In this episode of Which? Money, senior researcher Megan Thomas explains how copy trading works, how risky it can be, and how certain trading platforms are becoming destinations for those who think it’s an easy way to increase the value of an investment portfolio.

Megan shares the result of her experiment, which saw novice investors try out social trading and copy trading platforms for the first time, to track how drawn users were to investors who already had tens of thousands of other investors following their every move.

Plus, Simon Weidenholzer, professor of economics at the University of Essex, talks us through the history of the trend, and describes how giving people the option to directly copy others can lead to a significant increase in risk taking.

More podcasts from Which?

The Which? podcast showcases the best content from across our website and magazine. 

Plus, keep an eye out for bonus episodes that tackle important issues, from motoring and tech to health and wellbeing and travel.

How to listen to the Which? podcast

We're always releasing new episodes, and the podcast is available from wherever you usually get your podcasts.

As part of your subscription, Which? members also get access to exclusive podcasts.

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to get cheap cinema tickets in the UK if you know where to look.  

Here, Which? highlights some of the best ways to cut the cost of a cinema trip – from using supermarket loyalty points and mobile phone provider rewards to timing your visit for ‘saver’ days.

How to save money on cinema tickets

1. Check your bank account perks

Depending on who you bank with, you could be entitled to free cinema tickets or discounted entry as part of your account benefits.

2. Use mobile and broadband rewards

3. Look for other cinema deals 

A range of memberships, rewards schemes and subscriptions offer discounted cinema tickets, free tickets or two-for-one deals.  

4. Consider a cinema membership

If you’re a very frequent cinemagoer, a monthly subscription might be a good-value solution for you. Paying a fee of around £17-18 a month can guarantee that you see an unlimited number of the latest films each month. 

This is great if you can commit to going regularly, but not so much if you don’t – you’ll end up wasting your money, so consider this before you sign up.

Some cinemas also offer discounts on restaurants for your monthly subscription fee, which is great for treating your loved one on a special occasion or date night.

High street cinema chains offer a range of memberships:

5. Bring your own snacks

When you go to the cinema, you’re not obliged to spend a fortune on popcorn, a hot dog and a large drink at the concession stand.

Since every cinema chain has its own specific policy regarding outside food and drink, it is essential to check the FAQs or T&Cs beforehand to avoid being refused entry. 

Although many locations are relaxed about cold snacks, most strictly prohibit alcohol and hot food, and some independent chains may ban outside items entirely.

If there are no policies against taking in your own food or drink, pop to the nearest shop where you can bag some cheaper treats.

6. Take advantage of saver days

Some cinema chains offer discounted tickets on quieter days of the week. For example, members of Odeon Extras can access Saver Mondays, which offers discounted tickets on Mondays, including bank holidays. Prices vary by cinema, but tickets can start from £4.50.

7. Look for age-related discounts 

Major cinema chains like Odeon, Picturehouse, Everyman, and Cineworld provide discounted tickets specifically for moviegoers aged 60 and over, although these rates usually apply to selected screenings. 

Families with children can also take advantage of significant savings. Notable deals include Cineworld’s 'Movies for Juniors' at £3.99, Odeon Kids tickets starting as low as £1, and Vue’s 'Mighty Mornings' where daily 10am sessions start at just £2.49 per person when booked online.

8. Book online before you go

Many cinema chains offer their best prices online, so it's worth checking before heading to the box office.

Odeon says tickets are always cheaper when booked online or through its app, even after its £1 booking fee is added. Cineworld also says it's usually cheaper to buy tickets online than at the cinema, despite charging a booking fee on online bookings.

9. Check if you're eligible for a companion ticket 

If you need someone to accompany you to the cinema because of a disability, a CEA Card can get your companion a free ticket at participating cinemas.

The card costs £6.50 a year and is accepted at around 90% of UK cinemas, including Cineworld, Odeon and Vue. You can apply if you receive certain disability benefits, including Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA), Attendance Allowance or Armed Forces Independence Payment, or if you're registered as sight-impaired.

To help you avoid common pitfalls, we spoke to lenders, mortgage brokers and industry experts to uncover seven common mortgage application mistakes and what you can do to avoid them. 

1. Don't ignore your credit report 

When you apply for a mortgage, the provider will conduct affordability checks to determine whether to approve the loan and the amount it is willing to lend. 

Part of these checks will include searching your credit report. A key mistake is not creating a good financial picture with your credit report. 

Terry Higgins of The New Homes Group says you should also check your credit scores for errors, as: 'Even small inaccuracies, such as incorrect account balances or missed payments, can lower your credit score and affect your eligibility and decrease the amount that you can borrow.'

Of course, applicants shouldn't take on too much credit before a mortgage application. Jonathan Stinton of Coventry Building Society explains: 'Things like a new car loan will likely have more of an effect than a buy-now-pay-later loan for smaller items. But the smaller things can add up and may tip the balance between being able to afford a loan for a dream home or not.'

2. Assuming you can't borrow enough 

In the past year, the Financial Conduct Authority has relaxed its rules, enabling providers to increase the amount they can lend. For example, some lenders now will offer loans six times income. Leeds Building Society will offer first-time buyers with a minimum household income of £30,000 up to 5.5 times their earnings for some mortgage products.

However, some buyers aren't aware of these changes, according to Matt Bartle of Leeds Building Society. Bartle's message is: 'Don’t rule yourself out. Explore the tools and support available, as homeownership may be within reach.'

3. Failing to document a gifted deposit

More than half of first-time buyers in the UK receive assistance from the Bank of Mum and Dad through a gift or loan, according to Savills' research carried out last year.

Higgins warns that gifted deposits need to be properly documented to avoid raising red flags during the mortgage application process. He explains: 'Lenders need to ensure that the funds are legitimate and not loans in disguise, which could affect affordability calculations. Without clear evidence of the source and nature of the gift, applications can face delays, additional scrutiny, or even rejection.'

David Hollingworth of L&C says it should be relatively simple to provide confirmation that it's a gift, not a loan: 'But make sure that parents are happy to provide written confirmation.'

4. Submitting incomplete paperwork 

Inaccurate or missing documents can slow the application process or even result in a denial. NatWest advises taking time to review your finances carefully and double-check documents before applying to help keep the application process on track.

Nicholas Mendes of the mortgage broker John Charcol points out that it's particularly important to have documents ready when an application needs to be submitted in a period of volatile mortgage rates.

He said: 'When lenders are repricing quickly, timing can make a real difference. If payslips, bank statements, accounts, ID, or deposit evidence are missing, it can delay submission and mean the borrower misses the rate they were hoping to secure.'

5. Not preparing for self-employed checks 

If you're self-employed, it's likely you will need to do additional planning and produce extra documentation when applying for a mortgage. 

If you fail to prepare this before your application, it could delay it or mean you qualify for a smaller loan. For example, NatWest requires self-employed applicants to provide two years of income evidence.  

If you have an accountant, Mendes advises self-employed applicants to speak to them about their plans to buy or remortgage.

He says: 'Accountants often look to make their clients as tax efficient as possible. The issue is that this can sometimes reduce the income figure a lender uses for affordability. We often see borrowers who feel they earn enough in real terms, but the way the income has been structured means they cannot borrow as much as they expected.'

6. Forgetting the true cost of moving 

Jonathan Stinton of Coventry Building Society said: 'The upfront costs of surveys, conveyancing and stamp duty, along with hiring a removals firm, buying new furniture or making urgent repairs, could blindside a borrower just when they think they’ve got enough in the bank to make that move.' 

Mendes also stresses that buyers need to ensure they have money set aside in case a chain breaks, a completion date moves or extra legal work is required. 

Research from Reallymoving in November last year found that the typical cost of moving now comes to almost £18,000. The average cost of buying your first home, excluding the deposit, comes to £2,315.

7. Regular gambling

Regular gambling transactions on bank statements can result in lenders denying applications. Hollingworth explains that making the odd bet won't affect a mortgage application, but frequent bets will be factored into affordability assessments and could result in an application being denied, particularly if it's close. 

Infrequent use of buy now pay later isn’t likely to have a big impact on an application, according to Hollingworth. But, as with gambling, if a lender sees a pattern of regular use of buy now pay later, 'It may be fed into the affordability calculation or lead to delays through further questions,' says Hollingworth. 

There are cheap flights from almost every UK regional airport and, unlike travel to the rest of the EU, you'll never be fingerprinted - EES does not operate in Ireland. In fact, the Common Travel Area means you don't even need a passport to jump on the ferry; a driving licence or bus pass will do.

You will also be welcome. A difficult history, yes, but more shared in culture and character, from sport and self-deprecation to pints and tea drinking. Similar, but not the same. There is also much in Ireland that is unique and extraordinary. The scenery in the west is unmatched on these islands in its wildness, the friendliness of local villages uplifting, and I can confirm the pubs are the best in the world. You must go.

Where to go for Ireland's most beautiful scenery

Connemara National Park

Remote and breathtakingly beautiful, Connemara is a mercurial landscape of bogland spread across the region like carpet. Cradled by the ocean on three sides, Atlantic weather systems constantly sweep over the waterlogged peat fields, ponds, glacial crags and the Twelve Bens mountain range, creating a perpetual dance of gloom and ephemeral brilliance. 

