out in total across 20,791 high-value prizes, but the two lucky Brits who became millionaires held £50,000 and £33,275 each in bonds.

The likelihood you’ll take home one of the two top monthly prizes of £1 million is around 1 in 60 billion per bond. Putting that into perspective, the odds of nabbing the National Lottery jackpot is roughly 45 million to 1.

That said, there are outliers, and it all comes down to luck. The December 2024 draw saw one £100,000 winner with just £25 invested and others with as little as £1,000.

Is a Premium Bond better than a regular saving account?

A recent post on the Money Saving Expert website reinforced the idea that Premium Bonds may not be the best option for ‘most savers with average luck, who don’t pay tax on savings interest’.

It claimed many people would be better off with a regular savings account, as these give you a ‘guaranteed return in the form of interest’.

‘If you get the top easy-access cash ISA rate of 5.05%, you’d get £50.50 in interest a year for every £1,000 saved,’ the post explained.

Although, it’s worth noting the interest rate can go up and down over time, but even factoring this in, with a regular account you’ll still know what you’ll earn at any given point, while those with Premium Bonds could be saving the same £1,000 thinking they’ll get something extra each month and be in with a chance of scoring £1million, but ultimately win nothing time and time again.

They add: ‘You’re actually likely to get quite a lot less than the new and current prize rates of 3.8% and 4% and there’s a negligible chance of winning a million.’

Still not sure where’s best for your money? Martin Lewis offers a handy calculator on the Money Saving Expert site so you can assess whether you’re likely to earn more with this method or a traditional savings account.

Many higher rate taxpayers prefer Premium Bonds (at least as part of a wider portfolio) because the earnings are tax free. Others enjoy the ‘game’ element, or like the fact you can readily withdraw without any fees.

According to NS&I though, they may not be for you if you want a regular income, are looking for guaranteed returns, are concerned about inflation, or want to save jointly with someone else.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

UK savers have been urged to check HMRC rules, as a ‘significant’ portion will soon face tax bills due to rising interest rates.

Although you don’t have to pay tax on money you’ve saved, you are taxed on interest earned over a certain amount — and with the financial year ending at the start of April, it won’t be long before letters start landing on doorsteps.

What you should expect all depends on the type of account you have and your income tax band.

Basic rate taxpayers – earning £12,571 to £50,270 annually – are allowed to earn £1,000 a year in tax-free interest, with anything above this amount charged at 20%.

Meanwhile, the personal savings allowance (PSA) for those on the higher rate – with an income of £50,271 to £125,140 each year – is £500, beyond which a 40% tax is incurred.

Then there’s the different type of account: according to Money Saving Expert (MSE), those on the basic rate would need around £20,000 placed in a top easy-access savings account to exceed the allowance at current rates, with the figure for higher rate taxpayers sitting just over £10,000.

However, if you save through a fixed-rate account, which locks your cash away for a set time, the threshold will be far lower.

Because you’re taxed on savings interest in the tax year you can access it, if you opt for a fixed-rate savings account longer than a year where the interest is paid at maturity, all the interest is counted towards the final year’s PSA.

So, higher rate taxpayers with as little as £3,500 on a three-year fixed rate of 5% will go over their allowance, or roughly £7,000 for anyone on the basic rate.

Paragon Bank recently revealed 2.4 million fixed term non-ISA savings accounts are set to mature in the next three months, up to 887,000 of which have generated enough interest to incur a tax payment.

Derek Sprawling, the company’s managing director of Savings, advised affected savers look at switching to an ISA variant ”if they don’t already utilise their annual tax-free allowance.’

‘The upcoming months will be a pivotal time for millions of savers as their fixed-rate accounts mature,’ he added.

‘It’s therefore essential for savers to consider their options carefully to match their current, and future, returns.

‘With a significant portion of these accounts earning rates which were set when underlying reference rates were at their peak and showing signs of upward movement, most maturing savers will, unfortunately, likely not be able to match their previous rate when it comes to an end.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

SHOPPING – Contains affiliated content. Products featured in this Metro article are selected by our shopping writers. If you make a purchase using links on this page, Metro.co.uk will earn an affiliate commission. Click here for more information.

Are you a massive Manchester City fan, or know someone that is? Well they will love the latest Oodie collection.

Show off your City pride with the Oodie, designed in a sky blue colour, which is both soft and undeniably cosy – making them the ultimate match-day companion.

Better yet? The exterior is made from ToastyTek™ flannel fleece, while the interior features super warm Sherpa fleece, ensuring maximum comfort and warmth.

One of the standout features of the Manchester City Oodie is its generous and roomy design, which is based on a 6XL hoodie size. This makes it suitable for most people, providing ample space to snuggle up.

The Oodie also comes with a large, oversized hood for extra warmth and an extra-large pocket to store your essentials – like snacks to enjoy watching the big game, or your phone.

Manchester City Oodie

Sky blue, soft, and undeniably cosy. The perfect match-day companion to showcase your City pride.

Buy Now for £79

What’s great about Oodie, aside from the super-size, is maintaining and caring for it too. For best results, it is recommended to hand wash it in cold water or machine wash on a gentle cycle using mild detergents. This helps preserve the cuddliness and softness of the Oodie for as long as possible – which is what we need in this chilly weather.

Since launching back in 2018, the popularity of Oodie skyrocketed during the COVID-19 lockdowns. In fact, thousands of people have rated one five stars, rating them ‘excellent’, ‘cosy’ and love how they help save on ‘heating bills’ too.

Nicole G said: ‘Got this as a present for my partner. They absolutely love it. Really cosy (great in the colder months!) and super soft and comfortable. Would recommend to everyone.’

‘Almost every family member now has their own Oodies,’ added Richard, and also mentioned: ‘Cant wait for winter to come along.’

David S, who is another five-star rater said: ‘So comfortable and saves on heating bills.’

Another happy customer is Miss M C who said: ‘Bought for my hubby. He is always cold but 5 mins with this on and he never complains. Excellent quality. Very thick and cosy. Nice and soft because it’s one size fits all it is big and does carry some weight with it although not too heavy to wear. Really nice garment. If you’re struggling with heating your home. Invest in one of these and heat the human.’

With Valentine’s Day on the horizon, the Manchester City Oodie is perfect for staying warm and comfortable while supporting your favourite team.

Whether you’re watching a match at home or out and about, this Oodie combines practicality with a stylish nod to your City pride – trust us.

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Share your views in the comments below

MORE: Affordable Valentine’s Day gifts – our shopping experts top picks under £20 for everyone

MORE: Dunelm’s blue homeware is perfect for a spring refresh on any budget – with prices from £1.25

MORE: From Moonpig to John Lewis, Kylie Cosmetics and more – this is what a shopping expert is buying this weekend

Think you’re saving enough for your future? Probably not, according to a pensions rule of thumb shared by Martin Lewis.

In the latest edition of his newsletter, the Money Saving Expert (MSE) founder focused on pensions, with guidance on everything from finding lost savings to maximising your investment.

Among this advice, he also looked into how much we should be setting aside for retirement — and it’s certainly sobering.

‘Take a deep breath,’ urged Martin, before revealing a ‘scary’ rule of thumb to work out your route to a decent pension savings pot.

He explained: ‘Take the age when you start putting money in your pension, halve it, and that’s the % of your pre-tax salary to aim to put into your pension for the rest of your working life for a strong retirement income.

‘So start at 20 and it’s 10% (this includes employer’s contributions), at 40 it’s 20%.’

If we drill that down, it means a 40-year-old on the average UK salary for their age (£40,040) is supposed to invest £8,008 into their pension this year alone. The figure for a 20-year-old on the average wage of £22,932 is £2,293.20.

