Welcome to the Money blog. We’re back with our weekly Tuesday Money Problem – answering a reader’s financial dilemma or consumer dispute. Send yours to moneyblog@sky.uk and we’ll see if we can help. We also report on a large survey of Britons about retirement.
Tuesday 7 October 2025 07:37, UK
One in five retirees wishes they’d planned their retirement more thoroughly, a survey has found.
The same number said they didn’t realise how much money they would really need or that they’d be retired for so long, according to Standard Life’s Retirement Voice 2025 report.
Interestingly, 16% felt they should have spent more money during the earlier years of their retirement while they were fit and active, rather than saving it for fear of running out.
I’m retiring when?!
Of those Britons who haven’t yet reached retirement, a significant number are in for a big shock: They’ve got many more years left to work than they think.
A total of 14% of respondents thought the retirement age was 64 or below. Eight per cent thought it was 60 years old.
Some 18% were close at 65 – one year out.
The correct age is 66 – identified by just 18% of those surveyed.
The pension age will rise to 67 for those born after April 1960, and 36% guessed this age.
Others are in for a pleasant surprise, with 13% thinking the retirement age is 68 or higher.
It is scheduled to rise to 68 between 2044 and 2046.
Who’s really in charge of your pension?
Three-quarters of savers overestimate how much control they have over the size of their pension.
The stock market is responsible for almost two-thirds of its value, but just 25% of people thought investment growth was the top contributor to their pension pot, according Standard Life analysis of a typical £170,000 pot.
But it’s important to remember that initial individual contributions are essential for investment growth.
Every Tuesday, we get an expert to answer your financial problems or consumer disputes – you can WhatsApp us here or email moneyblog@sky.uk. Today’s is…
A neighbour has borrowed more than £1,000 from me with the promise to pay me back by the end of the month. Nothing has been forthcoming. I’ve sent her texts asking for her to let me know when she is putting it in to my account… no answer at all. What are my legal options?
Tony, via comments box
Thanks for your message, Tony – I wish I had a neighbour as generous as you.
From what you describe, there was an oral agreement here, which isn’t the best grounds for getting your money back.
The neighbour might argue that there were no particular payment terms (so that the loan is not due by the end of the month) or even that there was no loan at all (that the money was instead a gift).
It would then be up to the court to decide on the evidence whether a loan existed and what its terms were.
I spoke to solicitor Alex Kennedy, a dispute resolution expert at Gannons, to get some firm guidance for you.
“Evidence of messages, bank payments etc are so important,” he says.
“If there are no documents at all, the person who is owed the money could still present their case, it is just the trial judge would be weighing their witness evidence against that of the borrower.”
So what can you do now?
Kennedy says the most obvious legal route now is to send a formal letter before action to your neighbour, setting out:
This can be done by you or a solicitor and could well prompt your neighbour to cough up.
“Tony will need to bear in mind whether the relatively small value of the loan means that instructing a solicitor is a disproportionate expense, especially given that it is unusual to recover legal costs in respect of a small claim,” Kennedy says.
“If the cost of a solicitor is considered to be excessive, we would still recommend that the person who is owed the money drafts a letter before action themselves.”
If your neighbour is still not budging, there’s the option to issue a claim online via the Money Claim Online service or through the local county court.
The claim fee depends on the size of the debt (for £1,000 to £1,500 it is £70 if issued online).
If successful, you will obtain a county court judgment.
Kennedy says your reader can enforce the judgment in several ways, including:
“Interest and some legal costs can be claimed as part of proceedings, but as I have set out above, they may be limited given the value of the debt,” Kennedy says.
Of course, only you can decide whether taking any of these steps against someone you’ll be seeing all the time is the right way to go.
Good luck with it!
This feature is not intended as financial advice – the aim is to give an overview of the things you should think about. Submit your dilemma or consumer dispute via:
Our final post today brings you news of freebies…
OVO Energy has launched a support package for customers, offering them free heated blankets, smart sockets and efficiency kits.
The firm is spending a total of £56m on support for struggling customers throughout the winter months.
Alongside the free energy saving products, customer can apply for a range of other help.
This includes:
You can apply for the support here.
It’s important to note that when you apply, things like household income, disposable income, and medical needs will be taken into account.
Save money on your energy bills
By Connor Sephton, news reporter
Bitcoin hit a new all-time high over the weekend – for a pretty surprising reason.
The world’s biggest cryptocurrency surged to a record price of $125,559.21 on Sunday – that’s about £93,500 at current exchange rates.
Smaller digital assets have also secured double-digit gains in the past week.
Experts are linking this sudden jump in value to the government shutdown in the US, and claim a stand-off between Republicans and Democrats is undermining trust in the dollar.
