Wype just dropped a new Soothe gel for sensitive skin. I've used Original for a year and Soothe for three months, so here's the honest, first-hand verdict on which to buy. #Wype #EcoBathroom #SustainableLiving #WetWipeAlternative #PlasticFree
May 16, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Best Grubby Recipes This Month: Our Top 4 (May 2026)
Last updated 16 May 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
We pay full price for our weekly Grubby box, like any other subscriber. We have a referral partnership with Grubby, so signing up via our link supports the site. Our opinions are independent.
The May Roundup · Issue 05/26
Every week we get a Grubby box delivered. Four or five plant-based recipes we picked ourselves and paid for in full. This month, four recipes across the rotation were so good we decided to write about it. Here are the best Grubby recipes we cooked, what we thought, and which one caused an actual argument over the last portion.
Read more
April 25, 2026Comments are off for this post.
UK Made Clothing: Why Where Your Clothes Come From Matters
Last updated: 25 April 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.
When Alan Carr wore a Wax London overshirt on Celebrity Traitors, it caught our eye. Stylish, well-cut, and effortlessly cool. So we bought a few pieces. The clothes? Great. The experience of actually being a Wax London customer? Not so much. Here is why UK made clothing matters more than a nice label, and why Community Clothing deserves your money instead.
This is a tale of two brands, one that looks the part and one that lives it. If you care about where your clothes come from and how you are treated when something goes wrong, read on.
Read more
April 15, 2026Comments 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.
Read more
April 11, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Chip Prize Saver vs Premium Bonds UK 2026: Which Is Actually Better?
Last updated: 9 June 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.
Read more
March 28, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Is Octopus Energy safe?
Last updated: 28 March 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.
Yes — Octopus Energy is regulated and licensed by Ofgem, meaning it must meet the same legal, financial and consumer protection standards as other major UK energy suppliers.
Quick answer
- Octopus holds an Ofgem supply licence.
- Default tariffs are covered by the Ofgem price cap.
- Customers are protected under Supplier of Last Resort rules.
- Complaints can escalate to the Energy Ombudsman.
If you're comparing switching options, you can see how joining works here: Octopus Energy switch process.
Read more
March 18, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Octopus Agile vs Tracker: Which Smart Tariff Saves More? (2026)
Last updated: 29 March 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.
Choosing between Octopus Agile vs Tracker comes down to how much pricing volatility you're willing to accept and how actively you want to manage your energy usage. Both tariffs follow wholesale markets, but they work very differently. Tracker changes your unit rate once per day. Agile changes it every 30 minutes. And while Tracker covers both gas and electricity, Agile is electricity-only.
Quick comparison
- Tracker: daily rate, covers gas and electricity, moderate volatility.
- Agile: half-hourly rate, electricity only, high volatility but negative pricing possible.
- Both require a SMETS2 smart meter (or certain SMETS1 models).
- Both have no exit fees.
- Both include Price Cap Protect at 100p/kWh for electricity.
If you're exploring Octopus more broadly, keep switching and referral details centralised here: Octopus Energy referral guide.
Decided on a smart tariff?
Whichever you pick, the current Octopus sign-up credit and steps are on our referral page.
Claim the Octopus sign-up credit
Read more
March 12, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Sprive Cashback Explained: Gift Cards, Rates and Real-World Tips (2026)
Last updated: 9 June 2026
By Stiv · Design, technology and personal finance
I have used Shop with Sprive for my weekly shops since October 2021, alongside £100 monthly overpayments on my Nationwide mortgage, so everything below comes from over four years of buying gift cards at real checkouts.
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. CoolCuration is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and this is not financial advice.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
Get the Sprive bonus first
Before we get into the mechanics, the current welcome offer and how to claim it are detailed on our referral page.
"Cashback towards your mortgage" sounds brilliant, until you hit the fine print: gift cards, checkout friction, and that one purchase that never tracked. This Sprive cashback explained guide covers how Shop with Sprive actually works in practice, which retailers are worth the effort, and a simple test for whether it's a genuine time-saver or just another app you'll forget about.
Read more
March 9, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Is Octopus Energy Regulated by Ofgem? UK Licensing and Consumer Protection (2026)
Last updated: 29 March 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.
Yes. Octopus Energy is regulated by Ofgem, the UK's independent energy regulator. That means Octopus must follow the same consumer protection rules, pricing regulations and licensing requirements as every other domestic energy supplier in Great Britain. In practical terms, this covers everything from how you're billed to how quickly you can switch and what happens if things go wrong.
Quick answer
- Octopus Energy holds both gas and electricity supply licences from Ofgem.
- Default tariffs are subject to the Ofgem price cap.
- Switching, billing and complaint handling rules all apply.
- Customers can escalate unresolved complaints to the Energy Ombudsman.
- If Octopus ever failed, the Supplier of Last Resort (SoLR) process would protect your supply and credit balance.
If you're reviewing suppliers and want to see how switching works in practice, start here: Octopus Energy switch process.
Reassured and ready to switch?
The current Octopus new-customer credit is listed on our referral page, kept up to date.
Read more
March 7, 2026Comments are off for this post.
Freetrade Review UK: Honest Pros, Cons and Verdict (2026)
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 financial advice.
Cool Factor: 4/5
This Freetrade review UK covers everything you need to know before opening an account: plans, fees, what you can invest in, what real users say on Trustpilot, and where the app falls short. Freetrade has grown into one of the UK's most popular investing apps since the company was founded in 2016. However, popularity and quality are not always the same thing. This review is based on my own experience using the app, and I have dug into the plans, fees and real user feedback so you don't have to.
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.
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.
Want a free share with Freetrade?
Freetrade's refer-a-friend deal gives a free share when you join, subject to qualifying conditions. The current offer and full terms are kept up to date on our referral page.
Get a free share with Freetrade
Read moreFollow us: Instagram
Copyright 2026 CoolCuration | Privacy Policy | Cookie Policy | Affiliate Disclosure | Cool Factor
-----------
We are proud supporters of a safer more private internet via encouraging people to use Brave browser and are actively taking on Spammers as part of ProjectHoneypot. This site is hosted on servers that run on 100% renewable energy in the UK thanks to GreenWebHosting.
This site contains affiliate links, including to Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase or sign up for a service via these links, at no extra cost to you. All offers and promotions are accurate at the time of publication but are subject to change or withdrawal by the businesses featured. We cannot guarantee their continued availability. Read our full affiliate disclosure.
Reviews and opinions on CoolCuration reflect the personal experience of our writers at the time of publication. They are not professional endorsements and your experience may differ. Scores use our Cool Factor rating system and are given independently of any commercial relationship.
All content on CoolCuration is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only. It does not constitute financial advice, investment recommendations or an endorsement of any product or service. We are not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority and do not offer personalised financial guidance. You should always do your own research or consult a qualified financial advisor before making any financial decisions.