The formal offer, from a private equity consortium made up of a range of firms including CVC Capital, Nordic Capital, and a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, was made to the board of Hargreaves Lansdown. 

The offer puts the total value of the business at £5.4 billion, and will take it out of the London Stock Exchange. The board at Hargreaves Lansdown rejected three previous bids before recommending to shareholders to accept this offer.

Here, Which? digs into the deal, and finds out what it might mean for you.

Why is Hargreaves Lansdown being sold?

It also champions increasingly unpopular active funds which leaves it missing out on investors looking primarily for tracker funds, though in recent months it launched its first passive fund portfolios.

But, for all of its troubles, Hargreaves Lansdown has by far the largest number of customers of any investment platform. And according to our January 2024 survey, those customers are impressed with what it has to offer - fees notwithstanding.

It had dropped out of the FTSE 100 earlier this year, though it re-joined the index as its share price climbed after the bid was announced.

So while its share price has dropped from highs of over £22 in 2019 to lows of under £7 in 2024, it's still a compelling investment in the private equity sector who see the value in the amount of customer assets held on the platform.

What will happen to Hargreaves Lansdown customers?

New owners can spell change for any establishment - whether it's your local pub or the biggest retail investment platform in the country.

These platforms have all undergone some kind of change since being bought out - whether that's changes to fees, or rebranding the website.

But, plenty of platforms whose ownership has stayed the same have implemented pricing or functional changes, so it's not a simple cause and effect.

So far, the consortium behind the offer has given no details on how they want to run things.

What will happen to investments in Hargreaves Lansdown?

Once it goes private, you will no longer be able to buy shares in Hargreaves Lansdown.

If you are currently invested directly in shares of Hargreaves Lansdown, you’ll likely see your shares turned automatically into cash when the takeover is complete.

The offer price of 1140p per share will be translated into whatever stake you have. Investors with large enough stakes can convert their shares into private equity.

But, investments in private un-listed companies are a lot riskier than investing in public shares, and cannot be held in an Isa.

What happens to funds invested in Hargreaves Lansdown?

Several popular Lindsell Train funds and investment trusts - like the WS Lindsell Train UK Equity fund which manages £3.3 billion - have backed Hargreaves Lansdown, meaning the fund manager is the second largest shareholder in the company with a 13% stake, behind only co-founder Peter Hargreaves.

Nick Train, who manages the funds, will vote on the offer on behalf of investors in the fund, and rebalance the cash made from the deal into other investments if he does accept.

Other asset managers like BlackRock, Baillie Gifford and Vanguard own 2-6% each and will similarly vote in the interest of their fund investors.

Investors in tracker funds following the FTSE 100 will also have small portions of their money invested in Hargreaves Lansdown. 

The managers of the funds will be able to re-allocate the money invested elsewhere without you having to do anything about it.

This episode is hosted by Lucia Ariano, alongside Which? Senior Writer Grace Witherden & Jo Rhodes, a Senior Researcher at Which? Travel.

What is the Which? Money podcast?

The Which? Money podcast offers weekly advice to help you get on top of your bills and tackles the issues hitting your pocket, from spiralling energy costs to your weekly food shop.

How to listen to the Which? Money podcast

We’ll bring you new episodes of the Which? Money podcast each Friday, with the podcast also available wherever you usually listen.

You can also save more by switching to supermarket own-brand aperitivos.

We've done the homework for you to find out where's best to buy Aperol, and how supermarket own-brands compare on price.

Cheapest place to buy Aperol

This is slightly more expensive than 2023, where a 70cl bottle was typically £16 (£22.86 per litre) and a one-litre bottle was around £21.

However, Aperol is frequently on offer over the summer months, so it's worth keeping an eye out for deals at supermarkets and online. 

We've rounded up the best current deals below. These are the prices you should aim for to get the best value.

Best Aperol offers

In most cases, buying the bigger one-litre bottle will save you money, but at £10 Amazon's price on the 70cl bottle is the best value.

Aperol vs supermarket own-labels: can you save by switching?

In short, yes. If you want to save even more, switching to an own-brand alternative is the way to go.

The line-up changes each year, so you won't always find alternatives at your supermarket. For example Sainsbury's and M&S have brought out versions in the past, but neither has one this year.

You can compare prices of currently available supermarket alternatives below. They're typically another £5 cheaper than the best offer price on branded Aperol.

While we haven't taste-tested these products in 2024, in previous years we've found some supermarket alternatives scored well in a blind taste test vs the leading brand so they're worth a try if you're looking to cut costs.

How to make an Aperol Spritz

An Aperol Spritz has three main ingredients - Aperol, prosecco and soda water. 

Soda water is a type of carbonated water with small amounts of sodium or potassium bicarbonate added. This gives it a slightly saltier taste than standard sparkling water, and makes it a good addition to cocktails. If you can't get hold of any, you can substitute normal sparkling water instead.

How to make a low-alcohol Aperol Spritz

Aperol has an alcohol content of 11% ABV, and prosecco is similar.

You can also opt for an alcohol-free or low-alcohol aperitif, such as:

The Equity Release Council (ERC), which published the figures, says that these penalty-free repayments will save customers a total of almost £169m in borrowing costs over the next 20 years.

Here, Which? explains how voluntary repayments work, how much they can save you, and how to weigh up if equity release is right for you.

How do equity release voluntary repayments work?

Unlike ordinary mortgages, lifetime mortgages don't require you to make any monthly repayments.  

Instead, interest is rolled up and added to the loan each month. This increases the amount that will ultimately be owed. But by making voluntary penalty-free repayments, you can reduce your total borrowing costs. 

Lenders that meet these standards will typically allow you to repay 8%-15% of the initial loan each year without penalty. 

How much can you save by making voluntary repayments?

By making regular £100 monthly repayments, the customer would save almost £17,000 over a decade in total borrowing costs, and almost £50,000 over 20 years. Those savings increase to nearly £34,000 and £99,000 with a regular £200 monthly repayment.

These examples assume an interest rate of 6.57% - the average rate for new customers in the second half of 2023.

Jim Boyd, CEO of the Equity Release Council, said: ‘Small repayment habits add up to significant savings over time. Voluntary repayments make it possible for customers to access property wealth in the here-and-now while increasing the chances of preserving something to leave behind as a traditional inheritance.’

Pros and cons of equity release

The amount you can borrow via equity release depends on your age and how much your home is worth. You'll need to be at least 55, but the older you are, the more you can borrow. The maximum you can borrow is around 55%.

Equity release can prove useful if you have value tied up in your property but are worried about having enough to live on in retirement or to cover care costs. 

Borrowing in this way does come with potential downsides. Not making any repayments on your loan will mean you end up paying far more than you’ve borrowed due to the compounding of interest. This could mean the value of your property is wiped out entirely.

Using equity release will most likely reduce the size of your estate and the amount you can leave behind for loved ones, as the lender is repaid before the rest is divided among beneficiaries. For this reason, it's a good idea to discuss with your family first. 

How to arrange equity release

You'll first need to take regulated advice from a qualified equity release adviser. This is a requirement of the Financial Conduct Authority.

Your chosen adviser should hold one of the following approved qualifications:

An adviser who isn't restricted to recommending products from just one or two firms is the preferable option.

Brokers of equity release products such as HUB Financial Solutions, Age Partnership and Key Later Life Finance can look across the whole of the market to find the product that meets your specific requirements.

Which? Limited is registered in England and Wales to 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF, company number 00677665  and is an Introducer Appointed Representative (FRN 610689) of the following:

1. Inspop.com Ltd for the introduction of non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635). Inspop.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635) and is registered in England and Wales to Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, South Wales, CF10 3AL, company number 03857130. Confused.com is a trading name of Inspop.com Ltd. 

2. LifeSearch Partners Limited (FRN656479), for the introduction of Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the FCA to provide advice and arrange Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance Contracts.  LifeSearch Partners Ltd is registered in England and Wales to 3000a Parkway, Whiteley, Hampshire, PO15 7FX, company number 03412386.

3. HUB Financial Solutions, for the introduction of equity release advice, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) to provide advice and guidance on financial products for those who have retired or are approaching retirement (FCA Firm Reference Number: 455713). HUB Financial Solutions is registered in England and Wales to Enterprise House, Bancroft Road, Reigate, Surrey RH12 7RP, company number 05125701.

4. Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers Ltd (FRN 301), for the introduction of non-investment landlord insurances, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide advice and arrange insurance contracts. Alan Boswell insurance brokers Ltd is registered in England at Prospect House, Rouen Rd, Norwich NR1 1RE, company number 02591252.

Other financial services:

Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), Unit 26 (2.06), Newark Works, 2 Foundry Lane, Bath BA2 3GZ. London & Country are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

We do not make, nor do we seek to make, any recommendations or personalised advice on financial products or services that are regulated by the FCA, as we’re not regulated or authorised by the FCA to advise you in this way. In some cases, however, we have included links to regulated brands or providers with whom we have a commercial relationship and, if you choose to, you can buy a product from our commercial partners. 

If you go ahead and buy a product using our link, we will receive a commission to help fund our not-for-profit mission and our campaigns work as a champion for the UK consumer. Please note that a link alone does not constitute an endorsement by Which?.

There's now somewhere special to eat in every part of the coastline - from St Andrews in Scotland to Fowey in Cornwall. A total of 21 seaside towns got impressive, four star ratings for food and drink in our latest survey.

South East and Southern England have five of the highest-rated seaside towns for food, South West England four, Wales three, Scotland, East England, and North East England two each, and Yorkshire, North West England, and Northern Ireland one each.

See below to find out more about the best seaside town for food near you.

The 21 seaside towns that get four stars for food and drink 

The best seaside towns for food in South East England

Rye in Sussex is the best coastal town for food in South East England.

It’s also the only ‘seaside' town in our survey that doesn’t actually have a seafront. Although the sea once reached Rye, this medieval town is now two miles inland. 

This doesn’t stop it from being a great place for seafood, with Rye Bay Scallop Week a big attraction from 22 February next year. Charming tea shops and the excellent George Hotel on the High Street serve local dishes such as line-caught seabass and its rich, creamy fish stew.

Elsewhere on the South coast Deal and Whitstable in Kent; Lymington, Hampshire; and Brighton in East Sussex also rated highly.

The best seaside towns for food in South West England

Dartmouth in South Devon is the best place to go for a meal in South West England.

This isn’t just because of its high-end restaurants, such as The Angel on the waterfront with its acclaimed £95 tasting menu or Italian-influenced fish restaurant Seahorse, but also because of the setting.

Many of its best places to eat or drink look out over the estuary or across the beautiful Devon countryside. Dartmouth gets a destination score of 79% and five stars for scenery and seafront.

Lyme Regis in Dorset is also excellent, as is Fowey in Cornwall and, unsurprisingly, Padstow, which chef Rick Stein helped popularise with his four restaurants.

The best seaside towns for food in Wales

St David’s has an impressive reputation for food - considering it’s one of the UK’s smallest cities, with a population of just 1,751.

