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MOST RECENT ARTICLES FROM SAM BARKER
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Expert forecaster now believes energy bills will be EVEN higher in April as it revises prediction - so is it time to take a fixed tariff?
31/12/24 07:00
Energy bills seem to be destined never to return to their historic norms - this is what 2025 is likely to bring for gas and electricity prices, with some very limited good news for consumers....read
Monzo makes viral '1p challenge' official with £668-a-year feature - but it pays no interest
30/12/24 01:41The decades-old 1p challenge sees savers put aside 1p on the first day of the year, 2p on the second, 3p on the third, and so on.
Water bills will rise by £94 in the next five years as Ofwat signs off steep price hikes
19/12/24 07:12The increase in bills will pay for upgrades to pipes and reservoirs that water firms argue are sorely needed - but will also go towards paying investors.
Why does a first class stamp now cost £1.65 when they were 27p in 2000?
19/12/24 06:00Royal Mail has increased the cost of a first-class stamp three times this year, from £1.10 to £1.65.
My mum is 84 - how can I make sure she gets a Winter Fuel Payment and how much will she get?
17/12/24 06:00My mum, 84, lives by herself with only a small pension plus her state pension as income. She told me that she won't get a Winter Fuel Payment this year/
What Royal Mail sale means for YOU: From a 'one-price-goes-anywhere' service to delivery days as takeover is approved
16/12/24 05:00A deal to sell Royal Mail has been approved by the Government - with promises to keep to a lot of the things the nation loves about the venerable institution.
UK businesses set to save under plans to slash 'harmful' £200m-a-year card fees
13/12/24 01:35The Payment Systems Regulator has slammed some interchange fees as 'harmful' and now plans to cap them.
Energy firms WILL have to offer deals with no hated standing charges by next winter under Ofgem plans
12/12/24 12:09The regulator will launch a consultation in early 2025 that will propose all energy firms have to offer price-capped deals with no standing charges.
AA hits out at 'comprehensive' car insurance deals that don't cover windscreens
12/12/24 12:01Many car insurers create so-called 'essentials', 'basics' and 'value' comprehensive insurance products that exclude cover for things customers expect.
Energy bills will rise in January AND April next year, experts predict - and net zero targets are partially to blame
10/12/24 04:50The average energy bill will rise from £1,717 a year now to £1,782 in April, according to experts at Cornwall Insight.
High car insurance premiums have priced 2.6 MILLION drivers off the road
10/12/24 12:05Around 2.6million people across the UK do not drive as they cannot afford the cost of car insurance, according to Citizens Advice.
What should your boiler flow temperature be set at and can tinkering with it really save big money on energy bills?
09/12/24 10:54Most boilers have flow settings of between 70c and 80c when first installed. But this can be much hotter than required to perform tasks like heating up radiators.
Is it cheaper to use an electric blanket or put on my central heating?
06/12/24 07:00Whichever way you slice it, an electric throw clearly costs a tiny fraction of the cost of turning your central heating on.
Three and Vodafone merger will form UK's largest mobile network: What does it mean for you?
05/12/24 04:47The merger would see 27 million customers brought together under one roof - but will the service customers receive get better and will it affect their bills?
Number of households receiving government heat pump grants worth up to £7,500 rises 204% in a year
04/12/24 12:56The latest figures show that a record 7,090 households got a Boiler Upgrade Scheme grant in the period from August to October 2024.
Car crash victim payouts could fall by MILLIONS of pounds from 2025 - here's why
03/12/24 03:02Government changes to the Ogden rate mean personal injury claimants will be forced to get by with smaller lump payments.
Ofgem delays smart meter reforms that could save households £214m a YEAR
03/12/24 06:00The changes would mean energy firms have to tally up bills every half an hour for all homes with smart meters - but they now won't come in until later in 2025.
I want to start using my log burner - how do I avoid getting a massive fine?
02/12/24 10:34I have never used a log stove before and don't want to fall foul of the various rules I understand now regulate these stoves.
Supermarket loyalty schemes DO offer real savings of up to 25%, competition watchdog says
27/11/24 12:04The CMA said it had found very little evidence of supermarkets inflating their 'usual' prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal.
Is it cheaper to turn my central heating on or use a fan heater for one room?
27/11/24 06:01Using a fan heater can work out cheaper, but the decision about whether to put on central heating or not does not just hinge on money.
