Money Box

The cost of filling up your car has risen every day over the past three weeks as the conflict continues in the Middle East. Diesel is now averaging £1.78 per litre - a price last seen on Christmas Day 2022, 10 months after Russia invaded Ukraine. Petrol is up 17p and has just tipped over £1.50 per litre. Those figures are UK averages from the RAC. What can you do to bring down the cost?
The boss of government-backed bank NS&I has been replaced after a lost funds scandal, affecting thousands and delaying bereaved families’ access to relatives’ money.
Bosses from Capita apologise again as MPs question them about the long delays facing retired civil servants awaiting pension payments.
And if you're a regular Money Box listener we'd hope you to know your ISA from your IHT, but do you know the difference between your gross and net salary? Or how to work out how much interest you'd pay on a loan? A group of financial firms and charities is calling for the introduction of an exam which measures how much young people know about basic financial products and services. How might it work?
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth, Bisi Adebayo and Luke Jarmyn
Researcher: Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast at 12pm on Radio 4 on 28th March 2026)

The government has promised more than £52mn to help people in the UK hit by huge rises in the price of heating oil. Around 1.5 million households in rural areas and particularly in Northern Ireland rely on heating oil for their central heating and the price has more than doubled since the Middle East conflict began. The help will be targeted at vulnerable households but how will it work in practice?
As the Bank of England decides to hold rates at 3.75%, figures show almost 1,000 mortgage deals have disappeared off the market since the start of last week.
How do thieves persuade sensible people to part with thousands of pounds? It's a question many of you have been asking, especially after the item on the programme a fortnight ago about civil servant Sara. She put $250 into what she thought was a cryptocurrency investment but ended up having £337,000 stolen. We'll ask a criminologist about the tricks and tactics that thieves use.
And, which animal did you decide should be on the Bank of England's new banknotes?
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Sarah Rogers and Jo Krasner
Researcher: Luke Jarmyn
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 21st March 2026)

It's been a turbulent week for the mortgage market - as lenders adjusted their rates amid fears of a rise in inflation and what that will mean for interest rates. Average mortgage rates for a 2 and 5 year fix tipped above 5% for the first time since the summer this week, and they've been climbing since. In just a few days time the Bank of England will make its next interest rate decision, but a cut which had been widely anticipated two weeks ago, is now incredibly unlikely. Around 1.8 million people are to come off a fixed mortgage this year, and have some difficult decisions to make - what should they do?
Victims' charities have criticised a long awaited and much delayed fraud strategy published earlier this week by the government. Ministers have described it as a "major upgrade to Britain's defences" with £250mn pounds to be invested over the next three years.
On Thursday a £100 cap on contactless card payments in the UK is being scrapped. The Financial Conduct Authority is giving banks the freedom to set their own limits, and in theory they could even remove the cap altogether. But it turns out many banks are not planning to change the limit at all, at least for now - why?
This week the Bank of England announced that British wildlife will replace historical figures on the next series of Bank of England banknotes. We asked Wildlife TV Presenter & Campaigner Chris Packham to tell us his ideas - from lapwings to foxes.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Bisi Adebayo
Researcher: Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast 12pm Sat 14th March 2026)

Just seven days has passed since the USA and Israel began their attacks on Iran. As the attacks become heavier and more destructive, the ripples of war are already spreading around the globe. There was an immediate jump in the price of oil and gas, now worsening, as processing plants and facilities are attacked and transport routes disrupted. Petrol prices at the pump have been creeping up too and are expected to rise further. Money Box listeners have been asking what it could mean for the price of gas, electricity, heating oil and filling up their car.
A listener had more than £300,000 stolen from her in an investment scam. What can be done to catch the criminals who robbed her?
And by the end of the month there should be an official free scheme to claim compensation for missold car finance. How will it work?
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporter: Dan Whitworth
Researcher: Amber Mehmood
Editor: Jess Quayle
Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson
(First broadcast 12pm Saturday 7th March 2026)

Millions of people in their sixties will now wait up a year longer before they can claim their state pension. From Easter Monday the current state pension age of 66 will gradually increase over the next two years until it reaches 67 affecting everyone born on 6th April 1960 or later. How will it work for those affected?
Rent arrears, council tax debt and unpaid utility bills are the main reason more than 400,000 people in Britain are homeless. A new report by the Centre for Homelessness Impact published next week sets out ways to reduce or even end homelessness. What does it recommend?
Millions of drivers are in line for hundreds of pounds of compensation for mis-sold finance deals. We'll have 5 top tips on who gets what and how to claim.
And there are some tax changes from Monday as well, we'll round up what's happening to dividends and inheritance tax.
Presenter: Paul Lewis
Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Sarah Rogers
Researchers: Catherine Lund and Jo Krasner
Editor: Jess Quayle
(First broadcast 12pm on Saturday 4th April 2026)