Seven More Ways To Get Free Money

Last month I published my first post on how to get free money. We all love some free, or extra money, so I’ve pulled together some more tips to make you money/ save you money. As it’s better to have the money in your pocket!

Cancel unused subscriptions or partner up with friends

Compare the market claim that one in five people are paying for subscriptions that they no longer use or need. It might be a subscription to a streaming service you don’t watch enough. Or a magazine subscription but you never read the print. It might be a beauty subscription that you just don’t need. Check through your direct debits on your account and see which ones you actually use. Anything you’re not 100% sure on cancel or stop the auto-renew from happening.

If you do use a streaming service see if you can split it with a friend. So one of you pays for Netflix and the other pays for Disney+ for example. You can also share a prime account with someone else so me and Luke share one and only payout once a year for our subscription.

Get free money by changing your bank account

It might feel like quite a hassle to change your bank, but some providers will give you up to £150 for switching. And they’ll do all of the hard work. We switched to a HSBC account earlier this year and got a nice £125 bonus. And HSBC changed all our direct debits and even sorted out my pay. I had to do a few little things but it took less than half an hour after the application was approved. There are limits to how often you can do this, as usually, you have to stay with a provider for so long to keep the bonus. But it’s worth looking into if you’ve been thinking about changing bank.

Track down a lost pension pot

Research by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) shows that people generally forget to contact their pension provider when they move house. This means all those statements and reminders of your pension will be lost. And when the time comes to retire you may forget about it. Estimates show that there are around 1.6 million pension pots with £19.4 billion unclaimed. So if you’ve moved house and forgotten to tell your pension provider then check. MoneyHelper has a useful guide on how to start tracking down lost pensions.

Get free money if you live alone

The singles tax isn’t a myth! It can cost a lot more to live alone, but if this is you make sure you’re claiming single-person occupancy for your council tax. If you’re the only adult in the house you can get a 25% discount. Just go to gov.uk to apply for a discount. But if your status changes, a child living at home turns 18 or someone else moves in then you’ll need to let the council know.

I didn’t know you could do this when I lived alone, but thankfully once I realised I was able to backdate my claim. And the discount made a significant difference to my monthly expenses.

Take a look for any home improvement grants you can apply for

If you’re looking to make your home more energy-efficient there may be some financial help you can take advantage of. And this will be free money towards the improvements, meaning you’ll save money. The grants, schemes, and loans differ depending on where you live. But you can use the postcode finder to see if you’re eligible for anything.

Get free money by checking your council tax band

When you move into a new property it’s worth checking you’re in the correct council tax band. You may be overpaying and be able to save some money by getting it updated. Check the government’s council tax band page (Scottish Assessors for Scottish residents) by typing in your postcode. You’ll be able to compare it to your neighbours’ addresss. Although remember to compare like-for-like properties with the same number of rooms. If you believe you’re in the wrong band then you can appeal and you may receive a refund.

If you’re over sixty see what you’re entitled to

There are some financial benefits for getting older, even if you’re still working!

Over ’60s are entitled to free prescriptions, and Boots will give you extra points on the pharmacy if you’re over 60. And if you were born on or before 26 September 1955 you could get between £100 and £300 back to help towards your winter bills. How much you get will depend on who lives with you and any benefits you get. You can claim at gov.uk.

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