Slash your bills with Captain Cash
IS it a bird? Is it a plane? No it's credit crunch-busting Captain Cash swooping down to help you save up the big bucks.
With CC's help, we've put together the BIGGEST and BEST money-saving guide EVER - so what are you waiting for? Start saving NOW!
Read on and start counting the pennies - and you can pocket up to £1,000 with our pull-out-and-keep guide.
It will show you how to bag the biggest and best freebies and money-off voucher offers around, how to win cashback and earn yourself FREE money off, and how to slash your outgoings by switching to the hottest deals on your regular household bills.
We've also pulled together Captain Cash's top money-saving tips to show you how to hold on to more of your cash each month by making a few simple cost-cutting changes.
If you follow the Captain's advice you could easily net yourself a whopping £1,000 saving a year on annual bills, even if you don't cash in on every offer.
The first step is to sign up to Captain Cash's fantastic new website . That will put an instant £2.50 in your kitty - and set you well on your way to saving BIG money.
We asked a News of the World staff member to test Captain Cash's online deals - and he saved £1,179.31 over the last year.
The total consisted of £159.53 in cashback, £465.20 in online discounts and £554.58 by switching to recommended insurers. Here's his breakdown:
- HOME INSURANCE (switched to Lloyds) - saved £278.48 (inc. £50 cashback).
- CAR INSURANCE (switched to Esure) saved £347.50 (inc. £22.50 cashback).
- FAMILY HOLIDAY (with Virgin Holidays) saved £294.43 (inc. £71.23 cashback).
- FAMILY HOLIDAY (with Thomson Holidays) saved £249.50 (in. £7.50 cashback)
- OTHER SPENDING (Tesco Direct, HMV etc) saved £9.40 (paid as cashback).
- TOTAL: £1,179.31
Car insurance - save up to £213
YOU can make huge savings on your car insurance premiums by booking online through Captain Cash.
Our GET A QUOTE price comparsion service will search top companies like Esure, More Than and Autodirect to give you the best available price from dozens of insurers.
Our quotes are supplied through MoneyExpert, which estimates customers can save an average of around £188.
Plus, there's an exclusive £25 cashback refund for Captain Cash customers - so you should be able to save up to £213. Full details on the Captain Cash site - it may take up to 60 days for cashback to be validated.
Captain's tip
MAKE sure you give an accurate figure for your annual mileage when you get a quote - if you overestimate your premium will rise.
It's worth paying to protect a no claims bonus, but check to make sure you pay for only a level you need.
Home insurance - save up to £183
THERE are some great cashback deals currently available on home insurance.
Lloyds TSB is offering up to £37.50 cashback when you get home and contents cover through Captain Cash (or £17.50 if you get one or the other), plus there's 15 per cent OFF for booking online.
Other top deals include free contents cover with More Than when you take out buildings cover, plus up to £35 cashback.
It pays to shop through Captain Cash: the average customer can save up to £183 a year - and our man saved a whopping £278.48 by switching to Lloyds.
Captain's tip
MAKE sure your mortgage provider is happy with your level of cover - often top insurers will do this on your behalf.
Don't overinsure your home - by sticking to the rebuild cost (the amount that really matters), you're covered if there's a disaster. When in doubt seek independent advice.
Plus, pay your insurance policy in one hit, if you can. Many insurance companies charge higher interest rates when you pay in monthly instalments.
Phones, TV and broadband - save up to £72.50
CAPTAIN Cash has fantastic offers from Sky. There's up to £47.50 cashback for new customers if you take out a new subscription to Sky+ HD. In addition, if you go for Sky+ HD Box and HD Pack, Movies and/or Sports you'll get a £25 M&S gift voucher too (total saving £72.50). There are other great offers on the new site. And bear in mind a recent T-Poll survey showed the average household can make huge savings by taking TV, broadband and home phone packages from one supplier instead of several.
Captain's tip
SELL your old unwanted mobile phones for cash. Simply look up the value of your handset via the new Captain Cash site and we'll send you an envelope for your phone. Post it to us and we'll send your cash.
Entertainment - save around £25
JUST because we're tightening our belts doesn't mean we have to miss out on having fun. And here's how with the Captain's offers . . .
Register with LOVEFiLM for a two-week free trial and get £10 cashback. You must give bank details and receive at least one DVD (to return by Freepost) to get the cash. Just click on the offer under CAPTAIN'S CHOICE.
Or take a free one-day trial at Fitness First and get £1.40 cashback. Save a fiver on every Experience Day booked through Into the Blue - found under ENTERTAINMENT on our website. Wine and dine at home for less - get £2.50 cashback with a new online shopping account at Asda. Or get £5 off all orders at Vintage Wine Gifts who have great deals on champagne, wine, port and cognac. Both offers can be found under FOOD AND DRINK on the home page.
Captain's tip
BUY the latest CDs online from HMV via Captain Cash for great price deals.
