Netmums' Amber Middleton tried Martin Lewis' bank account switching bonus and accumulated £600 from Halifax, First Direct and Natwest
Money has been tight for many of us in recent years – from Covid struggles to the cost of living crisis. So I, among others, have tried every hack going to get a bit of extra cash. And there’s one tip that’s better than any others I’ve tried and has gained me £600 – and counting.
How does it work? Each bank offers different amounts of money as part of an incentive to bank with them. I have switched banks using CASS three times so far and it has been pretty simple and easy, requiring little effort from me. Finally, NatWest’s bank switching offer gave me £200 earlier this month. This one was probably the easiest, required the least amount of hoops to jump through and gave me a good wad of cash just a few days after creating the account.Which bank switches are available currently? The following banks currently have switching offers available:How to switch Most bank switches are very similar – and very simple from my experience.
You also have to close your old bank account. This has never been an issue for me, however, as the old bank accounts I’ve switched weren’t giving me anything. Family holidays can end up costing a small fortune – from hotels, flights, hire cars… the list goes on. Then there’s the things we don’t always initially think about – school fines for term time holidays for some parents, new holiday clothes, all the snacks and various activities, to name a few.
This will see cost of an online application rise from £82.50 for adults to £88.50 and £53.50 for children rise to £57.50. When will the passport price increase be introduced? The changes are set to come in from 11 April 2024. It might sound too good to be true but Aldi is recruiting shoppers to try its wine – for free. The budget supermarket is known for selling quality wine at bargain prices, with a number of its tipples gaining gold, silver and bronze medals at prestigious wine awards.
All they need to do in exchange is post an honest review of the wine on their social media channels using the hashtag #AldiWineClub. Entries are open now and you have until 4 March to apply. Winners will be contacted within seven days after this date. 1. See: ‘The colour will give an indication of the style of wine says Sam. ‘A deep red will suggest youth and a full-bodied wine, while a pale colour will propose it is lighter and juicier.’
5. Savour: This tip is probably our favourite. ‘Now relax, savour those deep flavours that are developing in your mouth and enjoy!’CHAT: With other parents in our forumHouseholds who currently get Universal Credit are to see an increase to their payments that’s set to come within weeks. Those who claim the Department for Work and Pensions benefit – which is given out to low-income working and non-working households – will be hundreds of pounds better off a year come April.
While Universal Credit is to rise by 6.7%, the state pension is to increase by the slightly higher amount of 8.5%, because of the Triple Lock Guarantee. However, some could get more cash in the bank than that, depending on their personal circumstances – with some families just over £900 better off a year.
For second children onwards, you currently receive £15.90 per child. This will be increased to £16.95 per additional child, per week.And those receiving Housing Benefit will also see a rise in their payments, but how much it’ll go up by depends on your circumstances.If you have a child or other dependent, the rate is expected to increase from £77.78 to £83.24.
Who is eligible for the £299 payments? So far, DWP has issued payments to people claiming the following means-tested benefits:HMRC will then start issuing its own round of payments from this Friday. This will go out to the following:To receive a cost of living payment, you must have been claiming any of the above eligible benefits during what’s known as a qualifying period – for the £299 payment, it was between 13 November 2023 and 12 December 2023.
A second group of payments was then announced in November 2022 to cover the financial year 2023-2024, worth £900 in 3 separate handouts. The first two were issued during 2023.If you receive your benefits from the DWP, you will also receive the £299 from it with the payment reference: ‘DWP COL’ alongside your National Insurance number.
There have been calls for payments to continue past spring 2024, however, it’s looking unlikely for this to happen. I’m not eligible for the £299 – what help can I get? Anyone who isn’t eligible for the Cost of Living payments, but is still struggling with household bills could get help through the Household Support Fund – an £842 million fund given to local councils to support low-income families in their area.
The data, from digital staffing platform Indeed Flex, also shows that nearly a third of mums with young kids now spend more than 40% of their salary on professional childcare. ‘The world is full of side hustle and money-making opportunities but it’s important that you look at the time you can dedicate to the side hustle,’ he tells Netmums.
‘Research indicates that children have at least four toys that they have never played with and they get bored of toys after around 36 days,’ says Dan. ‘Start-up costs are minimal, sites are free to download, and you often pay a small fee after items are sold.’ ‘There are no start up costs, just the commission you pay the platforms you rent on,’ says Dan.‘Per month you could be earning an average of £255.50 for renting out a designer dress, £88.50 for a camera and a bike could earn you between £500 to £1,120 a month.