Bear in mind, exact amounts will increase or decrease along with how much you earn, and your personal contribution will differ depending on how much your employer puts in.

However, the exercise itself offers a worthwhile – if stark – insight into the consequences of burying your head in the sand.

‘Don’t worry, almost nobody gets there,’ Martin added. ‘The real takeaway is that the earlier you start, the better, as you’ve longer for gains to compound.’

The MSE website highlights that ‘most people are unable to contribute enough at the beginning for the “half your age” rule,’ so you should ‘start with whatever you can.’

It’s also advised to earmark a set proportion (rather than a set monetary amount) each month, meaning you don’t fall behind as your earnings go up.

And Martin offered an additional tip for newsletter readers too: ‘Every time you get a pay rise, if possible put a chunk of that into your pension before you get used to the increase.’

Lifestyle creep (sometimes known as lifestyle inflation) is a real thing, so getting in ahead of it is a nifty way to trick yourself into being responsible.

Spending in the here and now is often necessary, but just think how happy ‘future you’ will be if you look out for them too.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

My life motto has always been: Buy what you need, and invest the rest.

This attitude towards money has helped me accumulate over £100,000 in retirement savings since my mid-20s from a workplace and private pension.

I’m 32 now but I aim to retire by 58 with a pension pot of at least £500,000. I’ll use this pot to purchase a retirement cottage and perhaps go on European cruises.

Reports that millions of pensioners are living in poverty and that most of us are not saving enough for our retirement terrifies me. That is why I am taking action to avoid financial hardship in later life.

My careful handling of money particularly developed at university from October 2011. 

Receiving maintenance grants was the first time I saw four-figure sums enter my bank account. This was when I decided I would never take money for granted.

I had some casual shifts at university working as a student brand ambassador on open days, which helped me earn some extra cash.

But it was in my first job as a press officer in 2015 when I received my first pension statement that I became interested in pensions. Seeing the estimated value of my pension in retirement inspired me to boost my contributions to have a comfortable retirement.

Today, as it currently stands, my income is over £4,000 per month.

This is made up of roughly £3,000 from employment (minus workplace pension contributions), £500 from my bank savings interest and at least £500 from investing in undervalued stocks – which I started following in 2015.

My monthly expenses are over £1,400 for my housing, utilities and food costs. I set aside £750 per month for my pension and I split the rest between tax-free cash-ISAs, instant access and fixed-term bond accounts.

As for my pension, I follow the ‘half your age’ rule, which means that you pay half of your age into your pension every month to get as much out of your pension as possible. For example, if you are 30 years of age, you would pay 15% into your pension.

But this savings strategy comes at a cost and is underpinned by day-to-day frugality. 

A typical day means sticking to my ‘no-meals out’ rule. I prepare my breakfast, lunch and dinner because I don’t see the point in paying for meals I can cook. So I start each day with a bowl of oats, which I buy in bulk for just 90p for a 1kg packet.

For lunch, I tend to rotate between either chicken fillet and lettuce, or salad tomato sandwiches or noodles with a boiled egg. I cook a container of seasoned chicken fillet strips that I can use several times a week.

Dinner includes either a batched pot of homemade chicken fried rice with mixed vegetables and king prawns, pasta served with a portion of meat, or veggie casserole.

I don’t spend money on what I coined as Emotional Depreciable Assets (or EDA), which are purchases driven by feelings and/or decreases in value like.

For example, I don’t own a car and even helped a friend sell one of their two cars for £500 (despite the model being launched over 30 years ago) as after I explained EDA to them they realised that they did not need to own both.

I also don’t go on foreign holidays. I have only flown abroad three times with my family and the last time I did that was in 2019.

If I don’t need it, I don’t do it. That extends to socialising too and is why I’ve never drunk alcohol or smoked.

My commitment to frugality means that I only attend the weddings or birthdays of very close family members. If I don’t feel that going somewhere is value for money, I politely decline.

While I can be extroverted, I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything. I am content being at peace at home enjoying a nutritious meal and watching EastEnders!

Surprisingly, I tend to get an understanding response from people when I explain this. Some tell me they prefer to spend more nights in now too due to the cost-of-living crisis.

It might seem challenging but, seeing six-figures in my pension pot makes me realise it is not only achievable by reducing wants and eliminating waste but it’s also worth every sacrifice. I’d rather save wisely during my younger years so that I can reward myself later in life.

At the end of the day, having a six-figure pension pot is not important because it looks good on paper, but I believe that it is also an economic necessity for everyone because we are living longer.

Of course, some people can’t build up a pension fund because they simply don’t earn enough, so the state should increase the tax relief for the lowest earners to boost their pension pots.

Your pension might not seem important today if you’re young, but if you invest in it now, your older self will thank you for it. 

This article was originally published January 6, 2025

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

To get the best deal on flights, timing your booking is key.

And new research from Which? makes it easier than ever to find the perfect moment, depending on when and where you’re headed.

The consumer champion analysed data from Skyscanner based on average return flight prices in 2023 and 2024, to see when travellers got the cheapest airfares to popular destinations. 

Overall, timings ranged from five weeks to six months in advance. So if you’re looking for a cheap trip this summer, you may need to get cracking now.

For a summer break in August, for example, Which? found the cheapest fares to Faro in the Algarve were available five weeks in advance, while holidaymakers travelling to Paris needed to book 26 weeks in advance.

Similarly, when it comes to the Easter holidays, booking 12 weeks in advance will get you the best price for Dublin or Valencia, but you’ll need to do so twice as early (24 weeks) for Berlin and Krakow. 

The watchdog revealed the cheapest month to travel in general is January, with off-season flights available for as little as £39 to Dublin and £50. Meanwhile, a trip to The Big Apple is best for your budget in March, where a return flight costs on average just £201.

Naomi Leach, Deputy Editor of Which? Travel, said: ‘Our research threw up some surprising results and suggests some holidaymakers could save significant sums of money by targeting the right time to book their flights…

‘It is worth setting up flight alerts with Google Flights or Skyscanner to track the best prices for your desired destination to find the best time to book a great deal.’

The best time to book short-haul flights

Amsterdam

• How far in advance to book for April: 20 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 15 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 20 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £86

Athens

• How far in advance to book for April: 18 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 6 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 10 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £75

Barcelona

• How far in advance to book for April: 17 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 13 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 17 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £50

Berlin

• How far in advance to book for April: 24 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 24 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 20 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £61

Budapest

• How far in advance to book for April: 17 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 6 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 8 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £62

Dublin

• How far in advance to book for April: 12 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 13 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 12 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £39

Faro

• How far in advance to book for April: 14 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 5 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 10 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £61

Lisbon

• How far in advance to book for April: 22 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 16 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 17 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: December, £63

Mallorca

• How far in advance to book for April: 14 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 13 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 19 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: March, £55

Nice

• How far in advance to book for April: 14 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 24 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 23 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: November, £72

Krakow

• How far in advance to book for April: 24 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 25 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 11 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £48

Paris

• How far in advance to book for April: 21 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 26 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 15 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £73

Prague

• How far in advance to book for April: 15 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 19 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 16 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £62

Seville

• How far in advance to book for April: 13 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 25 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 17 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £55

Tenerife

• How far in advance to book for April: 19 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 10 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 8 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £76

Valencia

• How far in advance to book for April: 12 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 12 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 11 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, £45

The best time to book long-haul flights

Bangkok

• How far in advance to book for April: 25 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 8 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 16 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: January, February, or March, £386

Cape Town

• How far in advance to book for April: n/a
• How far in advance to book for August: n/a
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: n/a
• Cheapest month to fly: March, £472

Chicago

• How far in advance to book for April: n/a
• How far in advance to book for August: n/a
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: n/a
• Cheapest month to fly: November, £308

New York

• How far in advance to book for April: 14 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 7 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 11 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: March, £201

Sydney

• How far in advance to book for April: 22 weeks
• How far in advance to book for August: 8 weeks
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: 15 weeks
• Cheapest month to fly: November, £525

Tokyo

• How far in advance to book for April: n/a
• How far in advance to book for August: n/a
• How far in advance to book for Christmas: n/a
• Cheapest month to fly: November and December, £397

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Manifestation is the idea that you can create your reality by focusing on your thoughts – if you believe it then you can do it, and dreams can come true literally.

