Fasano Business Gallery

What will happen to inflation

2012-02-14T19:53:00.002Z

This email advertisement has been sent to you by a Barclaycard affiliate.

Ideal for people new to credit with no (or limited) credit history

You should only apply if...
1.	You earn a minimum of £10,000 a year
2.	You are on the electoral roll at your current address
3.	You do not have any CCJs or IVAs in the last five years
4.	You are NOT an existing Barclays customer

Manageable credit limits starting from £250

Not recommended if previously missed three payments in a row

29.9% APR Representative (variable)

This email advertisement has been sent to you by a Barclaycard affiliate.

With the spotlight well and truly on inflation, we take a look at the latest events that will have an impact on its future and consider what this might mean for savers.

Bank of England holds firm

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided last week to hold the base rate at 0.5% and to hold quantitative easing (QE) at £275 billion. The last rate change was on 5th March 2009 when it was reduced from 1% to 0.5% and the latest £75 billion of QE was added last month, supported by a unanimous vote from MPC members.

Despite growing fears over the fate of the Eurozone, as well as domestic economic weakness, the decision to hold comes as no surprise. Since the additional £75 billion will take another three months to complete, it is expected that the Bank will wait until the first quarter of 2012 before even considering further action.

Economy in bad shape

The UK economic recovery is being restrained by weak business and household confidence. The headline rate of unemployment is also expected to see a big rise with figures to be released later this week - the number of 16 to 24 year olds out of work is expected to pass an unwelcome milestone by exceeding the one million mark for the first time since records began in 1992.

Two years ago the Bank predicted the economy would grow at 4% this year, a long way indeed off the current state of play and if the growth forecast is downward as expected, it will be the eighth reduction in succession. The latest data and survey evidence generally portrays an economy that is struggling to grow at all and the prognosis for next year is gloomy to say the least.

Recessionary fears grow stronger

Although the economy grew by 0.5% in the third quarter of the year, economic consensus is that the figure overstated the underlying strength of what is a stagnant economy.

Just three months ago, the Bank of England said the economy would grow by 1.5% this year. However, the Bank is expected to cut growth forecasts to 1% this week amid serious domestic and international headwinds. And the headwinds from the Eurozone are blowing harder than ever, thus significantly increasing fears of a double-dip recession.

More worrying signs ahead

The latest figures released today reveal that inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reduced by 0.2% from their highest level ever to a current rate of 5%. Although in itself a positive change, the context already outlined is more worrying.

This time last year it was 3.1% and two years ago it was 1.1% which shows just how much the situation has changed. Even with today’s reduction, all but non-taxpayers still have to achieve a rate of 6.25% just to stand still.

What does this mean for inflation?

Speaking to the Treasury Select Committee at the end of last month, Sir Mervyn King, governor of the Bank of England, admitted that he was “not at all happy” with current inflation levels and that the further round of QE could easily add a further 0.5% to the already high rate of inflation.

He went on to say the real impact would not be clear for some time although reiterated his often-voiced expectation that inflation will drop off again in the next year. However, the Bank of England does not have the greatest track record of making inflationary forecasts so we should perhaps not read too much into this.

Calm before the storm

Although the governor no doubt feels obliged to balance the outlook with some optimism, this is not shared by all. Jupiter Income fund manager Tony Nutt believes that while inflation is likely to fall back in the short term, it will rise again over coming years.

Mr Nutt says: “Inflation will fall back in the final quarter of this year and the first quarter of 2012 but I am fearful of the years to come as the deleveraging process is going to take time to unwind. I think that inflation could reach 7% to 8% in the UK in the longer term.”

There is further support of the view that inflation will fall back before rising again and with the current domestic and economic backdrop, it would seem very difficult to argue strongly against it, despite the MPC’s valiant attempts to do so. Perhaps today’s softening of the headline rate and any short term reductions should rather be seen as the calm before the storm.

Act now…

The current picture is one of great uncertainty and it is difficult to feel confidence in the longer term impact of the measures being taken. Combined with continued low interest rates and high inflation, the immediate and, perhaps more importantly, the longer term impact must not be ignored.

Delaying taking action or losing sight of the real impact of inflation, especially over time, can produce painful results, not least for savers. Understanding the implication of low rates on fixed rate bonds, maximising Cash ISA allowances and giving full consideration to all of the alternatives available in the market are all sensible places to start.

No news, feature article or comment should be seen as a personal recommendation to invest. If you are in any doubt as to the suitability of a particular investment please contact us for advice.

The value of investments and income from them can fall as well as rise and you may not get back the full amount invested. Different types of investment carry different levels of risk and may not be suitable for all investors.


So the App Store is teeming with good apps. True.But how do the good apps escape from the ocean of bad apps to get onto your iPhone/iPad for free? My name is Sean from FreeApps and I've come up with a solution for this first world problem. I get in touch with developers every day asking them to feature their paid app as FREE for 24 hours(and I only pick the best). If you think your iPhone/iPad should stop paying for apps, subscribe here: Cheers for reading, Sean


P.S. Here's how it works: every day I send out a short kind of newsletter to let you know about the daily free app with the link to download it in the App Store - there are regularly free iPad apps too, as well as price drops. With FreeApps, I can propose a range of apps that are of course available and relevant to the UK market (getting a bit fed up with all these American utility apps we can't actually use). I'm also around to answer any of your queries by email. Last but not least: once you download the app, it's yours to keep as free, forever. Get free apps

Banish your Christmas debts

2012-02-10T11:45:00.002Z

100% Guaranteed Approval

Banish your Christmas debts

If you’ve spent too much money over the festive period and you’re not sure how to tackle your debts, follow these five tips.

So that’s it, Christmas is over for another year. The mince pies have been eaten, the presents unwrapped and all of that lovely Christmas bubbly has been polished off.

Yes it’s all a bit of an anticlimax. But if the thought of how much you’ve spent over the festive period is now starting to give you a headache, here are some top tips to help you banish your Christmas debt for good!

1. Get better at budgeting

First things first. If you’ve got yourself into a bit of a financial pickle, you need to sit down and draw up a budget so you know exactly where all of your money is going.

You can use a statement of affairs calculator or this budgeting calculator from the FSA.

If your outgoings are pretty extensive, you’ll need to make some cutbacks to reduce your outgoings and free up a bit of spare cash. A good idea is to set yourself a budget for various different categories (such as petrol and food).

Once you’ve done that, you can start throwing your spare cash towards your debt!

2. Pay more than the minimum

If you’ve got a lot of debt sitting on a credit card, try and pay off more than the minimum monthly repayment each month. You can use all of the spare cash from task one to do this!

This is because the minimum payment on credit cards is usually set very low – often as low as 2% of your total card debt – and as a result, it can take you a very long time to pay off your debt in full.

What’s more, if your credit card is charging you a hefty rate of interest at the same time, the amount of interest you’ll be forking out overall will be far greater too.

Even just making an extra payment of £10 a month can significantly reduce the time it takes to pay off the debt in full as well as the amount of interest you’ll be paying overall.

3. Get an interest-free credit card

The very best way to tackle credit card debt is to transfer that debt over to a 0% balance transfer credit card. That way you won’t have to pay any interest on that debt for up to 22 months!

Just make sure you’ve paid off your debt in full before the interest-free period comes to an end to avoid being whacked with a hefty interest rate.

If your debt is considerable, however, you may struggle to pay off your debt in full by the time the 0% deal has expired. In this case, you might be better off moving your debt to a lifetime balance transfer credit card instead.

These credit cards offer a low rate of interest for the lifetime of the debt. So you can transfer over a balance and know that the interest rate will stay low until you’ve paid the debt off in full.

The Sainsbury's Low Rate card, for example, offers an interest rate of 6.9% and there’s no balance transfer fee.

4. Learn how to snowball

This next tip has nothing to do with building snowmen.

Snowballing is a great technique to use if you’re struggling to get all of your credit card debts onto interest-free deals.

All you need to do is work out which of your credit card debts is charging the most interest. This is the debt that will grow at the fastest rate so it’s also the one you need to focus on first.

Keep paying the minimum monthly repayments on all of your other borrowings, and put any spare cash towards the most expensive debt. Once you’ve successfully paid off this debt, move onto the next most expensive debt and so on. Leave any interest-free debt until last.

This is a really effective way of tackling your debts and clearing them more quickly (as well as reducing the amount of interest you’ll have to pay).

5. Seek advice

If your debts have really got out of control and you have no idea where to start, it’s a good idea to talk to someone about your concerns.

There are plenty of free debt advisory services that will give you advice on how to tackle your debt, such as the Consumer Credit Counselling Service, Citizens Advice, The National Debtline and Christians Against Poverty.

You don’t have to cope with your debt on your own, so if you’re really worried about your financial situation, make sure you ask for help.

Financial Links

22 Month Balance Transfer Card
20 Month Balance Transfer Card
123 Cashback Credit Card
Fast Pay Day Loans

How to find a bargain in the January sales

2012-01-31T21:25:00.000Z

How to find a bargain in the January sales

If you’re braving the January sales, either online or off, read this to make sure you get the best deals…

The Christmas shopping frenzy is over for another year but the chaos of the January sales is in full swing. If you’re planning on hitting the high street then here are some tips for protecting your pocket.

Start early

They shouldn’t call them January sales anymore; they start much earlier than that. Many online retailers begin the sales as soon as their Christmas Day delivery deadline has been reached, so you can start browsing bargains as early as Christmas Eve.

If there’s a specific item you want then buy it early. If you wait until the new year, you might find you’ve missed the chance. Having said that, don’t feel rushed into a purchase, you need to be sure it’s right for you.

Ignore the discount, look at the price

Sales discounts really warp my perception of a good deal. If there’s 80% knocked off, I find it quite hard to evaluate the actual value – I just see the potential saving.

I don’t think I’m alone. If this sounds like you then make a real effort to look at whether you can afford the price, rather than getting carried away by the discount.

Don’t forget to compare

Even if you’re getting a decent discount, don’t assume that’s the best saving you can make. It’s still worth comparing prices online to see if you can get a better deal.

Price comparison websites like Kelkoo, PriceRunner and Shopping.com can save you time as well as money.

After all, money off is good, but even more money off is great.

Write a list

Aimlessly browsing the sales can mean you spend money on things you don’t really need. Before my penny pinching days, I was particularly dreadful at this. I have tops I’ve never worn but bought because they were such good value.

Before you start shopping, make a list of things you actually want or need. That way you won’t get suckered into purchases you don’t really want.

Consider haggling ‘IRL’

There are plenty of benefits to shopping online but it does mean you can’t haggle. Even if you can’t face asking for a discount the rest of the year, many retailers are more flexible during their sales.

So, consider putting down your mouse and visiting the high street In Real Life. You might save even more.

Plan for next Christmas

One in 20 shoppers begin their Christmas shopping 12 months ahead of the big day, meaning they buy some of their presents in the January sales.

While this might not work for kids’ presents – children quite often want the latest trend – it can be a great way to buy cheaper gifts.

Don’t leave yourself short

If your budget is tight then don’t be tempted to bash the plastic too hard in the sales. We’re a funny species; the fear of missing a great deal can make people very irrational.

Think seriously about what you can afford to spend and don’t go over. It might sound obvious, but set yourself a realistic spending limit in advance.

Your rights

If you buy something in a sale, you still have the same rights as if you’d bought it before the sale began. If it faulty, unsatisfactory or doesn’t fit the description given when you ordered it, then you can ask for a refund, replacement or repair.

However, some retailers may not allow customers to return purchases because they’ve changed their minds. Their returns policy is up to them and may be stricter for sales items.

The only time your rights are reduced is if you buy something that’s known to be faulty. For example, a top might be marked down because it’s missing a button. If you’re told about this when you buy it then you can’t return it on those grounds – although you could still ask for a refund if something else went wrong with your purchase.

When you need to return a faulty item, take it to the retailer and not the manufacturer. As the seller, it has a duty to resolve your issue, so don’t be fobbed off.

If you’re shopping online, you have even more rights. You get a seven day ‘cooling off’ time, meaning you can return or cancel your order without giving a reason. Unfortunately, that’s not the case if the item has been custom-made.

What are your tips for shopping in the January sales? What’s the best bargain you’ve ever found? Share your advice and experiences in the comments below.


So the App Store is teeming with good apps. True.But how do the good apps escape from the ocean of bad apps to get onto your iPhone/iPad for free? My name is Sean from FreeApps and I've come up with a solution for this first world problem. I get in touch with developers every day asking them to feature their paid app as FREE for 24 hours(and I only pick the best). If you think your iPhone/iPad should stop paying for apps, subscribe here: Cheers for reading, Sean


P.S. Here's how it works: every day I send out a short kind of newsletter to let you know about the daily free app with the link to download it in the App Store - there are regularly free iPad apps too, as well as price drops. With FreeApps, I can propose a range of apps that are of course available and relevant to the UK market (getting a bit fed up with all these American utility apps we can't actually use). I'm also around to answer any of your queries by email. Last but not least: once you download the app, it's yours to keep as free, forever. Get free apps

Eight rules to follow when returning goods

2012-01-29T00:00:00.000Z

Have you ever gone to return poor or faulty goods only for the shop to simply dismiss your complaint? Stay one step ahead of the retailers by following our eight simple rules to returning purchases.

1. Be hasty

Don't delay returning a faulty item or reporting a loss of service.

2. Receipts

Be sure to retain receipts as proof of purchase.

3. Log your complaint

Keep a diary of your complaints, including names, times and details.

4. Know the law

Mug up on laws such as the Sales of Goods Acts; the Misrepresentation Act 1967; Misleading Prices - Consumer Protection Act 1987, and Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act. These may protect you or help you get your money back.

5. Keep calm

When returning goods always make sure you are assertive, but remember to remain polite and patient.

6. Go to the top

Take your complaint to the top of the firm - or, if necessesary, to an ombudsman service, if there is one.

