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March 28, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Cashback Apps UK 2026: TopCashback, Sprive & Airtime

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

If you're still paying full price for your groceries, energy bills and online shopping in 2026, you're leaving hundreds of pounds on the table. The best cashback apps UK shoppers use have evolved far beyond basic reward schemes, with some offering instant payouts while others help you pay off your mortgage faster. We tested the UK's most popular cashback platforms to find out which ones actually deliver.

Whether you want passive earnings through card-linked tracking, instant supermarket discounts or mortgage overpayment bonuses, there's a cashback strategy that fits your spending habits. Here's everything you need to know about the best cashback apps UK shoppers are using in 2026.

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 information, not financial advice.

Our top cashback pick

If you only set one app up, TopCashback is the one I reach for first. It covers the most retailers and pays out from just £1.

Get started with TopCashback

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Published by Stiv in Money, Personal finance, UK Deals
Tags: airtime rewards, cashback apps, money saving apps, personal finance, Sprive cashback, TopCashback, UK money saving
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March 27, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Lightyear Vaults explained: rates, risks and how they work (2026)

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Not financial advice. This article is for information only and does not constitute financial advice. It also 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 have been looking at Lightyear and wondering what Lightyear Vaults actually are, you are not alone. Vaults are one of the platform's standout features, yet the name does not immediately explain what they do. In short, Lightyear Vaults let you earn interest on cash through low-risk money market funds. So, here is a clear guide to how they work, the current rates by currency, the fees, the risks, and how they compare to a savings account.

Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

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Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Personal finance, Services
Tags: BlackRock MMF, cash ISA, interest on cash, Investing apps UK, Lightyear, Lightyear Vaults, money market funds, savings vs investing
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March 22, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Easiest Mortgage Broker UK: 4 Brokers Compared (2026)

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

For context: I hold a Nationwide mortgage myself and have put £100 a month through Sprive since October 2021, so the broker notes below sit on more than four years of hands-on mortgage admin.

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 the Better.co.uk voucher offer?

The £100 Amazon voucher offer from Better.co.uk featured below, and the steps to claim it, live on our refer-a-friend page.

Get the Better.co.uk offer

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

CoolCuration is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide financial advice. The information below is for general informational purposes only. Always seek advice from an FCA-regulated broker or adviser before making mortgage decisions.

Trying to find the easiest mortgage broker in the UK? I used four different brokers for quotes on the same remortgage and compared them purely on how painless the process was. Spoiler: the rates that came back were almost identical. So if the deals are basically the same, the only thing that really matters is how much of your life gets eaten up by the process. That's even more true right now, as UK mortgage rates have climbed sharply following the Middle East conflict and lenders are repricing fast.

Here's how Habito, Better.co.uk, Sprive and Charles Cameron & Associates stacked up, ranked from smoothest to most old-school.

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Published by Stiv in Finance, Money, Money saving, Personal finance, Services
Tags: Better.co.uk, Charles Cameron, ease of use, first-time buyer, Habito, mortgage, mortgage broker, remortgage, Sprive
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March 21, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Monzo vs Chase UK: Which Bank Account Is Better? (2026)

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Affiliate disclosure: 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.

After the bigger sign-up bonus?

Chase's refer-a-friend offer pays £50 when you join and deposit £1,000 within 30 days; our referral page walks you through it.

Claim the Chase £50 offer

If you're weighing up Monzo vs Chase in 2026, you're in good company. Both are app-only banks, both are free to open, and both promise to make managing your money less painful. However, once you dig past the slick onboarding screens, the two take noticeably different approaches to savings, cashback and everyday features.

Chase (a trading name of J.P. Morgan Europe Limited) lures new customers with a boosted saver rate and 2% cashback on everyday spending. Monzo, the UK's original fintech darling, counters with powerful budgeting tools, paid plan perks like a free Railcard, and one of the most feature-rich banking apps on the market.

Below, we break down every meaningful difference so you can pick the one that actually fits your life. We also link to both referral offers if you want a bonus for signing up.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Banking, Comparisons, Finance, Investing, Personal finance, Reviews, Saving, Services
Tags: app review, bank comparison, cashback, chase, chase uk, digital bank, fintech, monzo, monzo vs chase, personal finance, savings, uk banking
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March 15, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

UK Mortgage Rates Rising: What the Middle East Conflict Means for Your Bills

Originally published: 15 March 2026. Reviewed for accuracy: 10 June 2026. This is a dated news post tied to specific events in early 2026; it is not intended as evergreen advice.