A small part of that is probably due to the popular Welshcakes (traditional, sweet bread) on sale at MamGu - which is based in the ruins of St Mary’s Chapel - part of the cathedral.

The terrace of The Bishops pub is one of the best places to admire the cathedral. It serves local beers and has a menu that includes Moules Mariniere, fish pie, and pub classics.

One of the great, traditional seaside towns, Llandudno, also gets four stars for food and drink, as does Aberaeron on the Ceredigion coast.

The best seaside towns for food in Scotland

St Andrews is one of the UK’s best seaside towns, with five stars for beaches, seafront and tourist attractions and four stars for food.

Local favourites include The Grange Inn, a 17th-century farmhouse with superb views, and The Seafood Ristorante – where you can feast on hand-dived scallops while seated in a glass box that juts out over the shorefront.

North Berwick in East Lothian is also highly rated.

The best seaside towns for food in the North East

Tynemouth is another town where food is just one of its attractions - the beach, the seafront and the scenery all get five stars.

Riley’s Fish Shack on the beach has long lured some of London’s big-name food critics to the North East to be wowed by the fish caught fresh this morning. It’s since opened an equally popular fish shop and restaurant in town.

Amble, a little further south, is another place that’s on the up and is highly rated for food and drink.

The best seaside towns for food in East England

With a brewery at its heart and a reputation for great fish it’s no surprise that Southwold in Suffolk scored four stars for food and drink. Adnams Brewery has been here since 1876, and its presence is felt everywhere: from the hoppy smell on the sea breeze to its historic hotels (The Crown and The Swan). 

You can buy the catch of the day from the Sole Bay Fish Company shack overlooking the harbour. For picnics on the Blue Flag beach, stock up on sourdough, pies and sweet treats at Two Magpies Bakery and Black Olive Delicatessen. 

A short drive down the coast, Aldeburgh also scored highly for food and drink.

The best seaside town for food in Yorkshire

Yorkshire has long claimed the country’s best fish and chips and Whitby is one of the best places to go to test that claim. The Magpie Café, right on the waterfront, has been serving up its chips fried in dripping for more than 80 years.

Another local delicacy is smoked kippers from the Fortune’s smokehouse in the centre of town.

The best seaside town for food in North West England

The North West isn’t well represented in our list of the best seaside towns, but Lytham St Annes, just a few miles down the coast from Blackpool, gets plaudits for its food and drink.

Zen Restaurant - which specialises in Chinese and Thai food - was named the country’s best East Asian restaurant in the Food Awards last year. 

Unlike Blackpool, Lytham also gets four stars for peace and quiet.

The best seaside town for food in Northern Ireland

The biggest attraction in Northern Ireland’s best seaside town, Portstewart, is its sweeping, two-mile stretch of sand, backing on to ancient dunes — but the food has an increasingly impressive reputation, too. The dunes are also home to Harry’s Shack, which serves celebrated seafood. 

 Head towards the Victorian pier, and you can stop off at Morelli’s café for award-winning ice cream or waffles.

The UK’s best and worst seaside towns

 Three towns in our survey received just one star for food and drink and did poorly on most other measures.

How to book your seaside town hotel

However, it's not necessarily the cheapest way to book. We've found that it's usually cheaper to look on a range of booking sites, as well as the hotel's own website, then phone up the hotel to see if it can match the cheapest deal you've found.

We analysed millions of fares throughout the year from Skyscanner, across all airlines and 20 Spanish airports. 

At £98 return, Santiago de Compostela is nearly half the price of the most expensive Spanish destination, Tenerife.

Which is the cheapest Spanish holiday destination – Alicante, Barcelona, Malaga, the Balearics or the Canaries?

Barcelona is the cheapest of the popular holiday towns. Return flights average £108 compared with £115 for Malaga, £134 for Alicante, £169 for Gran Canaria and £173 for Ibiza.

When’s the cheapest month to fly to Spain?

Our comparison focused on average prices across the year, but for some destinations you could save hundreds by avoiding an August flight. It’s £222 cheaper to fly to Gran Canaria in January than August, despite January still having average high temperatures of 20°C and seven hours of sunshine.

If you’re after great food and scenery rather than hot sunshine, you can fly to the Costa Brava airport Girona for just £30 return in February.

For other destinations it’s Christmas that sees flights rocket. Flights to A Coruña in Galicia are only £60 on average in November but shoot up to £265 in December. It’s £99 to visit Ibiza in February, but £291 in December. Many early December flights to Spain are cheap – and it’s specifically the Christmas period when airfares soar.

Spanish cities with the cheapest flights from the UK 

Average prices provided by Skyscanner, based on bookings made for return economy flights from London in 2023.

How to save on flights to Spain

It’s important to remember that the prices above don’t include luggage or seat selection. Some airlines, such as easyJet and Ryanair, charge extra to put cabin luggage in the overhead locker.

To get to grips with Excel is to be able to manipulate numbers effortlessly, carry out complex calculations and produce charts that get across a message that a column of figures couldn't.

Below, we’ve rounded up some handy Excel tips, plus details that should be useful in Google Sheets. The two apps follow similar principles, but you might find that menu options or icons are in different places in Google’s Sheets app.

Quick tips to save time

Adding up numbers

If you want to tot up a column of numbers quickly, there are a couple of ways to do it.

Alternatively, you can just highlight the cells and look at the bottom of the Excel window, where you’ll find an average, total and a readout of how many cells you’ve selected.

Resizing rows

To make the data in all your rows and columns more readable, autofit the cells once you’ve finished writing into them.

Automatically fill in data

Excel can fill in predictable data if you specify how it starts, such as the months of the year–

Select the existing data, then click and hold on the bottom right of the cells. Drag down across all the cells you want to autofill - and helpfully it shows you what the final cell will contain.

Get creative

Conditional formatting

This clever way of changing cell colour allows you to more easily see how the numbers in a cell range relate to each other, such as which is the highest.

Alternating colours

To make a chart easier to read, you can automatically apply alternating colours. This can help differentiate, for example, different rows and make your spreadsheet instantly look smarter.

Data from images

Ever pulled your hair out having seen a picture of a spreadsheet? Excel can analyse the image and extract the data.

Tips for sharing a spreadsheet with others

Get your own view

If you need to play with data but don't want to affect the view of other users, create your own ‘temporary’ view.

Quick graphics

Freeze a column or row

Quick and useful formulas and functions

See which cells are being referenced by a formula

Use CEILING to round up numbers

Merge text strings

Handy keyboard shortcuts

Select a whole row

Paste without formatting

Transpose

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Thanks to spreadsheet experts Mark Allen, Lisa Galliers, Charles Lambert, Jonny Martin, Chris Matthews, Michael Passingham, Adrian Porter and Will Stapley.

Additional reporting by Tom Morgan.

Here, Which? explains what’s happening and what existing Sainsbury's Bank customers need to know.

Which Sainsbury's Bank products are impacted?

Sainsbury’s Bank currently has around 1.9m customers and offers credit cards, loans, savings accounts and Isas, as well as insurance.

The deal will see NatWest acquire £1.4bn of unsecured personal loans, £1.1bn of credit card balances and around £2.6bn of customer deposits from Sainsbury’s Bank.

Customers are expected to transfer to NatWest in the first half of next year, but the deal is still subject to regulatory approval. 

Unlike most takeovers, the seller, Sainsbury's Bank is paying to get the deal over the line. It's reported Sainsbury's Bank will pay £125m to NatWest to take on the bulk of its banking business, but the final price is yet to be decided.

What about other Sainsbury's Bank products?

The deal would not include Sainsbury’s Banks’s commission income business, which includes insurance, ATMs and travel money.

Sainsbury’s Bank said these were ‘capital-light and profitable businesses with a strong connection to Sainsbury’s core retail offer’. 

Currently, Sainsbury’s Bank insurance products are underwritten by a range of providers. For example, its life insurance is underwritten by Legal and General and its pet insurance is underwritten by Pinnacle Insurance plc. 

Sainsbury’s Bank arranges the policy with the insurer and charges a set-up fee. It also takes commission from the total annual premium and any additional products taken out. 

Argos Financial Services is also not included in the takeover. Sainsbury’s said its plans for this business would be provided at a later date.

How will the sale impact Sainsbury’s Bank customers?  

Sainsbury's Bank continues to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, which means any savings up to £85,000 will be protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Sainsbury’s Bank credit card customers continue to be protected by Section 75, meaning purchases between £100-£30,000 have additional protection. It also means if you have any complaints over any of its financial products, you can go to the Financial Ombudsman.

Existing customers are expected to transfer to NatWest in the first half of next year, and NatWest said new customers will be contacted in due course.

Should I switch from Sainsbury's Bank?

For credit card customers, there isn’t a straightforward way to switch your credit card like there is with current accounts. 

If you're looking to switch your savings, again, you would need to close the account and open a new one. You should first check your existing terms and conditions.

Alternatives to Sainsbury's Bank credit cards

Is NatWest a good savings and credit card provider?

In our latest analysis of the best savings providers, NatWest came 26th out of 37 providers with a customer score of 64%. It was just below Sainsbury’s Bank, which came joint 25th. 

When it comes to credit cards, NatWest came joint 12th out of 31 brands in our survey of the best credit card providers in 2024. It received a customer score of 70%. Sainsbury’s Bank meanwhile came 4th, with a customer score of 75%.

This article was first published on 20 June. It was updated on 8 August to add in news about Sainsbury's Bank no longer accepting credit card applications. 

All the products recommended have done well in our rigorous, unbiased testing. Read our reviews to find out more and to see which ones are Best Buys. 

Expert-approved fitness picks

Xiaomi Smart Band 8 Pro

This fitness tracker is more akin to a smartwatch and is useful for gathering data on your workouts, from heartbeat to distance. You can use it regardless of whether you have an Android or iOS phone.

It can track more than 150 types of workouts, and will automatically detect things such as walking, running or cycling. It also has GPS tracking, and it's waterproof up to 5 ATM. However, Xiaomi warns against using it in hot showers or in a post-workout sauna session.

Liforme Travel Yoga Mat

This yoga mat has a very grippy top surface that can help keep you stable while holding several yoga poses. It's also designed to roll up tightly and comes with a yoga mat bag when bought from Liforme, which allows you to carry it on your shoulder. 

It's made with rubber, so it isn't the most lightest mat we tested. It was the thinnest, with 2mm of cushioning, so it may not be the best if you're looking for a mat to do activities or classes where your knees, hips, or wrists need more cushioning.

If you're looking for something more budget-friendly, our expert also recommends the Maximo Yoga Mat. It's significantly cheaper, but some may find the 12mm foam cushioning a bit too much. Others may prefer it for activities such Pilates, where you'll typically want more padding. 

Pulsio Air massage gun

This small and light,massage gun weighs 0.45kg, making it easy to slip into a gym bag or a drawer. It can help you reduce muscle soreness after intense exercises, which we tested for.

It comes with a round ball, fork, bullet and flat attachments to help you target various muscles, and is charged by a USB-C cable.