7. Small Claims Court

If all else fails, try the Small Claims Court. The maximum you can claim is £5,000 for England and Wales, £3,000 for Scotland and £2,000 for Northern Ireland. Find out more at adviceguide.org.uk

8. Seek advice

If you require any further assistance or general advice visit consumerdirect.gov.uk and citizenadvice.org.uk

Readers of this article also like - Orange Pre paid Contactless Mastercard - You dont need to be an Orange customer to apply.

More from Fasano.co.uk

How to get a refund on online purchases

2012-01-28T00:00:00.000Z

"... It's a good idea to use a prepaid card to shop online, find out more "

Internet shopping is great for convenience,but when something goes wrong and you need some assistance, it can feel as though you're up against a brick wall.

I purchased a memory module kit from The Tech Lodge via Amazon's online marketplace last year.

It turned out to be faulty and caused my MacBook to crash, so I contacted The Tech Lodge earlier this year to ask for a refund. I was redirected to the manufacturer. However, the manufacturer wanted me to post the product to the Netherlands to replace it - at considerable cost.

I didn't want to do this so I contacted The Tech Lodge again to ask for a full refund instead. Unfortunately, it hasn't responded to any of my emails. I believe I'm entitled to a refund under the Sales of Goods Act 1979. I've sent follow-up emails, but still haven't received a reply.

I also contacted Amazon but was directed to various different places due to the cross-over with the Amazon US call centres, and I don't know who to contact now.

M Underwood / Via eMail

Internet shopping is great for convenience, but when something goes wrong and you need some assistance, it can feel as though you're up against a brick wall.

We had to contact The Tech Lodge through an email form on its website as there was no contact phone number or email address available. Thankfully, spokesperson Chris Dyson got back to us within a matter of days.

Dyson defended The Tech Lodge's suggestion to send the memory module kit back to the manufacturer, claiming: "In line with most retailers, we do not effect warranty repairs ourselves; we use the services of warranty agents.

"For this particular product, our warranty agent is OCZ, which is also the manufacturer of the product. We believe that in the majority of instances our customers enjoy a higher level of technical help, and faster turnaround times, by contacting the warranty agent directly."

However, he added that the company is "always mindful of its responsibility as a retailer" and should the direct contact course of action not be suitable for a customer, it will always accept returns itself and take the appropriate action.

But it seems Martin's experience tells a somewhat different story.

Dyson claims when Martin told The Tech Lodge he didn't want to send the item to the warranty agent because of the postage costs, he was offered free postage. Martin, however, says he never received its email.

Following this, The Tech Lodge has agreed to offer Martin a full refund if he returns the product to the freepost address now provided. Dyson says: "I offer my personal apologies to Mr Underwood for failing to meet his expectations and I hope he is satisfied with this response."

Safe shopping online

If you want to shop online it's important to follow these safety guidelines:

1: When you visit a bank or retailer's website enter the address manually - never follow an email link.

2: Keep account details and passwords secret - if you surrender them yourself you may not be covered in the event of fraud.

3: Stick to trusted companies. Don't judge a company or person on their website alone - look for a telephone number and address.

4: Sign up to a secure payment method such as Verified by Visa or MasterCard SecureCode, which will verify your card information and provide an extra layer of protection. For transactions over £100, use a credit card for security against non-delivery or fraud.

5: Check the website is secure - look for a padlock at the bottom right of the browser window. Click on the padlock to check that the seller is who they say they are and that their certificate is current and registered to the right address. The web address should also begin with ‘https://'.

6: It's a good idea to use a prepaid card buy OnLine

More from Fasano.co.uk

Receive a free copy of Fasano Financial Experts magazine packed with advice, information and tips on how to manage your money with confidence.

HSBC Bank Account pays 6% on your cash

2012-01-11T18:22:00.001Z

HSBC has launched a new promotion on its Bank Account, which allows account holders to earn a market-leading rate on their money

When I was at school I worked at Next in my spare time so, for me, the phrase ‘January sale’ conjures up images of people desperately rifling through racks of clothes, barging each other out of the way in order to nab that £10 top.

But it’s not just the high street retailers that are at it – even banks now launch January sales, with enticing offers on select deals. And HSBC’s sale has included the launch of a current account paying an amazing fixed rate of 6% on balances!

Banking with HSBC

As part of its January Sale, HSBC has revamped its current accounts, and now has a number of extremely attractive deals.

My favourite is the simple Bank Account. Whether you are a new or eligible existing customer, you can secure a whopping rate of 6% interest fixed on balances up to £2,500. However, in order to secure the deal, you will need to get your switching forms over to HSBC by 5pm on the 31st January.

You can also get this rate if you go with the HSBC Advance account or the HSBC Premier account.

With the Advance account not only will you get 6% on your money, but also life insurance cover up to £3,000, worldwide travel insurance, roadside breakdown assistance and exclusive deals on a rate of products and services. It will set you back £9.95 for the first 12 months, and £12.95 thereafter though. However, I’m not a big fan of packaged accounts like this, and the FSA has its own concerns too, as we highlighted in The new bank mis-selling scandal.

With the Premier Account you’ll get wealth management advice from an HSBC IFA, family banking accounts and all sorts of other personal services.

However, to qualify, you’ll need to meet any of the following criteria:

Joint savings or investments of at least £50,000 with HSBC in the UK.
An annual income of at least £100,000 paid into your HSBC Premier Account, as well as either: 1) a mortgage of at least £300,000 with HSBC or 2) a product taken out from the bank’s independent financial advisory service, excluding mortgage-related insurance.

In other words, it's not an account for everyone.

More from HSBC:

HSBC Advance Account
HSBC Online Bonus Saver Account
HSBC Credit Card

Prepaid Is Prepared

2011-12-22T20:13:00.001Z

the benefits

The Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard® rewards you when you shop and helps you stay on top of your spending.

get rewarded as you spend

When you spend Orange Cash instead of notes and coins, you get rewards that can be exchanged for Orange shop vouchers, which might be handy for buying a new phone. And if you’re an Orange PAYG customer, you’ll also be able to get free minutes, texts or credit. You collect one point for every £1 you spend, then exchange your points for rewards*.

And remember, you can use your points to top up your friends and family Orange pay as you go phones too. Just have a look at the table below to see what your rewards could get you.

rewards

Points	mins	or texts	or credit	or ORL Voucher
100	20	150	-	-
200	50	500	-	-
500	200	Unlimited for 1 Month	£5	£5
2000	1000	Unlimited for 6 Months	£20	£20

Orange Cash rewards are only available on eligible purchases*.

* Eligible Purchases = purchase of goods or services based on cleared transactions except for: – Refunded transactions (example refund in a shop or a disputed transaction) – Gambling transactions (based on Gambling MCC code) – Account to Account transfers – ATM withdrawals – Fees/charges to card account – Airtime top-ups

it’s quicker and easier to pay

Your Orange Cash card comes with PayPass contactless payment technology, the quick and easy way to pay for those smaller items of £15 or under - like a cup of your favourite coffee or a bite to eat. Just tap your card on any reader wherever you see the contactless symbol and you've paid!

covered for loss and theft

Since it comes with Chip and PIN security, you can use Orange Cash with complete confidence. Plus you’re protected if you lose it or it gets stolen, if you report it straight away. Find out more

Summary of Orange Cash terms: Your Orange Cash card can be used anywhere that MasterCard is accepted, except self service petrol station pumps. There’s a fee for cash withdrawals, but none for paying by card in stores or online (apart from payments to gambling websites). Online statements are free.In certain circumstances, you may have to pay a fee to get back any money loaded on toy your card . Remember that you may have to pay to top up your Orange Cash card in some places, including Post Office ® branches where it costs £1.50. You have to be over 13 to apply for an Orange Cash card. If you are under 18 years of age you must obtain permission from a parent or guardian. The Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard® is issued by Barclays Bank PLC pursuant to license by MasterCard International Incorporated. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated. This card is an electronic money product. The electronic money associated with this card is provided by PrePay Technologies Ltd, a company regulated by the Financial Services Authority for the issuance of electronic money. PrePay Technologies Ltd is a registered service provider of Barclays Bank PLC.

Fasano, financial experts.

Scary new banking scams

2011-12-20T00:00:00.000Z

Keep it Short and Simple with Fasano UK

Scammers have developed a new way to control your computer remotely. And that can only be bad news for your bank balance.

Fasano UK, Top UK Rated Independent Financial Experts

It sounds like something from a James Bond movie.

Eastern European criminals 'harvesting' thousands of computers across the UK, infected with a special virus allowing them to control the computer and access all sorts of personal information.

But don't expect Daniel Craig to come to the rescue — this banking scam is very, very real.

Zeus 2

The scam all revolves around the Zeus 2 botnet — again, sounding like something straight out of a Hollywood script — a Trojan that sits in your computer system.

However, while previous forms of Trojan simply stole your usernames and passwords for certain sites, this botnet goes much further, tracking login information to banks, credit and debit card numbers, account types plus balances, bank statements, browser cookies, client side certificates, login information for email accounts and social networks and even FTP passwords.

This means the scammers have even more information about victims of the botnet, making them even more vulnerable. In fact it even allows the scammers to control your computer system remotely!

Targeting us

The UK has borne the brunt of this particular botnet, accounting for 98% of the affected computers, most likely because we have a particularly developed online banking culture.

However, with various forms of Zeus in operation worldwide, the number of infected machines worldwide runs into the millions.

What makes it all the more incredible is that there is nothing actually illegal about developing a Trojan like Zeus 2, nor is there anything wrong with selling a Trojan. And yet it is illegal to use a Trojan.

Protecting yourself

According to Trusteer, a provider of secure browsing services who discovered Zeus 2, the best thing we can do to protect ourselves is to follow the security advice of our individual banks, particularly if they offer secure online banking software, which is specifically designed to defend against malware like Zeus 2.

However, it's not just Zeus 2 you need to be wary of — there are plenty of other banking scams which will see severely you out of pocket.

Tab napping

If you're anything like me then you'll tend to have a whole bunch of tabs open when you're browsing the internet. I just function better in a state of organised chaos.

However, it's people like me that are most at risk from tab napping (I know it should really be called tab nabbing, but sadly I didn't get to name this particular scam).

It works by replacing a tab which has been inactive for a while with a fake page, designed to fool you into filling out some personal data. It seems extraordinary to think that the scammers can actually tell whether you have left a page inactive for a while, but they can.

So if you've logged onto your bank's site, but then left the page for a while to look at a different site, when you return to the bank's page everything may look as you left it. However, malicious code may have transformed it into a fake version which looks near enough identical.

Thankfully there are some simple things you can do to protect yourself. Always check the URL of any webpage before you fill in your details. You should also make sure the address starts with https://, which signals that it is a secure page, while keeping your tab opening to a minimum will also help.

Chip & PIN

Researchers at Cambridge University have uncovered a fundamental flaw in the Chip & PIN system, which would allow scammers to use your credit or debit card in shops, irrespective of whether they know the correct PIN.

The 'man in the middle' trick would involve two scammers — one paying for the goods at the till, and another within the store, with a separate card reader in a backpack or bag. The scammer with the stolen or cloned card would proceed as normal, but the second scammer would use the separate card reader to send a 'pin ok' signal to the shop's own system.

Incredibly, the researchers reckon they have tried the trick out many times and succeeded, though the banks remain sceptical that it is either practical or possible.

Either way, the one way to be sure that you are not losing out in this way is to keep on top of what's happening with your bank accounts so that you aren't met with any unpleasant surprises. Should a suspicious transaction appear on your statement you will then be able to raise it with your bank and get to the bottom of it, hopefully cutting off the scammers before they run riot with your bank account.

Fake loans

It's rare for a day to pass without an email appearing in my inbox offering me a loan. No doubt some of them are genuine marketing attempts, but there is a growing problem of fake loans in the UK.

With a fake loan, you'll be contacted, whether by phone or email, and offered a very competitive loan. However, in order to get the loan you'll need to pay a set-up or administration fee. Of course, there is no loan, there's no actual loan company either, and you end up out of pocket.

However, these fake loans don't always ask for a fee — sometimes they are merely a front for a phishing scam, where they just want your bank account details. This form of fake loan can lead to far greater financial loss.

To protect yourself, remember to never shell out on an upfront fee — conventional firms don't operate like this. And avoid handing over any details to firms that have contacted you, rather than you going to them.

More from fasano.co.uk

Ask an Expert
CreditExpert - From Experian - 30 Free Trial
Find out how to restructure your debt today!
Complaint Handling PPI Reclaim
Governor Finance - A Single Saving Account for Savings and Cash ISAs

Helpful Links:

Capital One - Instant OnLine Decision
Barclaycard Initial - Your First Step to Simplifying your finances

The little rip-offs we all hate!

2011-12-08T00:00:00.000Z

Keep it Short and Simple with FASANO UK

Every day and in every way, companies pick our pockets. Here are 10 ways they can fleece us.

Fasano UK Top Rated Independent Financial Advisors

We Brits have become so used to being swindled that we often refer to our country as 'Rip-off Britain'.

Indeed, it seems that whether we leave the house or stay at home, everyday swindles, swizzes and scams are waiting to pick our pockets. Here are 10 of my pet hates:

1. Ticket booking fees

Last week, I took my children to see 'Johnny English Reborn' — and very funny rubber-faced Rowan Atkinson was, too.

However, what annoyed me about our film trip was the extortionate booking fee that the cinema charges. One adult and two child tickets came to £23, but the cinema also levies a 'systems & service surcharge' of 75p a ticket. This £2.25 adds 9.8% to the ticketing cost, which is a massive rip-off. Thus, I paid on the door, instead of booking in advance.

There is absolutely no justification for charging a fee for each ticket, instead of per card transaction. I urge some crusading MP to introduce a bill to limit these levies to, say, no more than 2.5% of the purchase price.

2. Cinema food and drink

Guy Hands, boss of Odeon (the UK's biggest cinema chain), once remarked that he was 'in the popcorn-selling business, not the film industry'.

Guy's right. At my local cinema, a small tub of popcorn (about the volume of a pint glass) costs £2.50. On our previous visit, it was £2, so the price has gone up by 25%. As a result of these sky-high prices for food and drink, I've become an expert smuggler of snacks and drink cans into cinemas.

