Should you wait to switch energy provider?
Should you wait to switch energy? Don’t bin a letter worth £100s, cheap Odeon and West-end theatre tickets and 10 kids’ books for £14. These are our Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis’ Deals of the Week.
We're all starting to feel the pinch with the longest gap between paydays all year!Don't panic - help is on his way in the form of money saving expert Martin Lewis. If you'd like to join him on Thursday at 7.40 in the Money Zone please email Contactgmb@itv.com
Remember, deals can change quickly, even while I’m on the programme. So always double-check the terms and conditions before spending. Plus, while I hope these deals will save you cash, don’t spend if you can’t afford it, don’t need it, or won’t use it.
Should you wait to switch energy?Yesterday, Eon became the first of the big six firms to announce price cuts. It's gas (not electricity) price will drop by an average 5% on 1 February. As energy firms are normally like sheep, it’s likely the rest will follow. So, I’ve been swamped with people asking me if they should hold off switching.
So let me raise my voice, pick up a megaphone and shout as loudly as I can NO! Even after its price cut Eon, which is one of the cheapest of the big six will charge those with typical use on its standard tariff £1,050 a year. Yet the cheapest deal for switchers is it's own fix at £783 a year.
The other big six will be similar, they’d need to cut prices by 30% to beat the current cheapest deals and that won’t happen. So do a comparison now, either via my cheap energy club or any Ofgem approved comparison site – so you start saving asap.
Don’t bin letter worth £100s
If you’re one of two million people who paid for worthless card protection, usually sold under the name Sentinel, you may have had a reminder claim form letter land on your doorstep in the last week, or it’ll be coming sometime in the next few days from the AI Scheme. Sadly, many will bin theirs thinking it's spam, and could end up missing out on cold hard cash.
So keep an eye on the post and don't accidentally bin the letter! If you think you already have then call it up on 08006781930 and ask them to send you another. The deadline to return the form is 18 March.
Many people like Vix are getting hundreds back just by filling it in, “Just got £137 from the AI scheme if it wasn’t for you I’d have just binned the letter as spam. So thank you!”
Martin’s quickies:
£12 for three Odeon tickets: Go to Groupon and you can buy three Odeon tickets for £12, these can be used by one person or three and don’t need using together. They expire on 11 February. It’s only for 2D films, and a few prime London theatres are excluded.
£10 - £40 tickets to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Lion King and more West End shows: Go online to Get Into London Theatre and if you’re lucky you’ll be able to get £10-£40 tickets (usually up to £72.50) for West End shows till 12 February for performances, such as Wicked, Matilda, Bend it Like Beckham and The Lion King. There’s limited supply so once they’re gone they’re gone. So if you want them go now.
10 kids’ books for £14: Go online to Schoolastic and you’ll be able to get 10 books for £14 including delivery. There are over 300 titles to choose from in this part of its sale section, including everything from Peppa Pig to Peter Rabbit, Minions, Ninja Turtles, Jurassic World, Where's Wally and Disney's Frozen. Some of the books are even festive-themed, so could be stashed away for next Christmas.