This is Money Podcast

Established banks, challengers, fintech firms and payments providers – they all have one thing in common: none of them are immune to IT problems, glitches, hacks, meltdowns or customer service failures.Yet the momentum towards going cashless shows no signs of slowing down - but is Britain ready for it?In this week's podcast, assistant editor Lee Boyce along with host Georgie Frost talk about the future of payments.Elsewhere, we reveal what went 'wronga' at Wonga and why Lloyds Bank is now recording all product openings in branch.We also discuss the potential Aston Martin float, which could value the firm at £5billion.Lastly, motoring editor Rob Hull talks about two car brands from different ends of the spectrum – Ferrari versus Lada.A 250 GTO sold for a record auction price recently while a Lada could sell for £75,000 – yes, a Lada. Could it be a miracle? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Buying a home, whether it is your first-time or not, can be a daunting experience.From the initial hunt trawling through property websites, to finally getting the keys, it can be an arduous process with plenty of tricky hurdles to overcome.In this housing podcast special, This is Money editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost talk all things property.We have tips on taking the temperature of the local property market, working out what you can really afford, what to pay, how much to offer, how to do it and what happens next.We also reveal some of our personal experiences and tricks we learnt along the way to help you with the process. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Government's £11billion scheme to install 53million smart meters in homes and small businesses by the end of 2020 has been plagued by problems.Now it appears there may be more hidden nasties. A wireless tech expert says they have the power to take over customer accounts.  In theory, this means suppliers could cut off a household's electricity or gas without visiting the property, add debt to a meter, remove credit on an account, change the charge levied or turn the meter into a pre-payment device.Authority to use these functions has yet to be granted – but it all sounds a little big brotherish.In this week's podcast Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost question, is it time to rethink the smart meter push?  Also on this week's show, we talk secondary tickets after Ticketmaster axed Get Me In and Seatwave, discuss what to do with £10,000 in order to get onto the property ladder and the motivation you need to prevent becoming a CV cliché. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From pubs to hotels and shops to petrol stations, Britain has gone parking mad.Private land owners have been signed up across the country by operators, who stick in automatic numberplate recognition cameras and then dish out tickets to motorists who stop there.We’ve had countless stories of over-zealous fines and this week Lee Boyce revealed how he fought back after he was sent a ticket for stopping briefly at a BP petrol station.What allows all this to happen is the DVLA selling people’s details to car park operators who snap their numberplate.So is it time to fight back against this parking madness? Why has it got so bad? And how do you beat a ticket?In this week’s podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce, Rachel Rickard Straus and Georgie Frost talk parking tickets.Also, on this week’s show, the banks doing the dirty on savers after the rate rise, how to make your child a pension millionaire and the curious case of Aldi and the food producers accusing it of copying them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Interest rates have finally risen above 0.5 per cent for the first time in almost a decade.The Bank of England has decided that the UK's economy is healthy enough to finally get above the financial crisis emergency level, but was the hike a wise move or a mistake.Of those in favour, some have been calling for a rate rise for a long time, others believe we must try to get back to normal before recession hits.But those opposed believe even this tiny shift up to a very low base rate level of 0.75 per cent, is a gamble too far from the Monetary Policy Committee's ratesetters.On this week's podcast, Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost dive into the rate rise. Why did the bank hike rates, who will it affect, why do interest rates even move up and down and how did they end up at 0.5 per cent in the first place?Also on this week's show, Lee introduces us to the world of micro-saving, we discuss the case of the financial adviser who suddenly ask for £10,000 more and Simon tries to show he is down with the kids who are making money by selling on Depop. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We’re all going on a summer holiday! Don’t worry, podcast fans, we aren’t really, but we are dedicating this week’s show to the lucky among you who are.We cover all things money from planning your holiday to arriving back home again.We talk through what you need to know to make sure you have the best travel insurance while you’re away, to how to pay for things and withdraw cash while abroad to make your money go the furthest, to car hire tricks and getting compensation if something goes wrong.Seats and tray tables back to the upright position, seatbelts on and notepads at the ready…Enjoy! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Working out what to do with a life-changing sum of money is a nice problem to have but that doesn’t mean it’s not tricky.  We’ve all read the stories of inheritances, lottery wins and other windfalls squandered - and even if you have spent a lifetime building your wealth, whether through investing or business, it would still be all too easy to rattle through the cash.On this week’s podcast, we look at a question from This is Money’s new Wealth Check section on what to do with £1.2million from a business sale: how to spend some enjoying life and invest the rest so that it is not at too much risk but still grows.From there, Simon Lambert, Tanya Jefferies and Georgie Frost dive into what a life-changing sum of money might be, why more people are getting them, and what you might do with it.For those without that luxury, we look at why engaging with your pension investments is being tipped as a way to retire early - and whether a bit less time panic scrolling on social media might buy you the time to do that.Also on this week’s podcast agenda are the cheap wills that could cost your family a fortune, the used electric cars rising in value – with the Renault Zoe up 30% in a year - and the annoying text messages that could replace Verified by Visa. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this five minute guide to what you need to think about when writing your will, This is Money editor Simon Lambert explains what he discovered when he wrote his - and the things you need to consider. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How soon will you be driving an electric car? The Government laid out its Road to Zero plan this week, adding some detail to previous announcements on how it wants to drum petrol and diesel cars off our streets.But is there enough in there to show how we will get from electric and hybrid cars currently making up a 2.2 per cent market share to 50 per cent by 2030?From 2040, new cars running only on petrol and diesel won’t be able to be sold and a decade after that we’re all meant to go electric.The crucial question though is what happens in the near future. How long before your next car is electric?Simon Lambert, Lee Boyce and Georgie Frost look at what it will take to tempt us into electric cars, where they will be charged and how long their range needs to be for drivers to take them seriously.They also look at how much a second-hand electric car might cost you.Also on this week’s podcast, Lee reveals a savings trick that could get you a 7 per cent return on £1,000 and we ask whether fixing your mortgage for a decade is wise.BT raising the cost of old email addresses to an astonishing £7.50 a month is also on the agenda.And finally, football isn’t coming home (yet) but has England’s good run at the World Cup boosted the economy?Enjoy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The world of savings could be set for a shake-up when a new player comes to town – Marcus.Marcus is an online challenger bank and an offshoot of investment banking giant Goldman Sachs, and may just put a bit of welcome pressure on rates in the savings market.But that’s not the only change afoot in savings.Virgin Money is launching an account where interest is earned in air miles, best-buy fixed rate deals are at a two-year high and Monzo has seen losses quadruple. There’s a lot going on.On this episode of the This is Money podcast, consumer affairs editor Lee Boyce and assistant editor Rachel Rickard Straus join presenter Georgie Frost to discuss all this and what it means for savers.They also talk through hotel booking websites, their tricks and whether they work for or against holidaymakers.The trio also discuss how much we need to save for retirement, why a raffle to win a Brixton flat has just been extended, and finally… could success in the World Cup really boost the economy? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.