‘Time wise you can do as little of many hours as you like and the only start-up costs would be a computer if you don’t already have one as well as various software for the computer.’ Surveys pay out around £5 to £20 each, according to Dan. ‘There are zero start-up costs with this and spending a couple of hours a week on it could bring you in £400 a month,’ says Dan.
7. Join Netmums Tried and Tested team While this won’t make you physical cash, it will save you cash. How does bank switching work? Martin said that customers can make up to £1,000 a year for switching banks – which can be done every few months, quite easily. Martin added that the scheme will also benefit those who aren’t happy with their current bank account the most.
For example, you may need to check the terms and conditions of your new and current bank accounts to see if you have to have been with them for a set period before you can switch. How much could I get? That depends. The whole process from applying for a new bank account to getting the cash bonus in your account could take as much as one to two months , so those who do it multiple times could make up to £1,000 per year.
‘As I say, if you’re happy with your bank, don’t do it. If you’re not happy with your bank, why not grab some free cash? What is a Budgeting Loan? A Budgeting Loan is a one-off loan given out to struggling households by the DWP to help them meet essential and often unexpected costs. Who is eligible for a Budgeting Loan? Anyone who has been claiming one of the below DWP benefits for at least six months can apply for the loan: What can I use the loan for? The loan is for anyone who needs extra help towards the costs of furniture, household white goods, or essential work needed to be carried out on your home, among others.How much help is given out? You can claim differing amounts, from a minimum of £100 up to £812 depending on your personal circumstances.
Once you’ve applied for the Budgeting Loan, you’ll get an email, text or letter informing you whether you’ve been offered and the amount you’ll have to pay back in weekly installments. You’ll then be able to accept the loan, either online or by post. Mr Hunt said: ‘I today announce further steps to help the lowest-income families with cost of living measures.
Supermarket comparison app Trolley gives you the prices of items at all major supermarkets so you can see where your items are cheapest. For example, if you wanted to know where was best to buy a pack of Finish Quantum Dishwasher tablets, it’s £2 cheaper to get them at Asda right now. But if you head into a supermarket within two hours of closing time, that’s when you’ll find the biggest discounts of up to 90% off, as supermarkets would rather sell it for something, rather than throwing it away.
The same can be said if your supermarket has a world foods aisle. You might think that importing goods from around the world means higher prices – but that’s not necessarily the case. You might see big bags of food and essentials labelled ‘big pack’, ‘family pack’ or ‘value pack’ – but just because it says its good value, might not mean it is.
So do be sure to check your sizes – and remember to check your price per 100g too for this very reason. There are loads of examples of this too with apples, oranges, potatoes, peppers and more. So put those weighing scales to good use, and properly compare the prices. Struggling households who are behind with their bill payments can apply for a one-off cash boost worth £200 to help them with their arrears. The financial help comes as part of the government’s Household Support Fund – a scheme that helps low-income and struggling families meet the higher costs of living.
The Council explains: ‘Applications are now being welcomed from those most in need, with the additional support being part of the latest phase of the Household Support Fund. Those who don’t have, or don’t provide an email address, when applying for the help will instead get a £200 Sainsbury’s supermarket gift card to be used in-store.
You should then receive a response within 15 working days of making your application via email or post. Can I get help if I don’t live in Bromley? Some councils do still have funding left in the current round.In Tower Hamlets, £100 is to be given to struggling families in the form of supermarket vouchers.
There you’ll find lots of Government-based advice on cash you might be entitled to, plus all the dates when you can expect the latest Cost of Living payments and other allowances to land in your bank account.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Older people must claim £600 heating bill help before end of this monthThe deadline to make a claim for the Winter Fuel Payment 2023/24 is March 31, 2024.
Read more »
Martin Lewis urges everyone born between 1985 and 2006 to put £1 in bank accountThe Money Saving Expert has issued the advice to help young people buy a house in later life
Read more »
Martin Lewis urges everyone born in these years to put £1 in account nowMartin Lewis says if you're a young person you should put £1 in there now
Read more »
Martin Lewis urges everyone with a payslip to check code 'worth thousands'You could be owed thousands after one simple check
Read more »
Martin Lewis says get £1,256 from HMRC paid directly into bank accountITV's Martin Lewis says everyone should claim the money now
Read more »
Martin Lewis shares urgent deadline warning for people who go PPI payoutsPPI claimants could be sitting on a significant amount of cash but only have a small amount of time to get it
Read more »