It’s all about vibration.

Einstein said ‘match the frequency of the reality you want and you cannot help but get that reality. It can be no other way.’

The theory goes like this: Essentially, we’re all just a collection of vibrating molecules and atoms, which magnetise, fuse, and part based on frequencies.

As such, visualising, focusing, believing in and working on your goal raises, shapes, and transforms your vibration to the same wavelength of what you’re trying to attract. And in doing so, it will be magnetised towards you in the form of opportunities, turning intention into reality.

We use a variety of ways to do this, to manifest what we desire. While good energy alone is unlikely to be enough to change your bank balance, there’s no harm in trying out some of these common techniques. Who knows what’ll come your way?

Wealth affirmations

One of the easiest places to begin, and to stay ‘tuned in’ to your goal is by creating a mantra of affirmation that you pause several times a day to repeat (usually three times), consciously and deliberately and with real focus.

It’s best if you write your own personally but a quick search will reveal hundreds to choose from. For example:

• I am capable of overcoming any money-obstacles that stand in my way.
• It’s easy and natural for me to be prosperous and successful.
• My life is filled with health and wealth.
• Abundance is coming, I deserve and accept it.
• I accept and receive unexpected money.
• I am open to receiving all wealth life brings to me.

Action timing

Of course, manifesting requires action and steps. Raising your vibration to your goal is best achieved by actively working on it, by creating opportunity, links, and pathways for it to find you.

There are certain times of the year, month and week that have planetary associations associated with luck, money, fortune and opportunity. Align your manifesting practice and steps to these days and enjoy a cosmic boost!

Aries season (March 21 – April 20) is the zodiac New Year because Aries is the first sign. Plus, Aries is ruled by Mars which governs ambitions, passion and power. This is a great four-week window to apply for a promotion, pitch something, go for a new role or upgrade, ask for more rewards or money, expand your horizons, start a new venture.

The New Moon, which rolls around every month, is the time for activation, initiation, creation and starting something bold or risky. New Moons bring a mini surge of good fortune and therefore you should align fresh starts and application with them.

Additionally, Jupiter rules over Thursdays. Jupiter governs good luck, abundance, wealth, opportunity (it’s why Sagittarians always land on their feet!). So time your bold leaps to a Thursday!

Crystal power

Crystals are natural energy storage units (they seriously are, they’re used in batteries and computing) and carry their own vibration. Carrying, meditating, visualising, and being around money-related crystals will also help to attune your vibration to your goal.

Citrine is known as the ‘money stone’ and its most potent power is in amplifying willpower and motivation, so it helps you to focus on a goal, specifically financial milestones like saving, investing, resisting spending urges.

Carry a Sunstone and take charge. It helps you to hold your ground, stop saying ‘yes’ (when you should be saying ‘no’, which is hard for you as you’re a natural people pleaser). It’s a great stone to have around you if you’re going for promotion or looking to be your own boss. To earn more, we usually need to head upwards, and Sunstone is your ally here

Use Tiger’s Eye to attract abundance. Tiger’s Eye has a magic power: bringing wealth to its wearer. Hold it close to you and ask to be blessed with good fortune, on a Full Moon night, then leave the gem on the window sill, in the moonlight, to charge up.

Want to know more and take action? Join me for a personal, money manifesting tarot reading on my Etsy shop.

Kerry King, the tarot queen, uses tarot and star sign wisdom to create inspiring forecasts and insights, with nearly 30 years of fortune telling experience and many happy clients all over the world. Join her tarot club on Patreon for exclusive forecasts, predictions, lessons, readings and 1-1 access.

Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Thousands of Brits could be eligible for a welcome payout, thanks to a government-backed scheme many don’t know about.

The brainchild of former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, Child Trust Funds (CTFs) were designed to give families a helping hand with building a nest egg for their children and promote good savings habits from a young age.

More than six million CTFs were issued, with an average value of around £2,000 each.

The main problem however, is that 728,000 account holders are unaware of their existence.

Since the programme ended in 2011, a total of £1.4 billion has remained unclaimed, the majority of which comes from low income recipients who are owed roughly £2,900 on average.

Could you be entitled to some of that lost or forgotten cash? Here’s everything you need to know.

What is a Child Trust Fund and who has one?

A Child Trust Fund is a special savings account for those born in the UK between September 1, 2002 and January 2, 2011 whose parents were on Child Benefit.

As part of the scheme, the government put £250-£500 into long-term, tax-free savings accounts for each child at birth, but some got a further £250-£500 when they turned seven.

While families and carers received vouchers to set up an account shortly after they had a baby, if they didn’t claim within a year, the government allocated one automatically. That means if you’re currently aged 14 to 22, you could have a CTF.

Parents or guardians have control of this money – held at various banks, building societies or other savings providers – and can deposit additional funds until the child turns 16.

Then, at 18, young people are able to take the cash out themselves or transfer the total into an adult ISA.

How to claim

If you think you might have a CTF, the first step is to ask your parent or guardian whether they know which provider the account is with.

Don’t worry if they’ve forgotten, as you you can also find out via this free tool from HMRC – all you need is your National Insurance number and adoption details if they apply.

You’ll then receive a letter (usually within three weeks) with details of your account when it was opened, and can contact the provider for further information, including the amount you have saved up and what you need to do next.

Alternatively, you can go through the Share Foundation to trace a lost CTF. This free service can be especially useful if your account was moved to a different provider after being opened, and the charity also allows you to track the process of the application as well as offering financial awareness tips throughout.

Martin Lewis previously warned against companies trying to charge young people to find their Child Trust Fund for them.

‘Don’t touch them, don’t sniff them, don’t smell them, don’t go near them,’ he said on a video posted on the MoneySavingExpert YouTube. ‘This is easy to do yourself.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Martin Lewis has shared the ‘evil genius’ way lenders keep people on the hook — so if you’re one of the 36.2 million Brits with a credit card, you best listen up.

In the latest edition of his newsletter, the Money Saving Expert founder focused on dealing with debt, offering tips on how to reduce interest and repay as quickly as possible.

He also claimed one common habit could spell ‘danger’ for your finances: only repaying the minimum amount on credit cards.

‘They’re designed to keep you in debt for decades, as you repay a percentage of what you owe, so payments reduce with the debt,’ Martin explained.

Using an example to illustrate the point, he continued: ‘On a £5,000 debt, making a typical minimum repayment, you’ll keep paying for 35yrs at an interest cost of £9,000.

‘Yet if you fixed your repayment at £200, approximately the amount of the min repayment in month one, you’d see that debt gone within three years, and just £1,600 interest.’

According to a Kantar study, 20% of people claim they stick to the minimum monthly payment available, and this group are more than twice as likely to ‘buy the sort of things they couldn’t normally afford’ with a credit card.

On top of that, these minimum credit card balance payers are 65% more likely to budget using buy now, pay later services compared to the average UK adult, and 42% more likely to claim they tend to spend money without thinking.

