Quids in!
INSIDE!
Advice on:
✔ Spending
✔ Saving
✔ Borrowing
✔ Earning
The UK’s Number 1 Money Magazine
ISSUE 32 AUTUMN 2016
COMPUTER
SAYS ‘NO’
1
2
3
4
Are the banks turning
their backs on us?
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7
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15
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19
Y
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DOPure & Simple
r
u
o
h
t
i
w
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s
a
c
£50
word
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s
o
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p
r
supe
UNIVERSAL
CREDIT
Superstar Dolly talks to us about her humble background
YOUR MONEY
BE INFORMED
WIN!
17
Delays leading
to evictions
TAKE CONTROL
18
Welcome
They say life’s what you
make it, but for those of us
who started out without
much, that can seem easy
to say. So when Quids in!
features celebs with humble
beginnings like Dolly Parton, I hope those
with talent will be inspired. Break out and
put them to use, whatever they may be.
When reading about how banks give us
the cold shoulder sometimes because we
don’t have much to save with them, we
start to see why things are so much harder
without wealth behind us. It’s good to know
the government is trying to right this wrong
but it’ll be down to a change of mindset by
the banks. But let’s face it, they have to go
some way to win back our trust.
I’m sick of people making assumptions.
Politicians do it a lot, then wonder why the
masses vote against them. They take people
for granted. But they also meddle with
things they don’t understand, changing
benefits so we need to apply online, use a
bank account and manage rent payments.
We’ve introduced our new Universal Credit
Watch section to help readers navigate the
system but did anyone ask if we wanted UC
in the first place?
In this issue...
03The buzz
The latest news affecting you and your finances
06Put your bank into it
Are the banks turning their backs on us? Special
Report by Jeff Mitchell
09Dolly
Superstar Dolly talks to us about her humble
background
11Switching
Switch your gas and electricity and save money
12Recipe
Cheap and tasty ‘cheats’ Pesto
13Crossword
Win £50 cash
Jeff Editor
[email protected]
14Useful numbers
Advice and help
Quids in! | 2
Z
Z
U
B
E
H
T
The latest news affecting you and your finances
‘DIGITAL
DAWDLERS’
DENIED
Millions miss out
as world goes online
7.5 million Britons have been branded
as ‘digiatal dawdlers’ by credit checkers
Experian @quidsinmagazine
Are you a ‘digital dawdler’? If you have yet to
embrace the internet then data processing firm
Experian might have you down as one of 7.5 million
Brits who are.
Research has found about a third of the UK’s
residents are ‘digital devotees’, just over half are
‘day-to-day doers’ and the rest are ‘dawdlers’.
It claims those getting left behind do so “either
because of old age and a lack of know-how or
interest in new technology, or by limited broadband
where they live”. Those in rural locations, seaside
towns like Scarborough, and in remote parts of
Scotland are worst affected, it says.
According to Senior Consultant, Richard
£1,000
NUMBER
CRUNCHED
SAVINGS
Amount of
savings Money
Advice Service
wants us to have
for emergencies
Jenkings, “the ‘Digital Divide’ is a reality”. He reveals
that how people use digital tech has a major impact
on how well they manage their finances, shop, pay
bills, or interact with organisations and friends
and family.
He calls on businesses and the public sector to
think more carefully about how they engage people,
saying, “a one size fits all approach simply doesn’t
work anymore”.
Fancy proving you’re not a dawdler? Internet
beginners can learn to find their way around online by
visiting www.learnmyway.com and discovering how
to contact family, pay bills, shop around for bargains
or find advice on a range of everyday issues.
0%
Interest paid
by many banks
on current
account
balances
5%
12-month
interest rate
you can get if
you switch
Switching bank account has never been easier. The current account switching service guarantees that
a move will take place within seven days; millions have made use of it since its introduction in 2013
Quids in! | 3
£50
How much
extra money
you’d get in a
year
Z
Z
U
B
E
H
T
The latest news affecting you and your finances
CAPS RISK TO KIDS
New caps will hit 90,000 households
As the new benefit caps start to bite,
thousands will find themselves in trouble
@quidsinmagazine
A charity has claimed new, lower benefit caps
due from 7th November threaten larger families’
housing and the quality of life of their children.
