You can now earn up to 5% of your spend back with the Barclaycard OnePulse Balance Transfer Credit Card.

The Barclaycard OnePulse was one of the first ‘contactless’ credit cards on the market and offers the cardholder three services in one – a credit card, an Oyster card and a cashless payment card.

Contactless cards offer the cardholder a payment system where they can pay for goods and services under £10 by touching their card to a secure ‘OneTouch’ payment stand which will be highlighted by a ‘wave symbol’.

The Barclaycard One Pulse Credit Card also offers 14 months 0% on balance transfers and a low typical APR of 14.9% (variable).

What’s more, cardholders will receive 5% cashback on all Transport for London purchases (up to £15 cashback a month) and 0.5% cashback on all other purchases (up to £15 cashback a month) until 31st December 2009.

You will also benefit from the Barclaycard Identity Protection Service and Fraud Protection including Chip and PIN and you will have your account monitored for unusual spending.

Barclaycard also provide holiday deals through their Travel Service, convenient online account management and emergency help should you need it when you are travelling abroad.

Click the link for more information about the Barclaycard OnePulse Balance Transfer Credit Card
 

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New customers can now get 12 months 0% on balance transfers and 3 months 0% on purchases from the date you open an account with the Barclaycard Classic Credit Card.

The Barclaycard Classic comes with a typical APR of 19.9% (variable);
INSERT INTO `module_blog_posts` VALUES an Identity Protection Service where you can get advice about protecting yourself from identity theft and online account management.

If you choose to transfer a balance from another card to the Barclaycard Classic, you will pay an admin fee of 2.5% – one of the lowest currently on the market.

You will also benefit from safer shopping with Fraud Protection measures including Chip and PIN and a monitoring system where your account is checked for unusual spending.

To be eligible for a Barclaycard Classic credit card you need to be at least 21 years of age, have a regular annual income of over £10,000 and have a good credit history.

Click the link for more information about the Barclaycard Classic Credit Card

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How much would it cost you to replace all of your possessions if you had to go out and buy them all new after a major robbery or fire?

This is the question you will have to start asking yourself now you are living away from home as a student, even though it is probably one of the last things on your mind once the first term kicks off, with possibly the first thing being ‘where’s the cheapest bar?’.

Indeed, recent news has shown that 18-24 year olds are the most careless when it comes to protecting their belongings and that’s something we want to change.

SWAG bag

Worryingly, as a student, you are likely to offer a thief prime pickings what with all those technical gadgets,  including computers, laptops, mobile phones, TVs, DVD players and games consoles and possibly some of the slackest security measures.

However, home insurance seems to be the last thing on students’ minds so we thought we would raise the issue and maybe one day prevent you from kicking yourself and yelling ‘Why didn’t I get home insurance?!’.

Home insurance options

The first thing you should consider is whether or not your parents’ home insurance provides away from home cover for students. Some insurers offer this cover as a standard part of their policies, some ask for the main policyholders (the parents) to pay an additional premium to pay for the away from home cover and some do not provide it at all and insist that the student buys their own policy.

There are obvious advantages to getting some home contents insurance from your parents for free, for example, it’s FREE (as a student you will definitely learn to love free stuff);
INSERT INTO `module_blog_posts` VALUES and it will provide you with at least some cover should the worst happen.

However, there are also some disadvantages to using your parents’ home insurance.

You won’t build up your own no-claims history and the amount of cover provided would be limited to around £5,000, which may not be enough to cover all of your possessions, especially once you have bought textbooks and other essential items.

It is also likely that the cover will only apply while you are with your possessions and may involve you bringing them all back to your parents’ house while visiting on the vacations.

If your parents’ home insurance cover does not offer cover for you while you are away at uni, you will need to think about getting your own policy.

Protect your possessions

The fact of the matter is that a basic home insurance policy shouldn’t cost you a fortune because although you are likely to own a lot of technical gadgets, you are unlikely to own the building you live in nor expensive furniture and kitchen appliances. This means your home insurance policy will only have to cover one or two rooms and not a whole house and will therefore likely be quite cheap.

Some insurers offer specialist student policies to take into account a student’s very specific needs including accidental damage cover to landlord’s possessions and cover for bicycles and laptops taken outside of your property. However, the majority don’t, so probably the best thing you can do is compare home insurance policies and find the best cover to suit your individual needs and circumstances.

If you are unsure about anything, ask the insurance company lots of questions before you buy. They are there to help and it is better if you are clear about what the new home insurance policy does and doesn’t cover before you make your final decision.

Click the link to compare home insurance

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We are now running a survey, in association with Barclaycard, which gives respondents a FREE Thomas Cook voucher worth up to £150 and the chance to win 1 of 20 iPod shuffles.

The survey asks what you, as consumers, think about certain types of credit cards and how they fit into your everyday lives.

The survey is very short and only takes a couple of minutes to complete. You will need to enter your address details in at the bottom so that we can send you your Thomas Cook voucher in the post.

If you are thinking about taking a holiday over the next 15 months the voucher will certainly come in handy as it offers a couple travelling for 14 nights £150 off their holiday or a couple travelling for 7 nights £100 off the total cost of their trip.

Click the link to enter the September 2008 Barclaycard Survey

Don’t forget your travel insurance when you use your voucher!

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New customers can currently get a great AER (variable) of 6.5% with the ING Direct Savings Account.

The rate includes the standard interest AER at 4.75% plus a 12 month bonus gross fixed AER of 1.66%. Once the 12 months expire, the interest rate on the account will revert back to 4.75%.

Additionally, you will not be penalised if you withdraw your money or if you add funds to your savings account.

What’s more, you can open an account with as little as £1 and you will receive your interest on a monthly basis.

Plus, you will have several ways of managing your account when it is up and running, including online or over the phone 24 hours a day.

ING Direct are also concerned about security when it comes to using online banking and so use the most up-to-date levels of encryption technology available.

To open an account you need to be at least 18 years of age.

Click the link to find out more about the ING Direct Savings Account.

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You can now get a competitive rate of 7.90% with a Barclays Loan.

You can borrow between £1,000 and £25,000 with a Barclays Unsecured Loan and pay a competitive typical APR of 7.9%.

Additionally, Barclays are offering some great deals including £50 when you switch your loan to Barclays and if you find a better deal, Barclays will pay the difference on a monthly basis.

What’s more, there are no arrangement or set up fees and you can apply online.

To apply for this loan you need to be at least 18 years of age.

Click the link for more information about the Barclays Loan.
 

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