Mortgage savings: How one man plans to pay off his home two years earlier

Borrowing costs are rising, and one homeowner says a cashback app has helped him pay off his mortgage early. Ben Byrne, 24, from Redditch, bought a second property for £292,000 in September 2025 and took out a £248,200 mortgage. Using Sprive—a free cashback app—he directs cashback from weekly food shopping, meals out and gift purchases to overpay his mortgage. In his first six weeks, he earned £120 in cashback and made £1,700 in additional overpayments, putting him about a year ahead. His goal is roughly £50 a month from the app, targeting savings of £18,000 in interest and shortening the term by two years and four months. The piece notes the Bank of England raised its base rate from 3.75% to 4% and warns borrowers to check overpayment limits and penalties.