To help ‘beat the minimum repayment trap’, using this MSE calculator is a good place to start, allowing you you see the long-term benefits of paying more.

Then, either increase your fixed direct debit repayment to as much as you can afford or commit to putting as much as possible towards your credit card each month via standing order or bank transfer.

‘This can save you £1,000s in interest and gets you debt-free much faster,’ Martin highlights.

That said, there is one exception to the rule on minimum repayments, which applies to those with multiple cards, loans or overdrafts.

In this case, MSE recommends listing all your borrowing in APR order from highest to lowest, and prioritise paying off high interest first.

The finance guru advises: ‘If possible, focus every penny of spare cash at trying to clear the debt with the highest interest rate, as it’s growing quickest, and just pay the minimums on all the others.

‘Once the highest one is clear, shift focus to the next highest.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

My life motto has always been: Buy what you need, and invest the rest.

This attitude towards money has helped me accumulate over £100,000 in retirement savings since my mid-20s from a workplace and private pension.

I’m 32 now but I aim to retire by 58 with a pension pot of at least £500,000. I’ll use this pot to purchase a retirement cottage and perhaps go on European cruises.

Reports that millions of pensioners are living in poverty and that most of us are not saving enough for our retirement terrifies me. That is why I am taking action to avoid financial hardship in later life.

My careful handling of money particularly developed at university from October 2011. 

Receiving maintenance grants was the first time I saw four-figure sums enter my bank account. This was when I decided I would never take money for granted.

I had some casual shifts at university working as a student brand ambassador on open days, which helped me earn some extra cash.

But it was in my first job as a press officer in 2015 when I received my first pension statement that I became interested in pensions. Seeing the estimated value of my pension in retirement inspired me to boost my contributions to have a comfortable retirement.

Today, as it currently stands, my income is over £4,000 per month.

This is made up of roughly £3,000 from employment (minus workplace pension contributions), £500 from my bank savings interest and at least £500 from investing in undervalued stocks – which I started following in 2015.

My monthly expenses are over £1,400 for my housing, utilities and food costs. I set aside £750 per month for my pension and I split the rest between tax-free cash-ISAs, instant access and fixed-term bond accounts.

As for my pension, I follow the ‘half your age’ rule, which means that you pay half of your age into your pension every month to get as much out of your pension as possible. For example, if you are 30 years of age, you would pay 15% into your pension.

But this savings strategy comes at a cost and is underpinned by day-to-day frugality. 

A typical day means sticking to my ‘no-meals out’ rule. I prepare my breakfast, lunch and dinner because I don’t see the point in paying for meals I can cook. So I start each day with a bowl of oats, which I buy in bulk for just 90p for a 1kg packet.

For lunch, I tend to rotate between either chicken fillet and lettuce, or salad tomato sandwiches or noodles with a boiled egg. I cook a container of seasoned chicken fillet strips that I can use several times a week.

Dinner includes either a batched pot of homemade chicken fried rice with mixed vegetables and king prawns, pasta served with a portion of meat, or veggie casserole.

I don’t spend money on what I coined as Emotional Depreciable Assets (or EDA), which are purchases driven by feelings and/or decreases in value like.

For example, I don’t own a car and even helped a friend sell one of their two cars for £500 (despite the model being launched over 30 years ago) as after I explained EDA to them they realised that they did not need to own both.

I also don’t go on foreign holidays. I have only flown abroad three times with my family and the last time I did that was in 2019.

If I don’t need it, I don’t do it. That extends to socialising too and is why I’ve never drunk alcohol or smoked.

My commitment to frugality means that I only attend the weddings or birthdays of very close family members. If I don’t feel that going somewhere is value for money, I politely decline.

While I can be extroverted, I don’t feel like I am missing out on anything. I am content being at peace at home enjoying a nutritious meal and watching EastEnders!

Surprisingly, I tend to get an understanding response from people when I explain this. Some tell me they prefer to spend more nights in now too due to the cost-of-living crisis.

It might seem challenging but, seeing six-figures in my pension pot makes me realise it is not only achievable by reducing wants and eliminating waste but it’s also worth every sacrifice. I’d rather save wisely during my younger years so that I can reward myself later in life.

At the end of the day, having a six-figure pension pot is not important because it looks good on paper, but I believe that it is also an economic necessity for everyone because we are living longer.

Of course, some people can’t build up a pension fund because they simply don’t earn enough, so the state should increase the tax relief for the lowest earners to boost their pension pots.

Your pension might not seem important today if you’re young, but if you invest in it now, your older self will thank you for it. 

Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk. 

Share your views in the comments below.

If saving isn’t your forte, this new feature from Monzo makes it effortless and, dare we say, kind of enjoyable.

The digital bank has launched its own take on the viral ‘1p savings challenge’ – where you put away 1p on the first day, 2p on the second day, and so on – allowing customers to rack up £668 throughout the year.

While the challenge itself has been around for years, it’s often recommended by personal finance buffs. It’s even backed by none other than Martin Lewis, whose Money Saving Expert site calls it ‘a clever, fun and relatively painless way to amass a surprising sum.’

By the half-year point, you’ll have a pot worth £168.36, with £667.95 at day 365 – and it comes out in such small increments you barely notice the total mounting up.

With Monzo’s ‘challenge pot’, it’s even easier still, as the money transfers from your main account without you having to lift a finger.

Although customers could previously take part by downloading a separate app, the bank is the first in the UK to offer a fully-automated 1p challenge saving tool.

Both new and existing users can sign up to the year-long scheme by 31 January. But don’t worry if you’re not ready to commit, as it allows you to pause saving at any time, or top up the pot for any missing days.

Plus, as an added incentive, Monzo will pay £10,000 to one lucky saver who completes all 365 days, alongside other prizes for those who pay for its monthly plans.

Do be aware though, you won’t earn any interest on your ‘challenge pot’; it’s more likely to be useful for those who need to create good financial habits and make a start on a rainy day fund.

AJ Coyne, the company’s vice president of marketing, said: ‘This challenge is a great entry point for those at the start of their journey, and a fun competition for those who are already in the habit.’

This update is set to build on the success of its ’round up’ feature, which automatically rounds transactions up to the nearest pound and transfers the change to a separate savings account – and helped Monzo’s 11 million UK customers put away a total of £229 million in 2024.

It really proves the saying: look after your pennies, and the pounds will look after themselves.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Householders have been urged to submit energy meter readings by the end of the year or risk overpaying their bills.

Ofgem announced in November that the energy price cap will increase from £1,717 to £1,738 per year for a typical household using both electricity and gas, from January 1, 2025.  

Those who don’t have a smart meter and fail to submit a reading by the end of the year will likely be billed based on an estimate, which could see December usage charged January prices, according to price comparison website Uswitch.

A week’s worth of energy in January will cost on average £6.67 more per home per week compared to December, which collectively across Britain totals £66 million

Elsie Melville, energy expert at Uswitch, said: ‘Customers who don’t have a smart meter should aim to submit their readings before or on Wednesday 1 January, so their supplier has an updated – and accurate – view of their account. 

‘If you leave it any later than this, then some of your December energy usage could end up being estimated and therefore charged under the higher January rates. 

‘Now is also an ideal time to look at switching to a new energy tariff, as there are a range of fixed deals currently available that are cheaper than the January price cap.

‘By opting for a fixed deal, you’re locking in those rates for the duration – which means households could have price certainty and avoid the ups and downs of the price cap. 

‘Make sure you are happy with how long the contract lasts and any exit fees for leaving early.’ 

EOn told its customers that those on a standard variable tariff and who do not have a smart meter should submit a reading before January 5 to avoid being billed based on an estimate.

