Money: Dynamic pricing coming to UK restaurants via popular app; Uber making big change to how you pay (2025)

A mortgage enabling first-time buyers to put off making any repayments for the first three months has been unveiled by Skipton Building Society.

Delayed Start Mortgage deals will give people "breathing space" to juggle the extra costs associated with buying a first home, the society says.

Buyers should bear in mind that interest will still start to build up from day one and will be added to the overall mortgage balance.

"Becoming a home-owner should be one of the most exciting milestones in someone's life; however, our research shows that first-time buyers are struggling and feel the cost associated with the move takes the shine off getting on to the property ladder," says Jen Lloyd, head of mortgage products at Skipton.

People with deposits as low as 5% can potentially take out deals and at least one applicant on the mortgage must be a first-time buyer.

The deals include:

• Two-year fixed-rate at 4.87% with a 10% deposit
• Two-year fixed-rate at 5.20% with a 5% deposit
• Five-year fixed-rate deal at 4.78% with a 10% deposit
• Five-year fix at 5.00% with a 5% deposit
• Two-year New Build mortgage at 5.40% with a 5% deposit
• Five-year New Build deal at 5.20% with a 5% deposit

The deals are fee-free, Skipton says.

Some 71% of first-home buyers say the moving process cost significantly more than they had expected, according to a survey by OnePoll last month.

Skipton's research indicated they spent nearly £3,500 on average on furniture, £2,600 on kitchen appliances and £1,700 on removal companies.

On average, first-time buyers said it took them eight months to recover financially from the costs of moving.

Amazon is launching a new low-cost wing of its online store in the UK capping products at £20.

The mobile-only service, Haul, was unveiled in the US last year, as the retail giant seeks to take on Chinese bargain rivals Temu and Shein.

The service is being rolled out for beta testing to some customers when they next update the Amazon Shopping app, before everyone else gets access"over the coming weeks".

"Now more than ever we know our customers are looking to save, and we're excited to provide more options through the shopping app they already know and love," saysJohn Boumphrey, UK country manager at Amazon.

Haul has its own search, basket and checkout functions, with all items priced under £20 - and most under £10.

Some products labelled with a "crazy low" badge are as cheap as £1. There are also discounts of 5% off orders over £50 and 10% off orders over £75. Free delivery is available on orders over £15. Standard delivery is otherwise £2.99.

Customers can find the new service by searching "Haul" in the search bar and navigating to Amazon Haul from the main menu icon.

The UK and India reached a "landmark" trade deal yesterday after three years of negotiations.

UK consumers are expected to benefit from a range of tariffs being reduced on Indian exports to the UK, particularly textiles (though the typical textile rate is only 5%).

Levies will be reduced on the following Indian products:

• Textiles and clothing
• Footwear and leather
• Food products including frozen prawns
• Jewellery and gems
• Sports goods and toys
• Auto parts and engines

The UK has not lowered tariffs on milled rice coming from India, due to concerns about how it would affect other producers.

Meanwhile, India has reduced tariffs in these areas:

• Aerospace
• Cosmetics
• Food products including lamb and salmon, chocolate and biscuits
• Soft drinks
• Advanced machinery, electrical circuits and conductors
• Medical devices

The major British concession is around new benefits for Indian workers in the UK.

For more details, read on here...

Following our previous post about pension shortfalls, we've rounded up some basic principles that are worth considering.

Starting early maximises growth - £1 saved from the age of 16 will grow more than £1 saved when you are 60.

Recommendations for how much you should save vary. According to MoneyHelper, the minimum income for a single person in retirement is £14,400 a year or £22,400 for a couple.

For a "comfortable" retirement, this rises to £43k yearly for a single person or £59k for a couple.

Scottish Widows suggests you save between 12-15% of your salary for a comfortable retirement, and this includes employer contributions.

There is also the oft-cited "half your age" rule - so if you start saving at 30, you should save 15%. If you start at 40, save 20% and so on.

Nearly two in five people (39%) will struggle to cover their basic needs in retirement, according to a report from Scottish Widows.

This is worse than previous estimates, which predicted just over a third (35%) of people would fall short in later life.

Pension savings have failed to keep pace with rising costs, according to the pension provider, which published the research.

Overall, they found just 30% of people are on track for a comfortable retirement, while self-employed and younger workers are at the highest risk of not meeting basic retirement needs.

People who identify as LGBTQ+, people with disabilities and people from black communities are also less likely to be on track with their savings.

Scottish Widows found housing costs are a significant barrier to meeting basic retirement outcomes, with people more likely to be paying mortgages or rent in their retirement. Higher housing costs also make it tougher to save.

It also found young people tend to prioritise other areas for saving, such as emergency funds, housing deposits and holidays.

Those on a defined benefit scheme - a workplace retirement plan that guarantees a specific income for life - were most likely to be on track for a comfortable retirement (73%).