As many as 90,000 working and non-working
households on benefits or tax credits could be
forced to slash spending and consider moving
home to balance their budgets, although most on
disability benefits (and carers) will be spared.
Alison Garnham, Chief Exec of the Child Poverty
Action Group (CPAG) told Quids in! the caps will
make it “harder for families to maintain housing
security and cover the basic costs of children”.
For households in London, the cap will reduce from
£500 a week to £442.31 for couples or households
with children and £296.35 for single people
Outside London, it will drop to £384.62 for couples
or parents with children and £257.69 for singles.
Anything over these amounts will be lopped off
benefit payments. If you currently receive more, ask
your local authority or landlord if you will be affected.
≠ If you think you’ll lose out, CPAG would like to
hear from you. Email [email protected].
Video of the issue
CASHPOINT CRIMES
Warning video from Barclays on how
criminals target cashpoint users
Quids in! | 4
Z
Z
U
B
E
H
T
The latest news affecting you and your finances
UC WATCH
Universal Credit is coming
One of the largest landlords in the South of
England has issued a stark warning to the
rest of the UK, claiming at least one in 20
Universal Credit (UC) claimants is at risk of
eviction because of delays.
“After two months of non-payment we
can apply for an ‘Alternative Payment
Arrangement’… but the Job Centre can take
months sorting this out, by which time there
are huge arrears and we have to evict,” says
DWP Housing Partnership in Dorset.
Tenants are advised to notify their
landlord when they move to UC, especially if
struggling to cover rent.
≠ Universal Credit will affect the majority
of working age Quids in! readers over the
next five years. We’ll bring you the latest
developments to help you prepare.
JOIN THE
CONVERSATION…
SAY NO TO 0870
I get really annoyed by 0870 numbers that
charge you money to call them, when all you’re
trying to do is talk to a company. Thankfully,
there’ an easy way to get around it, and that’s
to use the website saynoto0870.com which
lists alternative numbers you can call at
ordinary rates. You just type in your number
and up pops the alternative. It’s easy to use
and saves you pounds.
Tam Anderson, Glasgow
Have you got something you want to tell us,
or a money-saving hint or tip to share? Each
issue we’ll send £50 to
our best letter writer,
emailer or tweeter!
Don’t forget to include
your name and address.
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POST The Editor, Quids In!
3 Monmouth Place, Bath BA1 2AT
£50 CASH
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EMAIL [email protected]
TWEET @quidsinmagazine.com
Quids in! | 5
REAL LIFE STORY
PUT YOUR
INTO IT
BANK
Just under half of Quids in! readers don’t use a bank account but MPs and landlords
are starting to insist we do to receive benefits and make essential payments, like rent.
But did anyone tell the banks?
S P E C I A L R E P ORT
BY JEFF MITCHELL
A
furious jobseeker was forced to stomp
round five high street banks before
finding one that would take his money.
Quids in! reader Del said: “I felt insulted. It meant
so much to me as I was trying to improve my life.
Then I had to deal with the fact that I didn’t exist,
credit-wise.
“I was told the best thing I could do was to sign
on so I could get proof of who I am. I did and then
approached all the banks armed with ID, only to be
turned down.”
Lloyds, Natwest, Barclays, Halifax, and HSBC
all said ‘no’. Desperate, Del posed as a customer
wanting to get into debt. Then a manager agreed to
see him.
“Finally I asked for an appointment on the
pretence of wanting to secure a mortgage with
Santander. I explained my situation and told him
I deserved to be given a chance. It worked. They
gave me a basic bank account.”
The government says banks should no longer turn
anyone away for a Basic Bank Account. In 2015, it
announced it had agreed a policy with all the major
banks that no-one would be denied access.
Del’s story, one of millions around the UK, is bad
news for politicians as the new benefit system,
Universal Credit, depends on claimants having an
account to pay into.
COMPUTER SAYS ‘NO’
Consumer champion Martin Lewis condemned
banks’ refusal to open accounts for everyone. He
said insisting claimants open an account to receive
benefits when finance firms can still turn them
away was “a civil rights issue”.