3. Bottled water

Bottled water must have been invented by the Devil's own marketing department.

It's massively overpriced (say, £2 for a one-litre bottle of 'premium' water), makes health claims that don't stack up and contributes enormously to landfill, pollution and global warming. Honestly, which idiot thought importing mineral water from Fiji was a good idea? Please stick to filtered or tap water.

4. Vending machines

Vending machines are proof positive that 'convenience costs'. The mark-ups charged by operators are enormous — usually, at least 100% over the supermarket price. For example, a 50g bag of crisps costing 50p in supermarkets will cost a round pound from vending machines.

5. Motorway service stations

I refuse to be ripped off by motorway service stations. I may buy a newspaper and use the loo, but I won't pay their inflated prices for food and drink, especially meals. Even branded fast-food outlets such as Burger King and McDonald's impose steep price mark-ups for these captive audiences. I prefer to fill up my stomach and fuel tank before leaving, or take a packed lunch.

6. Petrol and diesel

According to the AA, the UK has the eighth-highest petrol price in Europe and the second-highest diesel price (behind Norway). This is largely due to very high UK taxes, which explains why fuel costs more than twice as much here as it does in the USA (62p a litre for unleaded petrol).

What's more, despite the oil price falling back from its 2011 peak of $127 a barrel, fuel prices have barely budged. This is partly due to a weaker pound, because oil is priced in US dollars. As a result, drivers struggle to pay 140p for a litre of diesel and 136p/litre for petrol. To save on fuel, visit the PetrolPrices website.

7. Domestic gas and electricity

With temperatures predicted to fall as low as -20°C, the UK is facing another long, hard winter. Alas, all of the 'Big Six' energy providers announced steep price hikes recently.

As a result, the cost of gas will rise by 19% on average, with electricity costing 16% more. On Tuesday, Energy Secretary Chris Huhne MP urged us all to switch gas and electricity suppliers.

8. Credit cards

While the Bank of England's base rate has been stuck at 0.5% a year since March 2009, the interest rates charged by credit cards have been rising. Today, a typical credit card will charge over 19% APR on purchases, which is almost 1.5% a month.

Why pay interest on your outstanding debts on credit and store cards, when you can enjoy interest-free credit for up to 22 months with 0% balance transfers?

9. Overdrafts

Despite years of legal wrangling with the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), banks and building societies remain free to charge hugely unfair fees on unauthorised overdrafts. Millions of us have been charged up to £40 a time for going into the red without permission, which is a national disgrace. Until the OFT wins, the answer is to shift your current account -- overdraft and all -- to a best buy bank account.

10. Car care

Until October 2003, car manufacturers could force customers to have their vehicles serviced at branded garages. This anti-competitive behaviour kept the cost of servicing, repairs and maintenance artificially high.

However, for the past eight years, we Brits have been free to shop around and choose the garages we want to maintain, service and repair our cars. Indeed, my wife refuses to visit Renault garages for her Megane, as she's found that Renault charges about 80% to 100% more than our local independent garage. As the Tesco ads say, "Why pay more?"

What are your most-hated rip-offs? Please tell us in the comments box below!

Helpful Links:

This email advertisement has been sent to you by a Barclaycard affiliate.

Ideal for people new to credit with no (or limited) credit history

You should only apply if...
1.	You earn a minimum of £10,000 a year
2.	You are on the electoral roll at your current address
3.	You do not have any CCJs or IVAs in the last five years
4.	You are NOT an existing Barclays customer

Manageable credit limits starting from £250

Not recommended if previously missed three payments in a row

29.9% APR Representative (variable)

This email advertisement has been sent to you by a Barclaycard affiliate.

Ways to save energy that you don’t already know

2011-12-03T23:30:00.000Z

Keep it Short and Simple with Fasano UK

Another cold winter could spell problems for UK homes, with energy prices rising by more than 18%. Here are some lesser-known ways to save…

Fasano UK, Top Rated Independent Financial Experts

The cost of gas, electricity and other fuels rose 18.3% on the year in September, according to Office for National Statistic figures. With another unusually cold winter predicted by some, that's sending a chill down my back.

You've probably already read many well-documented ways to cut down on the amount of energy you use, such as only boiling the water you need and avoiding the tumble dryer. I've even looked at whether you can save cash by not washing your bed sheets

But there are other ways to save energy in the home, even if they only make a small difference. It all adds up after all. So I've been looking for more unusual ways to cut back — I hope some of these are new for you too.

Use the microwave
There's evidence to suggest that using a microwave to heat small amounts of food uses less energy than the oven.

Go offline
Consider switching your broadband modem router off at night and when you're out of the house. Admittedly, leaving it on constantly for an entire year costs just £7 — but then, this is a list of small ways to save!

Dust your fridge
Bizarre but true. According to British Gas, if you let dust gather on the condenser coils at the back of your bridge it can raise its energy consumption.

Free your radiators
Leaving clothes on radiators to dry might help you avoid the tumble dryer, but it also puts your boiler under extra strain. Hang your laundry on a clothes horse in a warm room instead or outside when the weather's good.

Go vertical with your veg
You can cook several different foods on the same ring if you use a steamer and stack them up.

Shift your sofa
Is your furniture absorbing the heat from your radiator? Move your sofa so that it's not blocking your radiators, if you can, so the heat can spread throughout the room. Similarly, a shelf just above the radiator can deflect heat into the room instead of towards the ceiling.

Cover your keyholes
If you have an old-fashioned large keyhole then the draft can be bad. A cheap keyhole cover from a DIY shop will make a huge difference.

Power off at the plug
Since 2010, electronic products sold in the EU are not allowed to have a standby power greater than 1W, so they aren't as much of an issue as they have been. But the Energy Saving Trust claims the average UK home still wastes £35 a year powering gadgets left on in standby mode, so it's still worth turning your appliances off at the wall.

Deal with draughts
If you have rattling window or door frames then cheap draught-excluder strips can save you as much as £25 a year, according to the consumer association Which?

Don't leave chargers plugged in
This is true for everything with a power cable and a battery. Chargers frequently have lights on them or feel warm — that means they're using power — so as soon as you've finished charging your phone, toothbrush or laptop, unplug the charger - rather than simply leaving the item charging overnight or taking the lead from it when the battery says it's full.

Buy the best gadgets
Choosing the most energy efficiency appliances can save you real money, even if they cost a little more to start with. For example, according to Which?, the most efficient fridge freezer can result in annual savings of £75.

Leave home
It's a bit tongue-in-cheek but getting out of the house can really cut your heating costs, according to the comparison website uSwitch. It ran a survey that showed 13% of respondents visit family, friends and even the library to avoid heating their own home. With heating accounting for 42% of the average energy bill, it's certainly worth turning the heating down or off when you do go out.

Prune your preheating
Don't leave the oven preheating for longer than necessary. It might be convenient, but it's a complete waste of energy.

Pocket money for going greener
Some of these tips won't save you that much cash and it's tempting to decide they're not worth it. But they all help change your mindset, so you're much more aware of the energy you use. They will cut down on our combined environmental impact and that has to be worth a small amount of inconvenience.

If you have a money-saving scheme you'd like to see tried out then let us know in the comment box below.

Useful Savings Links:

Simplify your finances with Governor Finance
FirstSave - 6 Months Fixed Rate Bond / 1 year Bond
NatWest eISA / eSavings
HSBC Bonus Online Savings Account

Sign Up to receive FREE tips and Advice - Visit Fasano UK.

Santander know you won’t move your main current
account without good reason.
That’s why they are giving you plenty of reasons, starting with up to £300 when you switch to Santander, as well as an impressive interest rate of 5% AER fixed for 12 months.
Learn more or apply now

£100 for new customers who switch their main current account to Santander*
£200 for existing Santander mortgage customers who switch their main current account to Santander*
£300 for existing Santander mortgage customers who have or can deposit at least £10,000 in Santander savings and switch their main
current account to Santander*
Great interest rate of 5% AER (fixed) for the first 12 months from account opening on balances up to £2,500 when you pay in £1,000 per month** to Santander*
Free arranged overdraft for 12 months when you switch. Matches your previous overdraft amount up to £5,000 (depending on circumstances)
Dedicated switching team will move all your regular payments for you
No credit checks
No charges for bounced direct debits
Cash rewards from leading high street retailers
Monthly management fee of £12.50

Three ways to get an interest-free loan

2011-12-03T00:00:00.000Z

Keep it Short and Simple with Fasano UK

The words 'interest-free credit' usually put me on my guard immediately. Many of these deals come with enormous, scary hidden catches; and anyway, in a perfect world, we'd all live within our means and never spend money we didn't have.

Fasano UK Top Rated Independent Financial Advisers

Unfortunately, that's not always how it works. Genuinely interest-free loan deals do exist - and when you really need to access extra cash, they can be an economical and useful financial tool.

They can also help you get your finances back under control, by chopping the amount of interest you're already paying on debts.

Here, I'm going to highlight three good ways of getting interest-free cash. I'm also going to outline the pitfalls you need to watch out for - so your 'free' money doesn't drag you deeper into the financial mire.

By the way, if you've been hunting through the personal loans section, you won't have found these options. In fact, providers don't label them as 'loans' at all!

1. An interest-free overdraft

Many current accounts now have a substantial 0% interest overdraft facility included in the package.

How much can I borrow? It depends on the account you go for, but at the moment (excluding student accounts) the largest interest-free overdraft on offer comes from Santander with its Preferred Current Account, which promises to match your previous overdraft up to a maximum of £5,000.

Sadly, the overdraft is only free for the first 12 months. But on the plus side, you will pocket £300 by opening the account as a welcoming present!

Remember that the size of the interest-free overdraft you're offered will largely depend on your credit rating. So for example, this account is advertised as coming with a 0% overdraft of 'up to £5,000'. This doesn't necessary mean you will be offered £2,000 interest-free.

How long is the cash interest-free? Again, it depends on the account, but borrowing via a 0% overdraft is definitely not a long-term borrowing solution. Unless you are a student, the majority of current accounts will only let you have an interest-free overdraft for the first year.

After this, you'll be charged substantial interest on your remaining negative balance (or in some cases a fixed daily fee) so you need to make sure you've paid off your debt within the 0% period.

What to watch out for: It's very important you don't exceed your 0% overdraft limit. Doing so will push you into an 'unauthorised' overdraft - on which you'll be charged horrendous rates of interest (typically 20-30% APR)

2. A 0% on purchases credit card

The other main way of getting a totally 'free' loan is to take out a credit card that offers 0% interest on all new purchases.

How much can I borrow? A credit card will normally indicate what its maximum credit limit is before you apply. However, the credit limit you're offered might be much lower, and (like an overdraft) will depend on your personal financial circumstances.

How long is the cash interest-free? This depends on the credit card. At the moment, the market-leader is the Tesco Personal Finance Clubcard Mastercard, which offers 0% interest on new purchases for a whopping 15 months.

So again, as you can only borrow interest-free for 15 months, it's not a long-term borrowing solution.

What to watch out for: When your 0% deal ends, you'll be charged a very high level of interest on your remaining balance (typically 15-20+% APR) - so it's crucial you clear your balance before this happens.

If you do still have a balance remaining when your 0% deal ends, you could try to take out 0% balance transfer card and shift their debts across to it.

However, this is a very risky strategy. We all know how much lenders have tightened up on giving credit, and there's no guarantee you'll be one of the lucky ones!

You also need to make absolutely sure you make the minimum repayments every month (more if you can afford it). If you're late or default on a payment, you may well be fined, and your 0% deal is likely to be whipped away from you.

[Useful: Compare 0% purchase credit cards - Halifax / BarclayCard / Capital One Transfer Card]

3. A 0% on balance transfers credit card

If you're already paying interest on a debt, you could turn it into an interest-free loan by shifting it onto a card offering 0% on balance transfers.

How much can I borrow? As with a 0% purchase card, a 0% balance transfer credit card will normally indicate what its maximum credit limit is before you apply. However, the credit limit you're offered will depend largely on your credit rating and salary.

How long is the cash interest-free? Again, this depends on which card you choose. At the moment, the longest balance transfer deal is on offer from Barclaycard. It lasts for 22 months (with a 2.9% transfer fee).

What to watch out for: While you'll temporarily eliminate interest payments on your debt, this is not totally free money: The vast majority of balance transfer credit cards charge transfer fees (typically 2-3% of the total debt) to move your money onto them.

If you don't manage to clear your debt during the 0% period, you'll be saddled with big interest charges. Rates will typically be between 15-20% APR - but there are plenty of horror stories about people being charged 30% APR or even more!

And again, make absolutely sure you make (at the very least) the minimum payments every single month. Otherwise, you could end up with a fine and a hefty rate of interest on that large balance!

[Useful: Compare 22 month Balance transfer / 0% balance transfer cards- Barclaycard / Halifax]

A longer-term, low-rate solution

As you can see, all these are relatively short-term borrowing solutions. If you need a low-interest loan lasting much longer than a year, a long-term, low rate credit card might be a better solution for you.

For example, the Barclaycard Simplicity card offers a low rate of 7.9% APR (variable) on both purchases and balance transfers for the lifetime of your debt. And no transfer fees apply.

Good luck!

More from fasano.co.uk

This email advertisement has been sent to you by a Barclaycard affiliate.

Ideal for people new to credit with no (or limited) credit history

You should only apply if...
1.	You earn a minimum of £10,000 a year
2.	You are on the electoral roll at your current address
3.	You do not have any CCJs or IVAs in the last five years
4.	You are NOT an existing Barclays customer

Manageable credit limits starting from £250

Not recommended if previously missed three payments in a row

29.9% APR Representative (variable)

This email advertisement has been sent to you by a Barclaycard affiliate.

Millions missing out on cheaper mobile phone deals, says Which?

2011-12-02T00:00:00.000Z

Keep it Simple and Short with Fasano UK

Survey reveals almost 20 million UK adults have never switched mobile phone provider – and it may have cost them cash

Nearly 45% of adults who own a mobile have never switched provider, says Which?

