December 2020

Travellers arriving in the UK from today can cut mandatory quarantine if they get a negative coronavirus test result from one of the Government's list of private Covid-19 test providers. But with prices ranging from £90 to almost £300 a test, here's a round-up of what you could end up paying.  

Around 44,000 Loveholidays customers whose trips were cancelled due to the coronavirus crisis are in line for refunds worth a combined £18 million after intervention from the competition watchdog.

Barclays has been fined £26 million by the financial regulator over the poor treatment of 1.5 million borrowers who had fallen into arrears or financial difficulties over a period of four years - and affected customers have also been refunded. 

Workers on benefits or on a low income in England who are instructed to self-isolate by the NHS Covid-19 app may now be able to claim a £500 Test and Trace Support Payment.

Autoswitching households to cheaper energy deals is to be tested under new Government plans to keep gas and electricity bills affordable, while Warm Home Discount payments will increase. 

HSBC, First Direct, M&S Bank and John Lewis Finance borrowers who have fallen behind on repayments between 2010 and 2019 may get up to £100 in compensation after receiving a substandard level of service – and it's not a scam, despite some confusion caused by letters arriving out of the blue.    HSBC Group, which all four brands come under, says in an internal review it uncovered instances where customers in arrears hadn't received the quality of service it expected, and it's decided to put this right. HSBC wouldn't confirm exactly what it did wrong or who is impacted but said examples of bad practice included poorly worded letters that didn't engage customers who might have been struggling to make repayments.  Regulator the Financial Conduct Authority generally defines credit arrears as any shortfall in one or more payments due, while for home mortgages it's a shortfall equivalent to two or more regular payments. HSBC has confirmed this issue affects all types of consumer banking products where you could fall behind with repayments, from mortgages to personal loans to credit cards.  The banking group wouldn't tell us how many customers are in line for a payout but as it has 14 million active UK customers across the four brands, even if just 1% were affected that would amount to 140,000 people – plus, there are those who have already closed accounts on top. Read our Debt Help guide if you're struggling. 

Martin Lewis has called for the "explosive" market for buy now, pay later products to be regulated as soon as possible in a Treasury Committee evidence session this week.

MoneySavingExpert.com founder and chair Martin Lewis has warned MPs that workers' finances could be permanently damaged without short-term support during the coronavirus crisis, as part of a Treasury Committee evidence session on the economic impact of the pandemic. 

Hundreds of thousands of Shell Energy customers will see broadband and home phone price hikes of up to £36 a year in January – but you can leave your contract penalty-free if you're affected.

UK holidaymakers could be banned from visiting EU countries next year as Brits may fall under non-EU travel restrictions - in place to help stop the spread of coronavirus - when the Brexit process is finalised.