The Money Saving Expert was speaking in May
at the launch of a research report by the Financial
Conduct Authority (FCA), the body that regulates
the industry, on how finance services keep people
out. One of the report’s authors agrees with him:
“Martin is right,” Jonquil Lowe told Quids in!. “To
deny people access to a bank account, insurance,
“To deny people access
to a bank account...
is to shut them out
of modern society.”
CONTINUED
Quids in! | 6
REAL LIFE STORY
Halifax say even Top Cat could
get a mortgage from them
but banks turned down one
in twenty Quids in! readers
wanting a simple bank account
savings and credit when you need it, is to shut
them out of modern society. A civil society does
not treat its citizens in that way.”
Although the government and the FCA have a
role to play in making sure they do, banks could
already do more. Better training for staff would
mean customers like Del are not instantly told the
computer says ‘no’. Research found staff often do
not understand the rules set up to prevent fraud
and money laundering.
The government is changing the way benefits
are claimed and paid and over the next five years
millions of people will be moved to Universal
Credit (UC). The best option for most people will
be to have a bank account to receive it.
PAYMENTS IN, PAYMENTS OUT
Under UC, claimants of Housing Benefit will also
no longer have their rent paid for them direct to
the landlord. It will be paid into their bank account
BANKS SIGNED UP TO
OFFER FEE-FREE BASIC
BANK ACCOUNTS
∞ Santander (Basic Current Account)
∞ Barclays (Basic Current Account)
∞ HSBC (Basic Bank Account)
∞ Lloyds Banking Group, incl. Bank
of Scotland, Halifax and Lloyds
(Basic Account)
∞ RBS Group incl. NatWest, Royal
Bank of Scotland and Ulster
Bank (Basic Account in England/Wales,
Foundation Account in Scotland/Northern
Ireland)
∞ National Australia Bank Group,
incl. Clydesdale and Yorkshire
Banks (Readycash Account)
∞ Nationwide (FlexBasic)
∞ The Co-operative Bank (Cashminder)
∞ TSB (Cash Account)
CONTINUED
Quids in! | 7
REAL LIFE STORY
and tenants will have to make sure it is paid on
time, best done by setting up a direct debit straight
out of a bank account. Some credit unions offer
services like ‘jam jar accounts’, transferring rent and
bills money out when benefits or wages are paid in,
keeping cash safe and paid out on a set date.
The majority of working age Quids in! readers will
be on UC by 2021, yet this year our research found
almost half of the worst off (44%) do not use a
regular bank account. Banks turned away more than
one in 20 of them (6%) for ID reasons like Del.
“I felt insulted.
It meant so
much to me as
I was trying to
improve my life"
Quids in! reader Del
NO FEES, NO OVERDRAFT
The Money Advice Service (MAS) guides people
on finding a bank account. One option they
recommend for people struggling to open a
regular account is a fee-free Basic Bank Account.
Michael Royce from MAS explained:
“If you have a poor credit history, you may not
meet the requirements for a regular account. If
so, it might be worth thinking about a fee-free
basic bank account. Nine major banks and building
societies offer these.” (The panel on the previous
page lists the banks involved.)
“To open one, you shouldn’t have to pass a credit
check but you must be able to prove who you are
with an official form of ID, such as a driving licence
or a letter from a government department.
“Basic bank accounts have most of the features a
regular account has, except for an overdraft.
“Fee-free means that if you don’t have enough
money in your account to pay Direct Debits, you
won’t be charged. But you will still need to find
money to pay the people you owe and you may face
a charge from them for missing the payment.”
For Del, having a bank account was about more than
having somewhere to stash his hard-earned cash.
“Spending three months trying to open an account
prompted me to learn about money, saving,
investments – how to make money work for you. I
now save regularly and never live beyond my means.”
Quids in! | 8
Y
L
L
DO
Pure & Simple
“I may not be pure, but I’m as
simple as they come.” Dolly’s new
album takes her back to her roots
I
t was classic Dolly. As she strode to the centre
of the stage for the first date of her new Pure
& Simple tour the 70-year-old superstar joked
with the audience “I need the money, because it
costs a lot to look this cheap.”