Shokz OpenRun Pro bone conduction headphones

Bone conduction headphones use vibrations to bypass the ear canal and transmit sound waves to your inner ear through your cheekbone. These are a great choice if you want to listen to music while running, cycling, or exercising in an area where you want to be able to hear your surroundings.

Sadly, we haven't found any cheaper alternatives that we can guarantee are worth your money. Our expert said you'll be hard-pressed to find a decent pair of bone conduction headphones for under £100. 

Original Peloton Bike

This coveted exercise bike is jam-packed with features and remains a popular choice despite being the most expensive bike we've tested. It has 100 resistance levels, and its seat and handlebars are also highly adjustable.

It has a large touchscreen that (if you sign up to a Peloton membership for £39 a month) will show you exercises, scenic routes, and let you stream films, TV shows, live sports and other entertainment while you work out. 

Currently the best deal on the market, the account certainly sounds appealing with providers already starting to slash rates following the Bank of England's recent base rate cut.

But, as with all regular savers, there are caveats to watch out for and the generous headline rate shouldn't be taken at face value.

Here, Which? explains the pros and cons of Virgin Money's account and reveals the other products that could be worth considering.

What does Virgin Money's regular saver offer?

The Regular Saver Exclusive boasts an interest rate of 10.38% AER - five times the current 2% rate of inflation. The rate is fixed until 31 July 2025, with interest paid quarterly.

However, there are a lot of terms you'll need to stick to.

Firstly, the account is only open to customers who've been with Virgin Money since 4 December 2019 or earlier, and those who originally opened a current account with Clydesdale Bank or Yorkshire Bank.

There are also restrictions on how much money you can add to your savings pot. While you don't need a minimum deposit to open the account, and there are no rules around how much you have to invest on a regular basis, the maximum you're allowed to save is just £250 per month.

Provided the restrictions don't put you off, a regular saver can be great if you want to save a relatively small amount each month while getting a decent return on your money. 

Don't take the headline rate at face value

The 10.38% AER interest rate certainly sounds impressive, but you may be disappointed to find your actual returns are much lower. That's because of the way regular saver accounts work in practice.

The limit placed on how much you can pay in each month means you'll only earn interest on relatively small sums of money for most of the year.

For example, if you were to save the maximum £250 a month into this account, the total amount you'd save that year would be £3,000. With a savings rate of 10.38%, you might assume that your money would therefore grow by £326.65 if interest was compounded monthly. (Compounding is when the interest that's paid into your pot accrues interest on itself over time, meaning your savings grow quicker.)

However, with this account, interest is compounded every three months rather than monthly, meaning you’d actually only make around half that amount (£162.40) after 12 months.

On the plus side, this still actually works out marginally better than investing a lump sum into a high-interest fixed-term account. If, for instance, you were to make an initial deposit of £3,000 into the best one-year fixed-term account, which currently pays 5.25%, you'd only earn £161.35 in interest after 12 months.

What are other regular saver accounts offering?

The table below shows the top rates for regular savings accounts:

As you can see, the rate offered by Virgin Money's new regular saver is miles ahead of the competition - over two percentage points more than the next best deal from Principality Building Society. However, Principality is the only provider in the table that doesn't require you to be an existing customer to open a regular saver account.

It's worth knowing that, while the rates on the Virgin Money and First Direct accounts are fixed for a year, Principality Building Society and The Co-operative Bank's regular saver account interest rates are variable. 

This means the bank can change the amount of interest paid whenever it wants - which will often happen following a change to the Bank of England base rate. Given this decreased from 5.25% to 5% last week, rate cuts are expected to slowly trickle through the savings market over the coming weeks. So if you see an account offering a high fixed rate now, it could be well worth considering.

People find they've been charged for subscriptions they didn’t sign up for after trying to download apps on their phones, or scan QR codes in restaurants, pubs, shops, bus stops, stations and car parks. Others notice payments to brands they don't recognise, but don't know where these companies got their card details from.

Here, we look at recent subscription traps reported to Which? and offer our tips to help you use QR codes safely.

‘I was duped by a QR code in a garden centre’

One company that keeps popping up in reports to Which? is called Digotech Ltd. It describes itself as a digital entertainment provider and uses various branded websites including:

We received 15 reports about these brands in the past year, all from people who said they found charges of up to £39.99 per month for unwanted subscriptions.

Patricia got in touch with Which? after her credit card provider, Barclaycard, refused to refund a recurring transaction she says she didn't authorise. 

‘I was duped by an online pop-up when downloading an app in a local garden centre. I used my phone to scan a QR code - you needed the app to order food. I was charged £1 but it said this would be deducted from the food bill. A week later, another £39.99 was taken. I thought online you had more protection.’

Her credit card statement shows that the two payments went to PYD*Chefbe.Club - which has nothing to do with the garden centre - yet Barclaycard initially told her she would not be refunded because she had accepted a free trial and entered into a contract with the company.

How does a QR code subscription work?

It’s impossible to determine exactly how Patricia's QR code subscription happened. 

Other complaints we've seen about Digotech were similar to Patricia's, for example, one person was at a local farm shop and scanned a QR code to enter what he thought was a competition on the farm shop’s website.

He said: ‘I naively filled in all my details including - very stupidly - my bank account numbers as I assumed it was legitimate. I then got a "thank you for subscribing to BeGame" message saying that in five days time I would be debited £39.99 every month! I immediately contacted my bank to stop the card and block any future attempts to debit my account.’

Another was trying to buy a birthday card online yet somehow ended up clicking on a pop-up advert that she thought was connected to the retailer, but linked her to Gamebox.pro instead. 

Several people accused Digotech of making it difficult to cancel these subscriptions, telling us the email confirmations listed no phone numbers and the links to ‘cancel’ didn’t work. 

What does Digotech say?

We put these reports to Digotech and explained that people believe they’ve been scammed because they were charged when trying to access goods or services from companies that have nothing to do with Digotech brands.  

A spokesperson told us it believes complaints are related to the placement of a marketing banner 'potentially causing confusion'. It uses social media and Google Advertising Network to promote its brands. 

'We do not control where or which banners are placed within third-party websites or applications. So whilst we label our marketing clearly with our service name and domain, occasionally consumers click on our advertising banners mistakenly confusing them as being part of the originating application or website.'

‘For the avoidance of doubt, Digotech's websites, payment page and terms and conditions make it extremely clear that we are separate from any third-party service or advertiser, and our payment flow (pricing and terms) is indicated clearly and transparently.’

Digotech said it can also use the transaction information to identify the related application or website, and if necessary, manually block its marketing from being published there.

Getting your money back

Banks report companies if they see a trend in disputed payments among customers, so it's important to contact your card provider if you spot a recurring payment you didn’t authorise. 

It can put a stop to future payments if you are unable to cancel a subscription, though getting a refund for money you’ve already lost can be more difficult, as it may appear to be fully authorised. 

Patricia did get the £39.99 back from Digotech, after we encouraged her to email its bechef.club customer support team and explain that she had never requested its services. But we’re disappointed that Barclaycard didn’t do more to help. 

We think it failed to adequately investigate the disputed transaction, something we see too often in cases of disputed subscriptions and recurring payments, though it has since offered £50 compensation. 

Barclaycard said: ‘Our customer contacted us after unwittingly signing up to a subscription service and noticing their Barclaycard had been charged an unexpected amount. Unfortunately an error was made meaning the initial amount was not refunded as quickly as it should have been. We have since corrected this and apologise for the delay our customer faced.’ 

When you buy a bottle of sunscreen, you have to believe what's written on the bottle because there's no regulator to check what they say. Because of that, we do our own independent tests to keep you in the know.

We bring you new episodes of the Which? Shorts podcast each Wednesday, all hosted by our team of journalists.

Just under a million people are estimated to be living with dementia in the UK, according to Alzheimer's Research UK. That number is predicted to rise to over 1.4 million by 2040.

Nationwide says the new clinics will help more than 100,000 people living with dementia, and they will also be available to those who don't bank with Nationwide.

Here, we explain how the clinics will work and how to book an appointment – and reveal the best and worst banks to use if you have a disability.

What are dementia clinics?

Dementia clinics are specialist free appointments offered in selected Nationwide branches as part of a new initiative run by the building society and the charity Dementia UK. 

Each appointment will last 45 minutes and can be booked by anyone affected by dementia, including family and carers.

All appointments are confidential and will take place in a private space within the branch with a specialist dementia nurse, called an Admiral Nurse. 

Admiral Nurses, developed by Dementia UK, can offer support and advice with the following: 

Each chosen branch will be visited by an Admiral Nurse at least once every three months for a three-day residency between Tuesday and Thursday.

When will appointments be available?

Nationwide is first piloting the clinics across selected branches in Wiltshire before rolling it out nationally from September. 

The first clinics were held on 29 July in Swindon Croft, Devizes and Trowbridge branches. 

Swindon Regent Street, Marlborough and Salisbury branches will follow from 12 August.

Nationwide has not yet confirmed which of its 605 branches will host the clinics, but told Which? more information would follow 'in due course'. 

How to book a dementia clinic appointment

The charity said it will be adding more clinic dates and times around the country on the page soon, so those looking to book are advised to check back on the website if nothing is available.

Appointments can be booked up to 14 days in advance. 

What other support is available for those with dementia?

Anyone living with dementia is entitled to an assessment of their needs by their local authority. This is known as a care needs assessment and should establish what support would help to meet the person's needs. 

After this assessment, the local authority will carry out a financial assessment to decide how much the person will have to pay towards their care, and whether they are eligible for any financial support. 

If you're caring for someone with dementia, you may qualify for carer's allowance if you provide care for over 35 hours a week, and the person you're caring for receives benefits. This is worth £81.90 a week in the 2024-25 tax year. 

Best banks to use if you have a disability

Whether you live with dementia, or another disability, your bank should make services as accessible as possible. 

Banks have a legal obligation under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments for disabled customers. You should never be asked to pay for these. 

In March 2023, Which? asked more than 2,700 disabled people from Which? Connect and the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers to share their experiences of using banking services.

Our research found that more than half of disabled bank customers have struggled to access vital banking services, and security features such as card readers and passwords were difficult for one in five to use. 

First Direct scored five stars for its online banking service and four stars for its mobile banking and telephone banking services. 

Nationwide scored five stars for its online banking service, four stars for its branch and mobile banking services, and three stars for its telephone banking service. 

Accessible banking schemes

The following schemes may help you access banking services more easily if you live with dementia: 

Confidential support markers

All banks can add a discreet note to your account so staff know of your disability when you call or visit a branch. 

NatWest Group lets customers declare their support needs via its free 'Banking my way' service.

Sunflower scheme

A sunflower lanyard, sticker or card lets branch staff know you may need more time or support. 

This is formally recognised at most banks (except Barclays, Metro Bank, NatWest Group, Santander and Virgin Money). AIB in Northern Ireland recognises the Just a Minute (JAM) card instead.

Chip and signature cards

If you have dexterity issues or find it difficult to remember a Pin, these let you use your signature instead, and should provide a stamp.

