If this was a 'true' and 'honest' moneysaving website then....

JDMYOFAN · 3 March 2008 at 2:28PM

Surely when Martin posts information such as:

"12 Months 0% Balance Transfer with the MBNA Platinum*" which we all know the * links to the MBNA Site, which then leads to a £8 commission MSE receive for every sucessful applicant..

I've seen it a LOT recently, where if MSE really did want people to make the most of their money, why on earth don't they state: "APPLY VIA QUIDCO AND GET £8 CASHBACK"

Now I like MSE as it has saved me some serious money, but this surely contrasts what the website is set-up for?

Greed is every persons downfall.

frivolous_fay · 3 March 2008 at 3:21PM

Perhaps one for the suggestions forum?

Grass_Stained_Feet · 3 March 2008 at 3:28PM

To be honest, if this happens every now and then, so be it. They have to make their money somehow. The whole site is full of amazing free advice. Now you want an extra £8 for their troubles?

*Sigh*

[Deleted User] · 3 March 2008 at 3:30PM

Martin has to get mega-rich somehow...

Think about it this way, Martin Lewis provides a service (money saving advice) and we, the readers of the site pay him by clicking his referral links

jinky67 · 3 March 2008 at 3:31PM

If it bothers you that much .....
nobody is forcing you to click on these links are they?

Edinburghlass_2 · 3 March 2008 at 3:37PM

nj106 wrote: »

Surely when Martin posts information such as:

"12 Months 0% Balance Transfer with the MBNA Platinum*" which we all know the * links to the MBNA Site, which then leads to a £8 commission MSE receive for every sucessful applicant..

I've seen it a LOT recently, where if MSE really did want people to make the most of their money, why on earth don't they state: "APPLY VIA QUIDCO AND GET £8 CASHBACK"

Now I like MSE as it has saved me some serious money, but this surely contrasts what the website is set-up for?

Greed is every persons downfall.

You missed out the piece at the bottom of every article and from the Balance Transfer on CC's you'll find this.

LINKS THAT HELP THIS SITE (all have a * in above article)
(this has no impact on product or recommendation - see explanation below)

Citibank, Barclaycard 6.3% for Life, Virgin, Egg, Capital One, MoneySupermarket, MBNA, HSBC

Explanation (of * links)

How this site is funded. Two types of contacts are listed. The first, which all have a * within the main body of the articles, help MoneySavingExpert.com stay ad-free and free to use, as they're ‘affiliated links' which invisibly take you usually via affiliate linkage or commercial money sites, which then pay this site. The second type doesn't help and therefore doesn't have a *. You shouldn't notice any difference, the links don't impact the product at all and the editorial line (the things I write) is NEVER impacted by the revenue. If it isn't possible to get an affiliate link for the best product, it is still recommended and still included in exactly the same way. For more details read how this site is financed.

LINKS THAT DON'T HELP THIS SITE
(please only use if necessary)

No * Link Available:Citibank, Abbey, Ulster Bank, Find a lender, Alliance & Leicester , Capital One Balance Transfer Card, Tesco

The click through links help keep MSE ad-free, run the forums (at no cost to the users) and gift an inordinate amount of money to charity so its hardly greed

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/site/moneysavingexpert-finance

misspixierocktastic · 3 March 2008 at 3:40PM

I think that compared to the tonne of information here its really a relatively small thing to have a gripe about :rolleyes:

jessicamb · 3 March 2008 at 7:21PM

MOVING THREADS FOR BETTER RESPONSES

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

MSE_Martin · 3 March 2008 at 9:42PM

Thank you for the 'politely' asked question; its always a lovely feeling to be called dishonest.

This site links to cashback sites all over the place; find me another financial information site that does in the same way?

Yet let me answer.

This site has informed more people about cashback sites than any other. It wouldn't surprise me if the majority of users got to quidco because of this site. We've also developed the free cashback sties maximiser to help people on it. I don't hide cashback I champion it.

Where cashback is substantial its part of the strategy. Where cashback is a substantial issue its included in detail in the article - see car insurance, home insurance, gym loophole and various others.

Getting people the right products is the reality. My priority in many articles, especially the debt ones, is giving people the right information and helping them get the right cards. The last thing i want is people going for crap cards for the sake of a few quid at quidco - when it'll cost them a fortune for bad card choice.

The site lists things in priority order regardless of the * links and that's the key to it. If I start adding this element in - it'd drive people away in droves; you'd be surprised how few people go for the cashback even where its pushed to high heaven.

Plus, many financial techniques are confusing enough without this and those people who are new (a continually very substantive number) find it difficult enough to know what to do without adding an explanation of cashback sites what and where to do them at each and every turn. We constantly try and make things easier for people to act on; not more confusing.

Cashback regulars know to check for cashback. Yet it's still my intent to educate people about it. Hence the major articles, and the cashback checker. Once people understand cashback, they know they can get it and are urged to try it once they've found the best products. I do not intend to clutter the site up by putting an alternative cashback site link everywhere.

Of course these links do pay for the site, pay for the team, the servers, the tools, the research, give money to charity and earn me good money too of course. Yet I've never let the finances drive what's done.

I make the decisions as to when we do include cashback sites and when we don't; yet when i do include it - it is deliberately done that the cashback tail doesn't wag the best product dog.

I'm sorry you dont like the policy. I make the decision as I feel it works best for the site and its users.

Martin

PS next time why not ask a quesiton rather than an accusation

jinky67 · 3 March 2008 at 9:45PM

well said that man!

Timmne · 4 March 2008 at 9:19AM

I think it's a case of greed, really - and also how the world works at the minute, wanting everything for nothing.

The OP has this amazing site at hand, for free and with many hundreds of thousands of people online to share ideas with and get advice from - all without paying for it.

If you check the OP's signature, he/she actually thanks MSE for the ~£650 savings/earnings (plus recurring stoozing money) made because of this site's information, yet that still isn't good enough!

If this was a 'true' and 'honest' moneysaving website then....

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