Dolly has always known the value of money. The
daughter of a tobacco farmer, she grew up in a
very poor household in the Appalachian mountains,
one of 12 children surviving on her father’s small
paypacket.
‘I WAS ALWAYS DETERMINED’
“We always made jokes and said we didn’t even know
we were poor till some smart aleck up and told us,”
Dolly told Quids in!. “We didn’t have any money, but
we were rich in things that money don’t buy. You
know, like love and kindness and understanding.”
And Dolly credits that tough start to life with
making her the person she is today: ”I think my
childhood made me everything I am. No matter how
poor and dirty we might have been I’ve always loved
being where I’m from.”
CONTINUED
Quids in! | 9
IN THE KNOW
IN THE KNOW
e
v
a
h
t
’
n
“We did y, but
any mone ich in
r
e
r
e
w
e
w
t
a
h
t
s
g
n
i
th
t
’
n
o
d
y
e
n
mo
buy”
Dolly was only 12 when she started performing,
and before long she was on her meteoric rise
to superstardom. Her mother wasn’t surprised.
“Momma saw it in me. She thought, ‘Well, if anybody
is gonna do what they say, it’s gonna be her.’ Because
I was always very determined.”
BACK TO HER ROOTS
Dolly has made the story of her young life into a
film, The Coat of Many Colours – also the title of
one of her best-known songs. The song is about
wearing a dress her mother made her out of scraps
of clothes and how Dolly was teased at school.
“Momma was handy with a needle and thread.
DOLLY’S
IMAGINATION
LIBRARY
Dolly’s dad couldn’t read, and she has
been inspired by him to create her
imagination library which sends a
number of children a free book every
month for them to read. To find out if
Dolly’s library operates in your area and
whether or not you qualify please visit
http://uk.imaginationlibrary.com
Useful with a bunch of scraps or whatever. She
remade and sewed everything. We were always
wearing hand-me-down dresses.”
And now Dolly is off again, with a new album called
Pure & Simple that goes back to her songwriting
roots, and a Greatest Hits collection to go with it.
“I have to be careful how I say that last one,” quips
Dolly. Classic Dolly again.
Quids in! | 10
HOW EASY IS IT TO
LOSE £180? VERY.
JUST DO NOTHING.
Ahhhh, lie-ins. What’s cosier than an extra 20
minutes in the morning? Or a lovely hot bath?
But what if that time was worth money?
Giving up that me time just once could save
enough to heat the water for a bath a day for
a year. Not so relaxing now, is it?
Once you have the details to hand, it takes
five minutes to see how much you could save.
Quids in! switch does not ask for your
contact details before showing you results.
All you need:
✔Name of your current supplie
r(s)
✔ N
ame of the type of tariff(s) you
have
(eg, Standard)
✔How much you use (kWh) per
year or
how much you pay per month or ye
ar
Visit www.qimag.uk/qiswitch
or call Freephone 0808 1788 170
See www.qimag.uk/EnergySwitch for advice on switching
Quids in! switch
Switch your gas and electricity
THE QUIDS IN!
SIMPLE COOKING COURSE
SERVES
4
7 ‘Cheats’ Pesto
Although it sounds a bit posh, the word ‘pesto’ is
simply italian for ‘paste’. While the original may
feature pine nuts, we’ve replaced them with peanuts
to make a much cheaper, but just as tasty, version.
INGREDIENTS
•
•
•
•
•
50g of roasted, salted peanuts
Handful of basil leaves
Small clove of garlic
Small cup full of grated cheddar
Olive or vegetable oil
Visit www.quidsinmagazine.com for
more recipes and cooking ideas
COSTS
98p
METHOD
1
If you’ve got a blender you can just chuck all the
ingredients in and whizz them up. If not, smash
the peanuts to bits with a rolling pin or bottle while
still in their packet, chop the basil and garlic as finely
as you can and mix them all together in a bowl with
the cheese and oil. You’ll need just enough oil to
combine everything.
