Monzo Perks goes from £7 to £9 a month and Max from £17 to £19. Here are all the new plan prices, the dates that matter, and the honest maths.
August 18, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Which Supermarkets Does Sprive Support?
Seven supermarkets. Seven rates. One catch: the cashback never reaches your bank account, it goes straight at your mortgage. Here's exactly what Sprive pays at Tesco, ASDA, M&S and the rest, taken from my own app rather than a press release.
July 23, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Current Account UK 2026: Ranked and Compared
Current accounts2026 Edit
The best current account is the one you actually enjoy opening
Picking the best current account in 2026 is no longer just about interest. It is about the app you tap ten times a day, the perks that quietly pay you back, and the switch bonus that lands in a week. So I have ranked the accounts I actually use, judged on design, everyday feel and real numbers, then grouped the rest by the job they do best.
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
This is not financial advice, and CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Rates, fees and bonuses change often, so always check the provider and consider your own circumstances first.
Want the Monzo refer-a-friend bonus?
Monzo runs a refer-a-friend scheme where you and a friend can both get a bonus. The amount is randomly selected by Monzo at £20, £50 or £100 and shown in-app, so I keep the current offer and the steps to claim it updated on our referral page.
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May 7, 2026Comments are off for this post.
How to Switch Business Energy UK: A Small Business Guide (2026)
Last updated: 13 April 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
If you run a small business in the UK and you want to switch business energy, you're in the right place. Most business owners never actively choose their energy supplier. They just inherit whoever supplied the premises and carry on paying whatever lands in the inbox. That's an expensive way to run things, and once you understand why, the fix is surprisingly simple.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute business or financial advice. Energy prices change frequently. Always verify current rates directly with suppliers.
Business energy is a different world to domestic. There's no price cap protecting you, the VAT is higher, and the market is full of brokers trying to lock you into long contracts. Several of us on the CoolCuration team are freelancers or run small businesses, so we've been through this process ourselves. Here's what we learned.
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May 5, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Mortgage Overpayment Savings: How Much Could You Save? (2026)
Last updated: 9 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
I've been using Sprive with my Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, making £100 monthly overpayments through the app. This post is based on over four years of real use and real numbers.
Most people know they should overpay their mortgage. Almost nobody knows by how much, or what it actually saves them. So we built a free mortgage overpayment calculator to find out. Then we ran our own numbers through it. The mortgage overpayment savings took us by surprise. We've since added a compare-to-savings toggle so you can see whether overpaying or saving the same money comes out ahead at your specific rates.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or mortgage advice. Mortgage products, rates, and overpayment terms vary by lender. Always check your lender's overpayment policy before making extra payments. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.
See your own overpayment savings
Our free calculator shows what your overpayments could save, and whether saving the cash instead would beat them.
Open the overpayment calculator
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April 18, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Savings Options for the New Tax Year UK 2026/27
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Every April, we go through the same routine. The ISA allowance resets, savings rates shift, and there is a brief window where everyone actually pays attention to where their money is sitting. The best savings options for the new tax year are worth sorting now, before the motivation fades and another 12 months slip by. Here is what the CoolCuration team is doing with ours this year, along with a look at the platforms and accounts worth considering right now.
This year there is an added urgency. The 2026/27 tax year is the last year under-65s can put the full £20,000 into a cash ISA. From April 2027, cash ISA contributions will be capped at £12,000 for anyone under 65, with the remaining £8,000 needing to go into stocks and shares or other ISA types. So if you have been meaning to top up your cash ISA, this is the final window at the current limit.
Important: this is not financial advice. This article is for informational purposes only. Nothing in this post constitutes a recommendation to open any particular account, invest in any product, or take any specific financial action. Savings rates, ISA rules, and tax treatment can change at any time. CoolCuration is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and cannot advise you on what is right for your circumstances. Always do your own research or speak to a qualified, independent financial adviser before making financial decisions. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
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April 16, 2026Comments are off for this post.
