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As the holiday season is coming up it would pay to take a quick look over your finances now and see where you could make some adjustments which could see you save some money while you are away. If you are off somewhere in a week or two then maybe it’s a bit last-minute but if you are a month or so away from flying off to catch some sun acting now could certainly work to your advantage.

Which cards will you take?

I am often amazed at how many people do cash advances on their credit cards without any idea of the interest they will be paying. One card we would never be without when we go away is our Nationwide Flexaccount. There are no charges at all for cash withdrawals overseas - having said this, check the machine you are withdrawing from first to see if any independant charges apply, but Nationwide will not charge you themselves for your withdrawal.

If you are going abroad try to have at least one Gold version of one of your cards. Having a Gold Card ensures you protection if your card gets lost or stolen with 24 hour replacement.

Heard about people whose card gets blocked whilst they are overseas leaving them without cash/credit for days? one way to safeguard is to have this formula: one Visa card, one Mastercard and one spare card for emergencies. To take just one card and rely solely on it for spending is asking for trouble if your bank blocks it for security reasons. Bear in mind that many countries do not accept Visa and some do not accept Mastercard - have one of each and be prepared for lifes little emergencies. Don’t forget as well to go for your bills to be issued in the local currency - converting to your home currency (DCC) could cost you extra.

Renting a car?

We always recommend Holiday Autos for the cheapest car hire which is just about world-wide. They are not a car hire firm as such but rather they contract from different agencies and pass their discount onto you. Whenever we use them we almost always get a vehicle from EuropCar. They offer an all-in price which is pre-paid but you get benefits like one-way drop offs for free; have a look at the site and consider them.

Getting your first cash injection:

Believe it or not but the best place to withdraw your cash on arrival at your destination is the airport. The terminal cash machines carry few if next to no charges at all for cash withdrawals so fill your wallet when you get off the plane.

Phoning home:

Taking the mobile? assuming your phone is unlocked (get it done if not) go and buy an international sim-card and stick it in. You will find your calls will be so much cheaper doing this.

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A massive victory for all us bank customers who have been charged hefty fees for unauthorised overdrafts is becoming a reality! yesterday a landmark court ruling saw these charges being recognised as unfair which could very well soon see the banks paying out over a staggering ten billion pounds to account holders.

The next stage is for the decision to be taken to the Office of Fair Trading on May 23rd where, if in agreeance with the court ruling, customers who have been charged fees in the past will be in line for a share of the payout. Their fees will be refunded by the banks. If the OFT decide the fees were not unfair the ruling will go back to the high court for a further hearing.

I think we are finally on a winner with this. But in order to be in the queue, which is already quite long, you must get your letters in today or asap in order to get your money refunded. The best way to do this is you are not too clued up is to refer back to my previous post and follwo the links for advice; you will also need to draft a letter for your reclaim and the easiest way to find out how to do this  is to visit here where there are two template letter guides (and plenty of relevant advice) - one for if you are not claiming with interest and one for if you are claiming with interest. Simply open the file of the template letter you wish to use, enter your details in the relevant space, print it out and send it off.

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There is nothing more infuriating than to see your bank balance being reduced through the bank helping itself to your money in the name of bank charges. Even if you do not have an overdraft, maybe you were refused one, it is strange how you instantly get treated to one when the bank robs your account.

And then you get charged because they took money that you did not have!

I have been in this position several times but now there is a way to fight back. You may have heard already that there is a process for reclaiming those unfair charges but have you actually done anything about it?…probably not and I’ll bet it is because you assume it is too time consuming and the banks are bigger and stronger than yourself.

Not anymore. You can start organising your refunds and reclaims here and also here. This is people power in action guys so don’t let them get away with it any longer.

Popularity: 11% [?]