Green light to switch energy provider

Now’s the time to switch energy provider. Gas and electricity prices are going up by 15 to 20% and five of the six major energy providers have increased their prices over the past few weeks, so you need to ensure you’ve got the best deal to make the price hikes more bearable.

I’ve been saying don’t switch over the past few weeks because many firms had not yet increased their prices so it wasn't a level playing field given more price rises were on the way. But now five of the six firms have put their prices up, that’s enough for you to be able to make a decent comparison.

Use a comparison service to find the best deal, and if you do it online you can get up to £30 cashback or a crate of wine worth £40. The one which hasn’t raised its prices is Scottish and Southern Energy, though it has frozen them until March 30. However, it may still put prices up after that so be wary if it works out the cheapest at the moment.

If you've never switched that means you're probably using the standard British Gas tariff for gas, and your local electricity company for electricity. It's likely you're paying 20% more than you should which means you could be paying £200 to £300 per year too much.

Remember that if you switch to the best deal, given the recent price rises, you'll be making a saving from what you’d pay once the price rises kick in, rather than actually cutting your bill.

To compare, ditch and switch, plus all the cashback and wine links, read Martin's full Cheapest Gas & Electricity guide.

BA & Virgin airlines refund alert

Did you buy a longhaul ticket on British Airways or Virgin Atlantic between August 2004 and March 2006? If so, it’s likely you’re entitled to compensation because it's been deemed the pair were colluding to fix the price of the fuel surcharge added to the price of a ticket.

Last August, BA was fined almost £300m but Virgin escaped because it reported the problem in the first place. After a class action in the US, which applies to both US and UK travellers, the companies will have to pay out between £2 and £10 per long haul flight, so you could get up to £20 for a return trip.

There are still some legal loopholes to clear so it may take a few months for the refunds to come through but you can register your details now at www.airpassengerrefund.co.uk or call 0800 0430 343.

Bag the best savings

There’s a new top clean savings paying account available for anyone with more than £1,000 to put away. It’s from the UK subsidiary of Icelandic bank Kaupthing and you get a rate of 6.5% AER. It’s also guaranteed to beat UK interest rates by at least 0.3% until February 2012.

Plus, as the deal is coming from Kaupthing’s UK subsidiary Kaupthing, Singer and Friedlander, like all other UK banks, the first £35,000 is guaranteed by the government.

You can get a marginally better rate elsewhere but not with the same guarantee that rates will stay above base rate.

Complete information on all Top Savings Accounts are included in Martin's full article.

There's no need to pay for directory enquiries!

There's now a free directory enquiries number, staffed by real people, not automated answering machines if you call from a landline.

You need to dial 0800 100 100 and instead of paying, you simply need to listen to a short advert. This compares to other directory enquiry services that charge 59p on connection then 14p a minute.

For all the free numbers to use, be it on a landline or mobile, read Martin's full Free Directory Enquiries article.