Money blog: Why you should probably submit a meter reading this weekend (2025)

Two pensioners are seeking to take the Scottish and UK governments to court over the cut to the winter fuel payment.

Peter and Florence Fanning, of Coatbridge, North Lanarkshire, have raised proceedings with the help of the Govan Law Centre against the Scottish government and the UK work and pensions secretary over the policy.

It comes after the Scottish government announced its once universal benefit will now be means-tested, replicating a UK government decision.

The introduction of a replacement Scottish benefit was also delayed.

The judicial review - which has been raised at the Court of Session - now requires a judge's approval to move to a hearing on the merits, with Govan Law Centre seeking to expedite both the case and its application for legal aid to ensure a decision can be handed down before the winter.

The case asks the court to rule on whether the decision was unlawful, which would then allow the petitioners to ask the court to, in effect, set aside the policy and restore the winter fuel payment to all.

"We are hoping to be successful, given the manifest injustice involved, however, my work as a trade unionist and shop steward has taught me that some battles are worth fighting regardless of the outcome - I believe this is one such battle," said Mr Fanning.

Read the full report here:

The Co-op is now using artificial intelligence to detect shoplifters after theft costs rose by 19% (up to £39.5m) in the first half of the year.

The technology will also be able to detect assaults on staff.

The member-owned business, which returned to profit despite the growing toll of shoplifting, has spent £18m so far this year on measures to protect staff, including rolling out body-worn cameras and fortified kiosks.

While the supermarket said it did not use facial recognition, it is participating separately in Project Pegasus. This is where CCTV images are shared with retailers and the police and then run through databases to identify serial thieves and dangerous individuals.

The Association of Convenience Stores said its members were reporting "high volume" and "very brazen and direct" incidents of shoplifting - with meat, cheese and alcohol typically being targeted.

The most recent figures for the outcomes of recorded crimes show that, of 436,171 cases of shoplifting, 71,741 led to a criminal charge that year.

Retailers have warned that some smaller shops are buying stolen goods from professional shoplifters who steal to order for criminal gangs to feed their addiction problems.

On Tuesday 1 October, energy prices will rise for most households - so to avoid being charged more than you should, it's a good idea to do a meter reading this weekend.

If (like around 85% of households) you are on a standard variable tariff then your energy bill is set to rise by around 10% from next month, due to the latest price cap change.

But by giving a meter reading before then, it stops your supplier from estimating your usage and potentially assuming you may have used more than you did, and at a higher rate than you currently have.

This weekend is the perfect time to do it - if you wait until the deadline, you may find yourself in a rush that sees suppliers' websites and phone lines crash (this happened in March 2022 at the height of the energy crisis). By sorting it this weekend, any discrepancy will be minimal.

Some firms do let you backdate your reading, but you have to have taken the reading on the actual day and just be submitting it a few days later - by that point, you will have done most of the work so might as well just get it done.

If you want to check if suppliers will backdate your readings (and some will as late as 11 October), MoneySavingExpert have a handy guide here.

If you have a working smart meter, you don't need to do this - it is done automatically.

It's the day before your friend's birthday and you've completely forgotten to get them a gift.

Usually, at this point, your only choices are to leave the house and go to an actual shop, or put more money in the pocket of Jeff Bezos and hope an Amazon Prime delivery turns up on time.

But now, online marketplace Not On The High Street and Deliveroo have teamed up to give customers access to on-demand delivery of more than a thousand gifts and personalised products in as little as 25 minutes.

From this week, at least 15 small brands across London will be available to order via the delivery app, under the umbrella of Not On The High Street. More independent brands will be added to the platform as it expands.

It's not the first time a delivery brand has expanded beyond food - yesterday we told you that Just Eat has hooked up with Lovehoney to get vibrators and lingerie sent to their doorstep in minutes.

Just Eat said the products will be delivered inside sealed, unbranded paper bags, with receipts inside to ensure "discretion". The brand has already made deals with Lush cosmetics and Boots.

Deliveroo penned a similar deal with Ann Summers earlier this year.

Every Friday we take an overview of the mortgage market, hearing from industry voices and getting a round-up of the best rates courtesy of the independent experts at Moneyfactscompare.co.uk.

Mortgage rates have continued their trickle down this week - a process that's been under way since the summer as the path towards lower interest rates now seems set (even if the Bank of England appears keen to walk down the path very slowly).

This is how average rates are looking - though it's important to stress that many borrowers will now be able to get deals much nearer, or even below, the 4% mark...

First-time buyers

There was a significant boost for those looking to get on the housing ladder this week as Nationwide announced it would start lending up to six times someone's salary.

David Hollingworth, a director atL&C Mortgages, told Money that this could help combat two serious challenges facing these buyers - house prices remaining "extremely resilient" despite some falls over recent years, and building a deposit during a cost of living crisis.

"The need for the longer fix is to give stability of payment and remove the chance of interest rate fluctuation pushing payments up and also enables them to apply more flexible stress rates," he said.

Mr Hollingworth pointed out that Halifax has also extended its first-time buyer limit to 5.5 times a salary.

"Of course, lenders will still apply their affordability tests," he said.

There is often a minimum household income expected. For example, Nationwide expects a minimum income of £50,000 or £30,000 in the case of a single applicant.

Landlords

Moneyfacts finance expert Rachel Springall says those looking for buy-to-let mortgages can be "encouraged" by lenders such asSantander, NatWest and Leeds Building Society lowering rates this week.

This is offset, however, by "concern about a potential hike in capital gains tax in the budget next month".

