business and finance

Lotto players encouraged to double check their slip as they could win a free lucky dip

Many might not know that matching two numbers on a Lotto ticket means that they are eligible for a free lucky dip ticket - with reader managed to bag £109 from three numbers this way.




business and finance

BT customers will see broadband and mobile rise 1.3%

The telecoms giant is now using the Consumer Price Index measure of inflation for bill rises. Last year, it froze prices while it says it has never used inflation-linked rises in the past.




business and finance

Broadband customers are seeing their bills increase by as much as 89% when their contract ends

Out of the 68% of customers hit with a price rise, some providers even increased prices by as much as 89%, according to data from Which?.




business and finance

Can a Fitbit help you lose weight and improve your fitness?

Since November, I have warn a fitness tracker and joined the millions who keep an eye on their exercise habits - what did I learn and is it worth having one?




business and finance

British Gas reverses the minimum top up limit back to £1 for prepayment customers after backlash

The Big Six supplier decided to change the limit at the same time it announced it was moving from Paypoint to Payzone terminals, leaving customers with 15,000 fewer locations to top up.




business and finance

Critical illness policies used to make my blood boil...but now I'm a fan

Jeff Prestridge met Emma Thomson, who has just benefited from the financial safety net provided by protection insurance. Emma is unsure how she would have coped without it.




business and finance

Six ways to make sure your jewellery is protected by insurers

Households are more likely to claim for theft or loss of jewellery in the winter months. Lloyds is urging those with pricey jewels to take measures to protect their new jewellery as soon as they can.




business and finance

What is Shopmium and can it save on supermarket shops?

Shopmium is an app that promises to give customers money back on their weekly grocery shops by offering exclusive supermarket offers - we take a look.




business and finance

We reveal how you can haggle down window prices and how the vulnerable can tackle the cold callers 

The BBC drama White Gold shows actors Joe Thomas and James Buckley encouraging customers to spend thousands of pounds on, often unnecessary, new windows.




business and finance

Sky ups the price of its core entertainment package by an inflation-busting 9%

The telecoms giant has announced its popular entertainment package - which includes Sky One, Sky Atlantic and MTV - is due to increase by £2 from £22 to £24 a month.




business and finance

'I'm £3,000 out of pocket after A Suit That Fits went bust'

A frustrated customer has revealed that he paid £3,000 to a tailored suit company in return for six suits to be made, only for the company to go bust and leave him thousands of pounds out of pocket.




business and finance

Local milk deliveries: Why are they making a comeback?

Thousands more British households decided to get their milk delivered last year in glass bottles - what's behind this booming trend? I go on a round to find out.




business and finance

Finest Dental: Has company closed and will I get my money back?

A group of dental customers have been left frustrated and confused after a chain of private dentists closed without warning - with many having paid thousands of pounds in advance.




business and finance

Broadband customers charged up to £90 a year to keep email addresses after they switch providers

BT charges customers up to £7.50 to hold onto their address, equivalent to £90 annually. TalkTalk charges previous customers £5 each month to keep their old email address - or £60 a year.




business and finance

Dad of two fights HMRC and overturns £2,400 child benefit penalties

'My experience has been absolutely dreadful,' says father who claims he got 50-60 letters from the taxman about his case in the past 18 months. 'They are incompetent at HMRC. They show no empathy.'




business and finance

DEALS OF THE WEEK: 100 photo prints for free; £5 cashback Just Eat voucher

This week's deals include: 100 snaps for free when you buy 50 classic standard photo prints from Photobox; discounted Roku Express online streaming gadget and much more.




business and finance

Are you due hundreds of pounds in compensation? Travel delays, overpaid bills, here's how to claim

Many could be compensated for travel delays or refunded for overpaid energy bills, bank charges or tax - simply by taking the time to claim.




business and finance

'My insurer has kept my motorbike for 5 months': One mans fight with MCE insurance

After being involved in an incident with a car in August of last year, Stuart Stow, from Middlesex, was left waiting for his insurance firm, MCE, to repair and return his motorbike.




business and finance

Why are low-alcohol beer sales soaring and which ones are the best?

A dog is not just for Christmas. Chocolate is not just for Easter. Low-alcohol beer is not just for Dry January - at least, that appears to be the case when it comes to sales trends.




business and finance

Where home insurance is up most, with storms due to bring more hikes

Analysis found an average 2.9 per cent hike in home insurance premiums, but some areas of the UK saw price rises of nearly 5 per cent over the course of the last year.




business and finance

Complaints rocket as Together Energy is handed 36,000 extra customers 

Jan and Bill Burrough found out Together Energy had taken over their account in December 2018 and a month later asked for a credit refund. But the supplier took seven months to provide a bill.




business and finance

What do HMRC tax codes mean and am I paying too much?

