A major home improvement chain has advised those hoping to start a DIY project to check if they have sufficient home insurance cover to protect them if any problems arise or damage is done.

According to a spokesperson for B&Q, it is always best to check your home insurance policy wording to ensure that efforts to improve your property do not end in disaster and an expensive repair bill.

“Whether embarking on a DIY project yourself, or getting a professional in, it’s worth checking that your insurance policy covers you for accidental damage,” said a representative of B&Q.

B&Q experts also advise that you should be aware of the limits to your capabilities before you embark on a DIY project and to use professionals when appropriate.

You can compare cheap home insurance here

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Filling in application forms can be a time consuming process. However, you can reduce the amount of time it takes if you have all the necessary information to hand before you begin.

First things first, you need to make sure you are applying for the right credit card, so be sure to compare credit cards before you start to fill in any application forms  and make sure the one you choose is best for your individual needs.

To make your credit card application you will need to firstly meet the lending criteria:

• Resident in the United Kingdom
• Over 18 (or in some cases 21 or even 25)
• Have a good credit rating (although credit cards for bad credit will be available to those with poorer credit ratings)
• Have a current bank account
• Have a regular income

When you make the credit card application you will need the following details:

• Personal details – Title, full name, etc.
• Contact details – Home telephone and/or mobile telephone number and your email address
• Address information – where you live, time at the address and type of accommodation
• Employment details – employment status, name of the company you work for, a telephone number at work and your annual income before tax
• Bank details – Sort code, account number and if you hold a bank account with the credit card provider
• Balance transfer information – details of credit cards with balances if you wish to transfer them over to the new card (this information isn’t always required at the application stage)

Once you have filled in these details you will probably be asked if you would like to add any additional optional features at extra cost.

Then, when the form is complete, you will be asked to read a declaration and tick a box to say whether you agree to the terms or not.

The last thing to do is hit the apply button and wait for the response from the credit card provider.

You can compare best credit card deals here.

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As of April 23 2008 some changes have been applied to Sainsbury’s Car Insurance.

If you buy Sainsbury’s Car Insurance you will now benefit from these additional aspects of cover:

• Your children’s car seats will always be replaced after an accident
• A free courtesy car when your car is being repaired after an accident covered by your policy so long as you are getting your repairs done at one of Sainsbury’s recommended garages
• 24 hour accident recovery service
• £200 cover for any of your Sainsbury’s shopping you lose as a result of fire, theft or accident

Plus, you will benefit from all the great other features such as a 10% online discount for new customers and the opportunity of earning up to 75% no claims discount.

Click on the link for more information about Sainsbury’s Car Insurance

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Automated teller machines (ATMs);
INSERT INTO `module_blog_posts` VALUES or cash machines, are used by virtually all of us with bank accounts and debit cards, but how many of us think about other users whilst we are withdrawing our cash?

The truth is that our behaviour, though normal for us, may make another user feel very uncomfortable and angry, so what can we do to improve the ATM experience for our fellow users?

Put simply, we can follow the ‘ATM etiquette’.

• Some ATMs offer a wide range of services – if you want to carry out lots of different transactions try to choose a time that’s not too busy
• If there’s only one ATM and a large queue of people waiting to use it, carry out your urgent transactions but try to leave your non-urgent ones until another time

DOs

• DO form a single file queue behind anyone already using the ATM
• DO give those using the ATM space to use the machine in private. An ideal amount of space is standing around 2m away from them
• DO have your card ready when you are about to approach the ATM
• DO take your cash and receipt and quickly (and discreetly) put your money away safely before walking away
• DO beware of strangers who take a lot of interest in what you are doing, for example those who offer you help particularly if they are standing close to you
• DO beware of those who try to distract you when using the ATM, they may be trying to reduce your guard so they can steal your money, your card or your pin number
• DO cover the keypad when entering your Personal Identification Number (PIN)

DON’Ts

• DON’T spend too long at the ATM but don’t rush your transactions either. If you rush you are likely to make mistakes which will probably mean you will have to cancel your transaction and start again
• DON’T offer your help to the person using the ATM – this may make them feel intimidated and scared
• DON’T distract those using the ATM
• DON’T stand in front of an ATM if you’re not using it
• DON’T use the ATM if it looks like it has been tampered with – report anything unusual or suspicious to the bank straight away

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The new Compare and Save poll is now live on the website and we need your views on the topic.

This month we have decided to ask for your opinion on credit card offers over the last two years.

We want to know if you, as the consumer, think that credit card offers now offer more or less value for money as compared to two years ago.

Credit card offers range from 0% interest periods on purchases, interest-free periods on balance transfers moved from other credit cards and cash back offers and reward schemes.

For an offer to have improved, it may be offering more relevant reward schemes, or the interest-free periods will have been extended, or changed in some way, to make using the credit card more beneficial to your finances.

