Last Chance! Free year's family travel insurance
Switch bank to grab it (max age 80!) | Or pay £15/year
for individuals
Travel insurance prices have started to rise rapidly this year, and the industry's warned of up to 40% hikes. So if you're going away soon , grabbing an annual policy now may help.
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Free travel insurance. The Co-op's Privilege Prem* bank account (min. income £11,200/yr) gives free global family travel insurance (inc. winter sports for under 65s), mobile & breakdown cover. Get accepted by 15 Jan and it waives the £13/mth fee for a YEAR, so it's FREE. It insures up to age 80 though pre-existing conditions may be excluded. In a year, either drop to its non-fee account or switch away. It has a £300 0% overdraft (15.9% above) & good feedback, more in Best Bank Accounts |
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£15 for a year: Quick best-buys summary... Cheapest: For MIN cover levels (all via Moneysup as it's cheaper than direct). Singles: Virgin* £15 Europe, £23 Global (und 50s) add c. £10 for winter sports. Couples/Families: Flexicover* £32 Europe, Ignite* £39 worldwide. Top Value: Here, performance history (from Defaqto) and feedback are factored in. Direct Travel* is £23 for singles in Europe and up to £53 for families. |
FULL info & more best-buys inc over 65s in the Updated Guide: £15 Travel Insurance |
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£100s for old mobiles & now iPods, SatNavs
Speedily find TOP price for host of gadgets with expanded MobileValuer tool
The 'easily flog your mobile' TV ads have reached fever pitch, with companies trying to grab those redundant mobiles after Xmas. Yet prices vary radically by site & model, so we've a tool to speedily compare. And now some sites are buying other gadgets too, so we've suped the tool up. Sell Mobiles: The Mobile Valuer compares 16 providers' rates, eg, a Blackberry Storm 9530 varies between £30 and £58. Sell iPhones: We've a new iPhone Valuer section, eg, iPhone 3G 16GB's max price is £143. Sell iPods/MP3s: The new iPod Valuer shows a 8GB 3G iPod touch's max price is £40. Sell other gadgets (with care): We've new SatNav, Console & Camera sections too, yet here beware. This is new so there's little competition, prices aren't great and there are concerns over reliability, so check but... Don't forget eBay! You'll likely earn MORE selling on eBay than even the best results, though it's more hassle. Updated Tool: Compare Mobile Selling Sites Related: eBay Selling, Cheap Mobiles, Boost Your Income |
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Warning! Did you open savings last year?
Last year's best-buy rates plummet | Get 2.9% easy access or 4.75% fixed
If you opened best-buy savings a year ago with the AA, Coventry BS, Santander, Ulster Bank & more, beware. All had 1 year bonuses which are ending so rates may drop to 0.5%. Check ASAP and ditch & switch (all below have £85,000 savings safety).
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2.9% AER easy access. The Post Office* Online Saver pays 2.9% variable, inc. a year's 1.25% bonus, so you'll need ditch it then too. Santander's* eSaver issue 2 pays 2.75% (inc. 2.25% bonus) but gives instant access via an ATM card. The top non-bonus rate is West Brom's* 2.61% (min £1,000), but its rate's still variable and you've only 1 free withdrawal/year. |
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Fix up to 4.75% AER. If you're prepared to lock cash away without access, you can get guaranteed rates... 1 year: Firstsave 3.25% (min £1,000) or Northern Rock* 3.15%, 2 year: Post Office 3.65% (min £500). 3 year: Northern Rock* 4%. 5 year: Coventry BS 4.75% (Longer fixes increase risk of other rates rising & overtaking). |
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Not sure how to switch? Just open a new account, withdraw cash from the old one, and pay it in. You still get paid interest up to the date the old one was closed.
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FULL info, and more best-buys see the Updated Guide: 2.9% Savings Related: 2.85% Cash ISAs, Where To Start Saving.
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Forum
Hottie |
FREE cinema previews during 2011.
Recently included The King's Speech & Gulliver's Travels. Sign up to free sites and see what you can get during 2011. Full guide in the Deals Note: Days Out
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13 mths 0% on spending +
500 Tesco pts
NEED to spread costs in 2011? Use 0% cards with 500 pts or 5% cashback
We don't want to encourage debt, yet if you need it, pass the credit check and using a 0% card is cheaper than paying car insurance (they're loaning the cash) or a sofa on HP. Warning! Minimise borrowing and always plan repayments to clear debts before the 0% ends or you lose the gain. Always make min. repay or you can lose the deal.
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0% for 13 months + Tesco points: The Tesco* Clubcard Credit Card gives new cardholders 0% for 13 months (16.9% APR after), plus spend £300 within 2 mths & you get 500 points (worth £15 of clubcard rewards). Both Natwest* & RBS* current account holders can get 13 mths 0% too (17.9% APR). |
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0% for 6mth + up to £100 cashback: If you can repay quicker, Amex Platinum* gives 0% for 6mths (19.9% APR after) but pays a big 5% cashback ie, £5 per £100 for the first 3mths (max £100), though some smaller shops don't accept it. |
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Balance transfer if you can't clear it. Always diarise a month BEFORE the 0% ends and if it's gone wrong and you can't clear it before the APR strikes, apply for top balance transfer to shift to them. Current best are 0% for 17mth or 6.8% for life.
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FULL info & best-buys Updated Guide: 0% Spend Cards Related: Top Cashback Cards
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The 2011 Petrol Diet Challenge
3 steps to slash £100s off fuel bill | Put your money where your pedal is
There are a host of ways to save on petrol, as well as driving less. With prices hitting £1.30/litre we thought it was time to start a petrol diet for everyone to work together to save. Here are our tips to start. Step 1: Make your car more efficient. Pumping up your tyres, stop carrying extra weight, turning off aircon & getting rid of roof racks can save you 10%. Step 2: Drive more smoothly. This is the BIG saving; not slowing down, but accelerating more gently, and using road positioning to let the car slow naturally without burning fuel by braking, you can get 20-30% more miles per tank (see driving tips info). Step 3: Find a target price. You can quickly find what you should be paying with our quick tool to let you check if there are any supercheap petrol stations in your area. FULL info and more tips 'n' tricks in the guide: Cheap Petrol & Diesel. Step up to the Pedal: Petrol Diet Challenge Related Cheap Car Insurance, MOT savings
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Bank / Insurer treated you badly?
NatWest & RBS slammed by regulator | Get compensation if it's mistreated
Yesterday RBS and Natwest were fined £2.8m by the FSA for complaint handling delays & bad decisions. The increased scrutiny means getting justice from banks, insurers and other regulated companies should be easier. New complaint: Whether your insurer didn't pay out, your ISA transfer failed or more, finance companies must 'TREAT YOU FAIRLY' (that's the official term). If not, complain first to the company, then, if as is highly likely, it fobs you off, just carry on to the free Financial Ombudsman Service, which has a legal right to award compensation (template letters in the guide). Old complaint badly dealt with? Many banks have been berated for not telling people they've 6 months to take complaints further by going to the Ombudsman - instead they just give out leaflets. If that happened to you, just tell the Ombudsman why you're late and it should hear you. Full guide & FREE template letters: Financial Complaints Related: Bank Charges, PPI Reclaiming, Consumer Rights, Setting Off
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