Black Friday is nearly here - how to tell if a deal is too good to be true
26/11/24 12:01Research has found that most advertised Black Friday 'deals' do not offer shoppers any meaningful savings they can't get at another time of year.
DWP confirms when millions will get £10 Christmas bonus - what it would be worth if it had matched inflation
25/11/24 04:07Millions of benefits claimants are set to get a £10 annual Christmas bonus from the Department for Work and Pensions within days.
Energy bills will go up AGAIN in January - but households could save £141 by fixing now
22/11/24 04:16The average household energy bill will rise to £1,738 from January - but it may be possible to beat the hike by swapping to a fixed-rate tariff.
Millions of homes face higher energy bills as Ofgem price cap rises to £1,738 a year
22/11/24 07:25The price cap, currently £1,717 a year for average energy use, will increase by £1,738 on 1 January 2025.
Heat pump grants offered to more homes - as Government also relaxes noise rules on green devices
21/11/24 01:52The Government is putting more money into the Boiler Upgrade scheme which gives grants for heat pumps - as well as scrapping red tape around the green devices.
Home insurance premiums top £400 a YEAR due to record extreme weather claims
19/11/24 04:03Home insurers have paid out record claims this year due to extreme weather , according to the Association of British Insurers.
Cold Weather Payments: Full list of postcodes that could get £25 towards bills as temperatures drop
19/11/24 12:00Recent wintery weather has seen snow blanket large parts of the country. In response, the Government has begun sending out £25 Cold Weather Payments.
Uninsured driver hotspots EXPOSED: Interactive map lays bare 500 worst-offending areas... so is yours one of them?
17/11/24 08:43The Motor Insurers' Bureau, which pays out claims for victims of uninsured driver and hit-and-run crashes, has released figures showing where these incidents occur most often.
One in TEN go on ski holidays without insurance - but the average injury costs a small fortune
17/11/24 07:00Insurer Aviva has analysed its claims data and found that a broken leg is the most common injury on the slopes, with an average medical cost of £6,165 to treat.
The Isa stealth tax! Savers will pay an extra £605m a year by 2029
15/11/24 07:00Freezing tax-free savings limits in the latest Budget means savers will end up paying £605million a year in extra interest by 2029-30, according to official figures.
Some households wait SIX months for energy supplier to fix broken smart meter
14/11/24 12:25The average household has contacted their energy supplier four times to try and get their device repaired, according to the comparison service Uswitch.
Virgin Media O2 bill rises on mobile and broadband contracts slammed as 'hard to justify'
14/11/24 06:00Virgin Media broadband customers will see bills rise by £3.50 a month from April 2025, with the prices applying to deals from January 2025.
New cheapest energy deal from EDF could save households £109 on bills
13/11/24 09:14EDF has launched the cheapest fixed-rate energy deal on the market - but they could end up paying over the odds if energy prices fall in the future.
Car insurance premiums nudge lower... but are still up 40% in two years
12/11/24 04:24Car insurance premiums fell 2 per cent between July and September 2024, with the average driver now paying £612 a year for cover.
Millions will get their £10 DWP Christmas bonus soon - here's everything you need to know
12/11/24 11:05The £10 Christmas bonus has been paid since 1972. It has never been increased, bar one year in 2008.
One in THREE young drivers have bought car insurance from an illegal ghost broker
12/11/24 06:00Aviva found 30% of under 25s admitted to buying invalid or fake car insurance from someone on social media, a scam known as ghost broking.
Top 10 uninsured driving hotspots revealed and Birmingham postcodes dominate the list
11/11/24 02:17The MIB, which pays out claims for victims of uninsured driving and hit-and-run crashes, said that an estimated 300,000 motorists take to UK roads every day without cover.
Telematics car insurance policies cancelled for fake speeding and not driving ENOUGH
08/11/24 07:00Upheld driver complaints published by the Financial Ombudsman service lay bare the problems with 'black box' car insurance policies.
Two in five households will struggle to afford looming water bill price hikes
07/11/24 06:00A survey by the Consumer Council for Water found 18% of customers are already struggling to afford water bills - and that is before a proposed hike of a fifth by 2030.
Little-known insurance stealth tax to raise £46BILLION in the next five years - more than road tax
06/11/24 11:49Despite the lack of knowledge surrounding it, insurance premium tax is fast becoming the most expensive stealth tax.