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I write this with skin in the game: a Nationwide mortgage of my own, plus £100 a month in overpayments running through Sprive since October 2021, so I have watched these rate swings over four-plus years as a borrower, not just a blogger.

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.

Overpaying as your hedge?

If overpaying is your answer to all of this, we keep the current Sprive welcome offer and claim steps up to date on our referral page.

Get the latest Sprive offer

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

CoolCuration is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and does not provide financial advice. The information below is for general informational purposes only. Always seek advice from an FCA-regulated broker or adviser before making mortgage decisions.

If you've been watching the news this year, you'll know the Middle East conflict has thrown a spanner into the UK's financial outlook. UK mortgage rates climbed again after weeks of improvement, lenders pulled deals, and energy prices headed in the wrong direction. Whether you're on a fixed-rate mortgage nearing renewal or simply trying to keep your gas bill under control, the events of early 2026 have had lasting consequences. Here's what happened, what it means for your money, and what you can actually do about it.

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Published by Stiv in Money, Personal finance
Tags: 2026, Bank of England, energy prices, Middle East conflict, mortgage rates, Ofgem price cap, remortgage, UK personal finance
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March 15, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Cheapest Investment App UK (2026) – FX Fees Compared

Investing · FX fees2026 Edit

Commission-free is not cost-free

Last updated: 21 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Looking for the cheapest investment app in 2026? The headline says "zero commission". Yet the foreign exchange (FX) fee on every US share quietly adds up. So we rechecked the live pricing for Lightyear, Robinhood, Trading 212, Freetrade, InvestEngine, Hargreaves Lansdown and J.P. Morgan. Then we worked out the real cost of buying a US share on each.

Affiliate disclosure: 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.

Not financial advice. This piece reflects what works for us, not a personal recommendation, so please do your own research or speak to a qualified adviser before investing. Capital at risk. The value of investments can go down as well as up and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results.

See the lowest flat FX fee in our comparison

Of the apps below, Lightyear currently has the lowest flat FX fee on US shares. The latest sign-up steps are kept up to date on our referral page.

See the Lightyear FX offer

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Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Personal finance
Tags: Freetrade, FX fees, investing, investment apps, isa, Lightyear, monzo, Trading 212, uk investing
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October 8, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

What Is Sprive, and How Does the App Work? (UK Guide 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. This guide is based on the actual setup process and over four years of daily use.

If you're trying to figure out what Sprive is and how the Sprive app works, you're probably weighing up whether it's worth the setup effort or whether you'll download it and never open it again. This guide covers the mechanics only: what you do in the app, what happens next, and what to check so you don't accidentally trip over your lender's overpayment rules.

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 information, not financial advice, and CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Just here for the sign-up bonus?

The current Sprive offer and the steps to claim it are always kept up to date on our referral page.

Get the Sprive sign-up bonus

Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

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Published by Stiv in Finance, Personal finance, Saving, Services
Tags: cashback apps, cool curation, finance app, how Sprive app works, mortgage helper, mortgage overpayment, mortgage saving, Open Banking apps UK, pay off mortgage faster, personal finance uk, referral app, smart money apps, Sprive app, uk money tools
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September 28, 2025 — Comments are off for this post.

Save Thousands on Your Mortgage UK: Practical Tips That Work (2026)

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I've had a Nationwide mortgage since 2021 and have been making regular overpayments using Sprive and manual standing orders throughout that time. These are approaches I use myself.

Disclosure: 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.

Not financial advice. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article is for information only. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. Consider consulting a qualified mortgage adviser before making changes to your repayment plan.

Start with a sign-up bonus

If the automated overpayment route appeals, the current Sprive welcome offer and the claim steps sit on our referral page.

Get the Sprive bonus

If you want to save thousands on your mortgage in the UK, you don't need a financial planner or a lucky inheritance. You need a handful of practical, repeatable moves that chip away at the interest you're paying every single month. This guide covers the changes that actually move the numbers, from switching to a better rate to automating small overpayments, so you can keep more of your money where it belongs.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money saving, Personal finance, Saving, Services
Tags: best mortgage apps UK, cashback towards mortgage, mortgage comparison tools, mortgage interest savings, mortgage overpayment calculator, mortgage savings, mortgage savings UK, mortgage tips UK, overpayment mortgage UK, pay off mortgage early, save thousands on your mortgage, Sprive app
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