Just north is Croagh Patrick, a mountain where St Patrick is said to have fasted for 40 days to banish snakes from Ireland, and large, if dwindling, numbers of pilgrims ascend barefoot. Tackle the moderate three-hour climb for a seemingly infinite horizon over hundreds of small islands and drumlins scattered across Clew Bay. Clifden, Connemara's capital, is a good base for the trip; it specialises in big sky views, excellent seafood and pubs that hum to the sound of fiddles.

Dingle Peninsula

The Burren

Arguably, only Ireland could produce 'fertile rock' – the best way to describe the 138 square miles of otherworldly limestone landscapes of the Burren, a Unesco Global Geopark. Crafted by a retreating glacier, the great curves of karst hills are split by bursts of grass, and hundreds of orchid species. This biodiversity is thanks to fissures in the limestone that create microclimate pockets and make this the only place in the world where Arctic and Alpine plants grow alongside Mediterranean ones. 

Visit in spring for maximum colour. The villages of Ballyvaughan and Kinvara are both pretty bases, or, if you want something livelier, it's just an hour from Galway.

Where to go for Ireland's best city or town break

Carrick-on-Shannon 

Dunmore East

Clonakilty 

Where to go to understand Ireland

With nearly 800 years of colonisation and plantation, much of Irish history and culture, from museums and monuments to poetry and song, springs from rebellion. You can hear it in the music at a 'trad' session of Irish folk music in pubs across the country. Dingle, Doolin and Ennis are all excellent places to experience both the beauty of laments and rousing revolts. 

In Dublin, walking tours of the events of 1916, or a visit to Kilmainham Gaol, where the leaders of the uprising that led to freedom for most of Ireland were executed, are popular, poignant and fascinating, but perhaps more meaningful is a visit to the Gaeltacht.

The Aran Islands

Newgrange

Irish, and Celtic, mythological stories of giants, fairies and heroes still play a big part in contemporary identity, art and literature. No more so than Newgrange – one of the oldest buildings in the world. 

Built by Stone Age farmers more than 1,000 years before Stonehenge, and covering an acre of land, the grass-covered roof of this prehistoric temple remains wholly intact (and still waterproof) while many of the huge kerbstones ringed around it are carved with Megalithic art. You'll need to book a tour in advance to step inside the inner chamber.

Semple Stadium

Where to eat and drink in Ireland

When is the best time to visit Ireland?

You won't have to worry about a heatwave ruining your summer holiday – average highs rarely reach 20°C. 

But while rain has ruined many a fine Irish summer holiday, the truth is, the risk is not that much greater than in the UK. It rains less in Dublin than in Manchester, for example. It is a lot wetter in the west – where you might expect rain every other day in July and August. In short, don't come in summer if pulling on an anorak will upset you. 

April, May and early June are the driest months, while Ireland's northerly latitude means there is no astronomical night around the summer solstice, as the sun only just dips below the horizon, leaving a hallowed twilight.

Why you won't queue at the border in Ireland

Flights are frequent, available from most UK airports and cheap. If you're taking a car, the ferry from Holyhead, Fishguard, Cairnryan and Liverpool can be a bargain. While foot passengers can use rail sail with Irish Ferries or Stena Line; a combined train and ferry ticket from any UK train station to Dublin or Rosslare from £100 return.

How much fibre do I need?

The government recommends adults aim for 30g of fibre a day, but the average daily intake is only around 16 to 18g. ‘Just 4% of adults are getting enough fibre', according to Rebecca Tobi, Head of Food Business Transformation at the Food Foundation. Adding, 'Fibre is still very often overlooked, and we don't eat nearly enough’.

Why do I need to eat fibre?

On a day-to-day basis, fibre can help with:

What makes a good high-fibre snack?

A good high-fibre snack 'should bridge the gap between meals rather than create a blood sugar rollercoaster that leaves you even hungrier soon after eating', says Bardwell. Fibre aside, here are key components to include for a wholesome snack:

Incorporating more fibre into your snacks is one of the easiest ways to boost your intake. 'If your meals contain 20g across the day but your snacks contribute another 8–10g, suddenly the goal becomes much more achievable,' says Bardwell. 

Boosting your diet with fibre is easier than you think. With the help of Bardwell and Ludlam-Raine, we've rustled up seven delicious fibre-packed snacks.

7 high-fibre snack ideas

1. Roasted chickpeas or edamame beans

Beans and pulses are high in fibre and protein and are filling. They're crunchy as well, so they make a great substitute for crisps.

2. Peanut butter with apple slices

One apple alone already has around 2g of fibre. Pair it with peanut butter, which has fat and protein, and you have a filling, fibre-packed snack. Peanut butter is calorie-dense, so just be cautious of portion size.

3. Rye crackers and houmous

Rye is more fibre-dense than most of your standard white-flour-based crackers, and houmous adds a nice amount of protein.

4. Chia seeds with Greek yoghurt and berries

Raspberries and blackberries are filled with loads of fibre. In fact, just one cup of raspberries has 8g of fibre, and one tablespoon of chia seeds contains 5g of fibre.

5. Popcorn

Plain or lightly salted popcorn is wholegrain and surprisingly high in fibre compared to other snacks.

6. Nuts & seeds

Almonds and pumpkin seeds are great options, and pistachios in particular are fibre-rich. Opt for bars filled with seeds and nuts if you need something on the go.

7. Oatcakes with cottage cheese

This is a double-whammy of a snack. Oats contain beta-glucan, a type of soluble fibre linked with cholesterol benefits, while the cottage cheese adds protein. Emma’s favourite way to zhush it up is to drizzle some honey, scatter some crushed walnuts and finish off with a few slices of fresh figs.

A quick and easy high-fibre recipe

Dark chocolate with popcorn: around 5g of fibre per portion

Take note: Increase fibre intake gradually

If you're increasing your fibre intake, do so gradually. A sudden jump in fibre can cause bloating, wind and digestive discomfort, particularly if you have conditions such as IBS or SIBO, or take medication for acid reflux. Increasing fibre slowly gives your gut and its bacteria time to adapt, helping to minimise unwanted side effects.

We’re all susceptible to the ‘health halo’ – that’s the marketing trick of putting terms like ‘organic’ or ‘plant-based’ or ‘high protein’ on a product. This one highlighted positive attribute tends to make us assume that the whole product must be generally good for us. 

But sadly, as good as our intentions are when we decide to swap potato crisps for veggie ones, or reach for a protein bar rather than a chocolate one, the reality is that these healthy-looking snacks can be just as bad – or worse – than the ones you're trying to replace.

Here we reveal the snacks that aren't always as healthy as they look, the extras to be wary of and healthier alternatives to try.

 1.Supermarket smoothies

It seems like a nice and tasty shortcut to get your five-a-day, but unfortunately pre-packaged smoothies tend to be a concentrated hit of sugar. 

When fruit is blended and bottled, its natural cellular structure is broken down. This turns the natural sugars into ‘free sugars’ – the kind we are advised to limit. 

Ideally, eat fruit whole where possible, rather than drinking it.

2. Fruit yoghurts

Manufacturers will also add ingredients like starches, gelatines and sugars to give low-fat versions a ‘creamy’ texture and feel.

3. Protein bars

They may be marketed as fitness fuel, but many protein bars are nutritionally closer to chocolate bars than to health food. 

Many brands use sugar alcohols (like maltilol) to keep the calorie count of these bars low. These can cause bloating and digestive problems in some people. Plus, the protein content will usually come from highly processed soy or whey isolates rather than from wholefood sources. Add to this wacky flavours that require extra flavouring (Creme Egg flavour, anyone?!) and it's a bit of a stretch to consider it a health food.

Some of the most popular protein bars have the same number of calories as a standard Snickers, and while they are nutritionally better structured (with lower sugar and fat) they are still highly processed. 

4. Vegetable crisps

When you're browsing the crisp aisle, it's easy to assume a product emblazoned with pictures of beetroot and parsnips must be a healthier option.

But this isn't always the case. Just like potato-based crisps, those made with other vegetables need to be deep-fried or baked in oil to become crispy. This process can actually lead to higher fat and salt levels than in standard potato crisps, because some vegetables like carrots or parsnips can absorb more oil. 

5. Fruit juice

Much like smoothies, downing a quick fruit juice might seem like a simple shortcut to your five a day. But even '100% pure' juice misses the most important part of the fruit: the fibre. This is why, unlike when you eat whole fruit, the natural sugar content in juice is classed as 'free sugar' and contributes towards your max recommended sugar allowance per day.

6. Granola

Anything packed with all those nuts and seeds and fruit feels like it ought to be good for you. But while granola can be a healthy, nutrient-dense food, it can also be high in sugar and unsaturated fats.

To make those delicious crunchy clusters, oats are usually coated in oil and syrups like honey, maple or agave, and then baked. That makes them calorie-dense, and many people then end up pouring out a bowl that’s three or four times the recommended serving size.

