Finance Archives - COOLCURATION

June 14, 2026 — No Comments

Tom Insurance Review (UK): My Honest Take

Last updated: 14 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional or financial advice.

Cool Factor: 3/5

Tom insurance review2026 Edit

Fixed-for-life cover, a handy virtual GP, and a lot of phone calls.

This is my honest Tom insurance review, written as an actual customer rather than someone skimming the marketing. I took out a lifetime serious illness cover policy with Tom, so this Tom insurance review is based on living with the application, the price and the perks, not on a press release.

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 a Tom quote?

If this Tom insurance review has you ready to compare cover, you can start a quote through my referral link below. Meanwhile, the current offer and how it works sit on our Tom life insurance page.

Get a Tom quote

Published by Stiv in Finance, Personal finance, Reviews

Tags: life insurance, life insurance review uk, serious illness cover, tom life insurance

May 22, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

We’re Paying Off Our Mortgage with Our Food Shop Cashback. Here’s How.

Last updated: 10 June 2026

Can grocery cashback from your weekly food shop pay off your mortgage? Not entirely, no. But we've been routing our regular shop through Sprive's cashback feature for over a year, and the numbers are starting to look surprisingly compelling. A percentage of every Tesco and Sainsbury's shop now goes directly off our mortgage balance. We didn't change what we buy. We didn't change where we shop. We just changed how we pay, and our mortgage is shrinking faster because of it.

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. The cashback feature has been running alongside this for over a year. This post is based on real use and real numbers.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial or mortgage advice. Cashback rates, retailer availability, and mortgage terms can change. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. This article contains affiliate or referral links, including to Sprive. 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.

Sign-up bonus before you shop

The current Sprive welcome offer, plus the claim steps, are kept fresh on our referral page.

Claim your Sprive offer

Published by Stiv in Cashback, Finance, Saving

Tags: cashback on groceries, food shop cashback, grocery cashback pay off mortgage, JamDoughnut, mortgage overpayment, pay off mortgage faster, personal finance uk, Sprive app, Sprive cashback, supermarket cashback UK, TopCashback

May 5, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Stocks we bought in May 2026: our first portfolio diary

Last updated: 5 May 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

Welcome to the inaugural edition of "Stocks We Bought This Month", a new monthly portfolio diary on CoolCuration. Each post records what I personally added to my own portfolio in the previous few weeks, the reasons each company caught my eye, and the things that could absolutely trip me up. In short, this is what we bought, why we bought it, and what we plan to revisit in future editions.

The stocks we bought this May were three: Brookfield Corporation (BN), Meta Platforms (META) and Tencent Holdings (TCEHY). All three went through self-managed UK broker accounts.

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.

Important disclaimer. I personally hold positions in all three companies named in this post. This is a personal disclosure diary, not a recommendation, not a tip sheet, and not a personalised view of your circumstances. CoolCuration is not authorised or regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Capital at risk. When investing, 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. Please do your own research, or consult a qualified independent financial adviser, before making any investment decision. All content here is for informational and educational purposes only.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing

Tags: brookfield, china stocks, Freetrade, investing, lightyear Suggested Categories: Finance, meta, personal finance uk, portfolio diary, stocks we bought, tencent, us stocks

May 5, 2026 — Comments 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

Published by Stiv in Finance, Money, Money saving, Personal finance, Services

Tags: money saving, mortgage overpayment, mortgage overpayment calculator, mortgage savings, mortgage tips, mortgage vs savings, pay off mortgage early, personal finance, Sprive, uk mortgage

April 29, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Sprive vs Plum vs Chip: Honest Comparison (2026)

Last updated: 10 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 comparison is based on over four years of real use alongside Chip and Plum.

Sprive vs Plum vs Chip is the question that keeps coming up whenever anyone in the UK talks about saving money automatically. All three apps promise to do the hard bit for you. But they are not the same thing, and picking the wrong one means you are either missing features you need or paying for ones you do not. Here is how they actually compare after months of using all three.

Between the team, we run all three. Sprive handles mortgage overpayments. Chip is our primary auto-saver. Plum runs alongside Chip so we can see how the two compare in real life. Each has earned its place on someone's home screen, but for very different reasons.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this comparison offer investing features, which carry risk including the possible loss of capital. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. 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.

Sprive's current sign-up offer

If Sprive ends up being your pick of the three, the latest welcome bonus is always on our referral page.

View the current Sprive bonus

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money saving, Personal finance, Saving

Tags: app comparison, auto-saving apps, Chip, Chip vs Plum, fintech UK, money apps UK, mortgage overpayment, personal finance uk, Plum, savings apps UK, Sprive, Sprive vs Chip

April 26, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Chip App Review UK 2026: 3 Years Tested, Rates, Prize Saver, Fees

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This Chip app review UK draws on three and a half years of my personal daily use, starting 3 November 2022, across auto-save, the Instant Access Saver, Prize Savings, ChipX (briefly) and a Chip Stocks and Shares ISA.