Cards for carers

These additional debit cards each have their own Pin so carers can shop for you without having your Pin or full access to your bank account. 

Halifax, Lloyds and Starling offer these for free.

They were right to be worried. We believe Dollar, Goldcar, and OK Mobility used sneaky tactics to upsell insurance at the car rental desk despite us showing their desk staff our perfectly adequate excess reimbursement insurance (ERI) — that we’d purchased via a third party before we flew to Spain. 

Upselling isn’t illegal. However, under the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations, it is illegal to use misleading or aggressive practices that are likely to lead customers to make a purchase they wouldn’t have otherwise made. Spain has similar consumer protection legislation to the UK, meaning holidaymakers should be free to hire a car without encountering pressure selling from pushy agents

We believe some of our interactions in Spain matched this description, so we  shared our video footage with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), reporting Goldcar and OK Mobility for what we believe are illegal practices. We also think Dollar’s practices observed in Malaga are likely illegal.

Watch our undercover car hire rental footage

Pushy Goldcar staff strike again

It’s not the first time Which? has caught car rental staff upselling insurance to us that we didn't need.

Staff incentivised to upsell insurance?

Goldcar wasn't the only firm we caught up to no good. Desk staff at Spanish rental OK Mobility in Alicante told us our car wasn’t protected. And in Malaga, Dollar wasn’t much better – we felt under pressure to buy its expensive excess cover.

Staff across the industry employ these pressure tactics to improve their firm’s bottom line and to line their own pockets. An industry insider told us that most companies incentivise staff, paying commission for any extras they convince us to buy. Whether that’s the motive of the staff we encountered in Spain is unclear. 

Pushy hard sell caught on camera

Regardless of whether there was a motive, we felt that staff at all three firms lied and pressured us to buy their insurance.

A Goldcar agent in Malaga told us we had no cover: ‘No protection, nothing … in case of damages, you pay everything.’.

That’s not true. We had a collision damage waiver (CDW) included under Goldcar’s own T&Cs - preventing you from being liable for the full cost of the rental car. Yet being told you’re liable for the whole value of the vehicle would be enough to panic anyone into taking out extra insurance – but it shouldn’t.

In Alicante, Goldcar staff told us that our ERI only covered the other vehicle in case of an accident. Again, it was untrue. Even after we pointed out we could use our ERI to claim costs later, the agent didn’t relent. Apparently, we’d only be able to do so if there was an accident—another false statement.

We had a mixed experience with Dollar. The American car hire company is much less prominent in Spain than the US, and it didn’t have its own branded desk in either Alicante or  Malaga airports. Instead, Hertz staff handled our hire (Dollar is a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings). In Alicante, the pickup was smooth and pressure-free. But in Malaga, we felt misled. Agents claimed our ERI policy ‘isn’t valid’ and that ‘the thing that you bought on the internet is for nothing’. It isn’t for nothing. 

We’d expect the staff operating these counters to know exactly what their hire contracts cover and that CDW and ERI are all that’s needed. We felt that the desk staff we encountered in Spain were trying to mislead us on purpose. 

‘We must’ buy a car hire insurance policy direct

In Alicante airport, we were told by OK Mobility that we didn't have basic insurance with our booking. Even after prompting staff about our CDW, the rental agent told us, ‘Nothing is included’ because we’d booked through a third party, Rentalcars. None of it was true. Rentalcars told us that all European rentals come with CDW as standard.

Even after presenting our ERI, the agent told us: ‘The insurance has to be with the car hire company’ and that ‘only the other car is covered’. We think this was misleading. ERI was enough cover, provided we were happy to pay the excess for any damage and reclaim it later.

When we dithered, it felt like the hard sell got pushier. ‘We must ‘buy one of the two insurance policies’, we were told. In fact, we weren't obliged to purchase anything.

Only later, when we said we needed to go away and think about it, did the agent backpedal, telling us it was our choice. 

In response, OK Mobility told us: ‘We work … to protect fair competition in the marketplace and the free choice of our customers based on the information presented during their interaction with OK Mobility.’

The cost of damages and breakdowns

The Goldcar agent in Malaga told us we’d have to pay for a tow truck and a replacement vehicle if our car broke down. While the basic package didn't cover us if we got into an accident, it would if the car broke down through no fault of our own — it even said so in the leaflet the agent handed our undercover investigator at the desk.

The Dollar representative in Malaga told us we’d be liable for up to €2,400 if anything happened.

The agent also told us that any scratch bigger than 1cm would cost €300-€400, plus €50 administration fee, plus tax. They added: ‘The full cover is always cheaper than minimum damage.’

They continued, ‘It’s only €162 for the total of the period.’ But this is more than what we paid for the car hire itself (€136). When we pointed this out, we were told, ‘This is the broker’s price that you paid. The real price isn’t this price.’ It is the real price, and it includes CDW; anything extra is optional.

OK Mobility told us that any damage costs €760 — even a tiny scratch. Yet the cost to fix a scratch is estimated at €250, according to Which? Recommended Provider broker Zest, which compiled data from 15 car rental providers.

Whether repairing a scratch costs €250 or €760, the cost of damage is why some car rental companies block hefty deposit sums on your credit card if you don’t take their insurance. 

Regarding these findings, OK Mobility told us it ‘clearly explains both the price of the coverage and what exactly it consists of so that customers can freely decide whether or not it is worthwhile for them to hire such limitation of liability’. It added: ‘In 100% of cases, customers are always informed of the cover they are contracting.’

Dollar said: ‘The actions described do not align with our corporate values or policies. Providing outstanding customer service is a top priority for Dollar, and we regularly take steps to ensure all staff adhere to our standards.’

When we put these allegations to Goldcar, it said: ‘The company offers premium cover to provide a seamless process should damage occur.’

It said it introduced a ‘Code of Ethics’ for counter sales and a ‘Guide of Good Sales Practices’ in 2021 and will investigate any instances where a customer believes the service received does not match expectations for a low-cost brand. It added: ‘Employees who breach the code of ethics will be warned and penalised economically.’

Car hire insurance explained

Basic insurance (CDW) is included as standard when you hire a car in Europe. It stops you from being liable for the total cost of the rental car. Instead, you pay towards repairs up to an agreed excess.

To avoid paying the excess, you can either buy a reimbursement policy online or obtain an excess/super collision damage waiver from the car rental company.

You’ll leave a hefty deposit with ERI - usually around £1,200. If you have a bump, the rental company will retain some, or all, of the money, but your insurers should pay you back - provided you report the damage to the car hire company, get a police report, details of involved parties, and, ideally, witnesses, if you get into a scrape. 

If you’re unwilling to do the above or let the firm block £1,200 on your credit card, you’ll need to buy an excess waiver policy directly from the car rental company. But Which? consistently finds that cover offered by car hire companies is riddled with holes, and in a recent analysis, costs up to £183 more per week than specialist insurance bought online. 

Don’t get taken for a ride when you next hire a car

Our latest research examined customer service across nine key sectors to identify those with the lowest standard of support, with companies given a net score for overall satisfaction which subtracted the percentage of dissatisfied respondents from the percentage of satisfied respondents. The scale ranged from -100 to +100. 

The research looked at several aspects of customer service, including time to speak to a representative, variety of contact options, and quality of issue resolution. As part of our Customer Service Counts campaign, we have written to all three of these companies to urge them to improve their services. 

Virgin Media worst for customer service in broadband

Broadband companies performed poorly compared to the top sectors in our survey, achieving an average score of +52. This is a full 21 points lower than the top scorer - financial services, with a score of +72.  

Within the broadband sector, Virgin Media received the lowest rating. It scored just +29 overall, including +18 for time to speak to someone who could help and +38 for how well issues were resolved. It had the lowest score of all the companies we surveyed. 

In total, half of Virgin Media customers (50%) reported having at least one issue with their customer service team. The most common was waiting a long time on the phone to speak to an advisor (51%), followed by being passed between departments without a helpful response (36%) and speaking to unhelpful or dismissive advisors (34%). 

Shockingly, one Virgin Media customer told Which? that over a period of several months, they spent 10 hours trying to get their problem resolved. 

Scottish Power and British Gas worst for customer service in energy

Energy companies also performed poorly in our survey, scoring an average of +51. 

Scottish Power was the worst provider within this sector, with a score of +34. Over half of their customers (55%) experienced at least one customer service issue in the last year. British Gas performed only slightly better, scoring +43 overall, with 50% reporting an issue. 

Both companies have improved their customer services scores since Which? last carried out this research and have told us they are investing in their customer service. But our research shows there is still plenty of room for improvement. The issues reported by customers were similar across the two companies, with the most common being long waits to speak to an advisor - nearly half of Scottish Power (45%) and British Gas (46%) customers who had issues with customer service reported this problem. 

Almost one in five (18%) Scottish Power and British Gas customers said they could not even reach customer services despite continuous attempts. One Scottish Power customer told Which? that they had an unexpected debit of over £1,000 debit on their energy account. Their questions were not answered by customer service and after eight weeks of frustration, they then had to go to the Ombudsman to resolve the issue.

Which? Customer Service Counts campaign

Customer service is in a dire state in vital areas and some companies are routinely failing their customers – leaving them frustrated and stuck in endless loops trying to get help. 

As a result, we have launched our Customer Service Counts campaign, with the aim of holding companies to account and improving customer service provision. 

Since December 2023, Which? has received 4,135 reports of customer service horror stories to its customer service tool describing people’s worst experiences over the last three years. Around 863 of complaints have been about energy suppliers and 1,002 have been about broadband suppliers.

We have written to the CEOs of Virgin Media, Scottish Power and British Gas, calling for all three firms to both make further improvements and clearly communicate with consumers when and how they will make these changes. 

'Virgin Media, Scottish Power and British Gas remained the worst performing broadband and energy firms for customer service. It is never OK for firms to provide sub-standard customer service, but in essential sectors providing vital services millions rely on every day such as energy and broadband, it is completely unacceptable.

'We have written to all three firms about their consistently poor performance in our research. Which? is calling on them to give consumers the customer service they deserve and clearly communicate the steps they are taking to improve.'

What the companies told us

British Gas and Virgin Media responded to our public letters and reaffirmed a commitment to customer service. 

British Gas outlined initiatives already in place which should improve their customer service - we’ll be keeping a close eye on progress to make sure these changes translate to improved customer experience. We've asked for more detail from Virgin Media on exactly how and when promised investments into customer service will be felt by consumers and reflected in our research. 

Unfortunately Scottish Power failed to respond to our letter. We think their customers deserve better, and we’ll continue to demand more until we get honesty and accountability.

What to do if you are struggling with poor customer service

We recognise how frustrating it is to experience issues with your broadband or energy, and how much additional stress is added when it is difficult to get help. 

Depending on the issue, there are several ways you can deal with poor customer service. Possible next steps include: 

So how can you buy products that will last as long as you'd expect? And are there ways to stay safe inside your own home?

This episode is hosted by Harry Kind and Grace Forrell, alongside Which? Principal Researcher Andy Laughlin, and Fiona Dear, Co-Director of the Restart Project.