7. Cereal bars

You'll see them sold as a ‘breakfast on the go’, but cereal bars can be ultra-processed and high in sugar.

While some may claim to have no added sugar, they can contain sneaky workarounds such as apple juice or other forms of sugar – agave syrup, maple syrup and honey all count. Some contain puffed rice or corn, which have a very high glycemic Index (GI). Others have coatings like chocolate or salted caramel – and more calories than a Mars bar. 

As with all these products, it’s healthiest to regard them as occasional treats rather than as meal substitutes or regular breakfast options. They also lack the ‘satiety’ (the feeling of being full for longer) of healthier options, meaning you’ll probably feel hungry again in an hour.

This gate fee is unpredictable and airlines charge a range of prices. It can cost you more than £70 a bag for a flight with airlines like Ryanair or Wizz Air, and you should expect budget carriers to be the strictest at enforcing these.

But buying luggage ahead of time can also significantly increase your ticket price. One traveller recently made news headlines for posting their clothes from Bristol to Glasgow (costing £2.59), to avoid paying £30 for luggage on their flight.

Fortunately, there are far simpler ways to minimise extra expenses and still pack everything you need – and while they aren't foolproof, they usually do the trick. Here are our top tips to beat baggage fees, plus what to do if you think you've been wrongly charged a fee at the gate.

1. The duty-free bag trick

Airlines usually allow you to bring a standard-sized duty-free shopping bag on board for free as well as your cabin bag. Once you are through security, buy something from duty-free or another airport shop and ask for a carrier bag. Then transfer some luggage into this bag before you get to your boarding gate. As airlines rarely weigh duty-free bags, consider putting in your heavier items (eg toiletries).

Gate staff are increasingly aware of this trick, so don't overstuff your bag and keep your receipt as airport staff may ask to see that you purchased something.

2. The travel pillow hack

If you have extra clothes that won't fit in your bag, consider buying an empty travel pillow that zips up to secure some extra space. Stuff it tight with clothes so it looks like a regular neck pillow and wear it around your neck when boarding.

Only fill it with soft clothes and don't use a full-sized pillow, as gate agents are much more likely to stop you for this.

3. Don't book luggage on a Ryanair flight until later in the booking process...

Ryanair is one of the airlines with the strictest luggage allowance policies – with its cheapest Basic fare you can only take an under-seat cabin bag on board measuring 40x30x20cm. 

When booking a Basic Ryanair ticket, early on in the process you'll be presented with the option to upgrade your fare to Regular, Plus, or Family Plus for trips with children. The Regular fare comes with a large cabin bag as well as priority boarding and free seat selection. But in one of our investigations based on around 30 checks over two years, we've only once found this to be cheaper than booking these extras separately.

The biggest savings to be had were for bookings for families with children. On one flight from Stansted to Alicante, a Regular fare would cost a family of four £61 more than booking the Basic fare and adding identical cabin bags, priority boarding and seat selection later in the booking process. So don't be tempted by the recommended pop-up fares; it's worth adding luggage separately to try to save money, especially if you don't mind where you sit.

4. …or skip no-frills airlines altogether

If you’re unable to pack light, it could be worth booking with a better-rated airline. Both British Airways and Which? Recommended Provider Jet2 allow a personal item and a larger cabin case as default with their fares – we’ve previously found this can work out cheaper than stacking luggage fees onto budget airlines’ headline fares.

5. Steer clear of packing cubes

Some compression packing cubes claim to help you ‘pack more in less space’ by squeezing excess air out of your bag. But when we put them to the test in four different types of travel cases, we fitted less into our bags than when we just folded our clothes.

Packing cubes can be useful for separating your belongings so you don’t have to rummage through everything each morning. But we spent more than £50 on them in our tests, and if you just want to maximise your luggage space, save this cash for your holiday fund instead.

Your rights if you're asked to pay at the gate

Most airlines say the final decision on whether a bag is over their limit rests with the ground crew. But if you think you’re being charged unfairly, you can complain. Take lots of photos of your bag in the sizer, and ask for a paper or digital receipt for the gate fee. It’s also worth making a note of your gate number, flight number and the exact time you were charged. You can try to ask for the name of the agent charging you, but they don’t have to share this. When you get home, take photos of the bag alongside a measuring tape showing its height, width and depth. Then make a formal complaint to the airline, sharing this evidence. 

If your airline has an agreement with an alternative dispute resolution scheme (ADR), tell them in your email that you will escalate your complaint to this body if it’s not accepted. If the airline rejects your claim, or you’ve waited eight weeks with no reply, you can take it directly to the ADR scheme, which will make the final decision. If your airline doesn’t work with the Aviation ADR or a similar scheme, contact the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

If you realise you need more space only a few hours before your flight and you don't want to use the hacks above, it’s almost always cheaper to pay for a bigger bag online. If the online window has closed, pay at the check-in desk. It’s a sting, but likely cheaper than paying a fee at the departure gate, which is designed to be the most expensive penalty. For Ryanair, you could pay £36-£40 at the check-in desk for a 10kg bag, versus a penalty fee of £46-£60 if you take the same small bag to the gate without a booking.

Whether you're planning a neighbourhood party, setting up your garden for cosy evenings outside or looking for ways to stay cool at night, these Which? Best Buys will help you enjoy the summer to the fullest. 

Don’t waste your money on something that will just sit at the back of a drawer or, worse, end up in the bin.

We reached out to the dads among our members to ask them about the best and worst gifts they’ve ever received. While most just want to spend time with family, others have been stuck dealing with prank presents like Brussels sprouts. 

To help you find something he’ll actually love on 21 June, we analysed their feedback, search trends, retailer data and the products most popular with Which? members to bring you a list of foolproof gifts that will make him feel special.

Father’s Day presents loved by dads

Premium spirits or wine

Alcohol proved popular among the dads we asked. Premium spirits or fine wines are a touch of luxury they can savour on special occasions, meaning your gift is guaranteed to be relished, not left gathering dust.

Six of the members we asked said wine was the best gift they’ve ever received, and six loved receiving a bottle of whisky. Other types of alcohol mentioned were brandy, rum and gin. 

Craft beer or ale

Beer is another foolproof gift among the dads we surveyed. 

For fathers who are happiest watching the football or standing by a grill, a case of beer is a more laid-back alternative to wine or spirits. Keep it simple with a case of their favourite beer or pick a discovery box with different types, such as a crisp pilsner, a hazy IPA, a rich stout and a sour.

Gourmet food and drink

Food gifts are a guaranteed hit on Father’s Day. It’s the perfect excuse for dads to indulge in delicious, gourmet treats they’d rarely think to buy for themselves.

In our survey, 26 dads highlighted goodies like chocolates, coffee and fine cheeses, making food and drink one of the top categories. For some, the best part was the personal touch because their kids knew their exact tastes. Others enjoyed sharing a delicious treat with the people they love. 

A heartfelt card

If you want to give him something personal, nothing resonates with dads quite like a heartfelt card. In fact, 25 of the members we surveyed named it their all-time favourite Father’s Day gift. 

Whether it's a store-bought card with a meaningful message or a handmade creation proudly crafted by the grandkids, it’s a straightforward gesture that pulls at the heartstrings.

Useful accessories

Dads love to be decked out in new gear. Our survey found that cufflinks, watches, wallets and shoes are guaranteed winners. One dad was especially happy to get a cosy pair of slippers, and another loved his new tennis bag.

Just remember that not all accessories are created equal. In fact, several dads called out basic socks and underwear as the absolute worst Father’s Day gifts they’ve ever received.

A day out 

Focus on making memories if you want to give him a gift he'll never forget. Consider booking a unique experience, a fun day out or even a weekend away.

53 fathers we surveyed named an experience or day trip as their favourite-ever gift. Whether he'd love a day of mushroom foraging or a kayak trip, a premium ticket to a football match or a hands-on cookery course, a helicopter ride, a steam railway visit or a trip to Silverstone, there are endless fun options to choose from.

Gadgets

Tech, tools and other gadgets are sure to go down well and are less likely to be forgotten in the back of a drawer like some other presents. 

Quality time

Lots of dads prefer spending time with their kids and grandkids to receiving a physical gift. In our survey, 88 dads named quality time and family visits as their favourite Father’s Day gift of all time.

One member told us their favourite ever gift was a surprise visit from their son, who lives 250 miles away. For someone else, the perfect day was a pint with their two sons in a beer garden, and they drove.

Hobbyist gifts 

If your dad has a hobby that fills his spare time, why not get him something related to it?

Whether it's a bread-making class for an avid baker, a family fishing adventure, Lego sets or gardening tools, these gifts feel personal and are sure to be appreciated rather than wasted. 

A meal out

Treating dad to a meal out is a great gift because you can pick the restaurant based on the type of food he likes the most. 

While it’s quick and easy to arrange, the quality time you spend together over a delicious meal feels far more personal than any material present.

Father’s Day fails

Surprisingly, 34 of the parents we asked haven’t ever received anything or simply don't celebrate Father's Day. And sadly, eight respondents admitted they had been forgotten about completely.

Not everyone has always been impressed when they have received a present, either. 

