James Flanders

I have bylines across a variety of local and national publications which highlight my skills as both a reporter and commentator. I am available for commissions so get in touch.

MoneySavingExpert.com •

Spain, Switzerland and Israel refund rights explained amid Covid-19 travel shake-up

The changes come as drastic measures are taken to mitigate the spread of a new 'Omicron' coronavirus variant. In the UK, the Government has also announced it is bringing back 'day two' PCR tests and that all travellers to the UK will also need to self isolate until they have a negative PCR test result. These changes are expected to come into force tomorrow (30 November), although that has yet to be confirmed.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Martin Lewis: A year of being debt-free is far more important than a Christmas splurge

Martin: Accept that you may not be able to afford that 'lust list' and be honest with those around you In response to an audience member, who asked Martin if it's wise to spend above their means through credit cards and buy-now pay-later products this winter, Martin said: "The mistake many people make on limited budgets about Christmas is they have a lust list - but accept you can't meet this list."
MoneySavingExpert.com •

PayPoint shakes-up practices and hands £12.5m to energy charities following four-year investigation into market abuse

Households with prepayment meters can top-up their credit, to put towards gas and electricity, either in person at one of 28,000 PayPoint retail outlets across the UK or remotely using a website or mobile phone. PayPoint then transfers these payments to the relevant energy supplier in exchange for a transaction fee. Retailers selling PayPoint credit are also paid a commission on transactions.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Families with disabled children set to be allowed to withdraw £2,500 from Child Trust Funds and Juniors ISAs without the need for court approval

Tens of thousands of children who are disabled have been left unable to access funds because of overcomplicated rules that have made it disproportionately costly and time consuming for parents and guardians to gain access to savings, particularly smaller amounts. Under current rules, those responsible for children who do not have the mental capacity to manage their own money must apply to the court to gain access to funds.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Martin Lewis: Switch your default Visa credit card on Amazon now and get up to £20 back

If your Visa credit card is your default method of payment on Amazon, you can get Amazon to pay you On the back of news that Amazon will stop accepting UK-issued Visa credit cards in January 2022, Martin explains how you can claim up to £20 as a result. In last night's The Martin Lewis Money Show Live, he said: "If Visa credit is your default method of payment at the moment, there's a way to get Amazon to pay you.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Welsh households on Universal Credit and other benefits to get £100 towards energy bills

Jane Hutt, the Welsh minister for social justice, says £38 million will be made available through a new 'Winter Fuel Support Scheme', which despite its name, is separate to the existing 'Winter Fuel Payments' scheme for those over the state pension age. Under the new initiative, eligible households will get a one-off £100 cash payment to put towards the cost of heating their homes.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Martin Lewis: Premium Bonds can beat easy-access savings, but you'll be better off fixing if you can

Premium Bonds may beat easy-access accounts for savings over £4,000 - but don't expect to earn the headline 1% rate NS&I Premium Bonds are a savings account you can put money into (and take out when you want), where the effective interest paid is decided by a monthly prize draw. You buy £1 bonds and each has an equal chance of winning, so the more you buy, the more your chances improve. See our Premium Bonds guide for full details.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Ampoweruk, Bluegreen Energy, Omni Energy and Zebra Power cease trading – here's what it means for your gas and electricity

Households supplied by Ampoweruk (600 customers), Bluegreen Energy (5,900 customers), Omni Energy (6,000 customers) and Zebra Power (14,800 customers) will be transferred to a yet-to-be-announced new supplier. In the meantime, your supply will continue as normal and energy regulator Ofgem says any credit balances will be protected. Ofgem will now start the process of choosing a new supplier to take on the firms' customers.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Household energy price cap to be reviewed as gas and electricity prices soar

Ofgem wouldn't comment on what impact its review could have on the price cap - it would only say that its aim is to "ensure it appropriately reflects the costs, risks and uncertainties facing suppliers". Since September, 13 suppliers have gone out of business as wholesale price soar. A consultation will be published in November with a final decision expected in February 2022 ahead of April's new cap taking force.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Amazon trade-in: UK customers can now get vouchers for their used smartphones and consoles

