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Wednesday 10th of March 2010

News Tag: moneysupermarket.com

March 10, 2010

Travel insurance hiked by 174% for older travellers

by David Masters
Travel insurance hiked by 174% for older travellers
Insurers need to "change their approach" to older travellers, moneysupermarket.com claimed this week. A spokesperson for the price comparison site made the comment after research found that British travellers can see travel insurance premiums more than double after their 65th birthday. Multi-trip policies in Europe increase by up to 174% for travellers aged 65 or older. Worldwide equivalent policies are hiked by ...



February 17, 2010

Brits in “dangerous habit” of relying on credit

by David Masters
Over 14 million Brits are using credit cards to fund everyday expenses, according to research by moneysupermarket.com. The price comparison site said the reliance on debt to pay for day-to-day purchases is a "worrying trend". Purchasing goods online is the most popular use of credit cards, with 56% of credit card holders using their card for internet shopping. Two in five (40%) credit card holders use their card for day-to-day ...



February 12, 2010

Brits annoyed with consumerism of Valentine’s Day

by David Masters
Brits annoyed with consumerism of Valentine's Day
Brits are fed up with the consumerism and money concerns that have invaded Valentine's Day, a day that should be about celebrating love. Research by moneysupermarket.com found nearly a fifth (17%) of Brits are planning not to bother with Valentine's Day because they don't like the idea of it. "The anti-Valentine vibe is definitely in the air this year," said Mike Wilson, ...



AA Credit Card: 0% on purchases for 10 months

by David Masters
AA Credit Card: 0% on purchases for 10 months
The AA has launched a new credit card with a 0% interest rate on retail spending for 10 months. The card, available exclusively through moneysupermarket.com, offers the 0% rate on all purchases including motoring and fuel. Consumers can also take advantage of a 0% rate on balance transfers for 12 months, subject to a 3% handling fee. The card also provides ...



February 10, 2010

Be sure to insure winter break, warns moneysupermarket.com

by David Masters
Be sure to insure winter break, warns moneysupermarket.com
Brits travelling abroad this month have been encouraged to take out travel insurance by moneysupermarket.com. The price comparison site said insurance for winter breaks is available for as little as £10 per week. "Whether you're seeking sunshine in Spain or snow on the slopes, travel insurance is an essential item when planning any holiday and you should not leave home without ...



February 5, 2010

Debt management firms play on money fears

by David Masters
Debt management firms play on money fears
Consumers struggling to manage their debts risk falling prey to expensive debt management companies, moneysupermarket.com warned this week. Research by the price comparison site found that 20,000 people are signing up to debt management plans every week in an effort to get their finances under control. Many are using free services such as the Citizen's Advice Bureau and the Consumer Credit Counselling ...



February 2, 2010

Mortgage market improving for first time buyers

by David Masters
A wider selection of mortgages is now available to first time buyers with a small deposit, according to moneysupermarket.com The price comparison site found buyers with a deposit of 15% have 22% more mortgages to choose from compared to December 2009. Buyers with a deposit of just 10% can choose from an 11% larger range of mortgages compared to December. In addition, the average interest rate on mortgages has fallen. Hannah Mercedes Skenfield, moneysupermarket.com ...



January 22, 2010

Credit cards chastised for opaque terms and conditions

by David Masters
Credit cards chastised for opaque terms and conditions
Credit card providers need to get better at explaining the terms and conditions of their cards to consumers, a financial expert has claimed. Tobias Van Der Meer, managing director of moneysupermarket.com, said many consumers are unaware how credit card repayments work. Two-thirds of those polled by moneysupermarket.com didn't know that the cheapest debt is paid off first on the majority of ...



January 18, 2010

UK mortgage products exceed 2,500

by Gill Montia
”UK
New research from moneysupermarket.com shows the number of mortgage products available to UK borrowers increasing for the third consecutive month, and crashing through the 2,500 barrier for the first time since May 2008. The firm's mortgages channel manager, Hannah-Mercedes Skenfield, says: "This is good news for buyers, as passing the 2,500 barrier does suggest that those looking for a mortgage are finding ...