She said: "Landlords have had to review their portfolios over the years due to changing taxation rules and some may plan to buy through a limited company, according to new research."

One benefit here is paying the lower corporation tax rather than income tax.

Landlords who utilise limited company structures have incorporated an increasing proportion of their portfolios over the past four years, a study has found.

And the research, carried out by Pegasus Insight, suggests 67% of landlords who intend to buy in the next 12 months plan to do so through a limited company.

Louisa Sedgwick, managing director for mortgages at Paragon Bank (which commissioned the study), said: "Landlords have increasingly used limited companies to mitigate the impact of tax changes phased in from 2016.

"While incorporation isn't necessarily the best option in every situation, and landlords should seek advice from a professional financial or tax adviser, this highlights the opportunity for those that place this type of business."

Moneyfacts has looked at the best rates on offer for landlords now...

Moneyfacts also rounds up what it calls "best buys", which look beyond the lowest rates and takes in incentives and fees...

Baked beans are a staple of British cuisine, with a reported two million tins eaten every day - but which should you reach for to get the best taste?

In what might come as a surprise to some, Aldi's own-label baked beans have come out top in a blind taste test by Which? experts - beating pricier brands such as Heinz and Branston.

The consumer champion asked 66 baked bean lovers to test and rate 10 different options from big-name UK supermarkets, as well as branded products.

Aldi's Bramwells Baked Beans (41p for a 410g can) was the highest rated with an overall score of 76% - also bagging a Which? Best Buy and Great Value endorsement.

The panel said the beans looked good and had an "appealing aroma", while three-quarters enjoyed the strength of the flavour.

Branston (£1 for a 410g can) came closely behind with a score of 75%, followed by Co-op's own-brand offering (49p for 400g can) which received a score of 74%.

And while Heinz Beanz reign supreme for many, the panel rated the product just fifth out of 10 with a score of 72%.

Natalie Hitchins, Which? head of home products and services, said the results show customers "don't have to pay a premium for the best taste".

"Choosing supermarket own-label groceries is not only a great way to save money, but our tests prove that you can end up with a better tasting product and can save over £100 a year by making the switch."

By Megan Harwood-Baynes, cost of living specialist

One broken phone and one speeding ticket was all it took.

My and my husband's car insurance were both auto-renewing last weekend - and both, due to those two mishaps, were going to cost us a lot more than last year.

Using a comparison website is the easiest way to find the best price, but with a couple of additional clicks, I was also able to save almost £80 across both policies - and you could too.

Cashback is so easy, I genuinely cannot believe I only started earning it this year. I use TopCashback for most big purchases, and then an app called JamDoughnut for everyday spending. Across the two, I've earned around £200 this year on things I was buying anyway - such as £20 cashback on airport parking and £19 back on travel insurance.

While often the returns are just a couple of quid, it's on insurance policies you can really make some money.

TopCashback currently has an offer on £42 cashback if you purchase car insurance through Go.Compare (a site I was probably going to use anyway) and £36 if you use Confused.com for home insurance. All I had to do was log into my account, click on their link for the website, and complete my purchase as normal.

In about six weeks, the money will hit my online wallet and I can cash out - just in time for Christmas,

How does it work?

It seems too good to be true, but it's really easy (and not a scam).

Explaining how it works, TopCashback says: "Every time you click through and purchase something from one of the 6,000 majorretailers featured on TopCashback, the retailer pays us acommission for referring you to their website. We pass 100% of this commission back to you as 'cashback'."

The site makes money by getting a referral fee. Sometimes it can take a while for your purchases to track through, but you can always submit a claim if it doesn't track properly.

The maximum amount that victims of bank transfer scams can be reimbursed has been slashed by a UK regulator ahead of new rules coming in next month.

From 7 October, banks must refund fraud victims within five days unless the customer has been grossly negligent, moving away from the current voluntary system.

But while the previous maximum reimbursement value was previously set at £415,000, the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has now announced that the new limit will be reduced to £85,000.

The regulator said 99% of claims over authorised push payment (APP) scams - when someone is tricked into sending money to a fraudster posing as a genuine payee - would be covered by the new cap.

Claim that victims 'shamefully sidelined'

But Rocio Concha, director of policy and advocacy at consumer champion Which?, said: "This decision puts all of us at greater risk of being targeted by criminals because it reduces the incentives for banks and payments firms to take fraud prevention seriously."

Consumer confidence has fallen "significantly" due to the gloomy view of the UK's finances and fears over what Labour's first major budget could bring, according to data from the British Retail Consortium (BRC).

People's expectations for their personal finances over the next three months has fallen to a score of -6 from +1 in just a month, the latest BRC-Opinium survey revealed.

Confidence in the state of the economy has also taken a hit, with the figure now at -21, compared to -8 last month.

BRC chief executive Helen Dickinson said: "Retailers could face a turbulent few months as consumer confidence fell significantly in September.

"Negative publicity surrounding the state of the UK's finances appears to have damaged confidence in the economic outlook, particularly among older generations."

Banks are asking customers to jump through twice as many hoops when switching current accounts, research shows.

A study by personal finance comparison site Finder.com found that consumers were asked to meet up to six different requirements for a bank switch deal in 2024, compared with a maximum of just two requirements in 2020.

Some of the requirements for deals now include transferring direct debits, making five or more debit card payments, joining rewards schemes, opening an additional savings account and/or depositing into that savings account.

In 2020, almost all switching deals asked you to simply log into the banking app and deposit a certain amount.

Finder.com says one reason for banks increasing their requirements could be to stop serial switchers who open current accounts solely to take advantage of the money offered, then leave for a better deal.