When Should You Remortgage UK? Timing, Tips and What to Watch For (2026)
Last updated: 9 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
I've been remortgaging and overpaying my own Nationwide mortgage since October 2021, using Sprive to make £100 monthly overpayments. This guide draws on that real experience alongside verified market data.
Knowing when to remortgage UK is one of the most valuable financial moves you can make as a homeowner. Get it right and you could save thousands over the life of your deal. Get it wrong and you risk haemorrhaging money to your lender's standard variable rate while you scramble to sort a new deal. A surprising number of homeowners either leave it too late or jump too early and pay penalties they did not need to. Several of us on the CoolCuration team have remortgaged in the last couple of years, so this guide draws on real experience alongside verified market data.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Important: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or mortgage advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide regulated mortgage advice. Always consult a qualified mortgage adviser before making decisions about your mortgage. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Sprive welcome offer
Once the new deal is sorted and you turn to overpaying, the latest sign-up bonus is kept up to date on our referral page.
Check the current Sprive bonus
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April 13, 2026Comments are off for this post.
How to Get Cashback on Groceries UK: Save £100+ a Year (2026)
Last updated: 8 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
This article is for information only and does not constitute financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Rates and terms can change; always check the provider's current terms before acting.
If you want cashback on groceries UK, there are a handful of apps that deliver results. We have been using JamDoughnut, TopCashback, and Sprive for our own weekly food shops for months, and the savings quietly stack up. This is not couponing. This is not switching to own-brand everything. It is simply routing your existing spending through an app that gives you a percentage back.
We ran the numbers on a typical £80 weekly Tesco shop using JamDoughnut and, at a standard rate of around 2%, that works out at roughly £83 back over a year. When rates get "pumped up" (more on that below), it could be closer to £125 or more. For cashback beyond groceries, see our full cashback apps roundup.
Our pick for grocery cashback
Of the three we use, JamDoughnut is the one I like best for the weekly shop, thanks to the widest supermarket list and instant payouts.
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April 12, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo vs Starling 2026: Which UK Challenger Bank Is Better?
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
The Monzo vs Starling debate is the one that never dies in UK personal finance. Both are app-first, both are FSCS-protected, and both let you spend abroad without sneaky fees. On paper, they look almost identical. But after using both across our team for years, the differences show up in the daily details. This is not a spec sheet comparison. It is what actually matters when you open both apps every day.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and does not provide personalised financial guidance. This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view. We have no commercial relationship with Starling Bank.
Picking Monzo? Grab the sign-up reward
Join through a referral link and make a card payment within 30 days, and a random £20, £50 or £100 lands in your account; the steps are on our Monzo page.
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April 11, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Chip Prize Saver vs Premium Bonds UK 2026: Which Is Actually Better?
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
Over 24 million people in the UK hold Premium Bonds, which makes them the nation's most popular savings product. Yet most holders have never weighed up Chip Prize Saver vs Premium Bonds side by side, and the numbers reward a closer look. Around 62% of Premium Bonds holders have never won a single prize, according to AJ Bell. The prize fund rate sits at 3.30% for the June 2026 draw, with each £1 bond facing odds of 23,000 to 1. From the July 2026 draw, however, NS&I lifts the rate to 3.80% and shortens those odds to 22,000 to 1.
Meanwhile, Chip's Prize Savings Account offers an alternative: a prize-draw savings account that claims roughly 3.5 times better odds than Premium Bonds, plus quarterly big prizes reaching £250,000. We are not saying Premium Bonds are bad. Indeed, they are backed by the Treasury and pay tax-free prizes, which is a real advantage. However, if you have not compared them to anything in years, this is worth ten minutes of your time.
This article contains affiliate or referral links. If you click through and sign up I may earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. It does not affect my editorial view.
Want to try the Chip Prize Saver?
Our Chip referral page carries the current new-customer bonus and the sign-up steps, kept up to date.
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. It is not a recommendation to open, close, or switch any savings or investment product. Always do your own research or consider a qualified financial adviser before making financial decisions. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. Tax treatment depends on individual circumstances and may change. All product details were verified at the time of writing but may change, so always check the provider's website for current terms.
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