Industry analyst Cornwall Insight has predicted that the price cap will rise by 1 per cent in April to £1,762, reports This Is Money.

This follows a 1% rise in January last year and a 10% rise in October.

Regulator Ofgem advised homes to check if they can get a better deal with an alternative energy provider, and consider moving to a fixed rate deal (as opposed to a standard variable rate) to potentially lock in a cheaper rate.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

The single most common New Year’s resolution for 2025 is to save more and spend less.

In fact, a brand new YouGov poll found that more than a quarter (29%) of people who’ve made resolutions are doing so to improve their finances.

But it’s unrealistic to think that you’re suddenly going to get a huge pay rise or save 50% of your pay cheque each month – if that’s your mindset you’re setting yourself up to fail.

Liz Hunter, director of Money Expert, feels the same. ‘The key to achieving a huge financial goal – whether that’s to rid yourself of debt, save a certain amount of money, or increase your pension pot – is setting habits,’ she says.

So, with that in mind, Liz has seven simple habits you can implement in the New Year to make achieving your financial goals feel like light work.

Check your accounts and bills regularly

‘It might seem like an obvious one,’ says Liz, ‘but regularly checking your bank accounts means you’ll know exactly what’s coming in, what’s going out and what you can afford to spend right now.

‘Even better, it means you can stop problems in their tracks; whether that be fraudulent charges or simply being a little too close to your overdraft (and the fees that come along with it) than you’d like.’

To make checking your accounts a priority, the money expert suggests implementing a short weekly sit-down session where you review what you’ve spent and how much you’ve got left to spend.

If that feels slightly daunting (checking finances often can be), Liz suggests opting for a quick balance check once a day to stay on top of things.

When it comes to reviewing your bills – remember that, just because they’re necessities, doesn’t mean that you’re stuck with those exact costs.

‘Setting aside some time to go through your utility, broadband and phone bills a couple of times in 2025 and beyond could potentially save you hundreds of pounds,’ Liz explains.

‘Use comparison sites to see if you could reduce your monthly or annual outgoings for broadband, TV and mobile services, as well as car, home, life and pet insurance payments – especially if you’re out of contract or it’s due for renewal.’

The expert also says not to be afraid of haggling with your current provider if you’ve spotted a cheaper deal – companies usually want to keep your business.

Track non-essential spending

After the first few months of 2025, Liz says to take a look at your bank statement and write down all your non-essential expenses and why you’ve spent that money.

‘It can be helpful to split these into categories – for example, eating out, takeaways, gifts for friends/family and clothes shopping,’ she explains.

‘Once you’ve got the figures in front of you, it should be easy to see where you can cut back.’

Some banking apps like Monzo already give you the ability to categorise each expense you make, and will send you updates as to whether you’ve spent more or less each month.

This could be a good way to streamline the process if it sounds a little tedious!

‘You can then adjust your spending and direct money to where you need it more, such as into your savings account or to pay off debt,’ Liz adds.

Consider your savings options

Who doesn’t want to have more money saved for a rainy day? Liz says opening an instant-access savings account is a great place to start because you’ll earn more interest on the money you have.

She adds: ‘As you build up your savings, look into other options, such as a fixed-term savings account where you lock away your money for a set period in return for a higher interest rate. You could also consider one of the many types of ISA, where you can earn tax-free interest.’

The expert also points out that, to make saving money even easier, you can turn on on round-ups in your banking app, which work by rounding up anything you spend to the nearest pound and putting the difference into a savings pot or account.

For example, if you spend £3.70 on a coffee three times a week, your bank will round this up to £4. They’ll automatically put the 30p difference into a separate pot/account for you which, over a year, would add up to an extra £46.80 saved.

According to Monzo, their customers save an average of £129 extra a year by using round-ups.

This allows you to save without really thinking about it. Alternatively Liz says that you could simply set up a standing order from your current account to your savings, which goes out as soon as you’ve been paid.

‘This means you’ll make saving a priority over your non-essential spending, rather than just saving whatever happens to be left in your account at the end of each month,’ she says.

Create pots for special occasions

It can be frustrating when you’ve made significant savings but then have to burn through them to fund things like birthdays, Christmas and holidays.

Liz suggests creating a savings pot for specific occasions that you know you’ll need extra funds for each year. Most online banking apps allow you to set up unlimited pots and automate the amount you put in each month.

Sign up for loyalty card schemes

Yes, it can seem like a faff but loyalty cards can save you a fair bit of money if you make a habit of using them.

Research by Which shows that signing up for a Tesco Clubcard could save you 7% on your shopping, while Co-op claims their loyalty scheme could save regular customers up to £300 per year.

Try to only buy what you can afford

Yes, not everyone has the luxury of not spreading payments out over a few months – but Liz says to try and avoid it if you can.

With 15% of UK adults missing important bill payments to ensure they can meet a Buy Now Pay Later deadline and one in six adults missing BNPL payments regularly – they can be a tricky to maintain.

Liz says: ‘The danger of BNPL services is that they encourage you to overextend your finances and buy things you might not usually be able to afford. Many people don’t realise that BNPL is a form of credit, which means missed payments can have a detrimental impact on your credit score and impact what you’re able to borrow in the future.’

Be an intentional buyer

It can be easy to get sucked in to buying things you want and don’t need. We aren’t saying to deprive yourself of some treats every now and then, but Liz says using the following tips will help you spend your money more intentionally.

Create lists and only add items you genuinely need. Use this list to control what you spend your money on and re-consider impulse purchases.

Use the 48-hour rule: If you spot something you really want to buy but don’t necessarily need, wait 48 hours before buying. This gives you enough time to consider the purchase and research other options to make sure it’s worth spending your money on.

If you have something specific in mind, look for the best deals, compare prices online and seek out discount codes before buying.

Avoid being taken in by extreme discounts. If you don’t need an item, then you aren’t saving money by getting it at a lower price.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Martin Lewis’s latest tip will be a welcome one for anyone powering through their last-minute Christmas shopping, snagging big discounts with hardly any effort.

In this week’s edition of his Money Saving Expert newsletter, he shared 21 hacks that can help make online purchases ‘easier, quicker and cheaper’ — and one in particular stood out as a need-to-know.

‘Abandon ye shopping basket all those who enter,’ advised the personal finance guru, adding that one MSE reader who tried the trick got £8 off an £80 spend as recently as this week.

It all hinges on the fact that if you fail to finish your order, ‘companies often send you codes to tempt you back’.

And while it can be hit or miss, when Martin asked his social media followers about their experiences using the technique, customers at more than 80 retailers said it had helped them bag money off.

According to MSE, ‘the most common firms doing it seemed to be Argos, Currys and Morrisons’ but big brands like Tesco, Asda, Just Eat, Asos, Boohoo, Dunelm, H&M and The Entertainer were also reported to offer ‘abandoned basket’ deals.

As for how much you could save, it ranges from free delivery and exclusive loyalty scheme promotions to discounts of up to 50% or between £10 and £150 off.

Either way, it’s worth a go, and here’s how:

How to get abandoned basket deals

Start off by signing in or signing up for an account with your chosen retailer. This is crucial, as otherwise, they have no way of tracking what you’ve been looking at.

Next, fill your virtual cart with whatever your heart desires (higher value items tend to work best), but before you hit checkout – don’t. Instead, leave the site.

If it works, you should receive an email within 48 hours looking to sweeten the deal and get you to go through with the sale — often with a subject line like ‘Forgotten something?’

Alongside the fact it’s not a guaranteed method, it’s worth being aware of final delivery dates if you need something before Christmas. The cut-off for free or standard shipping at some retailers has already passed, and last orders for next-day delivery are fast approaching.