Let us know what you think and in a month we will publish and analyse the results.

Visit the polls section to take part.

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Credit cards can be great if they are used correctly. These top ten tips for switching credit cards will set you well on your way to getting the most out of your plastic.

Contents

1. Shop ‘til your rates drop
2. Give the balance life
3. Don’t be a big spender
4. How low can you go?
5. Say goodbye to your overdraft/loan
6. A million faces
7. When will it end?
8. Memory of an elephant or a goldfish?
9. I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of…
10. Bye bye balance

1. Shop ‘til your rates drop

At this time of the year there will be plenty of deals offered to people in this situation. Credit card companies will fight hardest now to get your custom so interest-free periods are likely to be long.

Our comparison table will help you to do this as it details all the best offers in one easy to use table.

Make sure you shop around and weigh up the pros and cons of each card. Check out customers’ credit card reviews to help you make your decision.

Once you have made your decision, use our quick and easy compare credit cards service to really speed things up.

2. Give the balance life

Fed up of switching at the end of countless balance transfers? Are you paying out more in transfer fees than on paying off the balance on your card?

If the answer to both of these questions is yes, then you might want to consider a life of balance credit card.

If you transfer your balance to a life of balance credit card, you will be given a much lower APR which will last until you pay off the balance on the card in full. The APR is often at least half that of a standard card.

Click here for the best balance transfer credit cards

3. Don’t be a big spender

A common mistake made by those who transfer their credit card balance to a new credit card is to later use the card on purchases.

If you do this, the credit card company will put your payments towards the balance with the lowest APR first. This means that the balance being charged at 0% APR will be paid off first and the purchases you make at, for example, 12.9% APR will be paid off last.

Compare 0% purchase credit cards

4. How low can you go?

A couple of years ago, credit card companies introduced balance transfer fees. Now, when you transfer your balance to another card, you are charged anywhere between 2% and 3% of the amount to be transferred (with a minimum fee of £5). This fee is then added on to your existing balance.

When you look for a card to transfer your balance to, bear this transfer fee figure in mind and work out how much it is going to cost you to transfer over your credit card balance. Make sure that this amount is less than the amount you are going to save on not paying interest for a year.

Compare low APR credit cards

5. Say goodbye to your overdraft/loan

Are you currently paying interest on your overdraft? Or, do you have a small loan that you are paying interest on?

If the answer is yes to both of these questions then you too could benefit from getting an interest free credit card with an 0% interest period. Of course, the amount you transfer would be subject to a balance transfer fee, but this may still work out cheaper than paying a full year’s interest on the overdraft or loan.

If you are going to get a credit card in these circumstances, bear in mind the amount of time you are likely to need to pay off the balance. Also, don’t get stuck in the trap of making minimum repayments, just because you can. Try to pay off as much of the balance on the card as you would have done if you were still being charged interest.

6. A million faces

When you are looking for a card to transfer to, bear in mind that one company may operate a number of cards. For example, MBNA run all of the football club credit cards, plus the Virgin card has been rebranded under the MBNA name. The RBS Group operate the NatWest, RBS and Mint credit cards.

Because of this, the operator may not allow you to balance transfer to another one of their cards as sometimes you are only allowed to have the interest-free offer once. It is up to their discretion to allow you to do this.

View our credit card providers here

7. When will it end?

Another thing to consider is when the new interest-free period will end. Cards tend to come with interest-free periods of around 12 months, although the range is between six and fifteen months.

Try to shop around for the longest interest-free period, but don’t allow this to become the only thing you compare across the board.

Consider the time of year when the 0% offer will end. Does this coincide with a time that is particularly expensive for you? Shop around for the best deal based on what suits you the most.

8. Memory of an elephant or a goldfish?

Be sure to set a reminder for when your interest-free period ends. If you keep this date in mind, you will be better able to budget your repayments so that your balance is paid off in full by the end of the interest-free period.

If you haven’t paid the balance off in full, the reminder will allow you to consider your options and sort your situation out before you get charged a lot of interest.

By this point, you will have had the card for a year and have built up a credit history with the company. If you have made your repayments on time, they will want to keep your custom. If you speak to them after the interest-free period, they may offer you a lower APR on the remaining balance.

9. I promise to pay the bearer on demand the sum of…

The card you transfer to may have different repayment conditions than your previous card. Whereas your existing card stipulates that your minimum repayments must be 5% of the balance with a minimum repayment value of £5, the card you want to transfer to might say that you have to pay back a minimum of 10% a month. Check that you can afford the repayments before you transfer your balance.

10. Bye bye balance

Try your hardest to clear the balance in the interest-free period. Work out the maximum you can honestly afford to repay each month and try to stick to it. As an incentive, match the extra you spend and put it in a savings account for that something special you really want.

