Money Saving News for April 2009
- Credit card charges increasing, says study - 24th April, 2009
Some credit card charges in the UK are increasing, according to a survey conducted by uSwitch.com recently.
The website found that two UK credit card providers have announced increases in the amounts they charge customers for withdrawing cash on their cards recently... - Best ISA savings accounts revealed - 24th April, 2009
Moneyfacts.co.uk has published a list of the best cash ISA savings accounts in terms of the rate of returns offered and performance over the course of last year.
The company found that Alliance & Leicester's Premier ISA took the top spot last year, but as it was only available to the bank's current account customers it was disqualified.
Out of the other ISA savings accounts, Bradford and Bingley's one year fixed-rate ISA performed the best, as it offered an interest rate of 6.25 per cent, which would have amounted to a return of £3,825 on a £3,600 deposit... - Home insurance provider warns of burglary increase - 24th April, 2009
Norwich Union, one of the UK's leading home insurance providers, has warned that the recession may cause the number of domestic break-ins to rise by as much as 50 per cent.
According to home office figures, there were 280,000 burglaries in the UK last year and Norwich Union believes this figure may rise by a further 140,000 as unemployment bites and people become increasingly desperate... - Moneyfacts.co.uk highlights money saving tips with awards - 24th April, 2009
Moneyfacts.co.uk has announced the finalists for its annual award ceremony - a list which could be useful for those looking for money saving tips.
The website's nominations include Barclays, Egg and NatWest in the best ISA savings account provider category while the Post Office and Coventry Building Society have both been nominated as the best provider of personal loans.
Brits looking for the best cheap bargain deals on current accounts may be interested to know that Abbey, Alliance & Leicester and Halifax are among the finalists in this category... - New car finance allowance to be offered by government - 23rd April, 2009
New car finance grants will be offered to people in the UK who wish to trade in their old vehicles for more modern, fuel-efficient models, the government has announced.
In his Budget speech yesterday, Alistair Darling announced the introduction of the nationwide car scrappage scheme which will see drivers of vehicles which are ten years old or more given grants of up to £2,000 to swap them for newer, more environmentally friendly cars... - Stamp duty holiday extended - 23rd April, 2009
Alistair Darling has announced an extension of the stamp duty holiday until the end of this year, which could be good news for people looking to take advantage of the current property market by securing a home mortgage.
The chancellor's decision means that customers buying houses in the UK will not have to pay stamp duty on any property worth less than £175,000. This could offer considerable savings for some home mortgage holders... - ISA savings account changes 'may encourage savings habit' - 23rd April, 2009
Changes to the regulations governing ISA savings accounts may help encourage a national savings habit in the UK, according to one finance expert from Abbey.
The bank conducted a survey recently which showed that 43 per cent of savings account customers in the UK do not currently have an ISA savings account.
Of these, just 22 per cent are planning to open a cash ISA savings account in the next year and 28 are undecided... - UK pensions regulations change - 23rd April, 2009
Alistair Darling announced a number of measures aimed at helping poorer pensioners to make ends meet in yesterday's Budget for the forthcoming fiscal year.
The chancellor's measures included increasing the number of people who will be eligible for UK pension credit by raising the capital disregard threshold from £6,000 to £10,000... - ISA savings account limits increase - 23rd April, 2009
ISA savings account regulations have been changed by the government, enabling savers in the UK to earn more tax-free interest.
Alistair Darling announced the move, which will see the tax-free allowance on ISA savings accounts increased to £10,200 from its current £7,200, as part of his new Budget yesterday... - Money off gift vouchers 'help boost Bedfordshire economy' - 22nd April, 2009
Money off gift vouchers are being offered by authorities in a Bedfordshire town who believe they may help pump money into the local economy.
The BedfordBID gift vouchers are on sale at the tourist information office in denominations of £5, £10 and £20, according to the BBC...