I’ve long used MSE as just a news site to see what new deals are out - but I really find MSE is just a scaremongering site to scare consumers about charges etc what would never be applicable and to randomly northern-ise/shorten words for no reason… “Go get 'em” like why?
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I never use MSE, but I enjoy Martin Lewis money shows and his little tips on ITV shows he’s appearing on.
He’s an intelligent man when it comes to managing money.
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He is - I generally appreciate that. But then his site (not his site anymore but I’m sure he has his say) posts thing like
Three/Plusnet/BT/EE/Vodafone are increasing their prices! OMG You’re going to be charged a bomb and they want to steal all your money - but will it actually cost you more?
All their posts are kind of like that it’s a bit annoying
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I used to read some of it but it’s like a tabloid financial site, all a bit over the top and trying to point you towards the deals they want you to take
It’s where I first heard of Monzo well over a year ago but I didn’t want a prepaid card.
They’re fine as long as it’s one source of information and not your only source
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I don’t treat it as gospel, but I do really like MSE and find it a great financial resource. I mostly use it to find accounts and cards, or any special offers going around.
The credit club is also great for the free experian report.
At the very least the weekly email is worth a read, only takes a few minutes a week and you can find some really good stuff.
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I don’t go on the site and I don’t like him, too shouty tbh.
He might have some good tips etc. but I just can’t listen to him.
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Yep. I find him over simplistic and a know it all. Always make sure you check other sources too!
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I see him on GMTV and he’s all
ZOMGGGOGZZZGZGZOZOZOZ GET YOUR FREE ICE CREAM NOW BEFORE THEY ALL RUN OUT!
QUICK GO GO GO
HERRRPPPPPP DURRRPPP OMGOMGOMOMG
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Yeah i can see that…
I love it. It’s taught me so much about the big, scary adult financial world since my mum first introduced me to it 
I like Martin, he can explain things in an easy and understandable way but I get the dislike for his over the top attitude sometimes. MSE is always my first port of call when checking out or researching products. It’s also the place where I first heard about Monzo too 
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Out of interest as that’s how you found us, what’s your opinion on ATM fees, or did that not affect you? 
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I saw the pole that Monzo did requesting what customers think they should do, and I thought that was pretty neat and down to earth. But personally it doesn’t affect me as I won’t be globe trotting anytime soon (poor student), but Monzos willingness to be open to public opinion definitely influenced my perception. In regards to what option they chose, it’s pretty reasonable in my opinion. £200 free withdrawal seems plenty as surely you would want to exchange money before you leave the UK? What’s your thoughts?
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I think it’s reasonable but I admittedly don’t rely on cash and haven’t been out of the UK in a while aha!
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No, I would not want to exchange money before I leave the UK. I prefer to leave any money in my account and only withdraw it when I need it. That said, I prefer to pay with card, but do withdraw cash when I need it. Therefore for me the ATM fees débâcle was counter productive, it made me look at Starling as an alternative banking option. Had the bank introduced fees of 1% in Europe and 2% in Rest of World to match what they say it cost them I would have been happy. However, to charge me 3% when I am incurring them 1% is just wrong. So even though I was unlikely to withdraw much cash overseas, it painted Starling in a much more positive light.
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From what I recall Martin Lewis sold MSE for a ton of money a few years ago.
I am not a fan of his too be honest. It might be because I used to be an Adjudicator for the FOS and so many people made complaints thanks to him lol
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I guess the upside is that, whatever one thinks of his broadcasting style, he and the MSE site are teaching the public to challenge the institutions and not be afraid to demand more from them.
A definite resource - and a helpful reminder of soon-to-expire offers and a de-mystifier of current accounts and credit cards etc…
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I do like Martin. He built an amazing resource for people to gain financial knowledge and has lobbied for consumer rights more than anyone I can think of.
However, selling out to an evil corporation should have been when he hung his boots up. Now he is trying to lobby for consumers and share the best deals in the market whilst being controlled like a puppet by some gigantic comparison site who obviously have conflicting interests.
I don’t really go on there or trust anything they say anymore. It’s like Monzo getting bought out by RBS and pretending to be a challenger bank.
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This is not strictly not true - to state that he’s a “puppet” means that you’ve not read anything regarding the sale.
If you take a look at some of the pages about the sale on the MSE site, you’ll realise that there was a legally binding Editorial Code signed as part of the sale.
This restricts the influence that MoneySupermarket has on MSE etc.
Also, I doubt Martin cares about saying good or bad about MoneySupermarket as they have nothing over him - he’s got his pay out so can say what he wants.
I think Martin is great at making people money aware, the site is a fantastic resource too. However, there are times on some of his shows where he is too energetic about stuff and so can seem almost fake.
I’d always recommend people go to his site for advice etc.
But as with everything, don’t just take your advice from one source.
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I agree with most of the posts above, I think the money shows are great and provide helpful information to the public, he’s provided a lot of good. I mostly use the site to compare the best savings accounts/best utility prices. Along with checking my credit score.
I agree he can be a bit OTT but I think that’s just because he’s quite passionate about helping people get it right.
Not sure I always agree with him trying to get the public to screw all the incentives out of a business and then ditch them as that makes it unfair for genuine users
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I think he has done a lot more good than harm. Sure, some of his advice is simplistic and his style isn’t to everyone’s taste, but he knows his audience, he’s an effective campaigner and MSE’s resources are mostly reliable and up-to-date. In the end he’s unashamedly mass-market, but I guess that’s how he thinks he can have the most (positive) impact.
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