Money

Full list of benefits eligible for DWP’s Christmas bonus – will you get an extra payment?

Published

3 hours ago

October 3, 2024

NewsAdmin

Full list of benefits eligible for DWP’s Christmas bonus - will you get an extra payment?

FAMILIES on benefits may get a handy £10 boost this winter as we head into the Christmas season.

The Department for Work and Pension’s (DWP) Christmas Bonus is a one-off, tax-free £10 payment made before December 25.

Read on to find out if your eligible for some extra CASHCredit: Getty

Even better, you don’t need to do anything, you should be paid automatically.

Not everyone who gets benefits receives the payments. You need to live in the UK, Channel Islands, Isle of Man or Gibraltar during the qualifying week, or to show that you are ordinarily resident there.

You also need to get one of the qualifying benefits first.

Who gets the payments?

It’s paid to people who get certain benefits in the qualifying week, which is usually the first full week of December.

The full list of benefits are:

Adult Disability Payment
Armed Forces Independence Payment
Attendance Allowance
Carer’s Allowance
Carer Support Payment
Child Disability Payment
Constant Attendance Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
Contribution-based Employment and Support Allowance (once the main phase of the benefit is entered after the first 13 weeks of claim)
Disability Living Allowance
Incapacity Benefit at the long-term rate
Industrial Death Benefit (for widows or widowers)
Mobility Supplement
Pension Credit – the guarantee element
Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
State Pension (including Graduated Retirement Benefit)
Severe Disablement Allowance (transitionally protected)
Unemployability Supplement or Allowance (paid under Industrial Injuries or War Pensions schemes)
War Disablement Pension at State Pension age
War Widow’s Pension
Widowed Mother’s Allowance
Widowed Parent’s Allowance
Widow’s Pension

However, the DWP warns that if you are over State Retirement Age but have not claimed your state pension, for instance because you are deferring it, then you won’t get the free cash.

The payment is calculated per individual, which means that if more than one adult in the household is eligible, they’ll each get a £10 payment.

In fact, even if your partner or civil partner does not get one of the qualifying benefits, they may still get the Christmas Bonus if they reach state pension age by the end of the qualifying week.

You don’t need to be married, you can just be living together as if you are. However, you must be entitled to an increase of a qualifying benefit for your partner or civil partner, or the only qualifying benefit you’re getting must be Pension Credit.

DWP Benefits – Do The Right Thing

How is the money paid?

The money should go into your usual account, and might show up as ‘DWP XB’ on your statement.

The DWP doesn’t say exactly when the money will appear, but it does say that if you think you should get it and the money hasn’t come through by January 1, you must contact your local Jobcentre Plus office or the Pension Service if you’re over state retirement age.

If you get more than one Christmas Bonus, the DWP says you must let it know through the same channels.

Benefits blow

It comes at a time when the Labour Party has announced that the winter fuel payment will no longer be universal, leaving millions of pensioners £300 worse off this winter.

The Winter Fuel Payment used to be available for anyone over state pension age, however, from this year, you’ll only get it if you receive certain benefits, including Pension Credit and Universal Credit if you’re older than 66.

There are thousands of people missing out on Pension Credit because they haven’t applied for it, but it acts as a gateway for lots of valuable benefits including the winter fuel discount.

Read our guide on which benefits qualify, and when you need to apply by.

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Money

UK’s cheapest supermarket for a weekly shop in September revealed – can you save cash?

Published

18 mins ago

October 3, 2024

NewsAdmin

UK's cheapest supermarket for a weekly shop in September revealed - can you save cash?

THE UK’s cheapest supermarket for a weekly shop in September has been revealed – and it’s not Lidl or Asda.

Which? found German discounter Aldi to be the most affordable out of a list of eight major chains last month.

Which? has revealed the cheapest supermarket to get a basket of 59 items in September

The UK’s consumer champion looked at how the retailers’ prices compared on a shopping list of 59 products, to represent doing a weekly shop.

The list of 59 included both branded and non-branded items including Birds Eye Peas, Hovis bread, milk and butter.

Which?’s analysis also included special offer prices and loyalty prices where possible, but not multi-buys such as buy one get one free.

The consumer champion found Aldi came out cheapest ahead of Lidl, Asda, Tesco and Sainsbury’s with the basket costing £102.68.

The supermarket also pipped Morrisons, Ocado and Waitrose to first spot.

Asda’s basket of 59 goods came in just a fraction more expensive than Aldi, costing £103.86.

Asda was next, with its shopping list costing £112.19.

Tesco’s basket, with Clubcard, was £112.96, and without loyalty pricing it was £113.35.

Sainsbury’s shopping basket, for Nectar Card customers, was £113.79, then Morrisons was next, coming in at £119.18.

Sainsbury’s without a Nectar Card was £119.19, then Ocado and Waitrose came in bottom of the pack, with their baskets costing £125.16 and £130.37 respectively.

What are Aldi Specialbuys?

Ele Clark, Which? retail editor, said: “Our latest monthly analysis once again sees Aldi crowned as the UK’s cheapest supermarket.

“Given the ongoing strain of high food prices on household budgets, it’s understandable that many people are choosing discounters to cut costs.

“By switching supermarkets, consumers could save 21%, highlighting the advantages of shopping around.”

It’s worth bearing in mind, the research carried out by Which? was based on prices for the list of 59 products across just September.

That means they are just a snapshot of what you might pay for them at different times of the year.

How to save money on your supermarket shop

THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop.