Some dads recalled receiving uninspiring presents like a coffee pod stand or a generic high-street gift card. Others were on the receiving end of prank gifts, ranging from a box of Brussels sprouts wrapped in Ferrero Rocher foil to grey-covering hair tint. One dad even told us he was gifted a literal ball of air. 

As for where these tragic gifts are now, most dads have completely lost track of them, although a few admitted they went straight into the bin.

How to buy the best Father’s Day present

If you’re shopping for a gift for your dad, our survey highlighted some interesting tidbits about what people expect from a present.

According to data from the Association of British Insurers (ABI), medical expenses claims were the most commonly made in 2024 – accounting for a third of claims that year – up from 29% the previous year. 

But millions of travellers could be risking invalid claims by failing to declare medical conditions when they buy cover. Here, we break down how people are affected, areas where policies are least clear, and how medical conditions affect your premiums. 

Millions don't declare medical conditions

A quarter said they didn't disclose conditions because they believed it would increase the cost of their cover. This is despite a quarter saying they'd previously been ill or faced a medical emergency while abroad.

How much does it cost to declare a medical condition?

Almost all can cover at least some pre-existing medical conditions (PEMCs) – or in other words, conditions that predate your buying your insurance or booking your trip. 

However, virtually none do so automatically. For PEMCs to be included, you need to declare them. The insurer then decides whether it can add them to your policy (and by how much). 

We asked comparison site Go.Compare what customers using its service paid when adding conditions and how this has changed. The table below shows average prices paid in 2025:

Backpacker travellers face bigger premium hikes

While premiums in general have risen over the past three years, the extra you pay for declaring PEMCs has stayed fairly stable for single-trip and multi-trip customers, but it appears to have widened for owners of backpacker policies (these cover you to travel on extended trips for up to 558 days). 

Backpacker customers who haven't declared conditions have seen their premiums rise by around 17% between 2023 and 2025. Meanwhile, those with covered PEMCs have seen a 26% price increase.

Importantly, these figures are averages – and you may pay significantly more or less depending on your particular circumstances. 

Rhys Jones, Go.Compare's travel insurance expert said: 'The cost of a travel insurance policy can be influenced by several factors, including a person's age, destination, trip length and medical history. When a medical condition is declared, insurers will consider the likelihood of a claim, which may result in a higher premium, but the size of the increase will vary depending on the type and severity of the condition.'

What happens if you don't declare?

According to the ABI, the average medical claim payout in 2024 was £1,528, but medical expenses vary hugely depending on the type of incident and local treatment costs. 

Without adequate cover for your conditions, you could be staring down a medical bill of tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of pounds. 

Costs of medical treatment aren't the only area of travel insurance that stand to be affected if your medical conditions aren't covered. For example, travel insurance can also help if you need to scrap or change your plans for medical reasons – but this safety net is absent if your conditions aren't included.    

Many travellers are unsure what to declare 

While some customers make an intentional gamble when not disclosing their conditions, Admiral's survey also suggests many are unclear about what needs to be disclosed and when.

Some 21% of respondents believed they only needed to declare conditions they’re still being treated for. In reality, insurers generally ask for details on any condition you’ve had in the past two to five years and sometimes longer, depending on the condition.

Meanwhile, 17% didn't realise antidepressants should be declared, while 16% said the same about ADHD medication, while 15% incorrectly think that only chronic conditions (such as diabetes or asthma) need to be mentioned.

When do you need to update your insurer?

Buying cover isn't the only time you may need to update your insurer about your health.

For 91% of the policies we examined, insurers expect customers to report any changes in health that have occurred since taking out the cover. But, confusingly, what constitutes a 'change in health' can vary by insurer. 

In some cases, this could mean new conditions or a change in an existing one (for example, the condition worsening or new medication). But with other policies, even a GP visit or doctor's advice may need to be reported. 

Should you use a specialist medical insurer?

While most insurers will cover some medical conditions, they take different stances on which ones they will cover and how much extra it will cost. Medical specialists have more appetite and expertise than other insurers for medical risks that non-specialists would be prepared to cover affordably. So, if you've been struggling to find reasonably priced cover because of a PEMC, it's worth checking them out.

Specialist policies accounted for three in 10 of the policies we reviewed, and yet 11 of our 24 Best Buys were from medical specialists.

Sipps are essentially do-it-yourself personal pensions that put investment decisions in your hands.

Here, we explain how a Sipp can help you manage your retirement savings, how costs compare and how to choose the right one for you.

What is a Sipp?

Unlike other types of private pensions, you'll be taking on responsibility for choosing and managing your own investments, so you'll need to have the time and confidence to do this.

Higher-rate and additional-rate taxpayers can claim back a 40p and 45p, respectively. In most cases, you can’t receive tax relief on any pension contributions that exceed your annual earnings or £60,000, whichever is lower.

Why choose a Sipp?

in March 2026, we surveyed 2,533 savers with a Sipp. The most common reason they gave for opening their first Sipp was to gain more control over their pension (51%), followed by wanting to boost returns (39%) and to access a wider range of investments (35%). 

As with other pensions, you can take up to 25% of the money in your Sipp as a tax-free lump sum (up to a maximum of £268,275) from the age of 55.

How much Sipps cost

Unlike workplace pension schemes, which are allowed to charge a maximum of 0.75%, there’s no cap for Sipp fees and they can vary significantly between providers. 

Our analysis shows that a Sipp with an initial value of £250,000 would be worth £12,600 more after 10 years (assuming investment growth of 3% a year) if held with the cheapest provider in our analysis (Freetrade) rather than the most expensive (Aegon). After 15 years, the difference rises to £20,400. 

The best value provider for you will often depend on how much you have in your Sipp. Platforms with low fixed fees, notably Interactive Investor, Freetrade, Halifax Share Dealing and Scottish Widows Share Dealing, are cheap for all pot sizes. 

On top of the charges levied by the Sipp provider, you’ll need to factor in the fees for the individual investments held in your Sipp.

Ready-made options for less confident investors

If you’re feeling daunted by the prospect of picking your own investments, many platforms and other relatively new providers now offer ready-made portfolios as an ‘off-the-shelf’ alternative.

Rather than choosing from thousands of individual investments, you choose a pre-selected portfolio of funds to match your risk appetite (such as cautious, moderate, adventurous). 

Should you take a Sipp?

More retirement savers have turned to Sipps in recent years: in our 2026 survey, 37% of Sipp customers said they'd held their pension for less than three years.

But this type of pension isn't suitable for everyone. It's most suited to savers who feel comfortable choosing and managing their own investments.

Alternatively, the growing range of ready-made Sipps are worth looking at if you want help with investment decisions, but don’t want to incur the expense of full financial advice.

Which? found scam adverts appearing on Facebook for luxury treehouse accommodation. The scam impersonated Wolf Wood Treehouses, a legitimate accommodation provider.

It's not easy to spot the scam when fraudsters steal images and build slick websites. Sadly, victims of these holiday scams often don't realise they've been conned until they arrive to find the accommodation doesn't exist or they've booked through a fake website. 

Read on to find out how this scam works and what you can do to avoid falling for a holiday scam. 

Scam Facebook posts and fake websites

Which? found two video adverts appearing on Facebook that promoted ‘treetop’ holidays, featuring luxury accommodation. 

The images used had actually been stolen from Wolf Wood Treehouses, a legitimate holiday company that offers treehouse retreats in rural locations.

The fraudulent posts featuring the stolen images were posted by Facebook pages; one of which had been created as recently as 1 May.

The scam posts included comments with links to book a holiday. When we inspected the websites, we found that both had been recently created in April. The websites also listed no contact information, hosted more stolen images and contained links that lead nowhere. 

‘We are plagued by scam websites’

Sam, the owner of Wolf Wood Treehouses, told Which? that he’s aware of around 10 websites impersonating his business.

He told us: ‘We usually hear about them through customers who have been duped, or are about to be duped. As soon as we hear about them, we report the sites to the National Cyber Security Centre, contact the web hosts to inform them they are hosting a fake website and report them to Facebook.

'We also ask the person informing us to report it to the police if they have been scammed. Despite these different ways of reporting, it takes many weeks for each website to be taken down.'

Frustratingly for Sam, when the websites are eventually taken down, new ones quickly reappear under different names. Sam said: ‘This has been going on for about a year and a half, but it seems to have got much worse recently. We get at least a couple of calls a week from people who have either been scammed or worked out that it was a scam.'

He also noted how people are led to the scam via posts on social media, and payments for the fake holidays are taken over the phone. Sam told us that a recent victim of the scam had lost £500.

‘The advertised address only had old static caravans’

After seeing luxurious treetop accommodation being promoted on Facebook, Stacey (not her real name) booked two nights at a discounted price of £125. She was told she’d be called to confirm her booking.

She was called a few days later and asked to pay a £260 refundable deposit, to be refunded after the stay if there was no damage. She was also asked to log in to her banking app to confirm the payment, which she refused to do because she felt uneasy.

When her partner drove to the site where the holiday was advertised as being located, there was no such accommodation, just old static caravans. 

How can we stop these scammers?