We take a look at how the new service, which launched this week, works and how it compares to other trade-in sites. In the meantime, if you're planning to buy something from Amazon, check out our 30+ Amazon buying tricks, including short-lived codes, a free delivery loophole and how to share Prime. You can also take a look at our Amazon deals page for discounts on Kindle books, Prime and more.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Autumn Budget 2021: Cuts announced to alcohol and air passenger duties, while the levy on fuel is frozen for the 12th year in a row

Delivering today's Autumn Budget to the House of Commons, Mr Sunak announced plans to simplify alcohol duties by reducing the number of different duties on alcohol from 15 to six. He said beverages will be taxed according to their alcohol content. "The stronger the drink, the higher the rate," he told MPs. The rumoured 2.84p hike to fuel duty was also scrapped, with the Chancellor announcing that fuel duty will remain at 57.95p.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Autumn Budget 2021: From minimum wage increases to fuel duty freezes - here's a full round-up of the big announcements

Below is a round-up of all the big announcements, as well as links to detailed stories on the main policy changes. For more Budget news, keep an eye on MSE News. Millions of workers on Universal Credit will get a cash boost by 1 December, Mr Sunak has announced. The taper rate, which is the amount Universal Credit payments are reduced by when you're in work, will fall from 63% to 55%. This means for every £1 you earn your Universal Credit payments will be docked by 55p per £1 instead of 63p.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

UK petrol prices hit all time highs as the price of oil more than doubles in a year

According to the RAC, the price of unleaded has increased by 28p a litre since October 2020 when it was 114.5p. This has added £15 to the cost of filling up a 55-litre family car, which is now £78.61 instead of £63. The motoring organisation says the rise is partly due to an increase in the price of oil, which has more than doubled over the past year. This time last year a barrel of oil cost $40. It now costs $85.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Fully vaccinated travellers to England and Wales can save £20 using day two lateral flows tests that will shortly replace PCR tests

From 4am on Sunday 24 October, fully vaccinated travellers entering England from non-red list destinations will be able to take a day two lateral flow test instead of a more expensive PCR test. The same policy will go live in Wales the following Sunday, 31 October. The idea is to make it cheaper and easier for families to go abroad during October half-term.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Martin Lewis: Avoid pressure to switch to a new fixed energy deal once your current one ends

The clear message to viewers whose fixed-rate energy tariffs are about to come to an end is not to act and to instead simply get moved onto cheaper variable tariffs. MoneySaver Norman wrote into the show and asked whether or not to accept a new energy fix when his current tariff expires. His fixed price deal comes to an end on 31 October and the company had suggested two new fixed price tariffs: one was £400/yr more expensive and the other, which is a green energy deal, was £700/yr dearer.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Lloyds to shut 41 branches and Halifax to close seven - here's a full list of the impacted sites

You can still bank online or use Post Office services if your branch is closing. Lloyds Banking Group says affected customers will still have a choice in how they bank, with options including telephone banking, online and mobile banking, as well as its mortgage video appointment services. If you're new to online banking or unsure how to use it, both Lloyds and Halifax offer step by step guides on how to register and log on, plus information on how to make payments and review transactions.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

State pension to increase by 3.1% next April giving some retirees an extra £5.55/wk

In recent years, increases to the state pension have been based on the so-called 'triple lock', which guarantees payments will rise in line with the larger of either September's Consumer Prices Index (CPI) measure of inflation as announced in October, wage growth, or 2.5%. However, it was announced earlier this year that the triple lock will be suspended next April following a sharp increase in earnings after the Covid-19 pandemic. Instead, payments will now be based on the double lock of 2.5%
MoneySavingExpert.com •

Beware using Klarna's new 'pay now' service – you will lose vital Section 75 protection

You can't complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service about Klarna's pay now service Those using Klarna's new pay now service – or its other short-term loan products – also can't complain to independent complaints arbitrator the Financial Ombudsman Service. This means your only option if you have a gripe – and you don't want to take it to court – is to complain via Klarna's website. It says it aims to resolve complaints within four weeks.
MoneySavingExpert.com •

GOTO Energy Limited stops trading - here's what it means for your gas and electricity

Households supplied by GOTO Energy will be transferred to a yet-to-be-announced new supplier. In the meantime, your supply will continue as normal and energy regulator Ofgem says any credit balances will be protected. Ofgem will now start the process of choosing a new supplier to take on the firm's customers. Once appointed, you'll be contacted about transferring your account over, and be told what happens next.
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