Winter Fuel Payment loss slammed by charities as Budget confirms axe
31/10/24 02:57'The best policy option older people on tight budgets now have left is to hope and pray for a mild winter,' said the boss of Age UK.
Free heat pumps and insulation upgrades worth up to £30k EACH as Budget pledges £3.4bn to improve homes
30/10/24 05:04Each eligible home can access £15,000 for energy perfomance improvements and an additional £15,000 to install low-carbon heating, such as heat pumps.
Full list of benefit rises announced in the Budget - boost to Universal Credit, Carer's Allowance and more
30/10/24 03:17Rachel Reeves announced that many benefits would rise by 1.7% - the level of consumer price index inflation in September 2024.
Areas with the most heat pumps revealed... and the places where they haven't caught on
30/10/24 06:00The number of heat pumps in the UK has been increasing, as households attempt to reduce their emissions and cut bills - but the upfront cost is a barrier.
Greedy water companies should be allowed to go bust rather than hike our bills, says SAM BARKER
28/10/24 08:48Water firms are planning major price hikes, but should these be allowed to go through or should these companies be allowed to fail instead?
Women are buying record amounts of gold and silver as prices soar
23/10/24 12:50Female investors now make up a quarter (26%) of Royal Mint customers, up from one in 12 (8%) in 2018.
I lost £5,716 in crypto scam via a 'trusted' friend online - here's the red flags I should have spotted
22/10/24 08:02Carly Rowena was lured in by a scammer posing as her friend, who convinced her to send over thousands of pounds in cryptocurrency.
Volkswagen Finance to pay £21m to 110,000 customers after unfair treatment when they fell into difficulty
21/10/24 09:57Volkswagen's UK financial services fine has been slapped with the huge fine after the FCA found many customers - even suicidal ones - were not treated with the proper care.
Gold price hits record high of $2,700 - and Royal Mint says buyers are turning from bars to coins, for a key reason..
18/10/24 09:54The Royal Mint says that sales of bullion bars fell by 11% in the quarter to the end of September 2024. However, there has been a boom in purchases of coins.
Government orders probe as car insurance premiums rise by a fifth in TWO years
16/10/24 02:29Insurers will also be quizzed on those hardest hit by rising car cover costs, including ethnic minorities, those on lower incomes and elderly and young drivers.
HALF of pensioners losing Winter Fuel Payment can only afford to heat one room
15/10/24 11:02Independent Age has found that 49% of older people in England who will lose their Winter Fuel Payment said they were planning to only heat and spend time in one room.
EDF heat pump tariff offers free month of electricity and £1,150 warranty - is it right for you?
15/10/24 02:03The bundle offer is meant to help sweeten the deal for households moving from traditional gas boilers over to heat pumps.
Households face ANOTHER year of expensive energy bills under Ofgem rules that limit cheap fixes
14/10/24 11:29The 'ban on acquisition tariffs' is a large part of the reason why energy bills remain high, and now it looks like this could last until at least 2026.
Two appliance repair firms slapped with huge fines over thousands of spam calls - including targeting the elderly
11/10/24 01:39Calls were made by WerepairUK and Service Box Group to people who had explicitly opted out of receiving marketing communications.
Major insurer warns 7,116 new homes are set to be built on flood-prone land - is YOUR local area on the list?
10/10/24 11:54In England there are 12 local authorities where more than one in 10 properties face a more than 1% risk of flooding.
Nearly 1m homes must get Radio Teleswitch energy meters replaced in the next nine months or face losing hot water
10/10/24 05:00Energy firms use RTS to switch a meter between peak and off-peak rates, so customers can have energy deals that charge them less at certain times, normally overnight.
Regions where Winter Fuel Payment cuts will bite most revealed
08/10/24 11:01The number of pensioners affected that are in or near poverty varies by region. The worst-affected regions are the South East, Northern Ireland and Wales.
Pikachu Pokémon card set to sell for £250,000 at auction - do you have an ultra-rare one in your collection?
08/10/24 12:02Only 39 versions of the Pokémon Illustrator were ever made, and now one of the rare cards is being auctioned by French auctioneers Aguttes.
Best super fast broadband deals for the cheapest price
07/10/24 08:58If you're looking for a new broadband deal offering speedier internet without breaking the bank, there are five deals currently available that fit the bill.