Historically speaking, Bitcoin also tends to perform well at this time of year. BTC has only fallen in two Octobers since 2013 – prompting market watchers to rechristen it as “Uptober”.
Bitwise senior associate Max Shannon told Sky News that faltering confidence in traditional currencies is being driven by stubbornly high inflation, which eats into our spending power.
On top of that, some countries are increasing their monetary supply – watering down the value of the cash already in circulation – with government borrowing at elevated levels.
That’s led to what’s known as a “debasement trade”, where investors pile their cash into so-called “hard” assets like Bitcoin and gold.
“Growing fiscal concerns in major global economies are intensifying this trend, pushing investors toward assets perceived as hedges against currency erosion,” Shannon said.
Whereas there’s no limit on the number of pounds or dollars that could exist, Bitcoin has a fixed supply of 21 millions coins – and supporters argue this creates scarcity.
It seems BTC’s momentum is mainly being driven by institutional investors – deep-pocketed companies and individuals – rather than everyday investors.
While it’s possible Bitcoin could keep on rising, this is an asset also known for punishing pullbacks that have seen investors lose a lot of money.
You’ll be bombarded with promises of money-saving deals if you visit the Amazon website this week.
The retail giant is launching this year’s Prime Big Deal Days at midnight tonight, running until the end of Wednesday.
It’s only for Amazon Prime subscribers, but we’ve got tips on how to get access for free – and which offers are really worth it.
How to spot a dud deal
There are usually thousands of promotions on Prime Big Deal Days – some strong, some duds.
Prices may be cheaper elsewhere – or even on Amazon at a different time of year.
Free price trackers like CamelCamelCamel allow you to work out if you’re really making a saving.
Its web browser extension charts the price history of anything you’re looking at on Amazon.
Right now, one Samsung Odyssey 32-inch gaming monitor is more than £130 cheaper than its highest recorded price.
Meanwhile, the price of a Philips beard trimmer series 3000 seems to change almost daily.
You can also use price comparison tools such as Google Shopping or Price Spy to find the cheapest online price on any given day.
But bear in mind some shopbots can leave out or favour certain retailers.
Get Prime deals for free
This week’s deals are only available to customers with an Amazon Prime membership, which costs £8.99 a month or £95 a year.
But if you haven’t had a Prime account before, you can sign up for a 30-day free trial, making you eligible for Prime Big Deal Days.
You do need to remember to cancel your membership before the period ends to avoid being charged.
To do so, visit the Amazon Prime membership page, choose “Manage membership” and select “End membership”.
Still studying? Amazon offers six months of free Prime to students aged 18 to 22.
You’ll need to prove your course enrolment by providing Amazon with your university email address.
And if you live in a household with a Prime member, they can share their benefits with you for free via Amazon Family.
Be wary of customer reviews
It’s always good practice to read customer reviews before purchasing anything online, but consumers should look out for fake ones.
A 2023 investigation by consumer group Which? found one in 10 Amazon customers could have been offered an incentive in exchange for a five-star review of an Amazon product.
How to return damaged items
If you’ve bought a product on Amazon and it arrives damaged, the retailer is fully responsible.
Under the Consumer Rights Acts, your purchase needs to be of satisfactory quality (not faulty or damaged), fit for purpose and as described.
If your Prime Day product doesn’t meet one of these requirements, the retailer (not the manufacturer) is in breach.
Amazon will refund the cost of sending an item back if it was sold or dispatched by Amazon.
If the item you purchased isn’t eligible for a free return, and you’re using a pre-paid return label, Amazon will deduct the cost of the return from your refund.
Amazon resale
If you’re not fussed about mild damage – or simply an unwanted item returned by another customer – you can make savings on Amazon Resale.
Right now there’s an extra 15% off until midnight tonight (conveniently ending before the first Prime Big Deal Day).
Nando’s has scrapped its bottomless Coca-Cola classic offer to comply with government guidelines aimed at regulating the promotion of unhealthy foods.
The popular food chain pointed to the UK Government High Fat, Salt and Sugar (HFSS) legislation taking effect on 1 October as it explained why customers would no longer be able to enjoy unlimited Coca-Cola at its restaurants.
The rules were drawn up by the last Conservative government but were delayed to allow businesses time to adjust.
Low-sugar fizzy bottomless drinks are not affected, Nando’s said in a statement on its website – while there are seemingly no restrictions on Fanta.
“Customers are allowed one glass of Coca-Cola Classic but can still help themselves to any of our other low-sugar bottomless drinks,” the statement reads.
“We know this is a change to how customers can enjoy one of our popular soft drinks, and we hope it doesn’t take away from your experience. All our other low-sugar fizzy bottomless drinks aren’t affected.”
Signs have been placed in branches…
A content creator called Jonny Velvet videoed himself taking a second glass as he compared the UK to North Korea. “I hope I don’t get arrested for this,” he said.
