MBNA has recently launched single and annual multi trip travel insurance products.

Both products include free cover for children under the age of 4 and £10m cover for medical expenses abroad (per trip on the annual products).

MBNA credit card customers will also receive a 10% discount if they pay for their travel insurance policy on their card.

Travellers can choose between a choice of cover for short or long breaks for either business or pleasure in the UK or abroad.

MBNA Single Trip insurance policies start from as little as £4.10 with the option of adding up to 17 days winter sports cover.

Children under the age of 18 are covered for free on Single Trip Family policies.

The MBNA Annual Multi-Trip travel insurance starts from £39.72 for a single person policy and £61.44 for a Family policy and covers the policyholder for as many trips as they like during the year, whether they are in the UK or abroad, for up to 31 days each time.

The annual policies include free cover for children under 18 both when travelling with the adults covered under the policy and when travelling independently.

Policyholders will also enjoy lower premiums because of the loyalty discount they will receive when they renew their multi-trip cover the following year.

Click the relevant link for more information about MBNA Travel Insurance and the MBNA credit card.
 

Capital One has launched a new low rate credit card aimed at people looking for a cheap low rate for the life of their balance transfers and purchases.

The Capital One Low Rate Credit Card offers a low typical APR of 8.5% p.a. variable on both balance transfers and purchases plus does not charge a balance transfer fee.

The low rate will help cardholders to manage their finances without having to worry about the rate climbing at the end of a promotional period.

It also comes with a free identity theft service.

The card is available to those aged 21 and over, with a minimum annual income of £10,000.

Click the link for more information about the Capital One Low Rate Credit Card
 

The Halifax has launched its new All In One credit card offering 0% on balance transfers AND purchases for 10 months.

On top of these competitive interest-free periods on balance transfers and purchases the card also boasts a low typical variable APR of 15.9% on purchases and 23.95% on cash transactions.

In order to receive the 0% balance transfer offer, the transfer must be made within 90 days of the account opening and is subject to a 3% admin fee.

To qualify for the credit card you must be ordinarily resident in the UK and be at least 18 years old.

This is an offer which clearly illustrates the changing nature of credit card offers as issuers compete for custom.

Click the link for more information on the Halifax All In One Credit Card
 

Barclays have this week launched a new internet savings account which comes with an introductory interest bonus period.

The Barclays e-savings Reward account comes with a competitive interest rate of 5.25% AER (variable) in months when no withdrawals are made from the account. This interest rate includes the 12 month introductory bonus of 0.75% gross.

Once the 12 month introductory bonus expires, Barclays guarantee that until 1 January 2010 the higher gross interest rate (when no withdrawals are made) will not be lower that 0.5% below the Barclays Bank base rate.

In the months when withdrawals are made you will earn a lower interest rate of 3.17% AER (variable), which also includes the 0.75% introductory bonus for 12 months.

The Barclays e-savings Reward account can be opened by anyone aged 18 or over with as little as £1 and has a maximum balance limit of £2 million. There is a limit of two accounts per customer.

As this account is an online saver, the account must be managed online. However, cash withdrawals can still be made using a cash machine up to a limit of £300 per day from a Barclays ATM.

Click the link for more information about the Barclays e-savings Reward account.

Online savings account management not for you? Compare savings accounts to find the account which best suits your needs.
 

Capital One is offering 0% interest on balance transfers and purchases until 1st September 2009.

As well as offering the best interest-free offer for balance transfers and purchases, the Capital One Platinum credit card also comes with one of the lowest typical APRs currently on the market at just 12.9% variable.

The new deal is one of the best credit card offers seen by the market in years and one of the first in a long time to offer the same lengthy interest-free period on both balance transfers and purchases.

In addition, the Capital One Platinum credit card comes with a free identity theft service and free identity alerts powered by the credit reference agency, Equifax.

You will be eligible for this fantastic offer if you are at least 21 years of age and have a minimum income of £10,000.

If you do choose to transfer a balance over from another credit card, it will be subject to a 3% balance transfer fee. However, the amount you will save from the 15 month interest-free period should easily beat the cost of the 3% fee meaning you are still set to make substantial savings. Our balance transfer calculator will give you an estimate of just how much you are set to save if you switch credit cards.

Click the link to find out more about the Capital One Platinum credit card.
 

This offer is current as of 4th JUNE 2008. Terms and Conditions apply. For more offers please refer to the Offers section of compareandsave.com’s ‘Your money matters blog’.

Barclays have launched a new regular savings account which aims to help savers to reach their goals.

The Barclays Monthly Savings account offers a high fixed interest rate of 7.75% AER for 12 months if you deposit between £20 and £250 per month into the account by standing order.

One of the great things about this regular saver is its flexibility because it allows you to skip a payment, change your monthly standing order and make withdrawals if you need to. Most regular savers restrict you to one or two withdrawals per year. However, there are no withdrawal restrictions with the Monthly Savings account.