British workers could be forced to delay retirement or return to work by Donald Trump's trade war, pension experts have warned.

The Society of Pension Professionals said the market turmoil caused by Trump's tariffs could reduce savers' retirement income by up to 20%.

Workplace pensions, known as defined contribution (DC) schemes, had suffered the most.

"Given the scale of the equity market falls since early April 2025, and the fall in government bond yields, it is possible that some DC savers may see a reduction in retirement income of up to 20%," a report by SPP cited by industry outlets said.

"Given the speed and volatility of such moves, those individuals may decide to delay taking their pension where possible."

DC schemes are linked to stock market returns, which faltered, and borrowing costs, which have risen.

A small number of retired people may consider returning to work during these period to mitigate losses, the report said.

Simon Daniel, chair of the SPP's investment committee, said it was important not to panic.

"The world is again enduring a period of financial turbulence and this has naturally created some uncertainty for UK savers and investors," he said.

"The overall message from this paper is that making significant, reactive changes to pensions and other savings is generally not ideal compared with keeping a cool head and planning carefully."

Shoppers have complained they're facing empty shelves in some Co-op stores as the supermarket reels from a "sustained, malicious" cyber attack.

Yesterday 200 Co-op shops suffered payment issues, with customers prevented from using contactless payments.

Now they've taken to social media to complain about sparse fruit, vegetables and milk aisles.

"All our stores are open and trading however, due to the sustained, malicious attempts by hackers to access our systems, we have taken proactive steps to keep our systems safe, which is temporarily impacting our colleagues' ability to perform their roles and how many deliveries we can make to our stores," a Co-op spokesperson told Sky News.

"This means that some of our stores might not have all of their usual products available and we would like to say sorry to our members and customers if this is the case in their local store.

"We are working around the clock to reduce disruption and resume deliveries."

Co-op, M&S and Harrods have all been the victims ofa majorcyber attack in recent days.

M&S stopped taking clothing and home orders through itswebsite and app on 25 April after problems with contactlesspay and click and collect services.

The Co-op first reported a cyber attack on Wednesday and revealed on Friday that information relating to a significant number ofits current and past members, including personal data such asnames, contact details and dates of birth had been taken.

"Dynamic pricing", the controversial concept which sees prices rise and fall in line with demand, could soon be more commonplace for restaurants.

EatClub, a dining app from Australia, has launched in London, offering users deals on dining during quieter times.

Backed by Marco Pierre White, it is the first time dynamic pricing has been used in hospitality.

The concept caused ire last year when Oasis fans queued online for hours only to find the expected price had shot up due to low demand. Similar techniques have been used in the travel and tourism sectors for years.

So should we be concerned about the move into hospitality?

How it works: The app allows restaurants to offer instant offers during quieter periods - up to 50% off food and drink.

Users can access this and then pay via their phone.

In Australia, more than two million users visited 3,000 restaurants, saving $3.1m (£1.5m ) in March alone, the people behind the app claim.

It is designed as the antidote to surge pricing - which is dynamic pricing which only really sees prices go up. So, as long as it stays only offering discounts during quieter times (and doesn't encourage restaurants to up their prices in peak moments) it could, maybe, perhaps,prove successful.

The app has already had more than half a million downloads on the Google Playstore, and is 65th on the UK App Store.

It has 4.9 stars on Apple, with one user praising its "great deals and smooth tech".

But one Android user criticised some of the hidden fees saying: "Great concept and I love the discounts, but one thing needs to be addressed. Restaurants often charge a credit card fee and eat club charges their own credit card fee.

"So we are being double charged with which means the advertised discount isn't what you're actually getting.

"Eat club fee is around 3% on top. These fees should be built into the marketing costs for the merchant, since no doubt the exposure brings in extra customers, not slapped onto the customer."

Uber is now allowing passengers across most of the UK to pay in cash.

Following trials in Birmingham, Nottingham, Stoke and Leicester, the company will allow customers to select cash as a payment type in all UK cities except London, where it is still being reviewed.

It will be at the discretion of individual Uber drivers to decide whether they want to opt out of accepting cash.

A statement on Uber's website reads: "You can now use cash as a payment method in your app. When you select cash as a payment method on your trip, your driver's app will confirm the total fare when the trip ends. Pay your driver this amount. After you pay cash, we'll email you a receipt."

The move comes amid growing pressure on the government to draft legislation forcing businesses to accept cash - although ministers have said there are no plans to introduce such rules.

For this week's guide, Anna Bowes, savings expert fromThe Private Office,looks at flexible and fixed options for your money...

What a difference a week makes. After a static few weeks in the best buy tables, there has been a bit more activity.

Unfortunately, it's not what we hoped for, as rates on the whole have been falling – not totally unexpected as we are likely to see a base rate cut from the Bank of England this week.

Easy access

Following the launch of Chip's easy access account paying 4.76% AER, Sidekick updated its offering for new customers and launched its High Yield Cash Reserve Issue 5, also paying 4.76% - though part of this is a one-year bonus.