Otherwise though, why not chance your arm? Here are the companies MSE fans have had luck with:

Up to 50% discount

• Asos
• Baker Ross
• Balsam Hill
• Beauty Bay
• Bloom & Wild
• Boohoo
• Book Depository
• Boohooman
• Boux Avenue
• BrandAlley
• Buyagift
• Currys
• Glasses Direct
• Graham & Green
• Dunelm
• Euro Car Parts
• Graze
• Hamleys
• H&M
• Harvey Nichols
• Homebase
• Hush
• Joseph Joseph
• Just Eat
• Lenovo
• Lookfantastic
• Monsoon
• Moonpig
• Mountain Warehouse
• New Look
• Ninja
• Not on the High Street
• Office
• Patisserie Valerie
• Peacocks
• Pretty Little Thing
• Radley
• Reebok
• River Island
• Shein
• Sports Direct
• The Entertainer
• The Perfume Shop
• The White Company
• Thorntons
• Threadbare
• Ugg
• Urban Outfitters
• Victoria’s Secret
• Warehouse
• Wayfair
• WHSmith
• Yankee Candle
• Zalando.

From £10 to £150 off

• Argos
• Asda
• Boden
• Cotton Traders
• Deliveroo
• Ebookers
• Evans
• Lloyds Pharmacy
• Morrisons
• Ocado
• Princess Cruises
• Sainsbury’s
• Shark
• Tesco Groceries
• Very
• Virgin Media
• Virgin Wines 
• Waitrose

Free delivery

• Dorothy Perkins
• Emma Bridgewater
• Furniture Village
• JD Sports
• Next

Loyalty scheme member offers

• M&S
• Boots

Offering an extra nugget of wisdom, the MSE site claims that its users have also ‘bagged Adidas discounts after “favouriting” products (in other words, clicking the heart icon)’ and: ‘eBay, Vinted and Etsy sellers often send offers to buyers watching specific items, such as 10% or 30% off.’ 

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Are you one of the more than 24 million UK residents with NS&I Premium Bonds? If so, you’ll want to take notice of Martin Lewis’s latest announcement.

The Money Saving Expert founder shared his thoughts on the chances of winning through the savings scheme, saying it only becomes a ‘decent bet’ if you have a certain amount.

For the uninitiated, Premium Bonds are run by the government-owned National Savings and Investments (NS&I). Customers are able to put away between £25 and £50,000 in a secure account, and don’t have to pay tax on any earnings.

No interest is paid on these investments, but each £1 bond is placed into a monthly draw, with prizes from £25 to £1million divvied out among the 121 billion eligible.

Although it’s possible to win with even a single bond, your odds increase the more you amass. And according to Martin, many savers could have better luck elsewhere.

How many Premium Bonds do you need to win?

In a post on X, the personal finance guru wrote: ‘Why do so many people give children Premium Bonds? Premium Bonds are only a decent bet if you’ve a big whack in, say £10,000+ and you pay tax on savings interest.

‘Most kids have/do neither. With £1,000 in over a year with typical (median average) luck you’ll win nothing.’

Some commenters felt otherwise, including one who replied: ‘Completely disagree. We’ve had returns that easily outstrip interest rates.’

‘Statistically, I’ve done a lot better with premium bonds than anything else – especially during lockdown when interest rates were practically nothing,’ said another.

However, Martin’s viewpoint does have some truth in it. In December’s Premium Bond draw, £62 million was handed out in total across 20,791 high-value prizes, but the two lucky Brits who became millionaires held £50,000 and £33,275 each in bonds.

The chance of each bond winning anything sits at 22,000 to 1, and the likelihood you’ll take home one of the two top monthly prizes of £1 million is around 1 in 60 billion per bond.

Putting that into perspective, the odds of nabbing the National Lottery jackpot is roughly 45 million to 1.

That said, there are outliers, and it all comes down to luck. The latest draw saw one £100,000 winner with just £25 invested and others with as little as £1,000.

So while you may still want to hedge your bets with a few Premium Bonds— after all, you’ve got to be in it to win it — it may not be wise to put your whole nest egg in this one basket.

Still not sure where’s best for your money? Martin Lewis offers a handy calculator on the Money Saving Expert site so you can assess whether you’re likely to earn more with this method or a traditional savings account.

Many higher rate taxpayers prefer Premium Bonds (at least as part of a wider portfolio) because the earnings are tax free. Others enjoy the ‘game’ element, or like the fact you can readily withdraw without any fees.

According to NS&I though, they may not be for you if you want a regular income, are looking for guaranteed returns, are concerned about inflation, or want to save jointly with someone else.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

If you’re the type of person who hears ‘festive spirit’ and thinks ‘bank account anxiety’ then you’re probably already plotting how to recuperate December’s lost finances.

Receipt scanning is an easy way to make some free cash, simply by uploading your shopping receipts — physical and digital — to specific apps in return for money. 

Martin Lewis’ Money Saving Expert has previously encouraged its readers to try it, with the website saying ‘those scraps of paper could be worth hard cash’.

It’s not going to make you rich — and can take a little while to build up a decent sum — but it’s certainly better than chucking your receipt in the bin.

Here’s everything you need to know.

What is receipt scanning?

There are numerous apps which allow customers to upload photographs of their receipts in exchange for money. Some apps ask you to answer a few questions about your shopping experience. 

In return, you collect points, which can then be converted either into gift cards or cash, usually via PayPal. 

Most apps have a minimum amount for cashing out, which is between £5 and £10. Some have a maximum amount you can make each month, which is around the same. 

The good thing is that you can upload a single receipt to multiple different apps, meaning you can make money from one receipt several times. 

While receipt scanning isn’t likely to make you a millionaire, these little extra bits of cash can add up, especially over the course of a year. This could help you save for a holiday, a specific gift, or even next Christmas. 

Receipt scanning apps you can use

Amazon Shopper Panel

You can earn up to £5 a month in Amazon vouchers by sharing your receipts with Amazon Shopper Panel.

You must have an Amazon account to sign up, and Amazon Shopper Panel is invite only, so there is limited availability. However, it’s likely you’ll be given the option to sign up upon making an account, or you may be added to a waitlist. 

You’ll get 10p per receipt and you can upload them from anywhere other than Amazon retailers.

Customers can also top up their earnings by completing surveys for 25p to 50p a pop. 

Rewards per receipt: 10p
Maximum monthly savings: £5
Minimum cash-out amount: £5

Learn more on Amazon Shopper Panel’s website

Shoppix

Shoppix accepts receipts from most major retailers.

You can collect points on up to 30 receipts per week, with each receipt getting you 25 to 30 points. Once you’ve accumulated 3200 points, you can cash out for £5 — that’s around 100 receipts. 

Rewards per receipt: 25 to 30 points
Maximum monthly savings: N/A
Minimum cash-out amount: £5

Learn more on Shoppix’s website

SnapMyEats

As it says on the tin, SnapMyEats is for receipts for food orders. All you need to do is answer a few questions about where you purchased the food from, how many people were involved in the purchase and where the food was consumed. 

You get £1 per five receipts and can upload up to 25 receipts a month, capping the rewards at £5. 

You can then cash out at £10, so every two months.

Rewards per receipt: 20p
Maximum monthly savings: £5
Minimum cash-out amount: £10

Learn more on the SnapMyEats website

While receipt scanning won’t make you a millionaire, it’s quick, simple and as one supermarket says, every little helps.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

After two UK residents became millionaires in December’s Premium Bond prize draw, the scheme seems like an even more attractive prospect than before.