You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they’ve been reduced.

If the food is fresh, you’ll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time.

Making a list should also save you money, as you’ll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket.

Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too.

This means ditching “finest” or “luxury” products and instead going for “own” or value” type of lines.

Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they’re misshapen or imperfect.

For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50.

If you’re on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too.

Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.

Prices at supermarkets change frequently, sometimes daily, and you will find items on offer in one chain one week then in another the following week.

However, in Which?’s survey of a larger basket of goods it was Asda that came out top of the survey.

The comparison looks at 164 items – but it doesn’t include Aldi and Lidl as they don’t offer large enough ranges in shops.

Asda came top of the list with this basket costing £418.88 – but Tesco (with Clubard prices) was just 1p more expensive.

An Asda spokesperson said: “Asda is consistently recognised as the best-value supermarket for the big shop in independent price comparison surveys, including the Grocer 33 basket comparison and the Which? monthly big shop trolley comparison.

“This is despite these surveys including other retailers’ loyalty schemes but not Asda Rewards.”

It’s also worth factoring in that Which? looked at loyalty pricing for Lidl, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons and Waitrose, but only Tesco and Sainsbury’s had items on its chosen shopping list with a loyalty price in September.

Meanwhile, Asda doesn’t have two-tier loyalty pricing. Its loyalty scheme is based on points and personalised rewards, not lower prices for every scheme member which meant Which? didn’t include the retailer’s loyalty scheme prices.

It’s not the first time in recent months Aldi has come out on top of Which?’s cheapest supermarket survey.

The German discounter, which is looking to massively expand its physical store presence across the UK, was crowned the cheapest supermarket in August, July and June.

It was also crowned the cheapest supermarket of 2023, pipping the other major chains including Lidl, Asda and Sainsbury’s to the top spot.

The Sun asked Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Ocado and Waitrose to comment.

A Morrisons spokesperson said it was “working hard to keep prices down and competitive for our customers”.

They added: “Our More Card members can also earn points on selected purchases, including fuel, and redeem those points for fivers off their shopping.

“They also benefit from market-leading discounts on over 2,000 branded and essential items across fridge, freezer and cupboard fillers as well as personalised offers and surprises.”

A Waitrose spokesperson said: “We’re committed to keeping prices low for customers and remain focused on giving our customers great value for money.

“We have invested in prices without compromising on quality or our industry-leading animal welfare standards.

“Which’s price comparison also excludes multibuy offers, which are extremely popular amongst our customers for both our branded and own-branded products.”

The retailer added that it had reduced prices on its No.1 range which was recently relaunched.

What is loyalty pricing?

Loyalty schemes are all the rage, but what is loyalty pricing? Here is everything you need to know…

Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons are three of the major supermarkets that offer customers loyalty pricing – where you can get discounts on certain products.

They’re all free to sign up to as well, so the obvious advantage is that you can save money without spending a penny.

Different supermarkets will offer exclusive discounts on different products, so it’s worth seeing which suits your weekly shop the best.

Either way, be wary of supermarkets artificially inflating the price of their goods to make it seem like you’re getting a better deal than you are.

Consumer group Which? has previously found Sainsbury’s and Tesco to have increased the price of everyday goods then slapped loyalty prices on them thinking customers wouldn’t notice.

In any case, it’s worth shopping around even if you’re getting your weekly basket from a supermarket that offers loyalty pricing.

Supermarkets change their prices all the time, sometimes multiple times daily, so it’s worth checking you’re getting the best price on an item.

You can use websites like Trolley to see how the major supermarket’s compare in terms of price on any number of goods.

Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@news.co.uk.

Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories

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CryptoCurrency

Tesla stock drops 3% after Q3 deliveries fall short of estimates

Published

36 mins ago

October 3, 2024

NewsAdmin

Tesla Q3 deliveries could drive 'further strength' in the stock

Tesla (TSLA) announced third quarter deliveries on Wednesday that slightly missed expectations, sending the stock down about 3%.

The EV maker delivered 462,890 vehicles in the three months ending Sept. 30, up 6.4% quarter over quarter to mark the first quarter of delivery growth this year. The numbers also came in ahead of the 435,059 EVs the company delivered in the year-ago period.

Wall Street had expected Tesla to deliver closer to 463,897, according to Bloomberg.

The Model 3 and Model Y represented the bulk of Tesla’s overall total, with those two vehicles combining for 439,975 deliveries.

Prior to the delivery numbers’ release, Tesla stock had been up around 20% in the past month, fueled by optimism about its upcoming robotaxi event on Oct. 10 and good news coming out of China indicating rising sales there.

But investors have also debated a “notably lower” annual vehicle growth rate, which Tesla warned about after the first quarter.

The company is currently dealing with stiff competition in China from Chinese automakers like BYD and Xpeng. Recent price cuts have also squeezed profit margins as competition intensifies.

Analysts have said next week’s robotaxi event will serve as a pivotal moment for the company’s future and its plans to further utilize artificial intelligence.

“We believe Robotaxi Day will be seminal and historical day for Musk and Tesla and marks a new chapter of growth around autonomous, FSD, and AI future at Tesla,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients on Tuesday.

Tesla will report third quarter earnings on Oct. 23.

Alexandra is a Senior Reporter at Yahoo Finance. Follow her on X @alliecanal8193 and email her at alexandra.canal@yahoofinance.com

Pras Subramanian is a reporter for Yahoo Finance. You can follow him on Twitter and on Instagram.

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