What is the Which? Get Answers podcast?

The Which? Get Answers podcast is a special mini-series, bringing you free expert advice for life’s everyday questions.

How to listen to the Which? Get Answers podcast

We’ll bring you new episodes every fortnight in the Which? Get Answers podcast feed, available wherever you usually like to listen.

Subscribe using the link below, or go directly to find us in your favourite podcast app.

The available tools fall into three categories: vision, hearing and mobility. If you know where to look, you can adjust your display's colours, activate closed captions for audio content and make use of eye control to steer your mouse pointer.

Keep scrolling for instructions on how to enable and use key accessibility tools on Windows 11.

Each month, we feature one of the most popular questions answered by our Tech Support team.

Question of the month: How can I make Windows 11 more accessible?

'I’ve just bought a new Windows 11 PC for my dad so he can shop and do his banking online. He’s eager to use the computer but has issues with his vision and hearing, as well as arthritis in his hands. How can I make it easier for him to use?'

Our expert says:

Windows 11 contains a host of settings and tools to assist users with visual, auditory and mobility impairments. These features can help everyone to have an independent and trouble-free experience using tech. See below for the details.

Vision accessibility features

Magnifier – for dealing with small text

The Magnifier tool on Windows 11 enlarges parts of your display to make text and images easier to see. You might find it useful if you're reading a news article written in small font, or sifting through your Photos folder to try to find a specific snap.

Colour filters – for help dealing with colour blindness

Colour Filters change the colour palette on-screen to help users with colour blindness or light sensitivity. In changing the filters, the tones on the display become more distinguishable.

High-contrast themes – for making on-screen content clearer

These are designed to improve the readability of your screen by using distinct colours for text and backgrounds. For example, displaying dark backgrounds with white text can often aid users with visual impairments.

Narrator – for navigating Windows

The screen-reading Narrator tool is designed to support blind and partially sighted users. As well as reading blocks of text aloud, it can also describe what's showing on your screen.

Text size – for improved readability

Hearing accessibility features

Live captions – for understanding audio

The Live captions feature on Windows 11 provides a text overlay for audio content, making it easier for users with hearing impairments to follow along.

Mono audio – for hearing all sounds in one channel

The mono audio setting combines your stereo sound channels into one, ensuring that no audio information is missed if you have an impairment affecting one ear. This feature will also come in handy if you're using just one headphone.

Mobility accessibility features

Sticky Keys – for selecting multiple keys simultaneously

Sticky Keys allows users to press keyboard shortcuts one key at a time instead of all at once. The tool can also provide audible notifications when keys are selected.

On-screen keyboard – for typing with your mouse (or touchscreen)

The On-Screen Keyboard found within Windows 11 provides a virtual keyboard on the screen for users who have difficulty using a physical keyboard.

Voice typing – for typing without a keyboard

Microsoft's Voice Typing feature enables speech-to-text, meaning you can type without using a keyboard. However, you'll need an active internet connection and a working microphone to use it – you might already have a microphone built into your computer, but a USB microphone will also work.

Join Which? Tech Support

Which? Tech Support can help you keep on top of your home tech. Our experts explain things clearly so that you can resolve issues and feel more confident using your devices.

The online retailer says the most common scams currently circulating refer to Amazon Prime memberships, including messages claiming the recipient's membership has expired.

Read on to find out about the latest Amazon impersonation scams and how to spot them.

Amazon scam emails

One common Amazon email scam claims you’ve won a Stanley tool set and asks you to complete a survey in order to receive this prize. 

The link in the email leads to a dodgy phishing website which asks for your personal and payment information.

Bizarrely, one version of this email sends recipients to a phishing website impersonating Tesco, where you’re asked for your personal information with the promise of receiving a £100 Tesco gift card.

As we mentioned earlier, Amazon Prime membership scams are also rife.

In one example, the recipient is informed their membership has expired, but that they can extend it for 90 days for £3 under Amazon's 'loyalty program'. 

Again, the links in these emails lead to phishing websites.

Dodgy callers impersonating Amazon

A series of Amazon scam calls are also circulating. 

Social media users have reported receiving calls informing them of unauthorised charges or purchases on their Amazon account.

Another version of this scam involves a caller claiming someone has tried to purchase an iPhone using the recipient's account. The caller then asks the victim to provide information to 'verify' their account.

Finally, we've also had reports of pre-recorded messages informing potential victims that Amazon has taken a payment from their account.

If the recipient stays on the line, they'll be put through to a scammer who will attempt to get their personal and financial information.

Avoiding and reporting Amazon impersonation scams

Amazon says customers can visit the Message Centre on its website or app to see what authentic emails from Amazon look like.

You can verify your Prime membership status, authorise payments or make changes to your billing and account information by logging into your Amazon account.

Scam calls received on a mobile can be reported to the network by texting the word ‘call’ followed by the phone number to 7726 on an iPhone.

On an Android, text the word ‘call’ to 7726. You’ll then receive a message asking you for the scam number.

You can report scam emails by forwarding them to report@phishing.gov.uk.

There are lots of limescale cleaning products in the shops, and tips and tricks on the internet or social media that recommend using cheap household items such as vinegar or Coca-Cola. But do they really work?

Watch our video below to see which method we recommend, or read on for a detailed breakdown of the steps to take, as well as our tips on preventing limescale build-up and saving water.

Six steps to descale a shower head

A quick search online will bring up a million and one ways to descale a shower head. But this is the cheapest and easiest way:

How to prevent limescale build-up in your shower

Whether you live in an area with hard water or not, make sure you wipe down the shower head after use, as drying water droplets can eventually lead to a limescale build-up.

Water softeners can significantly reduce or even eliminate limescale completely. The drawback is the cost, because you have to pay for both the product itself and professional installation. 

There are also several limescale prevention products you can choose from, such as limescale removers and descaler gels. Some can be added directly to the water, others can be used by hand during your regular bathroom clean. 

Another option is to invest in a shower head that's designed to prevent limescale build-up. These are often covered in special materials that make them less prone to limescale accumulation. 

Some types even come with a built-in filter to help remove minerals from the water, self-cleaning mechanisms or mineral beads to soften the water.

Six ways to save water and save money

There are plenty of ways to conserve water use, from small changes you can make to your routine to home improvement fixes:

That's according to new data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), whose figures - based on actual prices paid by drivers - echo recent reports from other indices. Comparison site Go Compare showed premiums had dropped in price by almost 4%, while insurance price experts Consumer Intelligence reported a 1.3% drop in the last quarter. 

Despite the apparent good news, prices are still much higher than 12 months ago. So what's going on?

Here, Which? delves into the cost of car insurance and explains how to pay less.

What's happening to car insurance prices?

The ABI's latest figures show the average car insurance premium now sits at £622, down 2% from £635 in the first three months of 2024. It's the first time the quarterly average premium has fallen in two years, having increased 1% between the final quarter of 2023 and first quarter of 2024.

Published every three months, the ABI's data gives the most accurate picture of the market as it's based on actual prices paid by drivers (as opposed to just quotes), and covers both new customers and those renewing existing policies.

Its most recently published year-on-year analysis found that the average amount paid by drivers in April-June 2024 was 21% higher than in the same quarter last year.

The chart shows how the average cost of a car insurance premium has risen since January 2022:

The ABI isn't the only industry group with an index showing how prices have changed. Comparison sites publish data as well, but their figures only reflect quotes given to customers searching for car insurance.

Consumer Intelligence revealed the price quoted for motor insurance premiums fell 1.3% in the past three months, compared to a 0.5% increase the previous quarter. It is the first quarterly drop the insurance price experts have seen since the last three months of 2021.

Go Compare found the average insurance premium fell 3.8% from £465 in the final three months of last year. Confused.com said premiums in the first quarter of 2024 were £54 cheaper on average than at the end of 2023.

Compare the Market found the average premium declined by £80 month-on-month from April 2024 when it was £930. That's down from a peak of £951 in November 2023.  

But all four indices found prices are significantly higher than they were this time last year.

Consumer Intelligence revealed average overall quoted premiums have risen 122.7% - more than double - since October 2013, when the insurance price experts started collecting this data.

The most recent Go Compare data showed the average policy is now 30% more expensive than last year, increasing from £343 in the first quarter of 2023 to £447 in January to March 2024. 

Similar findings were revealed by Compare the Market's latest report. The comparison site found costs have risen 18% year-on-year. The typical premium stood at £850 in May 2024 after rising by £132 over the previous 12 months.

While quarterly figures from Confused.com showed motorists paid 43% more for car insurance in the first three months of 2024 compared to last year.

How much are young drivers paying for insurance? 

Young people are being particularly squeezed by premium hikes, with the latest data from Compare the Market showing motorists whi want to get behind the wheel at 17 - the minimum legal driving age - pay the most. 

A 17-year-old who has just passed their driving test faces paying an eye-watering £3,075 on average. That's a rise of 53% from last year, when the average insurance quote was £2,004.

The comparison site's research, based on quotes between March 2023 and March 2024, found premiums dropped significantly for drivers who passed their test in their 20s. For example, a 22-year-old who has just passed their test will pay an average of £2,503. That drops to £1,986 for a 27-year-old - 35% less than someone 10 years younger. 

Some drivers paying far above the average

Customers who choose to pay monthly are likely to be paying even higher prices, thanks to the sky-high interest rates charged by insurers.

Drivers who choose to spread payments tend to be younger and/or less wealthy, leading the Financial Conduct Authority's head of insurance to describe insurers' interest rates as 'a tax on being poor'.

Which? is pushing for insurers' interest rates to be compared in a league table and for the regulator to take action against those not providing fair value.

Why is the cost of car insurance still so high?

An easing in claims expenses this quarter helped premium prices drop slightly in the second quarter of 2024, the ABI says. But inflationary pressures over the last 12 months continue to be blamed for the sky-high prices customers are still paying to insure their vehicle.

The ABI's latest quarterly figures show the cost of repairs jumped 28% annually. And while the average cost of theft of a vehicle fell 10% to £12,100 year on year, the average cost of theft from a vehicle - for example, stolen parts - hit a record high of £3,100. 

All of these pressures mean insurers are spending more on claims and costs than they're collecting in premiums. ABI data shows insurers paid out £2.9bn in motor insurance claims in the second three months of 2024, up 18% on the £2.5bn paid during the same quarter last year. 

What impacts premium prices?

Location, age and experience all have an impact on premium prices. 

The younger you are, the higher the cost of insuring a vehicle. That's because drivers who haven't been on the road for long are considered more likely to be involved in a car accident, so providers up their premiums to account for that increased risk.  

Government figures show that, in 2022, around a fifth of all those killed or seriously injured by collisions in cars involved a young driver. Young male car drivers aged 17-24 are four times as likely to be killed or seriously injured compared with all car drivers aged 25 or over. 

The cost of car insurance also drops over time as the driver gains more experience on the road. Compare the Market's latest research found new motorists paid £771 less after a year of driving.

How much could you save by switching?