The code tells you how much you can earn before you have to pay any tax. Your tax code notice might seem dull but if the numbers and letters are wrong it can mean you pay too much, or too little, tax.




business and finance

Customers complain that Thames Water is charging those with smart meters more than those without

Frustrated Thames Water customers have complained that the smart meters fitted by the firm do not work properly and are actually costing households more money.




business and finance

Third of travel insurance doesn't cover Flybe style airline collapses

Following news that the budget airline is the latest to go bust, customers stranded abroad will be left wondering how they will get home - but a third of those are likely to be left vulnerable.




business and finance

Energy auto-switching sites don't always give users the best deals with some paying £70 a year MORE

Energy auto-switching services are not always giving users the best deals, with some comparing only 15 out of around 70 possible energy suppliers, new research has revealed.




business and finance

Coronavirus and travel insurance questions answered

Britons looking forward to trips abroad in weeks and months ahead are nervously watching what happens with coronavirus. We look at what travel insurance will cover.




business and finance

Birmingham has the fastest internet in the UK: We reveal which cities have the best download speeds

With an aggregate median download speed of 28.9Mbps, the West Midlands city was quicker than any of its rivals, according to research from RootMetrics.




business and finance

Scottish Power facing Ofgen probe after litany of complaints

We challenged Ofgem after being inundated by letters from angry customers. In the worst cases, some had been made to wait up to a year for refunds of hundreds of pounds.




business and finance

Government pushes for greener businesses as taxes raised for gas bills but frozen for electricity

Rishi Sunak said the Government will be increasing the taxes on pollution in a bid to cut down on harmful emissions and encourage energy efficiency.




business and finance

Rural areas promised better internet as Government pledge £5bn towards speedy broadband

Households in rural areas of the UK have been promised better internet speeds as the Government pledged £5billion towards providing faster broadband.




business and finance

Households losing out on £5bn to the Big Six, despite cheaper wholesale prices

More than 11million households in Britain are at risk of overpaying £3.5billion on their energy bills this year, simply because the Big Six refuse to give them a better deal, new research claims.




business and finance

BT fined £245k by Ofcom after it overcharged EE mobile customers

The telecoms watchdog has fined BT £245,000, revealing the firm overcharged EE's mobile customers for making calls to 118 directory enquiries services.




business and finance

Patients of Finest Dental left suffering the consequences of the firm shutting down without warning 

A large number of patients are mid-treatment with some even left without teeth as they were waiting for implants to be fitted.




business and finance

Millions of first generation smart meters fitted last year as rate of installations drops 

Nearly 1.5m first generation smart meters were installed in households across the country last year - despite the fact these installations do not count towards official target figures.




business and finance

LV 'temporarily' stops selling travel insurance due to coronavirus

Insurance giant LV stopped selling travel insurance  last night in a move described by one expert as 'alarming'.




business and finance

More firms pull the plug on travel insurance due to coronavirus

Aviva and Direct Line followed LV, the Post Office and Admiral, who announced yesterday that they would stop the sale of travel policies to new customers.




business and finance

Motorists are being taken for a ride with the sale of fake car insurance on the rise

Ghost brokers claim they can obtain car insurance at a low price, in exchange for a fee, with many victims actually just sold a fake insurance document that doesn't even exist.




business and finance

The best deals on entertainment if you're stuck at home

With some people now expected to self-isolate at home for three months or more, you may want more than just the black box in your living room to get your entertainment fix.




business and finance

How to get Disney Plus streaming service in UK for the lowest price

As coronavirus spreads, people are increasingly being forced to stay inside, meaning many will be likely to watch hours of TV when they are not working. We look at the best streaming deals.




business and finance

Will broadband and energy firms help people stuck at home by coronavirus? 

Bills are expected to increase for many over this time period but in light of this, some suppliers have announced they will be reviewing how they charge their customers in the next few weeks.




business and finance

Millions of households to get relief on energy bills after emergency measures are put in place

Britain's suppliers have joined with the Government to ensure that households across the UK will be able to keep the lights on whilst they are in self isolation.




business and finance

Virgin Mobile gives pay monthly customers unlimited minutes and data boost for free

The network said it will be offering unlimited minutes to landlines and other mobile numbers, plus a 10GB data boost, at no extra cost, for a month to those paying monthly as of Monday 23 March.




business and finance

The Streaming Wars: Disney enters competition as it launches TV deal

A new TV streaming service called Disney+ launches on Tuesday - and experts believe it could shake up the way we watch television.




business and finance

From mortgages to lost wages: How to keep your family finances safe

It is crucial that you prepare for the coming months to ensure your finances are as insulated as they can be from the fallout.




business and finance

Energy bills to rise by £340 this year for families working from home

Comparison site Energyhelpline said the average £98 per month UK energy bill will rise by £29 for those working from home with children whose schools have closed.




business and finance

From gas an elelectricity to the internet... don't get cut off at home

Some readers are also worried about the extra costs they might face when using telephones and the internet much more than usual to stay in touch with friends and family.




business and finance

British Gas launches new green tariff, but how does it compare to other deals?

The Big Six supplier has introduced its Green Future Plus July 2022 fixed tariff for dual fuel customers with each customer supporting the growth of trees in the UK, according to the firm.




business and finance

Energy bills set to fall for 15m households as Ofgem reveals price cap reduction

Energy bills will fall for around 15million households with Ofgem announcing a price cap reduction of £17 a year.




business and finance

Eon lost HALF A MILLION customers in 2019 as households switch

Despite losing customers, Eon said its total earnings before tax and interest increased to £2.9bn in 2019, and it expects earnings to increase again in 2020.




business and finance

Landlords can still serve eviction notices during the coronavirus outbreak

Last week the Ministry of Housing promised a 'complete ban on evictions' for those unable to work due to the coronavirus pandemic.