Martin Lewis shares the right way to save hundreds on payments in 2026

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Your assist makes all of the distinction. Learn extra Because the excessive price of dwelling continues to chunk for thousands and thousands throughout the UK, many are searching for methods to convey family prices down.

Slowing inflation in January implies that costs at the moment are rising much less shortly – a development economists hope will proceed over the approaching months – however family payments stay a large expense after consecutive rises lately.

Power, water, broadband and council tax have all seen spikes because the Covid pandemic, and stay stubbornly excessive in 2026. On the similar time, the variety of households scuffling with debt has reached file ranges, in line with current evaluation by Residents Recommendation.

Whereas these prices are important, they are often introduced down in lots of circumstances. Cash professional Martin Lewis has inspired invoice payers to undertake a “cash makeover” to shortly test the place they may be overpaying – and the right way to get a greater deal.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/02/06/13/26/GettyImages-2234365946.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/02/06/13/26/GettyImages-2234365946.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim=0%2C40%2C0%2C40&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2026/02/06/13/26/GettyImages-2234365946.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&crop=3%3A2%2Csmart&trim=0%2C40%2C0%2C40&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="Martin Lewis has shared his top tips for cutting bills in 2026" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Martin Lewis has shared his prime suggestions for slicing payments in 2026 (Getty Photos) Writing on his Cash Saving Knowledgeable web site, Mr Lewis mentioned: “Taking a day to chop your payments saves many individuals £1,000s over the yr. And until you earn £100,000s, doing a cash makeover could be the subsequent finest approach of placing some additional apart – one thing that is actually necessary throughout this price of dwelling disaster.

“So test your payments NOW and see if it can save you £100s on broadband, mobiles, meals and extra by working by means of your funds one-by-one to make sure you've the very best deal on all the pieces.”

Listed here are six of the professional’s prime suggestions:

Cell contract

The price of cellphone contracts can fluctuate massively within the UK, that means some could also be paying as a lot as £200 greater than others for the same deal.

An estimated 14 million individuals throughout the nation at the moment are out of contract, that means they'll depart their supplier at any level and in most of those circumstances, are paying way over they have to be.

The short technique to discover this out is to textual content “INFO” at no cost to 85075. Cell suppliers should reply to this with details about the contract, together with any early termination cost. If that is £0, then the contract has seemingly completed.

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For many who are proud of their cell system, Sim-only offers could be discovered for as little as £4 a month.

One individual informed Cash Saving Knowledgeable: "I took benefit of your cope with Lebara after disappointing service from my final supplier. Saved £277 over the subsequent yr, get extra information, higher roaming, a month-by-month contract and hold my previous cellphone quantity. Lifeless satisfied. Thanks."

Subscription well being test

Taking out a subscription is commonly a fast and simple course of, a lot in order that they'll develop into exhausting to maintain observe of.

Greater than 1 / 4 of individuals (27 per cent) have had a cost taken that they thought they’d cancelled, current information from Examine the Market discovered, starting from streaming providers to health apps.

Step one to trace down undesirable subscriptions is for individuals to test the direct debit and standing orders on their checking account. Any common outgoing that comes as a shock needs to be tackled.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/05/27/15/05/netflix-account-credentials-hacked.jpeg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/05/27/15/05/netflix-account-credentials-hacked.jpeg?quality=75&width=320&trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2025/05/27/15/05/netflix-account-credentials-hacked.jpeg?quality=75&width=640&trim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="More than a quarter of people have had a payment taken that they thought they’d cancelled" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

Greater than 1 / 4 of individuals have had a cost taken that they thought they’d cancelled (Getty/iStock) Whereas these could be simply cancelled by means of the financial institution, it’s sensible for invoice payers to contact the corporate first. They could nonetheless be in contract, and so cancelling cost could be a breach.

There's a third type of cost known as ‘Steady Cost Authority’ which is much less widespread and received’t present up in the identical approach as the opposite two. To make certain, savers can look by means of their statements to identify any uncommon common cost.

In the very best circumstances, some firms might even refund prospects who've mistakenly stored up a cost with them. One buyer informed Mr Lewis: “Came upon that I used to be paying £10 for a second Netflix account. Contacted Netflix and so they have been very useful, refunding me £70.”

Fast vitality invoice repair

Power prices are one of many quickest rising bills of the previous 5 years, because the mixed pressures of Covid, the battle in Ukraine and the price of dwelling disaster pressured charges up.

Ofgem’s vitality worth cap for January to April is now £1,758, decrease than the height of the pandemic, however remaining stubbornly increased than the charges seen in 2021.

The vitality worth cap is the utmost quantity vitality suppliers can cost for every unit of vitality for these on an ordinary variable tariff. It's expressed as an annual invoice for a mean residence.

To get forward of the cap, many consultants – together with Ofgem itself – have really useful households contemplate a fixed-tariff vitality deal. Savers can presently safe a hard and fast deal as a lot as 14 per cent decrease than the worth cap price.

Broadband offers

As with cell contracts, as many as seven million persons are out of contract on their broadband and might be saving extra elsewhere.

It’s price purchasing on-line for the very best deal, with Mr Lewis estimating thousands and thousands may “double the pace and halve the worth” of their contracts for financial savings of as much as £500 a yr.

<img src="https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/01/20/09/iStock-1315261196.jpg" srcset="https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/01/20/09/iStock-1315261196.jpg?quality=75&width=320&auto=webp 320w, https://static.independent.co.uk/2023/01/20/09/iStock-1315261196.jpg?quality=75&width=640&auto=webp 640w" loading="lazy" alt="As many as seven million people are out contract on their broadband" class="sc-1mc30lb-0 ggpMaE inline-gallery-btn"/> open picture in gallery

As many as seven million persons are out contract on their broadband (Getty/iStock) For these on decrease incomes and sure means-tested advantages, there are additionally a number of firms providing social broadband tariffs for as little as £16 a month.

Lower council tax

Council tax is one other price that has seen main rises lately as many cash-strapped native authorities search to recoup funds.

The domestically charged levy is unavoidable, however many will not be conscious that they'll problem the federal government on their property’s council tax band.

Greater than 43,000 individuals did this in 2024, and practically 1,000 have been in a position to decrease their band by two locations or extra.

Evaluation suggests round 400,000 households are within the mistaken band and so might be paying an excessive amount of council tax. If profitable, a problem may lead to not simply decrease payments going ahead, but additionally a backdated refund. One saver informed Mr Lewis that they obtained a refund of £8,871 for an incorrect banding going again 28 years.

Nevertheless, these also needs to remember that bands can go up, in addition to down. Within the worst circumstances, a problem has resulted within the Valuation Workplace Company growing the band for an entire avenue of homes.