If you do choose to make a withdrawal you will earn the lower interest rate of 3.03% AER for the month when the withdrawal was made.

Your interest will be paid monthly so you will be able to see how well your savings are doing when you manage your account in branch, online or by phone.

The maximum amount you are allowed to deposit in this savings account is £3,000 over the 12 month term of the account. After the 12 months, your account will automatically be switched over to one of Barclays’ instant access savings accounts.

To apply for the Barclays Monthly Savings account you must be at least 16 years old and there is a limit of one account per customer.

Click the link to apply for the Barclays Monthly Savings account.

Want to save more than £3,000 in 12 months? Compare savings accounts to get the best savings rates

Barclays has launched a new bank account aimed at giving more to its customers who like to constantly keep on the move.

The Barclays Additions Active account comes with worldwide multi-trip travel insurance, comprehensive car breakdown cover throughout the UK and Europe from the RAC and mobile phone insurance, all of which should keep even the most active person covered.

On top of this, you will be paid 3.00% AER (variable) interest on credit balances over £1 and get the option to apply for an interest-free overdraft of up to £300.

Account holders will also be given cardholder protection, which will cover against loss or theft of cards and passports, plus extended warranties on their electrical items (both subject to registration).

The Additions Active account costs £14 per month, or £168 per year. However, the total cost of the above extras adds up to as much as £680 so, if you would ordinarily buy these items anyway, you set to save up to £432 throughout the year.

Plus, this account will give you the additional flexibility of an interest-free overdraft and the ability to set off on your travels without having to go through the hassle of arranging cover.

If, however, you don’t regularly go on long car journeys or on long haul holidays you may not set to gain from this bank account and would probably be better off with a standard free current account.

Click on the following link for more information about the Barclays Additions Active account

Don’t want to pay for your current account but don’t know which free one to choose? Click the link to compare bank accounts.
 

When you compare credit cards, you now have another great product to consider – the American Express Blue Sky credit card.

The American Express Blue Sky credit card is a new addition to our credit card top deals table and is currently offering 0% interest for 6 months on all purchases made using the card.

On top of this, you can earn reward points for every £1 spent on the card which can be used towards any type of travel including flights, car hire, rail services, hotels as long as the purchase is charged to the Blue Sky.

What’s more, you will also benefit from cover for lost or delayed luggage and missed or cancelled flights when you use the Blue Sky credit card to pay for your travel.

The card comes with a typical APR of 17.9% variable, 24 hour customer service worldwide and no annual fee.

Find out more about the American Express Blue Sky credit card

APR stands for Annual Percentage Rate and is a very important term when it comes to comparing credit cards, loans and mortgages because it tells you how much you are paying to have the credit facility.

The world of personal finance is littered with complicated technical terms and abbreviations like APR. It’s not surprising that most people don’t understand what half of these terms mean.

Here at compareandsave.com, we believe that if you understand more of the terms used when talking about financial products, you will feel more in control of the products and services you choose to spend your money on.

This is why we have created our very own compareandsave.com glossary.

The glossary in itself can be used like a dictionary so you can search for the term you are having trouble understanding.

Additionally, complicated terms will be underlined in articles, guides and other items. If you click on these underlined terms, you will be sent to the relevant page containing the meaning of the word within the glossary.

If you have any suggestions for terms you would like to see defined, feel free to contact us to let us know and we will see what we can do.

Click on the link to start using the glossary
 

Earlier this month, we revealed that 29% of people we polled do not switch credit cards at the end of a 0% balance transfer offer and 16% only switched sometimes.

Of this 29%, 12% said that they usually forget and the other 17% said that they can’t be bothered.

It’s true that it can be hard to keep track of your finances. Let’s face it; it’s hard enough remembering to pay the bills, let alone trying to remember when a 0% balance transfer credit card offer is up.

If you are one of these people then you may want to consider getting the new HSBC credit card.

The card comes with a very low APR of 2.9%, for 24 months, on balance transfers made to the card within 30 days of opening the account.

This way, instead of getting an APR of 0% for an average of 12 months, and then reverting to an APR of around 15.9% when you don’t transfer to a new 0% balance transfer card, you would get the low APR of 2.9% for 24 months, which would work out cheaper for you overall.

The card also offers 0% APR on purchases for 12 months from the date the account is opened – one of the longest currently on the market.

What’s more, if you have a HSBC Plus Current Account or Graduate Plus Account, you can reclaim 10% of any interest you pay on your credit card.

Any balance transfers you make to the card will be subject to a 2.5% admin fee – one of the lowest on the market at present.

Click here for more information on the HSBC credit card. 

This offer is current as of 04/04/2008. Please check the provider’s product page for more information and full terms and conditions. For more offers please refer to the ‘Offers’ section of compareandsave.com’s ‘Your money matters blog’.