While rules for scam adverts are not yet in force, platforms should be banning illegal user-generated content. In this particular scam, the fraudsters had created fake business pages on Facebook to post their dodgy ads.

Collectively, the ads we found reached an estimated 41,458 accounts on Meta – the number of accounts that saw at least one of the ads.

Which? shared our findings with Meta, and it told us it's investigating them. It also said that malicious groups are constantly evolving their techniques to evade detection, and despite its ongoing investments, it acknowledges that there may be cases that will require time to address, some they may miss or take down in error.

We also shared the websites we found with Shopify, the platform used to create them and didn’t receive a response.

How to avoid holiday scams

Five tips to avoid being caught by sham holidays:

To report scam ads or posts on Facebook or Instagram, select the three dots in the top-right corner and press report.

If you've lost money or spotted an unauthorised transaction on your account, contact your bank immediately using the phone number on the back of your card.

In this episode of Which? Shorts, we reveal the results of our consumer survey to find out which mobile networks are the best on price, customer service and more.

We explain how smaller, virtual networks actually piggyback off the infrastructure of one of the Big Four networks – EE, O2, Three and Vodafone – meaning you can get the same network coverage and signal at a fraction of the price.

More podcasts from Which?

The Which? podcast showcases the best content from across our website and magazine. 

Plus, keep an eye out for bonus episodes that tackle important issues – from motoring to tech, and from health and wellbeing to travel.

How to listen to the Which? podcast

We're always releasing new episodes, and the podcast is available wherever you usually listen to podcasts.

As part of your subscription, Which? members also get access to exclusive podcasts.

A ‘minimum’ standard of living for a retiree who lives alone now costs £13,900 a year – up £500 from last year. A comfortable retirement for a two-person household now costs £62,700, an increase of £2,100 from 2025.

Here, we explain what’s happening to retirement costs and share tips on how to build your retirement savings.

The rising cost of retirement

The retirement living standards have been developed by Pensions UK to help people understand how much life in retirement will cost.

The research is based on in-depth conversations with the public, reflecting what people think everyone needs for a  ‘minimum’, ‘moderate’ and ‘comfortable’ standard of living and covers things like food and bills, household maintenance and holidays and activities.

This table shows the annual cost of retirement at each standard, and how the costs have changed since last year.

This year, the cost of retirement has risen across all three standards. According to Pensions UK, this is driven by increased everyday costs across categories such as food, household bills and transport, as well as social activities and hobbies.

Many people aren’t saving enough

Pensions UK says that around 82% of the working population are expected to reach the minimum standard of living in retirement, with just 23% and 9% expected to reach the moderate and comfortable standards respectively.

The Commission is currently looking at how to improve retirement outcomes for savers, with final recommendations expected next year. 

Professor Matt Padley, co-director of the Centre for Research in Social Policy at Loughborough University, said: 'We know that many people are not saving enough for retirement, but we also know that for some people it is simply impossible to save any more – you can’t save money you don’t have.

'By providing a benchmark, the retirement living standards can help us to think through the roles of the state, employers and individuals in ensuring everyone is able to have at least a minimum standard of living in retirement.'

Gary Smith, senior client partner and retirement specialist at wealth management firm Evelyn Partners, warned that costs will be far higher for those further away from retirement: 'The incomes are based on the current cost of living, so younger and middle-aged savers need to adjust for inflation.

'If someone currently needs a post-tax income of £45,400 for a “comfortable” lifestyle, they’ll need a lot more in 20 years’ time. If inflation averages 2.5% over the next two decades, that’s roughly £74,800 by 2046.'

Why some retirees face higher costs

Retirees who live alone face a more expensive retirement than those who split household costs with someone else. This is because many expenses – such as energy bills, broadband and home insurance – cost the same whether or not you share with someone else.

While two people receiving the full state pension will have enough to achieve a minimum standard of living, retirees who live alone must rely on additional savings to fill the gap. In 2026-27, the full state pension is worth around £12,548 a year, around £1,350 short of the minimum annual expenditure for a one-person household.

The retirement living standards also assume you own your home outright, meaning if you’re likely to face rent or mortgage costs in retirement you’ll need to factor these in on top. 

While around 80% of those aged 65 and over in England currently own their own home, many future pensioners are expected to face higher housing costs than ever. 

The rate of pensioner homeownership is expected to fall to 70% by 2050, at which point, half of all pensioners in poverty are projected to be renters according to figures published in the Pension Commission’s interim report.

How much will you need to save?

The retirement living standards are a useful guide to how much life in retirement will cost. The next step is working out how much you’ll need to have saved in your pension to afford your desired lifestyle.

This table gives you an idea of how much you would need to save in your private pension to afford the moderate living standard, depending on whether you access your pension via drawdown or annuity. These calculations assume you receive the full state pension.

These figures are intended to give a rough idea of how much you’ll need to save, but there are many factors that will affect how much you need, including how long you live, annuity rates and investment performance. 

How to build your retirement savings

1. Understand how much state pension you’re likely to get

2. Work out how much you need to save

To enjoy a more comfortable retirement, you’ll need to supplement your state pension with income from a private pension. The earlier you can start contributing into a private pension the better, as your savings will have longer to benefit from investment growth.

3. Get all the support you're entitled to

You’ll generally receive tax relief on any pension contributions up to £60,000, which will significantly boost your savings. If you’re a basic-rate taxpayer, this means you’ll receive an extra £20 for every £80 you save into your pension. 

If you pay into a workplace pension you’ll receive employer contributions of at least 3% of your earnings, but some pay more or will offer to match contributions.

Nobody wants to open the door to find melted ice cream, defrosted meat or mushy vegetables. The window to act is small, but thankfully there are things you can do.

Many modern appliances come with a high-temperature alarm that alerts you when the freezer temperature becomes dangerously high. It's worth checking our reviews though, as we sometimes find models where this alarm, although listed by the manufacturer, didn't activate when we tested it. 

1. Quick initial checks to make

There are a few things to check first before you make any sudden decisions.

2. Protect your food from spoiling

If your fridge freezer has really gone to the great appliance showroom in the sky, you'll want to at least try to save its contents.

Keep the door closed while you make a plan to keep the cold in and the warmth out.

A cool box filled with ice or cool blocks, a portable camping fridge or a neighbour's fridge freezer can be used to rehome food in the short-term. Non-perishables, such as soft drinks, can be removed and stored in a cupboard for now. If your fridge freezer breaks in winter, you can keep food outside as long as it's in clean, dry conditions, out of direct sunlight and protected from animals. You should use a sealed box to prevent contamination and tampering. This is only really suitable for your fridge food, as temperatures in the UK thankfully rarely match those of a freezer.

How long will your food stay safe if you keep the doors closed?

It also advises that food in your freezer should stay frozen for up to 48 hours in a full freezer (or 24 hours if it’s half full), but these are estimates.

If you have a fridge thermometer, you can use this to monitor the situation.

3. Is it fixable, or do you need to replace?

Much like a computer, sometimes turning your fridge freezer off and on again can be enough to get it to start working again. Some higher-end models have a factory reset option on the controls panel. If yours doesn't have this, check the instruction manual for your model to see if there's a key combination you need to press to enable this.

Failing that, you can try unplugging it from the wall and waiting for the time specified in the instruction manual before plugging it back in. Wait for it to stabilise to a safe temperature before returning any food.

If that doesn't do the trick, here are some issues you might be able to fix yourself:

4. Consider your rights

Fridge freezers, as well as standalone fridges and freezers, are covered by the 'right to repair' legislation in the UK, meaning manufacturers must make spare parts available for seven or 10 years after product discontinuation, depending on the part. Some parts are available to everyone, while some are only for professional repairers.

Even if none of your statutory rights apply, you might still be protected.

5. Find and order a new appliance

If it's time for a new fridge freezer, Which? reviews can help you find a suitable replacement. If you have an integrated model, check the dimensions carefully to ensure the new model fits inside your cabinetry. 

When you order your replacement, many retailers offer an add-on service where they'll remove your old model for you, saving you a trip to your local recycling centre.

I’ve quietly earned hundreds of pounds on everyday spending since opening an account nearly four years ago, but I’d all but abandoned it after tighter rules shrank the list of eligible purchases. Now, with cashback set to rise from 1% to 2% from July and dining added to the list of eligible spending, I’m reaching for my blue numberless debit card again. 

But with other cashback deals out there, is it time I switched? Here, I compare the best cashback deals on the market and show you how to maximise your haul.

What do cashback accounts offer?

A cashback current account rewards you for everyday spending, paying a percentage of the amount purchased – usually via your debit card.

It’s an easy way to earn rewards on spending you’d be doing anyway, but there are a few common catches to be aware of:

How do the cashback deals compare?

This table shows the current accounts that pay cashback, as of 28 May 2026, ordered by maximum cashback per month.

Chase and Zopa double cashback offers

There was good news for cashback hunters in May, as both Chase and Zopa announced they were doubling deals for current account customers.

Chase was once king of cashback, offering 1% back on most purchases, but it lost its appeal last year after cutting the list of eligible purchases. It's now trying to regain its crown by increasing the rate to 2% from 1 July 2026.