Fasano UK, Top Rated Independent Financial Advisers

Almost 20 million Britons have never switched mobile phone provider and could be missing out on significant savings as a result, according to Which? Mobile. In a survey it also found that 5.3 million people said they spent less since switching mobile provider.

The organisation questioned 8,001 members of the public about their experiences when they switched provider. It found those who have been put off switching because they anticipate a lengthy and difficult process should think again, with nine out of 10 consumers finding it easy.

It said 44% of adults who own mobile phones have never switched provider, equating to about 20 million people, while 48% of adults who have switched in the past two years (about 6 million people) said they had spent less than they did with their previous provider.

Tom McLennan from Which? Mobile said: "If you have been with the same mobile provider for years, the chances are you could find a better deal elsewhere. With so many tariffs out there it pays to shop around, either through a comparison site or by checking out what different networks have to offer."

A quarter (26%) of those who switched provider did so for a more competitive tariff, Which? said, with only 16% switching for a better handset and 14% seeking a provider that offered improved coverage and reception.

Which? Mobile also found that for pay monthly customers phone features are the most important factor when choosing a new handset, with recommendations from retailers or providers of little significance. For pay-as-you-go customers the cost of the handset is the deciding factor.

The organisation also said a "surprising" statistic was that nine out of 10 people still go to a mobile phone store to choose a new phone rather than using online comparison sites – despite Which? also finding that most mobile salespeople push phone insurance – something it regularly flags as a waste of money because consumers' handsets are (or can be) covered by their home insurance.

Indeed, mobile phone insurance featured in Which?'s top 10 useless financial products last year.

In a previous survey on mobile phones, Which? said Asda Mobile and Tesco Mobile came top among pay-as-you-go providers, while the best contract and sim-only provider for customer service was Tesco, followed by O2.

For more articles like this register at www.Fasano.co.uk Today. - Financial Experts

Banks misleads customers

2011-12-01T00:00:00.000Z

Keep it Short and Simple with Fasano UK

Watchdog Sting Shows Banks 'Give Bad Advice'

Fasano UK, Independent Top Rated Financial Advisors

High street banks are offering poor investment advice and recommending inappropriate financial products to consumers, according to an undercover investigation.

The consumer watchdog Which? sent nine researchers - all aged above 60 and posing as retired savers inexperienced at investing - to get financial advice at bank and building society branches across the UK.

The study found that 32 out of 37 advisers made misleading statements about available investment products and appeared not to have a good understanding of the financial risks involved.

Many of the bank employees recommended complicated financial products, with hefty fees to pull money out in the short term, which are considered inappropriate for the average investor near retirement age.

Even though financial institutions earn commission on the products they recommend, nearly half of the advisers said there was no cost for their advice.

One of the undercover researchers was told by an employee at Yorkshire Bank, a subsidiary of Clydesdale Bank, to invest £50,000 in a bond without disclosing that this would net the bank £4,400 in commission.

Almost half also failed to mention the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), and many made mistakes about the level of protection available.

The FSCS is an independent fund which guarantees UK bank and building society deposits up to £85,000 per institution, but the upper limit for cover on investments is £50,000, a distinction that one Santander (Madrid: SAN.MC - news) adviser did not know.

Despite the failure of numerous banks in recent years, a financial adviser at NatWest even said: "Let's face it, the major banks aren't going to go under, " while handing the researcher a leaflet about the FSCS but adding: "You don't have to read this".

Earlier in the year, two of Britain's biggest banks, Barclays (LSE: BARC.L - news) and RBS (LSE: RBS.L - news) , were reprimanded for mis-selling financial products.

Meanwhile, the same study also tested six independent financial advisors, not tied to a high street bank, and found their performance much more reassuring.

Four out of the six carried out thorough research and took into account the investor's attitude to risk before recommending products, and disclosed commission arrangements and fully explained costs, risks and compensation.

The charity's executive director Richard Lloyd said: "It's shocking to see such low standards.

"It's also disappointing to see that things haven't improved in the past year, despite two high street banks being fined for advice failings and poor complaints handling."

Which? said it would urge the Financial Services Authority (FSA), to investigate the issue further as well as talking to the institutions themselves.

The industry regulator already plans to enforce its Retail Distribution Review at the end of 2012, which will require financial advisers to disclose commission and any associations with specific firms.

UK Most Popular Current Accounts:

Lloyds TSB Classic Bank Account

Halifax Bank Current Account

Santander UK Everyday Account

No Credit Check Current Account - 100% Approval

CardOneBanking

CashPlus Mastercard

Secure Trust Bank

Sign Up to receive FREE weekly financial tips and Updates. Visit www.FASANO.co.uk ToDay!

AA credit card gives you cashback on petrol

2011-11-30T00:00:00.000Z

Keep It Short and Simple with Fasano UK

In the latest Wealth Workout we look at how the newest cashback credit card measures up.

Fasano UK, Top Rated Financial Experts

Petrol prices have increased by 20p a litre in the last year alone so wouldn't it be nice if someone gave you cash back on essential fuel bills? Now the AA is doing just that with its new AA Reward Plus credit card.

Previously only for AA customers, the breakdown company is now letting anyone apply for its rewards card, which gives you 3pc cashback on fuel spending.

We look at how it stacks up against other cashback cards.

= AA offers rewards to all =

The AA Reward Plus credit card offers 3pc cashback on fuel purchases and 0.5pc cashback on all other spending but, until this week, was available only to AA members.

Now the AA Visa card is open to all, offering consumers the chance to earn cashback as they spend.

The card also charges no annual fee unlike reward cards from Santander (Madrid: SAN.MC - news) and American Express (EUREX: AXPF.EX - news) .

The AA card has a lower interest rate of 19.9pc, compared with Santander's 22.8pc.

For more information or to apply, go to www.theaa.com .

Verdict Last month, Santander released the 123 reward card, offering 3pc cashback on fuel, 2pc on department store spending and 1pc on supermarkets.

The AA claims that its card offers a better deal as although it offers only 0.5pc cashback on non-fuel spending, it offers this on big-ticket items such as holidays. If you do all your spending in the three destinations chosen by Santander, that is the better card; otherwise, the AA wins.

= Winning web saver =

The Derbyshire Building Society has launched a new online savings account that offers the market-leading easy-access rate.

The Net Save account pays 3.16pc and allows unlimited penalty-free access to your cash. This rate includes a bonus of 2.16 percentage points until the end of January 2012.

For more information and to apply, go to www.thederbyshire.co.uk .

Verdict This is the best paying easy-access saver on the market but it does require a steep initial deposit of £1,000. If you can't afford to stump up the initial cash, instead opt for Saffron Building Society's easy-access account, which pays just 0.1 of a percentage point less at 3.15pc and requires an initial investment of only £10.

= United (Toronto: UNC.TO - news) we fall =

United National Bank has cut the rate on a selection of its fixed-rate bonds by 0.25pc. The three-year bond now pays 4pc a year, and, although the bank has cut the rate, it is still the highest paid on the market.

For more information, go to www.unbankltd.com/branch-locator .

Verdict Louise Holmes of Moneyfacts said the bond was still table-topping. "United National Bank is offering a new market-leading rate of 4pc," she said. "Savers must be committed to locking their money in for the duration of the term, as early access is not allowed."

Helpful Links:

Sign up to receive FREE weekly updates on Financial Tips. Visit www.FASANO.co.uk Today

Four things you need to know about shopping online

2011-11-27T00:00:00.000Z

Keep short and Simple with Fasano UK

When dealing with virtual sellers, know the law before flexing your plastic.

Fasano, Top Rated Financial Experts

Buying on the web has opened up a world of convenience and choice but, if you like to snap up bargains online, you should be aware of the pitfalls. What happens if something doesn't live up to its onscreen expectations? What if something's faulty? What can you do if you had a temporary lapse of judgement?

Here are four things you should know before shopping online:

1. It matters who the seller is

The first thing to be aware of is who you're buying from. If it's a private seller (ie not a business) you have very few rights. This is the case if you buy from other consumers on sites like eBay - legally, when making these purchases, the principle of 'let the buyer beware' applies.

So if you purchase something that's shoddy or doesn't fit or is just a mistake, it's too bad. You can't just change your mind and legally, the seller is under no obligation to guarantee their goods are of 'satisfactory quality'. This phrase covers a multitude of sins ranging from an item's appearance, how long it lasts and any defects it may have. It even covers whether something is fit for its advertised purpose.

Let's say you buy a camping chair from a private seller on eBay and it collapses as soon as you sit on it. Sadly there's nothing you can do except get up off the ground.

2. It should be a legal transaction

All is not lost if you buy from Jo Bloggs. The seller still has to guarantee that he/she is the legal owner of the goods and has the right to sell them. This would offer some protection if you inadvertently buy stolen goods, although tracking down a rogue seller could be problematic.

3. The goods should meet the description

Whoever you buy from, you get the security of knowing goods have to meet the description the seller gives them. This is particularly handy if there is an exaggerated inaccurate portrayal of an item and you can't inspect it before committing yourself. So if the collapsing chair is specifically described as 'durable camping chair excellent quality', you would then be entitled to get your money back.

4. It's better to buy from an online shop

You have many more rights if you buy from an online shop or business, rather than a private seller. Whatever a website states about refunds and returns, subject to a few exceptions, you have the right to a cooling off period under the Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000 when you buy from an online retailer.

This cooling off period allows you to change your mind from the minute you make your order until seven working days after receipt of the goods. This period can be longer if a retailer hasn't sent you all the necessary information but it's best to get on with cancelling sooner rather than later to avoid any argument. Normally you have to cancel in writing.

This right to cancel applies regardless of your reason so if you find lime green doesn't quite match your skin tone when sober, you can still send the item back. Sometimes retailers extend the period in which you can change your mind but they don't have to.

Be careful if you buy music, DVDs or computer software — if you open the sealing you will lose your right to cancel. Other exceptions to your cancellation right include the purchase of fresh food and drink, newspapers and magazines, financial products or goods that are made to order.

So there's a happy ending?

Well, sort of. You've come to your senses, cancelled your purchase but then you find the cost of sending your item back is going to put you back more than it cost. Some generous traders will pay for your return delivery but there is no legal duty for them to do this unless an item is faulty, not what you ordered or a substitute item. They just have to refund the goods.

So the moral is — check the risk of incurring extra costs before clicking 'purchase' and work out whether any cost involved in sending something back is worth the saving you might have made by buying online.

Having said that, shopping on the web can offer substantial savings and saves you time and travel costs. Armed with the right knowledge, the internet is often the best place to shop.

Sign up to receive our weekly FREE newsletter - Visit www.fasano.co.uk Today

Text Payday Loans – All About Payday Loans By Text

2011-11-25T00:00:00.000Z

Fasano.co.uk Financial Experts

Text Payday Loans – All About Payday Loans By Text

Keep it short and simple with Fasano.co.uk

Text payday loans are becoming more and more popular every day and many people are looking for the fast and easy ways to borrow money via payday loans by text.

Payday text loans are increasing in popularity because it’s so easy to borrow money when and where you need it. These text payday loans are easy because once approved you don’t need access to a computer to borrow the money, you just need to send a text and you can get the cash in your bank within as little as 15 minutes (depending on your txt payday loans lender).

Payday Loans By Text Lenders

There aren’t many direct text payday loan lenders on the marketing (we could find only two that aren’t brokers!) but thankfully what we have found give people the flexibility of borrowing and paying back when they choose and they get a better rate the sooner they agree to repay the text payday loan. We found a company called TxtLoan are here is the things you need to know.

Related Services:

Financial Experts Web Site

How Cut the cost of Christmas

2011-11-24T13:00:00.000Z

Keep it short and Simple with Fasano UK

With just 1 month until Christmas, the countdown is officially on. Consumers will spend more than £540 on gifts but with many household budgets pushed to the brink, here are five ways to grab a bargain.

Fasano UK, Top Rated Financial Experts

1. Buy early online

Figures out from the Office for National Statistics show that British shoppers are now spending £1 in every £10 online, so make the most of flash-sale websites, such as Achica.com and Brandalley.co.uk , and save up to 80 per cent off on brand names such as Cath Kidston, Le Creuset and Jimmy Choo. Sales last a limited time and are available to members only but it costs nothing to join. Delivery can take up to four weeks, but many shoppers will think the low prices are worth the wait so start shopping now.

Also visit BuyaPowa.com, a collective-buying site. The more people who buy, the more you save. Sales this month have included up to 60 per cent off brands such as Chanel, and Green & Black's.

2. Get paid to shop

Cashback sites pay a percentage of the value of your shopping back to you. Websites, such as Quidco.com and Topcashback.com , list retailers that pay commission when shoppers click through to them. In turn, the website rebates some commission to the consumer. On Quidco.com, this week you can earn 5 per cent at the Early Learning Centre and 10 per cent at Achica.com.

3. Cash in on your loyalty

If you regularly use one supermarket, you probably already have a loyalty card that gives you points to spend on your purchases. If you spend these points on groceries, stop now as there are ways to get more from your points. Tesco's Clubcard points, for instance, are worth three to four times more if you use them to get Clubcard Deals (www.tesco.com/clubcard/deals), which could be perfect for Christmas presents.

For just £15 worth of vouchers, you could buy a year's worth of English Heritage membership, while £16 worth of vouchers would buy you an annual subscription to magazines such as Rugby World or Harper's Bazaar .

4. Book travel early

You can make great savings on travel costs by booking train tickets in advance. Travel operators bump up the cost of tickets over the holidays, so the key to finding a bargain is to buy them early, and to be flexible about your travel dates and route.

Train companies also offer deals to entice leisure travellers on to emptier trains. These can be found on www.bestvaluefares.co.uk , or thetrainline.com . However, bear in mind that many discount train sites charge booking fees of up to £2, plus credit-card charges, so it may be worth shopping around.

5. Earn while you spend

Two out of three credit- card holders pay off their monthly bills in full. If this sounds like you, then a cashback credit card will cut the cost of your holiday shopping. Check out the Santander 123 cashback credit card, where shoppers will earn 1 per cent cashback when they shop at supermarkets, 2 per cent on department-store spending and 3 per cent on petrol, although this is capped at £9 a month. Cashback is paid monthly, but be aware that this card comes with an annual fee of £24.

