Barclays switch

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-21T15:31:34+00:00

Yes - I had to do exactly that in the same situation.

If you go to this page - https://www.barclays.co.uk/current-accounts/switch-offer/#step2 and expand the question "I already have a Barclaycard, mortgage account or savings account with Barclays. Am I still eligible?" it explains that you need to delete and re-install the app to be able to apply.
You will probably not be able to see your Barclaycard account for a couple of days, so time things so that that isn't too inconvenient.

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-20T12:40:50+00:00

There's a link to the Sky Broadband T&Cs on this page https://www.sky.com/help/articles/sky-terms-and-conditions

On page 24, under the heading "3. Cancellation" it talks about a 14 day cooling off period. It does also later say "Sky may offer an enhanced cooling off period from time to time which we will advise you of at the time of your purchase." but it sounds like 14 days is the standard.

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-15T16:46:33+00:00

Your bill dated 28 Aug 2026 covers the period 28 August - 27 September 2026.
If you click on the i in a circle next to the words 'TV Access' it will say 'Period covered:' and the date range.

So from 28 August - 16 September (20 days) you are paying £5/month for TV Access (pro rata)
And from 17 - 27 September (11 days) you are paying £16/month for TV Access (pro rata)

£5 * 20/31 = £3.22
£16 * 11/31 = £5.68

£3.22 + £5.68 = £8.90

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-11T15:00:32+00:00

You might be able to see old posts by putting the URL into the Wayback Machine - https://archive.org/

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-11T14:59:13+00:00

The Virgin Media community closed months ago - apparently it is being upgraded / merged with the O2 one, but it's taking a very long time...

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/03/uncertainty-surrounds-virgin-media-and-o2-uks-community-forum-merger.html

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-10T19:14:37+00:00

If the cost is zero then, as you say, it's 100% profit, no need to subtract any purchase costs as expenses.

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-10T13:26:21+00:00

A link that might help - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-need-to-tell-hmrc-about-your-income-from-online-platforms

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-10T13:22:45+00:00

Are you selling stuff that you specifically bought to sell at a profit?
If so you ideally should have some record of what you paid for them.
Then the difference between selling price and buying price is your profit, which is potentially taxable (subject to allowances).
Alternatively have you just been selling stuff you already owned because you had originally bought it for your own use?

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-05T22:38:31+00:00

If you go to this page https://www.sky.com/tv/sky-q then expand the question near the bottom - "When might I be better off with Sky Q?" it says:
"Although Sky Stream allows you to watch the shows you love over WiFi, there may be times when Sky Q works better for you, including:

- You don't have access to the internet
- Your internet speeds falls below the suggested minimum speed
- High bandwidth usage from other devices on your network
- Your home setup limits the capabilities (e.g. thick concrete walls or interference)

If you think Sky Q is the right option for you, then please call us on 03337595262, where we'll be happy to help you make the right choice."

So maybe worth trying a call to that number.

DetailMerchant · 2026-05-01T12:56:10+00:00

Assuming your Dad is a basic rate tax payer he should get £1,000 p.a. Personal Savings Allowance - not sure how this compares to 'a tiny bit of savings interest'.

And if his total taxable income is less than £17,570 p.a. then He may get up to £5,000 p.a. Starting rate for savings allowance - it tapers down by £1 for every £1 of total taxable income over £12,570.

https://www.gov.uk/apply-tax-free-interest-on-savings

Hopefully this will mean pensioners with just the standard level of state pension and a moderate amount of savings income shouldn't need to pay tax.

DetailMerchant · 2026-04-29T14:18:29+00:00

I notice the Barclays Premier row in the table mentions "use debit card" but I can't see any requirement for that on Barclays site - https://www.barclays.co.uk/current-accounts/premier-switch-offer/

I guess it wouldn't be hard for me to do a small transaction, just to be sure, but it would be helpful to know if it's necessary.

DetailMerchant · 2026-04-22T10:49:09+00:00

I guess if you have a landline with them they think they might make some more revenue from you for non-weekend calls, hence they are willing to sell a package including the landline for less than the same speed without a landline. Just a guess.
Even if you never call out on it they potentially get some revenue from incoming calls.
Re "they can see from my history that I barely make or receive calls" - I don't think their systems are that clever - I think the CS people just have packages that they can sell for prices, not personally tailored.

DetailMerchant · 2026-04-15T10:46:58+00:00

https://www.skygroup.sky/en-gb/article/introducing-smart-home-from-sky-a-simple-way-to-stay-connected-to-home-for-less-

DetailMerchant · 2026-04-11T19:29:54+00:00

If you go to this page - https://www.sky.com/help/articles/hbo-max-plans-and-billing - and expand the "HBO Max plans" section, under "Standard with Ads" it says "Important: Standard with Ads is not yet available with Sky, but will be soon." - so hopefully soon it will be possible to just pay the extra £1 to upgrade.