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

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 informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some features of Chip involve investing, which carries risk including the possible loss of capital. Savings rates can change. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Fancy trying Chip yourself?

New customers can pick up a £50 cash bonus with a qualifying £5,000 deposit held for 90 days; the current code and full terms are on our Chip referral page.

Get the Chip referral bonus

Cool Factor

★★★★☆

4 out of 5 · Stone cold

My Chip app review UK is grounded in the actual ledger: £174.41 in interest earned, £180 in tax-free prize wins, £0.80 in investment returns, and three and a half years of daily use since November 2022. That is the unvarnished record of what I have personally taken out of Chip across four different account types. Below is what I kept, what I binned, what works, and the one quirk that still mildly irritates me.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Personal finance, Reviews

Tags: auto-saving, cash ISA, chip app, Chip review, ClearBank, fintech UK, personal finance, Prize Savings Account, reviews, savings apps

April 24, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Plum App Review UK 2026: Honest Verdict After 3 Months

Last updated: 9 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some features of Plum involve investing, which carries risk including the possible loss of capital. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. 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.

Keen to give Plum a go?

Our Plum referral page shows any current new-user offer and walks through the sign-up, and using it supports the site at no cost to you.

Try Plum via our link

Cool Factor

★★★☆☆

3 out of 5 · Cool

This Plum app review is based on three months of hands-on use. We set up Plum to run alongside our existing auto-saver to see whether it would earn a permanent place on our home screen. Plum is one of those apps that does a lot and wants you to know it. Auto-saving, round-ups, investing, bills management, cashback offers, interest-earning pockets. After three months of testing, here's whether all that activity translates into actually saving more money.

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Reviews

Tags: auto-saving, Finance Apps, money apps, Plum, Plum app, reviews, Round-Ups, Saving Apps

April 22, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Apps to Save Money UK 2026: The Ones We Actually Use

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

There are hundreds of money-saving apps in the UK app stores. Most of them are rubbish. The best apps to save money are the ones we've tested over the past few years, narrowed down and kept on our phones because they actually work. No fluff, no apps we downloaded once and forgot about. Just the ones that earned a permanent spot.

Between the team we've got about 12 money apps installed. Half of them we actually use. The other half sit there judging us. We tried about 20 apps before settling on this list. Some were too fiddly. Some had great ideas but terrible execution. A couple were brilliant but shut down. These are the survivors.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Some apps in this list offer savings and investment features. Your capital may be at risk. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority. 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.

Our top money-saving pick

If you only set up one, make it Chip: it is the app that has quietly saved us the most by moving money before we miss it.

Try Chip

Published by Stiv in Apps, Finance, Money saving, Personal finance, Saving

Tags: airtime rewards, auto-saving, budgeting apps, cashback apps, chip app, emma app, JamDoughnut, money saving apps, monzo, personal finance uk, Plum app, saving apps UK, Sprive, TopCashback, TrainPal

April 19, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Trading 212 Review UK 2026 — Honest Verdict After 3 Months

Last updated: 10 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

This Trading 212 review reflects my own experience using the app daily for three months alongside Freetrade, my main broker.

This is our honest Trading 212 review after three months of using it alongside Freetrade, our main broker. When Trading 212 kept coming up in conversations, we figured we should give it a fair shot. After using it daily for a full quarter, the verdict is clear: Trading 212 is a perfectly fine platform trapped inside a frustratingly cluttered app. The fees are competitive, the savings rate is genuinely good, but the experience of actually using it every day left us reaching for Freetrade instead. Here is why we are sticking with the alternatives.

This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author's own and do not constitute professional advice.

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 informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of capital. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Always do your own research or consult a qualified financial adviser before making investment decisions. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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.

Cool Factor

★★☆☆☆

2 out of 5: Lukewarm

Published by Stiv in Finance, Investing, Reviews

Tags: Commission-free trading, finance, Freetrade, investing, investment apps, isa, reviews, Trading 212

April 15, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

How Does Sprive Make Money? The Business Model Explained (2026)

Last updated: 8 June 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have a Nationwide mortgage and have used Sprive to make overpayments since October 2021, over four years of regular use.

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.

Want the sign-up offer?

Should you fancy trying the app while you read, the current welcome bonus and how to claim it are set out on our referral page.

View the Sprive referral offer

If Sprive is completely free to use, how does Sprive make money? It's a fair question, and one worth asking before trusting an app with your bank account and mortgage details. The short answer: Sprive earns from remortgage commissions and a share of gift card cashback revenue. The longer answer is worth reading, because understanding the business model helps you judge whether the app's incentives actually line up with yours.

Published by Stiv in Finance, Mortgage, Services, UK Made

Tags: fintech UK, how apps make money, How does Sprive make money, mortgage overpayment app, Open Banking, personal finance uk, Sprive, Sprive app, Sprive business model, Sprive cashback, Sprive remortgage, Sprive review