Save Money by ditching companies: Three reasons why it doesn’t pay to be loyal

Whether it's your yearly house insurance or your weekly food shop, moving between companies is a top way to save pounds.

Most deals and offers are only available to new customers, while sticking with the same company can see you being taken advantage of.

When it comes to renewals and repeated spends, always look at your options and realise that it rarely pays to be loyal.

Insurance

This goes for car insurance in particular, but usually applies to every other type of insurance going too. When it comes up to renewing, never accept the first quote given to you by your current provider!

Firstly, use our cheap car insurance guide to see who can give you the lowest quote and find out how much cheaper you can get your next year's insurance for.

Assuming you can get it cheaper - and we'd be very shocked if you can't - then go back to your current provider and ask if they can undercut it. The worse they can say is no, and if that's what they do say, leave them and opt for the cheaper alternative.

Banks and Savings

Whether it's a current account or an ISA, banks don't tend to reward loyalty that much. The best savings rates are often reserved for new customers, and often bonus rates will only last a year before you're put on a much lower interest rate.

As with insurance, every year be sure to look at the alternatives and see you can offer you a bigger deal. Going to another bank as a new customer will automatically entitle you to many more advantages than sticking with your current one.

Shops

Supermarkets do a lot of things to keep customers coming back, from vouchers and points to store credit cards, but it rarely works out for the best.

Avoid sticking to a shop because of loyalty schemes as more often than not, they'll cost you more than you'll ever save.

As with everything, compare and go with the best deal. It's no different for supermarkets: see who can offer you the cheapest groceries by using websites like MySupermarket, checking weekly with prices changing all of the time.

About the author: Thomas Brella

Thomas Brella is the founder of Student Hacks, starting the website in 2013 while studying at the University of Brighton to share tips and tricks on life as a cash-strapped student. He's now spent over 10 years scoping out the best ways to live on a budget

More on: Money
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