ALTERNATIVES: You can use any nuts you have
to hand – brazil nuts, walnuts, even cobb nuts off
the trees all make a lovely pesto. If you think the
raw garlic will be too much for you, then cook it first
(fry, poach or simply microwave!), or even just leave
it out altogether. Mix into a big bowl of pasta. Also
tastes great with tomatoes, boiled eggs, tuna, in
sandwiches…
Quids in! | 12
PRIZE CROSSWORD
Win £50 cash
Enter the prize crossword for a chance to win £50 cash
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WIN!
ACROSS
1 Natives of Australia (10)
6 Holds your foot on (5)
7 Foe (5)
9 Give someone a job (6)
11 German wife (4)
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14 Important person (3-3)
16Raw fish and rice, Japanese
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church (10)
DOWN
HOW TO ENTER
Enter online at qimag.uk/crossword or simply complete the
crossword and pop it in the post to us. Don’t forget to include
your name and address. Send your completed crossword to
£50 cash, Quids in!, 3 Monmouth Place, Bath BA1 2AT. Or
you can enter by taking a pic of your completed crossword
and sending it to [email protected]. Closing
Date 30th November 2016. See www.quidsinmagazine.com
for terms and conditions.
Quids in! | 13
1Professors, lecturers,
researchers (9)
2 Great tree (3)
3Keeps stuff cool on the go
(3-3)
4 Pops into your head (4)
5 Hair above your eyes (7)
8 Kid (9)
10 Famous Spanish artist (7)
12 Brief beachwear (6)
15 Rubbish containers (4)
18Mischievous little devil;
witches’ familiar (3)
✆
QUIDS IN! USEFUL NUMBERS
LOAN SHARKS
The National Illegal Money Lending Team
tackles loan sharks. To report a loan
shark anonymously you can call them 365
days a year on ✆ 0300 555 2222, text
LOAN SHARK and your details to 60003
or email them at reportaloanshark
@stoploansharks.gov.uk. In Wales call
✆ 0300 123 3311or send an email to
[email protected]
CREDIT UNIONS
Credit unions are not-for-profit
organisations that provide bank
accounts, loans and savings. They may
help people the banks won’t. To find your
local credit union call ✆ 0161 832 3694
or visit www.findyourcreditunion.co.uk.
BENEFITS
•For unemployment and work-related
benefits talk to Jobcentre Plus.
•Council Tax and Housing Benefit is
dealt with by your local council.
•Pensioners should call the Pensions
Service (✆ 0800 99 12340).
•People with disabilities or carers
should contact the Disability
Benefits Centre
(✆ 0345 605 6055) and for Child
Benefit and tax credits call Inland
Revenue (✆ 0845 300 3900).
•Free benefits calculator
www.entitledto.co.uk
DEBT ADVICE
Get in touch with any of the organisations
below to get free advice and help.
•National Debtline
✆ 0808 808 4000
www.nationaldebtline.co.uk
•StepChange Debt Charity
✆ 0800 138 1111
www.stepchange.org
Offers free debt management plans,
debt advice and more.
•Citizens Advice
www.citizensadvice.org.uk. In Wales
call ✆ 08444 77 20 20 England call
✆ 08444 111 444
•Christians Against Poverty (CAP)
www.capuk.org.
✆ 01274 760720
Quids in! | 14
Quids in! magazine
Address 3 Monmouth Place, Bath, BA1 2AT.
Tel 08456 8049 06
Editor Jeff Mitchell Email [email protected]
Publisher Steve Faragher Email [email protected]
Comms Officer Dan Fineman Email dan@ socialpublishingproject.com
Advertising Opportunities Lisa Woodman Email [email protected]
Copy Sales Lisa Woodman , Rhiannon McNamara, Deborah Colvill
Email [email protected], [email protected]
Quids in! magazine
is supported by
Aon and Aviva. Aon
arranges home
contents insurance
with Aviva for
tenants of social
and council housing.
Ask your landlord if
they have a scheme
in place.
Quids in! magazine is designed
to help people understand and
manage their money better. It
is published quarterly by the
Social Publishing Project, a
social enterprise.
Quids in! makes every effort to ensure content is correct at the time of going to print. Readers
should take specialist advice where necessary. Quids in! has no political allegiances, and opinions
expressed are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor. Any relationship with advertisers
or sponsors is always on the understanding that we retain our editorial independence.
Quids in! | 15