December 24, 2009

Mortgage offerings recover from summer low

by Gill Montia
”Mortgage
Lenders are cautiously expanding their mortgage offerings, with the number of home loans available rising steadily since August's low of 2,182. According to moneysupermarket.com homebuyers and remortgagers can now choose from 2,430 products, although the figure is still well below the 3,384 available at the beginning of the year. Encouragingly for first-time buyers, the most significant area of growth has been in loans ...



October 30, 2009

Consumers penalised for searching out best deals

by David Masters
Consumers penalised for searching out best deals
Savvy consumers are afraid to apply for the best credit card deals in case the application leaves a black mark on their credit rating. This is the view of Toby Van Der Meer, managing director of money at price comparison site moneysupermarket.com. According the Van Der Meer, the credit rating system allows credit card companies to push consumers into a "no win" ...



September 24, 2009

MPs: Credit ratings penalise savvy borrowers

by David Masters
”MPs:
Unfair credit rating practices could be called to a halt by MPs following a parliamentary investigation. Currently consumers have to apply for a loan or credit card to find out the interest rate they'll be offered. However, each application lowers their credit score - so the more a consumer searches around for the best deal, the worse the impact on their credit rating. MPs ...



September 16, 2009

Social lives “hit hard” by recession

by David Masters
”Social
Many UK adults have had their social lives "hit hard" by the credit crunch, moneysupermarket.com claimed this week. Two-thirds (65%) of those polled by the price comparison site said they're more likely to stay in since the recession started. Eleven percent said they're holding more house parties such as barbecues and 'Come Dine With Me' style dinners, spending an average of £22 per ...



September 7, 2009

Make the most of “inflated” savings rates

by David Masters
”Make
Interest rates on savings accounts are "highly inflated" at the moment because banks and building societies are desperate for deposits, a price comparison site said this week. Financial providers are offering average bonus rates of 1.93% on savings accounts, compared to 0.71% two years ago, moneysupermarket.com said. Savers should invest now to avoid disappointment, the price comparison site warned, because the high ...



September 1, 2009

American Express to charge £20 “dormancy fee”

by David Masters
”American
American Express has announced plans to start charging customers who no longer use their Amex card. The £20 per year "dormancy fee" will be charged to all Platinum Cashback credit card holders. According to Amex's website, the fee is charged to customers "if the aggregate amount of all transactions [on their account], other than cash advances & balance transfers, that have taken ...



August 29, 2009

Arrangement fees dive on fixed and tracker deals

by Gill Montia
”Arrangement
Borrowers seeking fixed and tracker rate mortgages are in for a pleasant surprise because arrangement fees have fallen by around 25% in the past 12 months. Research by moneysupermarket.com has revealed that the average two year fixed-rate deal now comes with a typical fee of £957, down 30% the £1,243 average charge this time last year. In addition, the average fee ...



August 25, 2009

Rates soaring on personal loans

by David Masters
”Rates
Consumers taking out a personal loan are "paying through the nose" due to soaring interest rates. Banks are now charging an average APR of 10.32% on personal loans even though the Bank of England's base rate has been held at a record low of 0.5%. This compares to an average personal loan APR of 8.71% in 2004. "Despite the Bank of England slashing Base Rate ...



July 8, 2009

Mortgage products shrink by 90%

by Gill Montia
”Mortgage
New research from moneysupermarket.com shows that the number of mortgage products available in the UK has plummeted to a record low. According to the price comparison website, borrowers have just 2,282 deals to choose from, or less than half the number of loans available a year ago. Compared to the height of the property boom in August 2007, home loan options have shrunk by ...



July 7, 2009

Brits want £6,000 a year to start saving

by David Masters
Brits want £6,000 a year to start saving
The half of Brits who currently can't afford to save would have to earn an extra £500 per month before they'd consider putting anything aside for the piggy bank, new research has discovered. The poll by moneysupermarket.com found that 52% of UK adults don't have enough cash to save on a regular basis. On average, those without enough money for savings ...



June 14, 2009

Demise of 90% LTV blocks first-time buyers

by Gill Montia
”Demise
The plight of would-be first-time buyers is highlighted by new research from Moneysupermarket.com. According to the price comparison website, home loans requiring a 10% deposit have all but disappeared in the credit crisis with only 102 available today, compared with 3,124 in January 2007, a decline of 97%. First-time buyers are also being penalised on interest rates with the average rate on ...




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