Sidekick's partner, OakNorth Bank, is a fully authorised and regulated UK bank, so your cash is covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS).

Remember, though, that if you have money held with OakNorth outside of the platform, you need to consider the total - both on and off platform - when checking your money is still protected.

There are plenty of straightforward accounts available too. Although Charter Savings Bank has withdrawn Issue 58 of its easy access account which was paying 4.59% AER, there are others offering similar rates.

Oxbury Bank's Easy Access Limited Edition 2 account is paying 4.58% and there is no short-term bonus or restricted access you need to be aware of.

But the minimum deposit is £20,000 and you'll earn no interest if your balance falls below.

For those with less to deposit, Chetwood Bank's easy access account is paying 4.52% AER and there are no bonuses or access restrictions to worry about.

Of course, if there is a base rate cut this week and in the coming months, anyone with variable savings rates are likely to see the interest they are earning come down – so make checking your account rates a priority.

Easy access cash ISAs

Considering we are expecting a base rate this week, it is very interesting to see that the top easy access rates on offer have not budged over the last week.

The top two accounts are available via financial app companies Plum and MoneyBox paying 5.06% and 5.05% respectively. But as they are not banks in their own right, your money is deposited with their partner banks – CitiBank in the case of Plum and a split between Santander and HSBC if you opt for MoneyBox.

This means that your cash is protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme, assuming you don't hold £85,000 with these banks already.

If you'd rather not use a financial app. Vida Savings has a Defined Access ISA Issue 1 paying 4.63% AER. This account can be opened online with a minimum of £100 - but, as the name suggests, you are restricted on the amount of penalty free withdrawals that can be made each year.

And although the latest issue of its Easy Access Cash ISA Issue 58 is paying a slightly lower rate than the previous offer that it withdrew last week, Charter Savings Bank, which is also an online account, is paying 4.56% AER that allows you to make as many withdrawals as you like.

Fixed rate bonds

Although some of the best fixed-term bond rates available have fallen a little in the last month, there are still plenty of inflation-busting accounts available.

With the base rate expected to fall this week and again in the next few months, now could be the time to fix the rate that some of your cash is earning.

One-year

Unfortunately we have seen a few of the best paying one-year accounts being withdrawn recently. LHV, which had been topping the table with its bond paying 4.65%, was the most recent withdrawal.

Castle Trust toyed with us briefly with a one-year bond paying 4.62%, but that was withdrawn within a couple of days. This leaves a plethora of top rates paying 4.55% - Cynergy Bank, GB Bank, Tandem and the Access Bank.

Things are heading downwards, though, so act fast if you want to lock in at the current rates.

Two-year

There have been a few more accounts which have been removed from the best buy tables over the last week, including the market leader, Cynergy Bank, paying 4.53% and its short-term replacement from Castle Trust paying 4.54%.

This has left JN Bank offering the top rate, paying 4.48% AER.

Three-year

If you are looking to lock some of your cash for three years, you'll have seen the top rates fall slightly here too – although they are still worth contemplating if you think rates will fall further. At the moment, the top rate available has fallen from 4.55% a week ago to 4.48% - that's £7 less each year on a deposit of £10,000 – not a huge loss as of yet, but things may fall further.

Five-year

The situation is similar for five-year bonds. Once again, the top rate on offer has fallen from 4.55% a week ago to its current level of 4.48%.

JN Bank is the provider topping the two-year, three-year and five-year tables.

With the top rate of a five-year bond being the same as the two-year and three-year, this could be a good time to lock some cash up for longer, without feeling you are missing out.

Fixed rate ISAs

There's been less disruption in the fixed rate ISA tables, but we've still seen some rates tumbling.

While there's not been an improvement in the one-year table, there is a little bit of good news as OakNorth Bank has decided to join Castle Trust at the top of the table with an ISA paying 4.26% AER.

Unfortunately, this simply replaced Kent Reliance and Close Brothers which both withdrew their ISAs paying the same rate.

It's been quiet but mixed in the one-year table. While we lost Hinckley & Rugby, paying a joint second place rate of 4.2%, Cynergy launched a new issue paying 4.19%, keeping the overall average of the top five at 4.19%.

The three and the five-year tables have seen no changes recently, leaving the top rates paying 4.20% and 4.30% respectively.

At first glance, top cash ISA rates may seem less competitive than those offered by fixed-rate bonds. But once tax is taken into account, the effective return on a taxable savings account is often lower.

Consider a one-year bond from Cynergy Bank offering 4.55%. After deducting basic rate tax of 20%, the net return drops to 3.64%. On a £20,000 deposit, that equates to £728 in interest—compared with £852 from the leading one-year cash ISA, which is tax-free.

That said, if you're a non-taxpayer or haven't yet used your full personal savings allowance, a taxable account could still offer better value.