The cashback cap will also increase to £20 a month, meaning you could earn up to £240 a year on purchases. It's also added a new category for dining in and out, meaning you'll now get rewarded for eating or drinking at restaurants and cafés, as well as ordering takeaways.

Hot on the heels of Chase is Zopa. It launched a 4% cashback deal on direct debits for new customers of its Biscuit current account. The offer means you could potentially earn up to £80 a year when paying household bills. The offer expires on 9 June 2026. 

As always with cashback current accounts, these latest deals come with strings attached, so make sure you read the small print first.

'Save don't spend cashback for long-term returns'

Mock me all you like and call me a penny pincher, but I love a bargain and get a kick out of the smallest savings on purchases. So when Chase launched its cashback current account in the UK a few years ago, I was all in.

Since I opened the account back in November 2022, I've earned more than £600 in cashback on spending on everything from supermarket shopping to commuting. 

The shine wore off last year when the provider brought in new restrictions on spending, so I also opened Nationwide's FlexDirect account in April, which has fewer rules on what qualifies for rewards and pays cashback worth up to £5 a month.

As long as you meet the criteria, there’s nothing stopping you opening more than one cashback current account.

The next question is what to do with the cashback once it lands in your account.

Regular saver accounts are also perfect if you only have a small amount of cash to tuck away each month. You’ll usually need to pay in a set minimum each month, with a cap on deposits – typically between £250 and £500.

In return, these accounts offer interest rates far higher than most other types of savings product. Zopa, for example, pays the top rate of 7.1%. First Direct and The Co-operative Bank offer 7%.

Just be aware that despite the high interest rates, the amount of interest you earn might be more modest than you'd expect, because you can only pay in limited amounts each month.

3 ways to make the most of cashback

Cashback rates are only part of the equation. A few smart habits can help you earn more and make sure you don’t miss out on rewards.

1. Set up a standing order

If you’ve got a cashback current account that needs a minimum monthly pay-in, set up a standing order so you don’t miss out on the reward. 

For example, the Nationwide FlexDirect account pays up to £5 cashback each month, but only if you pay in at least £1,000. If it's not your main account, automating the transfer saves having to remember it every month.

2. Use cashback websites and apps

Cashback sites also offer rewards when you shop through their links. Popular options include Quidco and TopCashback. 

Some lesser-known sites also offer cashback on gift card purchases. For example, Cheddar, HyperJar and Jam Doughnut allow users to buy gift cards for major retailers such as Asda and John Lewis, offering instant cashback on the purchase.

Depending on any restrictions, you could use your cashback debit card to boost the total amount you earn in rewards on online transactions made through these sites.

3. Check for retailer cashback offers

Many banks run cashback schemes where you can earn extra rewards when spending with selected retailers. 

This can be an easy way to boost your cashback on spending you were already planning to do.

I’ve been contacted out of the blue by a company that says I’ve built up bitcoin wealth and claims it can help me recover it. 

How can I find out if this approach is genuine?

A Which? Member

Many people dabbled in buying bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies around the time their hype peaked in 2017. Years later, they may struggle to recall what they bought, whether they’ve still got it or where it’s held. The allure of ‘forgotten bitcoin’ is often compounded by the idea that it might have gained dramatically in value, as these currencies are notoriously volatile, seeing vast swings and crashes over the past decade.

Recovery scams will persuade you to part with an upfront fee in order to trace or ‘unlock’ the supposed riches. In addition to tricking you into paying them for bogus ‘recovery’ services, these fraudsters may also use the details you’ve handed over to target you for further scams, or commit identity fraud in your name.

In some versions of this scam, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is impersonated. The regulator said in 2025 that ‘one of the most common scam methods reported is fraudsters claiming that the FCA has recovered funds from a crypto wallet that was opened illegally in the individual’s name’.

This deals round-up features only products we've rigorously tested in our labs – we never recommend 'deals' on duds.  

Our independent tests are objective and reflect how things are used in real life, so you can trust the accuracy of our reviews – make sure you read them before you buy.

Bosch Unlimited 7 BCS712GB

This cordless vacuum cleaner from Bosch is designed to automatically detect the floor type it’s being used on and adjusts the suction accordingly, such as when going over a rug or moving from tiles to carpet. 

The ‘flex tube’ allows you to reach under low furniture, the main floor head has LED lights to spotlight the dirt ahead, and it comes with a crevice tool and an upholstery brush. There's also an additional battery pack and a quick charger tool.

It weighs 3kg, which is about average for a cordless vacuum, and the dust container holds around 0.5 litres, so it will need to be emptied fairly regularly. 

Bosch WGE03408GB

The Bosch WGE03408GB is marketed as ‘durable’ and ‘extra quiet’, which might catch your eye if you’re often squeezing in laundry after the children have gone to bed.

There are 16 different programs to choose from, but several of these are just temperature variations. All of the usual options like cottons, mixed fabrics, eco and delicates are covered though, plus extra rinse, spin and drain settings.

The ‘Super Quick’ modes are designed to wash smaller loads in 15 or 30 minutes, and you can apply the ‘Speed Perfect’ feature to most programs to shorten them based on the weight of the items in the drum.

Philips 4000 Series NA462/79 

This black and gold air fryer has two cooking drawers stacked one on to of the other, so its narrower than most.

It’s operated using touch controls at the top of the fryer, where you’ll find auto-cook programs for frozen chips, steak, chicken, fish and vegetables, along with a reheat setting. You can set each compartment to a different cooking time and temperature, or use the synchronise button to ensure both drawers are ready at the same time. 

The drawers and trays are non-stick, dishwasher-safe and have internal lights and viewing windows to help you keep an eye on your food as it cooks. There’s also a buzzer that reminds you when to turn your food over, but you can turn it off if you prefer.

Philips 1000i Series AC1715/30

This model from Philips is designed to work in medium rooms of up to 78 square metres. It comes with a 1.8-metre power cord.

It's smart-compatible, meaning that you can control it remotely using the Air+ app for your phone or tablet. Its features include night and auto modes, a timer via the app and four fan speeds.

Kenwood KNF55XD23

The Kenwood KNF55XD23 is a frost-free fridge freezer, with a fast chill function and adjustable shelves for accommodating larger items and up to 10 bags of shopping. 

The doors can be hinged on the right or left, whatever suits your kitchen layout best. It’s a frost-free fridge freezer, as most (but not all) are these days, so you should never have to defrost it yourself. The fridge section has three shelves and a salad crisper drawer, and the freezer has four drawers.

Many fridge freezers have an alarm that sounds if the door is left open, to avoid excessive warm air coming in and increasing the inside temperature. This one doesn’t, so you’ll need to take a bit more care and make sure that you’ve shut it properly.

HP OmniBook 5 14" Next Gen AI Laptop

One of HP’s higher range laptops, this relatively light and slim laptop has a 14-inch 2K OLED display. Our test model was powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, 16GB Ram and 512GB solid-state drive (SSD). That’s an impressive set up for a home computer, but you can pay an extra £200 to upgrade the processor to a Snapdragon X Plus, memory to 32GB Ram and SSD to 1TB.

It’s worth noting that the Snapdragon CPU is ARM-based, similar to the chips found in phones and Macs. Laptops with ARM processors are gaining popularity, due to their impressive performance and power efficiency. But, ARM devices can occasionally run into compatibility issues with software and hardware designed for traditional Windows computers.

Dormeo Memory Plus

You can buy this foam mattress directly from Dormeo, where it comes with a long sleep trial, but if you are not bothered about trying it out first other retailers may be slightly cheaper. It’s made in Poland, arrives rolled up for easy transportation to your bedroom and comes with a 15-year warranty.

It is a lightweight and rather skinny double mattress, which is 16.5cm deep. A 13.5cm standard polyurethane (PU) foam core is covered by one 2.5cm layer of visco-elastic memory foam. The polyester cover is not removable, so you can’t wash it.

Google Pixel 9a

It has a pOLED (plastic OLED) display, a very high peak brightness level and a 120Hz refresh rate. Plus comes with the promise of seven years of security updates, too.

The camera system has also been improved with a 48Mp main lens and 13Mp ultrawide lens. On the front, there’s a 13Mp selfie camera. It’s also the first A-series phone to have the macro focus feature – aiming to provide extra detail when shooting a subject up close. 

11-inch Apple iPad (2025)

The 2025 iPad is sure to tempt Apple fans, launching at almost half the price of an iPad Air and £170 less than the iPad mini. 

It has a 10.9-inch screen with 2,360 x 1,640-pixel resolution. It runs on the A16 Bionic chip, which is the same processor found in the iPhone 15.

It has a sleek finish and comes in four colours: blue, pink, silver or yellow. It doesn’t come with Apple Intelligence, though, which is Apple’s latest software features powered by AI.

 LG 43NANO80A6B

This entry-level TV from LG incorporates the brand's Nanocell tech, which is designed to boost colour – that's unusual for a television that you can buy for less than £400.

For this price, you shouldn't expect a whole host of bells and whistles (gaming features are a little limited, for example), but there's still the option to use voice controls through LG's excellent Magic Remote, and recording is available, too.