Confused says loyal customers are facing some of the biggest price increases to their premiums. According to its survey of 2,000 drivers, of those who received their renewal between January and March this year, 75% received a higher renewal price of £94 on average. 

But you can potentially make big savings by shopping around for a better deal. The comparison site found 45% of customers that received a higher renewal quote saved an average of £90 compared to last year simply by switching provider.

A good place to start is by checking out price comparison sites, which allow you to view multiple car insurance quotes at a glance. The main ones for insurance are Compare the Market, Confused.com, GoCompare and MoneySuperMarket. 

Other ways to keep costs down

Here are a few simple ways you can reduce the cost of car insurance:

Which? Limited is registered in England and Wales to 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF, company number 00677665  and is an Introducer Appointed Representative (FRN 610689) of the following:

1. Inspop.com Ltd for the introduction of non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635). Inspop.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635) and is registered in England and Wales to Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, South Wales, CF10 3AL, company number 03857130. Confused.com is a trading name of Inspop.com Ltd. 

2. LifeSearch Partners Limited (FRN656479), for the introduction of Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the FCA to provide advice and arrange Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance Contracts.  LifeSearch Partners Ltd is registered in England and Wales to 3000a Parkway, Whiteley, Hampshire, PO15 7FX, company number 03412386.

3. HUB Financial Solutions, for the introduction of equity release advice, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) to provide advice and guidance on financial products for those who have retired or are approaching retirement (FCA Firm Reference Number: 455713). HUB Financial Solutions is registered in England and Wales to Enterprise House, Bancroft Road, Reigate, Surrey RH12 7RP, company number 05125701.

4. Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers Ltd (FRN 301), for the introduction of non-investment landlord insurances, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide advice and arrange insurance contracts. Alan Boswell insurance brokers Ltd is registered in England at Prospect House, Rouen Rd, Norwich NR1 1RE, company number 02591252.

Other financial services:

Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), Unit 26 (2.06), Newark Works, 2 Foundry Lane, Bath BA2 3GZ. London & Country are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

We do not make, nor do we seek to make, any recommendations or personalised advice on financial products or services that are regulated by the FCA, as we’re not regulated or authorised by the FCA to advise you in this way. In some cases, however, we have included links to regulated brands or providers with whom we have a commercial relationship and, if you choose to, you can buy a product from our commercial partners. 

If you go ahead and buy a product using our link, we will receive a commission to help fund our not-for-profit mission and our campaigns work as a champion for the UK consumer. Please note that a link alone does not constitute an endorsement by Which?.

The comparison site also revealed that of those who did not take out any travel insurance for their adventure holiday, nearly three quarters (72%) said that they didn't think they needed it and were happy to take the risk. 

Without adequate protection, however, you can't claim if something goes wrong. So if you're planning an adventure holiday this summer, this is what you need to know to find the right policy for you.

What insurance do you need for adventure holidays?

An 'adventure holiday' typically refers to a trip than involves any exciting experience or activity that has a higher level of risk. Sports such as skiing, surfing, scuba diving, bungee jumping, skydiving, and even horse riding all count as risky pastimes.

Although cover for these activities can sometimes be included in more expensive higher-level policies, it's usually bought as an add-on to your basic travel insurance. There is no 'one-size-fits-all' package available, however, so you will need to check the small print carefully to make sure your white-knuckle experience is actually included. 

If it's not, or if you decide to do something you're not covered for while already on holiday, you could end up paying the price later.

Compare the Market's survey found one in three (34%) travellers did not opt for specific cover because they spontaneously decided to take part in an adventure sport or higher-risk activities while on holiday and could not change their policy. 

Yet one in 10 (10%) of those who selected a policy which provided coverage for adventure sports and higher-risk activities had to make a claim on their policy, worth an average of £2,800. Although the cost can easily run to tens of thousands of pounds if you're hospitalised.  

What cover is included?

Once you've taken out your adventure travel insurance, the policy will typically cover you for the following:

What aren't you covered for?

Even with the most comprehensive adventure travel insurance policy, there will still be exceptions and exclusions.

Again, every policy is different, but as a general rule, the more dangerous or risky an activity is, the less likely it is to be covered. Extreme sports like base jumping or free climbing are good examples of activities an insurer probably won't cover you for.

You will probably also need to seek specialist insurance if you are taking part in any sport or activity as a professional or there is prize money to be won.

It’s also worth bearing in mind certain activities may be covered but only under certain conditions. For example, scuba diving might be covered, but only to a certain depth. And other activities might only be covered if you’re accompanied by a qualified instructor.

Make sure you also understand if any additional conditions apply so you don’t accidentally break the terms of your policy.

How to cut costs

Of course, adding cover for adventure activities comes at an extra expense, but there are ways you can keep costs down:

1. Shop around

Price comparison sites that allow you to view multiple travel insurance quotes at a glance are a good place to start. The main ones for insurance are Compare the Market, Confused.com, GoCompare and MoneySuperMarket. 

2. Timing is everything

Don't wait until the day you travel to buy insurance. Leaving it to the last minute means you might not be covered for everything you need and you could end up facing unexpected costs. 

Cancellation cover, for example, is unlikely to be included if you're purchasing a policy just hours before your flight. 

3. Avoid buying cover from a tour operator or airline

When you buy your holiday, whether that's through a traditional package provider or a budget airline, you're likely to be offered insurance at the same time.

But cover offered as an add-on to your trip is unlikely to be tailored to your needs and could be more expensive. Always check the wider market to see if you can get better cover for less.

4. Check existing cover

If you're not covered for adventure activities, then call your bank to see if you can add it on.

Which? Limited is registered in England and Wales to 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF, company number 00677665  and is an Introducer Appointed Representative (FRN 610689) of the following:

1. Inspop.com Ltd for the introduction of non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635). Inspop.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635) and is registered in England and Wales to Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, South Wales, CF10 3AL, company number 03857130. Confused.com is a trading name of Inspop.com Ltd. 

2. LifeSearch Partners Limited (FRN656479), for the introduction of Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the FCA to provide advice and arrange Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance Contracts.  LifeSearch Partners Ltd is registered in England and Wales to 3000a Parkway, Whiteley, Hampshire, PO15 7FX, company number 03412386.

3. HUB Financial Solutions, for the introduction of equity release advice, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) to provide advice and guidance on financial products for those who have retired or are approaching retirement (FCA Firm Reference Number: 455713). HUB Financial Solutions is registered in England and Wales to Enterprise House, Bancroft Road, Reigate, Surrey RH12 7RP, company number 05125701.

4. Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers Ltd (FRN 301), for the introduction of non-investment landlord insurances, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide advice and arrange insurance contracts. Alan Boswell insurance brokers Ltd is registered in England at Prospect House, Rouen Rd, Norwich NR1 1RE, company number 02591252.

Other financial services: Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), Unit 26 (2.06), Newark Works, 2 Foundry Lane, Bath BA2 3GZ. London & Country are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

We do not make, nor do we seek to make, any recommendations or personalised advice on financial products or services that are regulated by the FCA, as we’re not regulated or authorised by the FCA to advise you in this way. In some cases, however, we have included links to regulated brands or providers with whom we have a commercial relationship and, if you choose to, you can buy a product from our commercial partners. 

If you go ahead and buy a product using our link, we will receive a commission to help fund our not-for-profit mission and our campaigns work as a champion for the UK consumer. Please note that a link alone does not constitute an endorsement by Which?.

Offers include free cash, takeaway vouchers or a railcard, but an important perk to weigh up is the interest-free overdraft, which can help you manage your cash flow throughout your course or training.

Here, Which? takes a closer look at the range of incentives on offer and what to watch out for in the small print.

What do student accounts offer in 2024?

We’ve rounded up the current perks available on student bank accounts that have been announced so far. This table is ordered alphabetically. 

To qualify for these accounts you'll usually need to be a first-year student (or about to be one) and have proof of acceptance to a university or further education course or apprenticeship, often defined as one lasting at least two years.

What are the best perks?

Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland will pay the most cash, offering £110 to those who open a student account.

NatWest and RBS will pay slightly less at £100, but you can also get a Tastecard valid for four years (currently worth £29.99 a year or £119.96 over four years). Tastecard membership offers 2-for-1 deals at participating restaurants, up to 50% off pizza delivery, and money off at the cinema. 

However, if you don't go for either of these accounts you can still get a 60-day Tastecard trial for £1 or save by getting a Totum card (£24.99 for a three-year membership), which offers discounts on shopping and comes with a free Tastecard.

Nationwide also offers to pay £100 plus a monthly £10 Just Eat voucher for 12 months (£120 in total).

Santander is the only provider to offer a free four-year 16-25 Railcard. The card usually costs £30 for a year, or £70 for three years, and it enables you to save a third on rail travel. The bank is also running a competition where 50 students will win some money off their tuition fees. 

Barclays hasn’t announced a special freebie yet, although last year it offered 12-month access to Perlego, a digital online library that offers academic textbooks and non-fiction e-books.

The best interest-free student overdraft

All the student accounts we looked at offer an interest-free overdraft, but the limits varied depending on the provider and the duration of the course or training.

Nationwide, NatWest, RBS and HSBC are willing to offer the most generous limits by the third year of your course. 

Just remember you may not be offered the maximum overdraft limit, as most banks will assess your eligibility based on your personal circumstances and credit score.

Also, while a student overdraft is interest-free while you're studying or training, the loan will start to attract interest, usually two years after you graduate. So you'll need a plan on how to pay it back, ideally before the interest kicks in.

What's in the small print?

Most banks require you to spend or deposit a certain amount to be eligible for the perks and overdraft on offer, so make sure you read the terms and conditions carefully before applying. 

Lloyds Bank requires students to pay in at least £500 between 1 August and 23:59 on 31 October 2024 to be eligible for the cash. The £110 will be paid to customers by 30 November 2024. 

Nationwide requires you to pay in at least £500 by 13 December, and your £100 will be paid within 14 days. You won't be eligible if you've benefited from a previous FlexStudent offer or if you had an open FlexStudent or FlexGraduate on 15 July 2024. 

NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland only require you to open the account for the £100 will be paid within 10 working days. Again, you won't be eligible if you've previously benefited from a NatWest Group student offer. 

Santander says students need to pay in at least £500 to their account every four months.

Which provider has the best customer service?

Each year, we survey thousands of current-account customers and ask them to rate the service they receive. This enables us to find the UK banks and building societies that offer great products and top-notch customer service.

Out of the providers that offer tailored student accounts, Nationwide had the highest customer score at 77%, followed by Barclays (74%) and Halifax (74%)

Do students need a credit card?

An interest-free overdraft will be better than borrowing money using a student credit card. This is because you won't have to pay any fees, provided you stay within your limit. 

However, a student credit card could be a good way to build up your credit score. But you’ll need to pay back what you spend every month in full to avoid paying interest and boost your score.

With a credit card you’ll also benefit from Section 75 protection, which can help you get your money back on purchases worth over £100 and up to £30,000 if something goes wrong. 

Out of the providers we've looked at in our table, just HSBC and TSB offer credit cards designed for students. 