Tesco's Clubcard credit card allows you to collect one point for every £4 you spend anywhere or an additional two points for every £1 while if you use it at Tesco, either in store, online or at the petrol station. At the end of each quarter, you will receive a Clubcard voucher.

[Helpful Link: Tesco Clubcard Credit Card]

Popular searches:

Keep it Short and Simple with Fasano Uk Financial Experts - Sign up to receive FREE weekly newsletters.Visit www.fasano.co.uk ToDay.

This advertisement was sent to you by an independent marketing company, not by Bank of Scotland.

	The Bank of Scotland All-in-One credit card offers 0% interest for 12 months on both balance transfers and new purchases. Why not apply today?

	0% for the first 12 months on balance transfers (3% fee)
	0% for the first 12 months on purchases made with your card
	Bank of Scotland MasterCard offers including fantastic deals and discounts on travel entertainment and shopping

This advertisement was sent to you by an independent marketing company, not by Bank of Scotland.

Who should get the loyalty-card points when you divorce?

2011-11-23T00:00:00.000Z

Keep it Short and Simple with Fasano UK Financial Experts

They're a big point of dispute during a marriage breakup. What's the best solution?

Fasano UK Financial Experts

Somebody has to get custody of the Nectar card: but who?

According to family law firm Pannone, the equitable division of supermarket loyalty points is increasingly becoming a bone of contention in divorce proceedings, even delaying settlements in some cases. Obviously times are tough, but some simple guidelines will help prevent unnecessary acrimony.

• Agree to split all points equally in order to buy each other an ironic, mildly hurtful leaving present from Argos.

• While still married, redeem points regularly. Buying £10,000 worth of food – that's £200 a week for a year – would leave you with Nectar points with a value of about £100. If you're fighting over more than that, it's your own fault.

• At time of split, use any unredeemed points to buy booze and sad films. Divide according to taste.

* Until the dispute is formally settled, all newly accrued Clubcard points must be donated to the person behind you at the till.

* Redeem points at Amazon to purchase books. Fight over books instead.

• Exhaust remaining points getting a discount on a family ticket to Legoland. Soften the blow of divorce by explaining to children that Mummy and Daddy won't be living together any longer while waiting in the queue for the Wave Surfer.

• Before remarrying, consider signing a prenuptial loyalty card agreement, whereby you each agree to get a card of your own. Celebrate engagement with a £25 voucher for dinner at Bella Italia (not to be used in conjunction with any other offer).

Have you ever taken out PPI/Loan Insurance?

2011-11-20T23:00:00.000Z

Fasano UK, Financial Experts

Have you ever taken out PPI/Loan Insurance?

You could be owed £££s in compensation

Apply now - claim in 30 seconds

Have you ever had a loan from: Halifax, Northern Rock, Abbey, Alliance & Leicester, Barclays, HSBC, Lloyds, NatWest/RBS or any other high street lender?

If so then you could be owed up to £3000 in compensation. It's not the loan that's the problem but the insurance they sold with it. Often called Payment Protection Insurance (PPI) The Office of Fair Trading has recently published a report stating that nearly 70% of PPI was mis sold.

Portal Claims LLP, as recently featured in The Independent, is the country's leading financial claims specialist. We can help:

• Easily identify if you're owed money

• Make a claim even if it's against a high street bank

• Minimise paperwork

• Make sure the banks treat you fairly

• Negotiate your settlement to maximise your claim

• We work on a no-win no-fee basis, so you pay nothing unless we perform!

The average claim is over £3000. But time limits apply. Don't lose out, claim now. No Win No Fee.

We carefully select the top 3 UK PPI advice companies!

Why it can take 22 years to pay off your credit card

2011-11-20T08:23:00.001Z

Fasano, UK Financial Experts

David Cameron this afternoon said households were paying off their personal debts to help Britain recover from what is "no normal recession", but for those who opt for the minimum repayment, it could be 2033 before they clear their balances.

The Prime Minister told delegates at the Conservative Party conference today that the country has been suffering from a debt crisis and "that's why households are paying down their credit card and store card bills".

It certainly makes sense to pay down your debts if you are in a position to do so. Figures from Moneynet.co.uk has revealed that should consumers with a credit card balance of £2,000, who repay just the bare minimum amount each month, will take 22 years to clear the balance of just £2,000 paying an extra £2,275 in interest in doing so.

If a borrower with a £2,000 debt makes monthly repayments of £50 it will still take in four year and 11 months to pay down the debt, at an interest cost of £939.

It would take 28 years and three months to repay a £5,000 card debt repaying the minimum each month. You would pay £5,912 in interest.

According to figures from the Bank of England, consumers have racked up a £57bn bill from credit cards but increased competition in the market will give many borrowers time.

A balance transfer war has broken out and some card providers all people to transfer existing debts and pay 0pc for up to 22 months, subject to a small handling fee. Once this period is up you need to repay the debt or transfer it again otherwise you risk paying a high interest rate.

Michelle Slade at Moneyfacts said that assuming you can pay the debt off within the introductory period, moving the debt to a interest-free balance transfer card is a useful option. "If customers do this then they have to be disciplined and repay as much as possible each month. If they don't, then the interest could soon start stacking up again one the introductory deal ends."

The best long-term interest-free deals come from Barclaycard Platinum, which charges 0pc for 22 months with a 2.90pc balance transfer fee. Similarly, Halifax's BT MasterCard, is also interest free for 22 months, but charges a 3.5pc fee on transfers while Virgin Money has an interest free period of 20 months and charges a fee of 2.99.

Personal loans are also a good method for debt consolidation as they offer a structured repayment plan. With this option, borrowers know exactly what they will have to repay each month and when they will be debt free assuming they do not take out further borrowing.

Since the start of the year the personal loan market has been highly competitive, particularly on the £7,500 to £15,000 tier. The increased competitiveness has seen rates on some tiers tumble back to the levels saw before the credit crisis.

Depending on the size of your loan, rates may vary. If you are looking for a loan of £2,50, the best rate comes from the Post Office and charges 14.9pc. Sainsbury (LSE: SBRY.L - news) 's Finance charges 7.9pc for a loan of £5,000 while HSBC (LSE: HSBA.L - news) , Marks & Spencer Money and Nationwide Building Society all charge 6.4pc APR for a £10,000 advance.

Andrew Hagger, spokesman from Moneynet.co.uk, highlighted that those who go down this route should ensure they close down the credit card accounts that are being repaid with the new loan otherwise if you start spending on them again and fall further into debt.

However, Michelle Slade of Moneyfacts.co.uk, pointed out that lenders are very strict on to whom they will offer a personal loan and those without a good credit record are unlikely to be accepted.(Find Out More)

She (SNP: ^SHEY - news) said: "Lenders will look at how much existing debt someone has and may not offer a loan if its is already too high. A debt consolidation loan is only likely to be offered to someone with a small amount of debt, who has not had any previous repayment problems. Anyone else is likely to be declined by traditional lenders."

Helpful Links:

Ask an Expert - FREE Advice
Find out how to restructure your debt today!
Barclaycard - 0% interest on balance transfers for 22 months from account opening (3.2% handling fee applies)
Yes Unsecured Loans - All applications considered
Fasano UK, Financial Experts Website
30 Days Free CREDIT CHECK Trial

Can you avoid paying VAT?

2011-11-19T19:39:00.001Z

Fasano, The UK Financial Experts

If you only pay VAT on luxuries, then surely it should be easy to avoid paying it?

If you need to economise in a hurry then you'll probably decide to ditch the luxuries first.

But the line between luxury and necessity is getting blurred: I think that my mobile phone is a necessity but my mother made it 60-odd years without one. I wouldn't want to picture life without a home internet connection, but plenty of people access the web at their local library, or even go without.

So I needed some independent way of separating luxuries from necessities. I decided that if Value Added Tax (VAT) is a levy on luxuries then it must a good place to start. How long could I make it without paying VAT?

What's exempt?

There are several VAT positions — standard rate of 20%, a reduced rate of 5%, zero-rated goods and things that are exempt.

It's not immediately obvious what qualifies for a VAT exemption or the 0% rate. The only stories that tend to make it into the press are the ridiculous, like Jaffa Cakes fighting to be exempt (VAT is charged on chocolate-covered biscuits but not chocolate-covered cakes; McVities successfully argued that Jaffa Cakes are cakes).

The HM Revenue & Customs website gives you a pretty thorough breakdown: You don't pay VAT on most food items; books, newspapers and magazines; children's clothes; and some goods provided in special circumstances - for example, some specialist equipment for disabled people. You also don't pay VAT when you buy donated goods in charity shops.

I took some comfort from the fact that you don't pay VAT on burial and cremation services. Death and taxes might be the only certainties in life, but at least you get a bit of a tax break when you do shuffle off.

The VAT-free challenge

OK, I failed. Even if you ignore heating my home, for which we're all charged a reduced rate of 5%, I didn't manage two days, let alone the week I had aimed for.

It started off quite well: I had to go and kit my baby out for the colder weather — no VAT to pay on his new coat and hat. I wanted to pick up his Christmas present while I was there — but the Grinch, I mean, tax man, charges standard rate VAT on toys.

Then I headed to the supermarket for the big weekly shop. This was far trickier. Baby supplies and most foods are zero rated, but I had to avoid any booze, sweets, crisps, ice cream or soft drinks. I started to worry that this penny pinching challenge was going to upset my husband again.

But I managed to buy a treat and avoid VAT by choosing tortilla chips instead of potato crisps. For some reason, they are zero-rated.

I bought a takeaway lunch in the supermarket café so I could feed my baby in the car, and nearly slipped up again. The jacket potato with cheese was subject to standard rate VAT because it was hot, while a cheese baguette wasn't because it was cold. It's hard to see how the spud is more of a luxury.

Rather bizarrely, if I'd wanted to buy a lottery ticket as I left the shop then that too would have been exempt from VAT.

How I failed

Even on the first day, going VAT-free started to feel a bit like my minimum wage challenge. I wasn't missing just a few essentials; I had to avoid spending pretty much anything in order to avoid the tax.

The final straw was when it cost more to avoid VAT than to pay it. I needed to fill up my car in order to visit my mother, two hours away. I could have taken the train, as you're not charged VAT on public transport.

But the train costs £10 more than my petrol does and spending more in order to avoid VAT didn't feel like penny pinching to me.

I refuelled my car and paid the standard rate of VAT on the total cost, including the fuel duty. My great VAT-free experiment had ground to a halt.

An everything tax

Perhaps one reason that I struggled so much with this challenge is that it just isn't possible to avoid VAT all the time — it's charged on too many items and services that many people simply need.

Despite widespread belief that VAT is a tax on luxuries, I can't find anything on the Direct.gov or HMRC websites that agree. They both state that VAT is levied against 'most goods and services', and clearly there are plenty of essentials, like adult clothing, that get taxed this way.

In fact, by the end of my two-day stint, I agreed wholeheartedly with a recent article on this site. VAT really is the stupidest tax in the UK and penny pinchers are best off prioritising their own luxuries and necessities.

If you have a money-saving scheme you'd like to see tried out then let us know in the comment box below.

Six credit card danger signs

2011-11-19T18:30:00.001Z

60 Sec OnLine Response-Apply Here

Have you been reaching for your credit card more and more lately? Check out these warning signs you could be heading for trouble.

Large numbers of Britons rely on their credit cards for day-to-day money management. According to research from debt charity Credit Action, there are £1.3 billion worth of credit and debit card transactions every day.

That's not necessarily a bad thing, though. If you're shrewd with your spending, possible credit card benefits include hundreds of pounds in cashback and 22 months interest free on balance transfers or being able to spread the cost of big purchases over more than a year, interest free.

But despite the benefits, many borrowers fall into credit traps and spend years saddled with a large debt. If you recognise these six warning signs, it could be time to take an honest look at your credit card spending.

1. Getting rejected for credit

An unsuccessful credit card application could signal you already have an unmanageable level of debt or there are a few blemishes on your credit file.

Bear in mind, any application (successful or not) leaves a footprint on your file, which will lower your score still further.

If you're declined, you might want to get hold of your credit report to see exactly what you're dealing with.

[Helpful: Build your Credit with a Vanquis Bank Card]

2. Withdrawing cash on your credit card

Most credit card companies charge a much higher interest rate for cash withdrawals than other purchases.

The interest on cash withdrawals is typically in excess of 25% and these transactions may start attracting interest as soon as the money leaves your account.

With other credit card transactions, you normally receive an interest-free grace period until your next bill due date.

3. Using your card in the corner shop

Relying on your credit card to cover the cost of day-to-day spending could be an early warning sign of serious financial difficulty.

If you're living on the edge of your credit limit, you may find it difficult to cope with an unforeseen expense, such as a car repair or broken boiler.

There is, however, one possible exception to this rule. If you're using a credit card to collect rewards points and are planning to clear the balance in full each month, you might want to put as much as your spending on your card as possible.

[Useful: Capital One Credit Card - Get control over your finances with our Low-limit, easy-to-manage credit card]

4. Making minimum monthly repayments

If you find yourself regularly making the minimum monthly repayments on your balance, it could take years — or even decades — to clear your debts.

Imagine you have a credit card debt of £1,000 and are paying an interest rate of 18%. If you were making minimum repayments of 2.5%, it could take more than 16 years to clear.

In the above scenario, the interest would be more than £1,000 — as much as the original debt.

5. Believing ignorance is bliss

As well as keeping tabs on your spending, scrutinising your credit card statements could make you aware of any suspect purchases and possible credit card fraud.

Keeping up to date with the correspondence from your credit card company could also alert you to a practice known as 'rate jacking'. With this, credit card companies increase the interest rates for existing card holders.

Although it's possible to reject the higher rate, you won't be able to do so without opening you statements.

6. Paying bills on your credit card

According to a study from housing charity Shelter at the start of this year, more than two million people have borrowed money on a credit card to pay their mortgage or rent.