The Kent-based winner held £50,000 in bonds, while the second, from Cumbria, had £33,275 invested, with £62 million handed out in total across 20,791 high-value prizes.

More than 22million people across the country have Premium Bonds, a form of savings that allows investors to win tax-free prizes instead of earning interest.

Each month, the UK government’s National Savings and Investments (NS&I) puts the unique number allocated to each £1 bond into a draw.

The Electronic Random Number Indicator Equipment (ERNIE) system then chooses from these numbers, doling out prizes from £25 to £1million to account holders.

But although it’s random, it seems some Brits are winning a lot more often than others — and the luckiest lot are in the south of England.

Assessing the odds in each UK county based on ONS data of previous winners, OLBG revealed fortune apparently favours residents further south.

Essex savers are the most likely to nab a bonus, with a 3.84% chance and 11,000 winners in the past year totalling £33.6million in prizes.

Second on the list is Kent, where it’s over 10,000 2023 winners claimed £29.4million, putting the region at 3.49%, followed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight in at third.

Here, Premium Bonds customers have a 3.40% chance of winning, but the prizes added up to more; although 9,976 were won last year, the total amount came to an impressive £30.9million.

The South East is the most successful region according to the research, with Devon being the only outlier to make the top 10.

Lincolnshire was the most northerly county ranked 20th or above, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland didn’t get a look-in whatsoever.

This comes after NS&I announced average win rates for its December draw were being cut from 4.4% to 4.15%, meaning the odds of taking home the two monthly £1million jackpots are also reduced.

The chances of a customer winning go up based on how many bonds they have (the maximum holding is £50,000) while the chance of each bond winning will sit at 22,000 to 1 following the change.

To improve your odds, it makes sense to purchase more bonds, but there have been big winners with holdings of as little as £50.

Since 2020, 20 of the £100,000 prizes and 26 of the £50,000 prizes were won by people with a holding of £500 or less, and one Norwich-based winner bagged a £50,000 prize with a holding of just £5 in the December 2023 draw (although nobody with a holding of less than £500 has taken home the £1millionin this time).

Anna Bowes, co-founder of website Savings Champion told This Is Money: ‘The very fact that some people have won with a tiny amount will keep many invested. 

‘The risk to £500 earning no interest is maybe £25 a year – at current best buy rates. There will be people prepared to risk that for the chance of winning big – or indeed winning something at all.’

This article was first published on November 2, 2024.

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Black Friday is officially back, and with it comes unbeatable cashback rates on all the best deals with a little help from TopCashback.

Better yet, the UK’s leading cashback site is here to help you save even more this Christmas, both online and in-store.

Take TopGiftCards for example – you can get instant cashback in your TopCashback account when you purchase one.

What’s more, with hundreds of big name brands to choose from, it’s the perfect way to cut the cost of gifting, and get a little extra money back should you use it for yourself.

If you weren’t already aware, TopCashback members save an average of £300 a year by shopping through the site.

Should you not have an account already? New members can snag a £15 sign-up bonus on a £15+ spend, plus an additional 5.5% cashback when purchasing a TopGiftCard. This means newbies can get a £20 B&M, Asda, ASOS, Boots or M&S TopGiftCard for less than a fiver this festive season!

How good is that?

How to get the TopCashback deal:

1. Sign up as a new member via this link.
2. Click ‘View all Gift Cards’ and search for the brand you want.
3. Shop and checkout as usual.

Your cashback will track and appear in your TopCashback account within seven working days. It will become payable after B&M, for example, pays TopCashback the commission for your purchase.

Adam Bullock, UK Director at TopCashback, says: ‘TopGiftCards, which we recently relaunched, give cashback on gift card purchases to be spent at more than 100 big brand retailers. It’s an ideal way to save that little bit extra when shopping in-store. You’ll receive your voucher quickly and your cashback immediately.’

‘So whether you’re planning to use it for the big Christmas food shop, festive decorations, or as a gift for loved ones, TopGiftCards is one of the many ways TopCashback can help put money back in your pocket.’

Cashback Calculations:

• For a £20 B&M TopGiftCard: £3.90 for new members of TopCashback
• For a £20 B&M TopGiftCard: £18.90 for existing members of TopCashback

If you prefer shopping in-store for your Christmas gifts, don’t miss out on extra savings. Sign up to TopCashback via this link and, as a new member, receive a £15 bonus when spending £15 or more on a TopGiftCard from dozens of retailers, alongside additional cashback.

Using TopGiftCards is quick and easy. Just search for your favourite retailer and purchase a TopGiftCard to grab up to 18% cashback (terms and conditions apply). Some of the other brands you can use it on include Airbnb, Costa, Starbucks, Asda, and more.

Trust us when we say, we’ve never signed up to a website quicker…

Follow Metro across our social channels, on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

Share your views in the comments below

MORE: From pets to teachers – these are Dunelm’s best Christmas gifts for every special someone

MORE: Amazon kicks off Black Friday Week with unmissable deals on Amazon Devices, PS5, and more

MORE: The top 10 best early Black Friday 2024 perfume deals we’re shopping now – from Ariana Grande to Floral Street

Like it or loathe it, Black Friday is almost impossible to avoid. An avalanche of emails and
offers persuading us to shop more has already hit our inboxes and as we approach the day itself, there will be more in store.

According to Nationwide building society, we’ll spend an average of £278 during this discount period, with four-fifths of us planning to buy something during the time.

But is it a good idea to get the credit card out in the hope of bagging a bargain – and how easy is it to fall victim to scams or other pitfalls at this time of year?

‘Consumers need to be savvy when it comes to Black Friday,’ says Fiona Peake, consumer money expert at Ocean Finance. ‘It’s easy to get carried away. We’ve seen many people end up spending more than they bargained for, only to regret their purchases later.

‘It’s important to stick to a budget, do your research and buy only what you really need. Black Friday is just
a Friday, after all.’

This year, Black Friday falls on November 29 but shops started discounting way before this – and the deals often run for much longer. It now largely morphs into Cyber Monday – the biggest date for online shopping, which falls on December 2.

With many sales already started, here’s your guide to making the most of the day, without suffering buyer’s regret.

Is it a real Black Friday discount?

It’s easy to be tempted by Black Friday ‘discounts’, but not everything that is ‘discounted’ is a bargain. Consumer group Which? analysed Black Friday deals from 2021 and found that 98% of everything touted as a deal was cheaper or the same price as at other times of the year.

Price-comparison websites are your friend in finding whether you’ve got a real bargain. Fiona at Ocean Finance suggests PriceSpy or PriceRunner. If you’re looking at Amazon, a site called Camel Camel Camel will tell you if any item is cheaper than it has been at other times.

Fiona says you should always check the small print on deals such as ‘buy one, get one free’ or ‘50 per cent off’.

‘These deals often apply only to specific items, or you may be required to make a minimum purchase to qualify for the discount,’ she says. ‘Be sure you understand the terms before committing.’

Making a list with prices in advance and then checking it against Black Friday ‘bargains’ will help you to keep to your plan.

Get an even better bargain

If you do find items you want to buy during Black Friday, make sure you’re getting an extra uplift on the amount you’re spending.

Clicking through a cashback site such as Quidco or TopCashback can often give you more money towards your purchases.

An app called JamDoughnut, which allows you to download gift cards and spend with those online and instore, can also offer cashback on purchases.

You can combine both methods when shopping online to give you even more money back.

If you’re shopping online, check whether discount codes are available to take more money off 
your purchase. Automatic voucher code plug-ins such as Honey and Coupert can do this for you automatically so you don’t have to check each time.

