Are you missing out on the marriage tax allowance?
Are you missing out on the marriage tax allowance? £5 Amex cashback and £12 No7 gift set trick. 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.
Marriage tax allowance
Since Wednesday, widowers and widowers who could’ve claimed the marriage tax allowance (which was introduced two and a half years ago, and is worth £100s) but didn’t, can now back date a claim.
The MTA works for married couples (or those in civil partnerships) where one is a basic rate taxpayer and the other a non-taxpayer. The non-taxpayer (so earning under £11,500/year) can apply to have £1,150 of their tax-free allowance shifted to the taxpayer (earning above £11,500/year). This means £1,150 of income they were taxed on at 20% is now tax-free – a £230/year gain. And you can claim for the last two years too, if you haven’t already – so that’s £662.
This is easy to do and a no-brainer, like James who tweeted me “@MartinSLewisthank you martin! Just got £430 back after completing the marriage tax allowance!” To claim, the non-taxpayer must be the one who applies to transfer their allowance. If the tax-payer does it, you’ll be rejected. Once done, you’ll get it for every year going forward.
If you and your spouse would have been eligible to do this, and didn’t you can now backdate the claim, and you can do this whether you’re the non-taxpayer or the taxpayer. To claim go to the Gov Website.
Amex cardholders get £5 cashback at 1,000s of local shops
If you’ve an American Express card (personal not business), from tomorrow (2 December) till Sunday 17 December, you can get £5 cashback when you spend £10 or more at selectedlocal businesses including restaurants, clothes shops, hotels, hairdressers and galleries. To get it you first need to register your Amex with the Shop Small website, then when you spend at least £10 there you’ll receive £5 statement credit within 5 days (can take up to 8 weeks). You can only get the cashback once per store, but there’s no limit to the number of retailers you shop in.
Get £44 Boots products for £12
If you buy two selected No7 items from Boots, you can get a free 'Stand Out Favourites' gift box set containing mascara, primer, serum and lip gloss until Thursday 28 December. As the cheapest combo of two No7 items included in the offer is £12 for two 10ml No7 nail polishes at £6 each - and the set is worth £32ish, you’ll get about £44ish of beauty products for £12.