With unemployment and inflation having both risen this year, it seems unlikely this number will have fallen.

Where to get help

Although some of us get into credit card trouble through frivolous spending, many people are relying on credit because their income can no longer cover their expenditure.

If this is the case, consider approaching free debt advice charities such as National Debtline, the Consumer Credit Counselling Service of the Citizens Advice Bureau.

Related Articles:

Free Credit Check Trial - Available for 30 Days
Ask an Expert - Absolutely Free
Go Cheap Loans - Find you a Lender without damaging the credit rating
Debt Management Programme - For Debts Less than £14.999
Individual Voluntary Agreement Programme - For Debts over £15K
Great Investments options with Governor Finance

Popular Credit cards:

Capital One Classic Credit Card
Barclaycard Initial Credit Card
Halifax ALL in One credit card

Brits continue to pile on Debt - Help and Advice Available Here

2011-11-17T22:18:00.001Z

Free Advice Available Here

Britons have taken on the highest levels of debt since the height of the recession in May 2009 as they struggle to fund the rising cost of living, official figures have found.

Households have amassed £208.6 billion of outstanding debts in credit cards, bank overdrafts and other loans, equivalent to £9,070 for every household in the country.

In the past year household debts - excluding mortgages - have risen by over £5 billion, the biggest annual increase since the recession, the Bank said.

In the last month alone, Britons have increased their debts by £629 million.

Economists said that the figures show that people are having to borrow money simply to fund their day-to-day living in the face of rising inflation.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist at Global Insight, said that instances of “stressed borrowing” by consumers are on the rise.

Inflation is running at over 5 per cent and wages are largely stagnant, meaning that people’s money is not stretching as far. The average family’s spending power has fallen by £730 over the last year because of rising petrol, energy and food prices, according to recent research by supermarket Asda (NYSE: WMT - news) .

Mr Archer said: “The rise in unsecured consumer credit suggests increased ‘stressed borrowing’ is occurring, with more people having to borrow to help finance their spending.

“This is a consequence of the extended squeeze on their purchasing power coming from elevated inflation, low wage growth and tighter fiscal policy. In addition, job losses are rising.”

The Bank of England also said yesterday that mortgage approvals had fallen slightly in September, suggesting a cooling of the housing market since the summer. There were 50, 967 mortgage approvals in September, down from 52,347 in August.

Both figures are substantially below the average monthly level of 88,000 seen since 1993.

According to the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), total household debt in the UK including mortgages - will rise from £1.6 trillion in 2011 to £2.1 trillion in 2015. This means that by 2015, the average Briton will have debt equivalent to 175 per cent of their annual disposable income, up from 160 per cent today.

The poorest households in the UK are being hit by VAT far more than the richest households, according to new figures from the ONS.

Figures show that while the poorest fifth of households in the UK spend 10 per cent of their disposable income on VAT, the fifth richest households spend just 5.3 per cent.

The Government increased VAT from 17.5 per cent to 20 per cent in January in an effort to plug the UK’s budget deficit.

The poorest fifth of households now spend a higher proportion of their money on goods that attract VAT than they did in 1986, the ONS said.

David Breger of chartered accountants HW Fisher & Company said: “This reinforces what is widely perceived to be the fundamental inequality at the heart of VAT.”

For help and advice:

Money Expert Debt Management:

Offers a fast confidential debt management advice from one of its expert staff.

Why do customers use moneyexpert.com

No Obligation Service
Become debt FREE
Put an end to creditor letters & phone calls
Compare all your options
Freeze interest on your interest and charges
Select from an IVA to Debt Management Plan
Government approved schemes

Use Moneyexpert.com for Debt and IVA plans

2011-11-16T19:24:00.001Z

Amazon Discount Finder Find hidden 75%-off deals & more

New to the site? Quick message from Tobby:

All the latest deals, guides and loopholes go in Fasano Financial Expert's
free weekly email. Don't miss out - join the 6m who get it emailed!

www.FASANO.co.uk

This is a hidden rulebook for giant web store Amazon, with 13 top tricks to slash prices. This includes our Amazon Discounts Finder Tool, which instantly finds secret 75% off plus bargains, including DVDs, cameras, clothes, video games and more.

Plus track price reductions, grab free gift vouchers and escape delivery charges.

In this guide

Amazon Discount Finder
Your Top 10 Discount Pages
Track past Amazon prices
Check delivery's free
Free charity cash/Nectar points
Related Articles/Discuss

Don't assume Amazon's cheapest
Take 20 secs to check elsewhere
The Amazon* business model is that it's a one-stop shop. Yet, however tempting it is to do all your shopping in one easy sweep, you can often undercut it.

In the same amount of time as it takes to search Amazon, you can use shopbots (shopping robots) that whiz to scores of internet retailers to find the cheapest price. Our Megashopbot.com tool auto-searches the best of these for each category.

The same rule applies if you're buying Amazon Marketplace gear, where external sellers supply new and second hand stuff. Always check if it's cheaper on eBay* or similar sites. See the Ebay Buying Secrets guide for more on this.
Find Amazon's secret bargain basement
Amazon often offers 90% and better reductions, yet it directs people to other areas, sending them to higher profit margin products instead.

There's a geeky way to manipulate Amazon's web links to display all heavily-reduced bargains. All you need do is fiddle with Amazon web addresses (URLs) to bring up lists of knock-down prices (see how to build your own links).

The problem is these are a faff to make yourself. So we've built the Amazon Hidden Discount Finder tool that creates your own bespoke super-specific sub-department pages in seconds, where you choose the discount and if you want free delivery.

Top tips for using the Amazon Hidden Discount Tool

The Amazon Hidden Discount Finder tool swiftly builds super-specific pages of Amazons hidden 75%+ OFF deals. When searching for treasure, don't just look at the first page of bargains, try a few. And don't assume just because its discounted it's a good buy.
Do be aware that, as tip four below explains, not all items have free delivery, so just do the search and tick the tool's ‘free supersaver delivery' box. Only items with free delivery will show, and Marketplace sellers where delivery isn't free, will be excluded from the search.

Do remember just because something is listed as a huge discountdoesn't actually make it a bargain (or worth buying).

Before you try the tool, here are some popular web addresses we made earlier:
Popular Hidden Amazon Discount Pages.


DVD & BluRay* 75% to 99% off	Accessories* 75% to 99% off	PS3 games* 75% to 99% off
Baby* 75% to 99% off	Books* 60% to 99% off	Photography* 80% to 99% off
Audio & TV* 70% to 99% off	Kitchen* 75% to 99% off	Clothing* 80% to 99% off
DIY* 80% to 99% off	Toys & games* 75% to 99% off	Shoes* 75% to 99% off
Digital cameras* 50% to 99% off	Jewellery* 75% to 99% off	Ink cartridges* 75% to 99% off
Handbags* 75% to 99% off	Ipod & MP3* 75% to 99% off	Sat Navs* 50% to 99% off
PC Software* 75% to 99% off	Appliances* 75% to 99% off	Wii Games* 75% to 99% off
Washing machines* 22% to 99% off	Freezers* 15% to 99% off	Fridges* 25% to 99% off

Track past Amazon prices
Our hidden discount finder's proved hugely popular, yet, as we've warned, just because Amazon lists it as reduced, doesn't make it cheap. Before you buy, plonk any item's Amazon URL (web link) into the site CamelCamelCamel and it charts the last six months' Amazon price changes, to show whether the 'was' price is realistic.
How it works
First find hidden discounts with our Amazon Hidden Discount Tool. Then just go to CamelCamelCamel and paste a specific product's Amazon URL in the search box. Click the boxes to remove different seller types or change the view to one or six months.
The results can be fascinating … (Prices correct on 13 June '11)
- Hottie: This Family Guy 1-9 DVD was £147 in May and is £49.97 at the time of writing.
  Nottie: This Call of Duty: Black Ops game's RRP's £54.99 and it's 'reduced' £28, yet it was £21.98 in April.
Try the Firefox plugin

There's also a nifty free Camelizer plugin for the Firefox web browser, which charts price changes while you visit Amazon.
Installing's simple: if you don't already have FireFox, go to mozilla.org and follow the prompts. Then go Camelizer and hit ‘download'. Follow the prompts and restart Firefox.
Go to an item's Amazon page and click the tiny camel in your browser's bottom right – the price chart should appear.
Monitor the perfect moment to buy
Amazon varies the goods' prices, and when they're cheap, they sell out quickly. A free site lets you enter your desired price, and emails when Amazon hits it.
Simply tell Zeezaw the max price you want to pay for Amazon items, and you receive e-mails when the price drops to that amount or lower. To do it:
- Step 1. Sign up for Zeezaw
  Sign up for a Zeezaw account.
- Step 2. Create a list
  Just go to 'create a new list' on Zeezaw and search for the items you want. Click to add them, setting a target price for each. Then just wait for the email alerts.
- Step 3. Check comparison sites
  When you get an alert, it's still worth checking the price on a shopping comparison site, because where Amazon prices go, others tend to follow. MSE's Megashopbot.com tool auto-searches the top comparison sites for each category.
Not everything has free delivery
These days Amazon* offers free delivery as standard. The free 'super saver' option usually takes three to five days, but not all goods qualify. Some items do have a delivery charge, especially goods sold by Amazon marketplace sellers, rather than Amazon itself.
Always check at the top of the page that it states ‘Your order qualifies for free delivery'. If it doesn't, you'll pay.
Don't 'pay more by default'
While Amazon lists free delivery on some products, you have to select the 'super saver' delivery box at the check out. If not, the default delivery option is expensive one to two days first-class.
Get next-day delivery free too
Every so often, Amazon* offers customers a free 30-day trial of its 'Prime' service, in the hope that they'll keep paying for it once the trial's over. The service gets you free 1-day delivery, rather than its slower free delivery. The beauty is you can sign up, order, then just cancel the trial before Amazon charges you.
This is especially useful if you time the trial to co-incide with Xmas shopping. If you're planning to get your granny/dad/partner/long-lost auntie's Christmas presents on Amazon, take the trial in Dec to get parcels delivered speedily. See the Free Amazon Prime Trial Instructions
Get £10 free Amazon credit
New Amazon credit card holders will instantly get a free £10 Amazon gift certificate when successfully apply.
Always pay off in full, or the 16.9% representative APR interest will dwarf the gain. See Credit Card Freebies for a full guide to this, the affect on your credit score and more freebies.
Earn Amazon vouchers with online surveys
If you're willing to give your views on topics like the Labour Party, lingerie or the latest moisturiser, you could earn Amazon and other gift vouchers by doing online surveys. All you have to do is put the hours in filling in surveys online. Dedicated survey do-ers earn £200ish a year from home.
Several survey sites pay you in Amazon vouchers. There's a full step-by-step guide to the top paying online survey & market research companies in the Earn from Survey Sites guide.

All hot Amazon bargains go in our free weekly emailEnsure you don't miss any new top guides, deals & loopholes. It's spam-free

Students, save 5%
Students are about the only lucky chaps who can get a voucher code for an instant discount. You need a current National Union of Students Extra card (£11) to get 5% off. Just register on the NUS website for a personal promotional code to paste into the gift voucher code box, every time you order on Amazon.
The discount works on the following departments only: books, music, DVDs, shoes, accessories, clothing, jewellery, watches and sports and leisure equipment. Your code should be valid for c.12 months.
Be an Amazon Associate and earn free cash
If you've a blog or website, set up a free account with Amazon Associates, a scheme where you earn Amazon vouchers for linking to the site.
Just follow the steps to add links and banners to your website. When someone clicks on Amazon from your site and makes a transaction, it's recorded and you're paid 5% commission (rising to 15% depending on how much you sell and what category it's in), which you get in the form of cash or an Amazon discount.
Amazon only pays out once your commission totals £25. Do note that any products bought by yourself will not count towards your commission; anything ordered for delivery to your home address or paid for on a credit card registered to your home address is excluded. There's nothing to stop your pals to clicking through though.
Use a cashback credit card
You can earn up to 5% every time you spend by using a cashback credit card, although always ensure you pay it off in full to avoid interest charges. For the current top payers, see the full Best Cashback Cards guide.
There's no conflict between using a cashback cards and clicking through from charities or Nectar (see below). This is because when you spend money, it's the cashback site, not the retailer giving some of it back, whomever it's spent with.
Earn charity funds or Nectar points
It's possible to give charities a boost at no extra cost to you. Simply click through to Amazon from a charity's special link, log-in and click on the product you want.
When you grab something, it's recorded and the charity is paid cash. The charity gets around 5% of your purchase – no small beer, especially as it costs you nothing.

Click through to Amazon from there BEFORE you put anything in your basket, otherwise the charities won't get the money. Charities that do this include: Voluntary Service Overseas, Royal National Institute of Blind People and Epilepsy Action.

If you work for a legit registered UK charity, add it to the Amazon Charity Clicks thread, so MoneySavers can help their favourite causes.

Earn Nectar points

Alternatively, set up a free account with Nectar, log-in and click on Amazon. When you buy something, it's recorded and normally you're paid 1 Nectar Point point for every £1 spent. Do click through from Nectar before you plonk stuff in the basket to ensure you get points.

If you spent £500 at Amazon, you'd have 500 Nectar points, which our Reward Checker values at a paltry £3 or £2.50 if spent in Sainsbury. Better than a jab in the eye, but considering a £500 purchase would net a charity a £25 donation, that option could be more worthwhile.

If you're wondering whether it's possible to use Cashback Sites with Amazon, the answer is usually no, none of them currently list it.

Join in the Forum Discussion:

Amazon Discount Finder

Spotted out of date info/broken links? Email: support@fasano.co.uk

You can enjoy so much more with the Ultimate Reward Current Account plus we'll give you a £5 reward payment each calendar month you pay in £1,000. Just a few of the benefits could more than pay for the account.

Applying for a Lloyds TSB Classic Current Account will entitle you to join the UK's most popular Current Account provider which offers you Free Easy Banking. Add vantage to your account to receive competitive, tiered interest rates so the bigger your balance the more you'll earn

Santander know that one size doesn't fit all when it comes to banking - that's why they have a range of bank accounts with something to suit everyone. If you're looking to earn a great rate of credit interest, an overdraft facility or an account with extra benefits, Santander have got the account for you. Plus, switching your current account to Santander couldn't be easier.

