Shoppers could be falling foul of their finances at the till by signing up for expensive store cards from ill-trained sales assistants. Pauline McCallion reports  
 
Anyone venturing on to the high street in the last few years has probably been approached by an eager shop assistant extolling the virtues of a store card from their particular […]

UK consumers cannot even escape the growing threat of identity theft while holidaying abroad, especially those visiting Turkey, France, Spain or the US. Pauline McCallion reports  
 
Spending two weeks in the sun is meant to be a time to escape the pressures and stresses of daily life, do a bit of sunbathing and see the local […]

Cash is still the UK’s number one way to pay abroad, according to the Post Office. Almost half (47%) of Britons prefer to use local currency compared to 33% who prefer to use their debit or credit card.
Although travellers’ cheques are still popular with 19% of holidaymakers, they are slowly declining as plastic becomes more […]

Credit card charges have been reduced by 45 providers a month after the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) ruling that penalties should be £12 or less, Moneyfacts.co.uk has revealed.
The OFT gave providers until 1 September to reduce their charge levels but Moneyfacts.co.uk has found that 45 of the 60 card providers listed on the financial […]

Many parents and students significantly underestimate the debts they will run up if they go on to further education. Mike Collins investigates  
 
It is the ambition of many young people to continue their education once they have left school and study for a degree at university.
However, laudable though this is, many underestimate the scale of the […]

Holidaymakers’ travel insurance may not cover them for the ‘security threat’ currently facing the UK. Andrew Partridge reports  

Air travellers have been warned that their insurance may not cover them for the threat of a terrorist action, as their policy will only cover losses, damage or injury caused by a terrorist act.
Defaqto, the financial research company, […]

Spending on plastic has soared in the first half of this year, demonstrating that the way UK consumers use cards is changing. Pauline McCallion reports   
The introduction of chip and pin and the general ease of use and availability of credit and debit cards may explain the huge jump in the number of people using their […]

Owning your own holiday home is no longer the preserve of the rich and famous, says Paula John  
A low interest rate environment and the growth in equity in people’s homes have left many in a position where they can afford to invest in a second property.
According to research from Halifax, many of us look within […]