Save on your mobile phone bill by getting a sim-only deal

Hot mobile sim-only deals, free wills, benefits warning, up to 50% off Sainsbury’s toys and free flu jabs. These are our Money Saving Expert Martin Lewis’ Deals of the Week.

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.

Mobile Sim price war

If you’re no longer paying off a handset, you’re likely out of contract and that means, there’s a cheaper option – using a sim-only deal – which are often a fraction of the price. Even if you want a new handset it’s usually far cheaper to buy that outright and put a sim-only deal in it. If your handset needs unlocking and your contract is up, contact your provider and they should unlock it for free. And don’t worry, you can move your phone number across.

Until midnight tonight, if you’re a BT broadband customer you can get a year’s unlimited minutes, texts and 20GB 4G data BT Mobile sim for £16/month (or a fiver more a month if you’re not a BT customer). Plus you can claim a £100 Amazon or iTunes voucher on top – so if you’d spend there anyway, include it and it’s actually the equivalent of £7.67/month – unbeatable for that much data. Though you will have to claim your voucher after a couple of weeks of activation – so diarise that as it likely won’t remind you. For lower usage, this BT Mobile sim costs £12/month and gives unlimited minutes, texts and 6GB of 4G data for a year – you can then claim a £90 Amazon or iTunes voucher, and if you'd have spent that anyway, factor it in and the total cost is equivalent to £4.50/month.

If you’re not with BT, this Three sim costs £12/month and gives 12GB of 4G data, unlimited minutes and texts, for 12 months.

Free wills for anyone – you’re going to die, ensure you minimise the impact on your love ones

If you’re getting a will – the gold standard is to have it drafted by a solicitor. Last week I talked about Free Wills Month – where in over 60 locations across England, Wales and Scotland anyone over the age of 55 can get a free solicitor-drafted will. Throughout October it’s totally free but they hope you’ll make a bequest to one of the sponsoring charities.

Yet next month the even bigger scheme, Will Aid launches and importantly it’s open to all ages, and is across the UK. Yet it gets booked up quickly. So go on the website now and you can pre-book your appointment with a solicitor for then. When you call though, do tell it you’re calling as part of the Will Aid scheme.

Yet this one isn’t free - solicitors are giving up their time for free in the hope you’ll make a donation of around £95 (£150 for couples) that’s split across nine charities they support including Action Aid, NSPCC and the British Red Cross. Donate online before your appointment, and print out the receipt to take with you to the solicitors to show you’ve made it. If you can’t afford it, you can give less, don’t game it though as it is a charity event.

And getting a will is so important, as die will-less and your affairs can be in limbo for years, like Hollie who emailed:“Two years on I'm dealing with the fallout from mum not having a will. Please get a will”. So whatever your age, if you've assets, eg, a house, savings, or a business, and people or others you'd like to look after, consider making a will.

Martin’s Quickies...

Urgent. Are you entitled to benefits? Check now before the system changes

The new controversial universal credit system is being gradually rolled out across the UK – it's already in place for all single, unemployed people without children – that will replace the six existing social security payments (income support, jobseeker’s allowance, employment and support allowance, housing benefit, child tax credit and working tax credit).

Yet, if you haven’t been moved on to it yet, and you’re entitled to benefits which you’re not claiming, then you need to claim NOW – it’s thought around 1 million people entitled to working tax credit do not claim it. That’s because for some the new system wins, for others the current one; yet if you’re already claiming benefits, and the universal credit payment will be lower, you’ll still get the higher amount. The Institute for Fiscal Studies thinks this will effect over three million households with an average loss of £1,800 a year.

The only people who will lose out are those who’d get more on benefits, but don’t start their claim until universal credit has been introduced, in which case they’ll get the new lower amount. So EVERYONE who thinks they’re eligible should check now – you can use this calculator from Entitledto, a company that provides online benefits calculators, to work out whether or not you would gain under universal credit based on your circumstances.

Up to 50% of ALL Sainsbury’s toys: This is one of the big pre-Christmas toy sales MoneySavers wait for every year, as it's a great one for Christmas prezzies. Go to any Sainsbury’s store (can’t do this online) that sells toys and you’ll be able to get up to 50% off ALL toys, until Tuesday 24 October. Around half of the toys will have the full 50% off discount and if you want something it’s best to go quick as it’s likely to be hugely popular. Examples of toys included are Disney Princess dolls, eg, Rapunzel for £6.50 (were £13), Spiderman Titan Hero series 12-inch figure for £6.50 (was £13) and Beauty & The Beast Belle musical tea party cart for £39.99 (was £60).

Free flu jabs for some: Winter is fast approaching and NHS bosses are preparing its hospitals and GP surgeries for a surge in flu cases over the coming months – as they’ve already seen similar in Australia. While most healthy people who catch it will recover within a week, those who have a weaker immune system may take longer to recover or it could be dangerous, so the NHS are providing free flu jabs for some. Generally those aged 65 or over, pregnant, have a certain medical condition, and some children depending on when they were born and if they have other health conditions are eligible for a free jab. Also if you live long-term in a care home, look after an elderly person, or are a front line health/social care worker you can also get it.

To get it, book an appointment with your GP surgery or some local pharmacies offer it too. If you aren’t eligible for a free NHS flu jab, some employers offer it to their employees for free, so it’s worth checking. Alternatively GPs charge up to £20 to get it but supermarkets with pharmacies often do it for less – the cheapest is £5 at Asda, £9 at Tesco and £9.99 at Superdrug.