Intelligent Finance isaver gives you lots of great benefits, including: An online rate of 2.49% AER Manage your savings online 24 hours a day A simple product with no short term bonus or withdrawal restrictions Top up your savings whenever you want Start saving with as little as £1 If you are an existing offset mortgage customer, you can still offset your savings and mortgage.

The NatWest Select Current Account is a straightforward product which comes with all the standard current account features and no monthly fee. Accountholders can manage their funds via branch, post, telephone and online facilities and can apply for a chequebook (subject to availability). For more information on the NatWest Select Current Account or to apply online please click on the links below

Welcome to FirstSaverFirstSave offer secure, high quality financial products whilst maintaining a high level of customer service and satisfaction. The FirstSave One Year Bond offers a competitive rate of interest and provides a safe and secure home for your money whilst earning a great rate of interest. The account is open to both new and existing customers and can be opened with as little as £1'000.

Adviser Financial

We are a firm of financial advisers and have been advising clients on their Life Assurance for over 35 years. We provide whole of market advice and do not charge for our Life Assurance work. We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. We submit any applications on the insurance provider’s extranet whilst we are on the phone to the client. We then manage the process to make sure the process is stress free for the client. Products include:Life AssuranceLife Assurance with Critical IllnessMortgage Life AssuranceMortgage Life Assurance with Critical Illness

5 pricey things you can get for free

2011-11-16T19:12:00.001Z

fasano.co.uk financial experts

Free stuff is great, but only if it’s actually useful. Here are five of my favourite freebies…

Tip: Visit Fasano UK today

5 pricey things you can get for free

Our penny pincher gets fed up with a lot of the junk given away, so she's found five freebies of real value.

Just because something is free, it doesn't mean it's actually good. That's something many companies forget when they're loading up their customers with free keyrings or coasters, or pompoms with eyes and feet.

In fact, there's an astounding amount of junk given away under the guise of 'free gifts' and I get fed up with it. So I've found five freebies that have real value — and here they are:

1- Free insulation for your home

Most energy suppliers will offer customers free insulation if they're aged 70 or over, or receiving certain benefits. But British Gas and EDF Energy have gone one step further.

They're both offering free loft and cavity wall insulation to a limited number of customers. Applications need to be in by December 22 for British Gas and March 31 for EDF.

If your home doesn't have insulation already, the Energy Saving Trust estimates that this could save you an impressive £175 plus a year.

Not a bad something for nothing.

Value

Cavity wall and loft insulation will usually cost between £100 and £350 each, including installation. You can insulate your loft for much less yourself though.

What's the catch?

Not every home is suitable for this kind of insulation, so you have to have a free survey carried out by the company before it agrees on free installation.

Clearly these companies are hoping this will encourage new customers to sign up — and you'll have to switch before you find out if you can get the freebie. But most people can save money by switching, so compare prices to see if it's worth it anyway.

2- A free make-up lesson

One for the women — if you want a new look or some more sophisticated make-up tips, then it's very easy to bag a free lesson.

Head to any big pharmacy or department store and you'll be able to arrange a free make-up lesson at one of the cosmetic counters. Just explain that you want some tips and ask for a lesson.

Value

I phoned a few make-up artists for quotes and was told it would be around £60 for an hour of one-on-one tuition.

What's the catch?

Obviously the reason these make-up stands are willing to offer this kind of service is because they hope to sell you the make-up that they use. To them, it's effectively a sales pitch.

It's important to stay in control and not feel pressured into buying any products you don't want or think you could get cheaper online.

3- Free stuff

If you haven't discovered Freegle or Freecycle yet, then you're missing out. These local online communities bring together people who need to get rid of stuff and people who need it.

Rather than throw out things that could have value for someone else or filling up landfill unnecessarily, you can give it away through your local group. Similarly, you can request items you need and, if someone has it lying around, you might get it for nothing.

Value

Just because people are giving it away doesn't mean it's not valuable. One person I know received a legally-compliant gun cabinet, worth around £80. The owners had found it in their new house and couldn't be bothered to sell it.

What's the catch?

There's really no catch, this is just a wonderful community initiative. One tip though — don't make endless requests for stuff. Make sure you're passing items on occasionally too.

4- Free money!

Yes, I thought that one would get your attention… Banks have found that it's so difficult to persuade customers to switch current accounts that some now offer cash incentives to do so.

All you have to do is qualify for one of the accounts and use the bank's own switching service to turn it into your main account — i.e. the one your direct debits go through.

In order to qualify for this kind of premium account, you'll usually need to be moving a minimum amount of money into your account each month.

Value

Right now Santander and first direct are offering new customers £100 to switch to their main current accounts, while Halifax's Reward Current Account pays £5 each month, as long as you pay in at least £1,000.

What's the catch?

Banks are businesses and, very clearly, they would not be offering cash incentives like this if they didn't think they'd earn more money from you once you're a customer.

You need to make sure you're moving to an appropriate bank account, for example, most premium accounts like these charge a very high rate of interest.

Also, in order to get this perk, you have to move current accounts, something we Brits are very reluctant to do.

5- A free photo shoot

Most photographers don't make their money from the shoot; they make it by selling you expensive pictures afterwards.

That means that many companies — particularly the larger chains — offer free studio time and even free pictures. They want to have a chance of selling you other, more expensive pictures.

For example, the Master Photographers' Association offers new parents the chance to have their baby photographed as a newborn, a six-month old and a toddler, and gives them three free pictures.

But there are plenty of different studios offering freebies like this, just run a web search for your local area.

Value

The cost of having professional pictures taken varies massively — you could pay from £20 to thousands, depending on where you go. However, it's photography firms at the cheaper end offering freebies.

What's the catch?

The catch is that you have your shoot, you're given your freebie and then there are 40 other beautiful pictures that you desperately want, some costing upwards of £50.

If you're going to benefit from this kind of freebie, you need to be really firm with yourself about how much — if anything — you're willing to spend. Otherwise this isn't a way to pinch pennies, it's a way to spend hundreds of unnecessary pounds!

Related Articles

Halifax Bank

You can enjoy so much more with the Ultimate Reward Current Account plus we'll give you a £5 reward payment each calendar month you pay in £1,000. Just a few of the benefits could more than pay for the account.

Lloyds TSB Classic Current

Applying for a Lloyds TSB Classic Current Account will entitle you to join the UK's most popular Current Account provider which offers you Free Easy Banking. Add vantage to your account to receive competitive, tiered interest rates so the bigger your balance the more you'll earn.

Intelligent Finance isaver gives you lots of great benefits, including:

An online rate of 2.49% AER
Manage your savings online 24 hours a day
A simple product with no short term bonus or withdrawal restrictions
Top up your savings whenever you want
Start saving with as little as £1
If you are an existing offset mortgage customer, you can still offset your savings and mortgage.

NatWest Bank

The NatWest Select Current Account is a straightforward product which comes with all the standard current account features and no monthly fee. Accountholders can manage their funds via branch, post, telephone and online facilities and can apply for a chequebook (subject to availability). For more information on the NatWest Select Current Account or to apply online

Welcome to FirstSaver

FirstSave offer secure, high quality financial products whilst maintaining a high level of customer service and satisfaction. The FirstSave One Year Bond offers a competitive rate of interest and provides a safe and secure home for your money whilst earning a great rate of interest. The account is open to both new and existing customers and can be opened with as little as £1'000.

CardOneBanking

Make a fresh start with the cardONE banking accountThe card onebanking account is open to everyone and it's quick and easy to apply. If you're like so many people and find yourself constantly going overdrawn, then we can help.

NO CREDIT CHECKS

is a secure banking facility that's hassle free.
You won't be charged bounced payment fees or incur any overdraft fees.
We'll give you peace of mind that all your regular outgoings are taken care of by our Account Management Team.

What you'll get:

# Sortcode and account number
# Prepaid MasterCard® Card# Online account access

Adviser Financial

We are a firm of financial advisers and have been advising clients on their Life Assurance for over 35 years. We provide whole of market advice and do not charge for our Life Assurance work. We are authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. We submit any applications on the insurance provider’s extranet whilst we are on the phone to the client. We then manage the process to make sure the process is stress free for the client. Products include:Life AssuranceLife Assurance with Critical IllnessMortgage Life AssuranceMortgage Life Assurance with Critical Illness

Your First Step to Better Credit

2011-11-15T09:56:00.001Z

Your First Step to Better Credit

Dear Mr Sample

Now is a great time to apply for a Visa Card from Vanquis Bank. Over 1 MILLION people have already been helped. Vanquis could help you too. Apply online now >>

Simply complete the quick and easy online application form for an award winning Vanquis Bank Visa Card with all these great benefits.

Summary of Benefits For Mr A B Sample

You’ll start with a manageable Credit Limit from £150 up to £1,000
You could get a Credit Limit increase after your 4th statement*
And further Credit Limit increases every four months, up to £3,000*
A UK Customer Service call centre, giving you all the help and support you need
24/7 Fraud Watch giving you real peace of mind when you shop

Representative 39.9% APR (variable)

The Visa card from Vanquis Bank is a great way to build or rebuild your credit. We’ll work with you to help you manage your finances and give you the credit you deserve.

Simply apply online at www.vanquis.co.uk/apply

It’s a great opportunity. Apply today!

Yours Sincerely

Jane Farmer

*To be considered for a credit limit increase, please keep all your credit agreements in order by paying on time, making use of your existing credit limit without going over your limit, and not taking on too much debt elsewhere. This is only a guide and meeting these criteria does not guarantee you a credit limit increase.

Important: Credit is subject to: status; telephone contact; confirmation of name and address; not already holding a credit card or loan issued by Vanquis Bank; no reasonable suspicion of fraud, and is only available to UK residents who are at least 18 years of age and are not legally restricted from obtaining credit e.g. because of bankruptcy. Please read the Summary Box and Terms and Conditions for full financial details.

Vanquis Visa Card is issued by Vanquis Bank Limited. Vanquis Bank can be contacted at its registered office, which is at No. 1 Godwin Street, Bradford, West Yorkshire BD1 2SU. Registered number 02558509 England. Consumer Credit licence number 532364. VAT number 180555952. Vanquis Bank Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. © Vanquis Bank Limited 2010

This email was sent to you by an independent marketing company, not by Vanquis Bank

How to cut your phone bill

2011-11-10T00:00:00.000Z

Keep it Short and Simple with Fasano UK

How can you cut your landline telephone bill? Here are seven golden rules…

Fasano UK, Top Rated Independent Financial Experts

Unexpectedly high bills are the bane of the careful budgeter and the phone bill is often the biggest culprit. It's just too easy to get chatting and forget about the cost.

So I've been looking into ways to keep your phone bill as low as possible, without having to sacrifice call time. Here are my seven top tips.

1. Get the right package

What do you use your landline for? Do you call during the day, night, or both? Do you ring just a few numbers or loads? Mobiles or landlines? National or international?

Think seriously about what you use your phone for the most and then make sure your provider meets your needs. Different phone companies offer different packages but some will let you buy add-ons that bring down the cost of specific calls.

For example, you can buy unlimited free daytime calls, cheaper overseas minutes or free calls to a specific number of mobiles.

2. Say No to 0870

It's so frustrating to use 0845, 0870, 0871 and 0844 numbers because you have to pay a premium. It's especially frustrating if you're calling a company's customer services line and end up paying a fortune for the privilege.

But visiting the website Say No to 0870 can save you a packet and only takes a moment. It lists alternative geographical numbers for many of these premium phone lines, letting you make your call for much less — or even free if you have the right phone package.

Some landline providers charge as much as 10p a minute to call these numbers, although BT customers get 0870 and 0845 calls for free.

3. Ask for a callback

If you call your bank or a service provider to make a transaction or complaint, don't let them put you on hold. Instead, if the phone operator needs to speak to their supervisor or call another department, ask them to call you back when they're done.

Make sure you take their name before you hang up so they know that you can complain about them personally if they fail to return your call!

4. Keep your calls under an hour

Make sure you understand the restrictions on any free call package, or you could be caught out. For example, at least one phone company limits your free calls to 60 minutes a time - if you exceed that then you're charged for the entire call.

If your package has that restriction then make sure you keep an eye on the clock and hang up within 60 minutes. You can always call back again!

5. Use your free minutes

Do you use all your mobile's free minutes each month? According to a study by Billmonitor, 40% of mobile phone users don't use all the minutes they pay for.

On average they are only using around a quarter of those minutes. If that sounds like you then make your mobile your default phone, instead of reaching for the landline and having to pay. That's especially true if you're paying for expensive calls to mobiles.

If you get free calls from your landline then it's time to consider going for a cheaper mobile option — Billmonitor estimates that the people who don't use all their minutes could save a total of £2.62 billion by switching to contracts that fit them better.

6. Use Skype

If your friends and relatives have a computer with internet access then you can avoid the phone entirely by Skyping them. It's free, it's relatively simple and it lets you make video calls through your computer for no cost.

This is especially great if you have family in another part of the world and want to keep in close contact.

I know a family where the father works away during the week but joins his kids for supper every evening through Skype. His wife puts the laptop on the table and the whole family has a meal together.

[Useful Link: Download Skype]

7. Lock your phone

This tip might seem a little harsh but if you've got teenagers in the house then it can be a winner.

If your kids or housemates can't be trusted to keep the bill to a reasonable level then simply lock your phone up.

There are some phone models that come with a lock, but then you risk your child being unable to make a 999 call in an emergency. Some landline providers will issue you with a security PIN instead, letting you stay in control of when calls are made.

The only place in the UK where you can receive an expert's advice for free. All you have to do is visit our sites, type in your question and an expert will reply to you within 60 minutes, for free, with no obligation.

www.financialadvice.co.uk


	ASK A FINANCIAL ADVISOR YOUR QUESTION FOR FREE!
	Looking to increase your pension pot? Receive a free pension review!

