In this week's free newsletter...
🔴 How to boost your credit score
🔴 King's Speech and your money
🔴 Your ticket refund rights
🔴 Latest house prices
🔴 12 cheap and free things to do over the summer holidays
Sign up today ⬇️
24,000 people wrote to their MP, demanding the government follow through with its promised legislation to
#ProtectCash
.
We urge
@JohnGlenUK
to protect communities who rely on cash and face-to-face banking services, by ensuring this legislation is included in the Queen's Speech.
Today marks a BIG win in our fight to
#ProtectCash
! 🎉
The government has announced it will introduce legislation to protect access to cash this coming year.
Thank you
@JohnGlenUK
and
@hmtreasury
for listening to UK consumers who rely on cash and face-to-face banking services.
Almost half of the UK’s bank branches have closed since 2015, and almost a quarter of free-to-use ATMs have vanished since 2018.
Customers who rely on face-to-face banking services and cash to pay for everyday essentials are at risk of being left behind.
Today, we sent a joint letter, as a coalition of organisations, charities, industry bodies and MPs, demanding the government follow through with its promised legislation to
#ProtectCash
This is why it's important for millions of consumers ➡️
No passenger should be left out of pocket for a cancelled holiday.
Many travel companies are trying to fob passengers off with vouchers - but we think it’s time for the government to step in and ensure they
#RefundPassengers
.
Thousands of flat owners are being forced to pay hundreds of pounds per month for round-the-clock fire wardens because their buildings are deemed unsafe.
We heard from Charlotte, whose block paid £37,000 for just 20 days of waking watch.
Thank you to all our supporters and the organisations, charities, industry bodies and MPs for joining us in calling on the government to
#ProtectCash
.
Unpaid carers provide around £193 billion worth of care every year, but
@CarersUK
says they are in need of more targeted support - without it, many will be simply unable to cope.
🚨 There’s only three months left to use paper £20 and £50 notes!
From 1 October, only the new polymer notes will be accepted in shops, restaurants or anywhere else that takes cash.
➡️
Authorised push payment fraud (APP) unfairly costs consumers millions of pounds every year.
This is how we’ve been urging the regulator, banks and government to protect people from losing money to scammers since 2016, starting with our super-complaint.
The Bank of England has announced it will cut the base rate from 0.75% to 0.25%.
This is the first unscheduled cut to the base rate since the financial crisis in 2008 and has brought the base rate back down to the lowest level in history.
"We can’t afford £100,000 each to make our buildings safe"
Leaseholders at Manchester’s Salford Quays could be hit with £100,000 bills each to remediate their buildings. Facing bankruptcy, the residents tell us their story.
⚠️ SCAM ALERT | This fake text message claiming be from the NHS is doing the rounds, demanding that you ‘order a PCR testing kit’.
🚨 Sign up to our free scam alert service to get a weekly update on the latest scams:
From today, those aged 60 and over can enjoy soup, a roll and unlimited tea and coffee for just £1 at any of
@asda
's 205 cafés until the end of December 👏☕️
.
@SophieLB1
🗣️ 'You have to come to terms with this being the thing that potentially bankrupts you.’
Sophie was extremely happy that she found a place that she can call her own.
However, in the summer of 2020, she found that her building was unsafe due to its cladding
Thread👇
Our latest research shows families are making huge changes to how they shop and eat as they feel the impact of soaring inflation. Among those who said they are struggling the most financially, 50% said that their household was actively skipping meals.
Leaseholders caught up in the
#CladdingScandal
are being targeted by untrustworthy cash buyers. Is selling a flat for cash a viable option or are the risks just too great?
🗣 ‘The burden of paying for repairs for other serious safety defects has still not been lifted from leaseholder shoulders.’ -
@EOCS_Official
Developers told to pay up to fix unsafe
#cladding
, but there are still important questions that need answering.
Thousands of people still live in buildings clad with dangerous materials. And the current approach to removing them is causing financial ruin for residents.
🎙️
We talk to people who’ve been affected & ask what could be done to help them
#claddingscandal
"I don’t understand how it’s acceptable that, while you own 35% of a property, you’re responsible for 100% of the remedial works on the design of the building."
The building needs to be remediated before Savvas can sell the flat, and his family will be responsible for the costs.
Cash is a necessity millions couldn’t live without, but bank branches and free to use ATMs are fast disappearing across the UK.
We believe that everyone should have the freedom to pay in the way that best suits their needs.
#SaveOurCash
"My entire life has been changed by combustible cladding"
30 year-old Abi from Leeds is trapped in an unsafe property. She can’t start a family and is facing potential bankruptcy.
Her story
⟶
Andy 🗣️ ‘The cladding scandal has left my mortgage unaffordable’
See how our cladding expert
@GeorgeRobMartin
was able to help Andy, who was placed onto a mortgage rate that would cost him an unsustainable £4,000 per year! ⬇️
Support for homeowners has been passed into law but campaigners say it isn't enough.
@EOCS_Official
🗣️ ‘There are still far too many gaps and unanswered questions on just if, when and how all buildings will be made safe at any real pace.'
"Never at any point does anyone say you will be made responsible for maintaining the outside of the building. I don’t think cladding replacement is maintenance. It’s an upgrade."
⚠️ SCAM ALERT!
