December 2021

PCR travel test provider Randox Health, one of the largest firms in the sector, has changed its terms and conditions to be clearer on when customers can expect tests and results to arrive and when they can cancel an order and claim a refund after intervention by the competition watchdog.

More than 2,000 retailers will allow shoppers to withdraw cash at the checkout without needing to buy an item or pay a fee.

Royal Mail has warned households in 23 locations across the UK that they could face delays to letter and parcel deliveries in the run up to Christmas, largely due to staff contracting Covid-19. 

Barclays is overhauling its monthly Blue Rewards membership scheme in April, which means huge numbers of current account holders who earn £36 a year will instead earn absolutely nothing, while rewards for others will be cut too.

Homeowners with Taylor Wimpey leases still managed by the firm will have costly clauses that see their ground rent double every 10 years removed following action from the competition watchdog. Affected leaseholders’ ground rents will now remain at the amount charged when they first bought their home. Doubling ground rent clauses will also be left out of any future Taylor Wimpey leases. 

Tens of thousands of borrowers with high interest loans are set to see their remaining debts cleared as doorstep lender Provident and short-term lender Satsuma officially shut shop and stop collecting payments. Borrowers can still submit claims for mis-sold loans though, but you'll need to be quick. 

The Bank of England has increased base rates to 0.25% from 0.1% after the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) voted in favour of the first rise in more than three years. The base rate is used by the central bank to charge other banks and lenders when they borrow money – and influences what borrowers pay and savers earn.  

Train passengers in England, Scotland and Wales will be hit with the largest fare rise in nearly a decade, with ticket prices increasing by up to 3.8%. It is the biggest jump since 2013. 

From the reintroduction of costly European roaming charges to new rules around car and home insurance - here's a quick breakdown of five key events and changes that are set to impact your finances in early 2022 and, more importantly, what to do about them.

Students in England can now sign up to the Student Finance England mailing list and get an email when applications for the 2022/23 academic year open. The invitation to sign up comes with just weeks to go before the UCAS application deadline for undergraduate courses on 26 January 2022.