Water bill complaints spike amid household gripes with meters and sewage
03/10/24 03:13The number of gripes forwarded to the Consumer Council for Water in 2023/24 rose by 29%, the highest level for almost a decade.
Universal credit warning issued by police as DWP launches investigation
02/10/24 11:58The North Wales Police have warned claimants of a fake app being downloaded that could be a risk to users.
More travellers to be spared rip-off mobile phone stealth roaming fees under new Ofcom rules
01/10/24 03:50Incoming Ofcom rules now require mobile providers to warn customers about charges when they start using their phones abroad.
Thousands of new homes will pay £0 energy bills with Octopus Energy - here's how it works
30/09/24 02:32Octopus guarantees each property will pay nothing for energy even if it uses more than it generates.
Energy bills will FALL 1% in January experts predict as new higher October price cap bites today
30/09/24 11:35The Ofgem price cap will rise to £1,717 on 1 October - but could then fall to £1,697 in January, and keep falling during much of 2025.
Can you beat the energy bill price cap rise by locking into a cheaper deal before 1 October?
28/09/24 06:00Households may be able to beat the energy price cap and save money by taking out a fixed-rate energy deal.
Households urged to give energy meter readings before price cap change to avoid bill hikes
27/09/24 05:00Households could overpay energy bills by a total of £186m by not sending meter readings in time, according to comparison service Uswitch.
Landlords 'forced to sell up' over Government's energy upgrade plans
26/09/24 06:00The Government confirmed that rented properties in England must have an Energy Performance Certificate of 'C' by 2030 - but bringing homes up to code can be expensive.
All the energy bill help available this winter for those struggling to pay
25/09/24 06:00All energy suppliers have to give some support for certain customers, such as the elderly, vulnerable and those in fuel poverty, under Government rules.
Can I ignore my father's will if he is insisting that his dog is put down?
24/09/24 05:00Many people believe a will must be carried out to the letter, but that is not true. Executors of a will can in fact ignore parts of it, provided they have a good reason.
Mortgage rate war continues as Nationwide launches cheapest deal with 3.74% interest
23/09/24 03:13Nationwide is launching the cheapest mortgage, with rates starting from 3.74%. Experts have welcomed rates falling.
Nutshell gave me the lowest car insurance quote - who are they and should I trust it?
15/09/24 06:00The cheapest car insurance quotes may be from firms you haven't heard of - but that doesn't mean you can't trust them.
How lucky are YOUR Premium Bonds? We investigate why some numbers and letters seem more likely to win the £1m jackpot
14/09/24 06:00Common beliefs are that new Premium Bonds are more lucky than old ones. These myths have been debunked by NS&I, but are some bonds really luckier than others?
Paying monthly for car and home insurance could cost you hundreds more
12/09/24 11:01Drivers and homeowners who pay for their insurance in monthly instalments are being slapped with staggering interest rates.
How Winter Fuel Payments are changing - and the energy bill help alternatives available for pensioners
11/09/24 02:04Most retirees are missing out on Winter Fuel Payments worth £100 to £300 a year, but there are other ways of getting help with energy bills this winter.
A WW2 bomb boat sank near the house I bought in Kent - does insurance pay out if it blows up?
11/09/24 05:00There is a sunken WW2 vessel near my house that is filled with explosives. What are my rights if it does blow up?
Huge surge in women investing in gold - here's how and the three reasons why
10/09/24 05:00BullionByPost said that women now make up an all-time high of 20 per cent of its customer base, up by 150 per cent in the past four years.
Solar panel installations in Britain slump with a cold summer to blame
09/09/24 03:39Over 80,000 solar panels were installed on UK homes throughout the first seven months of 2024, a 19% reduction on the 106,000 installed during the same period of 2023.
Switching broadband to get MUCH quicker with new 'one touch' service: Here's what you need to know
07/09/24 05:00Under the long-awaited new service, customers simply have to tell their new provider they want to switch - and they will do the rest.
Britons HAVEN'T been unfairly debanked, regulator says - but the truth is hidden by lack of records...
04/09/24 01:44The FCA regulator repeated earlier findings that it had found no evidence of unfair debanking, but could not say this with 100% certainty.
Three 'fairer' ways to reform Winter Fuel Payments as five in six poorer pensioners stand to lose out
03/09/24 11:01Winter Fuel Payments were severely cut back by chancellor Rachel Reeves in July. But analysis has found that most poorer pensioners will lose out.
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