Category: Business

Mobile firm O2 is offering to save Three, EE and Vodafone customers up to £176 in a single month if they change to its network. That’s because O2 offers free roaming inside the EU for people going on holiday and the operator says that the savings against the daily charges would put £176 back in your pocket across a month-long stay abroad as compared to Vodafone, Three or EE customers. The implication here is for holidaymakers jetting off to Spain, France, Italy, Greece and other EU nations. According to figures provided by O2, their average customer saves approximately £138 in ... Read more

Money expert Martin Lewis has issued a warning over a ‘nasty’ charge being added to gas and electricity bills this summer. Customers at major energy firms like British Gas, EDF and EON have today been told that Ofgem is handing down a new, reduced price cap which takes effect from July 1. The new cap will save the average household about £122 per year on their bills, but there’s a nasty downside despite much campaigning from Martin Lewis. The money guru took to social media to explain the ‘much despised’ issue.  He said: “The much despised standing charge is unchanged. ... Read more

The rollout of Universal Credit is entering a new stage this week, affecting those currently juggling tax credits with housing benefit. This step marks the beginning of a broader transition that will see individuals on various other benefits gradually shifted to Universal Credit in the upcoming months. Since its introduction in September 2017, Universal Credit has been steadily replacing claims for income support, income-based jobseeker’s allowance, income-related employment and support allowance, as well as housing benefit (rental) and tax credits. Starting from Monday, recipients of both tax credits and housing benefit will be notified through letters detailing the necessary actions to maintain their ... Read more

Under a new scheme, individuals in council tax bands A to E could see a reduction of £400 on their energy bills this year. The initiative, which was launched last year, aims to assist approximately 300,000 homes across the nation in reducing their heating costs and saving on energy bills this winter. The government has stated that under the Great British Insulation Scheme, support may be available if your home has an energy performance certificate (EPC) of D to G or is in council tax bands A-D in England or A-E in Scotland or Wales. Whether you’re a homeowner, landlord ... Read more

Wildlife rangers, standing up to poachers and safeguarding species, are always worthy of our cheers and at the London Marathon this year is Edward Ndiritu, a Kenyan ranger and the first ever winner of the Tusk Wildlife Ranger Award, presented in 2015 by the conservation charity. While the race offers a beacon of hope and solidarity by bringing together people from all walks of life across the globe to support great causes, for Edward this is a key moment to raise crucial funds aimed at improving the welfare of his team of rangers.  The profession is one of the world’s ... Read more

Calls have been made for the Department for Work and Pensions to lower the state pension age to 63. The current state pension age is 66 for men and women but some experts have called on the DWP to considerably reduce it. The idea was put forward by Steven Cameraon, pensions director at Aegon, with those who cannot work because of ill health or caring responsibilities given the option to take their state pension “up to three years earlier”. State pension payments are going up 8.5 percent this month in line with the triple lock. Under the new rates, the ... Read more

British customers with smart meters are at greater risk of paying higher energy bills at the busiest times of day compared to other customers under new Ofgem plans. According to reports, the regulator is considering the introduction of a new energy price cap to try and meet the demands of net zero. They said that the new plan would try and encourage “consumer flexibility” by basing the cap around how much electricity costs during the day.  This means under the new rules, Britons would pay more to their suppliers when the national grid was at its busiest and less when it ... Read more

One in five mortgaged homeowners aged 55 and over now expect to have unpaid mortgage in retirement, and a similar proportion fear they may be left in that awkward position, according to new research from Canada Life. As people get on the property ladder later in life, the problem will only grow. Younger buyers are increasingly taking out “marathon mortgages” running for 35, 40 or even 50 years, to make their monthly repayments more affordable. Many will struggle to clear their mortgage before they stop working and their income falls. The debt could cast a shadow over their final years. ... Read more

Tesco has said it will increase store workers’ pay by 9.1 percent in a roughly £300million investment. It is the latest supermarket group to lift pay levels for workers ahead of the rise in the national minimum wage in April. The national minimum wage will increase from its current rate of £10.42 per hour to £11.44 on April 1. Tesco, which employs more than 330,000 people across Britain, announced on Tuesday (March 5) that it will raise its basic hourly rate for store workers from £11.02 per hour to £12.02. It will also boost the pay of workers inside the ... Read more

Jeremy Hunt is under pressure to cut taxes to help working Britons (Image: Getty) Jeremy Hunt unfreezing the personal allowance would be the biggest Budget benefit to Britons, putting around £252 into employees’ pockets, an economics expert has said. The Chancellor is being urged to deliver tax giveaways on March 6, a crucial date for the Government as it marks the last spring Budget before an expected general election later this year. Dr Irfan Saleem, Lecturer in Finance at the University of Bradford, told Express.co.uk that improved public finances mean it is much easier for Mr Hunt to cut taxes ... Read more