Former Take That legend Robbie Williams' new album, Reality Killed the Video Star, is just £8.99 with free UK delivery - a saving of £8 on the £16.99 RRP. And there are DVD deals too. The Friends 15th Anniversary Complete Collection: 40 DVD box set is just £69.99 with free UK delivery - saving £30 on the £99.99 RRP. Plus there's up to 2 per cent cashback.
Utility bills - save up to £226
GAS and electricity bills are a necessary evil - but Captain Cash has some fabulous solutions.
In many cases you can make huge savings by switching to a cheaper tariff. Use the new Captain Cash site to search out deals.
E.ON Energy's FixOnline 3 Dual Fuel product sets a fixed price until December 1, 2010, and could save you up to £211 (saving figure is averaged nationally and may vary from area to area - see full details online).
In addition, there's £15 cashback for a dual fuel switch and £7.50 for a single fuel switch.
Captain's tip
DON'T be loyal to expensive suppliers -
always check out the best deals. Getting gas and electricity from the same company and paying by direct debit instead of cash or cheque also lowers the annual cost of your bills. You can also shave money from bills by turning appliances off, rather than leaving them on standby, and by turning the heating down by a degree or two.
Freebies - save around £25
IF you've got a bit of spare time why not convert it into cash? Filling in surveys can earn you a few pennies. Start with the CCI Consumer Panel and earn a £5 reward voucher plus entry to a £2,000 Thomas Cook draw. Carry on doing surveys for them and you'll get a £20 Virgin Wines voucher too. Or take The Great UK Survey.
Complete their 50 question survey and go into the draw to win £5,000 every three months. You'll be awarded 42p cashback for taking part. To find out which surveys will pay, go to the new Captain Cash site and type SURVEY in our FIND OFFERS box.
Captain's tip
IF you're filling in a survey to bag a freebie, be patient. Filling in forms online can be slow - but if it takes 15 minutes to earn a £5 voucher, that's the equivalent of being paid £20 an hour - not bad if you've got a bit of spare time to fill.
While you're online don't forget to go to the Captain Cash home page and click on the EASY MONEY button at the top.
You'll see a list of the most popular deals for saving easy cash like our deal with music site Napster which gives you unlimited access to one million tracks plus £10 cashback when you take out a membership.
Shopping - save around £133
THE average Brit spends around £600 a year on gadgets and electical goods, plus another £1,056 on clothing, fashion and furnishings. Captain Cash can help you make good savings on products like these with online discounts, vouchers and cashback. We have an online voucher worth up to £100 off the cost of selected Sony TVs at Argos. There are also plenty of vouchers from others. We also have cashback deals from Littlewoods (4% cashback) Debenhams (2% cashback), Boots (1.75% cashback) Tesco Direct (£1.5% cashback), HMV (up to 2% cashback) and Curry's (up to 1.5% cashback). If you save just 2% off your annual spend by going online, plus another £100 through online vouchers - it adds up to around £133 a year.
Captain's tip
MAKE a list of all your essential toiletries and buy them monthly. That way you won't be tempted to pick up expensive products on impulse. If you spot a great shopping offer that isn't for you, think about Christmas presents. That way everyone will get a great gift - and you'll have cashback in your bank too.
Tax credits and grants - save around £160
YOUR finances could be given a real boost by making use of Government grants or tax credits.
There are hundreds of grants to make your home more energy efficient through measures such as better insulation which, according to the Energy Saving Trust, should save £160 off your annual bills.
Also see if you qualify for Working Tax Credits - you could get £140 per month.
Anyone over 25 who works more than 30 hours a week and earns under £13,190 (or £17,965 for couples) could benefit.
Remember, you don't need to have kids to qualify and it also doesn't matter if you have savings or money tied up in property.
It's a tax bonus designed to top-up your hard-earned cash, so don't miss out. For more information visit
www.direct.gov.uk/workingtaxcredit or call the Tax Credit helpline on 0845 302 1415.
Captain's tip
YOU'LL find great deals on energy-saving lightbulbs at the new Captain Cash site. Ten GE12 watt spiral sticks cost just £8.99 (inc p&p) - just 89p each compared to around £2.50 each in the shops.
Holidays - save around £202
THE average cost of a two-week package holiday for two adults and two kids last summer was £2,699 according to Co-operative Travel.
It's enough to make you stay at home - but the Captain has other ideas! We've done a fantastic deal with Virgin, giving you a 7.5% discount on most package holidays - adding up to a possible saving of up to £202 on a two-week family holiday. We've also teamed up with Last minute.com to give you 3% cashback on package holidays - £80 off a typical two-week family break.
Captain's tip
DON'T buy holiday insurance from your travel agent - it's nearly always cheaper to shop around. Avoid buying currency at the airport or ferry as the additional charges can cost you dear. Shop around at banks or the Post Office. Pre-book airport parking and look at off-site parking - it is up to 80 per cent cheaper.