Martin Lewis issues £10 note WARNING: Shops won't accept notes from THURSDAY this week

• Martin Lewis, Money Saving Expert, 45, warned the deadline for using up your old 10 pound notes is coming upon Thursday this week.
• From that point onwards, the old £10 notes will not be accepted in shops – so use yours up quickly, he advised.
• You will have to go through the hassle of getting them exchanged for new plastic ones at the Bank of England.

Martin Lewis issued a last minute £10 note warning to viewers across the UK.

Speaking on ITV show Good Morning Britain, he reminded viewers their time to use the notes was limited.

After that point, it will be more difficult to spend them – as shops will not accept the notes. 

The old 10 pound note will go out of circulation after being replaced by a new polymer 10 pound, which was released last September.

Martin told viewers last Thursday: “If you’ve got an old-style £10 note you only have a week left to use it.

“From Thursday 1 March shops will no longer accept it as payment, as they were replaced with newer plastic tenners last year.

However, Martin said there’s still a solution “if you find any in your pockets or down the back of the sofa after next Thursday.

“While you can’t use them in shops many banks will still let you deposit them into your account – though there’s no obligation for them to do so.

Martin Lewis also had some further advice for saving money on Odeon cinema tickets.

He said: “Go online to daily deals site Groupon and you can currently get five Odeon cinema tickets for £20, or two for £10.

“Better still, you don’t have to use all the vouchers in one go and they can be used by different people – so ideal for families or a group of mates.

“While there’s an unlimited number of tickets available, the deal will run until Friday 20 April, although Groupon says it could pull the deal early if it becomes too popular, as it has done with a similar offer in the past.

“You can only use the vouchers when buying tickets in the cinema box office (so not online, on the app or self-service ticket machines) and it’s only valid for 2D screenings from Monday (26 February) until Wednesday 25 April.

“A few costly central London cinemas are excluded (Leicester Square, The Lounge at Whiteleys and BFI IMAX) and a few movies are excluded until certain dates, eg you can’t use it on screenings of Black Panther until 1 March.

“It’s worth noting though, that a full-price adult ticket for a 2D film at Odeon can cost anything between £3-£17ish depending on location, so it’s only worth getting these discounted tickets if you usually pay more than around £4-£5 per ticket.

“For example, at London’s Tottenham Court Road Odeon, you could save around £12 for an adult ticket as they’re up to £16.50 each, whereas in Dorchester, the price is only £3.75 for some showings.”

He also offered the following advice for how to save on average £200 a year on your British Gas tariff: “Many people are loyal to their energy company, 60% are stuck on their most expensive tariffs and still do nothing. And as the biggest firm, more stick with British Gas than anywhere else. 

“Of course you’ll know I would desperately encourage you to do a comparison and find a cheaper deal use Martin’s Cheap Energy Club (which also gives cashback) or any Ofgem-approved site and scroll down the list of results till you see a provider you feel comfortable with, and the savings are typically £300/year.

“Yet British Gas has launched a new dual fuel tariff called ‘All Online March 19’, that while not the cheapest on the market is far cheaper than any of its current tariffs and it’s the cheapest of the Big 6.

“It’s on average £900/yr for typical dual-fuel use compared with its £1,100/yr standard tariff which most people are on and that price is locked in for a year so no price hikes. So, if you’re currently a British Gas customer, and are determined to stick with it, this is a no-brainer. But you can’t just ask for it or go to its website.

“It’s is only available via a comparison site (like the ones listed above). You’ll also need to book a free smart meter installation appointment by 31 July – these send automatic readings, so you get exact bills. Yet, if you’re willing to switch to a small supplier with limited feedback, then your savings can be bigger, and tariffs start from a typical £807/yr on average use.” 

Last week, Martin Lewis explained how to save 50 per cent on supermarket groceries using a simple aisle trick.