June sale shopping tips

Check the Which? website 

As well as telling you which products are best and which are lacking, we’ve also put together a list of the best and worst shops. 

We’ve quizzed thousands of Which? members on their experiences of shopping in some of the country’s best-known stores and websites, as well as with lesser-known brands. 

Watch out for sneaky tricks

Some retailers use underhanded tactics to pressure you into making a purchase. 

These include anchor pricing (when products are on sale more often than they aren’t), pressure selling (‘30 people are viewing this right now!’) and dubious claims about the ‘before’ price of a product. 

Research customer reviews

It’s always a good idea to read reviews before you buy a product, but not all reviews are trustworthy. 

Returning goods

The regulations give you a 14-day window to return a non-faulty product, starting from the day you receive your goods. Many retailers will give you longer than this, but it's always best to check before you buy. 

One kit was for sale at Asda and eBay, while another was found on Tiktok Shop and Amazon Marketplace. 

It’s the latest in a continuing and worrying series of products being recalled from UK shelves due to asbestos contamination - from craft kits to toys and even doorstops filled with sand. 

This toy marketed as a Montessori sand art tray is designed for hands-on learning to support fine motor skills, encouraging children to draw in the sand using the pencils provided or their fingers. But our test revealed that the sand in the kit contains tremolite asbestos. 

We bought the set we tested from Tiktok Shop, and we also found it for sale from three separate sellers on Amazon. It was still for sale on both platforms until May, despite the same set (from Alibaba) being subject to recall by the OPSS in March due to the contamination of asbestos. The OPSS has now updated the original recall notice to include Amazon and Tiktok Shop. 

Product recalls are issued for a reason. Removing products when they are reported by third parties such as Which? is not enough – online marketplaces should be proactively checking to make sure the products offered for sale on their sites do not match prior notices, and ensuring effective checks on sellers and what is being listed to ensure compliance. 

We shared our findings with the platforms. Tiktok told us that the product had been removed, and that it has policies and processes in place to protect customers (including seller registration and verification requirements) alongside a TikTok Shop Product Safety & Recall Policy. 

An Amazon spokesperson said: ‘Customer safety is our top priority and we are taking this issue very seriously. We are in the process of removing all products in this category across our store while we investigate further, and as a result the highlighted items have been removed.’

Dangerous sand from Asda also for sale on eBay

Our lab testing revealed that the sand in the GL Style Sand Bottle Art Heart or Stars set, bought from supermarket giant Asda, was contaminated with tremolite asbestos. 

We found what appears to be the same kit for sale on eBay from three private sellers. The brand name on the kit is RMS International Limited. 

An Asda spokesperson told us that as soon as we made them aware that the product had failed testing, it contacted the supplier and began the process of issuing a full product recall. They said that customer safety is a top priority, and that customers who have purchased this product should stop using it immediately and return it to their nearest store for a full refund. A receipt is not required.

The Which? shopping team received a recall notice from Asda. The manufacturer, RMS International, has also issued a recall. RMS International did not respond to our request for comment.

An eBay spokesperson said: ‘Consumer safety is a top priority for eBay. We swiftly removed the items identified by Which? and are conducting further sweeps to identify similar listings.

‘We work diligently to prevent and remove unsafe product listings through seller compliance audits, block filter algorithms, AI-supported monitoring by in-house specialists, and close partnerships with regulators. These measures helped to prevent 21 million potentially unsafe listings from appearing on eBay in 2025.’

The dangers posed by asbestos in sand

Asbestos is a banned substance because it can pose a risk to health even at low levels of exposure. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified all forms of asbestos as being carcinogenic to humans.

Products containing asbestos in any quantity, even trace amounts, are prohibited for sale in the UK. 

Tremolite asbestos fibres, which were found in both of these products, are rod or needle like in appearance, as seen above.

According to information published by the UK Health Security Agency, the level of risk depends on the amount of asbestos fibres to which you are exposed, the duration of exposure and the way you are exposed (e.g. inhaling or ingesting the fibres). The amount of asbestos found in play sand is likely to be low and children tend not to be exposed over long periods of time. 

The asbestos sand crisis

In late 2025 it was found that a craft kit being sold in Australia contained sand contaminated with asbestos. This discovery has led to tens of recalls internationally, with over 90 products now subject to recall in the UK. There’s been a wide range of products recalled, including sand art kits, craft kits containing bags of sand, stretchy/squishy toys and even doorstops filled with sand. 

In the UK, three schools closed as a precautionary measure while play sand was tested for asbestos (all have now reopened after the tests came back clear). In New Zealand 50 schools and day care centers temporarily closed for cleaning because many classrooms had arts and crafts kits that contained the affected sand, and several parks in Australia were also shut. 

The form of asbestos in these products, tremolite, is naturally occurring and commonly found in metamorphic rocks. If quarrying and processing is poorly controlled, asbestos fibres can contaminate the final product. Tremolite was one of two asbestos types found to be contaminating Johnson & Johnson mineral-based talcum powder.

So far the issue has only affected products that have been imported from China. China introduced restrictions on asbestos use in the noughties, but the reality is that national policies are often unevenly enforced and there’s no national testing or enforcement body ensuring products are compliant in practice. In 2023, the Australian Customs Brokers and Forwarders Council of Australia reported that Chinese products tested which contained less than 5% asbestos were being declared as asbestos free by Chinese importers. 

In November last year, Catriona Lowe (deputy chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the agency’s investigation into the origin of the contamination was ongoing, but that at least some of the sand had come from one common quarry in China. Elsewhere government bodies said that the contamination appeared to be so widespread that they weren’t able to identify a common source.

In the UK there is little systematic testing for asbestos in imports, and products are often assumed safe if the documentation says they are asbestos free. Modern supply chains, including dropshipping and marketplaces, makes it difficult to trace the true origin of products. The onus is often on the seller or importer to know where a product has been produced.

What should I do if I have a product that’s been recalled?

Until you are able to return it:

Which? is calling for tougher controls to prevent the sale of unsafe products

Toys contaminated with asbestos are only the latest example of dangerous products being sold through online marketplaces, with the platforms continuing to evade meaningful legal responsibility for products listed by third-party sellers.

The Product Regulation and Metrology Act, adopted in July, could grant powers to impose product safety requirements on online marketplaces, and the government is currently consulting on proposals to help prevent, identify and remove unsafe products sold through these platforms. It's a crucial opportunity to close longstanding gaps in product safety law, but further delays could leave consumers exposed to dangerous products.

Which? is calling on the government to urgently introduce robust secondary legislation requiring online marketplaces to take clear legal responsibility for ensuring unsafe and illegal products are not sold through their sites.

Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Rights Policy at Which?, said: 'It is outrageous that online marketplaces are selling products which may expose children to asbestos — especially when some of these products had already been recalled by the OPSS.

'Seemingly innocent items like toys and craft kits can have serious health consequences if there are not proper checks to make sure they comply with safety laws.

'The government has published proposals that would require online marketplaces to exercise due care in preventing, identifying and removing dangerous products sold through their platforms — an area where regulation is currently far more limited.

'Ministers now urgently need to introduce legislation that makes these duties sufficiently robust and properly enforceable. The longer the government delays taking action, the greater the risk that more dangerous products will reach consumers.'

How we tested sand kits

We tested nine sand kits at an independent lab using SEM/EDX analysis for asbestos detection. They were tested to the ISO 22262-1:2012 standard. 

This is the recommended technique for detecting asbestos in consumer products containing sand, according to OPSS guidance. It can more reliably identify low asbestos concentrations, below 0.1%, and fine or thin asbestos fibres likely to be present in contaminated products.

The safe products

For seven of the products we sent for testing, we found no trace of asbestos in the samples we looked at. 

The results were correct at the time of testing, and for the samples we tested. 

If you have any sand toys in your house, keep an eye on recalls and follow the advice if any are affected. 

But it's still important to know how the process works. Despite 79% of the 1,030 people who switched mobile networks in the past year agreeing the process was easy, there's one mistake in particular you'll want to avoid making. 

What to expect when you switch mobile provider

Just saying 'it's easy' isn't enough to remove all doubt when it comes to potentially losing a mobile signal, so it's helpful to know in a bit more detail how a switch works.

First of all, don't worry – you can keep your number. To be able to switch provider you need what's called a PAC (porting authorisation code), and there's a specific code that tells the new provider to bring your old number with you. 

You'll then get a text (usually within one minute) with your PAC, which lasts for 30 days. Nothing's set in stone at this point – you're still not switching provider, you're just ready to do so, with your PAC code, within 30 days.

That text you receive will also tell you if you'll face any charges for early termination, which won’t apply if you’re out of contract.

So you can sit back and relax, but there's still that one big mistake you won't want to make until you're up and running. 

The mobile switching mistake people make

Making this mistake could leave you without connectivity for calls, texts or data while your number is ported. So here's what you should do to avoid it.

First of all, initiate the switch with your new provider on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. That's because the switch should happen the next working day, so switching on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday could mean it takes until the following Tuesday for your switch to complete.

