It's Free Wills Month, says Martin Lewis

Free wills in October, free drink in 400+ pubs, £5ish Odeon cinema tickets and ‘free’ Kellogg’s granola. 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.

Over 55? October is Free Wills Month

If you die will-less, you won’t decide where your assets go, the intestacy laws will. It can also cause huge delays and problems and can even leave your dependents unable to find money in the short term to pay for things like the mortgage. It’s especially important if you and your partner aren’t married or in a legal civil partnership, as if there’s no will they’ll have no right to anything in law, and possibly won’t even be able to stay in the property you shared.

Solicitor-drafted wills are the gold standard, and normally cost £150 or more.

Now you may remember I recently mentioned Will Aid, the big scheme which is open to anyone any age in November (and gets booked up quickly). There it’s suggested you donate £100 to charity for a single will or £180 for a couple, and you’ll get a solicitor-drafted will.

Yet if you’re 55 or over, there’s another smaller scheme now on – as October is Free Wills Month– where around 300 firms of solicitors in areas across much of England as well as Wales and Northern Ireland will draft a will for you for free (there are some big geographical exceptions such as London, Kent or Scotland, which are available in the other Free Wills Month in March). If you’re getting a ‘mirror will’ as a couple, only one of you needs to be over 55.

There are 10,000 free wills available, but Free Wills Month is very popular so don’t delay booking your appointment.

While it’s free, bear in mind that charities pay the solicitors for their time, so be prepared for your solicitor to ask you to consider making a bequest to a charity in your will (leaving the charity something when you die). It's hoped you will in return for using the scheme, but you're under no obligation (if they force it contact the scheme itself). Perhaps a good minimum is leaving enough that would cover the solicitors’ fees normally, though of course more is fine. There’s a range of charities sponsoring the scheme including Diabetes UK, Guide Dogs, Prostate Cancer UK, and Mind – but you can choose to leave gifts to any charity you like.

Free drink in 400+ pubs

You can get a free pint of beer or cider (norm £4ish) or a soft drink (norm £2ish) at 427 pubs across England and Wales via Stonegate Pub Company’s ‘We Love Sport’ app. The offer’s available at Stonegate venues that screen live sports events, which include Slug & Lettuce, Yates and more – you can find your nearest participating pub on the app.

You’ll need to download the app via Apple or Android and register your details, and your free drink will then appear in the ‘Offers’ section. When you’re ready to redeem it, just tap ‘Use now’ and show your screen to the bartender. You can get one free drink per person and the offer’s valid until 20 November. Please be Drinkaware.

Martin’s quickies

‘£5ish’ Odeon cinema tickets: Go online to deals site Groupon by midnight Friday and you can currently get five Odeon tickets for £23.75 or two for £11.50 (factoring in the 75p per ticket booking fee). You don't have to use all the tickets in one go and they can be used by different people – so ideal for families or a group of mates. They need using by 10 October, and work with most 2D screenings barring Joker. Whether it’s a winner depends on your local Odeon as standard prices vary between £3 and £18.

‘Free’ £4ish Kellogg’s granola: Special packs of Kellogg’s granola have ‘try me free’ stickers on the box until 8 October. They usually cost £3.80 but you can get one box refunded if you upload a picture of your receipt and enter some details to the Kellogg’s promo website by 15 November. You’ll get the refund by BACs within 28 days and a 50p off coupon for another.