We've seen a scam email doing the rounds pretending to be from British Gas, offering customers a non-existent refund of £315.
Please share this with friends and family who you know is with British Gas!
During the
#QueensSpeech
, the government pledged to bring forward a Financial Services and Markets Bill following our longstanding campaign.
See what the legislation means for cash users, and what else is being done to protect it.
We surveyed more than 1,700 affected leaseholders across the country who have been struggling with the mental health fallout of the building safety crisis.
A great piece by
@WhichMoney
journalist
@IanJAikman
- worth a read!
#cladding
🚨 Ground rents to be banned from later this month!
🏡 Buyers purchasing leasehold properties in England or Wales will soon no longer need to pay ground rent to the freeholder.
This is how the new rules will work...
There’s something the slick sales team aren’t telling you. You may be able to buy one of their properties, but you won’t ever truly own it. We’ve investigated leasehold properties →
"I’m completely trapped and facing ruin. My mental health is suffering severely."
Residents of Royal Artillery Quays in Woolwich have been told they may have to pay £13m to make their homes safe.
Congratulations
@IanJAikman
, from our Which? Money team, who said 'It’s fantastic to be recognised for my work covering the cladding scandal over the past year. I’ve tried to do my part amplifying leaseholders’ voices, so I want to thank everyone who spoke to me for a story.'
⚠️ SCAM ALERT: Fake energy ‘rebate’ scams are doing the rounds. Make sure you DON'T click on any links in texts.
Instead, forward the message to 👉 7726 👈to report the scam and then BLOCK the phone number🛑
More info 👉
Use or swap your regular postage stamps by 31 Jul 2023 👇
Please note: You cannot exchange these at the Post Office - you can only do this directly with Royal Mail.
Chancellor
@RishiSunak
is ready to give the first Budget in more than a year.
We’ll be covering the Budget speech as it happens here.
#Budget2020
#BudgetDay
Watch as a Royal Mail text scammer tries to steal £4,000 from us. This is how to spot the scam.
It looks like it's linking to a genuine URL, but in reality it's a slick phishing website designed to steal your personal and financial details.
Have you received this scam?
Joeli 🗣️ '
@EYAlliance
discovered that it was purposely underfunded...'
On the latest
@WhichMoney
Podcast, we talk to Joeli from
@PregnantScrewed
who explains why some parents are being priced out of returning to work because of skyrocketing costs.
🎙️
.
@TSB
has launched an emergency fund to support victims fleeing domestic abuse.
The bank will offer a payment of between £50 to £500, which can be used to assist victims with the cost of essentials such as travel, clothing and toiletries.
Colin 🗣️ 'We got in touch with BT and INSTANTLY they changed his tariff from £50 a month to £20'.
See if you could be eligible for a discounted broadband service 👇
Aldi is offering a quieter shopping experience in 98 stores every Tuesday, between 6.30pm and 8.30pm, until the end of October.
This initiative is aimed at customers who struggle with noisy environments.
These are the participating stores 👇
The government has made several announcements on the
#BuildingSafetyCrisis
but Giles Grover from
@EOCS_Official
says: ‘There are still too many gaps in the current proposals with too many ordinary people still being wilfully ignored and left to fend for themselves'.
The cost of applying for a new British passport will rise on Feb 2.
Online applications made from within the UK will rise from £75.50 to £82.50 for adults and £49 to £53.50 for children.
Postal applications will increase from £85 to £93 for adults and £58.50 to £64 for children
🚨 SCAM WARNING 🚨
If you’ve received an email out of the blue regarding ‘updating your payment details’ or ‘expired membership’, don’t take it at face value – it could be a scammer’s attempt to extort your bank details.
How can you protect yourself against scams during a pandemic?
We spoke to
@CitizensAdvice
to find out what advice it has for people who want to arm themselves against scams.
One of the rarest 50p coins by
@RoyalMintUK
will be going into circulation next month to celebrate the 70 years of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign.
🔗
Are you sitting on any other small change that could actually be worth big bucks?
The ‘coronavirus business interruption loan scheme’ will offer loans of up to £1.2m and will cover up to 80% of losses with no fees to small and medium businesses hit by the outbreak.
#Budget2020
#coronavirus
Until the end of this year, those aged 60 and over can enjoy soup, a roll and unlimited tea and coffee for just £1 at any of
@asda
's 205 cafés until the end of December ☕️🥯
Drivers face a fine of up to £200 plus six points for handling a mobile at the wheel, following a new law that was passed earlier this year.
See the full list 👇
Getting a chimney draught excluder for around £20 could potentially save you £90 per year, according to
@EnergySvgTrust
.
See how you can fit one in your home today ⬇️
Our investigation reveals that 9 major supermarkets’ unit pricing on groceries are baffling shoppers, who are potentially missing out on big savings!
Let us know if you can spot the cheapest Diet Pepsi per 100ml below 👇
"It’s just too much for people to be able to handle. When you can’t get insurance at all it adds to the stress. Everything feels heightened because it’s a case of, well, if something goes wrong I lose absolutely everything in one go." - Jenni
⚠️SCAM WARNING | These quizzes might seem like harmless fun but they could put you at risk of identity theft. You could be handing over a treasure trove of personal information to fraudsters.