And importantly, don't change Sim cards until your old Sim stops working – this should mean everything has been transferred and your new Sim is ready to go. A common mistake is to swap it out immediately on the day of the switch, which could mean you lose signal and can't make calls, send texts or use data until it's completed. 

When you've switched Sim, check for those signal bars in your phone's taskbar and ideally a 4G or 5G icon as well (switch off wi-fi if you have it on to make sure). 

If anything's not working as it should, check the instructions you'll have received from your new provider carefully, as there may be some settings you need to change. Most of the time though, this should be done automatically. You can also restart your phone to help the new Sim bed in.

How much could you save by switching mobile network?

Switching may seem like a hassle but avoiding this key mistake should mean it goes smoothly. And don't forget the significant savings you can make by switching. 

Cheap deals with smaller providers such as Talkmobile, Giffgaff, Lebara and Smarty almost always beat the big four (EE, O2, Vodafone and Three). 

Our annual survey of thousands of mobile customers found that using one of the big four networks cost an average of £16 for a SIM-only contract, compared with just £9 on smaller networks. And for contracts that include a phone, the average cost was £40 with the big Four, versus £28 with smaller providers. 

‘My only regret is leaving it so long’

We spoke to Jackie Gallego, Which? Home Editor, about how making 10 minutes of effort to switch networks saved her hundreds of pounds every year. Jackie said:

‘After a stern talking-to by Which? tech editor Paul Lester, I was finally convinced to ditch my O2 Sim-only mobile phone contract in November 2025. I’d signed up in 2018, lured by the promise of priority gig ticket booking through the O2 rewards app. It sounds like I was a truly loyal customer, but really, the painful process of switching back then left me unwilling to face it again in a hurry. Over the years, my bill slowly crept up from £17-ish a month to around £27, plus extras. One price bump was because I needed additional data, but the others were seemingly routine increases. 

'My new Sim-only deal with Smarty costs me just £8 a month for a chunky 50GB of data (an excellent Which? member offer), and it took me just 10 minutes to arrange. All I had to do was sign up on the Smarty website and request a porting authorisation code (PAC) from O2 so I could keep my old number. Number porting takes one working day during the week, so I made sure to get my request in well before the weekend. Smarty did all the rest. My Sim duly arrived in the post, I popped it in and I was good to go. The whole process was really easy and will save me at least £200 a year. My only regret is leaving it so long.’

'No, and this is why Isas are so useful'

The £20,000 Isa allowance only concerns new money paid into an Isa in the tax year. 

Additionally, the allowance isn’t affected by you transferring money between Isas, as long as the providers make the transfers and you don’t withdraw the money.

To look at it another way, if interest and growth counted towards your Isa allowance, there wouldn’t be ‘Isa millionaires’ with £1m or more in Isas. 

Isas were introduced in 1999, and the allowance was originally lower, only reaching £20,000 in 2017. 

Today’s Isa millionaires wouldn’t have had time to add £1m, so achieved this milestone predominantly through investment growth.

Which? Money 1-to-1 guidance

Our team of money experts can answer your questions big and small, on topics from pensions to tax and savings to scams.

Which? Money members and their immediate family get unlimited access to 1-to-1 guidance sessions.

Some insurers are now offering bereavement support services alongside life insurance policies.

Zurich recently launched a new service with bereavement support specialist Empathy, which offers help with paperwork and practical guidance after a death. Zurich says the service could help families save an average of £2,319 and 148 hours of admin after a bereavement.

But insurer support is only one part of managing someone’s affairs after they die. Here, Which? explains the financial admin families may face after a death, where to get help and what support may be available beyond a life insurance payout.

What admin do families face after a bereavement?

After someone dies, relatives or executors may need to deal with several organisations before an estate can be settled.

Research for Tesco Insurance suggests many people feel unprepared for the process. In a survey, two thirds said they would not know what to do, or would be unsure, about managing financial admin after a loved one dies, while just a quarter said they had any sort of plan in place.

Almost half expected to feel overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork involved.

One of the first steps is registering the death, which must normally be done within five days in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, or within eight days in Scotland. Families will usually need official copies of the death certificate before banks, insurers and pension providers can process requests.

Other tasks may include:

Where can families get help with bereavement admin?

What should you check before choosing life insurance?

Before choosing a life insurance policy, focus on the core cover first. Extra support can be useful, but it shouldn’t distract from whether the policy itself is right for your family. 

Life insurance may not be necessary if no one depends on you financially, or if you already have enough savings or workplace cover in place. Check:

It’s also worth making sure your family knows the policy exists and where to find the paperwork. Even a good policy can be harder to use if relatives don’t know who to contact or what cover is in place.

What other financial support is available?

Life insurance is not the only financial support families may be able to access after a death.

If your spouse, civil partner or partner you lived with has died, you may be eligible for bereavement support payment. This is made up of a one-off lump sum followed by monthly payments for up to 18 months.

In 2026-27, the higher rate is worth up to £9,800 in total, while the lower rate is worth up to £4,300. To receive the full amount, you usually need to claim within three months of your partner’s death.

But new research from property portals suggests sellers may need to rethink their pricing expectations.

Buyer choice is currently at its highest level for this time of year since 2015, according to Rightmove, giving house hunters more bargaining power and making realistic pricing increasingly important.

Whether you’re planning to sell or simply want to see how your property’s value has changed over time, we’ve rounded up five ways to help you estimate what your home could be worth. 

32% of homes for sale have been reduced 

Research by two property portals suggests sellers who overprice their homes are increasingly being forced to cut asking prices to attract buyers.

Rightmove found that a third of existing homes for sale have had a price reduction.

But if you do drop the price, it typically takes much longer to find a buyer. The research found that homes without a price reduction find a buyer in just 36 days on average. For homes with a price drop, the average more than triples to 127 days. 

Polly Ogden Duffy, of agent John D Wood & Co, said 'Sellers often worry about underselling, but in reality it’s far easier to oversell a property than undersell it. If a home is priced too high, buyers will simply move on – and more often than not, it will end up needing a reduction later.' 

Zoopla’s analysis of recent listings that sold and didn’t sell also found overpricing can reduce the chances of securing a buyer. It found that pricing a home 5% above the local market average cuts the odds of selling by around 5%, while pricing it 10% above the average cuts the odds by 10%.

The property portal surveyed 2,000 UK adults who listed their home but didn't sell. It found that 34% admitted the price their home was listed at was, in hindsight, ‘too high’, despite having thought it was a ‘fair price’ at the outset. 

Craig Webster, of Tiger Estates & Management, says:  'While buyers are still active, the market is beginning to shift towards one where buyers have more choice, become more selective, and naturally have stronger negotiating power. As a result, realistic initial pricing strategy and proactive communication throughout the transaction process will become increasingly important for sellers and agents alike over the coming months.'

What can impact your property's value?

The most obvious factors that influence your home's value are the size, type and location. For example, previous research from Santander found that living near a top school is worth an extra £21,000.

Nationwide's 'What Adds Value' report sheds light on further features that impact what homes are worth, although it does cite location as key to house values. Nationwide found that, on average, adding an extra bathroom increases the value by 4%, an extra bedroom increases the value by 13%, and an extension or loft conversion increases the value by 24%. 

5 ways to estimate what your home is worth

With buyers becoming more selective, having a realistic idea of what your home is worth is increasingly important.

While no online tool can guarantee an exact valuation, there are several ways to build a clearer picture of what your property could realistically sell for.

1. Check Land Registry data for your area

A simple and easy way to estimate the value of your home is to check Land Registry data.

Its information is based on actual sale prices rather than asking prices. The data comes with a two-month lag, but still offers useful insight. 

You can search by property type (for example, detached) and local authority to find the average sale price in the most recent month available (currently, March). Property prices will typically vary within local authorities, so this should just be used as a quick and rough estimate.

2. Use the Land Registry's 'price paid' tool

Another method for checking the value of your home using the Land Registry is its 'price paid' database. With this, you can search property sales in a more specific location, such as on your street or within your postcode area.

The caveat for this method is that the data can take a long time to update – sometimes more than a year – so this information should also only be used as a rough guide. 

3. Online valuations

These provide a quick way to get a rough estimate of what your property could theoretically sell for, although the price bands shown can be large (for example, £150,000-£200,000). 

4. Research local listings

To build a picture of your home's potential value, you can search property portals to find the asking prices for similar properties in your area. 

Asking prices are best used as a guide, as there's no guarantee the seller will achieve the price they want. For example, Zoopla data shows that the average home sold for 3.5% below the asking price in the first three months of 2026. On average, this is equivalent to £18,800 below the original asking price. 

Zoopla's listings show how long a property has been on the market, and whether it has had its asking price reduced. 

Rightmove doesn't currently show price changes, but you can install the Google Chrome extension Property Log, which reveals the price history of properties. 

 5. Estate agent valuation

For the most accurate valuation, speak to local estate agents with experience selling similar properties in your area.

It's a good idea to get quotes from at least three different agents, because some may inflate the value of your home to convince you to pick them to sell your property. 

To find a trusted agent, it’s worth asking friends, family and neighbours for recommendations.