 A total of 14,800 British consumers now search for ‘private health insurance’ online every month,  an 82.7% increase compared to June 2021, according to research from Clarity Health Insurance.

With such a big jump in interest, it’s worth knowing more about what private medical insurance (PMI) covers. 

1. Mental health support

Private health insurance often includes mental health support. 

As a health insurance customer, you may be entitled to access help from trained mental health nurses 24/7. Many providers now offer talking therapies as part of their basic plans. This could take place via video or telephone consultation with a qualified specialist.

For more extensive coverage, you may need to buy additional mental health cover. This provides outpatient access to psychiatrists and other mental health professionals without needing a GP referral. This could be especially useful given the long NHS waiting times. 

2. Home blood testing kits

Another useful feature covered by private medical insurance is home blood testing kits. 

These kits let you monitor important health markers, such as blood sugar, cholesterol, liver function, thyroid, and glucose levels, from the convenience of your home.  

Be warned, taking your own blood sample is not for the squeamish. Many providers also offer in-person health assessments if you would rather have professional help.

3. Virtual GP services

Many private medical insurance plans now include access to virtual GPs or digital GP services. 

This means you can book phone or video consultations around the clock with GPs through an app or online. This service usually provides medical advice, prescriptions and referrals.

The convenience of getting medical care from home is a big plus for busy people and those who can't leave their homes. 

4. Physiotherapy sessions

Physiotherapy is important for recovering from injuries and maintaining physical health. 

Many private medical insurance plans cover physiotherapy sessions, either virtually or face-to-face. Access to professional physiotherapy without extra costs can help you recover faster and stay healthy.

5. Personalised menopause support

Two-thirds of women aged 40 to 60 in employment with experience of menopausal symptoms say they have had a mostly negative effect on them at work, according to a report by CIPD in 2023. 

To address this, some health insurance policies offer personalised menopause support, including one-on-one messaging and video consultations with menopause practitioners.

This support can help women to manage symptoms and improve their quality of life during this challenging time.

6. Discounted gym memberships and more

Private health insurance often includes extra perks aimed at promoting a healthy lifestyle. 

Insurers often offer discounted gym memberships, as well as discounts on coffee, clothing, travel, cinema tickets and more. These benefits can make it easier and more affordable to stay healthy.

Is it worth buying private health insurance?

While PMI isn't essential, it can be valuable if you want quicker treatment and can afford it.

It can cover treatments not available on the NHS but usually excludes chronic or pre-existing conditions, pregnancy and cosmetic surgery. 

1. Inspop.com Ltd for the introduction of non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635). Inspop.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635) and is registered in England and Wales to Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, South Wales, CF10 3AL, company number 03857130. Confused.com is a trading name of Inspop.com Ltd. 

2. LifeSearch Partners Limited (FRN656479), for the introduction of Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the FCA to provide advice and arrange Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance Contracts.  LifeSearch Partners Ltd is registered in England and Wales to 3000a Parkway, Whiteley, Hampshire, PO15 7FX, company number 03412386.

3. HUB Financial Solutions, for the introduction of equity release advice, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) to provide advice and guidance on financial products for those who have retired or are approaching retirement (FCA Firm Reference Number: 455713). HUB Financial Solutions is registered in England and Wales to Enterprise House, Bancroft Road, Reigate, Surrey RH12 7RP, company number 05125701.

4. Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers Ltd (FRN 301), for the introduction of non-investment landlord insurances, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide advice and arrange insurance contracts. Alan Boswell insurance brokers Ltd is registered in England at Prospect House, Rouen Rd, Norwich NR1 1RE, company number 02591252.

Other financial services:

Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), Unit 26 (2.06), Newark Works, 2 Foundry Lane, Bath BA2 3GZ. London & Country are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

We do not make, nor do we seek to make, any recommendations or personalised advice on financial products or services that are regulated by the FCA, as we’re not regulated or authorised by the FCA to advise you in this way. In some cases, however, we have included links to regulated brands or providers with whom we have a commercial relationship and, if you choose to, you can buy a product from our commercial partners. 

If you go ahead and buy a product using our link, we will receive a commission to help fund our not-for-profit mission and our campaigns work as a champion for the UK consumer. Please note that a link alone does not constitute an endorsement by Which?.

The bank is offering £100 to move, triple cashback on its Spend and Save accounts worth up to £90, and the choice of a hotel stay, cinema tickets or a subscription to Now TV. 

Here Which? explains how to qualify for the new switching deal, whether TSB is a good provider and how it compares to others on the market.

What can you get by switching to TSB?

TSB is offering new customers £100 to switch to one of its Spend and Save Current Accounts, and the chance to earn up to £90 cashback if you stay with TSB until at least April 2025. 

If you stay until April you can choose an extra treat from a night for two at a choice of hotels, two Odeon cinema tickets each month for three months, or Now Entertainment membership for six months.

Spend and Save

The Spend and Save current account is free and you can normally earn up to £5 cashback a month, for up to the first six months, when you make 20 debit card payments each month. But as part of the switching offer, you can earn triple the amount of cashback up to a maximum of £90. 

Spend and Save Plus

The Spend and Save Plus current account has all the same perks as the basic version, but it has a £3 monthly fee, meaning you’d spend £36 a year. 

It allows you to earn £5 cashback every month without the six-month limit when you make 20 debit transactions each month. You’ll also get triple this rate for the first six months, meaning you can also earn up to £90.

The account also offers an overdraft of up to £2,000, with £100 interest-free and no fees on debit card transactions worldwide.

What's in the small print?

To get the £100, you’ll need to use the Current Account Switch Service, log in to the TSB mobile app and make at least five payments using the debit card of your new account before 27 September. 

You’ll be paid £100 between the 15 and 25 October. 

You won’t be eligible for the offer if: 

When does the deal end?

There’s no end date to TSB’s deal but it can be withdrawn at any point, so if you’re interested it’s worth switching sooner rather than later. 

Is TSB a good provider?

TSB came joint 18th out of 21 providers in our annual survey of the best bank and bank accounts, with a customer score of 69%. 

It got average scores for its customer service, how it deals with complaints and its online and mobile banking. It received two stars for its branch and telephone banking service. 

How the deal compares

There’s just one other deal on the market right now. It's from Barclays and you get more cash upfront. 

Barclays will pay you £175 to switch your bank account and join its Blue Rewards Scheme.

The Blue Rewards scheme, which was recently overhauled, costs £5 per month and gets you cashback on your spending and other perks such as streaming subscriptions.

This deal is only available to new customers and you’ll need to use the Barclays mobile banking app to apply.

In 2018, Discovery won the exclusive European broadcast rights to air all 3,800 hours of the Paris 2024 Olympics. If there are certain events you really want to watch, subscribing to Discovery+ is the easiest way to catch all 32 Olympic sports. I

While you still can see some events and games through the BBC and on iPlayer – or outside on large screens at certain venues in cities like London – there will only be select sports shown. 

Certain Sky customer plans are able to access Discovery+ for free, find out more below. If you're not a Sky member, read on for details on how to bag the channel for less than a fiver a month.

Best Discovery+ deals

Discovery+ standard subscription: £3.99 per month until the end of 2024

The best deal on Discovery+ is subscribing directly. Until 11 August you can sign up to the streaming service and watch the Olympics at a discount. It costs £4 a month until the end of 2024 – giving you five months of the service at a discount, and saving you close to £15 on the subscription.

The offer is good for new subscribers only, and the price will rise back to its normal price of £6.99 per month from 2025 unless you cancel it – which you can do so whenever and not have to pay extra.

What else can I watch on Discovery+?

There is more than just the Olympics on Discovery+ – you'll also get access to distinctively American reality TV channels like TLC (formerly called The Learning Channel), HGTV (Home and Garden TV), the Food Network and, of course, the Discovery Channel.

If you sign up for the Discovery+ Premium subscription, you'll also be able to watch sports like baseball, the World Rally Championship, Boxing, the Champions and Premier League, and UFC through TNT Sports. However, the premium subscription costs substantially more – £30.99 per month.

Can I watch Discovery+ for free?

While Discovery+ typically has a free seven-day trial available, it's not running during this promotion.

This episode is hosted by Rob Lilley-Jones, alongside Which? Writer and researcher Megan Thomas & Laith Khalaf, Head of Investment Analysis at AJ Bell

What is the Which? Money podcast?

The Which? Money podcast offers weekly advice to help you get on top of your bills and tackles the issues hitting your pocket, from spiralling energy costs to your weekly food shop.

How to listen to the Which? Money podcast

We’ll bring you new episodes of the Which? Money podcast each Friday, with the podcast also available wherever you usually listen.

We compared the prices of 63 popular grocery items and found that Aldi was the cheapest supermarket, closely followed by Lidl, even when loyalty prices at rival supermarkets were taken into account.

Shopping at Asda was also cheaper than shopping at Tesco with a Clubcard or Sainsbury's with a Nectar card for our list of groceries. 

Read on to find out how your supermarket compares in the analysis. 

Aldi prices beat Tesco Clubcard 

Every day in July, we checked the prices of 63 popular groceries, including Heinz baked beans, milk and cheese, at eight of the UK's biggest supermarkets to see how they compared.

The chart below shows how much our shopping cost on average:

Waitrose was the priciest supermarket again this month, averaging £146.98 - £33.11 (29%) more than Aldi.

What about a bigger shopping list? 

When we looked at a much larger selection (169 items), including more branded groceries, the savings offered by the loyalty schemes were bigger. Asda, which doesn't offer loyalty prices, was still cheaper, though.

Tesco offered Clubcard prices on 71 of the items at some point in the month but came second. 

Sainsbury's Nectar - which offered loyalty prices on 93 of the items in our sample - was third.

These results show just how much more you'll pay if you stock up on a mix of own-brand and branded items at Tesco or Sainsbury's without a loyalty card.

For shoppers without a Nectar card, Sainsbury's was second-most expensive after Waitrose, while for non-Clubcard members, Tesco was just behind. Both were more expensive than Ocado. 

What level of discount do loyalty cards give?

Based on our smaller list of products, having a Clubcard would save you 2.1% at Tesco. At Sainsbury's, you would save 3.4% with a Nectar card.

For our longer list, which included more branded groceries and a bigger selection of loyalty discounts, the savings were much more substantial - 6.7% at Tesco and 7.1% at Sainsbury's.

But you would save even more money by switching to a discount supermarket.

Why and how is Which? now including loyalty prices in the monthly comparison?

Which? started regularly including loyalty prices for the first time last month. We regularly review the way we analyse and report on prices as we want to give shoppers the most up-to-date and relevant information.

We can only take into account loyalty prices that apply to all members of a scheme (rather than those personalised to selected members), where there's one price on the shelf for shoppers with a loyalty card and another for those without. At the moment, this type of two-tier pricing is being used at Lidl, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, Tesco and Waitrose. 

We can’t factor in points, personalised discounts or other rewards as these vary from customer to customer and don't always have a quantifiable monetary value that we could take off the basket totals we report on. 

The Competition and Markets Authority is currently investigating grocery loyalty pricing and is due to report its findings in the autumn. 

