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

photo of children sitting in a school classroom with some raising their hands

All children across the UK should be taught basic money skills in primary school by 2030, a cross-party group of MPs have said in a new report published today. This would include adding financial education to the primary national curriculum, as is already the case for secondary schools.

6 July 2021

close up image of yellow ethernet cable connector against blue background

TalkTalk is hiking prices for certain customers on its Fibre 35 and Fibre 65 broadband plans this month – but you don't have to accept the increases. Depending on when you got TalkTalk's notification, you may be able to leave penalty-free or haggle a discount. Here's what you need to know.

5 July 2021

29 Lloyds Bank branches and 15 Halifax branches are to close by the end of November, with the banks blaming the move on customers using them less. We've full info on which outlets are closing and what to do if your local branch is affected.

23 June 2021

While tuition fees get all the column inches, the biggest practical problem most students face is hidden. The living loan and/ or grant students receive is slashed based on parental income but there's no warning this gap needs filling. Today, MoneySavingExpert founder Martin Lewis has written to ministers to urge them to stop hiding the university parental contributions built into the student finance system.

11 June 2021

image of airport runway through terminal window

Portugal has been taken off the UK-wide 'green list' of quarantine-free travel destinations, in a blow to holidaymakers which will leave many scrambling to rearrange trips or get a refund. We've full info below on what's changing, plus your rights if you've a holiday booked and the latest on what travel firms are doing.

7 June 2021

image of two piggybanks facing each other

Share Centre Lifetime ISA (LISA) customers will see their accounts transferred to OneFamily in July, while any cash currently held will be automatically invested. If you don't want to move to OneFamily or have your savings automatically invested, you need to request a transfer to a new provider as soon as possible.

2 June 2021

image of cars parked along residential street

Drivers could save up to £35 a year on their car insurance, the Ministry of Justice has said, as major reforms to the claims process for whiplash injury come into effect this week. The shake-up includes a new online portal for road traffic injury claims, while whiplash cases can no longer be settled without medical evidence.

31 May 2021

image of person carrying shopping in plastic bags

The fee retailers charge for single-use plastic carrier bags is to double from 5p to 10p in England from Friday (21 May), while those making purchases in smaller shops will also now have to pay the charge. Here's how to cut costs and save plastic.

17 May 2021

Morrisons has axed its 'More' loyalty points scheme and replaced it with new personalised money-off vouchers. It means you can no longer collect points on your shopping from 10 May, and you'll have to swap existing points for vouchers by 9 August at the latest.

10 May 2021

BT is to launch a super-cheap fast fibre broadband plan for 4.6 million households claiming certain benefits at the end of June – but there's no need to wait as many can get similar prices now.

5 May 2021

Ikea has today launched a new scheme allowing shoppers to trade in their old Ikea furniture in return for vouchers to be spent in store – here's how it works.

4 May 2021

New rules giving those in England and Wales who are struggling with problem debt a two-month grace period to get their finances back under control come into force today, in a huge victory for MoneySavingExpert.com and others who've campaigned hard on the issue.

3 May 2021

A pilot scheme in eight towns across the UK will test new ways to boost access to cash in local communities – with measures including local shops offering cashback, new 'bank hubs' in Post Offices and more free ATMs. And while it's a small-scale trial at the moment, if successful these measures could be rolled out more widely in future.

27 April 2021

Conservative MPs have struck down a proposed amendment to the Financial Services Bill, which would have seen interest rates capped for certain mortgage prisoners. But the Government has announced it will launch a review looking for other solutions and MoneySavingExpert.com won't give up the fight.

26 April 2021

Members of the House of Lords have called on the Government to protect access to cash and to do more to prevent the poorest from being excluded from access to financial services. The call for action comes as part of a report published today by the cross-party House of Lords Liaison Committee.

23 April 2021

Student loan interest rates are set to drop for many students from September. Current students in England and Wales, for example, can expect to see the interest rate they're charged fall from 5.6% to 4.5%. Meanwhile, many former students with outstanding loans will likely see their rates dip too – though the changes are yet to be finalised by the Government, so for now we can only predict what'll happen.

22 April 2021