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Lump sum pension advice
Hi guys im just in process of helping my mum sort her pension out. She's currently 65 and will start receiving state pension from april 2026, she hasn't worked for the last few years and hasn't used up any of her £12570 personal tax free income allowance in this tax year. If she was to draw her 25% tax free lump some from…
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Spusu and EU roaming
I've recently activated my Spusu SIM and most things work as expected. One thing that's not clear is what they mean when they talk about EU roaming. I've now talked twice to their CS and they don't seem to know more about that I do. They gave conflicting information and they gave me prices that I can't find in their price…
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Advice on CRA car rejection and insurance write-off
Hi all, I’d
appreciate some advice. I’m in England and dealing with a used-car dispute
under the Consumer Rights Act, now complicated by vandalism and a potential
insurance write-off. I bought
a used car recently. Within hours of collection, it produced heavy white smoke
from the exhaust. I raised this promptly in writing…
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Ambiguity in repayment rules for borrowers with both Plan 2 and Plan 5 student loans
I’m want to highlight what appears to be ambiguity in official guidance regarding student loan repayments for borrowers who hold both Plan 2 and Plan 5 loans. Government guidance states that borrowers with multiple plan types repay 9% of income above the lowest threshold, but it is unclear how repayments are allocated…
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Course attendee wants refund due to absence
I run a course that that runs for a few months, and one person attended for the first few weeks but then messaged to say they were unable to attend due to illness, and would update me on when and if they would be back but didn't. The course was fully booked and I was unable to offer the spot to anyone else. And now after…
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Overpayment of Mortgage Debacle with Halifax
Did you know that Halifax Building Society is now not automatically reducing the term of your mortgage if you make overpayments to your mortgage? Yes, that is correct. They now reduce the monthly amount you pay for your mortgage and not automatically reduce the term of your mortgage as most lenders do. In fact you are…
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Starting the journey...the road is currently bumpy.
My debt has always been there, nothing major - the odd holiday on 0% which is dutifully paid off then rinse and repeat. Then things changed, 5 years ago I lost my mum to Cancer - she loved life and was taken too young. From this my attitude changed, holidays booked, things bought, paying for friends - I wanted to live in…
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International postage options via ebay label changes
I'm not sure if this will make any difference to the majority of us- but this now shows on my ebay label page: From 5th January, Royal Mail International Signed and Royal Mail Tracked & Signed services will no longer be available for sold items. Labels for these services will be accepted by Royal Mail until 12th January.…
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How do I use my credit card?
Hello all - apologies for the rambling. Having a hard time trying to improve my credit score. I’ve been at 0% utilisation on 2 credit cards for 2 years and my credit score seemingly doesn’t thank me for it. I decided to start trying to use them. 10th November - Spent £1,199 23rd November Statement Date - Paid it in full…
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Long standing balances on 2 cards, best time to pay off in full?
I have 2 credit cards with approx £900 on each one. I've always paid the minimum on both each month. I'm now in a position to be able to pay both off in full, should I wait until my January payments are due to pay them off, or pay them off now? Does it/ will it make any difference to interest etc? Regards, Andy
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Advice needed
Good evening. I have been a very long time lurker on this site and I now find myself needing advice. I have around £30K of credit card and loan debt; 11500 with Natwest £1700 to Capital One £2500 to NewDay (Fluid) £2500 to Vanquis Loans: £4888 to lendable £6590 to Zopa This month is the last month I can make all minimum…
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New laptop - what do I need to be looking for?
My Sony laptop died just before Christmas so I'm needing a replacement. (Sub £400?) But there's such a variety these days I'm overwhelmed, especially with all the numbers/processors names. I'd go into a tech store for advice, but the only one in town is Curry's! (And don't feel I'd trust their advice!) I like the feel of…
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Avis car booked through BA holidays package not available
Back in late September I arrived in Alicante quite late as our flight had been delayed, got to the avis desk and was told the only car available in the classi i booked was an automatic. I dont have experience of driving an automatic so I didn't feel comfortable (or safe) and was offered a much larger, manual vehicle at the…
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Have a DIP but its 5x our salary?
Have recently completed a DIP with nationwide whom we currently have a mortgage, They said they will lend us up to £265k, but I make that approx 5x combined salary. I thought 4.5x was max for affordability checks in general? I have double checked our salary figures and they are correct. We have a sizable deposit and a LTV…
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Time to Face The Music
We have decided as a couple that it is time to face the music and start paying down some of our debts. We are lucky that we are both in jobs that pay ok but we have at times been living beyond our means and now it is time to start reining in the spending and making a concerted effort to cut the debt. Moving house last year…
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Claim Form November 2025 Smart Parking via DCB Legal
Hi all, I have been trying to research and it seems @Micky2022 got it right, so I have essentially copied his template in order to get this dealt with (thanks Micky!). I also need help with preparing a defence for a County Court Claim Form I've recently received from HMCTS regarding a parking charge. I’ve read through the…
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Warm jumper for old bloke - where to buy online?
I'm pushing 80, I feel the cold something chronic now and I'm in need of a proper warm jumper or cardi. Problem is, there's never anything like in the local charity shops, and I can't get to go shopping in the nearest big town. And wherever I look online, all the jumpers seem to be thin things for limp young fellers to go…
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£2 Savers Club 2026
Welcome everyone to the £2 savers club for 2026. As always, the aim is to collect every £2 coin you can lay your hands on! It is entirely up to you whether you want to: A) Save for a particular reason e.g. to pay the car insurance, to pay for a family holiday or to buy birthday presents throughout the year, B)Save until…
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New Capita-run Civil Service Pension Scheme - problems (what a surprise!)
So, Capita have taken over the admin for the CSPS and their new website and members portal went live this week. I have just registered on the new portal and am not in the least bit surprised to find that the information available on the new portal is very scant and incorrect in terms of my length of service. With…
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Airtime Rewards – get money off your phone bill via minimal effort cashback app
Have you tried Airtime Rewards, the cashback app that links to your payment card? MSE first wrote about it back in 2019 when it was relatively new. With phone bills rising for many, MSE Laura B has revisited the topic. You can read the guide here: Airtime Rewards: Get money off your phone bill via minimal effort cashback…
