10 ways to save and make money this summer

1. Switch banks and pocket £100+

Banks and building societies are after our current account business like never before. So why not take advantage and switch accounts, enjoying a switching bonus on the way? What’s more, the switch should be completed in seven working days.

Right now, the Co-operative Bank and Halifax will pay you a cool £100 and First Direct £125 for moving to them. The Co-op will also donate £25 to a charity of your choice.

Or if you’re a fan of M&S it will pay you £100 in M&S vouchers for switching to its free current account.

Compare current accounts

2. Get money off your fuel at Tesco

At Tesco this summer your shopping can get you a decent saving on your fuel. The Clubcard Fuel Save scheme rewards you with a discount every time you fill up, up to a maximum of 20p off a litre.

3. Boost your Nectar points for cheap days out

Meanwhile, if you’re Nectar card holder your points will be worth double, triple and even quadruple at a whole range of partners this summer. From 23rd July to 12th August, 500 points could be worth up to £10 at the likes of Go Ape, Madame Tussauds and Thorpe Park. Head to the Nectar Rewards Double Up & More page for more.

4. Pay less for summer medication and protection

If you suffer from hayfever, don’t spend money on the big brands. All hayfever tablets have the same ingredients, they just have different company names on the box. Own brand packets from the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury’s and Boots will be cheaper, or go online to the likes of Chemist-4-U. You can also get a prescription (for free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) from your GP.

5. Go to a free festival

You don’t need to shell out a fortune on a ticket to enjoy a great day out. Take a look at the likes of Free-events.co.uk and your local council’s website for inspiration.

6. Pack sensibly for your holiday

If you’re going abroad then don’t forget to pack the essentials, and we don’t just mean suncream. Get your travel insurance and foreign currency, if you’re taking any, sorted before you get to the airport, as it costs far more there.

If you’re planning to use plastic, the Post Office Platinum and Halifax Clarity are the top credit cards to pack, although if your credit rating isn’t great you might want to look at the aqua Advance card instead.

7. Sign up for an eBay account and declutter your attic

Everyone likes a cosy home but how many of your possessions do you really need? Why not sign up for an eBay account and sell off those misguided holiday shirts you’d rather forget and weird Christmas presents from embarrassing uncles?

You can make a profit on junk you might otherwise have thrown away and be sure it’s going to a good home, because there really is a market for anything out there. You might even turn up a valuable antique you never knew you had.

8. Earn cashback with American Express and Foursquare

American Express and social site/app Foursquare have teamed up again to offer cashback on spending at various shops and restaurants from now until 15,000 people have taken up or the end of the year, whichever comes first.

You first need to ‘sync’ your American Express card with a Foursquare account. Then you need to ‘check in’ to the place where you want to spend and earn cashback. The offer will then be ‘loaded’ onto your synced card, and once you’ve spent, a credit will be added to your card account.

Here’s a taster of the offers:

Argos: spend £30, get £10 back

Pizza Express: spend £30, get £10 back

Primark: spend £30, get £10 back

Tesco: spend £10, get £5 back

If you don’t have an American Express card and this offer is making you think about getting one, you have plenty of options.

You can earn cashback with the Platinum Cashback Everyday card, which pays 5% cashback on your first three months’ spending (up to a limit of £100, so the first £2,000 of spending). It then pays tiered levels of cashback from 0.5% up to 1.25% depending on how much you spend each month. The representative APR is 19.9%. Or there’s the Platinum Cashback card, which pays 5% on your first three months’ spending up to a limit of £2,500, which could earn you £125. After that, it pays 1.25% on all purchases. However, there’s a £25 annual fee to take into account. The representative APR is 18.7%.

If you collect Nectar points, the American Express Nectar card gives you up to four Nectar points for every £1 you spend at Nectar retailers and two points for spending elsewhere. At the moment, there’s also an introductory offer of 20,000 free Nectar points if you spend £2,000 in the first three months you have the account. There’s a £25 annual fee, so the representative APR is 25%.

Compare credit cards

9. Earn a guaranteed 5.2% on your savings

If your savings are sat in a low interest rate account, now’s the time to shift them. Peer-to-peer website Zopa, which matches your savings to people looking for a loan, is offering a guaranteed annual return of 5.2% after fees over five years. But you need to sign up this month. Just be aware that any money you commit to a peer-to-peer lender is not protected by the Financial Savings Compensation Scheme as it is in a savings account, in the unlikely event Zopa goes bust. You can lock your money away for shorter periods for a lower return too.

Compare rates from peer-to-peer lenders

10. Save on your credit card debt

Barclaycard has just launched a Platinum 0% balance transfer credit card offering six months with no interest to pay on your debt and no balance transfer fee to pay. So if you use it right you can pay off your debts for absolutely nothing. Just make sure you can actually afford the monthly repayments you’ll need to make. And be aware that if you don’t clear your debt in the six-month period you’ll need to find another 0% card, if you can, or pay a representative APR (the annual combination of interest and charges) of at least 19.9%.

And if you want to apply, you only have until 27th July, so don’t delay.