Free ideas to keep the kids entertained this summer

Flight delay rules, FREE upgrade to Windows 10, FREE summer hols activities and last chance to renew tax credits. These are our Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis’ Quick Deals.

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.

Flight delays: The must know rules for the summer

If you’re one of millions jetting off right now it’s worth knowing your flight delay rights just in case. Yet even if your delay was back in 2010, you can still get up to £500 per person. I always hear of people getting money back, like Claire who emailed me, “It was amazingly easy and within a month I had £1,415 from British Airways in my bank account”.

For full help on how to claim including template letters and a free tool see Martin’s ‘Flight delays guide”, but in brief, you can claim under EU regulation 261/2004 if your flight…

1) Arrived over 3 hours late.

2) Departed from an EU airport, or arrived into an EU airport as long as it’s an EU airline.

3) The delay was the airline’s fault, so strikes or bad weather doesn’t count.

If this is you then put in a claim with the airline. There’s no need to pay a claims firm to do it. The amount of compensation you’ll get is fixed, and based on the delay and journey length. Yet if they try to fob you off with vouchers, go back to them and ask for cash – you’re entitled to it. Even if you’ve tried claiming before and were rejected, try again. I’ve heard of people being successful on the back of last year's landmark EU court ruling that you can claim for most technical faults, like Jacqueline who emailed me "My original claim was unsuccessful but you said 'don't give up - claim again', I did and they're giving us £774".

Last chance for free upgrade to Windows 10:

If you've Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 you have until midnight tonight (though with time differences you could do it early Saturday morning) to upgrade for free to Windows 10, the latest version (after it’ll cost you around £100). It won't work if you've Windows 8, though upgrading from Windows 8 to 8.1 is free – see these instructions on how to do it. To upgrade go online to Windows 10 and click the ‘upgrade for free’ button – though before doing it make sure you back up your data just in case.

Summer hols kid’s freebies

School’s out and summer’s here, so if you’re looking to keep the kids entertained, here are some free ideas…

- Free ‘swim safe’ lessons: Sign up online at Swim Safe and you can book your 7-14 year old child onto a free outdoor swimming lesson. Children must already be able to swim at least 25 meters to attend and it lasts for 40 minutes which includes a 10 minute water safety talk from a qualified lifeguard – they talk about the dangers of swimming in the sea and how to spot someone in danger. There are over 4,000 spaces available across 14 locations in England and Wales, and it runs until 25 August (depending on location).

- Free football coaching for 5-11 year olds: FA skills are running free football coaching sessions for girls (boys will have to pay £3-£5 per session) to encourage more girls to participate in the sport. Kids’ will learn how to dribble, pass the ball, and shoot goals, and each session lasts three hours. You’ll need to book in advance at FA Skills website, and it’s running at various locations up and down the country.

- Free tennis coaching: Check out Tennis For Free’s website to see if there’s free coaching sessions in your area. There are 27 free coaching sites and there’s no limit to availability for each session. Depending on your nearest site, you’ll either have to book or can just turn up on the day. The sessions mostly run on weekends and are suitable for anyone over the age of three. The equipment’s also provided free. It’s not professional coaching, but more about having fun.

- Free in-store activities: Hobbycraft is running free workshops for kids of all ages on the August weekends in 85 stores across the country. The National Gallery in London has free art workshops and drawing sessions for kids aged 5-11 on Sunday 11am-4pm until 21 August. Parents will need to stay with their children throughout and there’s no need to book any of these in advance, just turn up. Dobbies Garden Centre has free workshops on the first Sunday of every month for 4-10 year olds at its 34 centres across the UK (you’ll need to call it and book in advance), including planting seeds and learning about nature. And you can book online at Halfords for a free kids’ bike workshops for 7-11 year olds, from 3 August to 26 October.

Urgent. Last chance to renew your tax credits

This Sunday is the last chance for around 5 million people to renew your tax credits. If you fail to renew, your credits could be stopped, or you could end up being overpaid, which sounds good, but can be a nightmare, as you’ll need to pay it back. It often happens because people don’t declare changes of circumstance (eg, moving in/out with a partner, income, kids, childcare costs) to HMRC. So if there are any changes, TELL 'EM, TELL 'EM, TELL 'EM.

In terms of exactly what you need to do, that depends on the colour of the envelope you’ve received:

WHITE: Here, you must check the review form’s correct. If it is, sign the declaration form and send it back – though it’s pushing it with post now, so probably best to tell it online at HMRC, on the app or if you must then call it on 0345 300 3900, but it’ll be very busy. If it’s not correct, again you’ll need to tell HMRC asap. You’ll need your NI number, the 15-digit number at the bottom of your declaration form, and income and benefits details.

BROWN: This is just a statement for you to look through and indicate if anything has changed. If it’s correct, you don’t need to do anything – your credits will be automatically renewed. If you’ve changes, report it online or call it up. Keep your NI number, tax credit renewal pack, details of any changes, and total income (including your partner’s) for the last year to hand.