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Before we can define what a cheap credit card is, we must first decide if there is any such thing as a cheap credit card.

Fundamentally, a credit card will be cheaper than another card if the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is lower. The APR is the amount of interest you will have to pay each year on the amount you borrow on the credit card.

Typically, APRs are around three times more than the Bank of England base interest rates and so even the lowest APR is still going to be quite expensive. Therefore, technically, there is no such thing as a cheap credit card if you base it on the amount you pay for the credit facility.

Sometimes, credit card providers will charge an annual fee for the privilege of having one of their cards. If your only option is to have a credit card that charges an annual fee, the cheap credit card in this case would have the lowest annual fee.

However, credit cards rarely come without a 0% interest offer of some sort these days and, if you factor this into the argument, it certainly lowers the amount you pay for the money you borrow.

If it lowers the amount of you pay for the credit facility then, technically, it makes the credit card cheaper and a cheap credit card would therefore have one of the longest 0% offers on the market.

If you are looking to make purchases on the card, the 0% purchases credit card with the longest 0% offer would be the cheapest.

But, if you are looking to transfer a balance to a cheap credit card, you will need to consider the balance transfer fee as well as the length of the 0% interest period on the balance transfer credit card.

The cheapest card in this case would have the lowest balance transfer fee and the longest 0% interest on balance transfers offer.

So, to sum up, here are the important features to look for when looking for a cheap credit card:

1. Length of 0% interest offer – the longer the better (or should that be cheaper)
2. If you are making a balance transfer from another card, you would then look at the percentage balance transfer fee – the lower the better
3. If the cards don’t come with 0% offers you would look at the APR – the lower the better
4. If the card comes with an annual fee, you would look at the price of this – the lower the better

Click here to compare top credit cards

Click here to use the compareandsave.com Credit Card deal finder

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Do you want to buy the best pet insurance policy for your beloved pet but don’t know your lifelong cover from your financially-capped cover?

If the answer to this question is in the positive, then you would most certainly have something to learn from the Compare and Save ‘Guide to pet insurance’.

In our guide, we talk you through what to expect from a pet insurance policy plus some of the additional extras that you may be able to benefit from.

Additionally, we explain the importance of having adequate pet insurance and the best time to get your pet covered.

Once you have read the guide, you should have the information you need to make a more informed decision about which pet insurance policy to choose based on your individual circumstances.

Read the Compare and Save ‘Guide to pet insurance’

Click to compare pet insurance

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As the recent credit crunch takes hold, lenders are becoming increasingly picky about who they will give credit to.

This is making it hard for some people to get credit cards.

Any discrepancies on your credit report are only going to hinder your chances of getting the decision you need from the credit card provider. However, if you fix these issues you are likely to increase your chances of being granted a credit card with a decent APR and credit limit.

Plus, each instance of you making a credit card application will be recorded on your credit report so each rejected application will only lower your chances of getting accepted the next time.

The usual advice is to make a credit application and then if you get turned down ask the lender the reason for being rejected and try to fix it before making a new application.

However, in light of recent circumstances, you would probably be better off checking your credit report before making that first application.

Checking your credit report couldn’t be easier or cheaper these days because Experian are currently offering a free 30-day trial of their ‘Credit Expert’ service which allows you to view your credit report for free.

Once you have signed up for the free credit report trial and have your credit report in front of you, you can then use our guide, ‘How to improve your credit rating’, to identify areas that you can improve. The next step is also simple because in our tools section you will find several template letters aimed at fixing some of the most common discrepancies found on a credit report.

Click here for more information about the free credit report from Experian’s Credit Expert.

Credit report up to date? Click on the link to compare credit cards.

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When buying a joint travel insurance policy, be sure to check the policy details (normally viewable online) before you finalise the purchase.

On each policy document you will find details of how much cover you will be provided with for the cost of the premium. This is normally displayed in a table illustrating a breakdown of the cover you are paying for which will include details on how much cover you get for emergency medical expenses and if your holiday is cancelled, for example.

However, in the case of a joint policy sometimes the policy wording isn’t transparent about whether the amount of cover provided is per person or per policy and therefore divisible by two.

In the policy ‘definitions’ it may state whether the cover is per person or the total amount for the two travellers.

For example, in Endsleigh’s Travel Insurance policy the section called ‘definitions’ provides an explanation into what the insurer means when they refer to “You/Your/Insured Person”. The insurer will use these terms to explain the cover provided for “each person travelling on a Trip whose name appears in the Statement of Insurance”.

This would indicate that each person named on the travel insurance policy would each be entitled to the amount of cover as set out in the wording of the policy.

However, if you aren’t sure of how much cover you are getting after reading the travel insurance policy documents, you would probably be wise to ring the insurer and find out for sure or you may end up without adequate cover.

Going on holiday? Why not compare travel insurance.

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