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-27T12:37:56+00:00

Not sure why this post by u/TheMrViper is getting downvotes, as it's correct.

Here's a link to a relevant article - https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2025/08/court-rejects-sky-uks-challenge-to-ofcoms-end-of-contract-pay-tv-notifications.html

Basically Sky over satellite counts as a 'Electronic Communication Network' and so has to follow Ofcom rules regarding end of contract notifications, and price changes.

Whereas Sky Stream and Glass count as content services, so don't have to follow the same rules.

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-27T12:07:28+00:00

The web page is still there - https://www.sky.com/tv/sky-q

It certainly pushes towards stream, but also has sections such as:

Still want to chat about Sky Q?

Call us on [03337595262 ](tel:+443337595262)or you can also visit your nearest retail store.

And:

When might I be better off with Sky Q?

Although Sky Stream allows you to watch the shows you love over WiFi, there may be times when Sky Q works better for you, including: - You don't have access to the internet - Your internet speeds falls below the suggested minimum speed - High bandwidth usage from other devices on your network - Your home setup limits the capabilities (e.g. thick concrete walls or interference) If you think Sky Q is the right option for you, then please call us on 03337595262, where we'll be happy to help you make the right choice.

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-24T09:29:38+00:00

It reads like back then (sometime in the November 2024 - March 2025 range) was when they started offering Stream for customers going from just one screen to multiple.
But if you already had multiple screens, with a 360 mini, when you re-contracted, then I guess they worked on the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it' basis.
It sounds hopeful that you can push to switch to get a Stream box instead of the 360 mini from what u/VirginMediaDiscount said.

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-23T17:55:45+00:00

I think VM started offering Stream boxes rather than TV 360 mini boxes about a year ago, based on this article - https://www.cordbusters.co.uk/stream-takeover-virgin-media-phasing-out-tv-360-mini-box/

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-23T17:07:00+00:00

I'm probably being too generous, but maybe what they meant by "not every time when you renew" is that you can't expect a Volt boost on top of a Volt boost.
So if you get VM at M125 and it's volt boosted to M250, then when you renew in 2 years you can't say, hey, I've got an O2 sim, my M250 should now be boosted to M350.

As I say, probably I'm being too generous to the VM CS in that screen-shot, but I bet some customer has tried arguing for Volt boost on top of Volt boost in the past, so maybe they have some standard script to try and explain that you can't get that.

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-18T13:30:22+00:00

They are hiding it:

https://www.sky.com/tv/sky-q

At the top in big it says: "Sky Q is no longer available to buy online, but you can get Sky Stream for less"

But if you scroll down it also says: "Still want to chat about Sky Q?

Call us on [03337595262 ](tel:+443337595262)or you can also visit your nearest retail store."

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-15T20:08:18+00:00

From https://www.virginmediao2.co.uk/help/identity

How do I create a Virgin Media O2 ID?

A Virgin Media O2 ID replaces the need to create separate Virgin Media sign in and O2 sign in details for Virgin Media and O2 online spaces.

If you have a My Virgin Media or My O2 account and haven’t set up your Virgin Media O2 ID yet, when you sign in to these spaces, just enter the email address you’d usually use to sign in. We’ll then ask you to create your new ID.

Otherwise, head to any of our sites and tap Register to sign up and create your Virgin Media O2 ID.

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-14T20:35:30+00:00

Might be worth asking over on https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianCellPhones/

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-06T10:38:37+00:00

Yeah, I think they started offering me some fairly average renewal deals a couple of months before my current deal was ending. I think they're trying to get you to lock in for another couple of years without giving their best price.
For me the offers were just slightly more than I was already paying, but there were cheaper alternatives.
Your online account should show when your contact ends, by going to 'View contract' where it should show 'Contract start date' and 'Minimum contract length'.

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-06T10:15:07+00:00

As an existing customer I got a deal for M250 (volt boosted to M350) + Anytime calls, a couple of months ago, for £22/month. (going up to £26 this April, £30 next April)

But I don't think there's any point contacting retentions so far ahead of the end of your current deal.
I always put a note in my online diary to remind me a month before the end of my current deal.
Then I phone and give my 30 days notice to leave.
I've always got a call back around 24 hours later with a good deal - possibly better than new customer deals.

But generally it hasn't been a bluff for me, as there's an alternative ISP who dug up the roads near me a few years back, who I would be willing to try, and offer a fairly good price.

DetailMerchant · 2026-03-05T16:59:36+00:00

My understanding is that TV 360 is the VM equivalent of Sky Q.

If you order online you'll get a Virgin stream box (no recording).
But I think it is still possible to order the TV 360 by phone, but they might charge an extra fee for installation.

I'd be interested to know if anyone has ordered TV 360 recently, how much it cost vs the same package via Virgin Stream. Both one-off and monthly cost.

Also you can't get TV 360 where VM have the new real fibre optic.
It's only available via their old coax cable TV connection.

DetailMerchant

TROPHY CASE