Some shoppers choose not to join loyalty schemes because they don't want to hand over their data, which retailers often sell to other companies and advertisers.

Our research last summer also found that many loyalty schemes have age and address-based restrictions, meaning some shoppers - including vulnerable groups - are unable to join and pay the lower prices on offer to members.

What's happening to grocery prices?

Grocery prices were 1.6% higher in the four weeks to 7 July 2024 compared to the year before, according to market analyst Kantar. That's the lowest level of inflation since September 2021.

Football fans drove up purchases of beer, crisps and snacks on matchdays. But unseasonably wet weather boosted sales of fake tan and cold and flu treatments - and dampened demand for sun cream.

Prices are rising fastest for items such as vitamins, minerals, supplements, chilled fruit juices and drinks, and deodorants. They are falling fastest for toilet tissues, butter and dog food. 

Last August, he paid £646 for his combined home insurance policy. This year, his insurer offered him a premium more than ten times that amount - a staggering £6,706. 

Insurers backing away from some of their customers

When Mr Ludwig contacted us, he noted he'd made one claim in the year - for the repair of a boiler (requiring around 20 minutes of work and £150 for a replacement part). This minor claim was acknowledged in his renewal letter as contributing to the increase. 

However, when we contacted his insurer, Frontier Home Insurance, it explained that this claim's effect represented a 'very small proportion' of the price hike. The insurer's CEO - Michael Muzio, told us it has needed to make more fundamental changes to how it prices customers, saying 'in line with most insurers the cost of claims has risen dramatically over recent years driven by inflation and weather events. This has required a significant correction to pricing to correct losses.'

The upshot is that it's no longer able to offer competitive quotes to some of its customers, such as Mr Ludwig.

However, Muzio explained that Frontier chooses to always offer a quote at renewal 'regardless of the size of the increase. We do not want our customer's future insurance premiums with other providers to be impacted by a refusal to quote, which some of our competitors may choose to do.'

The role of underwriting criteria

Insurers have criteria about which customers they'll compete for - or be able to offer cover to at all. For example, firms will differ in whether they'll cover homes with thatched roofs, where rooms are being let out, or properties in particular postcodes. 

Insurers' underwriting criteria are revisited continually - and your circumstances are also subject to change (for example you could renovate your home). This means there's always a possibility of finding yourself in part of a group of customers your insurer no longer particularly wants on its books.

Is a ridiculously high quote better than no quote?

However, this seems to be happening more at the moment. When we spoke with the British Insurance Brokers' Association (BIBA) about cases such as Mr Ludwig's, it suggested that - with prices and claims costs currently going up - insurers are getting increasingly picky about which customers they'll take on or retain. A spokesperson explained, 'Insurance capacity is currently reducing in some areas as insurers adjust their appetite for risk and their pricing practices to target the customers they want to underwrite.' 

It also echoed Muzio's reasoning on why some insurers choose to still provide renewal quotes for customers whose business they don't really want.

'Some insurers prefer to refuse to offer a quote at all, which may cause difficulties for customers seeking cover elsewhere when they have to answer whether they have ever been refused insurance, where they simply no longer want that sort of risk. This is why some individuals may be offered cover at much higher premiums than expected as the insurer has no appetite to offer that insurance.'

Declaring your insurance has been 'refused'

When you apply for insurance, you will typically be asked if you've ever been 'refused' insurance in the past. If you say 'yes' to this, insurers see it as a serious red flag. 

The reason for this is that declaring a previous policy was refused or cancelled by the insurer suggests you might have done something wrong in the past which led to the insurer terminating its contract with you - such as breaching the policy terms or failing to disclose important information. 

According to Matthew Harwood, home insurance expert at comparison website Confused.com, 'this could act as an indicator of increased risk to other insurers, who as a result may also choose to decline to quote, or offer a higher price due to their assumed risk that is associated with declined or cancelled policies. Unfortunately, customers aren't able to give details of why their policy was cancelled or declined, so it's easy for insurers to draw their own conclusions.'  

Does your insurer not offering a renewal quote mean you've been 'refused insurance'?

Failing to answer questions correctly when applying for insurance can have severe consequences. If you do it on purpose, it's considered to be fraud. But even if you mislead an insurer by accident, it can result in the insurer declining to pay out at the point of claim.

The problem is, when looking across the four biggest comparison sites, we found little to no guidance on the question around what is meant by insurance being 'refused' - with no information advising on whether you must declare that your insurer wouldn't quote you at renewal. As our earlier illustration shows - if you're cautious and answer 'yes' - many insurers will assume the worst.

Industry trade body the Association of British Insurers suggested this view was representative of what was more widely expected: 'We don’t expect an insurer’s refusal to provide a new or renewing customer with a quote to impact on the customer’s future premiums or ability to get insurance. This is different to instances where a customer may have had cover cancelled by their insurer or declined for reasons of fraud, previous deliberate non-disclosure, or failure to pay, which could impact on eligibility for future cover.'

How to approach other insurers

If your insurer has declined to quote you because of its own approach to risk (i.e. rather than a change in your situation or actions that you've taken), you're generally not expected to flag this to new insurers as you're shopping around for quotes.

However - to be on the safe side - where there's ambiguity around whether the insurer's questions apply to your situation, it's worth contacting it before finalising the purchase to confirm it's not something it actually wants to know about.

Meanwhile, if you've had to declare the refusal or cancellation of a prior policy, and are being offered higher prices as a result, it could still be worth contacting the prospective insurer to explain the specifics of why this happened. The extra detail could make a difference in how the insurer views your risk.

Which? Limited is registered in England and Wales to 2 Marylebone Road, London NW1 4DF, company number 00677665  and is an Introducer Appointed Representative (FRN 610689) of the following:

1. Inspop.com Ltd for the introduction of non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635). Inspop.com Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to provide advice and arrange non-investment motor, home, travel and pet insurance products (FRN310635) and is registered in England and Wales to Greyfriars House, Greyfriars Road, Cardiff, South Wales, CF10 3AL, company number 03857130. Confused.com is a trading name of Inspop.com Ltd. 

2. LifeSearch Partners Limited (FRN656479), for the introduction of Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance, who are authorised and regulated by the FCA to provide advice and arrange Pure Protection Contracts and Private Health Insurance Contracts.  LifeSearch Partners Ltd is registered in England and Wales to 3000a Parkway, Whiteley, Hampshire, PO15 7FX, company number 03412386.

3. HUB Financial Solutions, for the introduction of equity release advice, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (‘FCA’) to provide advice and guidance on financial products for those who have retired or are approaching retirement (FCA Firm Reference Number: 455713). HUB Financial Solutions is registered in England and Wales to Enterprise House, Bancroft Road, Reigate, Surrey RH12 7RP, company number 05125701.

4. Alan Boswell Insurance Brokers Ltd (FRN 301), for the introduction of non-investment landlord insurances, who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide advice and arrange insurance contracts. Alan Boswell insurance brokers Ltd is registered in England at Prospect House, Rouen Rd, Norwich NR1 1RE, company number 02591252.

Other financial services: Mortgage service provided by London & Country Mortgages (L&C), Unit 26 (2.06), Newark Works, 2 Foundry Lane, Bath BA2 3GZ. London & Country are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (registered number: 143002). The FCA does not regulate most Buy to Let mortgages. Your home or property may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

We do not make, nor do we seek to make, any recommendations or personalised advice on financial products or services that are regulated by the FCA, as we’re not regulated or authorised by the FCA to advise you in this way. In some cases, however, we have included links to regulated brands or providers with whom we have a commercial relationship and, if you choose to, you can buy a product from our commercial partners. 

If you go ahead and buy a product using our link, we will receive a commission to help fund our not-for-profit mission and our campaigns work as a champion for the UK consumer. Please note that a link alone does not constitute an endorsement by Which?.

The best train ticket deal we found was a whopping 67% cheaper for a family of six than the standard advance fare. Not every ‘deal’ was as good. We found that one train company’s summer deal was almost never the cheapest way to travel. 

Great Western Railway cheap train tickets - are they a good deal?

Great Western Railway advertises that its Long Weekender ticket will  ‘save over 50% compared to an Anytime Return’.

That may be true. But only because anytime returns across all providers are usually exorbitant. 

We spot-checked six Great Western journeys. An anytime fare from London Paddington to Exmouth, in Devon, on three different dates in the coming months, leaving on a Friday and returning on a Monday, costs a staggering £299 per adult. The Long Weekender price - which also allows you the flexibility to travel anytime - is cheaper, at £129. But you shouldn’t buy that either. 

It’s £31 to £58 cheaper to book advance tickets instead - even just a few days before travel. You can only travel on specific trains, but for a £58 saving it’s worth it.

We found similar savings on the London Paddington to Bath Spa route. The anytime fare for three different journeys was £247, while the Long Weekender was £89. Once again, the advance fares are miles cheaper, saving you £26 to £41 per ticket.

If you don’t want to commit to a set train, super off-peak returns - meaning you can travel more flexibly but only at off-peak times - were also cheaper than the Long Weekender deal in our spot checks. You’ll save nearly £20 on the Paddington to Exmouth route and £16 on the Paddington to Bath Spa route with those fares.

Where you can find cheap UK train tickets for summer holiday travel

East Midlands Railway summer sale

East Midlands Railway deal offers up to 50% off select advance train fares, provided you book by 4 August and travel between 29 July and 1 September. And we did find some good deals. 

For a weekend in August, an advance single from London to Sheffield in the deal was £41.40.  That’s £22.10 cheaper than the cheapest advance fare not in the deal.

You do need to spend time browsing, though, to find the best offers.

LNER family train ticket deals for summer

LNER claims you can save 65% on average if you buy a ‘Family Single’ instead of regular fares this summer. This is an all-inclusive single fare that covers two adults and up to four children for a fixed price. 

We put their deal to the test in a couple of spot checks and found some great fares. 

A family of six stands to benefit most. For two adults and four children to travel from Leeds to London on Friday 23 August, returning on Saturday 24 August, you could save £233 by choosing two Family Singles (£116) instead of standard advance singles (£349). The savings are staggering. 

And when you consider that one adult travelling alone would set you back £109, it shows just how much you can save by travelling together.

What about cheap UK train tickets from other providers?

We couldn’t find any other deals specifically for summer, but we will update this piece if new sales crop up.

When is the Great British Rail Sale 2025?

The Great British Rail, which occurs annually, usually towards the end of January, offers discounted rail ticket prices. Travellers can get up to 50% off advance and off-peak fares. 

After researching holidays, flight prices and how to get the best car hire excess insurance for years, I’ve picked up some tips on how to avoid paying over the odds.

See below for my five top tips.

5 things I'd never do as a travel expert

1. I'd never book a hotel on a computer - without checking the price on your mobile phone first

2. I'd never book a flight through an online travel agent (OTA) - without comparing costs with the airline directly

3.  I'd never book car hire excess insurance directly with the car hire company

4. I'd (almost) never pay to sit with companions on a plane

5. I'd never change money up at the airport