Using a cashback credit or debit card such as the American Express Platinum Cashback Everyday card could ensure you get more money back on your Black Friday spend. The card is free and you get five per cent cashback on your first five months of spending up to £125 in total.

Black Friday regret is real

One third of us expected to return items we’ve bought, says Nationwide – so before you buy, ensure you know what the return policy is, how long you’ve got to return something and if you’ll get money back or a credit note. Otherwise you’ll end up getting far from a bargain buy.

Alex Stedman, from shopping site Rakuten, says these policies can vary widely. Some companies have shorter windows to return items during deals such as Black Friday and you may have to pay postage.

‘To ensure you can get your money back and aren’t lumbered with unwanted items, read the return policies for every purchase,’ says Alex.

This is particularly important if you’re buying Christmas gifts, as purchasing them this early shortens the time you’ll have to return them after the big day.

Also keep receipts, whether paper or digital, and ask if stores can provide a ‘gift receipt’ with no price on if you’re buying a present.

Don’t lose out to Black Friday scammers

Black Friday isn’t just great for shoppers – it’s a bonanza for fraudsters. The National Cyber Security Centre and Action Fraud says Brits lost more than £11.5million to online criminals between November 2023 and January 2024, with each victim losing an average of £695.

Ian Wilson, insurance and savings expert at comparison site Tiger.co.uk, asks shoppers to be vigilant.

‘Ensure websites are secure by looking for trust seals, reading reviews and checking for a locked URL,’ he says. If you buy with a credit card, the good news is you’ll have extra protection, as the card issuer is responsible for refunding you if things go wrong.

This protection, known as Section 75, works only if the item is worth more than £100, though.

In the latest edition of his Money Saving Expert newsletter, Martin Lewis shared his advice on council tax — and one tip in particular could land you a windfall you had no idea existed.

Earlier this year, an MSE investigation revealed 808,000 UK households are due a council tax refund, with a total of £141 million waiting to be dished out by local authorities.

While councils will try to reimburse you for overpayments, if you move home and they’re unable to get in touch with you, it’s your responsibility to claim the money back.

Martin explained: ‘You’re most likely to be able to claim if you’ve moved out of a council area since 1993 and weren’t paying by Direct Debit.’

This is because, even if they don’t have your forwarding address, local authorities can use your Direct Debit details to pay you. Otherwise, the cash lays in wait until you ask for it.

Wondering if you fit the bill? These are the most common reasons you could be owed a council tax refund:

• You paid in advance and moved out before the year end: For example, you paid 10 months’ council tax but moved out in six months without providing a forwarding address.
• You forgot to cancel a payment after moving out: This means you could end up paying despite the fact you no longer live in the property.
• You’re due a retrospective discount: In some cases, a property may be rebanded after you moved out, meaning previous taxpayers are refunded for the extra they’ve paid.

However, there are some exceptions where people who have moved within local authorities and/or paid by direct debit will also be owed. 

‘For example, if you lived in a home where there were multiple bill-payers, it might have been harder for the council to establish who should have been refunded,’ says the MSE website.

Your best bet is to check, which should be easy to do in a matter of minutes (although the process does differ depending on your local authority).

Google search ‘[council name] Council Tax refund form’ to find out whether your previous local authority has specific forms available to fill out online. You’ll likely need information like your old Council Tax reference number – which can be found on your bills – but there are no other steps to reclaiming if you go down this route.

If your local authority doesn’t have an online form, this search should still take you to a page explaining how to reclaim council tax overpayments, typically emailing or calling them.

But MSE urges people to see if you fit its criteria above before getting in touch, explaining: We don’t want everyone just calling their council on spec to find out. It’d waste your time and kill their switchboards when many will be needing to speak to their council for essential support amid the cost of living crisis.’ 

Other ways to cut your council tax bill

Whether or not you’re due a council tax overpayment refund, it’s well worth following Martin’s other top tips to potentially reduce your bill.

Firstly, he recommends looking at your tax band (from A to H), as 400,000 homes are thought to be wrongly classified.

You may feel comfortable enough to ask your neighbours for their band to see if yours is wildly different, but you can also look up your postcode via Gov.uk in England or the SAA website in Scotland.

‘If you pass the first check, then you need to calculate whether you should be in a lower band,’ the financial guru continues. ‘As bands are valued still on 1991 prices, you need to estimate what your home was worth in 1991.’

Thankfully, this is relatively simple: just work out the value at any point since then and input the numbers into the MSE calculator. The website also has a chart so you can compare the bands and work out if your property is in the correct one — then challenge it with the council if not.

Next up, Martin talked council tax discounts, which could lead to a drop in your bill or even a backdated refund for overpayments.

The main discounts are for single adult households (who get 25% off), full-time student households (who are exempt from council tax) and home with a live-in carer (who can get up up 50% off).

You may also be eligible for a reduction if you or a household member has a severe mental impairment, are on means-tested benefits such as Universal Credit or Pension Credit, or your property has been adapted for someone with a disability.

‘Don’t let a sense of guilt overly hold you back from claiming when you’re legitimately due,’ added the MSE founder. ‘This is money you’ve paid that you shouldn’t.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

If you’re one of the 62% of UK adults that has some form of debt, Martin Lewis has some advice for you.

In the latest edition of his newsletter, the Money Saving Expert founder shared tips on how to boost your savings, with a special caveat for those who owe money on products like credit cards or personal loans.

According to Martin, paying debt off ‘is often more lucrative than saving,’ while ‘those with loans or credit cards and savings are seriously overspending.’

Noting that this goes against common guidance to put away cash for a rainy day, he explained the reasoning behind the theory.

If you have £1,000 debt on a credit card at 23% APR, this costs £230 interest over the course of the year. Conversely, £1,000 in a savings account at 5% earns £50 in interest over a year, meaning it costs £180 a year less to pay the debt off using the savings.

‘It’s that simple,’ Martin added. ‘Debts usually cost more than savings earn. Cancel them out and you’re better off.’

The financial guru says he finds it ‘deeply frustrating’ that many people have both borrowings and savings at the same time, since banks turn a profit by lending out the money their customers save at a higher rate.

‘Therefore, on the whole, it’ll always cost more to borrow than you can earn by saving,’ he continued.

However, Martin also shared two exceptions to this rule, where debts are cheaper than savings, or cost so much to pay off that there’s no point.

The first of these is ‘the penalty exception‘, which is when you’re locked into the debt, and will be charged a penalty for paying it off early. This is often the case with mortgages, as well as some loans.

The second is ‘the interest-free/very cheap debt exception‘, when the interest rate on your debt is less than the amount your savings earn after tax. You’re most likely to encounter this when it comes to 0% introductory credit card offers, 0% overdrafts, and student loans.

In this case, the MSE founder says that ‘providing you’re financially disciplined, you can profit from building up savings and keep the debts,’ in effect ‘being paid on money lent to you by the banks for nothing.’

Martin’s rule applies to mortgages as well as other forms of debt, despite the fact mortgages tend to be at lower rates and offer less flexibility. If you’re in doubt though, check the MSE overpayment calculator and compare this against what your savings could earn you.

In terms of the debts you should pay off first, it pays to focus on the most expensive. See if you can lower any of your interest rates, then put any savings or spare cash into repaying the most costly, and this ‘should massively reduce your costs.’

It is still worth remembering the importance of an emergency fund, and Martin recommends having three to six months’ worth of expenses (especially for the likes of loans, mortgages and other fixed repayment borrowing) put aside/

But, he warns, there’s one major caveat: those with expensive credit card debt. In this situation, it’ll likely be cheaper in the long-run to pay off debt with savings as a priority, then ‘keep the credit available in case of a substantial emergency.’

Do you have a story to share?

Get in touch by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.