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April 17, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Pet Insurance UK 2026 – Honest Comparison From Real Pet Owners

Last updated: 10 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. Always check the policy terms with the provider before buying.

Finding the best pet insurance UK providers offer is one of those jobs that feels boring right up until your dog swallows a sock and you're staring at a £3,000 surgery bill. We've been there. Between the CoolCuration team, we own cats, dogs, and a collective sense of dread every time one of them does something stupid near a staircase. So we put together this honest comparison of the top UK pet insurance providers for 2026, covering what they actually cost, how claims really work, and which one suits different types of pet owner.

Pet insurance feels like a waste of money right up until the moment you need it. Then it feels like the smartest £30 a month you've ever spent.

The pet insurer we use most

Of the providers here, ManyPets is the one most of the team have ended up with, mainly for the once-a-year excess and quick claims. Check it suits your pet and budget before you buy.

See ManyPets deals

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Published by Stiv in Cat Lovers, Dog Lovers, Pets, Services
Tags: best pet insurance uk, cat insurance, Direct Line, dog insurance, lifetime pet insurance, ManyPets, pet insurance, pet insurance comparison, Petplan, Waggel
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April 15, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

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

Last updated: 19 July 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.

Digging into how Sprive works? Good instinct. For every guide we have written on the app, from safety to cashback, see our Sprive guides hub.

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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
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April 13, 2026 — Comments 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.

Get started with JamDoughnut

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Discount, Money, Services
Tags: Aldi, Asda, cashback, gift card cashback, groceries, grocery shopping, JamDoughnut, money saving, mortgage cashback, Sainsbury’s, Sprive, supermarket cashback, Tesco, TopCashback
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April 6, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Octopus vs Ovo Energy 2026: Which UK Supplier Is Better?

Last updated: 6 April 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

If you're weighing up Octopus vs Ovo for your next energy switch, you're not alone. Both are major UK suppliers, both talk a big game on green energy, and both want your direct debit. So which one actually delivers? In this head-to-head comparison, we break down pricing, customer service, green credentials, smart tariffs, and everything else that matters when choosing between Octopus Energy and Ovo Energy in 2026.

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.

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Published by Stiv in Energy, Money saving, Services
Tags: energy comparison, energy switching, green energy, octopus energy, Ovo Energy, price cap, smart tariffs, UK energy supplier
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April 4, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Runlimited Gait Analysis Review – Borough Yards London

Last updated: 31 March 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 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.

Cool Factor: 4/5 - Stone Cold

I had been putting off buying new running shoes for months, partly because the choice is overwhelming, and partly because I have a mild pre-existing lower back injury and really didn't want to make it worse with the wrong pair. After reading advice from sports science and medical experts that the best way to buy running shoes is to get a proper gait analysis in London first, I booked a session at Runlimited's Borough Yards store on Dirty Lane in SE1. For £5 paid upfront at booking, it was one of the best running-related decisions I've made.

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Published by Stiv in London, Reviews, Self-care Champion, Services, Sport fanatics
Tags: Borough Yards, gait analysis, Hoka, london, Runlimited, running, running gear, running shoes, shoe fitting
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April 2, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

New on Mobbin April 2026: Polestar, Paramount+ and AI Agents

Last updated: 2 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.

Tracking Mobbin new apps each month is one of the fastest ways to spot where real product UX is heading without scrolling app stores for sport. April's batch has a clear theme: AI agents are moving out of chatbot demos and into real products people actually use every day.

If you are new to Mobbin, start here first: Mobbin review: is it worth it? If you already know you want it and just want the cheaper route: Mobbin promo code.

What was new on Mobbin April 2026? The picks are below. For every edition of the series in one place, see our Mobbin new apps hub, updated each month.

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Published by Stiv in Apps, Designers, Services
Tags: ai ux, connected product ux, content discovery, mobbin, mobbin new apps, product design, ui patterns, ux design
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April 1, 2026 — Comments are off for this post.

Best Mortgage Overpayment Apps UK: Tested and Compared (2026)

Last updated: 19 July 2026

By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance

I have a Nationwide mortgage and have been testing mortgage overpayment tools since 2021, including Sprive alongside manual standing orders and savings apps.

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.

After the Sprive bonus?

Sprive leads the comparison below, and the sign-up offer it currently runs is covered on our referral page.

Grab the Sprive offer

Looking for the best mortgage overpayment apps in the UK? Whether you want an app that automates everything, a savings tool that builds your overpayment pot, or a budgeting app that finds spare cash you didn't know you had, there are more options in 2026 than ever. I've tested and compared the main contenders so you can find the right one for how you actually manage money.

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Published by Stiv in Finance, Mortgage, Saving, Services
Tags: best mortgage apps UK, cashback apps UK, Chip, chip app, Emma, mortgage apps UK, mortgage overpayment, mortgage overpayment apps UK, mortgage overpayments, Open Banking, pay off mortgage faster, personal finance uk, Plum, Plum app, savings apps, Sprive, Sprive app
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