Velvet added: “Imagine that. Imagine a fully grown adult not being able to make their own decisions as to what kind of drink they’re allowed. I mean, you know, what is this?”
Others posted…
Our weekend feature, headlined How to spot a nightmare neighbour before you buy, drew scores of comments from readers sharing their stories…
We live in a semi, next door are the most petty couple we have ever known, complaining about a tree branch wafting over the fence, he plays ukulele and guitar at 2am, people having sex in the hot tub.
Bikerblob
In Australia we don’t have a legal requirement to disclose problems with neighbours. The main way to sus out the neighbours before buying is to look at the condition of their property, and how many recycling bins they put out for collection. More bins means frequent parties.
Alice
Now that I have complained to the council and have a noise abatement order in place against my neighbour, it will be harder to sell because I have to declare it. Meanwhile, neighbours on the other side have refused to tackle the problem and won’t have to jeopardise future sale.
Lisa
Maybe mortgage providers should take more interest in how prospective borrowers have treated their current home as well as the property they want to buy. Surely lending to someone who might severely devalue a property by damaging it is a huge risk.
M.Magill
My neighbour installed a new window less than a meter from my property. Allowing nuisance light, noise and anyone looking directly at me into my bathroom and through into my bedroom. The council advised me there are no issues with the window and that I need to keep my windows and blinds closed.
Jessy
We lived next door to an absolute nightmare neighbour 5 years ago. She had 14 dogs, 9 cats and her house stunk to high heaven. Garden full of dog poo. Worst 2 years of our lives and so glad we were able to sell up and get out. Heard recently it’s still ongoing. Needs evicting!
Si
I had to live next door to a really bad neighbour way back in 2007 which made me and my husband nearly lose our marbles – they were so bad with their cars parked on my drive and parking across the pavement. They even got some friend to spray paint my driveway.
Aforfar
Regarding buying property with noisy neighbours, there’s literally no protection if you’re forced into a housing association property because of homelessness. Neighbours filming violent and noisy sex at all hours for OnlyFans. They were 18 years old. Absolute hell.
Bramble
We were blackmailed by our neighbours who claimed a noise nuisance even though we had produced an expert acoustics report contradicting his claims. When Savills provided him with the report, he said he would only withdraw his complaint if we paid him £50,000!
Jonathan LEVINSON
Leading banks have warned against introducing a price cap for ticket resales, saying they could push tout to unregulated social media platforms where there’s no protection for buyers.
UK Finance, the trade body representing Lloyds, NatWest, HSBC, Barclays and more than 300 other financial institutions, said in a submission to ministers that capping the resale prices of concerts and event tickets would make fans more vulnerable to scams, Business Matters reports.
That’s because regulated resale platforms such as Viagogo and StarHub offer buyer guarantees and refund policies, while informal online marketplaces generally don’t.
“Any increase in fraud and scams as a result of price caps will expose consumers not only to financial losses but also to emotional harm,” UK Finance said.
The Labour government announced in January a consultation would be launched into imposing a cap on the price of resale tickets under plans to stop the public being “fleeced” by professional touts.
The limit could range from the cost of the original ticket to a 30% uplift.
The proposed changes come after concert sales for artists including Taylor Swift were marred by professional touts reselling at heavily inflated prices.
Others have been caught out by a lack of transparency over the system of dynamic pricing, which left Oasis fans watching the cost of some standard tickets more than double from £148 to £355 as they waited in the queue.
Emirates has banned passengers from carrying some power banks in their hand luggage due to a fire risk.
Under new rules, customers will only be allowed to carry one power bank that is under 100W in their cabin bag – but they will not be allowed to use them during the flight.
They will also be required to store the charging devices under their seat, or in the seat pocket, rather than in overhead bins.
The airline said it was making the change after a comprehensive safety review found there had been an increasing number of lithium battery-related incidents onboard flights across the wider aviation industry.
The batteries can cause fires, explosions and the release of toxic gas, it said.
“Storing power banks in accessible locations within the cabin ensures that in the rare event of a fire, trained cabin crew can quickly respond and extinguish the fire,” Emirates said.
Power banks are already banned from hold luggage across much of the industry.
A shake-up to the house-buying system which could cut a month off the time it takes – and slash around £700 from the moving bill – is on the table.
Changes could include requiring property sellers and estate agents to provide more information when a home is listed for sale, reducing the need for buyers to carry out searches and surveys.
Binding contracts could also be introduced at an earlier stage, reducing the risk of a chain collapsing and gazumping – when someone makes a higher offer for a house than someone whose offer has already been accepted by the seller.
The proposals could also deliver clearer information to consumers about estate agents and conveyancers, including their track record and expertise, along with new mandatory qualifications and a code of practice to drive up standards.
Read the full story here…
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