	And receive advice about:

		Planning for retirement
		Wealth management
		Recommendations on savings
		Best ways to invest
		Mortgage / remortgaging (or other loans)
		Debt

www.ask-an-accountant.co.uk


	ASK AN ACCOUNTANT YOUR QUESTION FOR FREE!
	Whether you are a business or an individual, you can:



		Access auditing services
		Get help with tax and self assessment
		Receive VAT advice
		Obtain quotes from local firms
		Find specialist help for your business plan
		Solve bookkeeping queries

www.rightsolicitor.co.uk


	ASK A SOLICITOR YOUR QUESTION FOR FREE!
	Whether you are a business or an individual, you can ask a solicitor for free about all areas of law including:

		Divorce issues
		Conveyancing quotes
		Guidance on wills and probate
		Claims advice on personal injuries
		and medical negligence
		Landlord and lease matters
		Company and commercial matters

Spread the word, help us grow!

Please help us grow by recommending us to your friends and family and
follow us on Twitter, whilst we continue to build you genuinely useful
professional expert sites.

Ask An Expert Ltd Please refer to individual terms & conditions which can be found at each of our websites.

Orange Mastercard - You dont need to be an Orange customer to apply!

2011-11-08T23:19:00.000Z

the benefits

The Orange Cash prepaid MasterCard®rewards you when you buy things and helps you stay on top of your spending.

get rewarded as you spend

When you spend Orange Cash instead of notes and coins, you get rewards that can be exchanged for Orange shop vouchers, which might be handy for buying a new phone. And if you’re an Orange PAYG customer, you’ll also be able to get free minutes, texts or credit as well. You collect one point for every £1 you spend, then exchange your points for rewards*.

And remember, you can use your points to top up your friends and family Orange pay as you go phones too. Just have a look at the table below to see what your rewards could get you.

Orange Cash rewards

points	rewards
points	mins	or texts	or credit	or ORL voucher
100	20	150	–	–
200	50	500	–	–
500	200	unlimited for 1 month	£5	£5
2000	1000	unlimited for 6 months	£20	£20

Orange Cash rewards are only available on eligible purchases*.

* Eligible Purchases = purchase of goods or services based on cleared transactions except for: – Refunded transactions (example refund in a shop or a disputed transaction) – Gambling transactions (based on Gambling MCC code) – Account to Account transfers – ATM withdrawals – Fees/charges to card account – Airtime top-ups

it’s quicker and easier to pay

covered for loss and theft

Since it comes with Chip and PIN security, you can use Orange Cash with complete confidence. Plus you’re protected if you lose it or it gets stolen, if you report it straight away.

Find out more

Fasano, financial experts.

KGB Deals 'Agents K, G and B, clad in tantalising Tarantino-esque biker gear, harass innocent men trying to run a restaurant'

2011-11-08T00:24:00.000Z

www.FASANO.co.uk Financial family experts.

The KGB. The Committee for State Security of the USSR. The secret police. The good old Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti. Well, not any more it's not. In 2011 the KGB has been transformed! Into three super-sassy Charlie's Angelbots here to lure you onto their localised deal-of-the-day website. In this particular episode, Agents K, G and B, clad in tantalising Tarantino-esque biker gear, harass innocent men trying to run a restaurant. "Not every restaurant has 'Deal Appeal' – that's why we check out every detail," says the voiceover lady seductively, while Jim and Susan from The Apprentice presumably give an enthusiastic thumbs-up from the other side of the sound booth. We see Agent B storming in to the restaurant's kitchen, devilishly sucking the spoon from a pot of sauce and challenging an atypically frolicsome chef to a French-stick sword fight. Meanwhile, Agent G necks red wine samples and Agent K tucks in to everything she possibly can on the menu. "I'd walk a thousand miles for that soufflé," she exhales, licking the brown goo from her smug gob. "After that meal you ought to!" quips Agent G.

It's so comical it could almost be a deleted scene from Sex In The City 2. KGB's marketing team have gone hard with this female-fronted campaign, aiming to draw us modern gals in with the best deals in massages, scrum-diddly-umptious dinners, yoga classes, wine and manicures. But what about Jolen c,ream moustache bleach? Sanitary towels? AGENT B, WHAT ABOUT CANESTEN DUO? CAN YOU GET ME THE CHEAP STUFF? After perusing the website it appears there's a great deal on colonic irrigations for only £39, down from £110. Agent K better watch her back.

Natwest, Making your everyday banking easy.

2011-11-07T22:02:00.000Z

Current Accounts

Select Account - our regular account that gives you flexible everyday banking with no monthly subscription fees.

Select Silver Account - great if you like films and music, European travel and want straightforward banking. Monthly subscription fee is £8.

Advantage Gold - is packed full of benefits including
up to 10% holiday discount, 5 * travel insurance and
mobile phone insurance all for just £12.95 per month.

Student Account - first year undergraduate going to
university? An account to help you while you are a student.

Find out more

e-Savings

Have instant access to your money

Make free withdrawals when you need to and manage your savings quickly through online banking.

Find out more

Loans

Representative 8.9% APR for online loans of £7,500 to £14,950.
Other loan amounts are available at alternative rates. Rates depend on circumstances and loan amount.
Only available to our Current Account customers.

Find out more

2011-10-22T23:59:00.000+01:00

Best free apps for travelling

Travel made easy with your Smartphone

Fasano UK - Family Investments

Having access to the internet is a must for most travellers, whether to quickly check a map, flight details or nearby restaurants. Having a smartphone on hand is the ideal way to do this, as whatever you need, there’s an app for it!

On this note, here are our favourite travel apps. And the best bit? They’re all free!

XE currency converter

We all need to keep track of our spending and using this app is a quick and convenient way to work out exchange rates - and you don’t need to be online to use it!

Qype

Live like a local with Qype – the quick, easy and smart location-based application that puts hundreds of thousands of reviews right in your pocket. Ideal for trips abroad, Qype allows you to get the insider info from their huge database of reviews, from where to eat to the best nightlife. Once you have decided where you want to go, you can click on the address and it will show you the exact location on the map!

Wi-Fi Finder

We all know the dangers of data roaming charges abroad (here’s a clue: turn it off!) and the answer is to try and use as many Wi-Fi spots as possible. The Wi-Fi Finder app works in over 545,000 locations in 144 countries worldwide. Icons appear on a map with an address. You may be thinking: surely you have to be online to use this app? Fortunately not; you can download an offline Wi-Fi Finder before you travel.

Urbanspoon

Are you an indecisive person? Does picking an item off a menu or choosing what type of food you’d like to eat often prove difficult and time-consuming? If so, then this app is for you. Urbanspoon on the iPhone is part Magic 8 Ball, part slot machine. You shake your phone and it finds a good nearby restaurant for you. Keep shaking it until it comes back with something you want to try. Sorted! The app is available for the UK, Canada, US and Australia.

Trip it

This handy app is often found on the best travel apps lists. You can keep all your itineraries, flight information, rental car arrangements (I could go on) in one place – creating a master online itinerary. You no longer have to rustle around document after document, and the app automatically include maps, directions, and weather too. Marvellous!

Flight Aware

Flight Aware tracks a flight’s progress – essential if you’re picking someone up from the airport or arranging to meet them at a certain time. You can see where the flight is on a map and when and where they will be landing.

Skype

Skype (a fantastic invention allowing you to make calls via the internet for free) isn’t exactly an app that directly aides travel, but every traveller should have it. No matter where you are in the world, at some point you will want to call your mum/sister/boyfriend/nan and skype is simply the best way to do that cheaply. You can call using your mobile from any Wi-Fi zone (you can use your Wi-Fi Finder app for this!) and it won’t cost a penny.

Kayak

Compare flights, hotels and car rentals wherever you go with the Kayak app. Handily, the app also includes a flight tracker and My Trips – an itinerary management function. Kayak is available on iPhone, Android and Blackberry.

Fasano Business Gallery

What will happen to inflation

Banish your Christmas debts

Banish your Christmas debts

If you’ve spent too much money over the festive period and you’re not sure how to tackle your debts, follow these five tips.

How to find a bargain in the January sales

How to find a bargain in the January sales

If you’re braving the January sales, either online or off, read this to make sure you get the best deals…

Eight rules to follow when returning goods

How to get a refund on online purchases

HSBC Bank Account pays 6% on your cash

Prepaid Is Prepared

Scary new banking scams

Scammers have developed a new way to control your computer remotely. And that can only be bad news for your bank balance.

The little rip-offs we all hate!

Ways to save energy that you don’t already know

Another cold winter could spell problems for UK homes, with energy prices rising by more than 18%. Here are some lesser-known ways to save…

Fasano UK, Top Rated Independent Financial Experts

The cost of gas, electricity and other fuels rose 18.3% on the year in September, according to Office for National Statistic figures. With another unusually cold winter predicted by some, that's sending a chill down my back.

You've probably already read many well-documented ways to cut down on the amount of energy you use, such as only boiling the water you need and avoiding the tumble dryer. I've even looked at whether you can save cash by not washing your bed sheets

But there are other ways to save energy in the home, even if they only make a small difference. It all adds up after all. So I've been looking for more unusual ways to cut back — I hope some of these are new for you too.

Use the microwaveThere's evidence to suggest that using a microwave to heat small amounts of food uses less energy than the oven.

Go offlineConsider switching your broadband modem router off at night and when you're out of the house. Admittedly, leaving it on constantly for an entire year costs just £7 — but then, this is a list of small ways to save!

Dust your fridgeBizarre but true. According to British Gas, if you let dust gather on the condenser coils at the back of your bridge it can raise its energy consumption.

Free your radiatorsLeaving clothes on radiators to dry might help you avoid the tumble dryer, but it also puts your boiler under extra strain. Hang your laundry on a clothes horse in a warm room instead or outside when the weather's good.

Go vertical with your vegYou can cook several different foods on the same ring if you use a steamer and stack them up.

Shift your sofaIs your furniture absorbing the heat from your radiator? Move your sofa so that it's not blocking your radiators, if you can, so the heat can spread throughout the room. Similarly, a shelf just above the radiator can deflect heat into the room instead of towards the ceiling.

Cover your keyholesIf you have an old-fashioned large keyhole then the draft can be bad. A cheap keyhole cover from a DIY shop will make a huge difference.

Deal with draughtsIf you have rattling window or door frames then cheap draught-excluder strips can save you as much as £25 a year, according to the consumer association Which?

Buy the best gadgetsChoosing the most energy efficiency appliances can save you real money, even if they cost a little more to start with. For example, according to Which?, the most efficient fridge freezer can result in annual savings of £75.

Prune your preheatingDon't leave the oven preheating for longer than necessary. It might be convenient, but it's a complete waste of energy.

If you have a money-saving scheme you'd like to see tried out then let us know in the comment box below.

Three ways to get an interest-free loan

Millions missing out on cheaper mobile phone deals, says Which?

Banks misleads customers

AA credit card gives you cashback on petrol

Four things you need to know about shopping online

When dealing with virtual sellers, know the law before flexing your plastic.

Text Payday Loans – All About Payday Loans By Text

How Cut the cost of Christmas

Who should get the loyalty-card points when you divorce?

Have you ever taken out PPI/Loan Insurance?

Why it can take 22 years to pay off your credit card

Can you avoid paying VAT?

Six credit card danger signs

Brits continue to pile on Debt - Help and Advice Available Here

Amazon Discount Finder Find hidden 75%-off deals & more

New to the site? Quick message from Tobby:

In this guide

Don't assume Amazon's cheapest Take 20 secs to check elsewhere

Find Amazon's secret bargain basement

Track past Amazon prices

Monitor the perfect moment to buy

Not everything has free delivery

Don't 'pay more by default'

Get next-day delivery free too

Get £10 free Amazon credit

Earn Amazon vouchers with online surveys

All hot Amazon bargains go in our free weekly emailEnsure you don't miss any new top guides, deals & loopholes. It's spam-free

Students, save 5%

Be an Amazon Associate and earn free cash

Use a cashback credit card

Earn charity funds or Nectar points

5 pricey things you can get for free

Your First Step to Better Credit

How to cut your phone bill

How can you cut your landline telephone bill? Here are seven golden rules…

Orange Mastercard - You dont need to be an Orange customer to apply!

the benefits

get rewarded as you spend

it’s quicker and easier to pay

covered for loss and theft

KGB Deals 'Agents K, G and B, clad in tantalising Tarantino-esque biker gear, harass innocent men trying to run a restaurant'

Natwest, Making your everyday banking easy.

Use the microwave
There's evidence to suggest that using a microwave to heat small amounts of food uses less energy than the oven.

Go offline
Consider switching your broadband modem router off at night and when you're out of the house. Admittedly, leaving it on constantly for an entire year costs just £7 — but then, this is a list of small ways to save!

Dust your fridge
Bizarre but true. According to British Gas, if you let dust gather on the condenser coils at the back of your bridge it can raise its energy consumption.

Free your radiators
Leaving clothes on radiators to dry might help you avoid the tumble dryer, but it also puts your boiler under extra strain. Hang your laundry on a clothes horse in a warm room instead or outside when the weather's good.

Go vertical with your veg
You can cook several different foods on the same ring if you use a steamer and stack them up.

Shift your sofa
Is your furniture absorbing the heat from your radiator? Move your sofa so that it's not blocking your radiators, if you can, so the heat can spread throughout the room. Similarly, a shelf just above the radiator can deflect heat into the room instead of towards the ceiling.

Cover your keyholes
If you have an old-fashioned large keyhole then the draft can be bad. A cheap keyhole cover from a DIY shop will make a huge difference.

Deal with draughts
If you have rattling window or door frames then cheap draught-excluder strips can save you as much as £25 a year, according to the consumer association Which?

Buy the best gadgets
Choosing the most energy efficiency appliances can save you real money, even if they cost a little more to start with. For example, according to Which?, the most efficient fridge freezer can result in annual savings of £75.

Prune your preheating
Don't leave the oven preheating for longer than necessary. It might be convenient, but it's a complete waste of energy.

Don't assume Amazon's cheapest
Take 20 secs to check elsewhere