Don’t forget your holidays. No I’ve not got all romantic with a yearning for sun kissed memories, I’m still on-message about saving money.

If you took a break over the summer, some simple checks could help you save money now and for future holidays (a nice thought to get over the back-to-work blues). So here’s my holiday hangover checklist.

Flight delayed by over 3hrs this summer (or any time since 2008)?

EU reg 261/2004 means you're entitled to £100-£480 per person compensation, regardless of the cost of the trip, even for flights going back to 2008, if it: - Was an EU flight - ie, any from an EU airport or to one if an EU airline.

  • Arrived over 3 hours late or was cancelled.
  • Was the airline's fault, which covers pretty much anything barring extraordinary circumstances such as air-traffic strikes, bad weather and volcanoes.

Free templates, help and what to do about airline excuses (eg, "there's a court case") in my www.mse.me/flightdelays compensation guide. And the results can be large, as Pat contacted us, "Read your info and decided to contact Etihad about our 14.5hr delay from Heathrow to Sri Lanka in 2011. We've received a total of £2,010 between four of us... great".

Print 405 holiday snaps for 'free'

Come back with a camera full of unforgettable pics? Many online developing firms offer 40-100 prints free for newbies, though you pay between 99p and £3 for delivery.

Total up all the free print deals and you can actually get 405 free ones. You'll see them listed in my www.mse.me/photo free prints finder. For example www.boots.com offers 40 6"x4" for 99p delivery or www.jessops.com gives 100 6"x4" for £2.25 delivery using the code MSEJP100.

Shocked by bank/card currency charges on your statement? Fight back

My dad called me outraged at the 'new' foreign exchange charges on his bank statement for using his card abroad - nearly £50 in total. Yet banks and credit card providers have always levied these (and I've always nagged him to sort it, but he's my father, he'll never listen to me, I hope you will).

The shock comes from the fact banks have now been forced to split charges out on statements, not hide them in the exchange rate. Most debit and credit cards add 3% loads, so £100-worth of euros costs you £100 plus a £3 charge.

Instead grab a specialist load-free credit card just for spending abroad as they give near-perfect, bureaux-beating rates every time, in every country.

Top overall: www.halifax.co.uk Clarity due to low ATM charges too.

Poor credit top pick: www.aquacard.co.uk Reward also gives 0.5% cashback on spending.

Also good: Saga (over-50s), Post Office and Select (Nationwide customers ONLY).

Yet always repay IN FULL each month to minimise the interest or it’s pointless. These card have rep APRs of 12.9%, 34.9%, 11.9%, 17.8% and 15.9% respectively. Full info and help in www.mse.me/travelcards.

Check the PAO number on your suncream before throwing it away

The period after opening (PAO) number will be on the bottle - many are safe to use up to 18 months later, provided they're stored right - so don’t chuck it unnecessarily.

Got Euros, dollars or even colón left over from the summer?

Changing currency back is very expensive, especially for small amounts. So if it's a country you'll revisit even in a couple of years, it's likely best to hold onto it (worth putting it in your overseas wallet (yes, I'm that nerdy). If not, there are two tricks to changing it back for the best deal: - Use my the buyback comparison at www.travelmoneymax.com to find best rates - Find a friend/colleague who's going where you went, and offer to exchange with them. Use the spot FX rate at www.xe.com and you both win.

Stung by hefty insurance when picking your car hire up?

Let me guess, you booked cheap car hire, turned up and they fear-sold you into paying 10 euros a day extra for car hire excess insurance? It happens all the time.

The way round it is to get a standalone policy before you go (you can even get an annual policy to cover the whole year's hire). To find the cheapest, use www.moneymaxim.co.uk. Full help on cutting costs in www.mse.me/carhire.

Run up card debts on your holiday you can't pay off in full?

It's never a good idea, but that doesn't mean it doesn't happen. If you can't clear the debt this month and you're paying hefty interest, then ensure you do a balance transfer to slash the cost, so your repayments clear the actual debt not just service the interest. Full help and best buys at www.mse.me/bts.

Check your passport and EHIC sell-by dates now

Thousands were hit by passport office delays this year, causing some to miss their breaks. If your passports nearly at renewal, do it now while you've plenty of time before you next go (you’ll get the extra months added on). It's one less thing to sort, and once it's done, you're good for the next ten years.

While you're at it, check the 'valid by' date on your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) - if it goes before your next holiday renew it now.

The big rule for renewing though is DONT GOOGLE - for both these, imposter sites unnecessarily charge you more than you should pay. Instead the official sites to use are www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport and www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC.

If you would like to receive Martin's weekly newsletter with more money saving tips go to www.moneysavingexpert.com/tips.

More money saving tips

Free £10 parcel delivery

Newbies to Parcel2Go can enter the code OFFERFREE to get £10 off deliveries anywhere in the world. Valid till Tue 30 Sep.

London to Manchester £12.50 on Virgin trains

Virgin trains is offering advance standard seats from London to Manchester for £12.50 each way, for journeys until September. Seats are allocated on a first come, first served basis, so book now if you're planning on travelling soon.