Petar Lekarski

Assistant Editor – News & Investigations

Petar joined MoneySavingExpert in 2019, but his passion for all things MoneySaving goes back much further – as evidenced by his 'Part of the furniture' badge on the MSE Forum.

He developed his in-depth knowledge of bank accounts, credit cards, loans and savings in the Money team before moving across to MSE News. He has written about a wide range of personal finance topics, covering everything from mobile roaming charges to supermarket loyalty schemes to railcards.

In 2021, Petar researched and wrote MSE's comprehensive and massively popular guide to diesel emissions legal claims, and he continues to maintain it as the cases progress.

Petar has also worked directly with Martin Lewis as his researcher, supporting the MoneySavingExpert with his eponymous ITV show and other media appearances over a period of 18 months.

When he's not polishing prose or crunching numbers, you'll find Petar at the cinema, eating spicy food or cycling around London on a rented bike. He also enjoys playing video games, bouldering and lists of three.

Latest from Petar Lekarski

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The state pension will rise by a smaller amount next April as the Government has announced plans to temporarily suspend its so-called 'triple lock', which guarantees how much the benefit will rise by each year. But the change needs to be approved by Parliament first.

6 September 2021

A new, greener type of unleaded petrol called E10 is being rolled out across forecourts in England, Scotland and Wales by 1 September under Government plans. But 600,000 older vehicles aren't compatible with it so will need to use pricier fuel, and even if your vehicle can take it, you may have to fill up more often because it's less efficient.

16 August 2021

Student loan interest rates will drop for many from September, the Department for Education has confirmed. Plus, from April 2022, Scottish former students and some others with older loans will also be able to earn more before they have to start repaying.

12 August 2021

Deals website Groupon faces court action unless it improves how it treats its customers, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has said. It comes after the watchdog found Groupon failed to provide some customers with cash refunds they were legally entitled to, only offering credit instead.

8 August 2021

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France is to be moved back on to the Government's standard 'amber' travel list for holidaymakers returning to the UK from Sunday. The change means travellers who are fully vaccinated or under 18 will not have to self-isolate on their return.

4 August 2021

Borrowers with mis-selling claims against Glo, Greenwood, Provident or Satsuma likely won't now get the full amount they're owed. It comes after the High Court approved a new scheme put forward by the firms' parent company, Provident Financial, which will limit payouts and set a time restriction on claims. But don't let that put you off if you think you've been mis-sold, as you could be due £100s.

3 August 2021

Over a million more homes and businesses in England are set to get ultrafast broadband connectivity as part of a £5 billion upgrade – though work on the project won't start until next year at the earliest.

1 August 2021

More than two in three employees in full-time or part-time work say they're financially better off now than at the start of the coronavirus pandemic – but only one in three of those who are self-employed feel the same, a new MoneySavingExpert.com poll has found.

27 July 2021

More homeowners than previously thought could be trapped on expensive mortgage rates and unable to switch, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has admitted. It comes as the regulator has launched a new review into mortgage prisoners who are unable to remortgage to a cheaper deal with another lender because they don't meet strict borrowing criteria.

25 July 2021

Tesco Bank has announced it will close all of its 213,000 current accounts on 30 November 2021. But credit card, loan, insurance and most savings customers aren't affected – we've full info on what's happening and what you need to do below.

25 July 2021

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The energy price cap, which limits how much suppliers can charge households on poor value standard variable tariffs (SVTs), could be extended beyond 2023, while households on those tariffs will be given personalised switching advice, under new plans announced by the Government today.

22 July 2021

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Twice a year we poll MoneySavers to check how their banks have treated them recently – 'great', 'OK' or 'poor'. Our summer poll closed this week. It's always surprising how well banks do generally compared with other sectors – here are the results, with links to banks that feature in our top picks.

22 July 2021

Over 600,000 people in England and Wales were 'pinged' and told to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app between 8 and 14 July, new figures show. If you're one of them – or if you're one of 100,000s instructed to self-isolate by NHS Test & Trace, there's a range of financial support you could get, as MoneySavingExpert.com founder Martin Lewis has explained.

21 July 2021

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The Government has announced a new set of wide-ranging consumer protection rules, which will require Christmas savings clubs to safeguard customers' money, firms to make it easier to cancel subscriptions and regulators to stamp out "dodgy tactics" used to lure online shoppers, plus much more. But the new rules won't come into effect for a while yet.

19 July 2021

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Petrol prices have hit their highest level since October 2013, according to motoring firm the AA. It says the hikes are due to oil prices rising again following a slump caused by the pandemic. But there are ways you can cut costs now as we explain below.

15 July 2021

About 350,000 Halifax, Lloyds and Bank of Scotland home insurance customers who had a policy between 2009 and 2017 have been paid an average of £38 each in compensation, after the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) found they were sent misleading renewal letters. Lloyds Banking Group (LBG), which owns all three brands, has also been fined £90 million for breaching FCA rules – we've full details below.

8 July 2021