Sprive's FAQ names sixteen lenders. The download banner on the same page says fourteen. Here is the full list, the two numbers, and what to do if yours is missing.
September 16, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Which Lenders Does Sprive Support?
September 15, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo Perks vs Max: Which Plan Should You Pay For?
The gap between Monzo Perks and Max is £10 a month, and it buys three insurance policies. Priced honestly against buying them separately.
September 2, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Is Monzo Perks Worth It? A Year of Paying for It
A year of paying £9 a month for Monzo Perks, with the honest maths on what I actually claim and what earns nothing.
August 31, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Should You Fix Your Energy Tariff Before October?
Last updated: 13 October 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
EnergyFix or float · October 2026
Ofgem says fix. I checked the sums.
Ofgem reckons you can beat the October cap by £100 or more, so the obvious question is whether to fix your energy tariff before it lands on 1 October. So I ran the only supplier prices you can check without handing over a postcode against Ofgem’s own regional cap tables. On 30 August, Octopus’s twelve month fix beat the cap in every region of Britain, by £47 to £82. The version on sale since 11 September costs more than the cap in every region, by £75 to £117.
Update, 17 September 2026. Octopus withdrew the 12M Fixed tariff I first tested on 5 September. I have re-run the test on its replacement, on sale since 11 September, and the table and chart below now show those prices. The 12-month fix costs £75 to £117 a year more than the October cap in every region, £93 on average. Octopus 18M Fixed lands between £7 below and £33 above it. The Bank of England held its base rate at 3.75% on 17 September. That decision does not set energy prices, but the rising energy costs behind it are the same ones pushing fixed tariffs up. More on that on my Bank of England base rate page.
This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
This is not financial advice, and CoolCuration is not FCA authorised. Tariffs, rates and offers change constantly, so always check the supplier’s own site before you commit.
Thinking about switching as well as fixing?
My Octopus Energy page keeps the current switching credit and the sign-up steps up to date, so you are never working from a stale offer.
See the Octopus referral offer
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August 27, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Energy Price Cap October 2026: What the £60 Rise Means
Last updated: 17 September 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
EnergyOfgem · October 2026
Up £60 a year, and two right answers
Ofgem confirmed the energy price cap October 2026 on Wednesday morning. A typical direct debit household paying for gas and electricity moves from £1,663 to £1,723 a year. That is £60 more, or roughly £5 a month. Meanwhile you will also see £1,935 quoted elsewhere, plus a 4% figure sitting awkwardly next to a 3.6% one. None of those numbers are wrong, and the reasons come down to VAT and a change in how Ofgem measures a typical home.
This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
This is not financial advice. Cap rates, tariffs and offers change often. So always check the current terms on the supplier’s own site first.
Weighing up a switch before October?
My Octopus Energy page keeps the current referral credit and the switching steps up to date. That way you are not working from a stale offer.
See the Octopus referral offer
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August 22, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo Perks and Max Price Increase 2026: Every New Price
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.
July 24, 2026Comments are off for this post.
InvestEngine Review UK: My Honest Take With My Own Money
My honest InvestEngine review after six months: no-fee ETF investing, the real bonus odds, and who this low-cost UK platform actually suits.
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 and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
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 set at random by Monzo, runs from £5 up to £50 (sometimes up to £100) and is shown in-app, so I keep the current offer and the steps to claim it updated on our referral page.
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July 20, 2026Comments are off for this post.
That Mortgage App on the Channel 4 Advert? It’s Sprive
Last updated: 13 October 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
I have used Sprive since October 2021, making regular overpayments through the app, first on a Nationwide mortgage and now on a Halifax one.
This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them.
This is not financial advice. It is one homeowner's experience, shared to help you make your own call.
So you spotted the Sprive advert on the telly and wondered what that mortgage app actually is. Here is the short answer: yes, the mortgage app on the Channel 4 advert is Sprive, and it helps you chip away at your mortgage a little faster. Below, I explain what it does, whether it is legit, and what it is like to use.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Want to try the app from the advert?
The current Sprive sign-up offer and how to claim it are kept up to date on our referral page.
Just seen the advert? The app behind it is explained below. For every Sprive guide in one place, see our Sprive guides hub.
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July 1, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Monzo Review UK: An Honest Opinion After Four Years
Last updated: 22 August 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
This Monzo review is based on my own experience using Monzo as my main current account for over four years, on the £9 a month Perks plan. I run everyday spending, Pots and my Sprive mortgage overpayments through it, so this is real use rather than a weekend trial.
This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.
This article contains affiliate and referral links, which are paid links. If you click one and buy or sign up, I earn a commission or referral bonus at no extra cost to you. Brands don't choose what I feature or what I say about them. This page is general information, not financial advice.
Cool Factor: 4/5
Banking / Opinion
Welcome to my honest Monzo review, written from the inside rather than the marketing deck. I have banked with Monzo since well before it became a household name, so this is four years of daily use talking. Monzo is now the UK's largest digital bank, with more than 15 million customers. However, the interesting question is not how big it has become. Instead, it is whether the everyday account and app still feel special, or whether the spark is quietly fading.
Fancy trying Monzo with our referral link?
New customers can get a random reward from £5, up to £50 (sometimes up to £100). The current offer, and the exact steps to claim it, are always kept up to date on our referral page.
Want the rest of my Monzo coverage? Every guide I have written about Monzo sits on my Monzo guides hub, from the paid plans to the savings pots and the head-to-heads.
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